cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and simple goiter in pediatrics.

Eighty-one children with goiter were studied. Thirty-five had open biopsies and 23 of these patients had one or more simultaneous needle biopsies. In the remainder, the diagnosis was made by clinical and laboratory findings. Of 35 biopsied patients, the histologic diagnosis was chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis (CLT) in 22 and simple goiter in 13. Needle biopsy proved inadequate for diagnosis in 40 per cent. In biopsied patients, thyroid antibody studies by the tanned red cell technique were positive with a titer of 1:16 or greater in only a few cases of CLT. An immunofluorescent technique revealed antibodies in 100 per cent of cases of CLT and was negative in all cases of simple goiter. A difference between protein-bound iodine and thyroxine >2.0 μg per cent was found in almost as many cases of simple goiter as in CLT. Clinical and laboratory findings are reported for the entire group of 81 patients.
Studying Standard Model-Like Higgs Bosons in Two-Photon Collisions at a Linear Collider

We examine the potential for detecting and studying a SM-like Higgs boson in two-photon collisions at a future linear collider. Our study incorporates realistic two-photon spectra based on the most probable available laser technology.
Use of quinolones for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis

The availability of a new generation of quinolones expands the choices of antimicrobials for therapy of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. These agents have broad antimicrobial activity, including good in vitro activity against respiratory pathogens, and advantageous pharmacokinetic characteristics, including bronchial tissue penetration. Ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, ofloxacin, and temafloxacin have been evaluated in a number of clinical trials, compared to the reference agents ampicillin, amoxicillin (with and without clavulanate), cefaclor, doxycycline, and erythromycin. Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and temafloxacin have generally demonstrated greater clinical success than enoxacin. While these agents are effective against many respiratory pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections appear to pose problems. Temafloxacin and ciprofloxacin have been compared; temafloxacin eradicated S. pneumoniae more efficiently and did not interact with theophylline. Fluoroquinolones are an important addition to the agents useful for bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.
Thermally induced formation of PCDD and PCDF from tri- and tetrachlorobenzene in dielectric fluids

Abstract The thermal behavior of dilute (5000-50 ppm) solutions of tri- and tetrachlorobenzene in mineral oil, silicone oil, and tetrachloroethylene (TCE) has been investigated. Although pyrolyses or combustion of neat chlorobenzenes readily forms significant yields of PCDDs/PCDFs, corresponding treatment of dilute solutions was generally non-productive. This result is consistent with the proposition that, under the conditions studied, the rate-limiting step for PCDD/PCDF formation is bimolecular in chlorobenzene. In contrast, earlier studies of PCBs implied a rate-limiting step that was unimolecular in chloroaromatics. Combustion of dilute solutions of chlorobenzenes in tetrachloroethylene did produce detectable concentrations of PCDF; this result reflects combination of chlorobenzene and TCE- or TCE-derived species.
Blood feud: keeping hemoglobin from nixing NO.

Studies on patients with sickle-cell disease now shed light on the physiological battle between hemoglobin and the vasoregulator nitric oxide. It appears that hemoglobin scavenges NO in these patients, likely contributing to vascular complications ( pages 1383–1389 ).
Personalized video: leanback online video consumption

Current user interfaces for online video consumption are mostly browser based, lean forward, require constant interaction and provide a fragmented view of the total content available. For easier consumption, the user interface and interactions need to be redesigned for less interruptive and lean back experience. In this paper, we describe Personalized Video, an application that converts the online video experience into a personalized lean back experience. It has been implemented on the Windows platform and integrated with intuitive user interactions like gesture and face recognition. It also supports group personalization for concurrent users.
Femtosecond IR Study of Excited-State Relaxation and Electron-Injection Dynamics of Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2 in Solution and on Nanocrystalline TiO2 and Al2O3 Thin Films

The photophysics and electron injection dynamics of Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2 [dcbpy = (4,4‘-dicarboxy-2,2‘-bipyridine)] (or Ru N3) in solution and adsorbed on nanocrystalline Al2O3 and TiO2 thin films were studied by femtosecond mid-IR spectroscopy. For Ru N3 in ethanol after 400 nm excitation, the long-lived metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) excited state with CN stretching bands at 2040 cm-1 was formed in less than 100 fs. No further decay of the excited-state absorption was observed within 1 ns consistent with the previously known 59 ns lifetime. For Ru N3 absorbed on Al2O3, an insulating substrate, the 3MLCT state was also formed in less than 100 fs. In contrast to Ru N3 in ethanol, this excited state decayed by 50% within 1 ns via multiple exponential decay while no ground-state recovery was observed. This decay is attributed to electron transfer to surface states in the band gap of Al2O3 nanoparticles. For Ru N3 adsorbed onto the surface of TiO2, the transient mid-IR signal was dominated by the IR abs...
Postoperative Pancreatic Leaks and Fistulae: The Role of the Endoscopist

Iatrogenic pancreatic injury, leakage, and fistulae formation are well-documented complications of surgery of the pancreas and peri-pancreatic area. Postoperative pancreatic duct leaks and fistulae can lead to significant morbidity and mortality, hence achieving closure of ductal defects and fistulae is of great importance. Successful management requires a multidisciplinary team approach incorporating pancreaticobiliary endoscopists, pancreatic surgeons, and interventional radiologists. The approach to the patient depends on the nature and extent of ductal injury, the presence or absence of pseudocysts, and endoscopic access to the pancreatic duct. This review will focus on the role of the endoscopist in the management of pancreatic fistulae.
Expressive writing in women with advanced breast cancer.

Purpose/objectives To explore the relationships between patterns of affective word use (words with positive or negative connotations) in expressive writing conducted over four consecutive days and quality of life (QOL) three months after the writing exercise in women with metastatic breast cancer. Design Descriptive, correlational. Setting Six clinical sites in New England. Sample 68 women with metastatic breast cancer. Main research variables Patterns of positive and negative affective word use and QOL. Methods Usage patterns of affective words in expressive writing were identified through the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Relationships between patterns of affective word use and QOL were explored. QOL was measured at baseline and three months after the writing exercise by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast. Correlations between patterns of word use and QOL were investigated using general linear regression. Findings A significant relationship was found between positive-affect word use and emotional well-being. Manual scoring of 10 expressive writing texts to validate LIWC data identified a significant difference between LIWC and manual counts for negative language. Contextual evaluation suggested marked ambivalence in how the women wrote about cancer. Conclusions A positive relationship between affective language in disclosure and QOL was demonstrated, illustrating a cognitive process occurring in expressive writing. Implications for nursing The findings suggest that expressive writing is a positive, helpful intervention for patients with cancer attempting to reintegrate the experience in life. Nurses should gain deeper understanding of underlying cognitive processes of disclosure to identify the most effective manner in which to use such interventions.
Megasonic Cleaning of Blanket and Patterned Samples in Carbonated Ammonia Solutions for Enhanced Particle Removal and Reduced Feature Damage

An investigation of particle removal efficiency and feature damage has been conducted in NH4OH/NH4HCO3 cleaning solutions irradiated with megasonic energy. By adjusting the pH of the solution in the range of 8.2 - 8.5, high particle removal efficiency (PRE) was achieved while feature damage was reduced significantly. The sonoluminescence data collected from NH4OH and NH4OH/NH4HCO3 solutions indicate significant suppression of transient cavitation in alkaline solutions containing aqueous CO2.
Protocol design contests

In fields like data mining and natural language processing, design contests have been successfully used to advance the state of the art. Such contests offer an opportunity to bring the excitement and challenges of protocol design---one of the core intellectual elements of research and practice in networked systems---to a broader group of potential contributors, whose ideas may prove important. Moreover, it may lead to an increase in the number of students, especially undergraduates or those learning via online courses, interested in pursuing a career in the field.We describe the creation of the infrastructure and our experience with a protocol design contest conducted in MIT's graduate Computer Networks class. This contest involved the design and evaluation of a congestion-control protocol for paths traversing cellular wireless networks. One key to the success of a design contest is an unambiguous, measurable objective to compare protocols. In practice, protocol design is the art of trading off conflicting goals with each other, but in this contest, we specified that the goal was to maximize $\log(\mbox{throughput}/\mbox{delay})$. This goal is a good match for applications such as video streaming or videoconferencing that care about high throughput and low interactive delays.Some students produced protocols whose performance was better than published protocols tackling similar goals. Furthermore, the convex hull of the set of all student protocols traced out a tradeoff curve in the throughput-delay space, providing useful insights into the entire space of possible protocols. We found that student protocols diverged in performance between the training and testing traces, indicating that some students had overtrained ("overfitted") their protocols to the training trace. Our conclusion is that, if designed properly, such contests could benefit networking research by making new proposals more easily reproducible and amenable to such "gamification," improve networked systems, and provide an avenue for outreach.
Ciguatera poisoning: an unwelcome vacation experience.

A married couple in their late 50s traveled to Costa Rica on vacation. They both dined frequently on local fish. While in the country, they developed nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, with up to 10 bowel movements per day. These symptoms were followed by tingling of the extremities and a sensation of “pricking by pins and needles” that was exacerbated by the movement of air over the skin. In addition, they reported a peculiar feeling of migratory alternating hot and cold sensations of the limbs. Fatigue, photophobia, and the perception of flashing lights were also reported. The gastrointestinal symptoms resolved after 1 week but other symptoms persisted for 3 months. After nonproductive visits to three different physicians, they sought additional consultation.
L2-contraction for shock waves of scalar viscous conservation laws

Abstract We consider the L 2 -contraction up to a shift for viscous shocks of scalar viscous conservation laws with strictly convex fluxes in one space dimension. In the case of a flux which is a small perturbation of the quadratic Burgers flux, we show that any viscous shock induces a contraction in L 2 , up to a shift. That is, the L 2 norm of the difference of any solution of the viscous conservation law, with an appropriate shift of the shock wave, does not increase in time. If, in addition, the difference between the initial value of the solution and the shock wave is also bounded in L 1 , the L 2 norm of the difference converges at the optimal rate t − 1 / 4 . Both results do not involve any smallness condition on the initial value, nor on the size of the shock. In this context of small perturbations of the quadratic Burgers flux, the result improves the Choi and Vasseur's result in [7] . However, we show that the L 2 -contraction up to a shift does not hold for every convex flux. We construct a smooth strictly convex flux, for which the L 2 -contraction does not hold any more even along any Lipschitz shift.
Low overhead delay testing of ASICs

Delay testing has become increasingly essential as chip geometries shrink. Low overhead or cost effective delay test methodology is successful when it results in a minimal number of effective tests and eases the demands on an already burdened IC design and test staff. This work describes one successful method in use by IBM ASICs that resulted in a slight total test pattern increase, generally ranging between 10 and 90%. Example ICs showed a pattern increase of as little as 14% from the stuck-at fault baseline with a transition fault coverage of 89%. In an ASIC business, a large number of ICs are processed, which does not allow for the personnel to understand how to test each individual IC design in detail. Instead, design automation software that is timing and testability aware ensures effective and efficient tests. The resultant tests detect random spot timing delay defects. These types of defects are time zero related failures and not reliability wearout mechanisms.
A Study of the Use of a Wrist Splint to Prevent WMSDs at a Sprout Grower

Awkward postures and repetitive forceful motions have been implicated as risk factors for the development of work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The use of wrist splints in the work environment has been adapted by some employers in an effort to control at least one of these risk factors. The hypothesis follows that if workers wear wrist splints they can avoid awkward wrist postures, which may reduce their risk for the development of WMSDs. The affect of the wrist splint on the amount of force exerted by the workers is unknown. This study was undertaken at a sprout grower to analyze the relative force exerted by workers with and without a splinted dominant wrist during two hand intensive jobs. It was found that the ability to exert peak grip force was significantly impaired with the use of the wrist splint. In addition, extrinsic flexor electromyography (EMG) and anterior deltoid EMG were relatively higher while subjects worked with splinted wrists as compared to working without a wrist splint....
Direct-immersion cooling for high power electronic chips

Several direct-immersion cooling techniques currently under examination are reviewed. They include cooling by means of pool boiling, falling films, channel flow boiling, and jet impingement. Both thermal performance and practical packaging concerns are discussed, and the suitability of each technique for dissipating high heat fluxes from isolated chips and multichip modules is assessed with respect to such considerations as chip junction temperature, cooling uniformity, and critical heat flux (CHF). It is shown that several means are available for greatly increasing CHF in order to satisfy the cooling requirements for future electronic devices. While high cooling fluxes are possible with a number of direct-immersion cooling techniques, the complexity of the coolant conditioning and delivery to the chips should be carefully considered in selecting a suitable cooling technique. >
Do people really believe they are above average

Abstract A question that has plagued self-enhancement research is whether participants truly believe the overly positive self-assessments they report, or whether better-than-average effects reflect mere hopes or self-presentation. In a test of people’s belief in the accuracy of their self-enhancing trait ratings, participants made a series of bets, each time choosing between betting that they had scored at least as high on a personality test as a random other participant, or betting on a random drawing in which the probability of success was matched to their self-assigned percentile rank on the test. They also reported the point at which they would switch their bet from their self-rating to the drawing, or vice versa. Participants were indifferent between betting on themselves or on the drawing, and it took only a slight change in the drawing’s probability for them to switch their bet, indicating that people truly believe their self-enhancing self-assessments.
Strong, Weak, and Latent Ties and the Impact of New Media.

This article argues that consideration of the strength of ties between communicators can help reconcile disparate results on the impact of new media on social relations. It is argued from the research literature and studies by the author that where ties are strong, communicators can influence each other to adapt and expand their use of media to support the exchanges important to their tie, but where ties are weak, communicators are dependent on common, organizationally established means of communication and protocols established by others. Due to this differential use of media, a new medium that adds means and opportunities for previously unconnected others to communicate will have positive effects on weak ties and weak-tie networks, in particular by laying an infrastructure of latent ties (ones that exist technically but have not yet been activated), and providing an opportunity for weak ties to develop and strengthen. A new medium may also have positive effects on strongly tied pairs where it adds anoth...
1 THz Modulation in InGaAsP Multiple Quantum Wells for 40 Gb/s Applications

The terahertz (THz) rate modulation of quantum well (QW) electrooptic modulators necessitates a new way of thinking about how the modulation field modulates light; specifically, an incident narrow-band (with respect to the modulation frequency) signal once modulated acquires frequency components separated from the input signal center frequency by multiples of the modulation frequency. In this paper, we discuss the design of the QWs comprising the modulator to maximize the output at such THz sidebands of the incident optical frequency in InGaAsP QW based devices. We present a theoretical treatment of the case in which the THz modulation frequency is out of resonance between any exci- tonic levels near those exploited for the optical modulation, thus enabling an adiabatic treatment of the modulated optical susceptibility. We show that THz sideband conversion efficiencies of ~1% may be possible.
Conducting Social Science Laboratory Experiments on the World Wide Web.

Abstract Researchers in the behavioral and social sciences, particularly psychology, are beginning to conduct laboratory experiments on the World Wide Web. The Web venue offers conveniences that are apparent to market researchers and academic investigators, who have used the Web extensively for survey research. Like traditional experimental researchers. Web experimenters must assure the reliability and inferential validity of their experiments to determine whether a causal relationship exists between independent and dependent variables. In research design and implementation, therefore, Web experimenters must avoid the many artifacts of the experimental situation that threaten internal validity, construct validity, and external validity. This article discusses the application of methodological techniques to social science Web experiments and suggests topics in library and information science most conducive to research on the Web.
The Limits of Popular Participation in Salvador, Brazil

This article focuses on the changing nature of state-society interactions in the state of Bahia, Brazil and on the factors that condition democratic participation. During several research trips, co...
Suicide and attempted suicide in Huntington disease: implications for preclinical testing of persons at risk

Suicide behavior in Huntington disease (HD) was assessed by examining the proportion of deaths attributed to suicide among 452 deceased individuals with HD and the number and pattern of attempted suicides among a total population of 831 HD patients from the National Huntington Disease Research Roster. It was found that 5.7% of deaths among affected persons resulted from suicide and 27.6% of patients attempted suicide at least once. Comparison of this group with the general population indicated that the proportion of deaths due to suicide among persons with HD is almost four times greater than the corresponding proportion for the U.S. Caucasian population. Age at onset of HD was not significantly different between HD suicide and non-suicide patients, although suicide occurred more frequently in the early to middle stages of the illness. The "success" rate among HD suicide attempters did not differ from the general population rates in several western European countries. The relatively high suicide and attempted suicide rates in HD indicate that thorough psychological testing of at-risk persons and extensive patient support systems must be integral components of a program to identify HD gene carriers using a genetic marker.
Providencia stuartii Genes Activated by Cell-to-Cell Signaling and Identification of a Gene Required for Production or Activity of an Extracellular Factor

By utilizing reporter transposons, five Providencia stuartii genes that are activated by the accumulation of self-produced extracellular signals have been identified. These genes have been designated cma for conditioned medium activated. The presence of conditioned medium from stationary-phase cultures grown in rich media resulted in the premature activation of each gene in cells at early log phase, with activation values ranging from 6- to 26-fold. Preparation of conditioned medium from an M9 salts medium and fractionation by gel filtration chromatography resulted in fractions within the included volume which activated three of the cma fusions. In addition, depending on the reporter fusion, peak activity was found in different fractions. The partially purified factors activated in a dose-dependent manner. Characterization of the factors activating the cma fusions indicated that they were stable to heat, alkali, and acid. Furthermore, for each cma fusion, factor activity was not reproduced by the addition of homoserine lactone, homocysteine thiolactone, pyruvate, Casamino Acids, or α-ketoglutarate. The identities of three cma genes have been determined and revealed physiological roles in amino acid biosynthesis and nutrient import. To begin to address the pathways for production of or response to the extracellular factors, we have identified a locus, aarA, that is required for the activation of four cma fusions. The AarA product was required for factor activity in extracellular supernatants, indicating a possible role in biosynthesis or export.
Use of a gel documentation system to measure feather growth bars

Feather growth bar widths have become a standard index of nutritional condition in ornithological research. Traditional techniques of measuring these bars are difficult and slow because the bars are often hard to see. We present a fast and repeatable method of visualizing and measuring growth bars using a gel documentation system from Alpha-Innotech Corporation. This system takes digital photos of objects in a low light chamber. These photos can then be enhanced and measured on a computer. We show that this system can be used to quickly obtain repeatable measurements of growth bars that are highly correlated with those obtained using traditional methods. The high repeatability and low inter-observer variability of our results also validates more traditional methods of ptilochronology. SINOPSIS. Uso de un sistema de documentacion de gelatina para medir las barras de crecimiento en plumas La amplitud de las barras de crecimiento en las plumas se han convertido en el i basico de la condicion nutricional en estudios de aves. Las tecnicas tradicionales de medir estas barras son dificiles y lentas porque las barras a menudo son dificiles de ver. Presentamos un metodo rapido y repetible de visualizar y medir la barras de crecimiento usando un sistema de documentacion de gelatinas de la Corporacion Alpha-Innotech. Este sistema toma fotos digitales de objectos en una camara con luz baja. Estas fotos pueden ser modificadas y medidas en una computadora. Mostramos que este sistema puede ser usado para obtener rapidamente medidas repetidas de barras de crecimiento que son altamente correlacionadas con las obtenidas por los metodos tradicionales. Tanto la alta capacidad de repetir las medidas como la baja variabilidad de resultados entre observadores validan este metodo como util entre otros mas tradicionales en la ptilocronologia.
Procedural instruction in invasive bedside procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effective teaching approaches

Importance Optimal approaches to teaching bedside procedures are unknown. Objective To identify effective instructional approaches in procedural training. Data sources We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library through December 2014. Study selection We included research articles that addressed procedural training among physicians or physician trainees for 12 bedside procedures. Two independent reviewers screened 9312 citations and identified 344 articles for full-text review. Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers extracted data from full-text articles. Main outcomes and measures We included measurements as classified by translational science outcomes T1 (testing settings), T2 (patient care practices) and T3 (patient/public health outcomes). Due to incomplete reporting, we post hoc classified study outcomes as ‘negative’ or ‘positive’ based on statistical significance. We performed meta-analyses of outcomes on the subset of studies sharing similar outcomes. Results We found 161 eligible studies (44 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 34 non-RCTs and 83 uncontrolled trials). Simulation was the most frequently published educational mode (78%). Our post hoc classification showed that studies involving simulation, competency-based approaches and RCTs had higher frequencies of T2/T3 outcomes. Meta-analyses showed that simulation (risk ratio (RR) 1.54 vs 0.55 for studies with vs without simulation, p=0.013) and competency-based approaches (RR 3.17 vs 0.89, p<0.001) were effective forms of training. Conclusions and relevance This systematic review of bedside procedural skills demonstrates that the current literature is heterogeneous and of varying quality and rigour. Evidence is strongest for the use of simulation and competency-based paradigms in teaching procedures, and these approaches should be the mainstay of programmes that train physicians to perform procedures. Further research should clarify differences among instructional methods (eg, forms of hands-on training) rather than among educational modes (eg, lecture vs simulation).
The transformation of oncology

When I was trained at a prominent New York medical center in the 1960s, cancer was relegated to a minor place in the curriculum. Cancer patients were housed in a separate hospital, rarely visited by students or the medical house staff. If not amenable to surgery or radiotherapy, most cancers were regarded as hopeless. Research on cancer was not accorded the attention received by infectious, endocrine, autoimmune, cardiovascular, or neuropsychiatric disorders.
Aeroelasticity of joined-wing airplane configurations - Past work and future challenges - a survey

Depending on their structural and aerodynamic design joined wing configuration can display complex aeroelastic modes of behavior and present a considerable design challenge. The current paper presents a review of past work in the area of joined wing aeroelasticity, offers an intuitive / qualitative discussion of their dynamic behavior, surveys a number of possibly relevant problems from aeroelasticity, structural dynamics, and applied mechanics, and discusses analysis, testing, and optimization challenges involved. It is believed that the joined wing analysis and design problem cuts across traditional disciplinary lines, and makes it necessary to address it through significant collaboration among researchers in related areas and through integrated multidisciplinary studies. It is hoped that the present paper will stimulate research and collaboration that will lead to significant progress in the understanding of this dynamically rich and potentially important unusual configuration.
Exploring changes to a teacher’s teaching practices and student learning through a volleyball content knowledge workshop

This paper describes how improving a teacher’s content knowledge changes his teaching practices and its subsequent effects on student learning during a middle school volleyball instructional unit. ...
Effective control & software techniques for high efficiency GaN FET based flexible electrical power system for cube-satellites

This paper investigates an intelligent and configurable electric power system (EPS) for CubeSats and small satellites built using Silicon and GaN FETs at high switching frequency. The EPS is the power source of CubeSat which harnesses power from solar panels and includes battery charging and multi-domain voltage output regulation within the CubeSat. The electrical power system of a Cube-Satellite is developed and is used as a test bed for implementation of the various control algorithms necessary for such photovoltaic - battery based power management systems. The introduction of a digital controller to such power systems provides the system added flexibility and intelligence but also introduces controller design challenges with many control loops running simultaneously and being controlled by a single controller. Efficiency of power converter is increased using pulse frequency modulation (PFM) at light load. For moderate load, higher efficiency can be achieved with comparatively lower Rds-ON based GaN FETs. In this paper we have implemented a control scheme that takes into account various parameters like load transients, control loop update rate and sampling intervals that have an effect on the system performance. Power loss analysis is done for EPS using silicon devices. Simulation and experimental results are presented in this paper using both Silicon and 100V EPC Gallium Nitride Mosfets in PFM and PWM mode for EPS.
Abstract B11: The oncogenic role of I2PP2A by inhibiting NME1 in SHH medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is a pediatric brain tumor which arises in the cerebellum and is the most common childhood malignancy. The current standard of treatment for medulloblastoma (MB) is a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which can cause lifelong side effects to MB survivors due to damage to the developing brain. Approximately 30% of human MB show aberrant Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling and feature mutated SMO/PTCH1 or amplified GLI/NMYC , components of the SHH pathway. To study SHH-driven mitogenic and oncogenic signaling pathways, we use the NeuroD2-SmoA1 mouse model to investigate how downstream effectors of SHH signaling regulate cell proliferation in MB development. The NeuroD2-SmoA1 mouse closely recapitulates human SHH MB and bears constitutively active SMO in its cerebellum. The early onset and high incidence of tumors, and the adherence to human pathology make NeuroD2-SmoA1 mouse an efficient model for MB research. Utilizing this model, I have been focusing on the nuclear oncoprotein, I2PP2A, also known as endogenous inhibitor 2 of phosphatase 2A. I2PP2A has recently been proposed to be targeted in other malignant tumors such as leukemia, prostate, and lung cancers. However, whether I2PP2A play oncogenic roles in medulloblastoma has not been established yet. I found that I2PP2A protein is markedly elevated in mouse MB cytosol compared with neighboring normal cerebellum through histology and western blot approaches. In the efforts of searching molecules interacting with I2PP2A in cytoplasm, a non-metastasis marker, called NME1, stands out as the cytosol level of this protein also shows a strong induction. NME1 is a DNase that triggers cell death when tumor cells encounter the immune attack from the microenvironment. Based on the preliminary data, I hypothesize that I2PP2A sequesters NME1 in cytosol and inhibits the activation of this DNA nicking protein, thus prevents the MB cell death. My future plans are to determine the roles of I2PP2A and NME1 in tumorigenesis, test whether inhibiting I2PP2A can induce MB cell death mediated by NME1, and finally extrapolate this research to novel therapy design targeting I2PP2A in SHH medulloblastoma. Citation Format: Yun Wei, Anna Maria Kenney. The oncogenic role of I2PP2A by inhibiting NME1 in SHH medulloblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Advances in Brain Cancer Research; May 27-30, 2015; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(23 Suppl):Abstract nr B11.
Regulation of rENaC mRNA by dietary NaCl and steroids: organ, tissue, and steroid heterogeneity.

Rats on a low-NaCl diet have a high Na+ channel activity in colon and kidney. To address the mechanism of this increased activity, we measured mRNA levels of three Na+channel subunits in epithelial...
Cognition and the menopause transition

Complaints about forgetfulness, "brain fog," and difficulty concentrating are common in women transitioning through menopause. Women with these cognitive complaints often express concern about whether these problems are normal, related to menopause, or represent a symptom of Alzheimer disease or another serious cognitive disorder. In this Practice Pearl, we provide a brief summary of the scientific literature on the frequency of cognitive complaints in midlife women, the validity of complaints in relation to performance on standardized cognitive tests, and the influence of menopause on cognitive performance. We then offer recommendations for healthcare providers and women to address cognitive concerns.
Research Life Lesson 3: Balance, Timing, Cycles, and Seeing the Big Picture

One of the biggest challenges to a medical career with a large component of research is trying to figure out how to balance everything. I hinted at some of these issues in earlier chapters, but I want to bring up this issue again in more detail.
Perinatal depression among Spanish-speaking and Latin American women

Perinatal depression among Spanish-speaking and Latin American women : , Perinatal depression among Spanish-speaking and Latin American women : , کتابخانه دیجیتال جندی شاپور اهواز
The Effect of Chair Yoga on Biopsychosocial Changes in English- and Spanish-Speaking Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Lower-Extremity Osteoarthritis

ABSTRACTChair yoga (CY), a mind-body therapy, is a safe nonpharmacological approach for managing osteoarthritis (OA) in older adults who cannot participate in standing exercise. However, there is no linguistically tailored CY program for those with limited English proficiency (LEP). This 2-arm randomized controlled trial compared the effects of a linguistically tailored yoga program (English and Spanish versions) on the outcomes of pain, physical function, and psychosocial factors compared to the effects of a linguistically tailored Health Education Program (HEP; English and Spanish versions). Participants with lower-extremity OA, recruited from 2 community sites, completed the Spanish (n = 40) or English (n = 60) version of twice-weekly 45-min CY or HEP sessions for 8 weeks. Data were collected at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 1- and 3-month follow-ups. English and Spanish CY groups (but neither HEP language group) showed significant decreases in pain interference. Measures of OA symptoms, balance, dep...
Quantum Mechanical Enhancement of Rate Constants and Kinetic Isotope Effects for Water-Mediated Proton Transfer in a Model Biological System.

Biological systems have been shown to shuttle excess protons long distances by taking advantage of tightly-organized hydrogen-bonded water bridges in hydrophobic protein cavities, and similar effects have been observed in carbon nanotubes. In this theoretical study we investigate how quantum effects of proton motion impact the rate constants for charge transfer in a model system consisting of a donor and acceptor molecule separated by a single-molecule water bridge. We calculate quantum and classical rate constants for the transfer of an excess proton over two possible paths, one with an H3O+ intermediate, and one with an OH− intermediate. Quantum effects are included through ring polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) calculations. We observe a four-fold enhancement of reaction rate constants due to proton tunneling at temperatures between 280 and 320 K, as shown by transmission coefficient calculations. Deuteration of the donor and acceptor proton are shown to decrease the reaction rate constant by a factor ...
She Laughed His Joy and She Cried His Grief: Psycholinguistic Theory and Anomaly

This study is an exploration of the semantics and syntax of a large corpus of interpretations of anomalous sentences. The anomalies were lines of poetry taken from e. e. cummings and represented a range of combinations of violations of linguistic rules. According to predominant theory, anomalies are comprehended by reduction to literal grammatical paraphrases. As in earlier studies using anomalies, the present one found that the interpretations tend to be grammatically more well-formed than their source anomalies. However, semantic analysis of the interpretations revealed that anomalies are understood primarily by reliance on semantic creativity, world knowledge, and metaphor, contrary to the reduction theory.
Meta-analysis of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity recovery following wildland fire: Applications for hydrologic model parameterization and resilience assessment

Hydrologic recovery after wildfire is critical for restoring the ecosystem services of protecting of human lives and infrastructure from hazards and delivering water supply of sufficient quality and quantity. Recovery of soil-hydraulic properties, such as field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs), is a key factor for assessing the duration of watershed-scale flash flood and debris flow risks after wildfire. Despite the crucial role of Kfs in parameterizing numerical hydrologic models to predict the magnitude of postwildfire run-off and erosion, existing quantitative relations to predict Kfs recovery with time since wildfire are lacking. Here, we conduct meta-analyses of 5 datasets from the literature that measure or estimate Kfs with time since wildfire for longer than 3-year duration. The meta-analyses focus on fitting 2 quantitative relations (linear and non-linear logistic) to explain trends in Kfs temporal recovery. The 2 relations adequately described temporal recovery except for 1 site where macropore flow dominated infiltration and Kfs recovery. This work also suggests that Kfs can have low hydrologic resistance (large postfire changes), and moderate to high hydrologic stability (recovery time relative to disturbance recurrence interval) and resilience (recovery of hydrologic function and provision of ecosystem services). Future Kfs relations could more explicitly incorporate processes such as soil-water repellency, ground cover and soil structure regeneration, macropore recovery, and vegetation regrowth.
Sexual Assault: What's Title IX Got to Do with It?

ABSTRACTSexual assault is a heinous crime that for decades had failed to receive needed attention on college campuses across the country.1 That changed on April 4, 2011, when the Department of Education's (ED) Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued a “Dear Colleague” letter (DCL) on sexual harassment and violence, which purported to clarify “Title IX's requirements related to student-on-student sexual harassment, including sexual violence, and explains schools' responsibility to take immediate and effective steps to end sexual harassment and sexual violence.”2 The intent of the letter to mete out swift justice for sexual assault survivors and to punish perpetrators and negligent institutions became immediately clear as the number of schools under OCR investigation began to swell. In response, colleges and universities have instilled a vast machinery of administrative procedures to adhere to the new requirements. At last count the OCR was conducting more than 300 investigations of nearly 200 colleges and scho...
Age-specific Cost Effectiveness of Using Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Treating Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Introduction Studies have demonstrated that intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) is a cost-effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Age-specific cost effectiveness has not been well examined. This study estimated age-specific incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of IV rtPA treatment versus no IV rtPA. Methods A Markov model was developed to examine the economic impact of IV rtPA over a 20-year time horizon on four age groups (18–44, 45–64, 65–80, and ≥81 years) from the U.S. healthcare sector perspective. The model used health outcomes from a national stroke registry adjusted by parameters from previous literature and current hospitalization costs in 2013 U.S. dollars. Long-term annual costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in the years after a stroke were discounted at 3% per year. Incremental costs, incremental QALYs, and ICERs were estimated and sensitivity analyses were conducted between 2015 and 2017. Results Use of IV rtPA gained 0.55 QALYs and cost $3,941 more than no IV rtPA for stroke patients aged ≥18 years over a 20-year time horizon. IV rtPA was a dominant strategy compared to no IV rtPA for patients aged 18–44 and 45–64 years. For patients aged 65–80 years, IV rtPA gained 0.44 QALYs and cost $4,872 more than no IV rtPA (ICER=$11,132/QALY). For patients aged ≥81 years, ICER was estimated at $48,676/QALY. Conclusions IV rtPA saved costs and improved health outcomes for patients aged 18–64 years and was cost effective for those aged ≥65 years. These findings support the use of IV rtPA.
Coherent Airborne MIMO Detection of Multiscatter Targets

The construction of a virtual array response is integral to the process of target detection for coherent airborne multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radars. Multiple scatterers on a target with complex scattering characteristics have an impact on the virtual array response. In this paper, an analytical expression for the virtual array response of a target is derived in terms of the response vectors of uniform linear arrays involving scatterer characteristics at multiple delays, the auto-ambiguity function and cross-ambiguity function of transmitted signals. Clutter at the same Doppler as the target is modeled similarly as signal returns from an ensemble of scatterers distributed in range. Analysis shows that the ideal Vandermonde vector of the virtual array response to a point scatterer must be modified to account for multiple scatterers and can provide a basis to develop detection/classification algorithms for coherent MIMO radar. A likelihood ratio test formulation of the detection problem is shown to result in the adaptive coherence estimator (ACE) test. The detection performance of the ACE test is derived in terms of parameters such as the signal-to-noise ratio, dimensionality of the MIMO clutter subspace, and the mismatch angle between the virtual array vector for an assumed target scatter model and the signal component of the actual virtual array vector. Illustrative results are presented using a fast-time orthogonal waveforms proposed in the literature as an example. Pulses in the example signal set comprise a sequence of frequency hopping subpulses and the frequency hopping sequences of these waveforms are derived from a subset of the Reed–Solomon code and the waveforms have several interesting properties including insensitivity to frequency errors.
Effects of priming with cytokines on intracellular survival and replication of Rhodococcus equi in equine macrophages.

Abstract Rhodococcus equi is a common cause of pneumonia in foals and an opportunistic pathogen in immunosuppressed people. The ability of R. equi to survive and replicate in macrophages is the basis of its pathogenicity. Limited knowledge about the role of cytokines in host defense against R. equi comes from studies in mice and the role of cytokines in intracellular survival of R. equi in equine macrophages is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of priming with interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α at various concentrations on intracellular survival of virulent R. equi in equine monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), and to determine the effects of various combinations of the same cytokines on intracellular survival of R. equi. MDM from 10 adult horses were primed with recombinant equine cytokines at doubling concentrations ranging from 25 to 200 ng/mL prior to infection with virulent R. equi. Priming with IFN-γ, TNF-α, or IL-6 significantly decreased intracellular replication of R. equi compared to unprimed monolayers. In contrast, priming with IL-10 or IL-1β significantly increased intracellular replication of R. equi. Pairwise combinations of the cytokines listed above did not results in synergism or antagonism. This study demonstrated that IFN-γ, TNF-α, or IL-6 improved equine MDM function against R. equi whereas IL-1β or IL-10 were detrimental.
The behavioral effects of antibiotic treatment on the snail Biomphalaria glabrata

Schistosomiasis is a detrimental neglected tropical disease that is transmitted by Planorbid snails. Understanding the transmission and control of this disease requires an extensive understanding of these intermediate hosts, which is only achieved by the effective rearing and study of species such as Biomphalaria glabrata. This species is the intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni in the New World, and is also the main model for studying schistosomes in mollusks. Antibiotics are used routinely in B. glabrata tissue culture, and occasionally on live snails. Here we show that standard doses of three common antibiotics (penicillin, streptomycin and gentamicin) drastically diminish the activity of healthy B. glabrata, but that treated snails recover rapidly when placed in fresh water. Ampicillin treated snails did not show altered activity. We suggest that researchers keep these apparent toxicities in mind if a need for antibiotic treatment of live Planorbid snails arises.