cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Demographic factors and rate of lymph node evaluation in colon cancer stage II using National Cancer Database (NCDB).

548Background: Retrieving at least 12 lymph nodes (LN) is a quality indicator in colon cancer. Previous studies have shown about 38% of patients with stage II are estimated to have ≥12 LN checked. Methods: Community Programs (CCP) receive 100-500 newly diagnosed cancer cases per year. Hospitals receiving 500+ patients are either Academic Comprehensive Programs (ACP) or Comprehensive Community Programs (CCCP). Using NCDB (2003-2013), which includes >70% of newly diagnosed cancer patients, we utilized chi-square analysis, and compared frequencies of patients with and without having ≥12 LN examined. Results: In the NCDB database, the percent of patients with stage II colon cancer who have ≥12 LN checked is much lower than current estimates. Non-Hispanic and Hispanic patients have similar LN examination rate, as do Blacks and Whites. 4% less men have ≥12 LN examined than women. Large differences exist among patients with different insurance statuses. Uninsured and Medicaid patients have much lower LN examinat...
Handbook of child and adolescent group therapy: a practioner's guide by C. Haen, & S. Aronson, New York, New York, Routledge, 2017, 494 pp., $265.00 (hardcover), $129.95 (paperback)

Handbook of Child and Adolescent Group Therapy goes beyond the standard texts by bringing a unique and thorough perspective to one of the most essential modalities for working with children and ado...
Boundary effects on population dynamics in stochastic lattice Lotka–Volterra models

Abstract We investigate spatially inhomogeneous versions of the stochastic Lotka–Volterra model for predator–prey competition and coexistence by means of Monte Carlo simulations on a two-dimensional lattice with periodic boundary conditions. To study boundary effects for this paradigmatic population dynamics system, we employ a simulation domain split into two patches: Upon setting the predation rates at two distinct values, one half of the system resides in an absorbing state where only the prey survives, while the other half attains a stable coexistence state wherein both species remain active. At the domain boundary, we observe a marked enhancement of the predator population density. The predator correlation length displays a minimum at the boundary, before reaching its asymptotic constant value deep in the active region. The frequency of the population oscillations appears only very weakly affected by the existence of two distinct domains, in contrast to their attenuation rate, which assumes its largest value there. We also observe that boundary effects become less prominent as the system is successively divided into subdomains in a checkerboard pattern, with two different reaction rates assigned to neighboring patches. When the domain size becomes reduced to the scale of the correlation length, the mean population densities attain values that are very similar to those in a disordered system with randomly assigned reaction rates drawn from a bimodal distribution.
Stereospecific, Nickel-Catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura Cross-Coupling of Allylic Pivalates To Deliver Quaternary Stereocenters

Recognizing the importance of all-carbon, quaternary stereocenters in complex molecule synthesis, a stereospecific, nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of allylic pivalates with arylboroxines to deliver products equipped with quaternary stereocenters and internal alkenes was developed. The enantioenriched allylic pivalate starting materials are readily prepared, and a variety of functional groups can be incorporated on both the allylic pivalate and the arylboroxine. Additional advantages include the use of a commercially available and air-stable Ni(II) salt and BISBI ligand, mild reaction conditions, and high yields and ee’s. The observed stereoinversion of this reaction is consistent with an open transition state in the oxidative addition step.
[312-POS]: Mechanisms of renal potassium retention during late pregnancy

Objectives The fetus requires a large amount of potassium for normal development. To accommodate this need the normal pregnant rat accumulates considerable potassium over the course of gestation, most of which is retained during late pregnancy. This gestational potassium retention is essential for fetal development but the mechanism is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine how renal potassium retention occurs in the setting of high circulating aldosterone and enhanced collecting duct sodium reabsorption in the pregnant rat. Recent work on the WNK kinases has provided interesting targets for divergent modulation of sodium and potassium handling in the distal nephron. Methods We measured the mRNA expression of WNK1, WNK4, ROMK, H+/K+ – ATPase type 1 (HKA1), H+/K+ – ATPase type 2 (HKA2), and H+ – ATPase in the renal cortex, outer medulla, and inner medulla of virgin (V, n = 6), mid pregnant (MP, n = 6), and late pregnant (LP, n = 6) rats using quantitative real-time PCR. Results We found an increase in HKA1 in the outer medulla in MP rats vs V and increased HKA2 expression in both cortex and outer medulla of LP rats vs. V. Furthermore, ROMK expression decreased in the inner medulla of MP and LP rats compared to V. The expression level of the other genes tested did not differ with pregnancy stage. Conclusions The potassium retention of pregnancy may be due both to increased collecting duct potassium reabsorption (via increased HKA1/HKA2), as well as decreased expression of the potassium secretory channel ROMK, which would reduce secretion and excretion of potassium, despite increased sodium reabsorption. This regulation is regional with enhanced HKA2 in cortex/outer medulla and reduced ROMK in inner medulla. Future studies will determine the signaling pathways involved as well as protein levels and cellular localization of the tubular potassium transporters, to assess functional significance. Disclosures C. West: None. E. Qiu: None. C. Baylis: None. M. Gumz: None.
Redefining the abdominal seatbelt sign: Enhanced CT imaging metrics improve injury prediction.

Abstract Introduction The abdominal seatbelt sign (ASBS) has an established association with abdominal injury, yet its definition remains ill-defined. We hypothesize specific imaging characteristics associated with the ASBS such as location above the pelvic brim and depth of abdominal wall contusion would better predict underlying injury and need for operative intervention. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of subjects suffering from restrained motor vehicle collisions (MVC) evaluated at a level one trauma facility from 2010 to 2015. CT imaging was reviewed for the presence of a transverse abdominal wall contusion consistent with lap belt use. Contusion location was determined in relation to the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). Abdominal wall thickness as well as contusion depth were measured at the contusion level and an abdominal seatbelt sign depth index (ASBSI) was calculated. Results Sample size for the cohort was 551 subjects. Operative need was 19.73% in those with ASBS on CT (CT ASBS) above the ASIS and 4.05% (p-value Conclusion Characteristics of abdominal wall injury on imaging such as location and contusion depth (ASBSI) are better predictors of abdominal operative need than standard clinical measures. This analysis substantiates a novel diagnostic tool which may have the potential to facilitate clinical diagnosis and management decisions in patients with abdominal seatbelt sign.
An SIV/macaque model targeted to study HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders

Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of pigtailed macaques is a highly representative and well-characterized animal model for HIV neuropathogenesis studies that provides an excellent opportunity to study and develop prognostic markers of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) for HIV-infected individuals. SIV studies can be performed in a controlled setting that enhances reproducibility and offers high-translational value. Similar to observations in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), ongoing neurodegeneration and inflammation are present in SIV-infected pigtailed macaques treated with suppressive ART. By developing quantitative viral outgrowth assays that measure both CD4+ T cells and macrophages harboring replication competent SIV as well as a highly sensitive mouse-based viral outgrowth assay, we have positioned the SIV/pigtailed macaque model to advance our understanding of latent cellular reservoirs, including potential CNS reservoirs, to promote HIV cure. In addition to contributing to our understanding of the pathogenesis of HAND, the SIV/pigtailed macaque model also provides an excellent opportunity to test innovative approaches to eliminate the latent HIV reservoir in the brain.
The role of renal response to amino acid infusion and oral protein load in normal kidneys and kidney with acute and chronic disease.

Purpose of reviewHigh protein intake and hyperfiltration have been a focus of major interest as potential mechanism(s) of progression of renal disease. This review will examine: the renal response to a protein meal or amino acid infusion and its use to test the renal functional reserve (RFR); new me
On the viscous flows of leak-out and spherical cap natation

This paper deals with the hydrodynamics of a viscous liquid passing through the hole in a deflating hollow sphere. I employ the method of complementary integrals and calculate in closed form the pressure and streamfunction for the axisymmetric, creeping motion coming from changes in radius. The resulting flow fields describe the motion of a deformable spherical cap in a viscous environment, where the deformations include changes in the size of the spherical cap, the size of the hole and translation of the body along the axis of symmetry. The calculations yield explicit expressions for the jumps in pressure and resistance coefficients for the combined deformations. The equation for the translation force shows that a freely suspended spherical cap is able to propel as an active swimmer. The expression for pressure contains the classic Sampson flow rate equation as a limiting case, but simulations show that the pressure must also account for the velocity of hole widening to correctly predict outflow rates in physiology. Movies based on the closed-form solutions visualize the flow fields and pressures as part of physical processes.
Gendered discourse about climate change policies

Abstract Extending theory and research on gender roles and masculinity, this work predicts and finds that common ways of talking about climate change are gendered. Climate change policy arguments that focus on science and business are attributed to men more than to women. By contrast, policy arguments that focus on ethics and environmental justice are attributed to women more than men (Study 1). Men show gender matching tendencies, being more likely to select (Study 2) and positively evaluate (Study 3) arguments related to science and business than ethics and environmental justice. Men also tend to attribute negative feminine traits to other men who use ethics and environmental justice arguments, which mediates the relation between type of argument and men’s evaluation of the argument (Study 3). The gendered nature of public discourse about climate change and the need to represent ethical and environmental justice topics in this discourse are discussed.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals abnormalities of glucose metabolism in the Alzheimer's brain.

Objective Brain glucose hypometabolism is a prominent feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and in this case-control study we used Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) to assess AD-related differences in the posterior cingulate/precuneal ratio of glucose, lactate, and other metabolites. Methods J-modulated Point-Resolved Spectroscopy (J-PRESS) and Prior-Knowledge Fitting (ProFit) software was used to measure glucose and other metabolites in the posterior cingulate/precuneus of 25 AD, 27 older controls, and 27 younger control participants. Clinical assessments for AD participants included cognitive performance measures, insulin resistance metrics and CSF biomarkers. Results AD participants showed substantially elevated glucose, lactate, and ascorbate levels compared to older (and younger) controls. In addition, the precuneal glucose elevation discriminated well between AD participants and older controls. Myo-inositol correlated with CSF p-Tau181P, total Tau, and the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) sum-of-boxes score within the AD group. Interpretation Higher glucose to creatine ratios in the AD brain likely reflect lower glucose utilization. Our findings reveal pronounced metabolic abnormalities in the AD brain and strongly suggest that brain glucose merits further investigation as a candidate AD biomarker.
Severe iron poisoning treated with prolonged deferoxamine infusion: a case report

The incidence of iron poisoning, once the most common cause of fatal pediatric unintentional ingestions, and the use of its antidote deferoxamine have declined. We describe a case of a 17-year-old girl who presented to a hospital following an intentional polysubstance ingestion, which included ferrous sulfate. She developed severe gastrointestinal symptoms including hematemesis, as well as anion gap metabolic acidosis, coagulopathy, and liver toxicity. She was treated with a prolonged course of greater than 24 h with deferoxamine due to a markedly elevated serum iron concentration of 2565 g/dL and worsening clinical status. Clinical features and management of complex iron poisoning are discussed. This case demonstrates the benefit of early poison control center and medial toxicology involvement in instances regarding the off-label usage of deferoxamine in the treatment of severe iron toxicity.
A driving cycle detection approach using map service API

Abstract Following advancements in smartphone and portable global positioning system (GPS) data collection, wearable GPS data have realized extensive use in transportation surveys and studies. The task of detecting driving cycles (driving or car-mode trajectory segments) from wearable GPS data has been the subject of much research. Specifically, distinguishing driving cycles from other motorized trips (such as taking a bus) is the main research problem in this paper. Many mode detection methods only focus on raw GPS speed data while some studies apply additional information, such as geographic information system (GIS) data, to obtain better detection performance. Procuring and maintaining dedicated road GIS data are costly and not trivial, whereas the technical maturity and broad use of map service application program interface (API) queries offers opportunities for mode detection tasks. The proposed driving cycle detection method takes advantage of map service APIs to obtain high-quality car-mode API route information and uses a trajectory segmentation algorithm to find the best-matched API route. The car-mode API route data combined with the actual route information, including the actual mode information, are used to train a logistic regression machine learning model, which estimates car modes and non-car modes with probability rates. The experimental results show promise for the proposed method’s ability to detect vehicle mode accurately.
The Thermal Expansion Behaviour of Filament Wound Composite Tubes

Fiber reinforced composites have been developed for a large variety of applications and considerable effort has been devoted to their characterization and testing. These materials may actually be “designed” and built to possess any of a wide range of property combinations. The emphasis thus far has been on high strength and stiffness combined with light weight. More recently, some attention has been given to other nonstructural aspects such as electrical and thermal properties, including thermal expansion (1).
Studies of Bacterial NADH-Ubiquinone (or Menaquinone) Oxidoreductase Systems

The mitochondrial NADH-ubiquinone (Q) oxidoreductase (Complex I) contains the highest number of subunit polypeptides, some 25, (1,2) and redox components (3–5) among the four respiratory chain complexes. It is generally accepted that Complex I contains 22–24 nonheme iron atoms (6–9) and equivalent acid labile sulfides, together with 1 FMN and 2–4 ubiquinone (1,2). Three tetranuclear, N-2, N-3, and N-4, and one binuclear iron-sulfur cluster, N-lb, in Ohnishi’s nomenclature, have been established as intrinsic EPR detectable components of Complex I (10–15), while the binuclear cluster N-1a remains as a controversial redox component because it has an extremely low and variable redox midpoint potential (Em) in different Complex I preparations (3,4,12).
Assessment of Cr tolerance and accumulation in selected plant species

Comparisons of relative growth and survival rates of 10 plant species in test-tube nutrient-solution culture indicated that soybean and sunflower were Cr-tolerant. Comparison of relative growth and tissue Cr concentrations between soybean and sunflower showed that soybean was most tolerant to both Cr(VI) and Cr(III). Higher tissue Cr concentrations (20 000, 7400, 1300 μg g−1 in the roots, stems, and leaves, respectively) were observed in all soybean tissues when exposed to 1.0 mM Cr(III) as compared to sunflower (14 000, 900, 460 μg g−1 in the roots, stems, and leaves, respectively). With Cr(VI), sunflower had higher Cr concentrations in the root than did soybean (1800 vs. 700 μg g−1); however, there was a higher Cr level in soybean leaves and stems (27 and 21 μg g−1, respectively) compared to leaves and stems of sunflower (6 and 0 μg g−1, respectively), indicating significant translocation from the roots into the above-ground parts in soybean. Soybean can be considered to be a viable candidate as a rhizofiltration species for phytoremediation purposes.
Circulating inflammation signature predicts overall survival and relapse-free survival in metastatic colorectal cancer

Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a highly heterogeneous disease from a clinical, molecular, and immunological perspective. Current predictive models rely primarily in tissue based genetic analysis, which not always correlate with inflammatory response. Here we evaluated the role of a circulating inflammatory signature as a prognostic marker in mCRC. Two hundred eleven newly diagnosed patients with mCRC were enrolled in the study. One hundred twenty-one patients had unresectable metastases, whereas ninety patients had potentially resectable liver metastases at presentation. Analysis of miR-21, IL-6, and IL-8 in the plasma of peripheral blood was performed at baseline. Patients with high circulating levels of ≥2 of the three inflammation markers (miR-21, IL-6, and IL-8) were considered to have the “Inflammation phenotype-positive CISIG”. Positive CISIG was found in 39/90 (43%) and 50/121 (45%) patients in the resectable and unresectable cohort, respectively. In the resectable population the median relapse-free survival was 18.4 compared to 31.4 months (p = 0.001 HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.2–3.67) for positive vs. negative CISIG. In contrast, the individual components were not significant. In the same population the median overall survival was 46.2 compared to 66.0 months (p = 0.0003, HR 2.57, 95% CI 1.26–5.27) for positive vs. negative CISIG, but not significant for the individual components. In the unresectable population, the median overall survival was 13.5 compared to 25.0 months (p = 0.0008, HR 2.49, 95% CI 1.46–4.22) for positive vs. negative CISIG. IL-6 was independently prognostic with overall survival of 16.2 compared to 27.0 months (p = 0.004, HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.24–3.11) for high vs. low IL-6, but not the other components. Using a Cox regression model, we demonstrated that CISIG is an independent predictive marker of survival in patients with unresectable disease (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2, 2.8, p < 0.01). In two different cohorts, we demonstrated that CISIG is a strong prognostic factor of relapse-free and overall survival of patients with mCRC. Based on these data, analysis of circulating inflammatory signaling can be complimentary to traditional molecular testing.
The enteromammary immune system: an important new concept in breast milk host defense.

The discovery that secretory IgA was the predominant immunoglobulin in external secretions stimulated a great deal of research into the secretory immune system and in particular into the relationship between oral immunization and the appearance of antibody at distant epithelial sites such as in the oral cavity and breast. It has become clear that there is a continuous traffic of plasma cells between the gut-associated lymphatic tissue into the systemic circulation and then back to the gut to provide local secretory immunity and also to distant sites again to provide the same specific immunity. Most often the effects of immunization within the system are not reflected in the serum. Deficiencies in this system of external protection are reflected in increased incidences of autoimmune diseases, allergy, diarrheal disease, and cancer in those people with absent secretory IgA. With better understanding of those pathways involved in homing and induction of SIgA, such as the function of hormonal influences on the population of the breast glandular epithelium, the diapedesis of cells from the breast into the colostrum, and the influences of T cells and macrophages presented to the newborn in the colostrum, it may be possible to influence the course of inherited or acquired diseases whose pathogenesis is influenced by decreased enteric immunity. We now also have the possibility of using the passive immunity given by breast milk to protect infants against a number of infectious diseases and toxins to which they are particularly vulnerable, such as neonatal meningitis and food allergy.
Selective and nonselective GR antagonists in combination with chemotherapy in ovarian cancer PDX models.

e17039Background: Treatment strategies are needed for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is associated with poor prognosis in ovarian cancer. GR signaling inh...
ORBDeepOdometry - A Feature-Based Deep Learning Approach to Monocular Visual Odometry

Visual Odometry (VO) is an application of computer vision which helps in autonomous navigation of Self-Driving vehicles, Robots etc. The odometry pose of the vehicle can be estimated using the consecutive frames based on monocular or stereo camera setup mounted on the vehicle. The Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) based approaches have shown phenomenal results in predicting the vehicle odometry. Deep Learning based approaches are emerging in the field of computer vision and are outperforming other classic algorithms. But, visual odometry is one of the field where deep learning approaches have not yet been exploited largely. This paper proposes the use of Deep Learning based pipeline approach to solve the problem of visual odometry. The paper boosts the performance of deep learning approach by extracting quite more features before training the network. This paper proposes the use of ORB based feature extractor along with Convolutional Neural Network based dimensionality reduction and stacking multiple deep LSTM's for modelling the sequential data. In this case, the KITTI vision Benchmark dataset is used to model the network. The accuracy of the network is examined by calculating the error between the predicted odometry output and the ground truth odometry output. The results are compared with different Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures proposed for the same task. The average translation error from the proposed system is 11.99% and the average rotational error from the proposed system is 0.0462 degrees per meter.
Building on deep learning

We propose using deep learning as the "workhorse" of a cognitive architecture. We show how deep learning can be leveraged to learn representations, such as a hierarchy of analogical schemas, from relational data. This approach to higher cognition drives some desiderata of deep learning, particularly modality independence and the ability to make top-down predictions. Finally, we consider the problem of how relational representations might be learned from sensor data that is not explicitly relational.
Valuing floodplain protection and avoidance in a coastal watershed

Flood-related losses in the United States are increasing despite large-scale mitigation efforts. To offset the rising cost of floods, the US Congress passed legislation in 2014 that will augment insurance premiums to make the National Flood Insurance Program more actuarially sound. Consequently, there is interest in lowering flood-related costs to the homeowner, both in terms of premiums and damage. This study addresses the issue by integrating premium savings and damages avoided based on several mitigation scenarios. Specifically, it examines how much policyholders within a watershed near Houston, Texas, could have saved between 1999 and 2009 had their communities introduced specific avoidance-based mitigation activities. The results indicate that homeowners and communities can offset premium rises and a majority of the damage suffered through marginal expansions of such initiatives. However, the costs associated with their implementation could counter some of these savings, and hence they need to be considered in future work.
Edward Thring’s theory, practice and legacy: physical education in Britain since 1800, by Malcolm Tozer

Malcolm Tozer’s latest publication on former Uppingham headmaster Edward Thring’s influence in English education provides a welcome continuation of the work found in his The Ideal of Manliness (Por...
Fuel-oxidizer mixtures: a lab and field study

Improvised explosive may be as primitive as a fuel and oxidizer mixture; yet not all fuel-oxidizer mixtures are explosive. Predicting explosive potential from laboratory-scale tests is desirable to...
Experimental Steady-State and Transient Analysis of a Behind-The-Meter Battery Storage for Residential Customers with PV Systems

Several countries and States within the US with high levels of PV penetration are providing significant incentives to pair behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems (BESS) with Photovoltaic (PV) systems, in an effort to preserve the penetration of renewable energy systems and reduce greenhouse gases. In this paper, some experimental tests on commercial BESS, that is integrated with an existing PV system, are conducted to determine its round-trip efficiency, its power quality when operating in back-up mode, and its dynamic response to sudden changes in local load as well as grid outages.
Emotional Awareness in Daily Life: Exploring Its Potential Role in Repetitive Thinking and Healthy Coping

Cross-sectional research has found that emotional awareness, which is composed of one's emotional clarity and attention to emotions, is associated with psychopathology, emotion regulation, and coping. Not surprisingly then, emotional awareness is often a target of cognitive and behavioral therapies. However, little is known about what emotional awareness is related to in daily life, which would inform how and for whom emotional awareness training should be conducted in therapeutic settings. The goal of the current studies was to examine associations among facets of emotional awareness and repetitive thinking (i.e., rumination, worry, and reflection), emotion regulation, and coping in daily life. We conducted two 7-day daily diary studies (n = 172 in Study 1, n = 211 in Study 2) measuring daily experiences of repetitive negative thinking, emotion regulation efforts, and coping. Multilevel models showed that trait levels of emotional clarity were negatively associated, at the between-person level, with daily levels of repetitive negative thinking and positively associated with active coping. Additionally, daily levels of emotional clarity were associated, at the within-person level, with worrying and active coping, whereas daily levels of attention to emotions were associated, at the within-person level, with reflection. Theoretical and clinical implications for emotional awareness, particularly emotional clarity, are discussed.
Interleukin-22 Inhibits Respiratory Syncytial Virus Production by Blocking Virus-Mediated Subversion of Cellular Autophagy

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection can cause severe bronchiolitis in infants requiring hospitalization, whereas the elderly and immunocompromised are prone to RSV-induced pneumonia. RSV primarily infects lung epithelial cells. Given that no vaccine against RSV is currently available, we tested the ability of the epithelial-barrier protective cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) to control RSV production. When used in a therapeutic modality, IL-22 efficiently blunted RSV production from infected human airway and alveolar epithelial cells and IL-22 administration drastically reduced virus titer in the lungs of infected newborn mice. RSV infection resulted in increased expression of LC3B, a key component of the cellular autophagic machinery, and knockdown of LC3B ablated virus production. RSV subverted LC3B with evidence of co-localization and caused a significant reduction in autophagic flux, both reversed by IL-22 treatment. Our findings inform a previously unrecognized anti-viral effect of IL-22 that can be harnessed to prevent RSV-induced severe respiratory disease.
Transient Electrical Currents Mediated by the Na+/K+-ATPase: A Tour from Basic Biophysics to Human Diseases

The Na+/K+-ATPase is a chemical molecular machine responsible for the movement of Na+ and K+ ions across the cell membrane. These ions are moved against their electrochemical gradients, so the protein uses the free energy of ATP hydrolysis to transport them. In fact, the Na+/K+-ATPase is the single largest consumer of energy in most cells. In each pump cycle, the protein sequentially exports 3Na+ out of the cell, then imports 2K+ into the cell at an approximate rate of 200 cycles/s. In each half cycle of the transport process, there is a state in which ions are stably trapped within the permeation pathway of the protein by internal and external gates in their closed states. These gates are required to open alternately; otherwise, passive ion diffusion would be a wasteful end of the cell's energy. Once one of these gates open, ions diffuse from their binding sites to the accessible milieu, which involves moving through part of the electrical field across the membrane. Consequently, ions generate transient electrical currents first discovered more than 30 years ago. They have been studied in a variety of preparations, including native and heterologous expression systems. Here, we review three decades' worth of work using these transient electrical signals to understand the kinetic transitions of the movement of Na+ and K+ ions through the Na+/K+-ATPase and propose the significance that this work might have to the understanding of the dysfunction of human pump orthologs responsible for some newly discovered neurological pathologies.
Reporting matters: the real effects of financial reporting on investing and financing decisions

In this paper, I provide an overview of the research on the real effects of financial reporting on investing and financing decisions made by firms. Accounting can improve investment efficiency and ...
Helping Students with Learning Disabilities Through Video-Based, Universally Designed Assessment

The problem with many assessments is they impose barriers for students with learning disabilities who struggle with memory and information processing. Traditional assessments often present multiple pieces of information at one time through written text, which can challenge students who have difficulty processing, storing, and integrating multiple pieces of information simultaneously. Simple text-to-speech or computerized read-aloud accommodation cannot address these issues. This is unfair to these students and doesn?t provide an accurate measurement of their knowledge. Therefore, alternative measures that are accessible to students with learning disabilities must be developed. This article will highlight best practices and challenges in creating a video-based, universally designed assessment. Readers will be introduced to ways to incorporate universal design for learning principles to assessments through an example video-based assessment on scientific reasoning.
Epilepsy in Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood: Characteristics, Neuroimaging, and Response to Therapy (P4.6-069)

Objective: Describe the manifestations of epilepsy in Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC) and our experience in managing it. Background: AHC is characterized by recurrent episodes of hemiplegia, double hemiplegia, dystonia, and, frequently, epilepsy. However, the characteristics of epilepsy in AHC have yet to be described in detail. Design/Methods: We analyzed clinical and electrophysiological data of a cohort of 50 consecutive AHC patients who underwent systematic evaluations as per our clinical pathway. Results: 31/50 had epilepsy (seizure age of onset: 1.89±3.04 years). In seven, seizures preceded other AHC spells. Eighteen (58%) were drug resistant. Seventeen had focal seizures, frontal more frequently than temporal, then parietal, and occipital. Eleven had primary generalized seizures: 11 generalized tonic-clonic (GTC), 3 myoclonic, and 2 absence. Three had GTCs of unknown onset. Therapies included antiepileptics (31/31), ketogenic diet (6/31), repurposed drugs (11/31) and pulse steroids (2/31), and had mixed results. Vagal nerve stimulation resulted in >50% reduction in seizure frequency in 5/6. Although the majority had epileptiform EEGs, 7 initially had normal EEGs that later became epileptiform. MRI, normal in the majority, showed in some cerebral atrophy (3/31), cerebellar atrophy (3/31) or abnormal spectroscopy (4/5, all had prior status epilepticus-SE). Eleven (35%) had SE, refractory or super refractory in all. 8/11 had multiple SE episodes. 3/11 had regression after SE.26/50 also had, previously not characterized, spells we termed Reduced Awareness Spells (RAS), consisting of isolated lethargy, drowsiness, staring, and reduced responsiveness without concomitant clinical epileptic manifestations or EEG changes. Conclusions: Epilepsy in AHC: 1) is focal or generalized, 2) can be the initial manifestation of AHC, 3) manifests high frequency of drug resistance and of often recurrent refractory SE that at times is followed by regression, and 4) RAS, likely non-epileptic in nature, occur frequently. Disclosure: Dr. Uchitel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Helseth has nothing to disclose. Dr. Prange has nothing to disclose. Dr. McLean has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ghusayni has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sachdev has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hunanyan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Mikati has nothing to disclose.
Planet–disc interaction in highly inclined systems

We study the interaction of a protoplanetary disc with a planet on a highly inclined orbit in the linear regime. The evolution of the planet is dominated by dynamical friction for planet masses above several Earth masses. Smaller planets are dominated by aerodynamic drag, especially for very high inclinations and retrograde orbits. The time-scales associated with migration and inclination damping are calculated. For certain values of the inclination, the inclination damping time-scale is longer than the migration time-scale and the disc lifetime. This result shows that highly inclined planets cannot (re-)align with the protoplanetary disc. We discuss the dependence of numerical simulations on the gravitational softening parameter. We find only a logarithmic dependence, making global three-dimensional simulations of this process computationally feasible. A large fraction of hot Jupiters is on highly inclined orbits with respect to the rotation axis of the star. On the other hand, small mass planetary systems discovered by the Kepler mission have low mutual inclinations. This shows that there are two distinct formation mechanisms at work. The process that creates inclined hot Jupiters does not operate on small mass planets because the damping time-scales are so long that these systems would still be inclined today.
Incidental Pituitary Cysts in Children: Does Growth Hormone Treatment Affect Cyst Size?

Abstract Objective To evaluate the response of incidentally discovered pituitary cysts to growth hormone (GH) treatment. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of children with pituitary cysts on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over a 5-year period. Records and images were reviewed, and the results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Children with pituitary cysts who received GH treatment were compared with those without. Results We identified 109 children with pituitary cysts, 24 were treated with GH therapy. The average age was 8.5 ± 5.1 years. Children whose initial MRI scan was to evaluate growth hormone deficiency were more commonly male and non-Hispanic White compared with those with scans for other indications (male, 18 of 24 vs 35 of 85, P = .003; White, 23 of 24 vs 58 of 85, P = .004). Among patients who received GH treatment, 12 had follow-up MRI. Six had no change in cyst size and 6 had a decrease in cyst size. We observed no difference in the likelihood of cyst growth between those who received GH and those who did not (0 of 12 cysts with GH vs 1 of 15 cysts without GH showed growth at follow-up). No patient had neurologic deficits attributable to the pituitary cyst at any time. Conclusion In a single-institution, retrospective study, we find no evidence of growth in pituitary cysts in response to GH therapy.
Poisonous Plants in Harvested Feeds

There are hundreds of plants with potential toxicity to cattle. This presentation is limited to a few that are likely to cause problems in harvested feed. Many livestock producers now buy feed from those who specialize in crop production, thus they may have minimal control over the quality of the feed. Modern methods of feed preparation (grinding, pelleting, and cubing) may make it impossible to ascertain the presence of poisonous plants unless quality control is rigidly practiced from field to animal.
Repression of Gene Expression by Glucocorticoid Receptor through Interference with cAMP Responsive Enhancers

Glucocorticoid receptor negatively regulates expression of the human glycoprotein hormone a-subunit gene through glucocorticoid receptor binding sites that overlap DNA elements (CREs) crucial for both cAMP responsiveness and placental-specific expression of this gene. Negative regulation can be conferred by this 52 bp region to a heterologous promoter; however, it is observed only under circumstances where the CREs act as transcriptional enhancers. These data support the hypothesis that steroid receptors repress gene expression by binding to sites which overlap those of other important transcription factors, thereby disrupting their actions.
Current commutation in a medium voltage hybrid DC circuit breaker using 15 kV vacuum switch and SiC devices

Analysis and experimental study of current commutation in an ultra-fast, current limiting, hybrid DC circuit breaker for medium voltage applications is reported in this paper. The hybrid DCCB consists a fast acting 15 kV mechanical switch, a low voltage commutating switch, a single 15 kV Silicon Carbide Emitter Turn Off Thyristor (ETO) device, and a stack of MOVs. The proof-of-concept prototype is able to conduct 45 A normal current and interrupt a maximum of more than 100 A fault current at medium voltage level in less than 4 milliseconds, which is one order of magnitude faster compared to conventional mechanical circuit breakers that typically take 40–100 ms. This paper has presented the operation principle of a hybrid DC circuit breaker and analyzed the current commutation process. Based on the analysis, guidelines are given in the paper to select and design the commutating switch.
Demand-Driven Construction of Call Graphs

Call graph construction has been an important area of research within the compilers and programming languages community. However, all existingt echniques focus on exhaustive analysis of all the call-sites in the program. With increasing importance of just-in-time or dynamic compilation and use of program analysis as part of the software development environments, we believe that there is a need for techniques for demand-driven construction of the call graph. We present a demand-driven call graph construction framework in this paper, focusing on the dynamic calls due to polymorphism in object-oriented languages. We use a variant of Callahan's Program Summary Graph (PSG) and perform analysis over a set of influencingno des. We show that our demand-driven technique has the same accuracy as the correspondinge xhaustive technique. The reduction in the graph construction time depends upon the ratio of the cardinality of the set of influencing nodes to the set of all nodes.
Capacity planning strategies for net-centric applications

Military communications have several unique characteristics, limitations, and requirements such as need to rapidly deploy wireless ad-hoc networks, links with limited data rates and higher bit error rates, lower link availability, information assurance and covertness requirements, jamresistance, resilient reach-back, network availability, and quality of service (QoS). Traditionally, military networks have employed application-specific ("stovepiped") communications links but there is a significant effort to adopt network-centric architectures based on commercially available and technology. Transitioning to a network-centric architecture requires establishment and management of multiple network layers. Each layer adds its own overhead, and may require data processing and control signaling, adding to the required network capacity. Additionally, information assurance, quality of service, MANET, XML, and Web service protocols and technologies add to the total traffic overhead. Since networks will be shared by multiple users at a given time, the traffic on various segments of the network is expected to be unpredictable and bursty. For achieving an acceptable performance level for unpredictable traffic scenario, the network capacity utilization should not exceed a threshold level. Additionally, network inefficiencies may originate from integration complexities of heterogeneous networks. This paper examines the capacity requirements for a variety of military applications supported by a network-centric architecture. In particular, the overhead and inefficiencies of physical layer, link layer, network layer, transport layer and application layer protocols will be examined. For each of these layers, a variety of commercial and military protocols, that enable net-centric applications, are discussed with emphasis on its impact on capacity planning
ORFEUS II Far-Ultraviolet Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere

In 1996 November and December, remote FUV observations of the lunar atmosphere were conducted using the Berkeley spectrograph aboard the ORFEUS-SPAS II satellite. The main goal of the observations was to measure the distribution of Ar above the lunar dayside for the first time and to search for another predicted atmospheric constituent, Ne. During a 33 minute observation, the 20'' diameter spectrograph aperture was scanned repeatedly across the lunar dayside limb to obtain data over the range ±90'' from the lunar limb. The data reveal a 3 σ emission feature at 1048.2 A, which is interpreted as resonance scattering from lunar atmospheric Ar. The detected emission level of 1.3±0.4×10−3 photons cm-2 s-1 yields a daytime atmospheric abundance at the surface of 8±3×105 cm-3, assuming a spherically symmetric exospheric distribution. A search for atmospheric Ne I 736 A emission resulted in a 2 σ upper limit of 6×10−4 photons cm-2 s-1 or a daytime surface density upper limit of 2×106 cm-3.
Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of aqueous procaine penicillin G in the neonate

Simultaneous serum and CSF samples were obtained following the intramuscular administration of 50,000 units/kg of aqueous procaine penicillin G in 25 neonates. Penicillin activity was detected in the sera and CSF of all patients. Peak serum levels were noted at four hours (mean +/- SEM, 17.1 +/- 6.3 micrograms/ml). Peak CSF levels were noted at 12 hours (0.70 +/- 0.35 microgram/ml). The serum level at 24 hours was 2.1 +/- 0.98 microgram/ml (range, 0.2 to 5.8 micrograms/ml); the CSF level at 24 hours was 0.12 +/- 0.05 micrograms/ml (range, 0.03 to 0.27 microgram/ml). These results demonstrate that spirocheticidal levels (greater than or equal to 0.03 microgram/ml) are achieved for at least 24 hours in the CSF following the intramuscular administration of aqueous procaine penicillin G in neonates.
Parallel Loop Scheduling for High Performance Computers

Executing loop iterations in parallel on a multiprocessor system is one of the many ways to improve the execution of a program. However, due to the scheduling overhead and the potential for load imbalance among processors, maximum performance might not be attained. This article reviews current loop scheduling algorithms and studies their scheduling overhead versus load balancing tradeoffs. Using analytical models, simulations, and experimental measurements, the performance and the scalability of chunk scheduling, self-scheduling, guided self-scheduling, factoring, and trapezoid self-scheduling are compared.
An Observational and Conceptual Model of the Magnetic Field of a Filament

A conceptual, scale model of the geometry of the magnetic field of a filament was developed primarily from: (1) the observed structure of a filament recorded in H-alpha filtergrams, (2) calculations of the height of the filament (3) the association of the appendages along the sides of the filament with patches of photospheric magnetic flux opposite in polarity to the network magnetic fields on each side of filament, (4) the observed association of the ends of the filament with network magnetic fields of opposite polarity and (5) the assumption that the fine structure of the filament is parallel to the magnetic field in the filament. The model is consistent with the inverse category of quiescent prominences. The three-dimensional geometry of the model is sufficiently simple that wire is used to represent the imaginary magnetic field lines and their relationship to magnetic flux patches on a magnetogram.
Mechanism of Action of the Antifungal Antibiotic Pyrrolnitrin

Pyrrolnitrin at 10 μg/ml inhibited the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Penicillium atrovenetum, and P. oxalicum. The primary site of action of pyrrolnitrin on S. cerevisiae was the terminal electron transport system between succinate or reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and coenzyme Q. At growth inhibitory concentrations, pyrrolnitrin inhibited endogenous and exogenous respiration immediately after its addition to the system. In mitochondrial preparations, the antibiotic inhibited succinate oxidase, NADH oxidase, succinate-cytochrome c reductase, NADH-cytochrome c reductase, and succinate-coenzyme Q6 reductase. In addition, pyrrolnitrin inhibited the antimycin-insensitive reduction of dichlorophenolindophenol and of the tetrazolium dye 2,2′-di-p-nitrophenyl-(3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-bi-phenylene)5,5′-diphenylditetrazolium. The reduction of another tetrazolium dye, 2-p-iodophenyl-3-p-nitrophenyl-5-phenyltetrazolium chloride, that was antimycin-sensitive, was also inhibited by pyrrolnitrin. The antibiotic had no effect on the activity of cytochrome oxidase, and it did not appear to bind with flavine adenine dinucleotide, the coenzyme of succinic dehydrogenase. In whole cells of S. cerevisiae, pyrrolnitrin inhibited the incorporation of 14C-glucose into nucleic acids and proteins. It also inhibited the incorporation of 14C-uracil, 3H-thymidine, and 14C-amino acids into ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, and protein, respectively. The in vitro protein synthesis in Rhizoctonia solani and Escherichia coli was not affected by pyrrolnitrin. Pyrrolnitrin also inhibited the uptake of radioactive tracers, but there was no general damage to the cell membranes that would result in an increased leakage of cell metabolites. Apparently, pyrrolnitrin inhibits fungal growth by inhibiting the respiratory electron transport system.