cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Portopulmonary hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome: a clinician-oriented overview

Liver disease and portal hypertension can be associated with pulmonary vascular complications, including portopulmonary hypertension (POPH), characterised by an elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure secondary to an increased pulmonary vascular resistance, and hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS), characterised by hypoxaemia due to pulmonary vasodilatation and shunting. Although clear diagnostic guidelines exist for both conditions on the basis of echocardiography, right heart catheterisation and arterial blood gases, there is considerable variation between centres regarding diagnosis and management of these conditions. Awareness of evaluation and management algorithms for POPH and HPS are critical for optimisation of outcomes in patients with these conditions. Key aspects of management of POPH and HPS include identification of patients likely to benefit from liver transplantation (LTx) and management before and after LTx. Although both disorders may improve after LTx, severe forms of POPH represent a contraindication to LTx. Novel approaches to the treatment of POPH and HPS offer new management options that may expand the pool of transplantable patients and improve overall outcomes.
Purine and Pyrimidine Pathways as Targets in Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Chemotherapeutic and vector control strategies have been applied for more than a century but have not been efficient in disease eradication. Increased resistance of malaria parasites to drug treatment and of mosquito vectors to insecticides requires the development of novel chemotherapeutic agents. Malaria parasites exhibit rapid nucleic acid synthesis during their intraerythrocytic growth phase. Plasmodium purine and pyrimidine metabolic pathways are distinct from those of their human hosts. Thus, targeting purine and pyrimidine metabolic pathways provides a promising route for novel drug development. Recent developments in enzymatic transition state analysis have provided an improved route to inhibitor design targeted to specific enzymes, including those of purine and pyrimidine metabolism. Modern transition state analogue drug discovery has resulted in transition state analogues capable of binding to target enzymes with unprecedented affinity and specificity. These agents can provide specific blocks in essential pathways. The combination of tight binding with the high specificity of these logically designed inhibitors, results in low toxicity and minor side effects. These features reduce two of the major problems with the current antimalarials. Transition state analogue design is being applied to generate new lead compounds to treat malaria by targeting purine and pyrimidine pathways.
Determination of Device Lifetime Under Pulsed Operating Conditions

Junction temperature typically determines the time to wear-out for a power amplifier, and thermal management affects many critical power amplifier design choices such as packaging, gate pitch, and wafer thickness. Pulsed waveforms create a junction temperature that varies as a function of time. Often the maximum temperature during the pulsed waveform is used to determine the failure rate for a pulsed device. This does not accurately reflect the time that a pulsed device spends at lower operating temperatures, however. A methodology is presented here to determine a device's time to failure for a pulsed waveform application. Several examples are provided to demonstrate that a pulsed device's lifetime can be significantly longer as compared to that associated with its maximum pulsed temperature
Modeling occupant energy use interventions in evolving social networks

Occupant behavior in buildings can contribute significantly to building energy demand and consumption. As a result, occupant behavior interventions to promote sustainability are becoming more widespread. Due to the expense in applying interventions, researchers have begun using computer simulations to analyze potential outcomes and better understand how complex systems can affect intervention success, in particular the effect of social network structure. In previous literature, studies have only evaluated social network effects using static social networks which are far from reality. Therefore, in this study we evaluate how a behavior intervention, here a comparative feedback system, is affected as social networks evolve over time using agent-based modeling. Results indicate that static social networks are much less volatile in their behavior and tend to have more convergent behavior relative to dynamic social networks. This implies that for normative interventions, dynamic networks have increased uncertainty in intervention outcome compared to static networks.
A simple theory for the force between spheres immersed in a fluid

Abstract A simple theory of the force between large spheres in a fluid is outlined. The effect of the solvent is included by using the Percus-Yevick theory for hard sphere mixtures to describe core exclusion forces, and including a layer of small dielectric constant near the spheres to simulate the alignment of the solvent dipoles in the vicinity of the spheres. The usual expression for the van der Waals force is used. The resultant force is very similar to the experimental results of J. N. Israelachvili and colleagues (Chem. Scr. 25, 7 (1985)).
Myofilament Calcium Sensitivity in Skinned Rat Cardiac Trabeculae Role of Interfilament Spacing

The increase in myofilament Ca 2+ responsiveness on an increase in sarcomere length (SL) is, in part, the cellular basis for Frank-Starling’s law of the heart. It has been suggested that a decrease in myofilament lattice spacing (LS) in response to an increase in SL underlies this phenomenon. This hypothesis is supported by previous studies in which reduced muscle width induced by osmotic compression was associated with an increase in Ca 2+ sensitivity, mimicking those changes observed with an increase in SL. To evaluate this hypothesis, we directly measured LS by synchrotron x-ray diffraction as function of SL in skinned rat cardiac trabeculae bathed in 0% to 6% dextran solutions (MW 413 000). We found that EC 50 , [Ca 2+ ] at which force is half-maximal, at SL between 1.95 and 2.25 μm did not vary in proportion to LS when 3% or 6% dextran solutions were applied. We also found that moderate compression (1% dextran) of skinned trabeculae at SL=2.02 μm reduced LS (LS=42.29±0.14 nm) to match that of uncompressed fibers at a long SL (SL=2.19 μm; LS=42.28±0.15 nm). Whereas increasing SL from 2.02 to 2.19 μm significantly increased Ca 2+ sensitivity as indexed by the EC 50 parameter (2.87±0.11 μmol/L to 2.52±0.12 μmol/L), similar reduction in myofilament lattice spacing achieved by compression with 1% dextran did not alter Ca 2+ sensitivity (2.87±0.10 μmol/L) at the short SL. We conclude that alterations in myofilament lattice spacing may not be the mechanism that underlies the sarcomere length–induced alteration of calcium sensitivity in skinned myocardium.
Differential expression of metallopanstimulin/S27 ribosomal protein in melanocytic lesions of the skin

We have previously shown that human metallopanstimulin (MPS-1) is a ubiquitous 9.4-kDa multifunctional ribosomal S27/nuclear "zinc finger" protein which is expressed at high levels in a wide variety of cultured proliferating cells and tumor tissues, including melanoma. In the present study, we have examined the expression of the MPS-1 protein in various types of human benign and malignant melanocytic lesions of the skin. The expression of the MPS-1 protein was studied by immunohistochemistry using specific anti-MPS-1 antibodies. We found that in benign nevi, the staining is weak and in a gradient; most often, only type A melanocytes stain positive. The B and particularly the C types are negative. Remarkably, congenital nevi show a similar gradient staining of regular benign nevi, but in addition one example showed intensely positive dermal nodules adjacent to areas of negative melanocytes. In melanomas, the staining patterns for MPS-1 are more complex. While some melanomas stain evenly and intensely positive, others have remarkably variable expression of MPS-1. The scattered melanocytes migrating to the upper layers of the epidermis are usually intensely positive. In summary, benign lesions stain in an orderly pattern with staining gradients that correlate with the cellular differentiation of the nevi. Malignant melanomas have an erratic, often intense staining that also correlates with the disorderly growth of these neoplasms. These differential results indicate that the MPS-1 antigen is a useful marker for melanocytic lesions at the immunohistochemical level.
Relationship of the Multimode Kink Instability to δ-Spot Formation

We study the current-driven kink instability with a three-dimensional MHD spectral code, under conditions appropriate for the convection zone of the Sun. Our goal is to determine whether the kink instability can explain the unusual morphology of certain "δ-spot" active regions. The characteristics of these δ-spots are unusually large tilt upon emergence, subsequent rotation, compactness during their lifetime, magnetic shear that develops along the neutral line of their vertical magnetic field, and unusually high flare activity. We find that highly twisted tubes perturbed with a single unstable kink mode evolve to a new helical equilibrium with finite amplitude. This kink would produce an active region that emerged tilted and then rotated and so is suggestive of δ-spot behavior. It would not, however, produce other characteristics of δ-spots such as compactness and shear. We then investigate the kink instability in tubes perturbed simultaneously with several unstable modes at different wavelengths. These tubes develop a concentrated kink at the point at which the modes interact constructively. We show that such a concentrated kink would first emerge highly tilted, rotate during its subsequent emergence while remaining compact, and develop strong shear along its magnetic neutral line, in agreement with δ-spot observations. In addition we find that very strong concentrated kinks develop a current sheet at which the magnetic field reconnects, causing field lines near the center of the tube to become knotted. This reconnection could be related to the high flare activity of δ-spots.
Quantitative Measurement of Interstitial Flux and Surface Super-saturation during Oxidation of Silicon

During the oxidation of silicon, interstitials are generated at the oxidizing surface and diffuse into the silicon. Boron diffusion was used to map the local interstitial super-saturation, the ratio of interstitial concentration to the equilibrium concentration of interstitials I/I * , versus depth above buried Si0.795Ge0.2C0.005 layers during oxidation. The average interstitial supersaturation at the silicon surface, extrapolated from the depth profiles, is measured as, ~24 and ~11.5 for 750°C and 850°C respectively. Using the measured interstitial concentration at the surface, the silicon interstitial injection into the silicon is calculated for oxidation at 750°C and 850°C. Finally, it is found that the surface boundary condition remains fixed over an interstitial injection rate ranging over 4 orders of magnitude.
An in vivo study of locking and grasping techniques using a passive mobilization protocol in experimental animals

An in vivo experimental study was performed on the flexor profundus tendons of adult canines to determine tensile strength differences between locking and grasping technique repairs and to document the tensile strength using a passive mobilization protocol through the first 21 days following surgery. Forty experimental third and fourth flexor tendons of the right forepaws were lacerated and repaired with either of the 2 techniques. The experimental tendons were harvested at days 3, 7, 14, and 21 and were biomechanically tested. The third and fourth profundus tendons of the left forepaws were used as control (day 0) tendons; they were lacerated and repaired with the locking or grasping techniques at the time of harvest and also were biomechanically tested. The locking technique statistically improved tensile strength values at days 0, 3, and 21. The tensile strength decrease was minimal when using a passive mobilization protocol after surgery.
Transplantation of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells Restores Endothelial Function of Denuded Rabbit Carotid Arteries

Background and Purpose— Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in repair of injured vascular endothelium and neovascularization. The present study was designed to determine the effect of EPCs transplantation on the regeneration of endothelium and recovery of endothelial function in denuded carotid arteries. Methods— Isolated mononuclear cells from rabbit peripheral blood were cultured in endothelial growth medium for 7 days, yielding EPCs. A rabbit model of common carotid artery denudation by passage of a deflated balloon catheter was used to evaluate the effects of EPCs on endothelial regeneration and vasomotor function. Immediately after denudation, autologous EPCs (105 cells in 200 μL saline) or 200 μL saline alone (control) were administered into the lumen of injured artery. Results— Four weeks after transplantation, fluorescence-labeled colonies of EPCs were found in the vessel wall. Local transplantation of EPCs as compared with saline administration accelerated endot...
Assessing Hierarchical Leisure Constraints Theory after Two Decades

This article assesses the status of hierarchical leisure constraints theory (Crawford & Godbey, 1987; Crawford, Jackson, & Godbey, 1991) regarding many issues. Such issues include clarification and...
PRAGMATISM, SCIENCE, AND SOCIETY: A REVIEW OF RICHARD RORTY'S OBJECTIVITY, RELATIVISM, AND TRUTH: PHILOSOPHICAL PAPERS, VOLUME 1

Richard Rorty's Objectivity, Relativism, and Truth: Philosophical Papers, Volume 1 is a collection of papers that explores the implications of philosophical pragmatism in several areas, including natural science, mind—body issues in philosophy, and perspectives on liberal democracy and social change. Similarities between Rorty's pragmatism and Skinner's radical behaviorism are explored in each of these three areas. Although some important and interesting differences are found regarding the role of science in social change, most areas show remarkable similarities between the two systematic perspectives.
Clinical Chemical Reagent Tablet Weight Distribution

A study of the weights of 121 tablets, intended for clinical chemical purposes, showed a normal distribution, with 95% of the tablets being within ± 8% of the mean weight (21.8 mg.). The substrate is pH 10.2 (37°), falling about 0.6 pH units when serum is added.
User perceptions and gender in end-user debugging: How do they affect outcomes?

Empirical studies of end-user debugging have revealed that males outperform females. An explanation of this phenomenon is that males have higher perceived self-efficacy (or confidence) than females in their ability to debug. However, it is not clear whether self-efficacy is the primary or sole user self-perception that affects males' and females' performance. In this study, we investigate additional factors that may predict performance, including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intensity of flow. A hierarchical regression including both genders was used to analyze the relationships of the users' self-perceptions on performance outcomes. The results show that self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness are most predictive of performance. Surprisingly, females' self-perceptions did not predict performance.
Evaluation of RFID Performance for a Pharmaceutical Distribution Chain: HF vs. UHF

In this paper, we investigate and compare the use of passive HF and UHF RFID systems for the item level identification of pharmaceutical products throughout their supply chains. We compare the overall identification performances of both types of RFID systems on individual products and on totes filled with tagged products. Scenarios representative of all aspects of the pharmaceutical distribution chain from the manufacturer to the retailer are considered. We conclude that the tested passive UHF RFID system provides significantly superior identification performance than do passive HF RFID systems.
A qualitative assessment of the perceived risks of electronic cigarette and hookah use in pregnancy

Studies reveal that electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) and hookah use are increasing among adolescents and young adults. However, the long-term health effects are unknown, especially with regards to pregnancy. Because of the increased use in women of reproductive age, and the unknown long-term health risks, our primary objectives were to determine the perceived risks of e-cigarette and hookah use in pregnancy, and learn common colloquial terms associated with e-cigarettes. Furthermore, we sought to determine if there is a stigma associated with e-cigarette use in pregnancy. Eleven focus groups including 87 participants were conducted immediately following regularly scheduled CenteringPregnancy® prenatal care with women at three different clinics in the greater Houston area. A minimum of two facilitators led the groups, using ten lead-in prompts, with Spanish translation as necessary. Facilitators took notes which were compared immediately following each group discussion and each group was audio recorded and transcribed. Three facilitators utilized NVivo 9.0 software to organize the transcribed data into nodes to identify major themes. To increase rigor, transcripts were further analyzed by two obstetricians who were instructed to find the major themes. Analyses revealed contradicting themes concerning e-cigarette use. In general, e-cigarettes were perceived as safer alternatives to regular tobacco cigarettes, especially if used as smoking cessation devices. A major theme is that use in pregnancy is harmful to the fetus. However, it was perceived that use for smoking cessation in pregnancy may have fewer side effects. We found that a common term for e-cigarettes is “Blu.” In our discussion of hookah use, participants perceived use as popular among teenagers and that use in pregnancy is dangerous for the fetus. Although a strong theme emerged against hookah use, we found contradicting themes in our discussions on e-cigarette use in pregnancy. It is possible that e-cigarette use will not carry the same stigma as regular cigarette smoking in pregnancy. In addition, the impression of e-cigarettes as a healthier alternative to smoking may influence use in pregnancy. Clinicians need to be prepared for questions of e-cigarette safety and efficacy as smoking cessation devices from their pregnant patients who smoke, and women who smoke and are planning to become pregnant.
Headache with Focal Neurological Signs

Investigators at Robert Debre Hospital and Paris Diderot University, Paris, France, and Basildon University Hospital, Essex, UK, conducted a prospective study of 101 children aged 6-18 years presenting to the ED of a tertiary hospital with moderate to severe headache and focal neurologic deficit with focal brain disturbance.
Adult cystic lymphangioma in the inner quadrant of the breast—Rare location for a rare disease: A case report

Introduction Adult cystic lymphangioma of the breast is extremely rare, especially in the breast’s upper, inner quadrant. Review of literature is discussed, including etiology, differential diagnosis, workup, and treatment of the disease.
Shared Histories: Teaching outside the Classroom "Box"

“Town and gown”: the phrase typically evokes distinct communities in shared or contiguous space. Since the medieval origins of the university, these communities have often existed in tension, typically surrounding the different sorts of economic, social, and cultural capital they represent. Today, virtually every college and university exists within a community with histories of its own and organizations devoted to preserving and telling those histories. Public historians have long been accustomed to recovering and telling these stories: sometimes from within the academy, where they teach in departments of history, but more often through historical museums, archives, and other institutions that connect a broader audience to the local past. However, the gap between academic and public history is narrower than we might think—because our students have their own connections to the places where we study and teach, especially if they attend college not far from where they have spent most of their lives. Our students’ experiences afford opportunities to bridge the town-gown divide. The three essays that make up this section describe collaborations between college students, instructors, and cultural and historical organizations beyond the campus. Each partnership aims to enhance the students’ historical understanding and to provide a tangible product for the community institutions or organizations. Peter Knupfer (Michigan State University) explains how his Senior Seminar in American History has come to study topics and episodes in Lansing’s history: not only as windows onto larger national stories but also as opportunities for students to dig deeply into archives and produce finding aids and other materials for local institutions. As Knupfer explains, his students’ course work thus becomes “audience-driven”: doing history, “need not be confined to classrooms and formal works of scholarship, . . . need not arise from cutting-edge research into a recently opened gap in the literature, and . . . can instead be taken into a community to serve a community’s needs.” Genevieve Carpio, Sharon Luk, and Adam Bush describe a project they devised while graduate students in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California (): Building People’s Histories. Inspired by Howard Zinn’s pedagogical ideas, these authors brought students and instructors from several  courses into collaboration with the Southern California Library (), a self-defined “people’s library” devoted to collecting material about local freedom struggles. Their essay suggests multiple ways to bring the community to the classroom and vice
Selling Activity and Sales Position Taxonomies for Industrial Salesforces

The author develops a comprehensive inventory of selling activities and uses it to analyze the jobs of 1393 salespeople employed by 51 industrial selling organizations. He also develops a taxonomy ...
Abstract A82: Can telomere length be modified in healthy people?

Short constitutional telomere length has been associated with aging and cancer, but how telomere length is affected by other epidemiologic or environmental variables in health has not been thoroughly studied. Understanding these associations with telomere length in health is important for studies to evaluate the relationship of telomere length and diseases such as cancer. We measured peripheral blood leukocyte DNA telomere length with quantitative PCR in 1977 non-related healthy controls collected through the Colon Cancer Family Registry (an NCI cooperative group) and through the Mayo Biobank and Biobank for Gastrointestinal Health Research, two IRB approved prospective biospecimen collections based at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. The controls were a median age of 50.6 years old, and 49.6% of the controls were male. Ninety-six percent of the controls were white; 1.8% were Asian, and Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):A82.
Exclusion in Descartes’s Rules for the Direction of the Mind: the emergence of the real distinction

The distinction Descartes makes between the mental operations of abstraction and exclusion, in the replies to objections to the Meditations, and in letters from the early 1640s, has been recognized...
Thrombophilic Risk Factors with Valproic Acid

Thrombophilic risk factors were investigated in 21 children (age range, 1-13 years) with epilepsy and recently treated with valproic acid monotherapy, in a study at Ankara University Medicine Faculty, Turkey.
Ethno-Graphics and the Moving Body

L'A. debute avec un bref commentaire portant sur une photographie tiree de l'oeuvre d'Evans-Pritchard, et qui illustre un probleme fondamental dans la perception occidentale du mouvement corporel humain. On suggere que l'interet grandissant pour le « corps » n'a pas encore permis de theoriser la personne comme agent en mouvement, absente jusqu'a ce jour de la theorie culturelle et des ecrits ethnographiques. On avance l'idee que la nouvelle perspective realiste sur la personne agissante (person and agency) est plus a meme d'offrir les bases philosophiques necessaires a une theorie des acteurs sociaux « dans leur corps », que ne l'est la philosophie existentialiste de Merleau-Ponty. Une fois que les gens sont concus comme des personnes ayant le pouvoir d'executer des actes signifiants a l'aide de signes aussi bien linguistiques que synergiques, le chemin est trace pour developper les strategies necessaires a l'investigation systematique de l'action « incorporee ». Est abordee ensuite la question de l'adoption d'une ecriture du mouvement (Labanotation) qui pourrait se reveler comme etant une ressource methodologique de grand secours, avant d'examiner les methodes utilisees pour enregistrer le langage par signes developpes par les Nord-Amerindiens des plaines. L'A. conclut sur une louange d'Evans-Pritchard pour l'interet ulterieur qu'il porta a l'idee d'un savoir et d'une ecriture du mouvement
Thoracic spine morphology of a pseudo-biped animal model (kangaroo) and comparisons with human and quadruped animals

Based on the structural anatomy, loading condition and range of motion (ROM), no quadruped animal has been shown to accurately mimic the structure and biomechanical function of the human spine. The objective of this study is to quantify the thoracic vertebrae geometry of the kangaroo, and compare with adult human, pig, sheep, and deer. The thoracic vertebrae (T1–T12) from whole body CT scans of ten juvenile kangaroos (ages 11–14 months) were digitally reconstructed and geometric dimensions of the vertebral bodies, endplates, pedicles, spinal canal, processes, facets and intervertebral discs were recorded. Similar data available in the literature on the adult human, pig, sheep, and deer were compared to the kangaroo. A non-parametric trend analysis was performed. Thoracic vertebral dimensions of the juvenile kangaroo were found to be generally smaller than those of the adult human and quadruped animals. The most significant (p < 0.001) correlations (Rho) found between the human and kangaroo were in vertebrae and endplate dimensions (0.951 ≤ Rho ≤ 0.963), pedicles (0.851 ≤ Rho ≤ 0.951), and inter-facet heights (0.891 ≤ Rho ≤ 0.967). The deer displayed the least similar trends across vertebral levels. Similarities in thoracic spine vertebral geometry, particularly of the vertebrae, pedicles and facets may render the kangaroo a more clinically relevant human surrogate for testing spinal implants. The pseudo-biped kangaroo may also be a more suitable model for the human thoracic spine for simulating spine deformities, based on previously published similarities in biomechanical loading, posture and ROM.
Spectral and energy efficiency for massive MIMO systems using exponential correlation model

The use of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) systems can improve the performance of energy efficiency and increase the capacity limits due to the improvement of the spatial correlation. The effect of the exponential correlation model on the massive MIMO energy and spectral efficiencies is investigated using a base station (BS) with a large number of antennas and a single antenna user terminal. To generate the lower capacity bounds, we used least minimum mean square error (LMMSE) as a pilot based channel estimator for the uplink channel. Different scenarios are implemented by using several numbers of BS antennas and changing the signal to noise ratio (SNR) values. The spectral efficiency was more sensitive to the change of the correlation factor when using higher SNR. It is shown that for the higher number of BS antennas we have, more energy efficient performance we get.
Statistical controversies in clinical research: data access and sharing-can we be more transparent about clinical research? Let's do what's right for patients.

ABSTRACT Calls for greater transparency and ‘open data access’ in clinical research are widespread, from sources including the Executive Office of the President, which in 2013 called for increased access to the results of federally funded research. In 2015, The Institute of Medicine issued a report advocating for a multi-stakeholder effort to foster responsible data sharing, and there are many others. Open science is good for researchers, good for innovation, and good for patients. The question at the center of the open-science efforts for clinical trials should not be whether data should be shared, but rather how we can usher in responsible methods for doing so. Unfortunately, there remain numerous perceived barriers to complete transparency around clinical trial data. This paper reviews the current status of data disclosure, the barriers to achieving it and a suggestion for the future.
BRD9 Inhibition, Alone or in Combination with Cytostatic Compounds as a Therapeutic Approach in Rhabdoid Tumors

Rhabdoid tumors (RT) are malignant neoplasms of early childhood. Despite intensive therapy, survival is poor and new treatment approaches are required. The only recurrent mutations in these tumors affect SMARCB1 and less commonly SMARCA4, both subunits of the chromatin remodeling complex SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF). Loss of these two core subunits alters the function of the SWI/SNF complex, resulting in tumor development. We hypothesized that inhibition of aberrant SWI/SNF function by selective blockade of the BRD9 subunit of the SWI/SNF complex would reduce tumor cell proliferation. The cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects of two specific chemical probes (I-BRD9 and BI-9564) which target the bromodomain of SWI/SNF protein BRD9 were evaluated in 5 RT cell lines. Combinatorial effects of I-BRD9 and cytotoxic drugs on cell proliferation were evaluated by cytotoxicity assays. Single compound treatment of RT cells with I-BRD9 and BI-9564 resulted in decreased cell proliferation, G1-arrest and apoptosis. Combined treatment of doxorubicin or carboplatin with I-BRD9 resulted in additive to synergistic inhibitory effects on cell proliferation. In contrast, the combination of I-BRD9 with vincristine demonstrated the antagonistic effects of these two compounds. We conclude that the BRD9 bromodomain is an attractive target for novel therapies in this cancer.
Structural Gamification of a University GIS Course

College level Geographic Information Systems (GIS) courses are, like most university courses, linear, rigid, punitive, and self-contained. Most have laboratories involving the use of high-end, complex GIS software with a steep learning curve. This chapter demonstrates one way to convert one such laboratory course into a quest-based learning (QBL) environment. The chapter illustrates how I am currently using 3DGamelab’s Quest-Based Learning Management System (LMS) to convert this traditional, college course into one that provides choice, rewards for learning from mistakes, and opportunities for credential building. I describe how to incorporate labs normally requiring face-to-face interaction, how to provide choice and still cover the material, how to leverage outside learning material, and how to encourage life-long learning. Many of the rewards, especially the badges, are linked explicitly to the US Department of Labor’s geospatial technology industry’s competency model, thus encouraging learners to see this as an opportunity to plan for future employment. Finally, this chapter discusses some of the difficulties of course mapping a complex, full-semester course. In particular it illustrates issues of adapting to learner needs, and the time and effort required to construct and deliver an interactive-intensive learning environment. I make recommendations for solutions and adaptations for such difficulties.
Damocles' syndrome revisited: Update on the fear of cancer recurrence in the complex world of today's treatments and survivorship.

Abstract Objective/Background Improvements in curative treatments for many types of cancer have emerged over the past several decades, resulting in a growing population of long-term cancer survivors – of both adult and childhood cancers. Despite this incredible medical achievement, long-term survivors of cancer face a unique fear: the fear of relapse. Methods We conducted a review of the literature for data on fear of relapse among cancer survivors. Results The fear of cancer recurrence is present in survivors of childhood and adult cancers as well as family members and often leads to psychological sequelae. Conclusion Literature on the fear of cancer recurrence has begun to emerge. However, herein we provide a unique approach through the use of a metaphor: Cicero’s story of Damocles’ sword. We aim to outline the many fear-related and emotional challenges faced by cancer survivors with an extensive review of studies demonstrating such challenges.
Low-Pressure and Low-Temperature Hydriding–Pulverization–Dehydriding Method for Producing Shape Memory Alloy Powders

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are of high interest as active, adaptive “smart” materials for applications such as sensors and actuators due to their unique properties, including the shape memory effect and pseudoelasticity. Binary NiTi SMAs have shown the most desirable properties, and consequently have generated the most commercial success. A major challenge for SMAs, in particular, is their well-known compositional sensitivity. Therefore, it is critical to control the powder composition and morphology. In this study, a low-pressure, low-temperature hydriding–pulverization–dehydriding method for preparing well-controlled compositions, size, and size distributions of SMA powders from wires is presented. Starting with three different diameters of as-drawn martensitic NiTi SMA wires, pre-alloyed NiTi powders of various well-controlled sizes are produced by hydrogen charging the wires in a heated H3PO4 solution. After hydrogen charging for different charging times, the wires are pulverized and subsequently dehydrided. The wires and the resulting powders are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction. The relationship between the wire diameter and powder size is investigated as a function of hydrogen charging time. The rate of diameter reduction after hydrogen charging of wire is also examined. Finally, the recovery behavior due to the shape memory effect is investigated after dehydriding.
Subsurface Ice and Permafrost on Mars

Terrestrial permafrost varies widely in its physical and mechanical properties and behavior. Ice content, for example, may range from 0 to 100 % by volume. The types of subsurface ice are numerous and the crystal structure of terrestrial subsurface ice is variable. Most subsurface ice is hexagonal, Ice-I; clathrate structures are known, however. The ice content of permafrost is only a fraction, albeit the predominant one, of the water present. A significant portion of the water present exists in an unfrozen state and is distributed throughout the pore space and in interfacial areas. The proportion of ice to unfrozen water varies, in a characteristic manner, with temperature and solute concentration. These basic facts are important In determining the strength and deformation properties of permafrost and also its hydrological and electrical properties. Reliable relationships among these properties are derivable from basic thermodynamic theory and from empirical relationships recently established on the basis of laboratory and field data.
Serine/Threonine Phosphatases

Phosphorylation of proteins on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues is a major mechanism for regulating the activity of cell proteins and it plays a central role in virtually all signal transduction pathways in eukaryotes. The steady-state level of phosphorylation of a protein at a particular site depends on the balance of the activities of the protein kinase(s) and protein phosphatase(s) acting on that site. Both protein kinases and protein phosphatases are important targets of cell regulation. This article focuses on the structure, regulation, and function of the two families of protein Ser/Thr phosphatases (phosphoprotein phosphatase and protein phosphatase Mg 2+ - or Mn 2+ -dependent). Members of each family are present in all three domains of life (archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes).
Malingering assessment: Evaluation of validity of performance

Consideration of symptom exaggeration or overt malingering is of particular importance in assessment of alleged mild head trauma and other mild or questionable personal injury situations. Validity is the extent to which tests assess what they were designed to measure. The determination of invalidity is part of the overall neuropsychological interpretation process. In neuropsychology a line of validity assessment research has developed, leading to three general approaches to validity and/or malingering assessment: (a) symptom validity measures, (b) invalid patterns of performance on clinical neuropsychological measures, and (c) concomitant extra-test behavioral information or observations. In each case some aspect of behavior is compared to an external standard or to other intra-subject behavior. Inconsistencies and discrepant comparisons are cause for validity concerns. These approaches are described and recommendations are provided based on the extant literature. However, validity assessment is difficult and at times ambiguous in part because real and feigned deficits are not mutually exclusive. In some clinical situations the most that can be said about an invalid performance is that it is not indicative of the true neurobehavioral capabilities of the person being evaluated, and is not consistent with the presumed etiologic event.
On the Generalizability of Experimental Results

The age-old question of the generalizability of the results of experiments that are conducted in artificial laboratory settings to more realistic inferential and decision-making situations is considered in this paper. Conservatism in probability revision provides an example of a result that (1) has received wide attention, including attention in terms of implications for real-world decision making, on the basis of experiments conducted in artificial settings and (2) is now apparently thought by many to be highly situational and not at all a ubiquitous phenomenon, in which case its implications for real-world decision making are not as extensive as originally claimed. In this paper we consider the questions of generalizations from the laboratory to the real world in some detail, both within the context of the experiments regarding conservatism and within a more general context. In addition, we discuss some of the difficulties inherent in experimentation in realistic settings, suggest possible procedures for avoiding or at least alleviating such difficulties, and make a plea for more realistic experiments.
Diffractive physics program with tagged forward protons at STAR/RHIC

A new physics program to study the dynamics and particle production in polarized diffractive p+ p collisions at √ s = 200 500 GeV has been initiated with the STAR detector at RHIC. Staged implementation of multiple Roman Pot stations for tagging the forward protons in the diffractive processes will enable, in particular, a search for the centrally produced gluon bound state (glueball) via double Pomeron exchange inelastic diffractive processes. The properties of the Pomeron and the existence of theoretically expected C-odd counterpart of the Pomeron (Odderon) are also explored with spin-dependent elastic scattering in a wide t-range with polarized p+ p collisions.
Meeting, Beating, Streaks and Bubbles

The literature in economics and finance document that asset bubbles can emerge and remain sustained for a variety of reasons. In this paper, we develop an analytical model to characterize two types of rational bubbles linked to accounting disclosures, drift bubbles and sensitivity bubbles. We conjecture that both types of bubbles are likely to do so when firms experience streaks of good news. We use our analytical model to generate a number of hypotheses that are expected to hold if drift and/or sensitivity bubbles arise when firms experience streaks of good news, which we proxy for using lengths of meet or beat streaks. In price level regressions, we provide evidence consistent with meet or beat streaks associated with both non-linear drift and non-linear sensitivity price bubbles, consistent with the predictions drawn from the model. We offer less compelling evidence consistent with the model predictions that the drift and sensitivity bubbles should accelerate as a firm continues a streak. We provide reasonable evidence consistent with the drift and sensitivity bubbles unwinding when a firm fails to continue a meet or beat streak. Finally, we find evidence that the industry-wide streak related bubble-like patterns are incremental to the firm-specific patterns we document.
TEM8 and CMG2 expression in normal and cancerous prostate tissues

4257 Tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) shows enhanced expression in endothelia of colon carcinomas, determined by serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE). Capillary morphogenesis gene 2 (CMG2) shows elevated expression during in vitro induction of capillary-like tubulation in collagen matrices. Thus, both genes have been suggested to be potential novel players in neo-vasculature formation. Notably, TEM8 appears important for vasculature of tumors. Both genes exhibit differential splicing, which results in multiple isoforms of the proteins, some single-pass integral membrane proteins, others secreted. The extracellular portions of TEM8 and CMG2 contain von Willebrand Factor A domain, and within it a metal ion dependent adhesion site. The secreted forms typically diverge in sequence right before the transmembrane segment in the membrane-bound forms. Although the precise mechanisms by which these proteins function are unclear, it is known that collagen α3 (VI) interacts with TEM8, and collagen IV and laminin interact with CMG2. However, the functional significance of these interactions is unclear. The only definitively known function of TEM8 and CMG2 is that they serve as anthrax toxin receptors. A comprehensive expression profile of TEM8 and CMG2, notably the variant-specific profile, is unavailable. In as much as a gene can function in a process specific manner by differential expression of its variants, it is imperative that expression of each variant be determined to discern any correlation with a normal or pathological state. To that end, we have assessed expression of all TEM8 and CMG2 variants in a large number of normal human tissues, as well as cancer cells. To do so we used variant specific primers and semi-quantitative nested PCR. We report here that both TEM8 and CMG2 variants show tissue-specific and developmental expression. Both genes have certain variants that show near ubiquitous expression, and others that show highly selective expression. TEM8V3, a secreted form, is ubiquitous, while V2 and V4, both membrane-bound, show selective expression. V1 (membrane-bound) and V5 (secreted) were only in prostate. CMG2-488 and 489, both membrane-bound, show broad expression, but CMG2-322, a secreted form, shows highly selective expression. CMG2-386, another membrane-bound form, was absent from all tissues studied. We are now studying the expression of all variants in paired normal and cancerous prostate tissues. Our initial results show that TEM8V3, ubiquitous in all normal tissues, is absent from cancerous prostate tissue. But CMG2-488 was strongly expressed in the same tissue. We think it likely that the two genes exhibit expression profiles in cancerous tissues different from those in normal tissues, and that such differences may prove useful in diagnosis.
Terrestrial biosphere models may overestimate Arctic CO2 assimilation if they do not account for decreased quantum yield and convexity at low temperature

How terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs) represent leaf photosynthesis and its sensitivity to temperature are two critical components of understanding and predicting the response of the Arctic carbon cycle to global change. We measured the effect of temperature on the response of photosynthesis to irradiance in six Arctic plant species and determined the quantum yield of CO2 fixation ( ϕ CO 2 ) and the convexity factor (θ). We also determined leaf absorptance (α) from measured reflectance to calculate ϕ CO 2 on an absorbed light basis ( ϕ CO 2 . a ) and enabled comparison with nine TBMs. The mean ϕ CO 2 . a was 0.045 mol CO2 mol-1 absorbed quanta at 25°C and closely agreed with the mean TBM parameterisation (0.044), but as temperature decreased measured ϕ CO 2 . a diverged from TBMs. At 5°C measured ϕ CO 2 . a was markedly reduced (0.025) and 60% lower than TBM estimates. The θ also showed a significant reduction between 25°C and 5°C. At 5°C θ was 38% lower than the common model parameterisation of 0.7. These data show that TBMs are not accounting for observed reductions in ϕ CO 2 . a and θ that can occur at low temperature. Ignoring these reductions in ϕ CO 2 . a and θ could lead to a marked (45%) overestimation of CO2 assimilation at subsaturating irradiance and low temperature.
A Low Frequency Mechanical Transmitter Based on Magnetoelectric Heterostructures Operated at Their Resonance Frequency

Magneto-elasto-electric (ME) coupling heterostructures, consisting of piezoelectric layers bonded to magnetostrictive ones, provide for a new class of electromagnetic emitter materials on which a portable (area ~ 16 cm2) very low frequency (VLF) transmitter technology could be developed. The proposed ME transmitter functions as follows: (a) a piezoelectric layer is first driven by alternating current AC electric voltage at its electromechanical resonance (EMR) frequency, (b) subsequently, this EMR excites the magnetostrictive layers, giving rise to magnetization change, (c) in turn, the magnetization oscillations result in oscillating magnetic fields. By Maxwell’s equations, a corresponding electric field, is also generated, leading to electromagnetic field propagation. Our hybrid piezoelectric-magnetostrictive transformer can take an input electric voltage that may include modulation-signal over a carrier frequency and transmit via oscillating magnetic field or flux change. The prototype measurements reveal a magnetic dipole like near field, demonstrating its transmission capabilities. Furthermore, the developed prototype showed a 104 times higher efficiency over a small-circular loop of the same area, exhibiting its superiority over the class of traditional small antennas.
KEYNOTE-042 and the role for single agent pembrolizumab in patients with PD-L1 tumor proportion score 1–49%

Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies against programmed death-1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1) were approved for previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on the results from four randomized trials showing improved survival compared to standard therapy with docetaxel (1-4). in the phase 1 study with the anti-PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab in previously treated NSCLC, the response rate and median progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with PD-L1 proportion score of ≥50% were 45.2% and 6.3 months respectively, with median PFS of 6.1 months for the 99 previously treated patients and 12.5 months for the 20 previously untreated patients (5). Therefore, the next logical step was to evaluate the role of pembrolizumab in previously untreated patients with PD-L1 score of ≥50%, where the efficacy was comparable to historical data on first-line platinum-based combination chemotherapy with or without maintenance chemotherapy (6-9).