cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Potential of Water Power in the Fight Against Global Warming

The leading cause of climate change today is the burning of fossil fuels related to energy production. One approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, is to more actively switch to proven renewable technologies in the production of electricity, and reduce the use of fossil fuels in electricity production. This is the goal of renewable portfolio standard (RPS) legislation, currently in effect in 28 states across the country. In this paper we discuss the potential for water power development as one method to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. We look at the potential from 1) new small/micro hydropower dams, 2) uprating facilities at existing large hydropower dams, 3) new generating facilities at existing non-hydropower dams, and 4) hydrokinetics. We analyze this potential by type, by state, and by its ability to satisfy current RPS goals. Finally, we consider the cost-effectiveness of developing these sources of water-based energy. We find that while water power will never be the complete answer to emissions-free energy production, a strong case can be made that it can be a useful part of the answer.
In vitro activity of tedizolid against staphylococci isolated from prosthetic joint infections

We determined the MIC and minimum biofilm bactericidal concentration (MBBC) of tedizolid and vancomycin against 97 isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 74 isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis associated with prosthetic joint infection. All isolates were vancomycin susceptible in the planktonic state; all staphylococci studied had a tedizolid MIC ≤0.5 μg/mL. The MBBC90 was >32 and >128 μg/mL for tedizolid and vancomycin, respectively.
Abstract 640: PASMC Hyperproliferation and Metabolic Shift in a Model of Pulmonary Overcirculation

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex disease that lacks adequate therapies. Recognition that endothelial and smooth muscle cell hyper-proliferation contribute to the pathophysiology has drawn parallels to cancer biology and highlighted shared alterations in growth signaling and metabolism. Similar to the Warburg Effect described in malignancies, smooth muscle and endothelial cells exhibit a phenotype of aerobic glycolysis in the setting of PAH. Objective: We hypothesize that in an animal model of increased pulmonary blood flow and early pulmonary vascular disease, smooth muscle cells from the central pulmonary arteries will exhibit metabolic alterations similar to the Warburg Effect. DESIGN/METHODS: Fetal lambs underwent surgical placement of an aortopulmonary shunt resulting in a postnatal increase in pulmonary blood flow. Smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) from the central PAs were isolated for analysis. Extracellular flux analysis was used to measure concurrent oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification. Targeted metabolites were measured using HPLC-mass spectrometry. Results: PASMCs from the shunted animals exhibit faster growth and a shorter calculated doubling time (29.5 vs. 45.2 hours). PASMCs derived from shunted animals had a 55% decrease in oxygen consumption rate and a 59% decrease in extracellular acidification rate. This is accompanied by a relative decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential in the shunt cells compared to controls. Metabolic analysis shows increases in the PPP metabolites erythritol, S7P and R5P/X5P, decreases in the glycolytic metabolites Fru1,6BP and PEP, decreased malate in the TCA cycle and accumulation of acetyl-CoA in shunted cells compared to controls. Conclusions: PASMCs from lambs with pulmonary overcirculation and early PAH have a phenotype of hyper-proliferation and altered metabolism. The low rate of oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification suggest concurrent decreases of both mitochondrial respiration and glycolytic flux. Targeted metabolite analysis suggests increased glucose entry into the pentose phosphate shunt rather than glycolysis and relative depletion of TCA cycle intermediates may underlie these observed changes.
The Effect of Culture on Management Style

Abstract U.S. and Indonesian managers were surveyed to evaluate cross-cultural differences in managerial style. Four variables were compared and analyzed: autocratic and participative management, and individualism and collectivism. Indonesian managers endorsed a more autocratic style than U.S. managers and valued collectivism more than U.S. managers, while U.S. managers valued individualism more than the Indonesian managers. Additionally, a positive relationship was found between participative management style and individualism. There were no significant differences in the value both groups placed on participative management; both endorsed this concept positively. Results suggest that while there are differences between the preferred management styles of Indonesian and U.S. managers, both groups endorse similar management ideas. This paper concludes that culture affects the ideologies that managers are willing to endorse, and further study is needed to see if it similarly affects the management styles the...
Identifying Industrial Buying Responsibility

The empirical data presented here add to the evidence concerning how individuals in an institution perceive their responsibilities. In particular, they demonstrate considerable disparity between ho...
Nicholas Love as an Ecclesiastical Reformer

Nicholas Love was the prior of the Carthusian house of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Mount Grace from its incorporation into the Order at the General Chapter of 1410 until shortly before his death, which occurred between 15 March and 28 July, 1423. He is most commonly known to present-day scholarship as the author of The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ and because of the licensing of the Mirror by Archbishop Thomas Arundel in accordance with the stipulations of the Lambeth Constitutions of 1409, as an agent in the archbishop's campaign against the followers of John Wyclif, and against Wycliffite translation of the scriptures into the vernacular. It would be better, however, to see him as an actor in his own right, a promoter, like his continental European Carthusian confreres, of the reform of the western Church in the fifteenth century.
Several Features of China Top-100 Electronic Information Technology Enterprise Network

The electronic information industry plays a pillar role in our national economic field,and the information technology companies represent the competition strength,innovation ability and development prospect of the electronic information industry.This paper adopts the date and pivotal econmic indexes of the Top-100 Enterprise network the recent 5 years to construct some types of the China Top-100 Electronic Information Technology Enterprises Network(CT-100 EITCN):weighted networks,weighted growth networks,and so on,respectively.Then analyzes the topological properties of the CT-100 EITCN.Some preliminary results are obtained,which may help structure optimization and promoting development and management of the electronics information industries in our country.
Lateral ventricular size, psychopathology, and medication response in the psychoses

Using computed tomography, lateral ventricular size was determined in 45 schizophrenic and 22 affective disorder patients, and was found in both patient groups to be greater than that of 62 similarly aged headache controls. While drug-free, the 15 schizophrenics with ventricles 1 standard deviation greater than the age-corrected control mean tended to have less positive symptomatology than the 30 schizophrenics with smaller ventricles. There was no differences between these two schizophrenic groups in negative symptomatology. Amongst the depressed affective disorder patients, those with larger ventricles tended to be diagnosed as psychotic more often than those with smaller ventricles. Response to neuroleptic treatment was assessed in the 35 schizophrenics who had received conventional neuroleptics for at least 5 weeks. Those schizophrenics with ventricles 2 standard deviations greater than the age-corrected control mean showed less improvement than those with smaller ventricles and on some measures appeared to deteriorate. No such relationship between ventricle size and drug response could be detected in the affective disorder patients.
Expert Systems and New Product Screening

Since firms in virtually all industries are facing increased competition, the development of new products is accelerating to maintain or improve a firms’ market position. Unfortunately, there are high developmental costs and low success rates associated with new products. A formalized screening process which considers all relevant factors for product success should decrease the number of poor product ideas which pass screening. The situation lends itself to the development of an expert system- a set of computer programs and coded knowledge that interact so that the system can reason and solve problems by emulating the logical processes of the human mind.
An Absolute Neutron Flux Detector for the 1-20 MeV Energy Region

A neutron flux detector for use in the 1–20 MeV energy range is described. A dual thin scintillator configuration yields a proton recoil spectrum which approaches the ideal thin scintillator response. Corrections due to multiple neutron scattering and escape of recoil protons from the scintillator are small. The detector efficiency was experimentally calibrated at 2.47 and 14.1 MeV using the associated particle technique and was extended to other energies by means of a Monte Carlo calculation. The efficiency uncertainty is estimated to be 1–2% in the 1–20 MeV region.
Novel polymorphic microsatellite loci for distinguishing rock bass ( Ambloplites rupestris ), Roanoke bass ( Ambloplites cavifrons ), and their hybrids

The rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris) is a popular sport-fish native to the Mississippi and Great Lakes basins of North America. The species has been widely introduced outside its native range, including into Atlantic-slope streams of Virginia where it may hybridize with an imperiled, similar-looking congener, the Roanoke bass (Ambloplites cavifrons). In this study, we identified and evaluated novel molecular markers to facilitate identification of these species and study the extent of hybridization. Using molecular libraries developed from A. rupestris, we identified a suite of candidate nuclear microsatellite loci, synthesized primer sets, and tested these markers for amplification and polymorphism in populations of both species. We then calculated standard diversity statistics within and differentiation statistics between species, the latter providing an indication of marker power for distinguishing the species and their hybrids. Additionally, we evaluated our efficiency for identifying hybrids by classifying simulated genotypes of known ancestry. Eleven loci were polymorphic (2-22 alleles per locus) and reliably amplified in both species. Multilocus genetic differentiation between A. cavifrons and A. rupestris was quite high (F ST = 0.66; D LR = 19.3), indicating the high statistical power of this marker set for species and hybrid identification. Analyses of simulated data suggested these markers reliably distinguish between hybrids and non-hybrids, as well as between F1 hybrids and backcrossed individuals. This panel of 11 loci should prove useful for understanding patterns of hybridization between A. rupestris and A. cavifrons. As the first microsatellite markers developed for Ambloplites, these markers also should prove broadly useful for population genetic studies of this genus.
Sixteenth-century north India: empire reformulated

A visitor touring South Asia in the year 1500 would have found a land divided into many different polities and a variety of elite cultures. By 1600, on the other hand, virtually all the northern half of the subcontinent had been brought under the umbrella of one state, the Mughal empire. This empire was a top-down enterprise: the many local societies it ruled were not eliminated or merged but rather kept together through the imposition of a set of administrative practices and a class of ruling nobles. Over time, however, imperial ideology and institutions were disseminated throughout its many constituent units and served as a catalyst for the growth of a new kind of elite Indian culture and society, one that was both composite and widespread. This chapter examines the stages leading to the revival of empire in north India and the main architect of the Mughal state, Emperor Akbar. We consider how Akbar's concept of state evolved over time and its impact on politics and policies regarding India's multi-cultural, multi-ethnic population. In addition, we analyze how state policies affected cultural production, both on an imperial as well as subimperial level, arguing that the use of specific languages and the production of architecture and even manuscripts were all part of a carefully planned political campaign. Toward empire Delhi under the Lodis Timur's sack of Delhi in 1398 left the traditional capital of the north Indian Sultanate a mere shadow of its former self.
Carbamazepine and Cognitive Impairment

Members of the Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43205, assessed neuropsychological function before and after carbamazepine monotheraphy at low ( 8.0,ug/ml) plasma levels in 11 children (4 boys 7 girls, mean age 9.8 yrs) with controlled complex partial epilepsy.
A Framework for Clustering Cardiac Patient's Records Using Unsupervised Learning Techniques

Today we are surrounded with large data related to health reports of patients. In this paper we will introduce a methodology to extract the useful information (pattern) from raw data by using different unsupervised learning techniques. These hidden patterns will help the practitioner to understand the hidden relation (dependency) among the data. With the help of useful clustering we can predict the hidden trends in patients. We will use the correlation matrix followed by K-mean (fast) to extract the interesting pattern as well as patient state that will help the practitioner to treat the patient wisely. According to the nature of data we can categorize the heart patient into normal, moderate, risk and critical patients. We use the different clustering algorithm and analyze the performance of each algorithm in cardiac dataset. For this research we have used the real dataset provided by AFIC (Armed force institute of cardiology).Data set consist of 1500 records along with 36 attributes.
Emerging Guidelines for Communicating with Animation in Mobile User Interfaces

Animations are a widely used design element in mobile user interfaces; however, it is unclear how these uses of animation support or challenge prior research. Therefore, I examine the current animation guidelines published by Microsoft, Apple, and Google, and then compare these guidelines to seven design principles proposed by previous studies (solidity, exaggeration, reinforcement, attachment, reluctance, smoothness, anticipation). I then examine the animation types (e.g., rotation and fading) used by a specific mobile application. By comparing current practices to previous research, I argue that decades-old design principles can be used to understand and clarify the frequent injunction to design animation that is "realistic" and/or "lively." I also call attention to emerging terms and concepts that are not covered by prior research, providing possible threads for future study.
Membrane Binding and Antimicrobial Activity of a Catioinc, Porphyrin-Binding Peptide

A designed catioinic, amphiphilic peptide was previously shown to bind porphyrin molecules and promote the formation of excitonically coupled J-aggregate structures (Caputo et. al. 2009). Due to the catioinic and amphiphilic nature, this peptide was investigated for antimicrobial activity. We synthesized 3 variants of the peptide which differed only in the position of a single Trp residue, used as a reporter of membrane binding interactions. All three variants showed similar levels of antimicrobial activity against Gram+ and G- strains (low micromolar efficacy).
Human behaviour as a long-term ecological driver of non-human evolution.

Humans have been modifying environments and habitats both indirectly and directly for millennia. This has resulted in extensive changes to the biology of non-domesticated non-human species, and this pattern is likely to increase in the future
Effect of Abdominal Drawing-In Maneuver with Unstable Surface on Lumbopelvic Stability in People with Lumbar Rotation

The abnormal movements often occur in lumbar region and they cause pains commonly. The number of painful people is increasing and researchers have studied to find the most proper physical therapy treatment. The purpose of the study was to analyze the effect of abdominal drawing-in maneuver exercise with unstable surface for the people with lumbar rotation. We hypothesized that people who exercise abdominal drawing-in maneuver with foam-roller would display decreased abnormal lumbopelvic rotation and achieve the better control ability after performing hip extension on a foam-roller. Kinematic data collected before and after intervention for hip extension on quadruped were analyzed. The subjects (N=9) displayed significantly decreased lumbopelvic rotation degree. This finding suggests that people with lumbar rotation can improve their ability to control lumbopelvic movement by exercising abdominal drawing-in maneuver with foam-roller.
Multi-state medication take back initiative: Controlled substances collected from 2011 to 2015

ABSTRACTIt is important to assess which dispensed medications remain unused as accumulated home medications serve as a source for poisonings, abuse, and misuse. The objective of this study was to characterize and quantify controlled substances relinquished at community medication take back events. Medications were brought to events from 2011 to 2015 across six states. We analyzed medication classification (over-the counter, controlled, non-controlled), medication name, strength, formulation, original dispensed quantity, collected quantity, and therapeutic class. The top nine controlled therapeutic class categories are reported in this study, excluding liquid formulations. The total number of collected controlled prescriptions and units (tablets/capsules/patches) were calculated. Averages are presented for dispensed and collected quantity, and percent waste (unused) for medication categories. Over 10,270 prescriptions with 280,813 units were collected and logged. With 85 units per prescription, morphine ha...
MR-guided biopsy and focal therapy: new options for prostate cancer management.

Purpose of reviewOptions for prostate cancer management are rapidly expanding. The recent advent of MRI technology has led to guided prostate biopsies by radiologists working in-bore or by urologists using MR/US fusion technology. The resulting tumor visualization now provides the option of focal th
SECProv: Trustworthy and Efficient Provenance Management in the Cloud

The black-box nature of clouds introduces a lack of trusts in clouds. Since provenance can provide a complete history of an entity, trustworthy provenance management for data, application, or workflow can make the cloud more accountable. Current research on cloud provenance mainly focuses on collecting provenance records and trusting the cloud providers in managing the provenance records. However, a dishonest cloud provider can alter the provenance records, as the records are stored within the control of the cloud provider. To solve this problem, we first propose CloProv - a provenance model to capture the complete provenance of any type of entities in the cloud. We analyze the threats on the CloProv model considering collusion among malicious users and dishonest cloud providers. Based on the threat model, we propose a secure data provenance scheme - SECProv for cloud-based, multi-user, shared data storage systems. We integrate SECProv with the object storage module of an open source cloud framework - OpenStack Swift and analyze the efficiency of the proposed scheme.
Covariance between predation risk and nutritional preferences confounds interpretations of giving-up density experiments

Giving-up density (GUD) experiments have been a foundational method to evaluate perceived predation risk, but rely on the assumption that food preferences are absolute, so that areas with higher GUDs can be interpreted as having higher risk. However, nutritional preferences are context dependent and can change with risk. We used spiders and grasshoppers to test the hypothesis that covariance in nutritional preferences and risk may confound the interpretation of GUD experiments. We presented grasshoppers with carbohydrate-rich and protein-rich diets, in the presence and absence of spider predators. Predators reduced grasshopper preference for the protein-rich food, but increased their preference for the carbohydrate-rich food. We then measured GUDs with both food types under different levels of risk (spider density, 0-5). As expected, GUDs increased with spider density indicating increasing risk, but only when using protein-rich food. With carbohydrate-rich food, GUD was independent of predation risk. Our results demonstrate that predation risk and nutritional preferences covary and can confound interpretation of GUD experiments.
Response and fragility assessment of bridge columns subjected to barge-bridge collision and scour

Abstract This paper studies barge impact performance of bridge columns. The effect of various design parameters and the free length of pile, which could be either by design or caused by scour, are studied. Additionally, a preliminary analysis is conducted to assess the post-collision safety of bridges to carry traffic loads. In order to aid design and management of bridges with a wide range of design and geometric parameters, metamodels are developed to estimate the force demands and fragility for bridges columns subjected to barge impact. In order to derive these probabilistic models, finite element simulations are performed for 2000 bridges with varying combinations of design characteristics, barge properties, and impact velocities. In each simulation, a non-linear dynamic analysis is performed to evaluate the maximum shear force, moment, shear strain, and curvature in the columns. Following the dynamic analysis, vertical load analysis is conducted to determine the post-collision stability of bridges under vehicular loads. These analyses are repeated for all the bridge samples for various values of free pile lengths (possibly due to pier scour) to understand its effect on the barge impact performance of bridges. The results highlight that depending on the pier properties and impact conditions, the failure may be caused due to shear, flexure, or a combination of both; however, presence of free pile length leads to more flexure dominated failures. Beyond the insights gained from these response analyses, this paper develops parameterized polynomial response surface models, which can be used to predict the shear and flexural response for a wide range of bridge characteristics and collision conditions without the need for any additional finite element simulations. Finite element simulation results are further employed to derive fragility models using logistic regression. These fragilities can be applied to a wide range of bridges and collision conditions to evaluate the probabilities of exceeding the ultimate shear strain and column curvature capacity limits when a bridge pier is subjected to barge impact. The metamodels developed in this study are applied to a case study bridge to show the variation in demands and fragility as the bridge parameters, free pile length (scour depth), and collision conditions are varied.
Risk versus Reward: When Will Travelers Go the Distance?:

Online reviews have a powerful influence on travel purchase decisions and outweigh other considerations, including price. Price and location are primary factors influencing hotel selection. This re...
Use of Statins for Primary Prevention: Selection of Risk Threshold and Implications Across Race and Gender.

Abstract Background The 2016 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines for primary prevention statin therapy are more restrictive than the 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines. There are important differences in how application of the risk thresholds from these guidelines would impact particular segments of the U.S. population. Methods Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-14) were used to determine statin eligibility across age, gender, and racial or ethnic group using criteria from the 2013 ACC/AHA and 2016 USPSTF guidelines. Proportions of the study population eligible for statins under the ACC/AHA 5% and 7.5% risk thresholds were compared with those eligible under the 2016 USPSTF 10% guidelines. Results Of the 5388 study participants, 34% were eligible for statin therapy under the USPSTF guideline compared with 43% under the Class I (7.5%) ACC/AHA treatment threshold and 53% under the Class IIa (5%) ACC/AHA treatment threshold. Moving from the USPSTF 10% threshold to the ACC/AHA 5% threshold increased statin eligibility for males ages 40-59 from 26%-48% (whites), from 19%-43% (Hispanics), and from 33%-74% (blacks). A similar disproportionate but less pronounced effect was seen when different risk thresholds were used for statin eligibility among women ages 40-59 across differing races and ethnicities. Conclusions In this sample of U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database, full implementation of the higher USPSTF statin treatment threshold could lead to less overall statin use and disproportionately lower statin use among non-Hispanic blacks.
Pterygium, Tissue Glue, and the Future of Wound Closure

Pterygium represents fi broelastic degeneration of the conjunctiva with encroachment onto the cornea, causing chronic infl ammation and frequently interfering with vision. It usually occurs nasally but can occur elsewhere. It is more common in hot, dry, windy environments with increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation [1]. Some have speculated damage to limbal epithelial stem cells as an etiology, though this has not been proven. A hereditary component has been considered as an etiology as well [2]. When chronic infl ammation is present, signifi cant corneal astigmatism is induced, or vision is threatened, surgical removal of the pterygium is indicated. More than a hundred techniques have been described over the past several centuries because of concern over recurrence. Cornea specialists favor one of two approaches for surgical removal, simple excision with primary closure aft er controlled application of mitomycin C intraoperatively [3] or excision followed by free conjunctival autograft or amniotic membrane transplantation (with or without mitomycin C application). Th e conjunctival or amniotic membrane graft s are traditionally secured in position with 10-0 monofi lament nylon or 7-0 to 10-0 absorbable VicrylTM suture [3–6]. Suturing adds signifi cantly to operative time and contributes to postoperative infl ammation and discomfort.
Rickettsial Diseases: From Epidemiology to Molecular Biology, The Pathway Toward Disease Control

Rickettsial diseases comprise a heterogeneous group of illnesses that occur throughout the world (Table 1) . They are remarkably underrecognized owing to the absence of clinical distinctiveness and unavailability of effective, specific laboratory diagnostic methods in many geographic areas (1).
Interpersonal criticism and the clergy

Though well-crafted criticism can provide valuable information for the recipient, the abundance of literature finds that criticism is overwhelmingly viewed negatively. The consequences of adverse interpersonal criticism were assessed by a focus group of randomly selected clergy members from a large ministerial alliance. Collectively the focus group revealed that interpersonal criticism can have deleterious vocational, psychological, and health consequence for those in the ministry. Clergy reported that criticism from parishioners, the public, denominational officials, and others adversely affect interpersonal relationships and can lead to stress, burnout, and early departure from the ministry. The participants indicated that current training and resources were inadequate to deal with the issue and further denominational support and seminary education was necessary.
The Legal Regulation of War

This work is a chapter for a forthcoming book on The Essentials of International Criminal Law to be published by Aspen Publishers as part of its Essentials series. This chapter weaves together the history and contemporary doctrines governing the jus ad bellum (addressing the legality of going to war) with the jus in bello (addressing the rules governing the means, methods, and tactics of warfare once a state of war exists). It then focuses on the penal implications of breaches of these two bodies of war SHOULD BE LAW NOT WAR with respect to the evolving definitions of war crimes and the crime of aggression. Additional chapters in the text address the history of ICL, the sources of ICL, the major international crimes and defenses, and ICL reasoning and rhetoric. Publication is expected in October 2008.
Comparison of Outcomes of Transfemoral Versus Transapical Approach for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Post hoc analyses of clinical trials have shown superior outcomes for a transfemoral (TF) compared with a transapical (TA) approach for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). There are few contemporary data on utilization and outcomes of TF versus TA TAVI in real-world patient populations. Using the National Inpatient Sample 2011 to 2014, we identified TF-TAVI and TA-TAVI procedures using ICD-9 procedure codes 35.05 and 35.06, respectively. A propensity-matched cohort of TF and TA TAVI procedures balanced on 23 baseline characteristics was assembled. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), AKI requiring dialysis (AKI-D) and postoperative stroke. A total of 7,973 TAVI procedures representative of 39,745 procedures nationally were included in the study. Of these, 80.2% were performed using a TF approach while 19.8% used a TA approach. Patients in the TF-TAVI group were older (mean age 81.7 vs 80.4 years, p
Ovarian Cancer Cells Commonly Exhibit Defective STING Signaling Which Affects Sensitivity to Viral Oncolysis

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most prevalent cancer in women and the most lethal of the gynecologic malignancies. Treatments have comprised the use of immunotherapeutic agents as well as oncolytic viruses, with varying results for reasons that remain to be clarified. To better understand the mechanisms that may help predict treatment outcome, we have evaluated innate immune signaling in select ovarian cancer cell lines, governed by the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING), which controls self or viral DNA-triggered cytokine production. Our results indicate that STING-dependent signaling is habitually defective in majority of ovarian cancer cells examined, frequently through the suppression of STING and/or the cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) enzyme Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) expression, by epigenetic processes. However, STING-independent, dsRNA-activated innate immune cytokine production, which require RIG-I/MDA5, were largely unaffected. Such defects enabled ovarian cancer cells to avoid DNA damage-mediated cytokine production, which would alert the immunosurveillance system. Loss of STING signaling also rendered ovarian cancer cells highly susceptible to viral oncolytic γ34.5 deleted-HSV1 (Herpes simplex virus) infection in vitro and in vivo. IMPLICATIONS: STING signaling evaluation in tumors may help predict disease outcome and possibly dictate the efficacy of oncoviral and other types of cancer therapies.
Man With Sudden Paralysis: Insidious Spinal Cord Infarction due to a Non-Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abstract Background Acute infarctions of the spinal cord are rare events characterized by sudden paralysis or sensory deficits below the level of injury. Etiologies include spinal cord trauma, vascular injury, arterial dissection, thromboembolic disease, chronic inflammatory conditions, or mass effect on the spinal cord. Case Report A 63-year-old male presented to the emergency department with sudden-onset bilateral leg numbness and weakness. His physical examination was notable for decreased light touch and temperature sensation and bilateral lower-extremity paresis. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of his spine did not show cord injuries. Computed tomography angiography of his chest, abdomen, and pelvis demonstrated a 7.5-cm non-ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) extending into bilateral iliac arteries. The patient was diagnosed with clinical spinal cord infarction secondary to a thromboembolic event from his AAA. A repeat MRI 15 h later showed spinal cord infarction from T8 down to the conus. He received an endovascular aortic repair and was ultimately discharged to rehabilitation with slightly improved lower-extremity strength. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Atraumatic cord syndrome is exceedingly rare and is associated with dissection or complication of aortic aneurysm repair. There are very few reported cases of thrombotic events leading to ischemic cord syndrome. When presented with a patient with symptoms consistent with cord syndrome in the absence of trauma or mass effect on the spinal cord, providers should work up for vascular etiology.
Tissue versus mechanical aortic valve replacement in younger patients: A multicenter analysis.

Abstract Objective The goal of this study was to examine the long-term survival of patients between the ages of 50 and 65 years who underwent tissue versus mechanical aortic valve replacement (AVR) in a multicenter cohort. Methods A multicenter, retrospective analysis of all AVR patients (n = 9388) from 1991 to 2015 among 7 medical centers reporting to a prospectively maintained clinical registry was conducted. Inclusion criteria were: patients aged 50 to 65 years who underwent isolated AVR. Baseline comorbidities were balanced using inverse probability weighting for a study cohort of 1449 AVRs: 840 tissue and 609 mechanical. The primary end point of the analysis was all-cause mortality. Secondary end points included in-hospital morbidity, 30-day mortality, length of stay, and risk of reoperation. Results During the study period, there was a significant shift from mechanical to tissue valves (P Conclusions Among patients 50 to 65 years old who underwent AVR, there was no difference in adjusted long-term survival according to prosthesis type, but tissue valves were associated with a higher risk of reoperation.
Technical note: Frenkel, Halsey and Hill analysis of water on clay minerals: toward closure between cloud condensation nuclei activity and water adsorption

Abstract. Insoluble atmospheric aerosol, such as mineral dust, has been identified as an important contributor to the cloud droplet number concentration and indirect climate effect. However, empirically derived Frenkel–Halsey–Hill (FHH) water adsorption parameters remain the largest source of uncertainty in assessing the effect of insoluble aerosol on climate using the FHH activation theory (FHH-AT). Furthermore, previously reported FHH water adsorption parameters for illite and montmorillonite determined from water adsorption measurements below 100 % RH do not satisfactorily agree with values determined from FHH-AT analysis of experimental cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) measurements under supersaturated conditions. The work reported here uses previously reported experimental water adsorption measurements for illite and montmorillonite clays (Hatch et al., 2012, 2014) to show that improved analysis methods that account for the surface microstructure are necessary to obtain better agreement of FHH parameters between water adsorption and experimental CCN-derived FHH parameters.
Persons post-stroke restore step length symmetry by walking asymmetrically

ABSTRACT Background Restoration of step length symmetry is a common rehabilitation goal after stroke. Persons post-stroke often retain the capacity to walk with symmetric step lengths (“symmetric steps”); however, the resulting walking pattern remains effortful. Two key questions with direct implications for rehabilitation have emerged: 1) how do persons post-stroke generate symmetric steps, and 2) why do symmetric steps remain so effortful? Objective To understand how persons post-stroke generate symmetric steps and how the resulting gait pattern relates to the metabolic cost of transport. Methods Ten persons post-stroke walked on an instrumented treadmill under two conditions: preferred walking and symmetric stepping (using visual feedback). We recorded kinematic, kinetic, and metabolic data during both conditions. Results Persons post-stroke restored step length symmetry using energetically expensive, asymmetric patterns. Impaired paretic propulsion and abnormal vertical movement of the center of mass were evident during both preferred walking and symmetric stepping. These deficits contributed to diminished positive work performed by the paretic limb on the center of mass in both conditions. Decreased positive paretic work correlated with increased metabolic cost of transport, decreased self-selected walking speed, and increased asymmetry in limb kinematics. Conclusions It is important to consider the mechanics used to restore symmetric steps when designing interventions to improve walking after stroke. Facilitating symmetric steps via increased paretic propulsion or enabling paretic limb advancement without excessive vertical movement may enable persons post-stroke to walk with a less effortful, more symmetric gait pattern.
Early Uncomplicated Appendicitis—Who Can We Treat Nonoperatively?:

This study evaluated nonoperative treatment for mild appendicitis and reviewed selection criteria to be used in introducing this option into clinical practice. A retrospective review of 73 consecutive cases of appendicitis treated by a single surgeon from 2011 to 2013 was completed. Patients who were diagnosed with mild appendicitis meeting the criteria of an APPENDICITIS scoring algorithm proposed in this manuscript were considered for nonoperative management. An additional 17 patients with mild appendicitis were offered and successfully treated nonoperatively between 2014 and 2016 and reviewed. Of these original 73 patients, 37 had moderate to severe appendicitis and directly underwent appendectomy. The remaining patients were diagnosed with mild appendicitis and considered eligible for nonoperative management. Of these, 14 patients were offered nonoperative therapy. Thirteen responded successfully; one patient responded partially, but later opted for surgery. In 2014, this scoring system and preliminary results were shared with the other surgeons in our department. Nonoperative management was then selectively adopted by a few of the surgeons from 2014 to 2016 with another 17 patients (APPENDICITIS score of 0 or 1) being offered and successfully managed nonoperatively. Patients with mild or early appendicitis can be successfully managed nonoperatively. A proposed APPENDICITIS scoring system may provide a helpful mnemonic for successfully selecting patients for this option.
Production of thermostable endo-1,5-α-l-arabinanase in Pichia pastoris for enzymatically releasing functional oligosaccharides from sugar beet pulp

Sugar beet pulp is an agricultural processing residue that is a rich source of the cell wall polysaccharide arabinan. Functional oligosaccharides, specifically feruloylated arabino-oligosaccharides (FAOs), can be isolated from sugar beet pulp through selective action by endo-arabinanase (glycoside hydrolase family 43). This study aimed to develop yeast (Pichia pastoris) as an efficient, eukaryotic platform to produce a thermophilic endo-1,5-α-L-arabinanase (TS-ABN) for extracting FAOs from sugar beet pulp. Recombinant TS-ABN was secreted into yeast culture medium at a yield of ~ 80 mg/L, and the protein exhibited specific enzyme activity, pH and temperature optimum, and thermostability comparable to those of the native enzyme. Treatment of sugar beet pulp with Pichia-secreted TS-ABN released FAOs recovered by hydrophobic chromatography at 1.52% (w/w). The isolated FAOs averaged seven arabinose residues per ferulic acid, and treatment of T84 human colon epithelial cells significantly increased expression of two key tight junction-related proteins-zonula occludens-1 and occludin-in a dose-dependent manner. This research establishes a biochemical platform for utilizing sugar beet pulp to produce value-added bioproducts with potential nutraceutical applications.
Pathophysiology and Management of Acquired von Willebrand Syndrome

Acquired von Willebrand disease (AVWD) is a defect of coagulation occurring secondary to other pathologies, leading to abnormal von Willebrand factor (VWF) function. Multiple pathophysiological mechanisms are implicated, and broadly, these are categorized into immune (e.g., antibody-related clearance) and nonimmune causes (e.g., shear-related loss of high molecular weight multimers in complex cardiac anatomy or in patients on circulatory support devices). High index of suspicion is required for correct diagnosis. Evaluation consists of VWF activity and antigen levels, as well as multimer testing. Therapy should be geared toward correcting the underlying issue, as once the offending mechanism is removed, VWF levels go back to normal. VWF replacement and adjunctive therapies can be utilized to control bleeding in the interim.
The Views of GTAs Impacted by Cross-Tiered Professional Development: Messages Intended and Received

A growing number of university STEM departments are incorporating active learning practices in their courses in response to evidence of the general effectiveness of such practices. Professional development for instructors new to active learning practices is increasingly important as efforts extend to reach past early adopters to engage a wider range of faculty. In some cases, the professional development is cross-tiered and involves stakeholders, people who have a direct interest in the course, at multiple positions of power in a department including faculty and graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). In these cases, it is often assumed that graduate students interpret the messages and buy-in to the training in the same way as faculty; however, there has been little research validating this process. We worked with a cohort of mathematics GTAs and their supervising faculty member during a year-long program aimed at increasing the use of active learning in the undergraduate introductory calculus sequence; here, we focus on a calculus I instructor and the five GTAs working with her. We used a worksheet (based on the Real Time Instructor Observation Tool), classroom observations, and interviews to analyze the messages that were intended and received by the GTAs, faculty member, and professional development team. Although our data shows a misalignment of expectations between the professional development team and the supervising faculty member, the GTAs did not perceive a large discrepancy between them. Rather, the GTAs interpreted the messages of both parties to be in the middle of what each intended. The GTAs bought in to the messages they perceived although they believed in and engaged in a larger amount of instructor-centered practice (Explaining) than the professional development team was expecting. Implications for this work include the need for strategies to make cross-tiered professional development more aligned and effective.
Standard procedures in nonoperating room anesthesia.

Purpose of review This article provides an overview of standard procedures currently performed in nonoperating room anesthesia (NORA) and highlights anesthetic implications. Recent findings Novel noninvasive interventional procedures remain on the rise, accelerating demand for anesthesia support outside the conventional operating room. The field of interventional oncology has introduced a variety of effective minimally invasive therapies making interventional radiology gain a major role in the management of cancer. Technical innovation brings newer ablative and embolotherapy techniques into practice. Flexible bronchoscopy has replaced rigid bronchoscopy for many diagnostic and therapeutic indications. Endobronchial ultrasonography now allows sampling of mediastinal, paratracheal, or subcarinal lymph nodes rendering more invasive procedures such as mediastinoscopy unnecessary. Similarly, endoscopic ultrasonosgraphy currently plays a central position in the management of gastrointestinal disease. Sophisticated catheter techniques for ablating cardiac arrhythmias have become state of the art; Watchman procedure gaining position in the prevention of stroke resulting from atrial fibrillation. Summary NORA is a rapidly evolving field in anesthesia. Employing new technology to treat a wide variety of diseases brings new challenges to the anesthesiologist. Better understanding of emerging interventional techniques is key to safe practice and allows the anesthesia expert to be at the forefront of this swiftly expanding multidisciplinary arena.
Chronic ethanol exposure differentially alters neuronal function in the medial prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus.

Alterations in the function of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus have been implicated in underlying the relapse to alcohol seeking behaviors in humans and animal models of moderate to severe alcohol use disorders (AUD). Here we used chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure (CIE), 21d protracted abstinence following CIE (21d AB), and re-exposure to one vapor session during protracted abstinence (re-exposure) to evaluate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on basal synaptic function, neuronal excitability and expression of key synaptic proteins that play a role in neuronal excitability in the medial PFC (mPFC) and dentate gyrus (DG). CIE consistently enhanced excitability of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the mPFC and granule cell neurons in the DG. In the DG, this effect persisted during 21d AB. Re-exposure did not enhance excitability, suggesting resistance to vapor-induced effects. Analysis of action potential kinetics revealed that altered afterhyperpolarization, rise time and decay time constants are associated with the altered excitability during CIE, 21d AB and re-exposure. Molecular adaptations that may underlie increases in neuronal excitability under these different conditions were identified. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction of large-conductance potassium (BK) channel subunit mRNA in PFC and DG tissue homogenates did not show altered expression patterns of BK subunits. Western blotting demonstrates enhanced phosphorylation of Ca2⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and reduced phosphorylation of glutamate receptor GluN2A/2B subunits. These results suggest a novel relationship between activity of CaMKII and GluN receptors in the mPFC and DG, and neuronal excitability in these brain regions in the context of moderate to severe AUD.