cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for pneumonia due to beta-lactam-susceptible and beta-lactam-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a case-case-control study.

This case-case-control study aims to identify clinical predictors for pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) which is (1) susceptible to all routinely tested antipseudomonal beta-lactams (APBL-S) and (2) resistant to at least one antipseudomonal beta-lactam (APBL-R). Hospitalized adults with acute bacterial pneumonia at Palmetto Health hospitals in Columbia, SC, USA from January 1, 2012 to April 15, 2014 were identified. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine risk factors for pneumonia due to APBL-S PA and APBL-R PA. Among 326 unique patients, 119 had pneumonia due to APBL-S PA (cases), 44 due to APBL-R PA (cases) and 163 due to ceftriaxone-susceptible bacteria (controls). Bronchiectasis [odds ratio (OR) 5.7, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.3–39.2], interstitial lung disease (OR 6.2, 95% CI 1.5–42.6), prior airway colonization with APBL-S PA (OR 7.2, 95% CI 1.1–139.4) and recent exposure to both antipseudomonal beta-lactam (APBL; OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.1–4.5) and nonpseudomonal beta-lactams (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.0–6.8) were independently associated with increased risk of APBL-S PA pneumonia. Bronchiectasis (OR 8.3, 95% CI 1.7–46.6), prior airway colonization with APBL-R PA (OR 14.9, 95% CI 2.0–312.9) and recent use of only APBL (OR 7.7, 95% CI 3.4–17.9) were predictors for APBL-R PA pneumonia. Stratification of hospitalized patients with pneumonia based on structural lung disease, prior airway colonization and recent antimicrobial exposure may improve empirical antimicrobial selection. Expansion of antimicrobial regimen from ceftriaxone to APBL or combination therapy is suggested in patients with risk factors for APBL-S or APBL-R PA, respectively.
Stimulus-dependent engagement of neural mechanisms for reliable motion detection in the mouse retina

Direction selectivity is a fundamental computation in the visual system and is first computed by the direction-selective circuit in the mammalian retina. Although landmark discoveries on the neural basis of direction selectivity have been made in the rabbit, many technological advances designed for the mouse have emerged, making this organism a favored model for investigating the direction-selective circuit at the molecular, synaptic, and network levels. Studies using diverse motion stimuli in the mouse retina demonstrate that retinal direction selectivity is implemented by multilayered mechanisms. This review begins with a set of central mechanisms that are engaged under a wide range of visual conditions and then focuses on additional layers of mechanisms that are dynamically recruited under different visual stimulus conditions. Together, recent findings allude to an emerging theme: robust motion detection in the natural environment requires flexible neural mechanisms.
Adapting to Water Stress: Convergence on Common Solutions

Because all cells, at least those that are metabolically active, are approximately 85–95% water, it is a truism to state that any environmental factor that affects the activity, structure, or physical state of water poses a threat to life. The primary focus of this symposium is on the ways in which diverse organisms — archaebacteria, eubacteria, fungi, plants, and animals — cope with water stress that may arise from a wide variety of environmental phenomena, including the salinity of the medium bathing aquatic organisms, desiccation in terrestrial habitats due to elevated temperatures or low humidity, and the threat — or reality — of freezing due to extremely low air or water temperatures. Despite the diversity of organisms considered, and the varied and complex environmental stresses that affect water relationships, it will be seen that a small number of fundamental adaptive strategies are followed in virtually all cases. Thus, an important conclusion from the investigations reported in this volume is that the notion of “unity in diversity” that is a hallmark of the discipline of comparative biochemistry (Baldwin 1970) applies strikingly well to the adaptations used by diverse organisms to cope with water stress. The title of this opening chapter is, then, an attempt to emphasize that, in the preservation of a physiologically appropriate intracellular solution for metabolic activities and macromolecular structure, there appear to be but a few acceptable alternatives in terms of osmotic solute (osmolyte) composition. Convergent evolution in different groups of organism has consistently “discovered” the types of adaptations that are needed to ensure that the aqueous portion of the cell is a “fit” environment for life — a concept developed in 1913 by L.J. Henderson in his classic work, The Fitness of the Environment.
Legal Realism in Context

“We are all realists now,” it is frequently said, yet what legal realism was about remains vigorously debated. When tackling this question, it is common to begin by identifying who counts as legal realists and then identifying what they purportedly believed in. Convention has Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., John Chipman Gray, Roscoe Pound, and Benjamin Cardozo as antecedents of realism; core realists typically include Karl Llewellyn, Jerome Frank, Felix S. Cohen, Walter Wheeler Cook, Herman Oliphant, Underhill Moore, Hessel Yntema, Charles Clark, Wesley Sturges, William O. Douglas, Leon Green, Max Radin, Thurman W. Arnold, and Joseph C. Hutcheson. Standard accounts of what they stood for are: the legal realists were anti-formalists. They denied that legal rules determined judicial decisions. They saw law as a means to social ends. They advocated a functional view that urges attention to what law actually does. They promoted the application of social science to law. They were rebellious critics of the legal establishment. They denied the claimed neutrality of law. They were New Dealers. What helps keep the dispute alive is that the figures identified as core realists did not all espouse the same positions on these matters. In this essay I will argue that there is a better way to understand realism, which decenters the core legal realists and what they purportedly believed in. We should see realism instead as a complex of perspectives that characterized a new age of thinking about law. Because the legal realists were not unique in holding these views, I argue, it is a mistake to think that the key to understanding realism can be found through a close examination of their particular positions, especially since they disagreed amongst themselves a great deal. To establish this I will alternate between two contexts: the narrow context of the Llewellyn-Pound exchange, which first brought attention to “legal realism,” and the broad context of widely expressed realistic views in the generation preceding this exchange. The diversity of views among the named legal realists is often suppressed by jurists who tell us what legal realism was about, but Karl Llewellyn emphasized this at the beginning, the middle, and the final words of his essay clarifying realism.
Socioeconomic Aspects of the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the socioeconomic factors that determine the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States. The study is mentioned to be based on empirical evidence found in the literature. Two theories are used to explain the use of CAM, namely the behavioral and the economic model which are further analyzed. An account of the sociodemographic determinants of CAM use is given with emphasis on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture and acculturation. The economic determinants of using CAM are included and discusses price, insurance, and income. It evaluates the role of CAM as a substitute for or a complement of mainstream medicine and elaborates on the barriers to utilization of CAM as compared to mainstream medicine. It mentions that consumers tend to consider CAM as non-scientific and from the perspective of research and science communities, the gold standard of randomized clinical trials was not met by CAM initially. It concludes that the use of CAM is influenced by factors at multiple levels, such as the patient, the mainstream health care providers and medical policies and regulations.
Interneuronal δ-GABA A receptors regulate binge drinking and are necessary for the behavioral effects of early withdrawal

Extensive evidence points to a role for GABAergic signaling in the amygdala in mediating the effects of alcohol, including presynaptic changes in GABA release, suggesting effects on GABAergic neurons. However, the majority of studies focus solely on the effects of alcohol on principal neurons. Here we demonstrate that δ-GABAARs, which have been suggested to confer ethanol sensitivity, are expressed at a high density on parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Thus, we hypothesized that δ-GABAARs on PV interneurons may represent both an initial pharmacological target for alcohol and a site for plasticity associated with the expression of various behavioral maladaptations during withdrawal from binge drinking. To investigate this, we used a mouse model of voluntary alcohol intake (Drinking-in-the-Dark-Multiple Scheduled Access) to induce escalating heavy binge drinking and anxiety-like behavior in mice. This pattern of intake was associated with increased δ protein expression on parvalbumin positive interneurons in both the BLA and hippocampus. Loss of δ-GABAARs specifically in PV interneurons (PV:δ−/−) increased binge drinking behavior, reduced sensitivity to alcohol-induced motor incoordination, enhanced sensitivity to alcohol-induced hyperlocomotion and blocked the expression of withdrawal from binge drinking. This study is the first to demonstrate a role for δGABAARs specifically in PV-expressing interneurons in modulating binge alcohol intake and withdrawal-induced anxiety.
Effects of asymmetry and hot-spot shape on ignition capsules

Asymmetric implosion of inertial confinement fusion capsules is known, both experimentally and computationally, to reduce thermonuclear performance. This work shows that low-mode asymmetries degrade performance as a result of a decrease in the hydrodynamic disassembly time of the hot-spot core, which scales with the minimum dimension of the hot spot. The asymmetric shape of a hot spot results in decreased temperatures and areal densities and allows more alpha particles to escape, relative to an ideal spherical implosion, thus reducing alpha-energy deposition in the hot spot. Here, we extend previous ignition theory to include the hot-spot shape and quantify the effects of implosion asymmetry on both the ignition criterion and the capsule performance. The ignition criterion becomes more stringent with increasing deformation of the hot spot. The new theoretical results are validated by comparison with existing experimental data obtained at the National Ignition Facility. The shape effects on thermonuclear performance are relatively more noticeable for capsules having self-heating and high yields. The degradation of thermonuclear burn can be as high as 45% for shots with a yield lower than 2×10^{15} and less than 30% for shots with a higher yield.
A Structural Validation of Brand Personality Scale: Assessing the Congruence Effects of Sport Sponsorship

ABSTRACTThis study suggests a structural validation procedure of Aaker (1997)’s brand personality scale (BPS) to evaluate the congruence effects of sport sponsorship. The purpose of this study is t...
The maximum bid-ask spread

Abstract We examine the return premium associated with a new measure of illiquidity that focuses on extreme points in the distribution of bid-ask spreads. Results show that stocks with larger maximum bid-ask spreads and price impacts command a return premium that is both statistically and economically significant. These results are robust to a series of multifactor portfolio tests and cross-sectional regressions controlling for mean spreads and other observable liquidity metrics. These findings suggest that the distribution of spreads matters when identifying illiquidity return premia due to the multi-faceted nature of liquidity.
Hardware implementation of a multi-mode-aware mixed-criticality scheduler: work-in-progress

To minimize size, weight, power, and cost, the industry aims at consolidating different criticality applications on the same hardware platform. In such a mixed-criticality environment, it is challenging to contain the overhead due to potential mode changes under overload conditions. Traditional scheduler implementation at the software level introduces additional overheads due to timer interrupt processing and context switching. To minimize overall software overhead and to improve timing predictability, in this paper, we propose an implementation of the mixed-criticality scheduler in the hardware that is capable of detecting task-overruns and making mode transitions seamlessly.
Country chicken and multiple knowledges: Foucauldian resistance in young Tamil women’s cultural critique of globalized food

In the South Indian city of Madurai, young women indicate ambivalent feelings about emblems of food globalization like fried chicken restaurant KFC. Here, the criticism extends beyond the multi-nat...
Pembrolizumab-induced Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis: an immunotherapeutic challenge

As the number of indicated malignancies for which immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy such as pembrolizumab grows the descriptions of associated immune-related adverse events (irAEs) increases as well. On rare occasions immunotherapy can lead to development of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) which is a potentially lethal inflammatory disorder characterized by histiocyte activation and cytokine storm. At this time no cases of HLH developing in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients receiving pembrolizumab have been reported. Here we describe the first documented case of pembrolizumab-induced HLH in a 61 year-old male with metastatic HNSCC after having received multiple prior cycles of pembrolizumab without event. Following cycle 14 the patient developed fever associated with new pancytopenia and transaminitis prompting hospital admission. Infectious workup was negative, his metastatic lesions were found to be stable, and there was no evidence of new malignancy. Further workup demonstrated hyperferritinemia and bone marrow biopsy demonstrated hemophagocytosis concerning for pembrolizumab-induced HLH. Etoposide and dexamethasone therapy was initiated leading to clinical improvement and safe discharge. Immunotherapy is a groundbreaking therapeutic intervention for patients with malignancy, however by nature of their mechanism carry a risk of inflammatory side effects. In rare circumstances these inflammatory reactions include potentially deadly syndromes such as HLH. As immunotherapeutics such as pembrolizumab become more widely utilized increased awareness of complications such as HLH is clinically relevant.
The Legionella pneumophila Metaeffector Lpg2505 (MesI) Regulates SidI-Mediated Translation Inhibition and Novel Glycosyl Hydrolase Activity.

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila, the etiological agent of Legionnaires’ disease, employs an arsenal of hundreds of Dot/Icm-translocated effector proteins to facilitate replication within eukaryotic phagocytes. Several effectors, called metaeffectors, function to regulate the activity of other Dot/Icm-translocated effectors during infection. The metaeffector Lpg2505 is essential for L. pneumophila intracellular replication only when its cognate effector, SidI, is present. SidI is a cytotoxic effector that interacts with the host translation factor eEF1A and potently inhibits eukaryotic protein translation by an unknown mechanism. Here, we evaluated the impact of Lpg2505 on SidI-mediated phenotypes and investigated the mechanism of SidI function. We determined that Lpg2505 binds with nanomolar affinity to SidI and suppresses SidI-mediated inhibition of protein translation. SidI binding to eEF1A and Lpg2505 is not mutually exclusive, and the proteins bind distinct regions of SidI. We also discovered that SidI possesses GDP-dependent glycosyl hydrolase activity and that this activity is regulated by Lpg2505. We have therefore renamed Lpg2505 MesI (metaeffector of SidI). This work reveals novel enzymatic activity for SidI and provides insight into how intracellular replication of L. pneumophila is regulated by a metaeffector.
Mortality in adults with chronic hepatitis B infection in the United States: a population-based study

Background Chronic hepatitis B infection is an important contributor to mortality in the United States, yet impact of available and effective oral antivirals on mortality among infected individuals is unknown. Aims To compare risks and predictors of mortality in a recent time period between those with chronic, prior and no hepatitis B infection. Methods This is a population-based cohort study of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys participants between 1999 and 2014 linked to National Death Index data. Adults aged 20 years or older with hepatitis B serologic testing were included. Outcomes of all-cause and liver-related mortality were evaluated using Cox regression. Results Of 39 206 participants, 192 (0.5%) had chronic and 2694 (6.9%) had prior hepatitis B infection. The all-cause age/sex-standardised mortality rates for chronic, prior and uninfected were 21.4, 15.1 and 11.8 per 1000 person-years respectively. Liver-related mortality occurred at respective rates of 4.1, 0.3 and 0.1 per 1000 person-years. In multivariable analyses, those with chronic infection had 1.9-fold (95% CI 1.1-3.3) increased hazard of all-cause mortality and 13.3-fold (95% CI 3.9-45.5) increased hazard of liver-related mortality compared to uninfected. Predictors of all-cause mortality among chronic infection included heavy alcohol use (HR 18.3, 95% CI 3.3-100.6) and higher alanine aminotransferase (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03). Conclusions Mortality among adults living with chronic hepatitis B infection still exceeds that of uninfected despite availability of improved therapeutics. Identification of chronic infection, initiation of treatment among eligible and modulation of co-factors for disease progression are needed to improve survival.
Abstract B14: Atovaquone targets STAT3 in ovarian cancer spheroids

Ovarian cancer remains a deadly disease for countless women. Recent evidence demonstrates that ovarian cancer cell clusters, spheroids, are important in promoting ovarian recurrence and metastasis. Often these spheroids are resistant to therapy. Therefore, we were interested in identifying drugs that could target ovarian cancer spheroids. To do this, we wanted to identify pathways that were activated in cells growing in three-dimensional (3D) clusters. Analysis of gene expression from 2D and 3D growing cells identified STAT3 as a pathway enriched in 3D growing cells. STAT3 is a transcription factor that is activated by tyrosine phosphorylation. In ovarian cancer cells, activation usually occurs from interleukin 6 (IL-6) binding to the IL-6 receptor and recruiting the signal transducer molecule (GP130, IL6ST). This activates Jak kinases that then tyrosine phosphorylates STAT3. Once activated, STAT3 dimerizes, translocates into the nucleus, and regulates the expression of target genes. Using shRNA targeting STAT3 and the upstream signaling molecule, GP130, we found that reduction of both STAT3 and its upstream signaling molecule GP130 reduced the growth of spheroids. This suggested that targeting STAT3 or an upstream signaling molecule might be a viable treatment option. Atovaquone, used normally for the treatment of malaria or the prevention of pneumocystis pneumonia, inhibits STAT3 activation by inhibiting the expression of GP130 on the cell surface. Therefore, we hypothesized that atovaquone would have efficacy in ovarian cancer spheroids. Treatment of ovarian spheroids with atovaquone reduced their growth and viability. Importantly, atovaquone inhibited STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation and target gene expression, demonstrating that atovaquone is inhibiting STAT3 in ovarian spheroids. Preliminary data suggest that overexpression of STAT3 partially rescues the effects of atovaquone on spheroid growth. As spheroids are also involved in ovarian cancer metastasis, we are currently assessing the effects of atovaquone on spheroid-mediated ovarian cancer metastasis. Taken together, our data suggest that atovaquone may be a beneficial treatment for ovarian cancer patients. Citation Format: Kayli E. Neil, Sarah J. Lacroix, David F. Walker, Suhu Liu, David A. Frank, Sarah R. Walker. Atovaquone targets STAT3 in ovarian cancer spheroids [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 13-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(13_Suppl):Abstract nr B14.
Differential mechanisms are required for phrenic long-term facilitation over the course of motor neuron loss following CTB-SAP intrapleural injections.

Abstract Selective elimination of respiratory motor neurons using intrapleural injections of cholera toxin B fragment conjugated to saporin (CTB-SAP) mimics motor neuron death and respiratory deficits observed in rat models of neuromuscular diseases. This CTB-SAP model allows us to study the impact of motor neuron death on the output of surviving phrenic motor neurons. After 7(d) days of CTB-SAP, phrenic long-term facilitation (pLTF, a form of respiratory plasticity) is enhanced, but returns towards control levels at 28d. However, the mechanism responsible for this difference in magnitude of pLTF is unknown. In naive rats, pLTF predominately requires 5-HT2 receptors, the new synthesis of BDNF, and MEK/ERK signaling; however, pLTF can alternatively be induced via A2A receptors, the new synthesis of TrkB, and PI3K/Akt signaling. Since A2A receptor-dependent pLTF is enhanced in naive rats, we suggest that 7d CTB-SAP treated rats utilize the alternative mechanism for pLTF. Here, we tested the hypothesis that pLTF following CTB-SAP is: 1) TrkB and PI3K/Akt, not BDNF and MEK/ERK, dependent at 7d; and 2) BDNF and MEK/ERK, not TrkB and PI3K/Akt, dependent at 28d. Adult Sprague Dawley male rats were anesthetized, paralyzed, ventilated, and were exposed to acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH; 3, 5 min bouts of 10.5% O2) following bilateral, intrapleural injections at 7d and 28d of: 1) CTB-SAP (25 μg), or 2) un-conjugated CTB and SAP (control). Intrathecal C4 delivery included either: 1) small interfering RNA that targeted BDNF or TrkB mRNA; 2) UO126 (MEK/ERK inhibitor); or 3) PI828 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor). Our data suggest that pLTF in 7d CTB-SAP treated rats is elicited primarily through TrkB and PI3K/Akt-dependent mechanisms, whereas BDNF and MEK/ERK-dependent mechanisms induce pLTF in 28d CTB-SAP treated rats. This project increases our understanding of respiratory plasticity and its implications for breathing following motor neuron death.
“It Started With This Project”: A Mixed Methods Examination of a Service Learning Project for Preservice Art Educators

The objective of this study is to better understand preservice art educators’ experiences engaging in a service learning project. The study uses a mixed methods, longitudinal design with data colle...
Abstract 13314: Effect of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid on Epicardial Fat Volume; Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue is an ectopic fat depot that may be associated with coronary artery atherosclerosis. Reduction in weight has been associated with a reduction in epicardial f...
In the time of COVID.

ABSTRACT: JAANP Fellow Dr. Leslie-Faith Morritt Taub, NYU Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Program Director, describes the emotional, political, and social impact of COVID-19 on one graduating cohort of nurse practitioner (NP) students at New York University and one incoming cohort of students. Through the lens of a seasoned professor she describes the changes to her teaching methods because she leads these students through the course work and clinical work required to take on the role of the NP in the midst of a global pandemic in the heart of New York City.
Neural G protein-coupled receptor OCTR-1 mediates temperature effects on longevity by regulating immune response genes in C. elegans

We have previously demonstrated that OCTR-1, an octopamine G protein-couple receptor, functions in the sensory neurons ASH to suppress the innate immune response in Caenorhabditis elegans by inhibiting the expression of immune genes (Sun et al. 2011 Science 332:729-732). Here we discover that OCTR-1 also regulates temperature effects on lifespan in C. elegans. At the normal growth temperature 20{degrees}C, octr-1(ok371) mutant animals have similar lifespan to wild-type N2 animals. However, at higher temperature 25{degrees}C, octr-1(ok371) mutants live significant longer than wild-type N2 animals. These results suggest that OCTR-1 may mediate temperature effects on lifespan. Furthermore, we found the OCTR-1-expressing ASH chemosensory neurons are involved in the OCTR-1-mediated regulation on longevity. However, interestingly, the thermosensory AFD neurons do not play a role in this regulation at 25{degrees}C. RNA-seq data analysis showed that 63 immune response genes were significantly down-regulated in octr-1(ok371) mutants relative to wild-type animals at 25 C. We further demonstrated that inactivation of several most-downregulated genes by RNA interference in wild-type N2 animals significantly extended their lifespan, similar to the phenotype of octr-1(ok371) animals. These observations suggest a new molecular regulation mechanism that downregulation of immune genes extends the lifespan of C. elegans, which is opposite to the general belief that an increase in defense immunity extends lifespan.
Comparative effectiveness of sorafenib, lenvatinib, and nivolumab as first-line systemic therapy for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis treated at VA Medical Centers.

4102Background: Up to 90% of cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the U.S. occur in patients with cirrhosis. As prognosis in patients with decompensated cirrhosis may be more related to liver...
Abstract A90: Non-canonical effects of PTEN restoration therapy contribute to improved survival in a GEM model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Expression of the PTEN tumor suppressor protein is frequently altered in human pancreatic tumors, and deletion of PTEN in genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models accelerates pancreatic tumorigenesis. However, efforts to target components of the PTEN pathway, through inhibitors of PI3-Kinases, AKT, or mTOR, have failed to provide significant survival benefit to date. We utilized a naturally occurring, membrane-permeable variant of the PTEN protein, called PTEN-Long, to restore PTEN-function in trans to established pancreatic tumors in the KPC GEM model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Combination PTEN-Long + gemcitabine therapy prolonged overall survival by 2-fold in this model and led to frank regressions of varying duration in a subset of tumors. In order to study the mechanisms of response to PTEN-Long therapy, we utilized variants of the PTEN-Long protein that are functionally mutated in different ways. A phosphatase-dead variant of PTEN-Long failed to have any effect on tumor growth in KPC mice. Interestingly, a variant of PTEN-Long that is no longer membrane permeable actually reduced overall survival in combination with gemcitabine, perhaps indicating a role for the protein in the extracellular matrix. Finally, we compared the effect of PTEN-Long in KPC mice to that of the pan-PI3K inhibitor GDC-0449. In contrast to PTEN-Long + gemcitabine, GDC-0449 + gemcitabine failed to extend survival or produce tumor regressions. Investigating the distinctions between pan-PI3K inhibition and PTEN restoration, we noted disparate, indeed opposite, effects of these two therapies on blood glucose maintenance and insulin levels, strongly that PTEN can function though additional, non-canonical intermediates beyond phospho-inositides. With the development of a clinical grade PTEN-Long material under way, we believe that these studies highlight the potential therapeutic utility of PTEN restoration therapy in PDA. These experiments provide the opportunity to dissect non-canonical aspects of PTEN signalling through in vivo structure/function analysis in GEM models of pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Benjamin Hopkins, Carmine Palermo, Roshan A. Ahmed, Stephen A. Sastra, Ramon Parsons, Kenneth P. Olive. Non-canonical effects of PTEN restoration therapy contribute to improved survival in a GEM model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A90.
Influence of siblings on student smoking patterns.

Questionnaires on the smoking habits of school children, their parents, and their siblings were completed by 6,810 students (91%) in the public high school system of Newton, Massachusetts. Smokers tend to come from larger families than do nonsmokers. The larger sibship size results from smokers having more older siblings rather than more younger siblings. Frequency of smoking is much higher among children who are members of families in which there is an older sibling who smokes than among children of families where there are older siblings who do not smoke or where there are no older siblings. The risk of smoking to the index child does not vary with the sex of the older sibling to whom he is exposed. Older siblings who do not themselves smoke exert a slight deterrent effect on student smoking. These findings, together with earlier reports of the influence of parental smoking habits on the smoking patterns of children, are consistent with general concepts of the motivation of American (and perhaps all) teen-agers. They raise questions as to the advisability of health-education campaigns directed exclusively at children.
Rate of Heating as a Determinant of Hyperthermic Cytotoxicity

In Chinese hamster ovary cells and in normal and transformed rat embryonic fibroblasts, survival as a function of time at 42.4 degrees was dependent upon the rate of heating from 37 degrees to 42.4 degrees. Unexpectedly, the untransformed rat fibroblasts were more heat sensitive than were the transformed cells, and the protective effect of slow rates of heating upon survival at 42.4 degrees was also more pronounced in the normal cells than in the transformed cells. In Chinese hamster ovary cells, total cellular cholesterol content and cell volume were found to change significantly with time at 42.4 degrees when cells were heated immediately (37 to 42.4 degrees within 3 min) but did not vary significantly during 6 hr at 42.4 degrees in cells heated from 37 to 42.4 degrees over 3 hr. Chinese hamster ovary cells heated immediately to 42.4 degrees also showed a significant drop in the protein content of the particulate fraction with time at 42.4 degrees. In contrast, cells heated over 3 hr showed a significant increase in the protein content of the particulate fraction with time at 42.4 degrees. These data suggest that, if cells are heated to hyperthermic temperatures over sufficiently long intervals, mechanisms have time to develop which protect the cell membrane against changes associated with cell death in rapidly heated cells. The protective effect of slow rates of heating may partially explain the relative lack of success thus far observed with the use of whole-body hyperthermia in which heating from 37 degrees to 42 degrees often requires 2 to 3 hr.
Understanding the sustained use of online health communities from a self-determination perspective

Sustained use of an information source is sometimes important for achieving an individual's long-term goals, such as learning and self-development. It is even more important for users of online health communities because health benefits usually come with sustained use. However, little is known about what retains a user. We interviewed 21 participants who had been using online diabetes communities in a sustained manner. Guided by self-determination theory, which posits that behaviors are sustained when they can satisfy basic human needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, we identified mechanisms that help satisfy these needs, and thus sustain users in online health communities. Autonomy-supportive mechanisms include being respected and supported as a unique individual, feeling free in making choices, and receiving meaningful rationales about others' decisions. Competence-cultivating mechanisms include seeking information, providing information, and exchanging information with others to construct knowledge. Mechanisms that cultivate relatedness include seeing similarities between oneself and peers, receiving responses from others, providing emotional support, and forming small underground groups for closer interactions. The results suggest that, like emotions, information and small group interactions also play a key role in retaining users. System design and community management strategies are discussed based on these mechanisms.
An Exercise in Moral Philosophy: Seeking to Understand "Nobody.".

The late Hannah Arendt proposed that many, perhaps most monstrous deeds are not committed by moral monsters but by individuals who do not “think.” However, understanding the significance of “activity of thinking as such” requires a moral philosophy that transcends rational actor assumptions and instrumental reason centering, instead, on the conditions of self-knowledge. The ubiquitous and often lethal phenomenon of information distortions provides a vehicle for expanding our understandings of individual moral response-abilities in our modern times.
4-W Continuous-Wave Color-Center Laser Pumps a KBr:02−(F2+)H Center Laser

CW output power levels up to 4 W at 1.5 μm are realized in a Nd:YAG pumped KCl FA(T1) center laser. The latter is used to pump a KBr:O2− (F2+)H center laser which tunes from 1.80-2.16 μm and reaches a peak output power of ~200 mW at ~1.9 μm.
Stability of nitroglycerin injection determined by gas chromatography

The stability of nitroglycerin injection was studied over an eight-week period. Gas-liquid chromatographic assay and thin-layer chromatography were used to study the stability in relation to sorption by rubber and plastic (Viaflex), light and the effect of two diluents (5% dextrose in water and 0.9% sodium chloride for injection). More nitroglycerin was lost from vials with rubber closures, and the loss occurred at a faster rate when compared with nitroglycerin packaged in ampuls. There was no difference in the loss of nitroglycerin from injection packaged in ampuls when stored in the light or in the dark, or in the loss of nitroglycerin from two diluents, 5% dextrose in water and 0.9% sodium chloride for injection, packaged in glass bottles. A 70.4% greater loss of nitroglycerin occurred from Viaflex bags than from glass bottles. Loss of nitroglycerin in this study may have been characterized by reversible first-order kinetics.
Police Crime: The Criminal Behavior of Sworn Law Enforcement Officers

This essay examines the criminological conceptualizations and research on police crime, that is, the criminal behavior of sworn law enforcement officers. It starts with an overview of the conceptualization of police crime as it relates to organizational and scholarly perspectives of social deviance. Police deviance is often conceptualized to include various misconduct, corruption, and/or crime committed by police organizations and police officers. This essay focuses on police crime resulting in the arrest of a sworn law enforcement officer and is organized within a conceptual framework that incorporates five types of police crime: sex-related police crime, alcohol-related police crime, drug-related police crime, violence-related police crime, and profit-motivated police crime.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Phenylketonuria

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) was established shortly after the Guthrie test for screening newborn infants for phenylketonuria (PKU) was introduced. The NICHD supported the study demonstrating the long-term efficacy of screening and a low-phenylalanine diet in preventing mental retardation. With the identification of the adverse impact on fetal development of high intrauterine phenylalanine exposure from a mother with PKU, the NICHD organized and supported the study reported here, demonstrating the protective effect of phenylalanine restriction of the mother’s diet during pregnancy. The study provides clear guidance for the management of pregnancy in women with PKU.
CORRELATIONS AMONG ULTRASONOGRAPHIC MEASUREMENTS OF OPTIC NERVE SHEATH DIAMETER, AGE, AND BODY WEIGHT IN CLINICALLY NORMAL HORSES

Early diagnosis of high intracranial pressure (ICP) is critical for minimizing progressive brain injury due to reduced cerebral perfusion. In people, detecting enlargement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by transpalpebral ultrasonography has been found to be an accurate test for high ICP. Aims of this prospective, observational, cross-sectional study were to test hypotheses that (1) ultrasonographic measurement of ONSD would be repeatable in horses, (2) have acceptable interobserver agreement, and (3) would be correlated with age and body weight. The sample population included 48 horses without clinical signs of high ICP and with varying ages and body weights. Two observers independently performed ONSD measurements in both eyes. All measurements ranged from 2.6 to 6.5 mm. The mean difference of repeated measures within observers was ≤0.1 mm and the coefficients of variation ranged from 5.0% to 8.8%. The mean difference of measures between observers was ≤0.2 mm. After correcting for performing multiple tests, no significant rank correlation (all r < 0.4 [absolute value]) was detected between ONSD and age or body weight. However, we observed smaller ONSD in foals versus adults (all P ≤ 0.002). In the foals, all observed measures of rostrocaudal and dorsoventral ONSD were <5 mm. In the adults, all observed measures of rostrocaudal and dorsoventral ONSD were ≤6.5 mm. Findings indicated that ultrasonographic ONSD measurement is a feasible test for use in horses of varying ages and sizes. Further investigation of this ultrasonographic measure as a clinical test for horse with suspected high ICP is warranted.
Temperature Rise of Water-Cooled Power Transformers

This paper contains an analysis of the oil temperature rise of water-cooled power transformers. It is shown that by factoring the effect of viscosity oil temperatures can be calculated more accurately for a variety of conditions. Equations and curves are given with supporting test data for determining the temperature rise for different loads, ingoing water temperatures, and rates of water flow. The variations in temperature rise with load, water rate, and water temperature are appreciably different from published data on the subject. A discussion of winding hot-spot temperature is included, although no new test data are given.
GMX approximation for the linear E ⊗ ϵ Jahn–Teller effect

Abstract A newly developed generalized moments expansion (GMX) based on the t -expansion of Horn and Weinstein is applied to a linear E ⊗ ϵ Jahn–Teller system. Comparisons are made with other moments schemes as well a coupled cluster approximation.
Finite axisymmetric deformations of an initially stressed fluid-filled cylindrical membrane

This paper investigates the large deformations of an extended fluid-filled cylindrical membrane. The static case and the behaviour of the membrane rotating at a constant angular velocity are both considered. A detailed experimental analysis was carried out involving different geometries, and initial axial forces and the influence of the axial force and the fluid volume were investigated. An apparatus was developed to support vertically the extended cylindrical membrane while it is filled with liquid. The membrane used in these experiments is composed of an isotropic, homogeneous and elastic rubber, which is modelled as a neo-Hookean incompressible material, described by a single elastic constant. This constant was obtained by comparing the experimental and numerical solutions for the membrane under traction. The differential equilibrium equations for this specific problem and material were derived and solved by the shooting method. When the extended membrane was filled with liquid, it was observed that the height of liquid increased initially as the volume of liquid inside the membrane increased until a certain critical height was reached after which it remained constant or decreased slightly with increasing volume, up to the moment when the membrane lost its stability into a non-symmetric mode. These experimental results are, as shown in the paper, in satisfactory agreement with the theory.
Computational study of molecular structure and self-association of tri-n-butyl phosphates in n-dodecane.

Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) is an important extractant used in the solvent extraction process for recovering uranium and plutonium from used nuclear fuel. An atomistic molecular dynamics study was used to understand the fundamental molecular-level behavior of extracting agents in solution. Atomistic parametrization was carried out using the AMBER force field to model the TBP molecule and n-dodecane molecule, a commonly used organic solvent. Validation of the optimized force field was accomplished through various thermophysical properties of pure TBP and pure n-dodecane in the bulk liquid phase. The mass density, dipole moment, self-diffusion coefficient, and heat of vaporization were calculated from our simulations and compared favorably with experimental values. The molecular structure of TBPs in n-dodecane at a dilute TBP concentration was examined based on radial distribution functions. 1D and 2D potential mean force studies were carried out to establish the criteria for identifying TBP aggregates. The...
AN INTENSITY REGULATION SYSTEM FOR A MONOCHROMATOR

A relatively inexpensive system is described which utilizes a commercial grating monochromator and external feedback electronics to regulate the output intensity as the wavelength is varied. In this system, a sample of the output intensity is taken by a photosensor with known spectral response. The output of the photosensor is then compared electronically with that of a preprogrammed function generator which cancels nonlinearities in the photosensor. The resulting signal is used to regulate the monochromator light source. System output intensity has been observed to be constant to within 5% from 4750 A to 12000 A using two gratings.
Adapting the Sample Size in Particle Filters Through KLD-Sampling

Over the past few years, particle filters have been applied with great success to a variety of state estimation problems. In this paper we present a statistical approach to increasing the efficiency of particle filters by adapting the size of sample sets during the estimation process. The key idea of the KLD-sampling method is to bound the approximation error introduced by the sample-based representation of the particle filter. The name KLD-sampling is due to the fact that we measure the approximation error using the Kullback-Leibler distance. Our adaptation approach chooses a small number of samples if the density is focused on a small part of the state space, and it chooses a large number of samples if the state uncertainty is high. Both the implementation and computation overhead of this approach are small. Extensive experiments using mobile robot localization as a test application show that our approach yields drastic improvements over particle filters with fixed sample set sizes and over a previously...
A constitutive model for protein-based materials.

Abstract Protein-based materials are critical to the construction of tissue substitutes that exhibit precisely defined mechanical properties. Under physiologically relevant conditions, materials derived from natural or synthetic structural proteins are characterized by nonlinear elastic responses at medium and large deformations, time-dependent or viscoelastic behavior, and display the effects of strain-induced structural changes. Although a constitutive model that accurately describes mechanical behavior is essential for the rational design of tissue constructs, few models account for all of these characteristics. In this report, we present a new constitutive model for protein based materials, in which nonlinear elasticity is captured by the Arruda–Boyce eight-chain model, time dependant viscoelasticity is described by a generalized Maxwell model, and the effect of strain-induced structural change is incorporated using a network alteration theory originally proposed by Tobolsky. The model was applied to a number of protein-based materials and cell containing constructs, including recombinant elastin-mimetic protein polymers and fibroblast populated collagen gel matrices. Significantly, numerical implementation of this model is straightforward and mechanical behavior accurately described under a variety of loading conditions. Moreover, when calibrated using stress relaxation data alone, the model accurately predicted cyclic loading responses. Although limitations exist, this model provides a convenient tool to correlate viscoelastic data obtained by different testing modes and may assist in reducing the number of experimental tests required to fully capture the range of viscoelastic responses of protein-based materials.
Matching and maximizing in a self-control paradigm using human subjects

Abstract Five experiments examined adult human females' sensitivity to variation in amount and delay of reinforcement, as well as their impulsiveness (preference for smaller, less delayed reinforcers over larger, more delayed reinforcers), self-control (the opposite of impulsiveness), and indifference (equal preference for larger, more delayed reinforcers and for smaller, less delayed reinforcers). Each experiment used four to five subjects, concurrent variable-interval schedules, reinforcers that consisted of opportunities to earn points exchangeable for money, and varied relative reinforcer amount and delay separately and/or together. Four experiments used a deduction procedure: a random number of points was repeatedly removed from the display counter at regular intervals, independently of the subjects' behavior. Three experiments used independent concurrent schedules; the other two used nonindependent concurrent schedules. One experiment allowed the subjects to play a radio during laboratory sessions. In all experiments the subjects' behavior was better predicted by a molar maximization model than by the generalized matching law. However, the indifference that occurred when the ratio was used did not closely approximate molar maximization. The deduction procedure appeared to have no effect on the subjects' choices. Use of the nonindependent concurrent schedules seemed to result in the subjects showing indifference and low sensitivity to changes in relative reinforcer amount and delay. Use of the radio also seemed to result in indifference. Unlike the behavior of pigeons, the behavior of adult human subjects within a self-control paradigm appears to be well described by molar maximization, but it may be possible to disrupt such behavior by environmental stimuli.
State Policies Affecting Cities and Counties in 1991: Shifting Federalism

States experienced considerable fiscal distress in 1991 as the recession led to widespread revenue shortfalls. In this environment, discretionary spending did not fare well. This article discusses five major policy areas: (1) state financial aid; (2) major changes in the “sorting out” of responsibilities between the state and local governments; (3) revenue diversification; (4) changes in limitations imposed on local taxes; and (5) new mandates handed down to cities and counties.