cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Streptococcus mutans IrvR Repressor Is a CI-Like Regulator That Functions through Autocleavage and Clp-Dependent Proteolysis

Previous work has shown that irvR is required for the proper regulation of genetic competence and dextran-dependent aggregation due to its ability to repress the transcription regulator irvA. In this study, we determined the mechanism used to relieve the repression of irvA. We demonstrate that IrvR is a "LexA-like" protein with four conserved amino acid residues likely required for IrvR autocleavage activity. Furthermore, recombinant IrvR protein purified from Escherichia coli was competent to undergo autocleavage in vitro. Using several truncated IrvR constructs, we show that the amino acids adjacent to the autocleavage site are essential for relieving irvA repression and engaging the irvA-dependent regulatory pathway primarily through the ClpXP and ClpCP proteases. By extending the IrvR C terminus with an epitope derived from the autocleavage site, we were also able to create a constitutive Clp-dependent degradation of the full-length IrvR protein. This suggests that the derepression of irvA occurs through a two-step mechanism involving the initial autocleavage of IrvR and exposure of a proteolytic degradation sequence followed by Clp-dependent degradation of the IrvR DNA binding domain. Thus, irvA derepression is highly analogous to the genetic switch mechanism used to regulate lysogeny in bacteriophages.
Novel ultrasound method to reposition kidney stones

The success of surgical management of lower pole stones is principally dependent on stone fragmentation and residual stone clearance. Choice of surgical method depends on stone size, yet all methods are subjected to post-surgical complications resulting from residual stone fragments. Here we present a novel method and device to reposition kidney stones using ultrasound radiation force delivered by focused ultrasound and guided by ultrasound imaging. The device couples a commercial imaging array with a focused annular array transducer. Feasibility of repositioning stones was investigated by implanting artificial and human stones into a kidney-mimicking phantom that simulated a lower pole and collecting system. During experiment, stones were located by ultrasound imaging and repositioned by delivering short bursts of focused ultrasound. Stone motion was concurrently monitored by fluoroscopy, ultrasound imaging, and video photography, from which displacement and velocity were estimated. Stones were seen to move immediately after delivering focused ultrasound and successfully repositioned from the lower pole to the collecting system. Estimated velocities were on the order of 1 cm/s. This in vitro study demonstrates a promising modality to facilitate spontaneous clearance of kidney stones and increased clearance of residual stone fragments after surgical management.
Multinational alternatives and nuclear nonproliferation

The use of multinational institutional arrangements to control sensitive nuclear fuel cycle activities has interested policymakers since the dawn of the nuclear age. Several such ventures have been tried during the past several decades, largely for economic, commercial, or technical reasons, and they have enjoyed varying degrees of success. More recently, with the spread of sensitive nuclear technologies, multinational arrangements have received increasing attention as a means of reinforcing international safeguards which, together with political commitments on peaceful use, have been the principal components of the nonproliferation regime.The political acceptability and efficacy of multinational arrangements is related to the historic experience with multinational ventures, the changed political circumstances of the 1970s, and the probable requirements for constructive future cooperation. As part of a comprehensive regime covering the development of sensitive nuclear activities, multinational arrangements can reinforce the regime in a manner that is widely acceptable. A political effort to win support for such arrangements is thus worthwhile.
Online Gendered Interactions:Exploring Divergent Perspectives

The effects of the Internet on social life are well documented. Empirical evidence highlights fundamental changes in various aspects of social life connected to the growth of information and communication technologies. The ability to communicate with others across time and space has expanded opportunities to meet others and maintain personal relationships. Over the last twenty years, researchers have explored a variety of topics in relation to this new information and communication technology. A common question posed in the literature on the Internet relates to how social structures such as gender matter when people interact without physical presence in a technologically mediated environment. Despite the multidisciplinary, methodological, and theoretical diversity of the various studies on the topic of gender online, patterns are identified in the literature and include gender fluidity, gender reproduction, and a blending of gender fluidity and reproduction. This paper examines the significance of gender in online settings and concludes by discussing how recent developments in information and communication technologies present new arenas in which to examine the role of gender on the Internet
Myxoma Virus M064 Is a Novel Member of the Poxvirus C7L Superfamily of Host Range Factors That Controls the Kinetics of Myxomatosis in European Rabbits

The myxoma virus (MYXV) carries three tandem C7L-like host range genes (M062R, M063R, and M064R). However, despite the fact that the sequences of these three genes are similar, they possess very distinctive functions in vivo. The role of M064 in MYXV pathogenesis was investigated and compared to the roles of M062 and M063. We report that M064 is a virulence factor that contributes to MYXV pathogenesis but lacks the host range properties associated with M062 and M063.
How do oxidized phospholipids inhibit LPS signaling

In 1981, Henriksen and coworkers1 reported that oxidized LDL (oxLDL) induces cholesterol accumulation in macrophages. This observation formed the basis of the hypothesis that oxidation of LDL might be an important step in the atherogenesis process. Many subsequent studies support the oxidative modification hypothesis of atherogenesis.2–4⇓⇓ However, oxidation of LDL is a complex process. Both the protein and the lipid molecules of LDL can be oxidatively modified resulting in a variety of biologically active molecules. The primary targets of oxidation are the esterified polyunsaturated fatty acids in the phospholipid shell that surrounds the insoluble neutral lipids of the lipoprotein core (Figure 1A). Importantly, atherosclerotic lesions contain antigens recognized by antibodies generated against oxLDL, demonstrating the presence of oxLDL in vivo.5–7⇓⇓ Figure 1. Gene expression induced by mmLDL, oxLDL, and LPS. LDL can undergo mild oxidation or extensive oxidation to produce mmLDL and oxLDL, respectively. mmLDL binds to the LDL receptor as well as an undefined G protein–coupled receptor. mmLDL activates the transcription factors Egr-1, NF-AT, and PPARα and induces expression of the pro-atherogenic genes IL-8, MCP-1, and TF. OxLDL binds to the scavenger receptors SR-BI and CD36. LPS from the outer membrane of Escherichia coli binds to LBP in the serum and is delivered to CD14. The LPS signaling receptor contains TLR4 and MD2. Binding of the intracellular adaptor proteins, MyD88 and Mal, to the cytoplasmic domain of TLR4 activates NF-κB, AP-1, and Egr-1 and induces the expression of the pro-inflammatory genes, TNFα, IL-8, MCP-1, TF, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and E-selectin. See page 1197 OxLDL has both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on gene expression in vascular cells, such as monocytes/macrophages, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle cells. Different lipid oxidation products, such as oxidized phospholipids, oxidized cholesterol esters, and isoprostanes, were found to activate …
Water level control for a non-minimum phase hydraulically balanced beam system

A multivariable nonlinear hydraulically balanced beam system with unstable internal dynamics is considered. Due to the complexity and uncertainty of system model, the control design with exact feedback linearization may not be very practical. Alternatively its equilibrium manifold is incorporated into the control design to stabilize the internal dynamics and to cancel system nonlinearity. On-line adaptation of equilibrium manifold parameters is introduced to reduce the modeling error. Due to the actuator capacity, motion from an equilibrium point to another has to be accomplished by trajectory following along the equilibrium manifold.
Directional crystallization of polyethylene oxide by laser irradiation

Polyethylene oxide films have been directionally crystallized in a scanning beam from a tunable CO2 laser at 10.6 µm. For unidirectional scanning, elongated spherulites were produced below a scan rate of 7 µm/s, whereas parallel fibers resulted after scanning at rates below 0.2 μm/s. Higher speed processing was effected by superposing a rapid reciprocating transverse motion of the sample onto the relatively slow longitudinal scanning by the beam. In this case, spherulites were elongated below a 100 µm/s longitudinal scan rate and nucleation was completely suppressed below 25 µm/s.
Telencephalic Organization in the Spotted African Lungfish, Protopterus dolloi: A New Cytological Model

Recent studies have greatly increased our knowledge of telencephalic organization in ray-finned fishes and terrestrial vertebrates, particularly amphibians. In contrast, little new information has been generated on telencephalic organization in lobe-finned fishes. The coelacanth, Latimeria, and three genera of lungfishes constitute the living lobe-finned fishes. Latimeria is extremely rare and critically endangered, so the living lungfishes, therefore, offer the only feasible source of new information on telencephalic organization in lobe-finned fishes. A re-examination of the cytoarchitectonics of the telencephalon in the Spotted African Lungfish has allowed the generation of a new model of telencephalic organization in lungfishes. To begin to test this model, examination was made of the telencephalic distribution of acetylcholinesterase, enkephalin, the neurotensin-related hexapeptide LANT6, nitric oxide synthase (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase), substance P, and tyrosine hydroxylase. This distribution supports the new model and suggests that the medial pallial-subpallial border, the striatopallidal systems, and the amygdalar organization in this lungfish are more similar to these features in terrestrial vertebrates than was previously suspected.
Imperfect squeezing flow viscometry of mustards with suspended particulates

Abstract Samples of commercial mustard and a mustard spread all with suspended particulates were placed in a wide TeflonR container and were compressed with a wide TeflonR plate to induce imperfect ‘squeezing flow’. The recorded force vs. height relationships were plotted on logarithmic coordinates. The resulting curves had a clear linear part marking the region where squeezing flow was dominant. The slope of this linear region was on the order of −0.8 to −1.0. When the upper plate was stopped at a preset height the force decayed to a level well above that which is produced by buoyancy, indicating a yield stress of a considerable magnitude. The tests reproducibility was on the order of about 10%, more than sufficient to detect textural differences between the products and to monitor the effect of the compression rate and the upper plate diameter (or gap). The textural differences between the products were expressed in terms of apparent compressive stress at 0.5, 1 and 2 mm height and the residual apparent compressive stress after 60 and 120 s relaxation. The magnitude of all the mechanical parameters had a modest dependence on the upper plate diameter but which had no effect on their sensitivity as measures of product consistency. Increasing the compression rate from 0.1 to 0.2 mm s−1 had relatively small effect on the magnitude of the apparent stress which was probably due, atleast in part, to the considerable yield stress of these products. It was concluded that the imperfect squeezing flow viscometry is a convenient and sensitive method to evaluate the texture of mustard and mustard products whether or not they contain seed parts.
Terpolymer-based SIPN coating with excellent antifogging and frost-resisting properties

We prepared an effective antifogging/frost-resisting coating by forming a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (SIPN) on the basis of a linear, random terpolymer poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone-co-methyl methacrylate), poly(DMAEMA-co-NVP-co-MMA), and a network of poly(ethylene glycol dimethacrylate). The excellent antifogging/frost-resisting property was mainly attributed to a balanced hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the terpolymer with the optimal DMAEMA/NVP/MMA molar ratio at 40/30/30. Compared to our previous work using poly(DMAEMA-co-MMA), the terpolymer-based coating demonstrated excellent antifogging property against both low- and high-temperature moist air, by eliminating the lower critical solution temperature related to the DMAEMA segments in the binary copolymer. By monitoring the coating thickness change during the fogging/frosting test, it appeared that water molecules could rapidly be absorbed into and desorbed from the terpolymer-based coating, implying long-term effectiveness of the antifogging/frost-resisting coating.
Occurrence of Anopheles hermsi (Diptera: Culicidae) in Arizona and Colorado

Historically, malaria was a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the western United States, and Anopheles freeborni Aitken was thought to be the vector west of the Continental Divide. In 1989, Anopheles hermsi Barr & Guptavanij was described and subsequently found to be an effective laboratory vector of Plasmodium. The adults of these two species are morphologically indistinguishable, and therefore polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the DNA from 48 mosquitoes collected in Arizona and Colorado (identified morphologically as An. freeborni). All specimens were identified as An. hermsi. This was the first report of An. hermsi in Arizona and Colorado and indicated that this Anopheles species historically may have been a malaria vector in these two western states.
Lipid composition of viral envelope of three strains of influenza virus – not all viruses are created equal

While differences in the rate of virus fusion and budding from the host cell membrane have been correlated with pathogenicity, no systematic study of the contribution of differences in viral envelope composition has previously been attempted. Using rigorous virus purification, marked differences between virions and host were observed. Over 125 phospholipid species have been quantitated for three strains of influenza (HKx31- H3N2, PR8- H1N1, and VN1203- H5N1) grown in eggs. The glycerophospholipid composition of purified virions differs from that of the host or that of typical mammalian cells. Phosphatidylcholine is the major component in most mammalian cell membranes, while in purified virions phosphatidylethanolamine dominates. Due to its effects on membrane curvature, it is likely that the variations in its content are important to viral processing during infection. This integrated method of virion isolation with systematic analysis of glycerophospholipids provides a tool for the assessment of species specific biomarkers of viral pathogenicity.
"What Is A Computer": What do Secondary School Students Think?

Nationwide, efforts are focusing on taking computer science (CS) to scale in high school classrooms through the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) and AP CS Principles (CSP) courses. Recent inroads are also being made to take structured introductory curricula to middle school classrooms. Often, a starting point for teaching CS in middle and high school is a discussion around the seemingly simple question "What is a computer?" The question is aimed to help learners understand through debate and discussion what makes a computer a computer. This paper reports our analysis of (a) middle school students' discussions around this question, and (b) high school students' responses to an assessment question measuring this understanding. Our analyses of students' comments and responses reveal that a discussion around "what is a computer?" may be problematic for students, as it tends to focus on the tool, the "computer." We suggest that the discussion needs re-framing to focus instead on computing and computation.
Catholic Theology in the United States, 1840-1907: Recovering a Forgotten Tradition

Contrary to widely held assumptions, American Catholics in the nineteenth century made some interesting and even original contributions to religious thought. This essay serves as an introductory resource for this significant body of writing. Surveying the period between 1840 and 1907, it identifies distinctive and self-aware American Catholic contributions to theology in three areas, the church question, Catholic Americanism, and modernism. Finally it draws attention to some of the unfinished agenda left to us by this largely forgotten tradition.
Cellular fibroadenoma on Core needle biopsy: management recommendations for the radiologist.

Abstract Introduction Cellular fibroadenomas (CFA) are difficult to distinguish from phyllodes tumor (PT) at biopsy. This study's purpose was to determine what CFA characteristics were associated with recommendations to follow-up or excise and if the current algorithm was correct. Materials and methods Databases from 2002 to 2014 were reviewed. Mass characteristics and post biopsy recommendations were recorded. Results 81 CFAs were diagnosed; 19 cellular and 62 with slightly cellular stroma. 21 masses were surgically excised with 2 PTs diagnosed. Conclusion Larger mass size and increased histologic cellularity were associated with excision recommendation, but only clinical growth was associated with PT.
Synergistic Effects of Bimetallic PtPd/TiO2 Nanocatalysts in Oxidation of Glucose to Glucaric Acid: Structure Dependent Activity and Selectivity

Direct oxidation of glucose with enhanced selectivity to glucaric acid with tartronic and oxalic acids as coproducts is reported using bimetallic PtPd/TiO2 catalysts under mild conditions. Bimetallic PtPd catalysts display significantly enhanced catalytic activity (turnover frequency (TOF) 2404 h–1) and improved selectivity to glucaric acid (S 44%) in glucose oxidation compared to monometallic catalysts (TOF 248 h–1, S 4%). Oxidation of glucose follows a consecutive reaction with gluconic acid as an intermediate with inhibition of the second step (to glucaric acid and C–C cleavage reactions) by the presence of glucose. Surface characterization using TEM, SEM, chemisorption, UV–vis spectroscopy, and XRD distinguished the particle morphologies and provided insights into structure–activity relations. A reaction pathway for glucose oxidation is proposed based on the product distribution. These results provide new insights into the design of bimetallic catalysts for the oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid.
783 Severity of End Organ Damage as a Predictor of Outcomes after Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) Support for Cardiogenic Shock

were alive at 6 months (100%). No patients required a right ventricular assist device. Conclusions: Pre-operative hemodynamic optimization can lower a patients’ calculated risk profile to make them better candidates for LVAD implantation. However, improvements in other clinical parameters, without a change in risk profile, can lead to good outcomes. Despite a desire to move LVAD therapy to less sick patients due to overall improved outcomes, we have shown that with better perioperative management, patients who present in cardiogenic shock can have excellent survival and should not be denied this therapy.
The Future of International System

There are at least three ways we can describe international political behavior: (1) We can view international relations as taking place in an arena marked by military competition for the scarce commodity named security; (2) we can see international political behavior as a complex set of human interaction, where the ‘high politics’ of military policy is being eroded by the increasing stalemate of power and the emergence of global interdependencies; and (3) we can see international politics as an arena of moral obligation. Each of these views implies a different prognosis of the future. A future world based on power seems, however, little likely, given the diminishing utility of the state to serve traditional security ends and the erosion of the use of force. An increasingly interdependent world is possible, but there is no governmental structure presently developing which seems likely to manage these dependencies. And there is little likelihood the third view will receive sufficient institutional sustenance.
Nidification of thirteen common Argentine dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Paracoprid scarabs (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) dig tunnels under or near various animals droppings, portions of which the beetles store to feed on or use to build nests for their larvae. These nests have been classified into 3 main patterns, based mainly on the structure of the nest, egg cell, and the existence of parental care. Pattern I nests are simple accumulations of feces at the end of a burrow, known as brood masses, with 1 or several eggs in individual cells built into the dung. Pattern II nests consist of spheroidal or pear-shaped food provisions plastered with a layer of soil (brood balls) loose in a subterranean chamber. Pattern III nests have several brood balls in one large chamber and receive parental care. The construction process of the brood masses and brood balls of 13 species of laboratory reared paracoprids from Argentina was studied by analyzing different stages of their construction. The species Dichotomius anaglypticus (Mannerheim), D. haroldi (Waterhouse), D. micans (Luederwaldt), D. semiaeneus (Germar), Onthophagus hirculus Mannerheim, Oruscatus davus (Erichson), and Gromphas lacordairei Brulle belong to the pattern I; Sulcophanaeus batesi (Harold), Sulcophanaeus menelas (Castelnau), S. imperator (Chevrolat), Bolbites onitoides Harold, Ontherus sulcator (F), and O. appendiculatus (Mannerheim) to pattern II. The last pattern, which includes the Phanaeina, some Dichotomina (both subtribes of Coprini), and the Old World Catharsius , entails at least 4 different construction processes. Most brood masses and balls studied in this work are described for the first time. The building of spheroidal brood balls loose in a chamber could have evolved at least four times from the primitive brood masses, through four different convergent processes.
Can user perception influence the quality of water services? Evidence from León, Nicaragua

This article investigates the validity of citizen feedback to evaluate the quality of water services in Leon, Nicaragua. Using generalized ordered logit models, this study presents a comprehensive evaluation of user satisfaction from water service characteristics. Potential asymmetries in the response of user satisfaction to relative perception of service performance are also investigated. Findings indicate that citizen satisfaction is based on basic service characteristics rather than socio-demographics, and that relativity matters. Users tend to overemphasize their frustration if they perceive that they have lower quality of water services than their peers, and understate their satisfaction if they perceive that they have better services.Points for practitionersBased on the evidence presented in this article, citizen surveys can be used as a tool to improve water services, particularly in places where public service users have no voice and alternatives to cope with low quality services do not exist. How...
Covalent modification at Cys151 dissociates the electrophile sensor Keap1 from Cullin3, the ubiquitin E3 ligase scaffold

A148 Induction of antioxidant and Phase II detoxification proteins by small molecules and natural products represents an integral component of chemoprevention strategies designed to inhibit the initiation phase of carcinogenesis. Antioxidant and Phase II gene expression is regulated by Nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) heterodimeric binding to the proximal promoter Antioxidant Response Element. Under basal conditions Nrf2 associates with the CUL3 adaptor protein, Keap1, and undergoes constitutive CUL3-ligase-mediated ubiquitylation. Inhibition of CUL3-based E3 ubiquitination of Nrf2 by small molecule and natural product chemoprevention agents allows robust Nrf2-directed gene expression. Here we used the model electrophile N-iodoacetyl-N-biotinylhexylenediamine (IAB) to directly test the hypothesis that adduction of Cys151 in Keap1 alters structure and function. Adduction of recombinant hKeap1 was accompanied by progressive loss of protein secondary structure, as monitored by CD spectroscopy, and loss of the ability to associate with recombinant hCUL3, determined in an in vitro binding assay. IAB-mediated dissociation of Keap1 from CUL3 in vitro was shown to be dependent upon Cys151 in Keap1. A quantitative mass spectrometry-based kinetic analyses of FLAG-Keap1 adduction in vivo revealed a propensity for Cys151 adduction. Immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that Cys151 was required for IAB-mediated dissociation of the Keap1-CUL3 complex. These results demonstrate that Cys151 adduction confers a critical alkylation sensor function upon Keap1, regulating Nrf2-mediated expression of antioxidant and Phase II detoxification proteins. This work was supported in part by NIH/NCI RO-1 CA 104590.
Left Bundle Branch Block and Complete Heart Block Complicating Inferior Myocardial Infarction

Left bundle branch block following inferior myocardial infarction remains uncommon and scarcely reported in the literature. We describe a rare presentation of a 58-year-old male patient who developed left bundle branch block and third degree atrioventricular block after inferior myocardial infarction requiring permanent pacemaker placement. Pathophysiology, impact on mortality, and management options are discussed.
The Hidden Conundrum of Phosphoinositide Signaling in Cancer

Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) generation of PI(3,4,5)P 3 from PI(4,5)P 2 and the subsequent activation of Akt and its downstream signaling cascades (e.g., mTORC1) dominate the landscape of the phosphoinositide signaling axis in cancer research. However, PI(4,5)P 2 is breaking its boundary as merely a substrate for PI3K and phospholipase C (PLC) and is now an established lipid messenger pivotal for various cellular events in cancer. Here we review the phosphoinositide signaling axis in cancer, giving due weight to PI(4,5)P 2 and its generating enzymes, the phosphatidylinositol (PI) phosphate (PIP) kinases (PIPKs). We highlight how PI(4,5)P 2 and PIPKs serve as a proximal node in the phosphoinositide signaling axis and how interaction with cytoskeletal proteins regulates the migratory and invasive nexus of metastasizing tumor cells.
Gain-of-function β-catenin in the uterine mesenchyme leads to impaired implantation and decidualization

Embryo implantation and endometrial decidualization are critical events that occur during early pregnancy in humans and mice, and perturbation in either can result in infertility. WNT signaling through the canonical β-catenin pathway plays a pivotal role in embryonic Mullerian duct development, postnatal uterine maturation and establishment of pregnancy. Loss of β-catenin in the Mullerian duct mesenchyme (MDM)-derived stroma and myometrium results in impaired decidualization and infertility, whereas gain-of-function (GOF) results in the formation of mesenchymal tumors and sub-fertility attributed to malformed oviducts. We hypothesized that GOF β-catenin further contributes to sub-fertility through improper stromal and epithelial cell signaling during embryo implantation and decidualization. We show that mice with GOF β-catenin in MDM-derived stroma and myometrium have reduced implantation sites after embryo transfer and decreased decidualization. On day 4.5 of pseudopregnancy or in mice treated with progesterone and estrogen to mimic early pregnancy, the estrogen-LIF-ERK and progesterone-IHH pathways remain predominantly intact in GOF β-catenin mice; however, JAK/STAT signaling is altered. pSTAT3 is significantly reduced in GOF β-catenin mice and expression of downstream epithelial junctional complex factors, Ctnna1 and Cldn1, is increased. We also show that purified stromal cells from GOF β-catenin uteri, when removed from epithelial cell influence and provided with the appropriate hormonal stimuli, are able to decidualize in vitro indicating that the cells are intrinsically capable of decidualization. Taken together, these results suggest that dysregulated β-catenin activity in the stroma affects epithelial cell STAT3 signaling and ultimately embryo implantation and stromal decidualization.
Graphene: fine-grained IO management for graph computing

As graphs continue to grow, external memory graph processing systems serve as a promising alternative to inmemory solutions for low cost and high scalability. Unfortunately, not only does this approach require considerable efforts in programming and IO management, but its performance also lags behind, in some cases by an order of magnitude. In this work, we strive to achieve an ambitious goal of achieving ease of programming and high IO performance (as in-memory processing) while maintaining graph data on disks (as external memory processing). To this end, we have designed and developed Graphene that consists of four new techniques: an IO request centric programming model, bitmap based asynchronous IO, direct hugepage support, and data and workload balancing. The evaluation shows that Graphene can not only run several times faster than several external-memory processing systems, but also performs comparably with in-memory processing on large graphs.
Amphetamine Modestly Improves Conners' Continuous Performance Test Performance in Healthy Adults.

Objectives: Amphetamine improves vigilance as assessed by continuous performance tests (CPT) in children and adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Less is known, however, regarding amphetamine effects on vigilance in healthy adults. Thus, it remains unclear whether amphetamine produces general enhancement of vigilance or if these effects are constrained to the remediation of deficits in patients with ADHD. Methods: We tested 69 healthy adults (35 female) on a standardized CPT (Conner’s CPT-2) after receiving 10- or 20-mg d-amphetamine or placebo. To evaluate potential effects on learning, impulsivity, and perseveration, participants were additionally tested on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). Results: Participants receiving placebo exhibited the classic vigilance decrement, demonstrated by a significant reduction in attention (D’) across the task. This vigilance decrement was not observed, however, after either dose of amphetamine. Consistent with enhanced vigilance, the 20-mg dose also reduced reaction time variability across the task and the ADHD confidence index. The effects of amphetamine appeared to be selective to vigilance since no effects were observed on the IGT, WCST, or response inhibition/perseveration measures from the CPT. Conclusions: The present data support the premise that amphetamine improves vigilance irrespective of disease state. Given that amphetamine is a norepinephrine/dopamine transporter inhibitor and releaser, these effects are informative regarding the neurobiological substrates of attentional control. (JINS, 2018, 24, 283–293)
ASSOCIATION OF SERUM FERRITIN LEVEL WITH HEMATOMA EXPANSION IN PATIENTS OF SPONTANEOUS INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE

Abstract: Introduction: ICH patients have rapid neurological deterioration due to ongoing bleeding and enlargement of the hematoma during the first few hours. Studies have implicated a strong relation between the level of serum ferritin and the edema surrounding the hematoma within 72 hr. We hereby aim to study the serum ferritin levels and correlate them with the hematoma volume on CT head. Aims and objectives: Measurement of serum ferritin levels and hematoma expansion in patients of spontaneous ICH and studying the correlation of serum ferritin level with hematoma expansion in patients of spontaneous ICH. Methods: This is an observational study patients with diagnosis of spontaneous ICH were included, their hematoma volume, absolute edema and relative edema was evaluated by CT head done on day 1 and 3 along with the ICH scores and serum ferritin levels. Results: Mean age of patients was 56.94 + 10.85 years with majority of males. Mean day 1 and day 3 hematoma size was 28.85 + 44.46 and 22.88 + 19.82 cm 3 respectively. Mean day 1 absolute edema size was 68.23 + 111.35 cm 3 . while mean day 3 absolute edema size of survivors was 77.45 + 82.06 cm 3 , Mean day 1 relative edema was 1.38 + 0.36. Mean day 3 relative edema of survivors was 2.38 + 1.16. At presentation, ICH score 1, 2 and 3 were seen in 39.2%, 37.3% and 23.5% patients.. Serum ferritin levels ranged from 10.92 to 1210.00 ng/ml. In multivariate analysis, only ICH score showed a significant association with outcome. Conclusion: There was no significant association between S. ferritin levels and hematoma expansion in terms of absolute change in hematoma volume or absolute edema, but relative edema on day 3 showed a strong correlation with S. ferritin levels at presentation.
WOODROW WILSON AND THE ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR: A Hundred Years Later and Still Relevant:

American-Russian relations have been troubled from Lenin to Putin, from Wilson to Trump. Woodrow Wilson insisted that no one power should dominate Europe. This detailed analysis shows that Wilson w...
Contract Therapy and Behavior Modification

To add to its usefulness as a therapeutic technique and aid in future research on its therapeutic effectiveness, Contract Therapy needs to be related to a theoretical orientation. Basic aspects of Contract Therapy are related to behavior modification theory and practice. However, the use of a behavioral focus does not necessitate a belief in behaviorism with its mechanisitic view of man. Instead, Contract Therapy is a behavioral counseling technique developed from a biblical perspective, both with regard to the nature of man and the nature of marriage.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Versus Volumetric Arc Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Glioblastoma-Does Clinical Benefit Follow Dosimetric Advantage?

Abstract Purpose Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) has been shown by multiple planning studies to hold dosimetric advantages over intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in the management of brain tumors, including glioblastoma (GBM). Although promising, the clinical impact of these findings has not been fully elucidated. Methods and Materials We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients with a pathologic-confirmed diagnosis of GBM who were treated between 2014 and 2015, a period that encompassed the transition from IMRT to VMAT at a single institution. After surgery, radiation with VMAT consisted of 2 to 3 coplanar arcs with or without an additional noncoplanar arc or IMRT with 5 to 6 gantry angles with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide. Actuarial analyses were performed using the Kaplan Meier method. Results A total of 88 patients treated with IMRT (n = 45) and VMAT (n = 43) were identified. Patients were similar in terms of age, sex, performance status, extent of resection, and the high dose target volume. At a median follow-up time of 27 months (range, .7-32.3 months), the overall survival, freedom from progression, and freedom from new or worsening toxicity rates were not different between the 2 treatment groups (log-rank: P = .33; .87; and .23, respectively). There was no difference in incidences of alopecia, erythema, nausea, worsening or new onset fatigue, or headache during radiation, or temozolomide dose reduction for thrombocytopenia or neutropenia (all P > .05). Patterns of failure were different with more out of field failures in the IMRT group (P = .02). The mean time of treatment (TOT) was significantly reduced by 29% (P Conclusions For GBM, treatment with VMAT results in similar oncologic and toxicity outcomes compared with IMRT and may improve resource utilization by reducing TOT. VMAT should be considered a potential radiation modality for patients with GBM.
Análisis de la implementación de la resolución 16/2015, de la Contraloría General de la República referido a los bienes de uso en un servicio público de la Región de Valparaíso, periodo 2016

La Contraloria de la Republica de Chile comenzo a realizar mejoras y actualizaciones a la normativa contable que rige a sus servicios publicos, quedando de manifiesto con las NICSP. Por lo anterior, se realizo un analisis de la implementacion de la Resolucion 16/2016, utilizando un enfoque cualitativo tipo estudio de casos, entrevistando a personas expertas y construyendo una matriz MEFI, verificando el estado de esta implementacion respecto a los Bienes de Uso en un servicio publico de la V Region. Normalmente se obtiene que la organizacion en estudio comenzo con la implementacion de las NICSP a partir del 2012, identificando que la principal fortaleza es la capacitacion al personal a cargo del proceso, y la debilidad mas significativa es la falta de registros contables adecuados sobre los bienes de uso que mantienen. Los principales efectos patrimoniales y de resultados se generaron por las reevaluaciones de activos fijos y la eliminacion de la correccion monetaria.
Cardiac Surgical Procedures with Concomitant vs. Staged Orthotopic Liver Transplant

Purpose In patients who require orthotopic liver transplant (OLT), cardiac surgery may be needed to optimize preoperative cardiac status for OLT. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate patient characteristics and outcomes undergoing staged versus concomitant cardiac procedures with OLT. Methods An electronic search was performed to identify all case reports and series, from which patient-level data was extracted regarding cardiac procedures associated with OLT. After assessment for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 26 articles were pooled for systematic review. Results Overall, 49 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 12 (24%) underwent staged procedures and 37 (76%) underwent concomitant procedures. The median age was lower in the staged group [staged: 51.0 (IQR, 43.8-59.2) years vs. concomitant: 60.0 (IQR, 55.0-64.0) years, p=0.02]. Other baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. For staged procedures, the median time between heart procedures and OLT was 2 months. The most commonly reported cardiac procedures were coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) [staged: 4/12 (33.3%) vs. concomitant: 21/37 (56.8%), p=0.28], aortic valve replacement (AVR) [staged: 3/12 (25.0%) vs. concomitant: 19/37 (51.2%), p=0.21], and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) [staged: 4/12 (33.3%) vs. concomitant: 0/37 (0%), p=0.002]. There was a significantly shorter post-OLT hospital stay for those who had staged procedures versus those who had concomitant procedures [staged: 8 (IQR, 5-13) days vs. concomitant: 17 (IQR, 14-24) days, p=0.007]. However, both groups had similar in-hospital mortality [staged: 1/12 (8.3%) vs. concomitant: 4/37 (10.8%), p=1.0]. Stratified survival between the two groups is shown in the figure. Conclusion Patients who underwent the staged approach had a shorter post-transplant hospital stay, but survival appeared comparable with respect to those who underwent concomitant cardiac procedures with OLT.
Preserved ability to blunt sympathetically-mediated vasoconstriction in exercising skeletal muscle of young obese humans.

Sympathetic vasoconstriction is attenuated in exercising muscles to assist in matching of blood flow with metabolic demand. This "functional sympatholysis" may be impaired in young obese individuals due to greater sympathetic activation and/or reduced local vasodilatory capacity of both small and large arteries, but this remains poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that functional sympatholysis is impaired in obese individuals compared with normal-weight counterparts. In 36 obese and normal-weight young healthy adults (n = 18/group), we measured forearm blood flow and calculated forearm vascular conductance (FVC) responses to reflex increases in sympathetic nerve activity induced by lower body negative pressure (LBNP) at rest and during rhythmic handgrip exercise at 15% and 30% of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). FVC was normalized to lean forearm mass. In normal-weight individuals, LBNP evoked a decrease in FVC (-16.1 ± 5.7%) in the resting forearm, and the reduction in FVC (15%MVC: -8.1 ± 3.3%; 30%MVC: -1.0 ± 4.0%) was blunted during exercise in an intensity-dependent manner (P 0.05) and was intensity-dependent (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that functional sympatholysis is not impaired in young obese individuals without overt cardiovascular diseases.
Accessing phonetic information during perceptual integration of temporally distributed cues

Abstract A group of untrained subjects, as well as several experienced listeners, participated in two forced-choice reaction time experiments requiring discrimination between two different stop consonants in VCV context. The duration of the silent closure interval in the test utterances was varied to derive functions relating response latencies to closure duration. These functions indicated that untrained subjects responded in part, and experienced listeners responded exclusively, to the VC formant transitions, which preceded the closure. Given that, at closure durations below 200 ms, the phonetic information conveyed by pre- and post-closure cues (VC and CV formant transitions) is integrated into a single phonemic percept — that of an intervocalic stop consonant at a certain place of articulation — the present results indicate that phonetic information can be accessed during perceptual integration of temporally distributed cues, and by implication, that phonetic information is continuously extracted from the speech signal.
Evaluation of alterations in serum immunoglobulin concentrations in components of metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia

Serum immunoglobulins (Igs) play a critical role in modulating the immune response by neutralizing pathogens, although little is known about the effect of Igs in development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Elevated serum Immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations have been identified in previous studies in populations with obesity and hypertriglyceridemia, whereas variable concentrations of Immunoglobulin M (IgM) have been observed in the setting of dyslipidemia. In this cross-sectional study, investigators examined the association of serum Ig concentrations with components of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. All consecutive adult patients aged 18 years or older discharged from two academic teaching hospitals with serum Immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration measured during their admission were evaluated, with a total of 1809 individuals included and stratified into two groups: those with and those without dyslipidemia. Mean IgG concentration in individuals with and without dyslipidemia was 997 ± 485 mg/dL and 1144 ± 677 mg/dL, respectively (P < 0.0001). After controlling for confounders in the generalized linear model (GLM), the least square mean IgG concentration in individuals with and without dyslipidemia was 1095 and 1239 mg/dL, respectively (P < 0.0001). The mean IgA and IgM concentrations were not significantly different in individuals with and without dyslipidemia both before and after adjusting covariates. After controlling for confounding variables, all three serum Ig concentrations were not significantly different in individuals with and without diabetes. Dyslipidemia was associated with a lower mean serum IgG concentration. No association with any serum Ig was indentified in individuals with diabetes. Exploration of the association between alterations in serum Igs and metabolic syndrome and the role of alterations of Ig concentrations in disease progression represents an important step in identification of appropriate targeted treatment options for reducing cardiovascular risk.
Telehealth and humanism: unexpected partnership forged during COVID-19.

It was the middle of a busy telehealth shift and a paediatric case entered my virtual waiting room. A mother was calling about her well-appearing toddler with low-grade fever and cough. This would have been a mundane encounter had it not been for the history that the father, a healthy man in his 30s, was critically ill with COVID. Initially stoic, the mother recounted his course, beginning with dry facts that morphed into an emotion-filled narrative of her husband, his illness and their relationship. She exposed fears about her own health, fantasies of hospitalisation and the fate of her daughter should this occur. It was apparent this call was not about a child with a viral Upper Respiratory Infection (URI). I provided reassurance that she and her daughter would be fine. I hoped I was right. She seemed consoled, but ‘One more question, doctor’, she asked, ‘can I hug my baby?’ Yes, I told her, you can hug her. She cried. The encounter ended. I cried. Prior to COVID, this presentation would have been given a diagnosis of generic viral syndrome. Now a 2-year-old toddler with viral symptoms is more ominous. This encounter is now about a toddler who may lose her father. It’s about the mother who may lose her husband and the fear of her own hospitalisation. It’s about the danger of a hug. It was 20:00. A 77-year-old woman with …