cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Morphology of Zalophotrema hepaticum , with a Review of the Trematode Family Fasciolidae

A description of Zalophotrema hepaticum is presented. Study of this species and review of the literature show that the genera assigned to the two families, Fasciolopsidae and Campulidae, may be included in a single family. Furthermore, since Fasciola is the nomenclatorial type of the family to which it belongs, the rules of nomenclature do not permit the substitution of the name Fasciolopsidae for Fasciolidae. Consequently the family Fasciolidae is restored with three sub-families, Fasciolinae, Fasciolopsinae, and Campulinae. A new genus, Synthesium, is erected to contain Distomum tursionis Marchi.
Distinct Signaling Pathways in TRAIL- versus Tumor Necrosis Factor-Induced Apoptosis‡

Trimeric tumor necrosis factor (TNF) binding leads to recruitment of TRADD to TNFR1. In current models, TRADD recruits RIP, TRAF2, and FADD to activate NF-B, Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and apoptosis. Using stable short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) knockdown (KD) cells targeting these adaptors, TNF death-inducing signaling complex immunoprecipitation demonstrates competitive binding of TRADD and RIP to TNFR1, whereas TRAF2 recruitment requires TRADD. Analysis of KD cells indicates that FADD is necessary for Fas-L- or TRAIL- but not TNF-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, TRADD is dispensable, while RIP is required for TNF-induced apoptosis in human tumor cells. TRADD is required for c-Jun phosphorylation upon TNF exposure. RIP KD abrogates formation of complex II following TNF exposure, whereas TRADD KD allows efficient RIP-caspase 8 association. Treatment with TRAIL also induces formation of a complex II containing FADD, RIP, IKK, and caspase 8 and 10, leading to activation of caspase 8. Our data suggest that TNF triggers apoptosis in a manner distinct from that of Fas-L or TRAIL.
Astrocyte glutamine synthetase: Importance in hyperammonemic syndromes and potential target for therapy

Many theories have been advanced to explain the encephalopathy associated with chronic liver disease and with the less common acute form. A major factor contributing to hepatic encephalopathy is hyperammonemia resulting from portacaval shunting and/or liver damage. However, an increasing number of causes of hyperammonemic encephalopathy have been discovered that present with the same clinical and laboratory features found in acute liver failure, but without liver failure. Here, we critically review the physiology, pathology, and biochemistry of ammonia (i.e., NH3 plus NH4+) and show how these elements interact to constitute a syndrome that clinicians refer to as hyperammonemic encephalopathy (i.e., acute liver failure, fulminant hepatic failure, chronic liver disease). Included will be a brief history of the status of ammonia and the centrality of the astrocyte in brain nitrogen metabolism. Ammonia is normally detoxified in the liver and extrahepatic tissues by conversion to urea and glutamine, respectively. In the brain, glutamine synthesis is largely confined to astrocytes, and it is generally accepted that in hyperammonemia excess glutamine compromises astrocyte morphology and function. Mechanisms postulated to account for this toxicity will be examined with emphasis on the osmotic effects of excess glutamine (the osmotic gliopathy theory). Because hyperammonemia causes osmotic stress and encephalopathy in patients with normal or abnormal liver function alike, the term “hyperammonemic encephalopathy” can be broadly applied to encephalopathy resulting from liver disease and from various other diseases that produce hyperammonemia. Finally, the possibility that a brain glutamine synthetase inhibitor may be of therapeutic benefit, especially in the acute form of liver disease, is discussed.
Bilevel Integrated System Synthesis for Concurrent and Distributed Processing

The paper introduces a new version of the Bi-Level Integrated System Synthesis (BLISS) methods intended for optimization of engineering systems conducted by distributed specialty groups working concurrently and using a multiprocessor computing environment. The method decomposes the overall optimization task into subtasks associated with disciplines or subsystems where the local design variables are numerous and a single, system-level optimization whose design variables are relatively few. The subtasks are fully autonomous as to their inner operations and decision making. Their purpose is to eliminate the local design variables and generate a wide spectrum of feasible designs whose behavior is represented by Response Surfaces to be accessed by a system-level optimization. It is shown that, if the problem is convex, the solution of the decomposed problem is the same as that obtained without decomposition. A simplified example of an aircraft design shows the method working as intended. The paper includes a discussion of the method merits and demerits and recommendations for further research.
The Changing Biologic Nature of Acute Dental Infection

Although the replacement of streptococci by staphylococci as the prime pathogens in many types of infection has been a well-established fact for almost 15 years, a new phenomenon has been observed recently. Gram-negative infections, definitely related to the use of antibiotics, have increased—in the mouth, as well as elsewhere—at such a rate that they are displacing the staphylococcus in some populations.
Age-Related Differences in Cardiovascular Reactivity During Acute Psychological Stress in Men and Women

We examined potential age and gender differences in cardiovascular reactivity during acute psychosocial stress in 133 normotensive participants using a cross-sectional design. Results revealed that age predicted increased systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity during stress (p < .001). The greater SBP reactivity found in older individuals appeared due to an age-associated increase in both cardiac output and total peripheral resistance during stress as statistically controlling for these changes rendered the age and SBP reactivity effect nonsignificant. Similar analyses revealed that the age-related increase in cardiac output reactivity appeared to be driven by increased cardiac sympathetic control of myocardial contractility as measured by pre-ejection period. Older individuals also had greater vagal withdrawal during stress compared to younger individuals as indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (p < .01). These results were comparable for men and women, and could not be explained by task-specific affective responses, task performance, or demographic factors. Implications for the study of age, cardiovascular reactivity, and health are discussed.
Intrarectal transmission, systemic infection, and CD4+ T cell depletion in humanized mice infected with HIV-1

Intrarectal infection between men who have sex with men represents a predominant form of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in developed countries. Currently there are no adequate small animal models that recapitulate intrarectal HIV transmission. Here we demonstrate that human lymphocytes generated in situ from hematopoietic stem cells reconstitute the gastrointestinal tract of humanized mice with human CD4+ T cells rendering them susceptible to intrarectal HIV transmission. HIV infection after a single intrarectal inoculation results in systemic infection with depletion of CD4+ T cells in gut-associated lymphoid tissue and other pathologic sequela that closely mimics those observed in HIV infected humans. This novel model provides the basis for the development and evaluation of novel approaches aimed at immune reconstitution of human gut-associated lymphoid tissue and for the development, testing, and implementation of microbicides to prevent intrarectal HIV-1 transmission.
Genetic Differentiation among Wild Populations of Tribolium castaneum Estimated Using Microsatellite Markers

We report our characterization of the genetic variation within and differentiation among wild-collected populations of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, using microsatellite loci identified from its genome sequence. We find that global differentiation, estimated as the average FST across all loci and between all population pairs, is 0.180 (95% confidence intervals of 0.142 and 0.218). A majority of our pairwise population comparisons (.70%) were significant even though this species is considered an excellent colonizer by virtue of its pest status. Regional genetic variation between Tribolium populations is 2‐3 times that observed in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. There was a weak positive correlation between genetic distance [FST/(1 � FST)] and geographic distance [ln(km)]; pairs of populations with the highest degree of genetic differentiation (FST . 0.29) have been shown to exhibit significant postzygotic reproductive isolation when crossed in previous studies. We discuss the possibility that local extinction and kin-structured colonization have increased the level of genetic differentiation between Tribolium populations.
Fish in the matrix: motor learning in a virtual world.

One of the large remaining challenges in the field of zebrafish neuroscience is the establishment of techniques and preparations that permit the recording and perturbation of neural activity in animals that can interact meaningfully with the environment. Since it is very difficult to do this in freely behaving zebrafish, I describe here two alternative approaches that meet this goal via tethered preparations. The first uses head-fixation in agarose in combination with online imaging and analysis of tail motion. In the second method, paralyzed fish are suspended with suction pipettes in mid-water and nerve root recordings serve as indicators for intended locomotion. In both cases, fish can be immersed into a virtual environment and allowed to interact with this virtual world via real or fictive tail motions. The specific examples given in this review focus primarily on the role of visual feedback~– but the general principles certainly extend to other modalities, including proprioception, hearing, balance, and somatosensation.
A nonlinear optimization technique for ground-based atmospheric emission tomography

Solar-terrestrial interactions produce a rich variety of optical emissions in the Earth's upper atmosphere (100-1000 km). While ground based brightness measurements (i.e., column integrated photon density) provide an important diagnostic of these processes, the more interesting physics is in the associated volume emission rate distribution (i.e., photon production/cm/sup 3/ s versus altitude). This work examines a new technique for remote sensing of the Earths' radiative environment. Brightness measurements from a network of ground-based imaging systems are used to define a limited angle emission tomography problem, from which two-dimensional (2D) (latitude versus altitude) volume emission rate profiles are reconstructed. The incomplete angular coverage imposed by this viewing geometry leads to an ill-posed and ill-conditioned inverse problem. The problem is regularized by initially constraining the vertical profiles to be Chapman functions. Such a parameterization captures the mean features of a large class of emission structures. A weighted Euclidean distance between the measured and estimated data is then minimized, subject to side constraints that define the feasibility region for the Chapman parameters. The side constraints are implemented as barrier functions, resulting in an unconstrained nonlinear optimization problem. Minimization is performed using the Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno variant of the Davidon-Fletcher-Powell (DFP) method. The resulting volume emission rate elements are then used as an initial guess to a multiplicative algebraic reconstruction (MART) algorithm. In addition to regularizing the problem, this technique exposes important geometrical limitations to this class of inverse problem.
Stock Prices & Earnings: A History of Research

Accounting earnings summarize periodic corporate financial performance and are key determinants of stock prices. We review research on the usefulness of accounting earnings, including research on the link between accounting earnings and firm value and research on the usefulness of accounting earnings relative to other accounting and nonaccounting information. We also review research on the features of accounting earnings that make them useful to investors, including the accrual accounting process, fair value accounting, and the conservatism convention. We finish by summarizing research that identifies situations in which investors appear to misinterpret earnings and other accounting information, leading to security mispricing.
A two level approach for scene recognition

Classifying pictures into one of several semantic categories is a classical image understanding problem. In this paper, we present a stratified approach to both binary (outdoor-indoor) and multiple category of scene classification. We first learn mixture models for 20 basic classes of local image content based on color and texture information. Once trained, these models are applied to a test image, and produce 20 probability density response maps (PDRM) indicating the likelihood that each image region was produced by each class. We then extract some very simple features from those PDRMs, and use them to train a bagged LDA classifier for 10 scene categories. For this process, no explicit region segmentation or spatial context model are computed. To test this classification system, we created a labeled database of 1500 photos taken under very different environment and lighting conditions, using different cameras, and from 43 persons over 5 years. The classification rate of outdoor-indoor classification is 93.8%, and the classification rate for 10 scene categories is 90.1%. As a byproduct, local image patches can be contextually labeled into the 20 basic material classes by using loopy belief propagation (Yedidia et al., 2001) as an anisotropic filter on PDRMs, producing an image-level segmentation if desired.
Regulation of ENaC-Mediated Sodium Reabsorption by Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of a steroid hormone receptor superfamily that responds to changes in lipid and glucose homeostasis. Peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor subtype γ (PPARγ) has received much attention as the target for antidiabetic drugs, as well as its role in responding to endogenous compounds such as prostaglandin J2. However, thiazolidinediones (TZDs), the synthetic agonists of the PPARγ are tightly associated with fluid retention and edema, as potentially serious side effects. The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) represents the rate limiting step for sodium absorption in the renal collecting duct. Consequently, ENaC is a central effector impacting systemic blood volume and pressure. The role of PPARγ agonists on ENaC activity remains controversial. While PPARγ agonists were shown to stimulate ENaC-mediated renal salt absorption, probably via Serum- and Glucocorticoid-Regulated Kinase 1 (SGK1), other studies reported that PPARγ agonist-induced fluid retention is independent of ENaC activity. The current paper provides new insights into the control and function of ENaC and ENaC-mediated sodium transport as well as several other epithelial channels/transporters by PPARs and particularly PPARγ. The potential contribution of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites in PPAR-dependent mechanisms is also discussed.
From Common Law to Civil Law, the United Kingdom's Change in Privacy Rights:Comparing Workplace Privacy Rights in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom

Recently the United Kingdom, the font of the United State's common law privacy rights, conceded to a civil law international constitution. This paper examines how the United Kingdom is implementing the civil law concept of individual privacy as a fundamental right by exploring new practices and policies and comparing them the United States and Germany. Recently, California has begun taking corporations to task for unilaterally violating state assured privacy rights. Other states are following suit. Understanding the difference between privacy as an inalienable fundamental right belonging to the individual and a mere residual effect of a prohibition on government action will be an important part of tomorrow's fight for personal freedom.
High-pressure crystal structure of kosmochlor, NaCrSi2O6, and systematics of anisotropic compression in pyroxenes

The crystal structure of synthetic kosmochlor, NaCrSi 2 O 6 , was studied using single crystal X-ray diffraction at high pressure. A four-pin diamond anvil cell, with 4:1 methanol:ethanol pressure medium, was used to achieve pressures to 9.28 GPa. Unit-cell data were collected at 20 pressures, and intensity data were collected at 13 of these pressures. Fitting the P - V data to a third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation yields V 0 = 418.84(3) A 3 , K 0 = 134(1) GPa −1 , and K 0 ′ = 2.0(3). Anisotropic compression was observed with unit strain axial ratios of 1:1.82:2.08. The CrO 6 octahedron has a bulk modulus K 0 = 90(16) GPa −1 , while the SiO 4 tetrahedron has K 0 = 313(55) GPa −1 , both with K 0 ′ ≡4. An o-type rotation of the O3-O3-O3 linkage was observed with pressure, with ∠O3-O3-O3 decreasing from 172.8(2)° to 166.1(7) °. Compression in kosmochlor is related to the stacking directions of distorted cubic closest packed O atom monolayers. Unit strain ellipsoids for diopside, hedenbergite, spodumene ( C 2 /c and P 2 1 /c ), LiScSi 2 O 6 ( C 2 /c and P 2 1 /c ), clinoenstatite, orthoenstatite, and Mg 1.54 Li .23 Sc .23 Si 2 O 6 ( Pbcn and P 2 1 cn ) were generated and discussed in terms of closest packing systematics. A relationship between the anisotropy of compression of olivines and pyroxenes is established. A strategy to determine not only the direction of a stress field in deformed rocks, but also an estimate of the magnitude of stress is discussed in terms of comparing the anisotropy of olivine and pyroxene.
Semantic hooks using a mini-language for a compiler project

In presenting semantic specifications to a parser generator, numerous connections and "hooks" must be presented, relating parsing and semantic code. This paper describes, in the context of a particular toolset developed by the author, a mini-language that can be used to specify these "hooks" in a way that allows the user to concentrate on each aspect of compiler generation separately.
The Monomeric Receptor Binding Domain of Tetrameric α2-Macroglobulin Binds to Cell Surface GRP78 Triggering Equivalent Activation of Signaling Cascades

α2-Macroglobulin (α2M) is a broad spectrum proteinase inhibitor that when activated by proteinases (α2M*) undergoes a major conformational change exposing receptor recognition sites in each of its four subunits. These complexes bind to two distinct receptors, namely, the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) and cell surface glucose-regulated protein [Mr ∼ 78000 (GRP78)]. The latter is a very high affinity receptor (Kd = 50-100 pM) whose ligation triggers pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic signaling cascades. Despite its four binding sites, Scatchard analysis of binding of α2M* to cells does not yield a cooperative plot. We, therefore, hypothesize that a monomeric cloned and expressed α2M receptor binding domain (RBD) should trigger comparable signaling events. Indeed, RBD or its K1370A mutant that binds to GRP78 but cannot bind to LRP regulates DNA and protein synthesis by human prostate cancer cells in a manner comparable to that of α2M*. Akt and mTORC1 activation and signaling are also comparably upregulated by α2M*, RBD, or mutant K1370A. Antibodies directed against the carboxyl-terminal domain of GRP78 are antagonists that block α2M*-mediated effects on pro-proliferative and anti-apoptotic signaling cascades and protein and DNA synthesis. The effects of RBD and its mutant were similarly blocked by these antibodies. Finally, proteolysis of α2M at pH values from 5.7 to 7.0 causes production of free RBD and RBD-containing fragments. Thus, while α2M* ligates only one GRP78 receptor molecule per α2M*, it may potentially serve as a reservoir for release of up to four binding fragments per molecule.
Impact of fungal species cultured on outcome in horses with fungal keratitis.

To determine the significance of Aspergillus and Fusarium spp., as identified by culture, on clinical outcome in equine keratomycosis.Retrospective analysis of 66 horses (66 eyes) evaluated at the NCSU-VH diagnosed with keratomycosis from which Aspergillus or Fusarium spp. were cultured. Horses were classified into those who improved with medical management alone or those who required surgical intervention to improve. Horses who underwent surgery were divided into globe-sparing procedures or enucleation. Effects of bacterial co-infection, previous topical steroid or antifungal use, and time of year on fungal genus and outcome were evaluated.Aspergillus spp. was cultured from 41 eyes (63%), while 24 eyes (37%) cultured Fusarium spp. One horse cultured both species and was not included in further evaluation. From the horses that cultured Aspergillus spp., 28 eyes (68%) required surgical intervention to control the infection: 21 (75%) of these eyes maintained globe integrity, while 7 eyes (25%) were enucleated. Of those horses with Fusarium spp., 14 eyes (58%) required surgical intervention: 11 (79%) of these eyes maintained globe integrity, while 3 eyes (21%) were enucleated. Genus of fungus cultured was not significantly associated with the need for surgical intervention nor was it significantly associated with the necessity of globe-sparing surgery versus enucleation. Additionally, bacterial co-infection, previous steroidal or antifungal use, and time of year did not affect outcome or type of fungal species cultured.Equine keratomycosis from Fusarium spp. compared to keratomycosis from Aspergillus spp. is not associated with a different clinical outcome.
Chromosomes and spray adhesivess.

Abstract Fourteen subjects with occupational exposure to several brands of spray adhesives were examined for chromosomal breaks and abnormal rearrangements. Among 3421 cells in mitosis, 55 breaks and rearrangements were observed, constituting 1.6 per cent aberrant mitoses. Among 1594 mitoses in 10 healthy controls, 22 (1.38 per cent) aberrations were noted. Comparing the data on the occupationally exposed and the control group revealed no statistically significant difference. Furthermore, the types of chromosomal aberrations that occurred suggested that the spray adhesives used by our subjects did not cause detectable chromosomal damage. (N Engl J Med 290:543–545, 1974)
58 DYNAMIC PITUITARY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING HAS HIGH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PREDICATIVE VALUE FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF MILD CUSHING'S SYNDROME AND SHOULD BE PART OF THE INITIAL WORKUP.

Objective The diagnosis of mild or episodic Cushing9s syndrome is difficult. The standard tests include 24-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC), nighttime blood or salivary cortisol measurements, and dexamethasone suppression tests. Imaging studies of the pituitary have not been recommended as part of the initial workup (only to help distinguish pituitary Cushing9s disease from the ectopic ACTH syndrome) because of poor sensitivity and specificity. With the development of dynamic pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which uses multiple coronal dynamic sequences following gadolinium intravenous contrast, we hypothesized that the sensitivity and specificity would be increased and MRI would provide useful information for the initial diagnosis of Cushing9s syndrome. Methods Twenty-four-hour UFC and urinary 17OHS, 11 pm salivary cortisol measurements, evening plasma cortisol, and dynamic pituitary MRI were performed on 87 consecutive patients with signs and symptoms of hypercortisolism. Most patients had mild and/or episodic hypercortisolism. Of these patients, 24 eventually were diagnosed with pituitary Cushing9s syndrome by biochemical testing and 22 had the diagnosis of Cushing9s syndrome excluded. The reader of the MRI (1.5 Tesla) was blind to the diagnosis. Results Twenty-three of 24 patients had had an MRI consistent with a pituitary lesion (21 with a microadenoma, 2 with pituitary asymmetry). In contrast, only 3 of 19 patients (3 patient did not have MRIs) in the Cushing9s excluded group had a pituitary lesion on dynamic MRI. The positive predictive value for the diagnosis of Cushing9s syndrome was 0.88, 0.82. 0.83, 0.68, 0.75, and 0.89 for 2300 h salivary cortisol, UFC, 17OHS, 17OHS/Cr, nighttime plasma cortisol, and MRI. The negative predictive value was 0.70. 0.64, 0.78, 0.74, 0.56, and 0.94. Conclusion We conclude that almost all patients in this series with Cushing9s syndrome have a lesion on dynamic pituitary MRI, a rate much higher than the 50 to 60% rate reported for nondynamic MRIs. The false-positive rate of 16% in our group of pseudo-Cushing9s patients is similar to the literature value of 10% seen in normal volunteers and is acceptable since MRI is not used solely as a determinant for the diagnosis. Although a negative MRI will miss those patients with adrenal or ectopic Cushing9s syndrome, those patients can usually be diagnosed by other testing. Thus, dynamic pituitary MRI adds valuable information to assist in the diagnosis of Cushing9s syndrome and should be ordered as part of the initial workup.
491 EVALUATION OF AIRWAY EDEMA FROM SMOKE INHALATION USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY.

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive, high-resolution imaging technology that is capable of delivering real-time, near histologic level images of tissues. Acute smoke inhalation causes airway edema, which leads to major morbidity and mortality, but the ability to assess airway injury in a clinical setting is limited. The purpose of this study is to assess the ability of OCT to detect and monitor progression of inhalation airway injury with minimally invasive techniques. Methods A ventilated New Zealand White rabbit smoke inhalation injury model using fumes from burnt unbleached cotton was employed to simulate acute smoke inhalation injury. A 1 mm diameter flexible fiberoptic OCT probe was introduced into the distal trachea to image airway mucosa and submucosa. Progression of injury edema was measured over 6 hours with OCT imaging using a prototype superluminescent diode OCT system we constructed in our laboratory. OCT tracheal images from the smoke inhalation injury animals were compared to control rabbit tracheas for quantitative tracheal mucosal thicknesses measurements. Results Results revealed significant airway mucosal thickening in the experimental group consistent with tracheal edema, which occurs as early as 30 minutes after smoke inhalation. Conclusion OCT is a valuable imaging modality capable of evaluating superficial airway pathology with high resolution in vivo after acute inhalation injury.
Two New Species of Pulvillophylus from Western Australia (Insecta: Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Cremnorrhinini)

ABSTRACT Two new species of phyline Miridae were collected from unique localities in Kadji Kadji and Lochada Reserves of Western Australia during the Avon Wheatbelt Bush Blitz survey of September 2009. Based on head shape and male genitalic structure, P. cuneomaculatus, n. sp., and P. ecdeiocoleae, n. sp., are members of Pulvillophylus Schuh and Schwartz, 2016. The latter species was taken on the flower spikes of Ecdeiocolea monostachya F. Muell. (Ecdeiocoleaceae) and provides the first confirmed host-plant record for the genus Pulvillophylus. Documentation for both species is provided by diagnoses, descriptions, color habitus images of males, a distributional map, illustrations of male genitalic structures, and images of the endosoma. Digital images of the dorsal habitus and female genitalic structures of P. ecdeiocoleae are provided as well as digital images and a distribution map for the plant host.
Mesangial cells express PDGF mRNAs and proliferate in response to PDGF

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent mitogen for cells of mesenchymal origin and is released and/or synthesized by platelets, macrophages, endothelial cells, and rat mesangial cells. In the present investigation, we found that human glomerular mesangial cells in culture release a PDGF-like protein which competes for 125I-PDGF binding to human foreskin fibroblasts and is mitogenic for these fibroblasts. The competing and to a lesser extent the mitogenic activities present in the conditioned medium are partially recognized by an anti-PDGF antibody. Northern blot analysis of poly(A)+ RNA from human mesangial cells demonstrates the expression of both PDGF A- and B-chain mRNAs. PDGF also binds to mesangial cells in a specific manner and stimulates DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. These data suggest that a PDGF-like protein secreted by mesangial cells or released from platelets, monocytes, or endothelial cells during glomerular inflammation may function as an autocrine or a paracrine growth factor for these cells. The biological role of PDGF in mediating proliferative and other inflammatory events in the glomerulus remains to be identified.
Small GTPases Act as Cellular Switches in the Context of Cilia

The primary cilium is a hair-like microtubule-based organelle, which serves as the cellular antenna for sensing various environmental stimuli. Consistent with the fact that cilia exist on most vertebrate cell surfaces, defects in cilia formation or function can cause a series of inheritable diseases, termed ciliopathies, which affect various vital organs in the human body. Recently, many small GTPases have been found to play important roles in either cilia biogenesis and/or cilia signaling. Additionally, many small GTPases have also been found to be causal loci for human ciliopathies. Small GTPases and many of their regulators/effectors are excellent drug targets. Understanding how small GTPases act as cellular switches in the context of cilia is of fundamental importance both from a basic scientific perspective, with the goal of elucidating how cilia form and function, as well as from a clinical perspective, with the goals of unveiling the etiologies of ciliopathies and discovering potential targets for disease diagnosis and treatment. In this chapter, we briefly review and discuss the up-to-date knowledge about the functional role of several groups of small GTPases, including Arf/Arl, Rab, and Ran in the context of cilia.
Top-down consumptive and trait-mediated control do affect soil food webs: It’s time for a new model

Abstract Soil food webs are complex and exhibit many of the features that are indicative of bottom-up or resource control. The perceived dominance of bottom-up control has resulted in food web models that have underexplored mechanisms of top-down or predator control. Developing soil food web models that include more mechanisms of top-down control may improve our ability to predict changes in food web configurations and ecosystem processes. Specifically, models could be improved by considering more detailed density-mediated and trait-mediated top-down effects via the inclusion of non-linear feeding relationships and context-specific variation in physiology, morphology, and behavior.
Adaptive, Automatic Stream Mining

Sensor devices and embedded processors are becoming widespread, especially in measurement/monitoring applications. Their limited resources (CPU, memory and/or communication bandwidth and power) pose some interesting challenges. We need concise, expressive models to represent the important features of the data, and lend themselves to efficient estimation. In particular, under these severe constraints, we want models and estimation methods which (a) require little memory and a single pass over the data, (b) can adapt and handle arbitrary periodic components, and (c) can deal with various types of noise. We propose AWSOM (Arbitrary Window Stream mOdeling Method), which allows sensors in remote or hostile environments to efficiently and effectively discover interesting patterns and trends. This can be done automatically, i.e., with no prior inspection of the data or any user intervention and expert tuning before or during data gathering. Our algorithms require limited resources and can thus be incorporated in sensors—possibly alongside a distributed query processing engine. Updates are performed in constant time with respect to stream size, using logarithmic space. Existing forecasting methods (SARIMA, GARCH, etc.) or “traditional” Fourier and wavelet analysis fall short on one or more of these requirements. To the best of our knowledge, AWSOM is the first framework that combines all of the above characteristics.
The Poetics of Prose Poetry in Elizabeth Smart’s By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept

In her insightful introduction to Elizabeth Smart’s By Grand CentralStation I Sat Down and Wept, the late, poetically gifted, BrigidBrophy writes that it is one of the ‘half dozen masterpieces ofpoetic prose in the world’. Clearly, after reading the novella, one understands what Brophy may mean by ‘poetic prose’, but Brophy’s statement also begs numerous questions. For example, whatmakes it poetic prose? What is poetic prose read like? And howdoes it differ from non-poetic prose? And, more important, whatmakes it poetic prose?When negotiating with notions of poetic prose, one usually marks the Symbolist poets as the point of departure, Baudelaireas the poet of departure and, specifically, his text Le Spleen de Parisas the text of departure for it is in Le Spleen de Paris that we clearly seethe origins of poetic prose and how that style becomes the foundationfor the majority of prose poetry that is subsequently written.In his essay ‘Vibratory Organism: crise de prose’, Roger Shattuckproposes that ‘the opening paragraphs from "De la couleur" representBaudelaire’s first poeme en prose After the two initial paragraphsthe rest of the chapter on color breaks down into shortparagraphs mostly of one sentence and of a discursive nature’(Caws and Riffaterre, p. 26). Shattuck then quotes Baudelaire’sdedication of Petits poemes en prose to Arsene Houssaye in whichhe writes, ‘Quel est celui de nous qui n’a pas, dans ses joursd’ambition, reve la miracle d’une prose poetique, musicale sansrythme et sans rime, assez couple et assez heurtee pour s’adapteraux mouvements lyriques de l’ame, aux ondulations de la reverie,aux soubresauts de la conscience?’ Shattuck also suggests that Baudelaire’swriting in the colour poem
Do college faculty embrace Web 2.0 technology

ABSTRACTThe authors sought to determine if Rogers's Innovation Decision Process model could analyze Web 2.0 usage within the collegiate environment. The key independent variables studied in relationship to this model were gender, faculty rank, course content delivery method, and age. Chi-square nonparametric tests on the independent variables across Rogers's typology revealed significant differences at p < .05. The two-way analysis of variance tests between gender across Rogers's typology disclosed main effects and a two-way interaction effect on the derived factor labeled effective delivery, at p < .01. Gender was significant in terms of Web 2.0 usage and adoption.
Risk Magnification Framework for Clouds Computing Architects in Business Intelligence

IT infrastructure and applications in enterprise systems started with traditional client-server architecture and have gone through key paradigm shifts in infrastructure, software, enterprise, and service architectures to current age of cloud computing and internet of everything. Using strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats and analytical hierarchy process of multi-criteria decision making frameworks together, various aspects of cloud computing characteristics related to opportunities, benefits, costs, value and risks can be understood in a more detailed way and can be ranked. This article has combined these two frameworks for the ranking of various business intelligence architects for cloud computing by using 'business automation with sustainable hedging for information risks' framework for cloud computing from conservative perspective where risk relevancy attracts the prime focus. The results have shown that moving operational business intelligence is the best business intelligence architecture for cloud computing as its strengths are more than inherent risks as has become evident by using this approach.
Topics in Neonatal Informatics: Transforming Neonatal Care Through Translational Bioinformatics

The future of neonatal informatics will be driven by the availability of increasingly vast amounts of clinical and genetic data. The field of translational bioinformatics is concerned with linking and learning from these data and applying new findings to clinical care to transform the data into proactive, predictive, preventive, and participatory health. As a result of advances in translational informatics, the care of neonates will become more data driven, evidence based, and personalized.
Prosodic Entrainment and Tutoring Dialogue Success

This study investigates the relationships between student entrainment to a tutoring dialogue system and learning. By finding the features of prosodic entrainment which correlate with learning, we hope to inform educational dialogue systems aiming to leverage entrainment. We propose a novel method to measure prosodic entrainment and find specific features which correlate with user learning. We also find differences in user entrainment with respect to tutor voice and user gender.
Redistribution and the Individualism–Collectivism Dimension of Culture

This paper examines the relationship between culture and redistribution, focusing on the individualism–collectivism dimension of culture. Perhaps surprisingly, countries with more individualistic cultures have significantly greater income redistribution and lower after-tax income inequality. This finding also holds when using instruments for individualism suggested by the literature on cross-cultural psychology, including historical pathogen prevalence and linguistic and genetic characteristics. The association between individualism and redistribution is driven by higher-income countries, which appear to be influenced by a distinct strain of individualism. Data from the World Values Survey reveals that in higher income countries, individualism is positively correlated with generalized trust and tolerance of outsiders and negatively correlated with belief in traditional gender roles. In lower income countries, individualism is associated with a stronger emphasis on self-reliance and the benefits of competition.
Dynamic Cardiomyoplasty and New Prosthetic LV Girdling Devices

Dynamic cardiomyoplasty (DCMP) is a promising but unproven surgical treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. Today, the procedure is no longer performed in the Unites States. The procedure, first performed by Alain Carpentier in 1985 (1), involves mobilization of the latissimus dorsi muscle, which is then wrapped circumferentially around the heart. The muscle wrap is then, after a period of training, stimulated to contract in synchrony with cardiac systole. Chronic repetitive stimulation induces biochemical and physiological transformations of the muscle, altering its characteristics toward cardiac muscle. These changes include fatigue resistance, increased aerobic capacity, prolonged contraction duration, diminished size, and reduced maximal power (2, 3, 4, 5).
Social capital: the power of influencers in networks

The problem of finding the influencers in social networks has been traditionally dealt in an optimization setting by finding the top-k nodes that has the maximum information spread in the network. These methods aim to find the influencers in a network through the process of information diffusion. However, none of these approaches model the individual social value generated by collaborations in these networks. Such social value is often the real motivation for which the nodes connect to each other. In this work, we propose a framework to compute this network social value using the concept of social capital, namely the amount of bonding and bridging connections in the network. We first compute the social capital value of the network and then allocate this network value to the nodes of the network. We establish the fairness of our allocation using several axioms of fairness. Our experiments on the real data sets show that the computed social capital is an excellent proxy for finding influencers and our approach outperforms several popular baselines.
Major depressive disorder: epidemiology, course of illness, and treatment.

Understanding the epidemiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) and the neurobiologic theories behind depression and antidepressant treatment is vital for physicians who must identify and treat patients with this disorder. The epidemiology of MDD reveals that this disorder is widespread: the lifetime prevalence of MDD is estimated to be ∼17% and the 12-month prevalence is ≥7%, according to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Epidemiologic studies suggest that in any 30-day period, 2% to 5% of the United States population meet criteria for MDD. In addition, nearly twice as many women as men (21% versus 13%, respectively) are affected by a depressive disorder during their lifetimes. These numbers reveal a vast population of people affected by MDD, making depression a tremendous social and medical concern.
Micromechanics-Based Elastoplastic Modeling of Functionally Graded Materials with Pairwise Particle Interactions

AbstractTo understand the inelastic behavior of functionally graded materials (FGMs) containing aluminum particles in high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a micromechanics-based elastoplastic model wa...
Treatment of cervicitis with Negatan (Negatol)

0 NE of the problems that confront a gynecologic clinic is the treatment of cervicitis. Cauterization of the cervix can successfully cure most cases. However, there are times when cauterization is either contraindicated or not available, As a substitute, the topical application of chemicals to the cervix in the treatment of cervicitis has led to such disappointing results that such therapy has virtually been suspended in the gynecologic clinic at Bellevue Hospital. However, during the year 1938 a new preparation, Negatan (Negatol) , was employed in the gyneeologic clinic at Bellevue Hospital. As a result of a preliminary survey done during that year, it was concluded that the drug had shown such merit that it warranted further and more intensive invest,igation. Simultaneously with the clinical studies, K. K. Chen, of the Research Laboratories of Eli Lilly Corporation was determmmg the chemical and pharmacologic nature of the drug. With the permission of Dr. Chen, his statements are quoted:
Testing two (of several) intravenous iron dosing strategies in hemodialysis.

Worldwide, over 2.6 million persons receive treatment for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and this number is expected to double by 2030 (1). Nearly all patients with ESKD develop anemia and the current standard of care is to treat with a combination of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) and intravenous (IV) iron (2). Patients on dialysis, and particularly those on hemodialysis, tend to have relatively low iron stores due to low dietary intake, poor gastrointestinal absorption of iron, and blood loss from hemodialysis, lab draws, vascular access procedures, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.
N 2 fixation, and the relative contribution of fixed N, in corals from Curaçao and Hawaii

Corals from Hawaii (Montipora capitata) and the Caribbean (brown and orange morphs of Montastraea cavernosa) have previously been shown to harbor symbiotic bacteria capable of fixing nitrogen (N2). Using a nitrogen tracer approach, we find that the rates of net photosynthesis and N2 fixation in M. capitata were significantly lower, while steady-state quantum yields of photosystem II (PSII) fluorescence (∆Fv/Fm′) were significantly higher, when compared to both color morphs of M. cavernosa where there was an inverse relationship between rates of photosynthesis and N2 fixation. However, the amount of fixed N contributing to Symbiodiniaceae N demand was consistent with their observed rates of N2 fixation. The lowest values occurred in M. capitata (0.034% ± 0.002 SE), and the brown morph of M. cavernosa had significantly lower values (1.081% ± 0.12 SE) compared to the orange morph (8.141% ± 0.36 SE). Additionally, for both the Symbiodiniaceae and microbial communities there were significant differences between species/color morphs where M. capitata was significantly different from both color morphs of M. cavernosa which were not significantly different from each other. An analysis of predicted metabolic activity, using PICRUSt2, also showed that the corals in this study were not predicted to be differentially enriched in genes involved in carbon metabolism, but genes involved in denitrification were predicted to be significantly enriched in both M. cavernosa orange and brown morphs. Genes involved in N2 fixation were, surprisingly, predicted to be enriched in M. cavernosa brown morphs. We suggest that the inhibition of nitrogenase by hyperoxia is one factor contributing to the low rates of N2 fixation in both M. capitata and M. cavernosa brown morphs.
Imaginary Time: Extending Musical Time Concepts to Cognitive Dimensions

Imaginary timeis a creative extension of musical time concepts, including a synthesis of Descartes’ dual theory of mind versus body and its consequences for the understanding of consciousness and musical reality.
New Work on the Austrian First Republic

T here is a renewed interest in writing about the First Republic among Austrian historians. As always, it is political: how to frame the collapse of the empire, how to address the political divides of the era, whether to attribute “fascism” to the Standestaat , what constitutes history, and what is mere description. The following essay takes into account five new and large additions to the canon.
A brief measure of posttraumatic nightmares

Previous research on nightmares rarely distinguished between posttraumatic and idiopathic nightmares perhaps due to a lack of efficient, psychometrically sound self-report measures. The current study describes the development and preliminary examination of the Posttraumatic Nightmare Index (PTNI), a brief measure to assess the incidence of posttraumatic nightmares. In a sample of 135 university students the scale possessed adequate internal consistency reliability and a unidimensional factor structure. Convergent validity was supported through significant positive correlations with nightmare frequency, nightmare distress, general psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Incremental validity was supported by the PTNI’s ability to uniquely predict trauma symptoms after accounting for nightmare frequency and nightmare frequency after controlling for trauma symptoms. The scale was found to account for its own unique variance after controlling general nightmare frequency. The results and areas for future research were discussed.
Antibiotic residues in poultry food in Fujian Province of China.

Thirty-nine kinds of antibiotics (11 quinolones, 10 tetracyclines, and 18 sulphonamides) residues were screened in 146 samples including chicken, chicken giblets, and eggs in Fujian by ultra-perfor...