cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Intestinal UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Inhibitors in Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Using a Biochemometric Approach: Application to Raloxifene as a Test Drug via In Vitro to In Vivo Extrapolation

Green tea (Camellia sinensis) is a popular beverage worldwide, raising concern for adverse interactions when co-consumed with conventional drugs. Like many botanical natural products, green tea contains numerous polyphenolic constituents that undergo extensive glucuronidation. As such, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), particularly intestinal UGTs, represent potential first-pass targets for green tea-drug interactions. Candidate intestinal UGT inhibitors were identified using a biochemometrics approach, which combines bioassay and chemometric data. Extracts and fractions prepared from four widely consumed teas were screened (20–180 μg/ml) as inhibitors of UGT activity (4-methylumbelliferone glucuronidation) in human intestinal microsomes; all demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition. A biochemometrics-identified fraction rich in UGT inhibitors from a representative tea was purified further and subjected to second-stage biochemometric analysis. Five catechins were identified as major constituents in the bioactive subfractions and prioritized for further evaluation. Of these catechins, (−)-epicatechin gallate and (−)-epigallocatechin gallate showed concentration-dependent inhibition, with IC50 values (105 and 59 μM, respectively) near or below concentrations measured in a cup (240 ml) of tea (66 and 240 μM, respectively). Using the clinical intestinal UGT substrate raloxifene, the Ki values were ∼1.0 and 2.0 μM, respectively. Using estimated intestinal lumen and enterocyte inhibitor concentrations, a mechanistic static model predicted green tea to increase the raloxifene plasma area under the curve up to 6.1- and 1.3-fold, respectively. Application of this novel approach, which combines biochemometrics with in vitro-in vivo extrapolation, to other natural product-drug combinations will refine these procedures, informing the need for further evaluation via dynamic modeling and clinical testing.
Trends in der Automobil-Sensorik

Die Automobilindustrie befindet sich in einem starken Umbruch. Die Elektrifizierung des Antriebs und die Automatisierung der Fahrfunktionen sowie die Anbindung an die Umwelt insgesamt sind drei der Hauptfaktoren, die die Automobillandschaft in den nachsten 20 Jahren erheblich verandern werden. Fahrzeugarchitektur, Systeme und zugrundeliegende Komponenten werden dadurch radikal beeinflusst und es entstehen neue Moglichkeiten. In diesem Beitrag werden die Moglichkeiten und Trends fur neue Sensortechnologien in einigen interessanten neuen Anwendungsfeldern beschrieben.
Single-Center Experience of Tracheobronchoplasty for Tracheobronchomalacia: Perioperative Outcomes

Background We present trends in practice as our experience has grown and report the postoperative morbidity and its associated factors after tracheobronchoplasty. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 161 patients who underwent tracheobronchoplasty from October 2002 to September 2016. The main outcome was development of a postoperative complication within 30 days of the operation. Postoperative complication events were graded using the Clavien-Dindo system. The study patients were divided into two consecutive cohorts to examine trends in systems of care. Postoperative morbidity was examined using a log-binomial regression model. Results The cohort consisted of 103 women (64%), with a median age of 58 years (interquartile range, 52 to 66 years). Postoperative morbidity occurred in 75 patients (47%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥IIIa) occurred in 38 patients (24%), most of which were respiratory in nature, including 27 (17%) with respiratory failure. Median intensive care unit length of stay was 4 days (interquartile range, 3 to 5 days), with a total length of stay of 8 days (interquartile range, 6 to 11 days). In-hospital mortality occurred in 2 patients (1%). Discharge was directly to home in 68% of patients (37% without assistance and 31% with visiting nurse follow-up) and to a rehabilitation facility in 31%. After adjusting for age, sex, race, operative time, and intraoperative blood loss, forced expiratory volume in 1 second was an independent predictor (odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval, 0.95 to 0.99; p = 0.01) for postoperative morbidity. Conclusions Despite an arduous hospital course with significant risk of severe complication, patients undergoing tracheobronchoplasty for severe tracheobronchomalacia have low risk of mortality and most are discharged directly to home.
Anesthesia for Pediatric Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery

The anesthetic management of children undergoing plastic and craniofacial surgeries poses significant and unique concerns for which the anesthesiologist must be prepared. Craniofacial surgery includes the correction of the skull, orbits and face. Repair of craniosynostosis requires an especially thoughtful approach that involves a multidisciplinary team. Although surgical practices have improved over time, the procedures used to correct this abnormality and its sequelae are still associated with significant morbidity and will be much of the focus of this chapter. The chapter will include a brief overview of common plastic surgery procedures and craniosynostosis management.
Needed research in the introduction and use of audiovisual materials: A special report

Though many appropriate questions on which research needs to be done have been raised in this report, there is still one significant point which must be kept in mind: The conduct of the research itself must conform to acceptable procedures for educational research. A major concern in this whole field, but especially in the specific area of media research, has been that of such matters as the appropriateness and efficiency of the research techniques, instrumentation, and statistical procedures.
Association of Morphologic and Demographic Features of Intracranial Aneurysms with Their Rupture: A Retrospective Analysis

Background: In spite of its common occurrence, the factors predictive of the rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) remain poorly defined.
Market Prices and Price Analysis

Keeping up on prices is one of the most challenging and difficult tasks facing marketers of fresh fruits and vegetables. Prices often fluctuate widely from day to day, and different prices usually exist for the same commodity at different locations or different stages in the marketing process, for different varieties, and for different grades and sizes. Reasons for these price fluctuations and these differences are often difficult to understand. This chapter will briefly discuss price theory, examine the process of price discovery or formation, describe the variability and differences in prices, and illustrate how knowledge of price response to changing supply and demand can be used in practice.
Cross-domain development of early academic and cognitive skills

Abstract This opening paper presents the background to a Special Issue devoted to cross-domain development of academic and cognitive skills in young children (birth to 8). A growing body of research over the last decade has indicated that academic and cognitive skills develop in tandem across the early years. The 22 articles included in this Special Issue, though generally centered on the core domains of school readiness (literacy, mathematics, and self-regulation), address key issues in how these domains develop together and are potentially affected by other factors and domains such as underlying cognitive processes, motivation, and motor skills. The articles represent both short-term and long-term longitudinal studies as well as experimental methods of understanding the links between domains. Critically, within this set of articles, some of these connections have been addressed in international populations as well as language minority groups. In this introduction, we provide an overview of the Special Issue as well as next directions inspired by the findings from these articles.
Primary cardiac epithelioid angiosarcoma with frond-like features: a rare and ominous radiological mimicker of benign cardiac tumors

Most primary cardiac tumors are benign neoplasms, which generally can be differentiated from malignant neoplasms via certain radiological features. We present briefly a case of a 26-year-old man undergoing resection of a right atrial mass that based on preceding radiologic findings represent a myxoma. After pathologic examination, the lesion was determined to be an epithelioid angiosarcoma with unique frond-like architecture and multiple pedicular attachments to the atrial wall.
βIV-Spectrin/STAT3 complex regulates fibroblast phenotype, fibrosis, and cardiac function

Increased fibrosis is a characteristic remodeling response to biomechanical and neurohumoral stress and a determinant of cardiac mechanical and electrical dysfunction in disease. Stress-induced activation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) is a critical step in the fibrotic response, although the precise sequence of events underlying activation of these critical cells in vivo remain unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a βIV-spectrin/STAT3 complex is essential for maintenance of a quiescent phenotype (basal nonactivated state) in CFs. We reported increased fibrosis, decreased cardiac function, and electrical impulse conduction defects in genetic and acquired mouse models of βIV-spectrin deficiency. Loss of βIV-spectrin function promoted STAT3 nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activity, and it altered gene expression and CF activation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a quiescent phenotype may be restored in βIV-spectrin-deficient fibroblasts by expressing a βIV-spectrin fragment including the STAT3-binding domain or through pharmacological STAT3 inhibition. We found that in vivo STAT3 inhibition abrogates fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction in the setting of global βIV-spectrin deficiency. Finally, we demonstrate that fibroblast-specific deletion of βIV-spectrin is sufficient to induce fibrosis and decreased cardiac function. We propose that the βIV-spectrin/STAT3 complex is a determinant of fibroblast phenotype and fibrosis, with implications for remodeling response in cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Toward Edge-enabled Cyber-Physical Systems Testbeds.

The use of edge computing can be extremely valuable in support of CPS efforts. However, few if any testbeds provide the type of resource control and provisioning required to support edge-enabled CPS experimentation. Likewise, commercial offerings provide operational capabilities, but lack the distributed infrastructure and transparency provided by research testbed. In this paper we propose methods to develop new and augment existing testbeds to better support the challenges of edge computing and CPS research. The proposed network is specifically designed to address the challenges associated with edge-based provisioning, data collection, analysis, monitoring, and measurement across islands of edge and data center resources. We present the purpose of our work, the basic architecture, initial results, the relationship to the existing software, and the potential of an existing edge-focused framework to support the foundations of edge-focused CPS testbeds.
Abstract B128: K-11706 exerts potent anti-cancer activity via suppression of GATA2/AR/cMyc signaling axis in castration resistant prostate cancer

Despite recent therapeutic advances, prostate adenocarcinoma (PC) progression to lethal castration-resistant PC (CRPC) remains a major clinical problem, creating an unmet need for innovative treatment approaches. Targeted therapies for PC have mostly focused on the androgen receptor (AR) axis, while several other PC drivers, such as GATA2, c-Myc, FOXM1, CENPF, and EZH2, remain undruggable in the clinic so far. We and others have previously reported several critical functions of GATA2 in AR signaling in PC: GATA2 induces AR expression; serves as a pioneer factor for AR binding to chromatin; and also post-translationally promotes transcriptional activity of both full-length and splice-variant AR. GATA2 is often elevated in CRPC. Here, we investigated the role of GATA2 in PC cells beyond the AR signaling axis, and characterized the pharmacological potency of the GATA2 small molecule inhibitor (SMI) K-11706 against PC cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and RNA sequencing analysis revealed that GATA2 is a key modulator of cMyc expression, which induces the expression of FOXM1 and EZH2. We extensively profiled five CRPC cell lines following treatment with K-11706, which inhibited the proliferation and invasive behavior of PC cells, and dramatically reduced the genome-wide transcriptional activity of GATA2, AR, and cMyc, leading to downregulation of several PC drivers and AR/cMyc effector genes, notably FOXM1, EZH2, and CENPF. Transcriptional profiling and functional pathway analysis of the K-11706 transcriptomic footprint against curated databases delineated a biological network composed of genes involved in cell cycle/proliferation, stemness, metastasis and DNA repair. In vivo, K-11706 suppressed the growth of multiple cell-derived and patient-derived xenograft PC models. We propose that GATA2 is a master regulator of multiple PC drivers and a promising actionable therapeutic target in CRPC. Pharmacologic inhibition of GATA2, via a potent second-generation small molecule inhibitor is feasible and effective in PC models both in vitro and in vivo. Citation Format: Salma Kaochar, Kimal Rajapakshe, Matthew J. Robertson, Yongcheng Song, Coarfa Cristian, Nicholas Mitsiades. K-11706 exerts potent anti-cancer activity via suppression of GATA2/AR/cMyc signaling axis in castration resistant prostate cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B128. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B128
Sparsity-based Time-Frequency Analysis for Automatic Radar Waveform Recognition

In this paper, we develop a novel pre-processing algorithm to achieve effective signal denoising for improved recognition of noisy radar signals. The algorithm is considered in the instantaneous autocorrelation function domain in which time or lag slices are converted to a Hankel matrix, and an atomic norm-based method is applied to mitigate the impacts of noise. Cross-terms are suppressed by using a time-frequency kernel, such as the Choi-Williams distribution, and a sparsity-based reconstruction technique is utilized to obtain a high-resolution time-frequency distribution of the radar waveforms. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The proposed denoising algorithm for radar waveform recognition enables a substantial increase of the overall successful recognition rate from 90.24% to 97.76%.
Foreclosures, House Prices Growth, and Refinancing in the COVID-19 Period

This paper examines the effect of foreclosure prevention policies on refinancing. Through a counterfactual analysis, we show that a foreclosure moratorium decreases significantly the refinancing cost of households and relaxes their refinancing eligibility constraints. Our results imply that granting forbearance to households facing foreclosures has positive externalities on a broader range of households who intend to refinance. Mortgage forbearance thus amplifies the stimulative effect of monetary policies.
Interplay of Digital Visualizing Tools and Frontline Employees’ Strategy Work

The research on the role of visualization in strategy work is maturing. However, the emphasis has been on strategy making by the top management and the role of visualization artifacts as a whole in...
Short- and long-term outcomes for single-port risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with and without hysterectomy for women at risk for gynecologic cancer

Introduction Risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy has been established as one of the most effective strategies in risk reduction for ovarian and breast cancers among women at increased genetic risk. However, there are limited data regarding the single-port laparoscopic platform in the field of risk-reducing surgery. Our objective was to describe outcomes after single-port risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy for reduction of ovarian, breast, or endometrial cancer risk. Methods A retrospective, single institution (Canadian Task Force Classification II.2) analysis was performed in women at high genetic or familial risk for ovarian/tubal/primary peritoneal cancer or with personal history of breast cancer who underwent single-port laparoscopic risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy between October 2009 and December 2015. Data were collected on patient demographics, surgical procedure and characteristics, intra-operative findings, and post-operative outcomes. Results In total, 187 single-port laparoscopic surgeries were performed with a median follow-up of 204 (IQR 25–749) days. BRCA1/2, Lynch syndrome, or Cowden syndrome was diagnosed in 64.0% of patients. Additionally, 32.1% had a personal history of breast cancer, and 3.2% reported strong family history of ovarian and/or breast cancer. Single-port risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with hysterectomy was performed in 53.5% of patients. The rate of adverse outcomes, including conversion to multiport laparoscopy or laparotomy (1.6%), intra-operative injury (1.6%), deep vein thrombosis (0.5%), urinary tract infection (2.7%), and/or incisional cellulitis (4.3%) were low. Three patients (1.6%) were diagnosed with malignancy on final pathology. All three patients were BRCA1-positive and their CA125 values were significantly lower than those without malignancy (p= Conclusions Single-port laparoscopy is a safe option for patients undergoing risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy. Standardized pre-operative evaluation criteria are needed to determine absolute risk of incidental malignancy, and the risk of identifying a malignancy should be reiterated to patients during pre-operative counseling.
Hamiltonicity and restricted degree conditions on induced subgraphs in claw-free graphs

Abstract A wounded graph W is a graph obtained from a K 3 by adding a pendant edge at one vertex of the K 3 and adding a path of length 2 at another vertex of the K 3 . A net N is a graph obtained from a K 3 by adding a pendant edge at each vertex of the K 3 . A P 6 is a path on 6 vertices. Cada et al. (2016) conjectured that for a 2-connected claw-free graph H and for a fixed graph S ∈ { W , N , P 6 } , if the degree at each end-vertex of every induced copy of S is at least ( | V ( H ) | − 2 ) / 3 , then H is Hamiltonian. The case for S = N was conjectured by Broersma in [2] (1993). The conjecture for S ∈ { N , P 6 } was proved in [9] . In this paper, we prove the conjecture for the last case S = W . A new and shorter proof for the case S = N is also included.
Contraception Counseling and Use Among Adolescent and Young Adult Female Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract Study Objective Adolescent and young adult (AYA) women undergoing cancer treatment face unique reproductive health risks. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of sexual health counseling and contraception use in the oncology setting, and to identify patient factors associated with these outcomes. Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Yale New Haven Hospital from 2013 to 2018. Participants Female patients 15-25 years of age receiving cancer treatment, excluding those treated with surgery only. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Outcomes of documented sexual health counseling and contraception use were assessed for frequency. Associations between patient factors and these outcomes were assessed using Pearson χ2 and Fisher exact tests, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of these outcomes. Results In this cohort (n = 157), the median age was 20.5 years, and the most common diagnoses were hematologic (40.8%) and thyroid (31.2%) malignancies. Of the patients, 33.1% were documented as receiving sexual health counseling, and 48.4% used contraception. Younger patients (15-20 years of age) were less likely to receive counseling (OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.14-0.70, P = .005). Receiving counseling (OR 3.36, 95% CI 1.35-8.34, P = .009) and sexual activity (OR 4.18, 95% CI 1.80-9.68, P = .001) were significantly associated with contraception use. Conclusions Sexual health counseling was documented infrequently during oncologic care for AYA women, especially for younger patients. However, such conversations were associated with a higher likelihood of contraception use. There is a need to improve rates of counseling in this high-risk setting, in which adolescents may be more vulnerable with regard to sexual health.
Almost Equilateral Heronian Triangles

A Heronian triangle is one whose sides (a, b, c) and area K are integers. An almost equilateral Heronian triangle is a Heronian triangle whose sides are consecutive integers such as (3, 4, 5), with...
Causal Chain of Time Delay Attack on Synchronous Generator Control

Wide integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in modern power grids has brought many benefits as well as the risk of cyber attacks. A critical step towards defending grid cyber security is to understand the cyber-physical causal chain, which describes the progression of intrusion in cyber-space leading to the formation of consequences on the physical power grid. In this paper, we develop an attack vector for a time delay attack at load frequency control in the power grid. Distinct from existing works, which are separately focused on cyber intrusion, grid response, or testbed validation, the proposed attack vector for the first time provides a full cyber-physical causal chain. It targets specific vulnerabilities in the protocols, performs a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, induces the delays in control loop, and destabilizes grid frequency. The proposed attack vector is proved in theory, presented as an attack tree, and validated in an experimental environment. The results will provide valuable insights to develop security measures and robust controls against time delay attacks.
From Clause A to Clause B: Narrative Transportation and the Transactional Reader

You know the phrase “lost in a good book.” The book’s story is so compelling that you are absorbed by the characters, setting, actions, and plot. The book pulls you into the narrative such that you must continue to read—even if that means staying up all night to finish the book. Because many associate that immersive experience with reading a novel, the phrase “lost in a good book” is most often connected to reading for pleasure. But the experience of being transported by the words of a narrative can occur when reading a variety of texts, including legal texts. That is because legal texts—both litigation-based documents and transactional documents—are, like novels, narratives. Transactional documents may initially appear to be simply compilations of standard provisions, but they are in fact narratives. Transactional documents contain provisions related to the wishes, hopes, fears, and choices of the transacting parties. These documents are not merely memorializations of past events. They are documents that authors construct to guide and inform future behavior. They create the legal obligations and rights of the transacting parties. As such, it follows that the transacting parties are both performing roles within the narratives and are the readers of those narratives. The provisions in the transactional document must be accurately processed, recalled, and acted upon by these parties. The inclusion of narrative within transactional documents can help the readers become more immersed in the document and thus lead to more effective outcomes throughout the life of the transaction. This Article will begin by highlighting the power of narrative and defining narrative transportation. The Article will then address the power of narrative transportation and its impact on readers. It will then explore how narrative transportation applies to transactional documents. To better understand how narrative transportation may apply to transactional documents, including both its potential benefits and limits, the Article will first define the transactional reader. Then, the Article will showcase the benefits that narrative transportation offers by presenting two excerpted transactional documents. One document does not use narrative techniques while the other incorporates select narrative techniques. This illustration will enable readers to see first-hand the impact of narrative transportation on the transactional reader.
"Periimplant Mucositis" Secondary to Infection of Residual Bone Allograft Embedded in the Periimplant Sulcus of a Patient with Diabetes: A Case Report.

Introduction Currently, inflammation of tissue around implants is diagnosed as either periimplant mucositis or periimplantitis, and the etiology is bacterial biofilm colonization of the implant and its transmucosal component. The purpose of this manuscript is to report a case of "periimplant mucositis" secondary to infection of a residual bone allograft embedded in the periimplant sulcus of a patient with diabetes. Case presentation A #8 implant was placed and provisionalized in a 46-year-old male patient. During implant placement, facial contour augmentation with an allograft (1000-2000 microns), a collagen membrane, and a connective tissue graft was performed. Healing was uneventful. The crown was removed 9 months after implant placement; a graft particulate was observed in the periimplant sulcus and left undisturbed. The subgingival contour of the crown was adjusted, and the crown was reseated. The patient subsequently developed soreness and foul smell at #8. The crown was removed, and the previously observed graft particulate was more exposed and contaminated. It was removed and the crown was reseated. A month later, symptoms persisted. Palpation produced suppuration. A facial flap was reflected, and residual graft particulates embedded in the facial flap were removed. The site was grafted with a connective tissue graft. Subsequently, symptoms resolved, and the implant was restored. Conclusion(s) Within the limitation of this case report, it appears residual graft materials can get infected once exposed to the oral cavity and subsequently induce an inflammatory response in the surrounding tissue, especially in a patient with hyperglycemia. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Reversible Molecular and Ionic Storage Mechanisms in High-Performance Zn0.1V2O5·nH2O Xerogel Cathode for Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries.

The cathode is a critical component for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) to achieve high capacity and long stability. In this work, we demonstrate a dissolution-free, low-Zn-preinserted bilayer-structured V2O5 xerogel cathode, Zn0.1V2O5·nH2O (ZnVO), with excellent capacity and stability using a low-cost ZnSO4 electrolyte. Its discharge capacity reaches 463 mAh g-1 at 0.2 A g-1 and 240 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1, while 93% and 88% of its capacity are retained at 0.2 A g-1 for 200 cycles and at 10 A g-1 for 20 000 cycles, respectively. We then show that the outstanding performance of ZnVO is derived from the enlarged gallery spacing by the solvent water intercalation and the water stable V2O5 bilayer structure. We further unveil viaab initio molecular dynamics that H+ is largely originated from the dissociation of the gallery water, while OH- moves out of the gallery to form Zn4(SO4)(OH)6·5H2O with ZnSO4 electrolyte on the surface of ZnVO; the intercalated Zn2+ forms aquo complex [Zn(H2O)6]2+ with the gallery water. Our theoretical analysis also suggests that the gallery water and solvent water in the electrolyte are statistically the same and functionally equivalent. Overall, this study shows the promise of ZnVO as a practical cathode for ZIBs and offers fundamental insights into the roles of gallery water, solvent water, bilayer V2O5 structure, and dual Zn2+/H+ intercalation mechanisms in achieving high capacity and long stability.
Self-Driven Pretreatment and Room-Temperature Storage of Water Samples for Virus Detection Using Enhanced Porous Superabsorbent Polymer (PSAP) Beads

The continuous emergence of infectious viral diseases has become a major threat to public health. To quantify viruses, proper handling of water samples is required to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the testing results. In this study, we develop enhanced porous superabsorbent polymer (PSAP) beads to pretreat and store water samples for virus detection. By applying PSAP beads to collect water samples, the viruses are captured and encapsulated inside the beads while undesired components are excluded. We have successfully demonstrated that the shelf life of the model virus can be effectively extended at room temperature (22 °C) and an elevated temperature (35 °C). Both the infectivity level and genome abundance of the viruses are preserved even in a complex medium such as untreated wastewater. Under the tested conditions, the viral degradation rate constant can be reduced to more than 10 times using the PSAP beads. Therefore, the enhanced PSAP beads provide a low-cost and efficient sample pretreatment and storage method that is feasible and practical for large-scale surveillance of viral pathogens in water samples.
The Bihormonal Bionic Pancreas Improves Glycemic Control in Individuals With Hyperinsulinism and Postpancreatectomy Diabetes: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the bihormonal bionic pancreas (BHBP) improves glycemic control and reduces hypoglycemia in individuals with congenital hyperinsulinism (HI) and postpancreatectomy diabetes (PPD) compared with usual care (UC). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Ten subjects with HI and PPD completed this open-label, crossover pilot study. Coprimary outcomes were mean glucose concentration and time with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) glucose concentration <3.3 mmol/L. RESULTS Mean (SD) CGM glucose concentration was 8.3 (0.7) mmol/L in the BHBP period versus 9 (1.8) mmol/L in the UC period (P = 0.13). Mean (SD) time with CGM glucose concentration <3.3 mmol/L was 0% (0.002) in the BHBP period vs. 1.3% (0.018) in the UC period (P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS Relative to UC, the BHBP resulted in comparable glycemic control in our population.
Bilingualism and achievement in the Spanish second generation: A longitudinal study

The current study contributes to the continuing debate about the advantages of bilingualism on life chance opportunities by examining whether bilingual children of immigrants achieve more or less i...
Calculating Infinitesimal Generators

Ito’s lemma is a standard approach for calculating infinitesimal generators for stochastic process models. We present alternate ad-hoc methods based on elementary calculations for many commonly considered stochastic models. The only tools that we employ are binomial expansion, Taylor series expansion and solution methods for elementary differential equations. Our alternate approaches are especially useful for processes which cannot be expressed as stochastic differential equations, for which Ito’s lemma cannot be applied.
Root Anatomy and Poiseuille's Law for Water Flow in Roots

This chapter gives attention to water movement in plant roots. It applies Poiseuille's law for the flow through the xylem. But first it reviews root anatomy and the cell types that make up the xylem. Elongating roots usually possess four regions: the root cap, the meristematic region, the region of cell elongation, and the region of differentiation and maturation. But these regions are not always clearly delimited. The root cap is composed of loosely arranged cells and is usually well defined. Because it has no direct connection with the vascular system, it probably has no role in absorption. It is said to be the site of perception of the gravitation stimulus, but this is debatable. The meristematic region typically consists of numerous small, compactly arranged, thin-walled cells almost completely filled with cytoplasm. Relatively little water or salt is absorbed through this region, largely because of the high resistance to movement through the cytoplasm and the lack of a conducting system. Usually there is a zone of rapid cell elongation and expansion a few tenths of a millimeter behind the root apex. It is difficult to indicate a definite zone of differentiation because various types of cells and tissues are differentiated at different distances behind the root apex. Typically, sieve tubes of the phloem differentiate before the xylem elements. As the newly enlarged, thin-walled cells at the base of the zone of enlargement cease to elongate, they become differentiated into the epidermis, cortex, and stele, which constitute the primary structures of roots.
Activation-induced exposure of the thrombin anion-binding exosite: Interactions of recombinant mutant prothrombins with thrombomodulin and a thrombin exosite-specific antibody

The activation of serine protease zymogens involves conformational changes that increase the affinity of substrate binding and the activity of the catalytic center. The activation of prothrombin is particularly complex and requires several cleavages in the proenzyme region in addition to the conserved activation cleavage after Arg320. To understand how these cleavages lead to the exposure of the thrombin anion-binding exosite, a major macromolecular recognition site, interactions of recombinant human prothrombin derivatives with thrombomodulin, and an exosite-specific antibody were studied by competition binding and immunoprecipitation. By either method, the anion-binding exosite is not functional on prethrombin 2, which is cleaved after Arg271 and lacks fragment 1.2, nor on meizothrombin, which is cleaved only after Arg320. In contrast, the exosite is fully exposed on meizothrombin des-F1, which is cleaved after both Arg320 and Arg155 and therefore lacks amino-terminal fragment 1 (F1). Thus, two events are required to create the exosite. First, cleavage after Arg320 causes conformational changes that are much more extensive than those accompanying the activation of trypsinogen. Second, removal of amino-terminal F1 is necessary, perhaps to relieve steric hindrance. These results indicate that the F1 fragment regulates access to the thrombin exosite. The properties of meizothrombin des-F1 suggest that this prothrombin derivative could have a biological function.
There is an Art to Teaching Science in the 21st Century

For the last decade, there has been a push to integrate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in education. Recently, the inclusion of the arts into STEM has made a push for STEAM in the classroom. This integration of these subjects does not mean offering the individual classes at school, but rather blending all five subjects together for a topic of study. The importance of STEAM integration is having an impact on the workforce which is looking for graduates that are prepared by knowing how to collaborate, communicate, create and problem solve. These “21st century skills” are not something that can be taught overnight; instead, and they must be developed throughout a student’s schooling. Because of the natural integration of the STEAM subjects and 21st century skills, they often go hand-in-hand when discussing best practices for teaching science. This chapter examines the history behind teaching science, such as its impact on the workforce today, the inclusion of STEAM and 21st century skills, and its influence on teaching and learning in the middle school classrooms.
CO at other Wavelengths

Although carbon monoxide is most widely observed in interstellar and circumstellar matter through its pure rotational transitions at radio wavelengths, it can be observed in the ultraviolet and infrared regions of the spectrum, too. These observations complement the mm-wave data in important ways. Ultraviolet measurements probe photon-dominated regions where CO co-exists with C, C+, and O. Infrared absorption spectroscopy makes possible the direct measurement of the CO abundance both in solid and gaseous form where cold H2 is now measurable as well. Ultraviolet absorption lines of CO and H2 probe the amount of molecular gas in QSO absorbers at high redshift (z ≈ 2–4).
Anaerobic Degradation of Lactate by Syntrophic Associations of Methanosarcina barkeri and Desulfovibrio Species and Effect of H(2) on Acetate Degradation.

When grown in the absence of added sulfate, cocultures of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans or Desulfovibrio vulgaris with Methanobrevibacter smithii (Methanobacterium ruminantium), which uses H2 and CO2 for methanogenesis, degraded lactate, with the production of acetate and CH4. When D. desulfuricans or D. vulgaris was grown in the absence of added sulfate in coculture with Methanosarcina barkeri (type strain), which uses both H2-CO2 and acetate for methanogenesis, lactate was stoichiometrically degraded to CH4 and presumably to CO2. During the first 12 days of incubation of the D. desulfuricans-M. barkeri coculture, lactate was completely degraded, with almost stoichiometric production of acetate and CH4. Later, acetate was degraded to CH4 and presumably to CO2. In experiments in which 20 mM acetate and 0 to 20 mM lactate were added to D. desulfuricans-M. barkeri cocultures, no detectable degradation of acetate occurred until the lactate was catabolized. The ultimate rate of acetate utilization for methanogenesis was greater for those cocultures receiving the highest levels of lactate. A small amount of H2 was detected in cocultures which contained D. desulfuricans and M. barkeri until after all lactate was degraded. The addition of H2, but not of lactate, to the growth medium inhibited acetate degradation by pure cultures of M. barkeri. Pure cultures of M. barkeri produced CH4 from acetate at a rate equivalent to that observed for cocultures containing M. barkeri. Inocula of M. barkeri grown with H2-CO2 as the methanogenic substrate produced CH4 from acetate at a rate equivalent to that observed for acetate-grown inocula when grown in a rumen fluid-vitamin-based medium but not when grown in a yeast extract-based medium. The results suggest that H2 produced by the Desulfovibrio species during growth with lactate inhibited acetate degradation by M. barkeri.
Transport and structural characterization of epitaxial Nd1+xBa2−xCu3Oy thin films grown on LaAlO3 and Ni metal substrates by pulsed-laser deposition

Abstract The epitaxial growth and properties of Nd 1+ x Ba 2− x Cu 3 O y (NdBCO) thin films using pulsed-laser deposition are reported. Thin films on single crystal LaAlO 3 having T c0 =93 K and J c ( H =0, T =77 K)=3 MA/cm 2 were reproducibly fabricated. NdBCO films were subsequently grown on textured Ni substrates on which a YSZ/CeO 2 buffer-layer architecture was previously deposited by the same PLD technique. X-ray diffraction data showed a high degree of in-plane and out-of-plane alignment for the different layers of these coated conductors. Electron diffraction analysis of the NdBCO film revealed dense morphology and low-angle grain boundaries (≤3°). Direct current transport measurements yielded a J c of about 300 kA/cm 2 at zero field and 77 K. J c dependence on the field intensity and orientation revealed enhanced pinning at high fields with respect to YBCO and NdBCO films on LaAlO 3 .
A Distributed Set of Interactions Controls μ2 Functionality in the Role of AP-2 as a Sorting Adaptor in Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis

The mechanisms of how, following exocytosis, the approximately nine types of synaptic vesicle (SV) transmembrane proteins are accurately resorted to form SVs are poorly understood. The time course of SV endocytosis is very sensitive to perturbations in clathrin and dynamin, supporting the model that SV endocytosis occurs through a clathrin-mediated pathway. We recently demonstrated that removal of the clathrin adaptor protein AP-2, the key protein thought to coordinate cargo selection into clathrin-coated pits, results in a significant impairment in endocytosis kinetics. Endocytosis, however, still proceeds in the absence of AP-2, bringing into question the role of AP-2 in cargo sorting in this process. Using quantitative endocytosis assays at nerve terminals, we examined how endocytosis depends on the integrity of μ2 function. Our experiments indicate that no single perturbation in μ2 prevents restoration of endocytic function when mutated μ2 replaces native μ2, whereas introduction of multiple distributed mutations significantly impairs endocytosis. We also examined whether the presence of AP-2 is important for the functionality of the previously identified endocytic motif in an SV cargo protein, the dileucine motif in vGlut-1. These data show that while mutations in the dileucine motif slow the retrieval of vGlut-1, they only do so in the presence of AP-2. These data thus indicate that AP-2 plays a role in cargo selection but that no single aspect of μ2 function is critical, implying that a more distributed network of interactions supports AP-2 function in SV endocytosis.
Interpretation of odds and risk ratios

Background Odds ratio and risk ratio are measures of association used to describe the efficacy of interventions and disease determinates; however, they are not interchangeable measures of association. Objectives To illustrate that interpretation of the odds ratio as a risk-based measure of efficacy can be misleading. Animals None. Methods A meta-analysis reported, the odds ratio and the risk ratio as measures of vaccine effect. Example data were obtained from a meta-analysis of the risk of infection with Tritrichomonas fetus (T. fetus), in trials that assessed whole-cell killed T. fetus vaccination in beef heifers. Results When risk was used as the measure of disease frequency, the summary risk ratio was 0.82 (95% CI = 0.7–1.01), a 18% decrease in risk of infection. When odds were used as the measure of disease frequency and the summary odds ratio was 0.41 (95% CI = 0.2–0.84), a 59% decrease in odds of infection. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Problems arise for clinicians or authors when they interpret the odds ratio as a risk ratio. In the example provided, the efficacy of protective interventions was overestimated. In the case of disease determinates that increase the occurrence of disease, the interpretation of the odds ratio as a risk ratio would also lead to overestimation of the effect. It is important not to use the terms risk or probability of disease when the odds are the measure of disease frequency.
Large aperture interferometer with phase-conjugate self-reference beam

A large aperture self-referencing interferometer consisting of a Twyman-Green interferometer using a self-pumped phase conjugator in series with test section optics is described and experimentally demonstrated. This interferometer provides twice the fringe shift of a Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) interferometer for a given optical phase change induced within the test section. It also provides greater irradiance in the reference beam than does a similar series setup utilizing a M-Z interferometer incorporating a local reference beam. Whereas the ordinary interferometer records instantaneous conditions, the new one records overage conditions if a BaTiO3 crystal is used as the phase conjugator.
English Midwives and the Association of Radical Midwives

Concern about the apparently shrinking role of the British midwife led in 1976 to the formation of the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM). This paper describes the emergence and ideas of ARM. Comparison of ARM philosophy with the beliefs of a sample of English midwives reveals considerable support for ARM's non-medicalized philosophy of childbirth and its specific proposals for systemic change. Few English midwives, however, consider themselves "radical midwives" or agree with ARM that their role has shrunk and training suffered. The conclusions suggest several reasons why English midwives' support for ARM and its beliefs is limited.
Lessons Learnt from the Development of GIS Application on Azure Cloud Platform

Spatial overlay processing is a widely used compute- intensive GIS application that involves aggregation of two or more layers of maps to facilitate intelligent querying on the collocated output data. When large GIS data sets are represented in polyg- onal (vector) form, spatial analysis runs for extended periods of time, which is undesirable for time-sensitive applications such as emergency response. We have, for the first time, created an open-architecture-based system named Crayons for Azure cloud platform using state-of-the-art techniques. During the course of development of Crayons system, we faced numerous challenges and gained invaluable insights into Azure cloud platform, which are presented in detail in this paper. The challenges range from limitations of cloud storage and computational services to the choices of tools and technologies used for high performance computing (HPC) application design. We report our findings to provide concrete guidelines to an eScience developer for 1) choice of persistent data storage mechanism, 2) data structure representation, 3) communication and synchronization among nodes, 4) building robust failsafe applications, and 5) optimal cost-effective utilization of resources. Our insights into each challenge faced, the solution to overcome it, and the discussion on the lessons learnt from each challenge can be of help to eScience developers starting application development on Azure and possibly other cloud platforms.
A FESEM/EDX investigation into how continuous deicer exposure affects the chemistry of Portland cement concrete

Abstract This work experimentally investigates how continuous deicer exposure affects the strength and chemistry of Portland cement concrete, by ponding two types of concrete samples under four diluted chloride-based deicers respectively at room temperature for an average of 338 days. The two mix designs investigated represent the roadway pavements and bridge decks built by the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) before 1980s respectively. For the pavement mix, the continuous exposure to three deicers (non-inhibited NaCl, inhibited NaCl and inhibited CaCl2 deicer) led to limited levels of strength gain of the concrete, whereas that to the inhibited MgCl2 led to significant strength loss. For the bridge mix, the continuous exposure to the four deicers led to significant strength loss of the concrete, with the inhibited CaCl2 deicer being the least affected. These results suggest the deleterious role of Mg2+ cations and the beneficial role of Ca2+ cations in altering concrete strength, even though more concrete samples need to be tested in order to validate the findings. The FESEM/EDX data reveal that each investigated deicer chemically reacted with some of the cement hydrates and formed new products, with potential implications on concrete durability. Corrosion inhibitor and other additives in deicers did not show significant benefit in inhibiting the strength or chemical changes of concrete induced by cations and/or anions in deicers.