cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BORON ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION AND CONCENTRATION IN MODERN MARINE CARBONATES

Abstract The boron isotopic compositions and boron concentrations of selected modern marine carbonates were analysed by negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry with a 2σ reproducibility of standards and samples better than 0.7%. It was found that the boron isotopic compositions of modern marine carbonates fall within a relatively narrow range ( +22.1 ± 3%. relative to NBS SRM951 boric acid standard) for all samples (biogenic, nonbiogenic, warm water, cold water, aragonitic, or calcitic). This is about 17%. lighter than seawater. This indicates that mineralogy, temperature, and vital effects are not primary controls on the observed isotopic composition. The narrow range in isotopic composition is in contrast to the wide range in boron concentrations of these samples (10.9–71.4 ppm). The boron isotopic compositions and boron concentrations in modern marine carbonates are consistent with preferential adsorption of the isotopically lighter B(OH) 41− aqueous species over the B(OH)3 species before incorporation into the carbonate site. Because there is a pH control on the availability of B(OH)1−4, the result is a pH control on the boron abundance in the carbonates. Possible second-order biomineralogic controls on pH may account for boron concentrations in calcareous organisms that produce low pH microenvironments at the site of CaCO3 precipitation.
Complications of Emulsified Silicone Oil after Retinal Detachment Repair

Intraocular silicone oil has several important indications in vitreoretinal surgery, particularly the repair of complicated retinal detachments. Emulsification is a clinically significant complication of using silicone oil tamponade. There are several factors that can promote or prevent silicone oil emulsification after retinal detachment repair, including protein surfactants, contaminants, and shear forces. However, the duration of tamponade remains the most significant one. After emulsification has occurred, keratopathy and glaucoma are the most common complications. However, recent work has shown that emulsification can also affect the retina, optic nerve, and even extraocular structures. Limiting the amount of time the silicone oil remains in the eye is the most important factor in reducing its complications.
Lactate production in adipose tissue : a regulated function with extra-adipose implications

Estimates of the quantitative contribution of adipose tissue to whole-body glucose metabolism, previously reported as 1-3%, have been revised to be on the order of 10-30%. These revised estimates come, in part, from a recognition that adipose tissue uses glucose to produce lactate and pyruvate, in addition to CO2 and triglycerides. Lactate production by adipose tissue is modulated in vitro by changes in glucose, insulin, and epinephrine concentrations. In vivo, lactate production is regulated acutely by the animal's nutritional state (fed or fasted) and chronically by the degree of obesity. A strong positive correlation exists between rat fat cell size and relative conversion of glucose to lactate (r = 0.89, P less than 0.001). Diabetes is also associated with markedly increased lactate production in adipocytes. Fat cells from obese or diabetic rats (or humans) can metabolize to lactate as much as 50-70% of the glucose taken up. From these recent studies, a picture is emerging in which the adipose organ may provide lactate for hepatic gluconeogenesis during fasting, and also lactate for hepatic glycogen synthesis after food ingestion. Modulation of adipocyte lactate production and contribution of adipose tissue lactate to the body's fuel economy in physiological and pathological states are the focus of this review.
Haloform adsorption on crystalline copolymer films of vinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene

Reversible bromoform adsorption on crystalline polyvinylidene fluoride with 30% of trifluoroethylene, P(VDF–TrFE 70:30) was examined by photoemission and inverse photoemission spectroscopies. The adsorption of bromoform on this polymer surface is associative and reversible. Molecular bromoform adsorption appears to be an activated process at 120 K with enhanced adsorption following the initial adsorption of bromoform. Strong intermolecular interactions are also implicated in the presence of a weak shake off or screened photoemission final state, whose intensity scales with the unscreened photoemission final state.
On Nonterminating Stochastic Games

A stochastic game is played in a sequence of steps; at each step the play is said to be in some state i, chosen from a finite collection of states. If the play is in state i, the first player chooses move k and the second player chooses move l, then the first player receives a reward akli, and, with probability pklij, the next state is j. The concept of stochastic games was introduced by Shapley with the proviso that, with probability 1, play terminates. The authors consider the case when play never terminates, and show properties of such games and offer a convergent algorithm for their solution. In the special case when one of the players is a dummy, the nonterminating stochastic game reduces to a Markovian decision process, and the present work can be regarded as the extension to a game theoretic context of known results on Markovian decision processes.
The Zonal Momentum Balance of the Equatorial Undercurrent in the Central Pacific

Abstract Current velocity data from an array of subsurface moorings deployed during the Tropical Instability Wave Experiment from May 1990 to June 1991 are used to diagnose the upper-ocean zonal momentum balance at 0°, 140°W. The flow field and associated zonal momentum flux divergence are fully three-dimensional over the upper 250 m, consistent with the earliest descriptions and theoretical ideas of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC). Estimates of the vertical stress divergence show dynamical flow regimes that change between the surface and the base of the EUC, being essentially linear (modified by nonlinearity) near the surface, weakly nonlinear at the EUC core, and fully nonlinear below the core. The vertical stress divergence is much larger over the lower portion of the EUC than previously reported, but this is consistent with the observed downstream deceleration of the EUC and the idea that vertical mixing is important in maintaining the thermostad. Nonlinearity becomes increasingly important with dec...
Apple, Google – Please Spend on R&D Not IP

This essay criticizes Apple and Google's choice to spend more on patent acquisition and litigation than on R&D during the so-called "smartphone wars." The piece explains that the tech titans of previous generations invested heavily in basic research, with great success for their own bottom lines and longevity as well as for society as a whole. By comparison, Apple and Google's respective R&D expenditures appear quite modest and short-sighted. The piece thus urges both companies to follow in the footsteps of companies like AT&T, IBM, and Xerox, and devote more of their massive cash reserves to pure research and less to litigation.
Development and Implementation of the EPA’s Models-3 Initial Operating Version: Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) Model

For the last fifteen years, the Office of Research and Development (ORD) of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been developing three-dimensional Eulerian based air quality models (AQMs) to study air quality problems, such as urban and regional tropospheric ozone and regional acid deposition. These AQMs simulate comprehensively atmospheric processes such as chemical transformations, transports, and removal of pollutants and their precursors. Model application experience with second generation air quality modeling systems has revealed several shortcomings such as slow execution speed, difficulty in implementing improved science algorithms in the model, and complexity in data exchange among system submodels. Byun et al. (1995) listed some of the shortcomings of the present AQM modeling systems in detail.
Draeculacephala Mollipes Say, a Cicadellid Pest of Apples

An account of the injuries caused to the fruit and twigs of the apple, by crescent-shaped oviposition punctures of the sharp-nosed leafhopper, Draeculacephala Mollipes Say. The females make a crescent-shaped cut, 3-4 mm. long, through the skin of the apple or twigs and deposit from a few to more than twenty eggs within each egg puncture. As many as 125 egg punctures have been found on a single apple. The injury is largely restricted to the fruit and twigs on the lower portion of the tree.
Changing Times in the Automotive Industry

There has never been a period when the study of businesses and how they are managed has been more important. This is especially true of the business I know best the auto industry. The auto industry has changed rapidly and substantially over the last 10 years or so as its market and its perspective have become global in scope. We've seen restructuring, remodeling, retrenching, rehabilitating, regrouping, realigning, rethinking, recovering, repositioning, reclaiming, resolving the list goes on. What used to be a straightforward business in this country in fact, a one-product business in which a few essentially similar companies competed on essentially equal terms has become very complicated. Nevertheless, and despite what you may have heard, the principles of successful management in this industry, here and abroad, haven't changed at all. They are exactly the same as they have always been. That is the essence of my message to you. And if it should seem to you that I offer platitudes rather than concrete solutions for the real problems we face in managing our businesses in this age of globalization, just remember this: principles are fundamental. If we get them right, and stick to them religiously, the rest should be relatively easy. You might ask, if these old, familiar principles work so well and haven't changed, what on earth went wrong in the car business back in the late 1970s? Let me tell you how I see it, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
Submarine melt rate estimates for floating termini of Greenland outlet glaciers (2000–2010)

The rate of mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has increased over the past decade due, in large part, to changes in marine-terminating outlet glacier dynamics. These changes are attributed to increased submarine melt rates of floating ice tongues and submerged calving faces resulting from increased coastal ocean heat transport. We use remotely sensed data to calculate submarine melt rates for 13 marine-terminating outlet glaciers in Greenland on a semi-annual basis between 2000 and 2010. We assess temporal and spatial variability in the calculated submarine melt rates and compare those variabilities to concurrent glacier change and offshore ocean temperatures. Over the period of study, average melt rates ranged from 0.03 to 2.98 m d−1 and account for 5–85% of the total volume loss from the floating ice tongue, with no clear spatial pattern. Only four glaciers show substantial interannual variability in melt rate during the decade. Melt rates were uncorrelated with front retreat, speed and changes in ocean temperature. Although the small sample size limits our analysis of the relationship between oceanographic forcing and glacier response, these data suggest that the calving rate may vary with discharge but that submarine melt rates are independent of grounding line discharge.
Electronic States Associated with Grain Boundaries in Silicon

The density of states at the grain boundary is found to be a complicated function of both the defect state property and the physical location of the defect at the boundary. A modified double-depletion-layer model concerning the nonuniform distribution of defects along the boundary is presented. A method is developed which can estimate the level location from the complex DLTS spectra.
The Automicrobic System for Detection of Bacteriuria: Efficacy of Revised Urine Identification Cards

The results of clinical urine specimens tested in the Vitek AutoMicrobic System® (AMS) using two different urine identification (UID) cards were compared with the results obtained by a quantitative culture method. AMS injector UID card results were evaluated with the use of 1,136 consecutive clinical specimens collected March 4 to May 23, 1983. Revised AMS UID cards were used to test 1,634 clinical specimens from November 8, 1983, to March 2, 1984. The revised UID card was less sensitive, more specific, had a greater predictive value for positive results, and had greater accuracy than the injector UID card in detecting organisms in urine. The revised urine card accurately quantified organisms in 90.1% of specimens versus 85.1% in injector cards. The revised card was superior in the predictive value of positive identification of urinary pathogens. Ninety percent of all organisms were identified within nine hours with either card. Improved accuracy of the revised cards makes it practical to electronically report automated urine screening results (detection, quantitation, and preliminary identification of urinary pathogens) by interfacing the AMS with hospital information systems.
Rethinking “Great Commerce” and the Hometown Economy

This essay examines home towns in the “Third Germany,” and suggests that important assumptions about the insularity of the hometown economy might need revision. Ironically, a revised understanding of hometown economies that sees them as active participants in long-distance trade networks can help to confirm Mack Walker's core insights about the resilient strength of German home towns.
Return to Play after Cervical Spine Injuries: A Consensus of Opinion.

Study Design Survey. Objective Sports-related spinal cord injury (SCI) represents a growing proportion of total SCIs but lacks evidence or guidelines to guide clinical decision-making on return to play (RTP). Our objective is to offer the treating physician a consensus analysis of expert opinion regarding RTP that can be incorporated with the unique factors of a case for clinical decision-making. Methods Ten common clinical scenarios involving neurapraxia and stenosis, atlantoaxial injury, subaxial injury, and general cervical spine injury were presented to 25 spine surgeons from level 1 trauma centers for whom spine trauma is a significant component of their practice. We evaluated responses to questions about patient RTP, level of contact, imaging required for a clinical decision, and time to return for each scenario. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis, with p Results Evaluation of the surgeons' responses to these cases showed significant consensus regarding return to high-contact sports in cases of cervical cord neurapraxia without symptoms or stenosis, surgically repaired herniated disks, and nonoperatively healed C1 ring or C2 hangman's fractures. Greater variability was found in recommendations for patients showing persistent clinical symptomatology. Conclusion This survey suggests a consensus among surgeons for allowing patients with relatively normal imaging and resolution of symptoms to return to high-contact activities; however, patients with cervical stenosis or clinical symptoms continue to be a challenge for management. This survey may serve as a basis for future clinical trials and consensus guidelines.
The utilization of a simulated electronic medical record in an introductory pharmacy practice experience

Abstract Background Institutions are implementing electronic medical records (EMR) in response to federal initiatives. Additionally, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) states that pharmacy graduates shall demonstrate expertise in informatics. We introduced clinical technology into the simulated Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) course at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Objective To incorporate informatics and evaluate the usefulness of a commercially available simulated EMR in the institutional practice setting components of a simulated IPPE. Methods We incorporated a simulated EMR into institutional pharmacy practice modules within the simulated IPPE. A questionnaire of 365 students enrolled evaluated their prior experiences with EMR, understanding of the role of EMR in an institutional practice setting, and level of confidence in utilizing EMR on their upcoming hospital rotations. Results Overall, 270 students responded (response rate of 74%). Only 9.6% of students had prior experience with EMR. An overwhelming majority of students felt that the simulated EMR adequately demonstrated the role of informatics in managing the simulated hospital patients and enhanced their hospital learning experiences (83.7% and 78.9%, respectively). As a result of using a simulated EMR, 72.6% of students felt more prepared to utilize EMR in upcoming hospital IPPE rotations. Conclusion A simulated EMR offers realistic hospital charting and gives the pharmacy students exposure to electronic medical records, which are important components of practicing pharmacy in a facility or institution. Utilizing a simulated electronic medical record allows pharmacy students to gain knowledge and apply skills in navigating medical records and extrapolating data for patient cases.
Coherent-weighted three-dimensional image reconstruction in linear-array-based photoacoustic tomography

While the majority of photoacoustic imaging systems used custom-made transducer arrays, commercially-available linear transducer arrays hold the benefits of affordable price, handheld convenience and wide clinical recognition. They are not widely used in photoacoustic imaging primarily because of the poor elevation resolution. Here, without modifying the imaging geometry and system, we propose addressing this limitation purely through image reconstruction. Our approach is based on the integration of two advanced image reconstruction techniques: focal-line-based three-dimensional image reconstruction and coherent weighting. We first numerically validated our approach through simulation and then experimentally tested it in phantom and in vivo. Both simulation and experimental results proved that the method can significantly improve the elevation resolution (up to 4 times in our experiment) and enhance object contrast.
Impact of Perioperative Phosphorus and Glucose Levels on Liver Regeneration and Long-term Outcomes after Major Liver Resection

The impact of phosphorus as well as glycemic alterations on liver regeneration has not been directly examined. We sought to determine the impact of phosphorus and glucose on liver regeneration after major hepatectomy. Early and late liver regeneration index was defined as the relative increase of liver volume (RLV) within 2[(RLV2m-RLVp)/RLVp] and 7 months[(RLV7m-RLVp)/RLVp] following surgery. The association of perioperative metabolic factors, liver regeneration, and outcomes was assessed. On postoperative day 2, 50 (52.6 %) patients had a low phosphorus level (≤2.4 mg/dl), while 45 (47.4 %) had a normal/high phosphorus level (>2.4 mg/dl). Despite comparable clinicopathologic characteristics (all P > 0.05) and RLV/TLV at surgery (P = 0.84), regeneration index within 2 months was lower in the normal/high phosphorus group (P = 0.01) with these patients having increased risk for postoperative liver failure (P = 0.01). The inhibition of liver regeneration persisted at 7 months (P = 0.007) and was associated with a worse survival (P = 0.02). Preoperative hypoglycemia was associated only with a lower early regeneration index (P = 0.02). Normal/high phosphorus was associated with inhibition of early and late liver regeneration, as well as with an increased risk of liver failure and worse long-term outcomes. Immediate preoperative hypoglycemia was associated with a lower early volumetric gain. Metabolic factors may represent early indicators of liver failure that could identify patients at increased risk for worse outcomes.
Methods for Economic Evaluation of Marketed Medicines II: Conducting Primary Economic Evaluation

Primary economic evaluations are needed in the case that the systematic review of existing economic evidence is not capable of informing economic profiles of marketed medicines. Following the first section of this programs, we presented the principles of designing a study, measuring costs and outcomes, and performing sensitivity analyses. Generally, four designs of economic evaluations are available to perform economic evaluations, each of which has specific strengths and weaknesses. Valuation of outcomes and costs may differ in methods, mainly based on the requirements and applicability of study. The possible factors leading to variation of results should be analyzed using analytic methods with different techniques.
Sex differences in lung and adrenal neurosympathetic development in rabbits

To assess the possible mechanism for the increased incidence and severity of the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in male versus female infants, we studied neurosympathetic development in. the lung and adrenal glands in male and female fetal and newborn rabbits. Tissue levels of catecholamines, norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and dopamine (DA) were measured using a sensitive radioenzymatic assay. Beta adrenergic receptor development in the lung was studied using the tritiated radioligand dihydroalprenolol. Neurosympathetic innervation of the lung was assessed by measuring tissue NE levels, which increased gradually from 27-day fetuses to 8-day-old newborns. Sex differences were not significant. Lung β -receptor number was significantly elevated in females as compared with males at each gestational age and throughout the neonatal period (p β -receptor maturation may relate to the male susceptibility to neonatal morbidity and neonatal RDS.
Predicting runoff induced mass loads in urban watersheds: Linking land use and pyrethroid contamination

Pyrethroid pesticide mass loadings in the Ballona Creek Watershed were calculated using the volume-concentration method with a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore potential relationships between urban land use, impervious surfaces, and pyrethroid runoff flowing into an urban stream. A calibration of the GIS volume-concentration model was performed using 2013 and 2014 wet-weather sampling data. Permethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin were detected as the highest concentrations; deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin and cyfluthrin were the most frequently detected synthetic pyrethroids. Eight neighborhoods within the watershed were highlighted as target areas based on a Weighted Overlay Analysis (WOA) in GIS. Water phase concentration of synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) were calculated from the reported usage. The need for stricter BMP and consumer product controls was identified as a possible way of reducing the detections of pyrethroids in Ballona Creek. This model has significant implications for determining mass loadings due to land use influence, and offers a flexible method to extrapolate data for a limited amount of samplings for a larger watershed, particularly for chemicals that are not subject to environmental monitoring. Offered as a simple approach to watershed management, the GIS-volume concentration model has the potential to be applied to other target pesticides and is useful for simulating different watershed scenarios. Further research is needed to compare results against other similar urban watersheds situated in mediterranean climates.
Abstract LB-266: Large oncosomes reprogram prostate fibroblasts toward a pro-angiogenic phenotype

Introduction: Cancer cells communicate with different cells in the tumor microenvironment, establishing a supportive stroma that sustains tumor development and facilitates the first steps of metastasis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key functional mediators of this process. Aim of this study was to determine the mechanism of intercellular communication mediated by the atypically large EVs produced by highly migratory and metastatic tumor cells, referred to as large oncosomes (LO), and prostate fibroblasts (NAF). Methods: Filtration, differential centrifugation followed by iodixanol gradient; flow cytometry and confocal imaging; RNA-seq; kinase assay; TF array; luciferase assay; tube formation; siRNA; RT-qPCR. Results: Active AKT1 is significantly more expressed and functional in LO than in exosomes (Exo). Patients with metastatic disease express abundant active AKT1 in plasma LO. Uptake of LO harboring active AKT1 by NAF results in AKT1 and c-MYC activation. Conditioned media from LO-treated NAF, but not from Exo-treated NAF, promoted endothelial morphogenesis. The Dynamin (DNM) inhibitor Dynasore (Dyn) inhibited LO-uptake, as well as MYC activation and tube formation. Transient silencing of DNM2 significantly reduced LO uptake, suggesting that uptake occurs by phagocytosis. LO treatment increased levels of MYC targets in NAF, suggesting that MYC is involved in LO-induced reprogramming of NAF. Accordingly, MYC expression was higher in activated fibroblasts than NAF, and MYC overexpression in NAF induced hyperplasia in normal prostate epithelium in mice, suggesting MYC activation is an early event in cancer development. Summary/Conclusion: Our results indicate that tumor-derived LO induce a novel, c-MYC mediated, pro-tumorigenic reprogramming of fibroblasts that can be reverted by selectively inhibiting LO uptake. Support: National Institutes of Health NCI NIH R00 CA131472; NIH UCLA SPORE in Prostate Cancer award P50 CA092131; Avon Foundation Fund 02-2013-043 (to DDV). Citation Format: Valentina Minciacchi, Cristiana Spinelli, Mariana Reis-Sobreiro, Mandana Zandian, Rosalyn M. Adam, Edwin M. Posadas, Freeman R. Michael, Emanuele Cocucci, Neil Bhowmick, Dolores Di Vizio. Large oncosomes reprogram prostate fibroblasts toward a pro-angiogenic phenotype. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-266.
Proximities to Death: Freud’s Archaic Doubles

This chapter takes up the determinative power of the double in the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud, which in its further extensions is anticipated by the distinction between the conscious and the unconscious. As a transition from the previous chapter, I begin with Freud’s essay on Dostoevsky. But the focus here is primarily on the characteristics of the primal horde depicted in the essays that comprise Totem and Taboo, which focuses on the fundamental ambivalence toward the totem animal, which is both worshipped and then killed and eaten, a literary setup for the actual killing of the father. Finally, I take up the fundamentally conflicted relation between the erotic instincts and the death instincts.
Advances in Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for the Evaluation of Antihypertensive Therapy

Over the past decade there has been a marked increase in the utilization of 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring to assess new drugs for hypertension, beginning with the first and second phases of drug development (studies that establish the range of doses in patients with hypertension), continuing to the fourth phase, in which the drugs approved for the marketplace are tested in comparison to other registered drugs or in a special population, such as the elderly or diabetic patient with hypertension.
Jack Sprat and his wife: Disordered eating and the continuum from anorexia through obesity

W obesity and eating disorders both on the rise, the amount of young people who have a healthy relationship with food, body image and body size continues to decline. This is due to a culture that promotes obesity yet at the same time stigmatizes it. Many treatment programs which focus on either one or the other give messages that would be problematic to those on the opposite end of the continuum, yet the same societal forces are at work. Also, the hormonal and neurotransmitter milieu at play for these conditions suggest that there may be a genetic or metabolic predisposition to either or both ends of the spectrum. The purpose of this session is to describe how anorexia nervosa and obesity are different manifestations of the same disease, and how a Health at Every Size approach can be used to treat underweight and overweight persons alike, without a rigid adherence to “goal weights” or BMI.
Efficient multiuser cooperation strategies using QAM space-time block codes

Practical space-time coding strategies are proposed for multiple users cooperating to communicate to a destination in a wireless channel. For a system with m single antenna users and a destination with N receive antennas, a two-phase cooperative scheme is proposed that achieves a diversity order of m - 1 + N for the error probability. This effectively proves the achievability of the diversity order implied by the outage probability for this model. This two-phase scheme employs a short full diversity space-time block code over QAM symbols. Even though the suboptimum decoder used by the destination assumes that the inter-user communication is successful, the corresponding analysis does account for the decoding errors in the inter-user communications phase. The key to the diversity order analysis is an appropriate modification of the rule for deciding whether or not a user acts as a relay for another user. The performance analysis technique presented here also extends to another practical cooperation strategy, proposed specifically for the case of m = 2 and N = 1, that is inspired from an optimal diversity-multiplexing tradeoff curve achieving protocol.
Bradykinin stimulates protein kinase D–mediated colonic myofibroblast migration via cyclooxygenase-2 and heat shock protein 27

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by episodic intestinal injury and repair. Myofibroblasts are gastrointestinal tract stromal cells that regulate the reparative process and are known targets of inflammatory mediators including bradykinin (BK). However, the mechanisms through which inflammation regulates myofibroblast-induced wound healing remain incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that BK stimulates myofibroblast migration through protein kinase D (PKD)–mediated activation of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) pathways. Materials and methods CCD-18Co is a human colonic myofibroblast cell line used from passages 8 to 14. An in vitro scratch assay assessed the effect of BK (100 nM) on myofibroblast migration over 24 h in the presence or absence of several inhibitors (CID755673 [10 μM] and NS398 [10 μM]). Hsp27 small interfering RNA evaluated the effect of Hsp27 on colonic myofibroblast migration. Antibodies to pPKD, pHsp27, and COX-2 evaluated expression levels by Western blot. Results BK stimulated myofibroblast migration over 24 h. BK also led to rapid and sustained phosphorylation of PKD at Ser-916, rapid phosphorylation of Hsp27 at Ser-82, and increased COX-2 expression over 4 h. BK-mediated COX-2 expression and Hsp27 phosphorylation were both inhibited by the PKD inhibitor CID755673. Similarly, BK-induced myofibroblast migration was significantly inhibited by CID755673 (P Conclusions BK stimulates myofibroblast migration through PKD-mediated activation of COX-2 and Hsp27. PKD, COX-2, and Hsp27 all appear to regulate myofibroblast cell migration, a stromal population that may play an important role in mucosal healing in the setting of inflammation.
The Preferred Retinal Locus Used to Watch Videos.

Purpose Eccentric viewing is a common strategy used by people with central vision loss (CVL) to direct the eye such that the image falls onto functioning peripheral retina, known as the preferred retinal locus (PRL). It has been long acknowledged that we do not know whether the PRL used in a fixation test is also used when performing tasks. We present an innovative method to determine whether the same PRL observed during a fixation task was used to watch videos and whether poor resolution affects gaze location. Methods The gaze of a group of 60 normal vision (NV) observers was used to define a democratic center of interest (COI) of video clips from movies and television. For each CVL participant (N = 20), we computed the gaze offsets from the COI across the video clips. The distribution of gaze offsets of the NV participants was used to define the limits of NV behavior. If the gaze offset was within this 95% degree confidence interval, we presumed that the same PRL was used for fixation and video watching. Another 15 NV participants watched the video clips with various levels of defocus blur. Results CVL participants had wider gaze-offset distributions than NV participants (P < 0.001). Gaze offsets of 18/20 CVL participants were outside the NV confidence interval. Further, none of the 15 NV participants watching the same videos with spherical defocus blur had a gaze offset that was decentered (outside the NV confidence interval), suggesting that resolution was not the problem. Conclusions This indicates that many CVL participants were using a PRL to view videos that differed from that found with a fixation task and that it was not caused by poor resolution alone. The relationship between these locations needs further investigation.
An Academic Report on Mobile Application Development: Creating an Extra Field Practice Platform for Young Players

In this study, we deploy the impact of Education, Social Media, Motivation, and Virtual Reality on Mobile application development. The mission of mobile application development studies is to advance the understanding of this technology in order to use it in favor of children with learning difficulties, young athletes seeking extra field coaching, and parents concerned with their children development. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the user’s habits, motivations and technical possibilities in order to develop mobile learning and coaching activities in the e-environment process. The Smart Sport app is dedicated to provide these target market with the proper tool of electronic coaching. This paper aims to review 70 researchers and their articles about how the above assets affect directly the mobile application design. By doing so, it re-investigate the relationship between existing demand opportunities and the future of the application technology, considering that the mobile applications environment has a multitude of particularities generated by the complex system of devices, hardware, and software profiles and categories of users. Using the grounded theory, a model was developed and evaluated based on how Motivation, Education, Social Media Network, and Virtual Reality affects the development of mobile applications using data from JSTOR and Academic Search Premier database.
Relationship between event type and mental health outcomes: Event centrality as mediator

Abstract Although stressful life events can trigger adverse mental health outcomes, many people will not develop symptoms of depression or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), leading researchers to seek out factors that influence the relationship between life events and emotional responses. PTSD appears to be more likely following interpersonal traumas compared to non-interpersonal traumas, but the reasons for this relationship are unclear. The current study examines whether event significance mediates the relationship between event type (interpersonal or non-interpersonal) and PTSD and depressive symptoms in a sample of 314 college students. Perceived importance was higher for interpersonal events, and we found support for a mediational role of event importance in the relationship between event type and mental health symptoms. Findings suggest that the importance of an event to one's identity might underlie the relationship between event characteristics and mental health outcomes and be a salient target for prevention and treatment efforts.
Assessment of phytoplankton resources suitable for bigheaded carps in Lake Michigan derived from remote sensing and bioenergetics

Abstract We used bioenergetic simulations combined with satellite-measured water temperature and estimates of algal food availability to predict the habitat suitability of Lake Michigan for adult silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis). Depending on water temperature, we found that bigheaded carp require ambient algal concentrations between 1 and 7 μg chlorophyll/L or between 0.25 × 105 and 1.20 × 105 cells/mL Microcystis to maintain body weight. When the bioenergetics model is forced with the observed average annual temperature cycle, our simulations predicted silver carp bioenergetics predicted annual weight change ranging from 9% weight loss to 23% gain; bighead carp ranged from 68 to 177% weight gain. Algal concentrations
Effect of different regimens of chemotherapy on stem-cell marker expression.

B32 Background: Nanog is a critical factor underlying pluripotency in embryonic stem cells. The genetic program induced by Nanog is maintained by BMI1 and other epigenetic regulators that belong to the family of polycomb group proteins (PcG). The expression of stem cells markers has been associated with poor therapeutic outcome for patients with various types of cancer. However, the effects of chemotherapy on stem cells have not been fully elucidated. Methods: A transplantable mesenchymal chondrosarcoma (MCS) xenograft model was used to evaluate the effects of chemotherapy on tumor growth. Drug combinations were selected based on the cell signaling activation profile detected in MCS and included the alkylating agent Ifosfamide, VEGF inhibitors (Avastin and Sorafenib), an inhibitor of telomerase activity (Irinotecan), a regulator of microtubule assembly (Docetaxel) and a proteosome inhibitor (Velcade). After treatment, paraffin embedded MCS tissue samples were evaluated for changes in morphological features, cell signaling activation and stem cell markers (Nanog, Oct4, BMI1) expression. MCS cells lines were used for in vitro functional studies. Results: Morphological patterns in MSC xenograft model were similar to the primary human MCS and included two distinct tumor components: small round mesenchymal cells and cells differentiated towards cartilage. A high level of proliferation (Ki67), activations of VEGF signaling pathway (VEGF, VFGFR1, VEGFR2, EphA4 and phospho-VEGFF), RAS ERK signaling (phospho-ERK) and activation of anti apoptotic pathway (phospho-Akt) were found in both primary human MCS and in the MSC xenograft model. The MCS cells lines similarly demonstrated activation of VEGF and PI3K-Akt signaling, and were characterized by PI3K dependant type of cell migration in Boyden Chamber assays. Nanog and BMI1 expressions both were increased in metastases as compared to primary MCS; they were also detectable in MCS xenograft model and in MSC cell lines by PCR and immunostaining. All chemotherapeutical regimens resulted in inhibition of MCS growth; however, different regimens induced specific post treatment morphological changes in xenografts. The combination of Ifosfamide and Avastin induced necrosis and inhibited growth of differentiated cartilaginous cells. Avastin treatment also inhibited Nanog and BMI1 expression. Treatment with Irinotecan, Docetaxel or Velcade resulted in formation of highly cellular tumors without necrosis. MCS cells which survived chemotherapy were characterized by increased expression of Nanog and BMI1. Docetaxel and Velcade induced Nanog, Oct4, BMI1, EZH2 expression in the MCS cell lines. Conclusions: Targeted chemotherapy altered cancer stem cell marker expression. Some chemotherapeutic agents resulted in a gain of stem cell marker expression. Therapeutic combination of such agents with compounds targeting developmental signals (e.i. Notch, HH) therefore might improve the outcome of sarcoma treatment.
SignFi: Sign Language Recognition Using WiFi

We propose SignFi to recognize sign language gestures using WiFi. SignFi uses Channel State Information (CSI) measured by WiFi packets as the input and a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) as the classification algorithm. Existing WiFi-based sign gesture recognition technologies are tested on no more than 25 gestures that only involve hand and/or finger gestures. SignFi is able to recognize 276 sign gestures, which involve the head, arm, hand, and finger gestures, with high accuracy. SignFi collects CSI measurements to capture wireless signal characteristics of sign gestures. Raw CSI measurements are pre-processed to remove noises and recover CSI changes over sub-carriers and sampling time. Pre-processed CSI measurements are fed to a 9-layer CNN for sign gesture classification. We collect CSI traces and evaluate SignFi in the lab and home environments. There are 8,280 gesture instances, 5,520 from the lab and 2,760 from the home, for 276 sign gestures in total. For 5-fold cross validation using CSI traces of one user, the average recognition accuracy of SignFi is 98.01%, 98.91%, and 94.81% for the lab, home, and lab+home environment, respectively. We also run tests using CSI traces from 5 different users in the lab environment. The average recognition accuracy of SignFi is 86.66% for 7,500 instances of 150 sign gestures performed by 5 different users.
Localization of atrial fibrillation triggers in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation: importance of the carina region.

Objectives This study sought to identify the origin within the pulmonary vein (PV) of reproducible atrial fibrillation (AF) triggers. Background Triggers for AF frequently originate from PVs. However, a systematic evaluation of the location of origin within the PV orifice and associated techniques for eliciting triggers has not been performed. Methods Spontaneous triggers and those provoked with isoproterenol (up to 20 μg/min) and/or cardioversion in 45 patients with AF were identified using multipolar catheter recordings. In identifying origin, PVs were divided into 17 equal segments from ipsilateral PVs with “carina zone” (CZ) (7 segments between the PVs) and 10 “noncarina zone” (NCZ) segments. Results Sixty-three reproducible triggers were noted in 37 of the 45 (82%) patients with 57 from PV and 6 (10%) from non-PV sites. Although triggers were identified from 26 of 34 distinct PV segments, most PV triggers (36, 63%) originated from CZ segments (p Conclusions Reproducible spontaneous and provoked PV triggers initiating AF can be observed in most patients undergoing AF ablation. These triggers most commonly originate from the carina region of both right and left PVs. Noncarina PV triggers more commonly require provocation with isoproterenol infusion.
Lesson Study: The Impact on Teachers' Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics

This qualitative study examined whether or not participation in lesson study provided educators the opportunities to improve their knowledge for teaching mathematics. Participants for the study consisted of 24 middle school mathematics teachers from seven urban schools who formed five lesson study groups. Analysis of the data consisted of both a within and across case comparison. Analysis showed that particular factors in the lesson study cycle provided greater opportunity for teachers to increase their knowledge for teaching mathematics. These factors are referred to as “windows of opportunity.” Findings showed participants in three of the five lesson study groups showed an increase in their knowledge for teaching mathematics as a result of how teachers reacted to the “opportunities.”
Honoring Carolyn Talcott's contributions to science

This paper describes both Carolyn Talcott's technical and leadership contributions to formal methods, cryptographic protocol analysis, and systems biology. Carolyn has played a vitally important leadership role in protocol analysis through her signicant research and bringing together leading members of the protocol analysis community. Her efforts have resulted in a unified, cohesive, and flexible foundation for the interoperation of maturing tools and techniques for designing and evaluating a wide range of protocols. As the leader of the Symbolic Systems Technology Group at SRI she has been a visionary manager with exceptionally strong technical skills who has guided, advised and mentored numerous scientists in the use of formal methods and other computational tools for modeling or solving diverse biological problems in cancer biology, signal transduction research, neuroscience, and infectious disease research.
Association between Long-Term Second Malignancy Risk and Radiation: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Entire Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database (1973-2014).

Abstract Purpose Second malignancies (SMs) after radiation therapy are rare but serious sequelae of treatment. This study investigates whether radiation therapy use is associated with changes in baseline SM risk. Methods and Materials We extracted all patients with cancer, with or without SM, in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 1973 to 2014. Cumulative incidence of SM for patients stratified by radiation therapy status was calculated using a competing risk model, both for the entire cohort and for subgroups based on the primary tumor's anatomic location. Results We identified 2,872,063 patients with cancer, including 761,289 patients who received radiation therapy and 2,110,774 who did not. The SM rate at 20 years for patients receiving radiation therapy versus no radiation therapy was 21.4% versus 18.8%. The relative risk for SM associated with radiation therapy for the overall group was 1.138 at 20 years. The relative risks for SM associated with radiation therapy to malignancies arising from central nervous system and orbits, head and neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis at 20 years were 0.704, 1.011, 0.559, 0.646, and 1.106 for men and 0.792, 1.298, 1.265, 0.780, and 0.988 for women, respectively. Conclusions The association between SM and radiation therapy varies with both sex and disease anatomic location, with the largest increase in SM seen in females irradiated to the head and neck region. Overall, the absolute change in SM rates associated with radiation therapy remains small, with differences in various clinical contexts.
To nap or not to nap: more questions than answers

We spend a third of our lives in sleep. One of the most common yet understudied sleep behaviours in human beings is daytime napping. While napping is traditionally viewed as a countermeasure to sleepiness and as a strategy to boost performance, especially in healthy younger adults or among shift workers,1 the effects of napping in middle-aged to older-aged populations are largely unknown. One key question is whether naps are protective or harmful for heart health among older adults. A pioneering Greek case–control study from the late 1980s2 compared 97 men with an acute episode of coronary heart disease (CHD) and 90 control subjects, and showed a 30% reduction in the incidence of CHD associated with a 30 min afternoon nap. Over the past decade, growing epidemiological evidence has pointed to napping as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), and a recent meta-analysis3 summarised 11 prospective studies and concluded that there was a J-shaped dose–response relationship, in which the risk of CVD decreased with increasing nap duration until it reached 30 min/day, but started to increase with longer naps after the 30 min/day threshold. While this meta-analysis suggests that napping duration could be an important factor to consider in studies of naps, most previous studies have only compared nappers and non-nappers, or have considered only the duration but not the frequency of napping. Furthermore, the majority of studies only examined CVD mortality, whereas non-fatal CVD events are much less studied in relation to napping. Many studies have failed to fully address the influence of potential confounders or the independent effects of napping. In their Heart paper, Hausler et al 4 examine the longitudinal association between self-reported napping frequency and average napping duration and incidence risk of both fatal and non-fatal CVD among 3462 men and women (mean age 57.1) with …