cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
UNDERSTANDING AS IMMERSION

R. M. SainsburyUniversity of Texas at Austin and King’s College LondonIf you understand a declarative utterance, you thereby know what thespeaker said in uttering the words she did. The converse is close to true:if you come to know what a speaker of a declarative utterance has said,then normally you understand the utterance. An example of an abnormalsituation would be one in which the speaker’s utterance is in a language youdo not understand, but you are authoritatively informed, and so know, whatthe speaker said. The connection between understanding a whole utteranceand knowing something can be preserved by alluding to the basis of theknowledge: it should arise from understanding the words in the utterance, andhow they are put together. This leads to a fairly uncontroversial conditionalequivalence:
Can three-dimensional echocardiography accurately predict complexity of mitral valve repair?

OBJECTIVE: Feasibility of mitral repair is a key factor in the decision to operate for mitral regurgitation. Repair feasibility is highly dependent on surgical experience and repair complexity. We sought an objective means of predicting complexity of repair using three-dimensional (3D) transoesophageal echocardiography. METHODS: In a cohort of 786 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery between 2007 and 2010, 3D transoesophageal echocardiography was performed in 66 patients with mitral regurgitation prior to the institution of cardiopulmonary bypass. The surgeon reviewed the 2D echocardiographic images for all patients pre-operatively, but did not view the 3D echocardiographic quantitative data or volumetric analysis until after surgery. Repairs involving no or a single-segment leaflet resection, sliding-plasty, cleft closure, chordal or commissural repair techniques were classed as standard repairs. Complex repairs were defined as those involving bileaflet repair techniques, requiring multiple resections or patch augmentation. Disease aetiology included Barlow’s disease (n= 18), fibroelastic deficiency (n= 22), ischaemic (n= 5), endocarditis (n= 5), rheumatic (n= 2) and dilated cardiomyopathy (n= 2). RESULTS: No patient required mitral replacement or had more than mild mitral regurgitation on pre-discharge echocardiography. Anterior and posterior leaflet areas, annular circumference, anterior and posterior leaflet angles, prolapse and tenting heights and volumes were most strongly predictive of repair complexity. As 21 of the 22 patients with bileaflet pathology and multisegment prolapse were complex repairs, we sought to develop a model predicting repair complexity in the remaining patients. The most predictive model with a c-statistic of 0.91 included three predictors: multisegment pathology, prolapsing height and posterior leaflet angle. After bootstrap validation, the revised c-statistic was 0.88. CONCLUSIONS: 3D transoesophageal echocardiography provides an objective means of predicting mitral repair complexity in mitral regurgitation due to a range of aetiology.
Modeling Guessing Behavior: A Comparison of Two IRT Models

This study compared the fit of the three-parameter model to that of the Ability Removing Random Guessing (ARRG) model (Waller, 1973) on data from a wide range of tests of cognitive ability in three repre sentative samples. Although both models were de signed to remove only the effects of random guessing, the results of this study indicated that the three-param eter model also makes an adjustment for partial- knowledge guessing. Fit of the three-parameter model with guessing parameters estimated at a constant value of 1 divided by the number of alternatives was com pared to fit with individually estimated guessing pa rameters. The latter were found to produce fit far su perior to those estimated at a constant value. A solution to the convergence problems often encoun tered with the three-parameter model is discussed.
Identification of Rho GTPase-dependent Sites in the Dbl Homology Domain of Oncogenic Dbl That Are Required for Transformation*

Abstract The Dbl family guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for Rho GTPases share the structural array of a Dbl homology (DH) domain in tandem with a Pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. For oncogenic Dbl, the DH domain is responsible for the GEF activity, and the DH-PH module constitutes the minimum structural unit required for cellular transformation. To understand the structure-function relationship of the DH domain, we have investigated the role of specific residues of the DH domain of Dbl in interaction with Rho GTPases and in Dbl-induced transformation. Alanine substitution mutagenesis identified a panel of DH mutants made in the α1, α6, and α9 regions and the PH junction site that suffer complete or partial loss of GEF activity toward Cdc42 and RhoA. Kinetic and binding analysis of these mutants revealed that although most displayed decreased k cat values in the GEF reaction, the substrate binding activities of T506A and R634A were significantly reduced. E502A, Q633A, and N673A/D674A, on the other hand, retained the binding capability to the Rho GTPases but lost the GEF catalytic activity. In general, the in vitro GEF activity of the DH mutants correlated with the in vivo Cdc42- and RhoA-activating potential, and the GEF catalytic efficiency mirrored the transforming activity in NIH 3T3 cells. Moreover, the N673A/D674A mutant exhibited a potent dominant-negative effect on serum-induced cell growth and caused retraction of actin structures. These studies identify important sites of the DH domain involved in binding or catalysis of Rho proteins and demonstrate that maintaining a threshold of GEF catalytic activity, in addition to the Rho GTPase binding activity, is essential for efficient transformation by oncogenic Dbl.
Cyclic stretch-induced nuclear localization of transcription factors results in increased nuclear targeting of plasmids in alveolar epithelial cells.

Background We have shown previously that cyclic stretch corresponding to that experienced by the pulmonary epithelium during normal breathing enhances nonviral gene transfer and expression in alveolar epithelial cells by increasing plasmid intracellular trafficking. Although reorganization of the microtubule and actin cytoskeletons by cyclic stretch is necessary for increased plasmid trafficking, the role of nuclear entry in this enhanced trafficking has not been elucidated. Methods Alveolar epithelial cells were subjected to biaxial cyclic stretch (10% change in surface area at 0.5 Hz) and assayed for RNA expression, nuclear localization and activation of key transcription factors. Stretched epithelial cells were transfected with plasmids via electroporation and exposed to inhibitors of transcription factor activation. Results When assayed by in situ hybridization, more plasmids were localized to the nuclei of cells that were stretched following electroporation compared to unstretched cells. Cyclic stretch also increases the nuclear localization of multiple transcription factors thought to be involved in plasmid nuclear entry, including AP1, AP2, NF-κB and NF1. Specific inhibition of the nuclear import of AP1 and/or NF-κB abolishes the enhanced plasmid nuclear localization seen with stretch. Conclusions Nuclear entry of plasmids is thought to be mediated by the binding of proteins that chaperone the DNA through the nuclear pore. Stretch-enhanced nuclear localization of transcription factors increases nuclear targeting of plasmids, whereas inhibition of the nuclear import of specific transcription factors abrogated stretch-enhanced plasmid nuclear localization. Taken together, these results suggest that cyclic stretch increases gene trafficking in the cytoplasm and at the nuclear envelope. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Inter-relationships between endothelin and prostaglandin F2alpha in corpus luteum function

In cattle and other species, the corpus luteum plays a central role in the regulation of cyclicity and maintenance of pregnancy. In the absence of fertilization and implantation, the corpus luteum undergoes functional and morphological regression or luteolysis. Luteal regression is initiated in domestic ruminants by surges of prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha) from the uterus. Despite intensive investigation, the mechanisms by which PGF2alpha causes luteal regression remain undetermined. Recent studies from several laboratories have demonstrated that endothelial cells and their product, endothelin 1, are required for the manifestation of the luteolytic effects of PGF2alpha. Experimental evidence strongly supports the concept that luteal endothelin 1 inhibits luteal steroidogenesis and mediates the effects of PGF2alpha. Endothelin 1 caused a dose-dependent reduction in both basal and luteinizing hormone-stimulated biosynthesis of progesterone and prostacyclin, and an increase in PGF2alpha by ovine and bovine luteal cells. Specific receptors for endothelin 1 were identified on large and small bovine luteal cells, and the addition of specific endothelin receptor antagonists abolished the inhibitory effects of endothelin 1. Luteal endothelin 1 content increased as the cyclic corpus luteum aged, and the highest concentrations were observed during luteolysis. The amount of mRNA encoding endothelin 1 was greatly increased during the period of luteolysis. Gene expression for endothelin 1 was increased, in a time-dependent manner, in corpora lutea collected from heifers and ewes after exogenous administration of PGF2alpha. In heifers, exogenous PGF2alpha resulted in increased luteal output of endothelin 1. In ewes, the luteolytic effects of PGF2alpha were mitigated by pretreatment with a specific endothelin receptor antagonist. Administration of endothelin 1 or a sub-luteolytic dose of PGF2alpha to ewes reduced concentrations of jugular venous progesterone but did not shorten luteal lifespan. However, a combination of endothelin 1 and PGF2alpha acted synergistically to bring about complete luteolysis and reduced lifespan of the corpus luteum. In summary, endothelin 1 appears to have a direct effect on luteal cells in cattle and sheep, and it plays an essential role in mediating the luteolytic effects of PGF2alpha.
ER Stress Modulates Cellular Metabolism

Changes in metabolic processes play a critical role in the survival or death of cells subjected to various stresses. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress on cellular metabolism. A major difficulty in studying metabolic responses to ER stress is that ER stress normally leads to apoptosis and metabolic changes observed in dying cells may be misleading. Therefore we have used IL-3 (interleukin 3)-dependent Bak −/− Bax −/− haemopoietic cells which do not die in the presence of the ER-stress-inducing drug tunicamycin. Tunicamycin-treated Bak −/− Bax −/− cells remain viable, but cease growth, arresting in G 1 -phase and undergoing autophagy in the absence of apoptosis. In these cells, we used NMR-based SIRM (stable isotope-resolved metabolomics) to determine the metabolic effects of tunicamycin. Glucose was found to be the major carbon source for energy production and anabolic metabolism. Following tunicamycin exposure, glucose uptake and lactate production are greatly reduced. Decreased 13 C labelling in several cellular metabolites suggests that mitochondrial function in cells undergoing ER stress is compromised. Consistent with this, mitochondrial membrane potential, oxygen consumption and cellular ATP levels are much lower compared with untreated cells. Importantly, the effects of tunicamycin on cellular metabolic processes may be related to a reduction in cell-surface GLUT1 (glucose transporter 1) levels which, in turn, may reflect decreased Akt signalling. These results suggest that ER stress exerts profound effects on several central metabolic processes which may help to explain cell death arising from ER stress in normal cells.
A 14-b 20-Msamples/s CMOS pipelined ADC

The performance of high-resolution pipelined ADCs is limited by the residue amplifier gain and settling accuracy. In typical implementations, error sources are capacitor ratio mismatch, op-amp gain, and residue settling. All these affect ADC performance adversely, specifically in high-speed ADCs. Capacitor matching improves as capacitor size increases, but the trend is towards shrinking capacitor size for high-speed conversion. Many innovations to overcome this such as ratio-independent techniques are reported. Among them, capacitor error-averaging offers an advantage of achieving both INL and DNL improvements over that achievable by capacitor matching, but it requires three clock phases-one extra clock phase for averaging capacitor errors. In this work, the one extra clock phase is used advantageously for comparison.
Tandem polymer solar cells featuring a spectrally matched low-bandgap polymer

Researchers demonstrate that PBDTT-DPP, a semiconducting polymer with a low bandgap of 1.44 eV, allows tandem polymer solar cells to reach power conversion efficiencies of around 8.6%.
Second Derivative Algorithms for Minimum Delay Distributed Routing in Networks

We propose a class of algorithms for finding an optimal quasi-static routing in a communication network. The algorithms are based on Gallager's method [1] and provide methods for iteratively updating the routing table entries of each node in a manner that guarantees convergence to a minimum delay routing. Their main feature is that they utilize second derivatives of the objective function and may be viewed as approximations to a constrained version of Newton's method. The use of second derivatives results in improved speed of convergence and automatic stepsize scaling with respect to level of traffic input. These advantages are of crucial importance for the practical implementation of the algorithm using distributed computation in an environment where input traffic statistics gradually change.
Cancer Genomes Evolve by Pulverizing Single Chromosomes

A report in this issue describes "chromothripsis," a new mechanism for genetic instability in cancer cells. Chromothripsis appears to be a cataclysmic event in which a single chromosome is fragmented and then reassembled. The phenomenon raises important questions of how chromosome rearrangements can be confined to defined genome segments.
A Model of the Geodynamo

Summary The problem of the generation of the geomagnetic field by convection in the Earth's core is considered. The complete hydromagnetic problem including the Lorentz force is solved in the case of a cylindrical configuration. Because of the dominant effect of rotation this configuration incorporates the essential features of the dynamo process in the Earth's core. The results show general agreement with the known properties of geomagnetism and the Earth's core. It is found that the toroidal field in the core is of the same order of magnitude as the poloidal field. This result is consistent with the basic assumption of theory that the Lorentz force is small compared to the Coriolis force.
Arf6 and phosphoinositol-4-phosphate-5-kinase activities permit bypass of the Rac1 requirement for β1 integrin-mediated bacterial uptake

Efficient entry of the bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis into mammalian cells requires the binding of the bacterial invasin protein to β1 integrin receptors and the activation of the small GTPase Rac1. We report here that this Rac1-dependent pathway involves recruitment of phosphoinositol-4-phosphate-5-kinase (PIP5K) to form phosphoinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) at the phagocytic cup. Reducing the concentration of PIP2 in the target cell by using a membrane-targeted PIP2-specific phosphatase lowered bacterial uptake proportionately. PIP2 formation is regulated by Arf6. An Arf6 derivative defective for nucleotide binding (Arf6N122I) interfered with uptake and decreased the level of PIP2 around extracellular bacteria bound to host cells. This reduction in PIP2 occurred in spite of fact that PIP5K appeared to be recruited efficiently to the site of bacterial binding, indicating a role for Arf6 in activation of the kinase. The elimination of the Rac1-GTP–bound form from the cell by the introduction of the Y. pseudotuberculosis YopE RhoGAP protein could be bypassed by the overproduction of either PIP5K or Arf6, although the degree of bypass was greater for Arf6 transfectants. These results indicate that both Arf6 and PIP5K are involved in integrin-dependent uptake, and that Arf6 participates in both activation of PIP5K as well as in other events associated with bacterial uptake.
Emerging materials for microelectromechanical systems at elevated temperatures

Extension of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) into more extreme operating conditions will require a wider range of material properties than are currently available in conventional systems. Successful integration of new materials is dependent on concurrent development of compatible fabrication routes and scale appropriate evaluation techniques. This review focuses on emerging material classes that have potential to replace silicon-based MEMS in elevated temperature applications. Basic silicon mechanical properties and micromachining methods are reviewed to provide context for developing material systems such as silicon carbide, silicon carbonitrides, and several nickel-based alloys. Potential improvements in strength, thermal stability, and reliability are juxtaposed with fabrication, reproducibility, and economic feasibility issues that must also be addressed.
A deterministic approach to adaptive beamforming with imperfect arrays

A soft-constrained deterministic least-squares (LS) method is presented which alleviates the signal nulling problem encountered in an adaptive beamformer with imperfect arrays. The approach uses an algorithm which is capable of solving deterministic LS minimization problems subject to multiple constraints in a recursive, adaptive manner by imposing soft constraints via the quadratic penalty function optimization method. The algorithm is implemented with a single triangular systolic array which provides a faster response by direct computation of the beamformer output with total independence of signal statistics. Computer simulations are used to assess the effectiveness of the method when used in a generalized sidelobe canceler with imperfect arrays. >
Rational selection of biomarker driven therapies for gynecologic cancers: The more we know, the more we know we don't know

Precision medicine is a rapidly evolving area in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. Advances in sequencing technology have resulted in an increasing wealth of data regarding the genomic characteristics of ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancers. These vast new datasets of information have led to novel insights into potential vulnerabilities and therapeutic targets for these cancers. However, unraveling the complex molecular changes within cancer cells to determine how best to attack these targets and to identify effective biomarkers of response remains a significant challenge. In this article, we review the current status of biomarker-driven targeted therapy in gynecologic malignancies.
Microwave Radiation Decontamination of Mildew Infected Cotton

The conditions (moisture, temperature, and time) of a 1000 W, 2.45 GHz household microwave oven required to decontaminate cotton textiles inoculated with mildew (Aspergillus niger) are assessed. For samples initially saturated with water, 24 minutes of microwave irradiation kills mildew on 2″ × 2″ and 4″ × 4″ cotton samples with no significant damage to the fibers, but fails to decontaminate 6″ × 6″ samples. When extra water is added at intervals during the irradiation, it still takes 21 and 24 minutes to decontaminate the 2″ × 2″ and 4″ × 4″ cotton samples, respectively. Although these results indicate that microwave irradiation has potential as a tool for textile decontamination, limitations of conventional household microwave ovens (e.g., low efficiency, nonuniform heating, and no continuous source of moisture) need to be assessed and at least partially rectified to render microwave treatment a viable practical tool for textile decontamination.
Resistant sweet corn hybrid plus insecticide to reduce losses from corn earworms.

Resistant sweet corn hybrid 471-U6 ✕ 81–1 that was not treated with insecticide had 48% more ears free of damage from an artificial infestation (heavy population pressure) of Heliothis zea (Boddie), than a susceptible hybrid treated with 7 applications of Gardona® (2-chloro-l-(2, 4, 5-trichlorophenyl) vinyl dimethyl phosphate). When exposed to a natural field infestation of corn earworms, the susceptible hybrid treated with 7 applications of Gardona had only 8% more damage-free ears than the untreated resistant hybrid. When the resistant hybrid was treated with Gardona and exposed to a natural infestation of insects and to the artificial infestation, it had 15 and 4% more damage-free ears, respectively, than when untreated. The results indicated that resistant hybrids may require less insecticide than susceptible hybrids to achieve an equivalent high level of earworm damage control.
Demographics and etiologic factors of nasal pyogenic granuloma.

Background Nasal pyogenic granuloma (lobular capillary hemangioma) is a rare benign tumor of unclear etiology. This study describes the clinical characteristics and possible etiologic factors in a series of patients with pyogenic granuloma. Methods All adult patients with a histologic diagnosis of pyogenic granuloma of the nasal cavity were identified between January 2005 and May 2015. A total of 128 charts were reviewed retrospectively for age, gender, clinical presentation, location of lesion, and medical history. Results Thirty-eight patients were identified including 13 (34%) men and 25 (66%) women with a mean age of 45 years (range, 18–80 years). The majority (92%) presented with epistaxis and 76% had the lesion located on the septum. All patients had the lesion surgically excised with final pathology confirming pyogenic granuloma. Out of 38 patients, 15 (40%) had a concurrent history of altered hormonal activity (due to hormone therapy, pregnancy, or tumor), and 7 (18%) had prior injury to the nasal cavity. Conclusion This study is 1 of the largest case series of nasal pyogenic granuloma to be reported. In this series, this disease process was seen in approximately twice as many women as compared to men. Our data further supports prior studies, suggesting that altered hormonal activity and nasal injury may increase the risk of developing nasal pyogenic granuloma.
Vitamin D3: A Role in Dopamine Circuit Regulation, Diet-Induced Obesity, and Drug Consumption

The influence of micronutrients on dopamine systems is not well defined. Using mice, we show a potential role for reduced dietary vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in promoting diet-induced obesity (DIO), food intake, and drug consumption while on a high fat diet. To complement these deficiency studies, treatments with exogenous fully active vitamin D3 (calcitriol, 10 µg/kg, i.p.) were performed. Nondeficient mice that were made leptin resistant with a high fat diet displayed reduced food intake and body weight after an acute treatment with exogenous calcitriol. Dopamine neurons in the midbrain and their target neurons in the striatum were found to express vitamin D3 receptor protein. Acute calcitriol treatment led to transcriptional changes of dopamine-related genes in these regions in naive mice, enhanced amphetamine-induced dopamine release in both naive mice and rats, and increased locomotor activity after acute amphetamine treatment (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.). Alternatively, mice that were chronically fed either the reduced D3 high fat or chow diets displayed less activity after acute amphetamine treatment compared with their respective controls. Finally, high fat deficient mice that were trained to orally consume liquid amphetamine (90 mg/L) displayed increased consumption, while nondeficient mice treated with calcitriol showed reduced consumption. Our findings suggest that reduced dietary D3 may be a contributing environmental factor enhancing DIO as well as drug intake while eating a high fat diet. Moreover, these data demonstrate that dopamine circuits are modulated by D3 signaling, and may serve as direct or indirect targets for exogenous calcitriol.
Combined-modality therapy of head and neck cancer.

The treatment of head and neck cancer has traditionally consisted of surgery with postoperative radiation therapy. Chemotherapy has been reserved for palliation.
Vorapaxar (Zontivity) for the Prevention of Thrombotic Cardiovascular Events.

Vorapaxar should be limited to select patients with a history of MI or peripheral arterial disease who desire additional treatment for the prevention of MI.
Post-Gastric Bypass Hypoglycemia: Diagnosis and Management

Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) results in significant changes in glucose regulatory mechanisms that are beneficial to most patients, especially those with type 2 diabetes. However, in a small proportion of RYGB patients, these changes can lead to symptomatic postprandial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. This chapter details a diagnostic strategy and options for nonsurgical and surgical treatment of this condition.
Macrofication: Refactoring by Reverse Macro Expansion

Refactoring is a code transformation performed at development time that improves the quality of code while preserving its observable behavior. Macro expansion is also a code transformation, but performed at compile time, that replaces instances of macro invocation patterns with the corresponding macro body or template. The key insight of this paper is that for each pattern-template macro, we can automatically generate a corresponding refactoring tool that finds complex code fragments matching the macro template and replaces them with the equivalent but simpler macro invocation pattern; we call this novel refactoring process macrofication. Conceptually, macrofication involves running macro expansion in reverse; however, it does require a more sophisticated pattern matching algorithm and additional checks to ensure that the refactoring always preserves program behavior. We have implemented a macrofication tool for a hygienic macro system in JavaScript, integrated it into a development environment and evaluated it by refactoring a popular open source JavaScript library. Results indicate that it is sufficiently flexible for complex refactoring and thereby enhances the development workflow while scaling well even for larger code bases.
Memoirs: Studies on the Golgi Apparatus in Gland-Cells IV. A Critique of the Topography, Structure, and Function of the Golgi Apparatus in Glandular Tissue

As a result of recent studies on secretory synthesis, the following conclusions have been reached : 1. Many gland-cells run through a regular ‘secretory cycle’, beginning with a small cell devoid of secretory granules, progressing through a period in which large numbers of granules are produced and terminating in an act of extrusion of the granules. The cycle may or may not be repeated according to the nature of the cell. 2. The Golgi apparatus is from the beginning present in all kinds of secretory cells, and during the secretory cycle becomes very greatly hypertrophied, establishing a volume in rough relation to that of the secretory products. 3. The topography and behaviour of the apparatus is different in different kinds of glands, but is roughly divisible into three general types characteristic of cells which produce serous, mucous, and lipoidal secretions. 4. The secretory granules make their first appearance only within the area delimited by the Golgi apparatus. 5. In a few cases relations have been made out which indicate that the secretory granules arise in close connexion with the Golgi material. 6. It is concluded that secretory granules are differentiated by the Golgi material, but that no direct transformation of the one into the other occurs such as was claimed by some authors in the case of the mitochondria. 7. It is suggested that the Golgi material is structurally homologous throughout the range of animal cells, and that the so-called idiosomic substance, sometimes associated with it, is to be looked upon as one phase of a duplex system in which the relative development of lipoidal and idiosomic substances may undergo considerable variation. 8. It is suggested that the relation between the Golgi apparatus and secretory granules is homologous to that existing between the Golgi apparatus and the developing acrosome of the animal sperm, and that our rather complete under standing of the latter phenomenon can thus be used as a basis for interpreting the much more obscure phenomena in the gland-cell. 9. No cytological evidence of the origin of secretory products from the nucleus receives any general acceptance at the present time. The nucleus can be considered as the source of secretions only in the indirect sense that it may possibly exercise some control over the process as a whole or may collaborate with other parts of the cell system in preparing materials for the actual synthetic operations of the Golgi apparatus. 10. The establishment of the views here developed must depend finally upon further critical evidence bearing upon the exact relation which exists between individual secretory granules and the Golgi complex.
To Build, Buy, or in Between?

This chapter covers the process of defining a small spacecraft program. It is not intended to replace or replicate robust models, such as those discussed by Wertz et al. [6] and Fortescue and Swinerd [7]. Nor is it meant to provide a light-weight approximation (such as was presented in [8]). Instead, this chapter seeks to help the reader evaluate and answer key questions regarding spacecraft program formulation.
Extended neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CT) in borderline resectable pancreas cancer (BRPC).

4043 Background: The optimal surgical (S) approach to BRPC is unknown. We evaluated an approach to BPRC using extended course chemotherapy (CT) without routine neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT). Cli...
Mercury Bioaccumulation in Crayfish in Acid Mine-Impaired Appalachian Streams

We tested the hypothesis that mercury (Hg) bioaccumulation in crayfish inhabiting acid mine-impacted streams increases with the severity of acidification. Sixty-four sites in southeast Ohio were ranked for severity of acid mine impact using an index of six water chemistry parameters (Fe, Mn, Al, sulfate, acidity, and pH) characteristic of acid mine drainage. Macroinvertebrate communities along the acid mine drainage (AMD) gradient were sampled by kick and dip net, and the abundances of different functional feeding groups characterized to evaluate differences in dietary prey availability to crayfish inhabiting AMD-impaired streams. Mercury in crayfish (Orconectes sanbornii) was measured at 19 sites. Composite samples (N = 10) of tail tissue from these sites were analyzed for mercury, along with sediment from six sites. Sediment methyl mercury (MeHg) ranged from 0.03 to 0.479 ng/g, typical of background (uncontaminated by Hg or AMD) levels for lakes and streams in this region. MeHg concentrations in crayfish tail tissue ranged from 26.7 to 122 ng/g. Contrary to our hypothesis, total Hg and MeHg in crayfish tissue were negatively correlated with acid mine impairment (r = −0.479, p = 0.036; r = −0.049, p = 0.0293, respectively), suggesting that crayfish bioaccumulate Hg more slowly in acid mine-impaired streams. This pattern is opposite of trends for increased bioaccumulation rates in food webs of lakes acidified by atmospheric deposition. Total macroinvertebrate (prey) abundance at study sites declined with increasing AMD impact. The reduced Hg accumulation in acid mine-impacted waters may be related to a change in diet, greater reliance on detritus-based food items, and/or lower trophic status of crayfish in acidified streams.
A Method for Querying Touristic Information Extracted from the Web

In this paper, we define a method that enables to: (i) exploit ontologies and terminology to represent concepts into specific domains, (ii) extract information from deep web pages, and opinions from social and community networks, (iii) semantically query information by using natural language interface. The method has been applied to query the touristic domain. This use case has shown the effectiveness of the method that can be easily extended to other domains.
Living With Inequality: Neighborhood Income Diversity and Perceptions of the Income Gap:

This article explores whether the places where people live—and specifically the diversity of incomes where people live—influence views about income inequality. Using a unique survey of New York Cit...
The Structure of Asymptotic Idealization

Robert Batterman and others have argued that certain idealizing explanations have an asymptotic form: they account for a state of affairs or behavior by showing that it emerges “in the limit”. Asymptotic idealizations are interesting in many ways, but is there anything special about them as idealizations? To understand their role in science, must we augment our philosophical theories of idealization? This paper uses simple examples of asymptotic idealization in population genetics to argue for an affirmative answer and proposes a general schema for asymptotic idealization, drawing on insights from Batterman’s treatment and from John Norton’s subsequent critique.
Upper thermal limits of growth in brook trout and their relationship to stress physiology.

Despite the threat of climate change, the physiological mechanisms responsible for reduced performance at high temperatures remain unclear for most species. Elevated but sublethal temperatures may act via endocrine and cellular stress responses to limit performance in important life-history traits such as growth. Here, brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) subjected to chronically elevated or daily oscillating temperatures were monitored for growth and physiological stress responses. Growth rate decreased at temperatures above 16°C and was negative at 24°C, with an estimated upper limit for positive growth of 23.4°C. Plasma cortisol increased with temperature and was 12- and 18-fold higher at 22 and 24°C, respectively, than at 16°C, whereas plasma glucose was unaffected by temperature. Abundance of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in the gill increased with temperature and was 11- and 56-fold higher at 22°C and 24°C, respectively, than at 16°C. There was no relationship between temperature and plasma Cl-, but there was a 53% and 80% decrease in gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity and abundance at 24°C in comparison with 16°C. Daily temperature oscillations of 4°C or 8°C (19-23°C or 17-25°C) were compared with 21°C controls. Growth rate decreased with temperature and was 43% and 35% lower by length and mass, respectively, in the 8°C daily oscillation treatment than in the controls. There was no effect of temperature oscillation on plasma cortisol or glucose levels. In contrast, gill HSP70 abundance increased with increasing daily oscillation and was 40- and 700-fold greater at 4°C and 8°C daily oscillation, respectively, than in the constant temperature controls. In individuals exposed to 17-25°C diel oscillations for 4 days and then allowed to recover at 21°C, gill HSP70 abundance was still elevated after 4 days recovery, but not after 10 days. Our results demonstrate that elevated temperatures induce cellular and endocrine stress responses and provide a possible mechanism by which growth is limited at elevated temperatures. Temperature limitations on growth may play a role in driving brook trout distributions in the wild.
Pharmacokinetic study of slaframine in lactating goats and transfer into milk

vin I. LITERATURE REVIEW 1 A. Reported History' 1 B. Fungal Characteristics 2 C. Isolation 3 D. Purification 9 E. Chromatography 10 F. Structure 10 G. Synthesis 11 H. Salivation Delay 12 I. Activation of Slaframine 16 J. Similarities to Acet\icholine 17 K. Active Metabolite 20 L, Review of Animal Studies 21 M. This Contribution 34 II. MATERIALS AND METHODS 36 A. Growth of the Organism 36 B. Extraction, and Purification of Slaframine 36 , i^reparation or me fiuorcbc^iHuic lycrivaiivc lyji D. HPLC Specifications for Fluorescamine Derivative Analysis 39 E. UV Spectral Anaiysis 39 F. Preparation of the Dose 40 G. Insertion of Catheter 40 H. Dosing the Animals 41 I. Collection of Blood Samples 41 J. Collection of Milk Samples 42 c A IS.. ^wOllCULiUi! ui Odiiva oaiiipic:> L. Method for the Extraction of Plasma 43 M. Method for the Extraction of Milk 44 N. Method for the Extraction of Saliva 46 O. Statistics and Computer Analysis 47
Interactions between the Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural 2 Protein and Host Adaptor Proteins 1 and 4 Orchestrate Virus Release

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) spreads via secreted cell-free particles or direct cell-to-cell transmission. Yet, virus-host determinants governing differential intracellular trafficking of cell-free- and cell-to-cell-transmitted virus remain unknown. The host adaptor proteins (APs) AP-1A, AP-1B, and AP-4 traffic in post-Golgi compartments, and the latter two are implicated in basolateral sorting. We reported that AP-1A mediates HCV trafficking during release, whereas the endocytic adaptor AP-2 mediates entry and assembly. We demonstrated that the host kinases AAK1 and GAK regulate HCV infection by controlling these clathrin-associated APs. Here, we sought to define the roles of AP-4, a clathrin-independent adaptor; AP-1A; and AP-1B in HCV infection. We screened for interactions between HCV proteins and the μ subunits of AP-1A, AP-1B, and AP-4 by mammalian cell-based protein fragment complementation assays. The nonstructural 2 (NS2) protein emerged as an interactor of these adaptors in this screening and by coimmunoprecipitations in HCV-infected cells. Two previously unrecognized dileucine-based motifs in the NS2 C terminus mediated AP binding and HCV release. Infectivity and coculture assays demonstrated that while all three adaptors mediate HCV release and cell-free spread, AP-1B and AP-4, but not AP-1A, mediate cell-to-cell spread. Live-cell imaging revealed HCV cotrafficking with AP-1A, AP-1B, and AP-4 and that AP-4 mediates HCV trafficking in a post-Golgi compartment. Lastly, HCV cell-to-cell spread was regulated by AAK1 and GAK and thus susceptible to treatment with AAK1 and GAK inhibitors. These data provide a mechanistic understanding of HCV trafficking in distinct release pathways and reveal a requirement for APs in cell-to-cell viral spread.IMPORTANCE HCV spreads via cell-free infection or cell-to-cell contact that shields it from antibody neutralization, thereby facilitating viral persistence. Yet, factors governing this differential sorting remain unknown. By integrating proteomic, RNA interference, genetic, live-cell imaging, and pharmacological approaches, we uncover differential coopting of host adaptor proteins (APs) to mediate HCV traffic at distinct late steps of the viral life cycle. We reported that AP-1A and AP-2 mediate HCV trafficking during release and assembly, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that dileucine motifs in the NS2 protein mediate AP-1A, AP-1B, and AP-4 binding and cell-free virus release. Moreover, we reveal that AP-4, an adaptor not previously implicated in viral infections, mediates cell-to-cell spread and HCV trafficking. Lastly, we demonstrate cell-to-cell spread regulation by AAK1 and GAK, host kinases controlling APs, and susceptibility to their inhibitors. This study provides mechanistic insights into virus-host determinants that facilitate HCV trafficking, with potential implications for pathogenesis and antiviral agent design.
Predicting Intentions to Breastfeed for Three Months, Six Months, and One Year Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Body Satisfaction

Breastfeeding is one of the top maternal priorities for many organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Focusing on the goals of Healthy People 2020, as well as the recommendations of other organizations, this paper investigates the impacts on women's intentions to breastfeed newborns for 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. This research used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a model to predict intentions for each duration of time. Body satisfaction was included as a moderating variable given research demonstrating a possible connection of body satisfaction to breastfeeding. A survey of 156 pregnant women was conducted. Results demonstrated the importance of the three TPB measures in predicting intentions. Further, significant interactions between body satisfaction and attitudes, as well as body satisfaction and subjective norms were present in predicting intentions to exclusively breastfeed one's baby from infant to 6 months of age. Theoretical implications are discussed, as well as practical implications for breastfeeding interventions and campaigns.
THROUGH A MURKY MIRROR

For the past five years we have been examining the Reading and Literacy Program at Bank Street College of Education. Motivated by a mandated New York State recertification process, NCATE and Middle States certification processes, and, most of all, by our own desire to prepare our students to meet the needs of children in today’s classrooms, we have been looking closely at the form and content of our program. The guiding questions have been: Do the values and practices that shape a teacher education program grounded in progressive theory stand today’s students in good stead? What needs to be preserved? What needs to be changed? These questions have become ever more compelling as our vision of good teaching has been increasingly challenged by a climate of increasing standardization.
Reactions of CH3(+) with C2N2, CH2CHCN, and HC3N: A Low-Pressure/High-Pressure Study

The association of CH3(+) with the three molecules C2N2, CH2CHCN, and HCCCN has been examined using ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) and selected ion flow tube (SIFT) techniques at room temperature. In each reaction, the mean lifetime of the complex (CH3 x N-=C-R(+))(sup *) formed in the association has a major influence on the outcome of the reaction and the product channels that are observed using ICR and SIFT. Termolecular rate coefficients are reported for the association of CH3(+) + C2N2 for the bath gases M = He, Ar, N2, and C2N2. k(sub 3) = 8.2 x 10(exp-24) cm(sup 6)/s (M = C2N2). In each system the association product channel occurs in competition with exothermic bimolecular channels. The complex lifetimes in all three systems are in the range 30-70 microsec. Very rapid ion-molecule association reactions have been observed in several systems of hydrocarbons and nitriles, and the implications for Titan ion chemistry are discussed briefly.
“Empower”: A Feminist Consciousness-Raising Curriculum for Adolescent Women

Female adolescents often come to therapy with symptoms of growing up female in a patriarchal culture. Several authors have suggested a need for feminist intervention to help adolescent females become aware of societal messages and to empower them to reject unhealthy messages (Davidson, 1995; Dellebuur, 1996; Hoghuni & Richardson, 1997; Mahowald, 1995; Ortiz, 1987; Pipher, 1994; Smith, 1991). This paper presents a feminist curriculum created for use with female adolescents that includes the following topics: self-knowledge, self-esteem, assertive communication, relationship violence, body image, sexual decision-making, career exploration, and self-care. A pilot curriculum was implemented with positive outcomes for participants.
Spatial and Temporal Redundancy Removal in Disturbance Events Recorded by Phasor Measurement Units

When a disturbance occurs in an interconnected power system, multiple PMUs capture its dynamics simultaneously. A certain correlation among these PMUs does exist, which can be utilized for compressing high streaming data for real time monitoring and decision making. This correlation also allows to ignore some of the features while keeping the system completely observable. In this work, we used Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (mRmR), Monte Carlo Feature Selection (MSFS) and Correlation based Feature Selection (CFS) algorithms to prove that selection of the most critical features does not compromise the observability but also helps removing spatial redundancies. Moreover, we also used temporal dimensionality reduction algorithms like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Maximal Overlap Discrete Wavelet Transform (MODWT) on real Texas Synchrophasor data and demonstrated that these help in archiving the data by significantly increasing the data compression yet preserving the critical information.
Radio Link Design for CubeSat-to-Ground Station Communications Using An Experimental License

CubeSats have attracted increased interest from the academic community in recent years due to their relative low cost and rapid development cycle. As is the case with all autonomous spacecraft, CubeSats rely on radio communications with ground stations to receive commands for performing scientific missions, and to transmit telemetry and measurement data back to Earth for processing. This paper discusses the radio link design for the Old Dominion University (ODU) CubeSat communication system that is scheduled to be launched in 2019 as part of the Virginia CubeSat Constellation (VCC) project. The presentation includes an overview of the system and the RF link budget analysis, along with salient design aspects including impedance matching for the CubeSat radio, a custom interface for the ground station radio, and an outline of the link layer protocol used.
Initial Study of the Power System Stability Boundary Estimated from Nonlinear Modal Decoupling

The recently proposed Nonlinear Modal Decoupling (NMD) approach provides a new way to study stability of large non-linear multi-oscillator systems such as multi-machine power systems. The approach finds a coordinate transformation to decouple the mathematical model of the original system into as many decoupled nonlinear oscillators as the system’s oscillation modes of interests so that individual decoupled one-degree-of-freedom oscillators can be easily analyzed to infer nonlinear modal dynamics and stability of the original system. By applying NMD to the IEEE 3-machine 9-bus power system, this paper studies the consistency between the stability boundaries obtained respectively from the original system and decoupled oscillators, which are the regions of attraction about a stable equilibrium. The paper proposes an approach to improve accuracy of the stability boundary estimated from the decoupled oscillators.
The political economy of the Kurds of Turkey: from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic

As a reflection of growing interest in Kurdish studies, a plethora of books on different aspects of the Kurdish question in the Middle East have been published in the last few years. The Kurds are ...
Predicting the function of islets after transplantation

Abstract The utilization of islet transplantation as a standard of care treatment for patients with type 1 diabetes or chronic pancreatitis is impeded by the restricted means of monitoring graft function postoperatively. As isolated islets are typically infused into the liver via the portal vein, biopsy examination of the engrafted islets is impractical and may not provide an accurate representation of the full graft. As a result, various methods of assessing graft function indirectly have been proposed, including glucose tolerance and stimulation tests, indices to measure the degree and severity of hypoglycemia, alloantibody measurements, proteins, nucleic acids, and noninvasive imaging techniques. While accurate measurement of islet graft function remains a work in progress, especially for patients with partial graft function who use exogenous insulin to maintain normoglycemia, nucleic acid markers appear to be particularly promising for sensitive and accurate assessment of islet graft function.