cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of upstream regulatory regions in the heart-expressed homeobox gene Nkx2-5

Nkx2-5 marks the earliest recognizable cardiac progenitor cells, and is activated in response to inductive signals involved in lineage specification. Nkx2-5 is also expressed in the developing foregut, thyroid, spleen, stomach and tongue. One approach to elucidate the signals involved in cardiogenesis was to examine the transcriptional regulation of early lineage markers such as Nkx2-5. We generated F0 transgenic mice, which carry Nkx2-5 flanking sequences linked to a lacZ reporter gene. We identified multiple regulatory regions located within the proximal 10.7 kb of the Nkx2-5 gene. In addition to a proximal promoter, we identified a second promoter and a novel upstream exon that could participate in the regulation of Nkx2-5 transcription. Although used rarely in normal development, this novel exon could be spliced into the Nkx2-5 coding region in several ways, thereby potentially creating novel Nkx2-5 protein isoforms, whose transcriptional activity is greatly diminished as compared to wild-type Nkx2-5. An enhancer that directs expression in pharynx, spleen, thyroid and stomach was identified within 3.5 kb of exon 1 between the coding exon 1 and the novel upstream exon 1a. Two or more enhancers upstream of exon 1a were capable of driving expression in the cardiac crescent, throughout the myocardium of the early heart tube, then in the outflow tract and right ventricle of the looped heart tube. A negative element was also located upstream of exon1a, which interacted in complex ways with enhancers to direct correct spatial expression. In addition, potential autoregulatory elements can be cooperatively stimulated by Nkx2-5 and GATA-4. Our results demonstrate that a complex suite of interacting regulatory domains regulate Nkx2-5 transcription. Dissection of these elements should reveal essential features of cardiac induction and positive and negative signaling within the cardiac field.
SONAR: Signal De-mixing for Robust Correlation Clustering.

Clustering is one of the most fundamental challenges in data mining. We identified three core problems which turn finding a natural grouping of a data set into a difficult task: First, clusters may exist in arbitrarily oriented subspaces of various dimensionality (also known as correlation clusters). Secondly, the cluster structure may be hidden by noise and outliers. Finally, the number, size and density of the clusters is usually unknown which makes the parametrization of existing approaches very difficult. In this paper, we address these three problems by combining ideas from information theory and blind signal source separation. Our algorithm is inspired by the idea of an active sonar that reveals hidden objects by sending echo pings with various frequencies and from different directions. Analogously, our algorithm SONAR very efficiently generates primitive pre-clusters and considers exactly these pre-clusters as echo pings. Each echo of a ping is a mixture of the signals of the true clusters. Independent component analysis (ICA) allows us to decompose the mixed signals into statistically independent response patterns. We combine the idea of signal de-mixing with the Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle to allow an outlier-robust and parameter-free detection of the true clusters. Extensive experiments demonstrate the following assets of SONAR: Outlier-robust detection of correlation clusters of various density and subspace orientation, requiring no difficult input parameters, and scalability to large data sets. keywords: correlation clustering, independent component analy-
Climate change adaptation strategies of maize producers of the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

The impacts of climate change are considered to be strong in countries located in tropical Africa that depend on agriculture for their food, income and livelihood. Therefore, a better understanding of the local dimensions of adaptation strategies is essential to develop appropriate measures that will mitigate adverse consequences. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the most commonly used adaptation strategies that farm households practice among a set of options to withstand the effects of climate change and to identify factors that affect the choice of climate change adaptation strategies in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. To address this objective, Multivariate Probit model was used. The results of the model indicated that the likelihood of households to adapt improved varieties of crops, adjust planting date, crop diversification and soil conservation practices were 58.73%, 57.72%, 35.61% and 41.15%, respectively. The Simulated Maximum Likelihood estimation of the Multivariate Probit model results suggested that there was positive and significant interdependence between household decisions to adapt crop diversification and using improved varieties of crops; and between adjusting planting date and using improved varieties of crops. The results also showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between household decisions to adapt crop diversification and soil conservation practices. The paper also recommended household, socioeconomic, institutional and plot characteristics that facilitate and impede the probability of choosing those adaptation strategies.
By His Own Hand? The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis

Review of: "By His Own Hand? The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis," edited by John D. W. Guice.
Neurologic Complications in Critically Ill Patients

Neurologic complications of sepsis are related primarily to inflammatory mediators that gain access to both the central and peripheral nervous systems. These mediators have significant effects on oxygen delivery and utilization at the level of the microvasculature endothelium and mitochondria. The resultant inhibition can lead to neurologic dysfunction and death through a variety of mechanisms including ischemia, hypoxia, and decreased axonal transport of nutrients. Both the central and peripheral manifestations of inflammatory mediators have a profound effect on long-term cognition and potential for rehabilitation. The encephalopathy associated with sepsis occurs in many critically ill patients. Although a diagnosis of exclusion, its presence can be detected on examination and EEG monitoring and portends a worse outcome than otherwise. Critical illness neuropathy and myopathy represent a spectrum of diseases that result from either the effects of inflammatory mediators or treatments initiated to treat critically ill patients. The extent of the neuropathy correlates with the duration and severity of the underlying illness. This chapter explores the diagnosis, evaluation, pathogenesis, and treatment strategies for these various entities.
Use of High-Dose Phenylephrine in the Treatment of Ischemic Priapism: Five-Year Experience at a Single Institution.

Abstract Introduction Ischemic priapism is an uncommon urologic emergency characterized by a compartment syndrome-like ischemic insult to the corpora cavernosa of the penis. The goal of treatment in ischemic priapism is rapid detumescence to prevent long-term erectile dysfunction. Non-surgical treatment options include aspiration, irrigation, and intracavernous injections of sympathomimetic agents. At our institution, phenylephrine is used in the treatment of ischemic priapism at concentrations and doses that are higher than those recommended in established guidelines. Aim To characterize our experience with high-concentration intracavernous phenylephrine in the treatment of ischemic priapism at an urban tertiary care center. Methods A retrospective chart review identified 58 unique patients presenting to the emergency department on 136 occasions and receiving the diagnosis of ischemic priapism by urologic physicians. Patients' charts were reviewed to record the dosing of phenylephrine and the outcomes and circumstances of the presentation. Main Outcome Measures Success rates of different treatment strategies for different circumstances of presentation. Results Successful detumescence was achieved with non-surgical management in 86% of unique patients and the overall resolution rate when including repeat visits was 94%. All patients presenting within less than 36 hours of priapism were successfully treated with non-surgical management. There were no reported complications or associated symptoms related to the use of intracavernous phenylephrine during the 5-year period. Conclusion The use of high concentration and dosing of intracavernous phenylephrine demonstrates a high success rate in the treatment of ischemic priapism. Future prospective studies are needed to further characterize appropriate phenylephrine dosing for its efficacy and safety.
Laparoscopic Repair of Morgagni Hernia

A Morgagni (anterior) diaphragmatic hernia is usually diagnosed on a chest x-ray in a child with recurrent respiratory symptoms. The Morgagni hernia lends itself easily to a laparoscopic repair.
Community-associated meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections: epidemiology, recognition and management.

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of infection, particularly in hospitalized patients and those with significant healthcare exposure. In recent years, epidemic community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections occurring in patients without healthcare risk factors have become more frequent. The most common manifestation of CA-MRSA infection is skin and soft tissue infection, although necrotizing pneumonia, sepsis and osteoarticular infections can occur. CA-MRSA strains have become endemic in many communities and are genetically distinct from previously identified MRSA strains. CA-MRSA may be more capable colonizers of humans and more virulent than other S. aureus strains. Specific mechanisms of pathogenicity have not been elucidated, but several factors have been proposed as responsible for the virulence of CA-MRSA, including the Panton-Valentine leukocidin, phenol-soluble modulins and type I arginine catabolic mobile element. The movement of CA-MRSA strains into the nosocomial setting limits the utility of using clinical risk factors alone to designate community- or healthcare-associated status. Identification of unique genetic characteristics and genotyping are valuable tools for MRSA epidemiological studies. Although the optimum pharmacological therapy for CA-MRSA infections has not been determined, many CA-MRSA strains remain broadly susceptible to several non-β-lactam antibacterial agents. Empirical antibacterial therapy should include an MRSA-active agent, particularly in areas where CA-MRSA is endemic.
Writing Renewal Retreats: The Scholarly Writer, Contemplative Practice, and Scholarly Productivity

This article offers an exploratory case study of a program for faculty that blends contemplative practices, scholarly productivity, and renewal of faculty as writers at a retreat in a natural setting. We share faculty learning outcomes, logistics, a retreat agenda, and evaluation data from four writing renewal retreats conducted over two years to present initial insight into a contemplative approach to writing retreats that fosters a connection to self, to scholarship, and to a community of writers—key elements of a successful writing life. Through critical reflection on the role of contemplative practices, scholarly productivity, and faculty well-being, we offer a model for holistic faculty development.
Catch-to-Slip Bond Transition in Biological Bonds by Entropic and Energetic Elasticity

It is revealed recently that the life time of some biological bonds increases in response to small and moderate external tensile forces, decreases with further increasing of tensile forces. Such biological bonds are termed ‘catch bonds’. This work aims to explain the dependence of bond life time on entropic and energetic factors which are controlled by external tensile forces. We count debonding events of a biological bond in a sphere surrounding the bonding complex. For simplicity, the surface is divided into two regions. Region (a) has a surface normal nearly parallel to a tensile force, and region (b) is the rest of the surface. The influence of a tensile force to dissociation in region (a) is by lowering the energy barrier to escape, and that to region (b) is by modifying accessible microstates for dissociation. The lifetime of the biological bond, due to the superimposition of two concurrent dissociation rates in each region, may grow with increasing tensile force to moderate amount and decrease with further increasing load. It is hypothesized that a catch-to-slip bond transition is a generic feature in biological bonds. The model also predicts that catch bonds in compliant molecular structure have longer lifetimes and lower bond strength. Here bond strength is defined as the critical force where the bond lifetime is maximized.
Individual and Family Correlates of Community Living Options Among Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Abstract With recent policy changes and case-law decisions, there are more opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live independently in inclusive settings. It is necessary to identify malleable correlates of community living options to develop interventions to increase inclusive, independent living. To this end, 546 parents and siblings of adults with IDD responded to a national survey. According to parent and sibling report, adults with IDD were more likely to live outside of the family home when the family engaged in future planning, the individual had more informal supports and more functional abilities and had parents with fewer caregiving abilities. Among the 187 adults with IDD who lived outside of the family home, individuals with more problem behaviors and fewer functional abilities were more likely to live in larger group homes (versus independently with or without supports). Further, when the family engaged in more future planning activities, adults wi...
Synthesis and Properties of a Photopatternable Lithium‐Ion Conducting Solid Electrolyte

One of the important considerations for the development of on-chip batteries is the need to photopattern the solid electrolyte directly on electrodes. Herein, the photopatterning of a lithium-ion conducting solid electrolyte is demonstrated by modifying a well-known negative photoresist, SU-8, with LiClO4. The resulting material exhibits a room temperature ionic conductivity of 52 µS cm−1 with a wide electrochemical window (>5 V). Half-cell galvanostatic testing of 3 µm thin films spin-coated on amorphous silicon validates its use for on-chip energy-storage applications. The modified SU-8 possesses excellent mechanical integrity, is thermally stable up to 250 °C, and can be photopatterned with micrometer-scale resolution. These results present a promising direction for the integration of electrochemical energy storage in microelectronics.
Primary intramural fibromatosis of the small bowel: An uncommon cause of intestinal obstruction

Small bowel obstruction is a commonly encountered surgical diagnosis, most frequently attributed to hernias, adhesions, or malignancy. Intra-abdominal fibromatoses are rare tumors with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Infrequently, acute presentation of bowel obstruction may be associated with intra-abdominal fibromatosis – also referred to as “desmoid tumor” – a benign proliferation of myofibroblasts which most often arise from the mesentery or retroperitoneum and are nonmalignant in character. Here, we describe a case of an isolated abdominal fibromatosis with primary involvement of the intestinal wall and the clinical presentation of bowel obstruction. The patient was managed by surgical resection and had complete recovery. As demonstrated in the current case, physically small, relatively isolated desmoid tumors have the potential to significantly impact the patient. Individualized treatment approaches produce good clinical outcomes in most cases. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Medical knowledge, Patient care.
Editorial—Introducing A New Section—Marketing Science: Frontiers

Marketing Science has introduced a new section “Marketing Science: Frontiers,” focused on publishing timely research with high potential for impact. The section is positioned as “different, but equal” relative to regular Marketing Science with the same high quality standards, but differentiated contribution criteria and a shorter Science–like format to highlight the core contribution and maximize readability and impact. The section will encourage competition among authors for publishing timely and contemporaneously relevant research—undervalued attributes in traditional contribution evaluation—on topics with high impact potential. In exchange, it will accept papers that make major contributions on one “primary” dimension (methodological, modeling or substantive), with more relaxed thresholds on the non-primary dimensions compared to traditional top journals, and offer faster reviews and time to print. Authors benefit from the promise of first-mover impact rewards, while the field benefits from faster entr...
DNA methylation of imprinted gene control regions in the regression of low-grade cervical lesions

The role of host epigenetic mechanisms in the natural history of low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1) is not well characterized. We explored differential methylation of imprinted gene regulatory regions as predictors of the risk of CIN1 regression. A total of 164 patients with CIN1 were recruited from 10 Duke University clinics for the CIN Cohort Study. Participants had colposcopies at enrollment and up to five follow-up visits over 3 years. DNA was extracted from exfoliated cervical cells for methylation quantitation at CpG (cytosine-phosphate-guanine) sites and human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using Cox regression to quantify the effect of methylation on CIN1 regression over two consecutive visits, compared to non-regression (persistent CIN1; progression to CIN2+; or CIN1 regression at a single time-point), adjusting for age, race, high-risk HPV (hrHPV), parity, oral contraceptive and smoking status. Median participant age was 26.6 years (range: 21.0-64.4 years), 39% were African-American, and 11% were current smokers. Most participants were hrHPV-positive at enrollment (80.5%). Over one-third of cases regressed (n = 53, 35.1%). Median time-to-regression was 12.6 months (range: 4.5-24.0 months). Probability of CIN1 regression was negatively correlated with methylation at IGF2AS CpG 5 (HR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.23-0.77) and PEG10 DMR (HR = 0.80; 95% CI = 0.65-0.98). Altered methylation of imprinted IGF2AS and PEG10 DMRs may play a role in the natural history of CIN1. If confirmed in larger studies, further research on imprinted gene DMR methylation is warranted to determine its efficacy as a biomarker for cervical cancer screening.
Reflections on Joshua Dressler's Understanding Criminal Law

Joshua Dressler, through his treatise "Understanding Criminal Law," his criminal law casebook, and his editorship of the "Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice," has become America's preeminent, even indispensable, criminal law teacher. In a tribute to Josh's contributions to scholarship and pedagogy, I reflect on three themes in Understanding Criminal Law: Josh's definition of criminal law; his distinction between justification and excuse; and his conception of the basic elements of criminal responsibility. I conclude with a unifying theme that connects the other three, namely, Josh's distinctive view of the role of "harm" in criminal law.
Markov Theory For Groups of Very High Waves

Statistics of wave groups among very high waves are examined using Markov theory and data from wave records developed by computer simulations of a Jonswap 3.3 sea. Very high waves are considered to be those with threshold heights exceeding the significant wave height by 10% or more. Theory indicates decreased group formation among the very high waves as a result of decreased Markov correlation between waves. Data confirm the prediction and provide additional insight into the group phenomena.
Recent Developments in Barge Design, Towing, and Pushing

Estimating resistance and course stability are two problems confronting the barge designer. This paper discusses recent Japanese research and development work on the towing resistance of simple hull forms, skeg design, and the relation of skeg lift to the towed barge course stability. The University of Michigan's experience from numerous tank tests of ocean going barges with notched sterns is summarized and a design aid to make preliminary resistance estimates for various size stern notches is presented.
Evolutionary Modular Robotics: Survey and Analysis

This paper surveys various applications of artificial evolution in the field of modular robots. Evolutionary robotics aims to design autonomous adaptive robots automatically that can evolve to accomplish a specific task while adapting to environmental changes. A number of studies have demonstrated the feasibility of evolutionary algorithms for generating robotic control and morphology. However, a huge challenge faced was how to manufacture these robots. Therefore, modular robots were employed to simplify robotic evolution and their implementation in real hardware. Consequently, more research work has emerged on using evolutionary computation to design modular robots rather than using traditional hand design approaches in order to avoid cognition bias. These techniques have the potential of developing adaptive robots that can achieve tasks not fully understood by human designers. Furthermore, evolutionary algorithms were studied to generate global modular robotic behaviors including; self-assembly, self-reconfiguration, self-repair, and self-reproduction. These characteristics allow modular robots to explore unstructured and hazardous environments. In order to accomplish the aforementioned evolutionary modular robotic promises, this paper reviews current research on evolutionary robotics and modular robots. The motivation behind this work is to identify the most promising methods that can lead to developing autonomous adaptive robotic systems that require the minimum task related knowledge on the designer side.
Ibalizumab, a Novel Monoclonal Antibody for the Management of Multidrug-Resistant HIV-1 Infection.

Limited antiretrovirals are currently available for the management of multidrug-resistant (MDR) HIV-1 infection. Ibalizumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, represents the first novel agent for HIV-1 management in over a decade and is the first monoclonal antibody for the treatment of MDR HIV-1 infection in combination with other forms of antiretroviral therapy in heavily treatment-experienced adults who are failing their current antiretroviral regimen. Ibalizumab demonstrates a novel mechanism of action as a CD4-directed postattachment inhibitor and has a favorable pharmacokinetic profile that allows for a dosing interval of every 14 days after an initial loading dose. Clinical studies have demonstrated reasonably substantial antiretroviral activity with ibalizumab among a complex patient population with advanced HIV-1 infection who are receiving an optimized background regimen, where limited therapeutic options exist. Ibalizumab was well tolerated in clinical trials, and the most common adverse effects included diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, pyrexia, and rash. Resistance to ibalizumab has also been observed via reduced expression or loss of the potential N-linked glycosylation sites in the V5 loop of the envelope glycoprotein 120. The mechanism of action, pharmacokinetic parameters, efficacy, and safety of ibalizumab present an advance in the management of MDR HIV-1 infection. Future studies and postmarketing experience will further determine longer-term clinical efficacy, safety, and resistance data for ibalizumab.
Patients with stroke and psychiatric comorbidities have lower carotid revascularization rates

Objective We investigated whether mental illness is associated with lower rates of carotid endarterectomy (CEA)/carotid artery stenting (CAS) after stroke due to carotid stenosis. Methods In this retrospective cross-sectional study, ischemic stroke cases due to carotid stenosis were identified in the 2007–2014 Nationwide (National) Inpatient Sample. Psychiatric conditions were identified by secondary ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes for schizophrenia/psychoses, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, or substance use disorders. Using logistic regression, we tested the association between psychiatric conditions and CEA/CAS, controlling for demographic, clinical, and hospital factors. Results Among 37,474 included stroke cases, 6,922 (18.5%) had a psychiatric comorbidity. The presence of any psychiatric condition was associated with lower odds of CEA/CAS (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78–0.90). Schizophrenia/psychoses (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55–0.93), depression (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.75–0.91), and substance use disorders (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.65–0.83) were each associated with lower odds of CEA/CAS. The association of mental illness and CEA/CAS was dose-dependent: compared to patients without mental illness, patients with multiple psychiatric comorbidities (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62–0.87) had lower odds of CEA/CAS than those with only one psychiatric comorbidity (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.79–0.92; p value for trend Conclusion The odds of carotid revascularization after stroke is lower in patients with mental illness, particularly those with schizophrenia/psychoses, depression, substance use disorders, and multiple psychiatric diagnoses.
Convergence between Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and self-report: Another look at some old questions.

Objective This study extends upon the investigation of the influence of response format on the convergence between performance-based and self-report assessments of similar mental health constructs, to further examine the role of method variance in poor heteromethod convergence. Methods An online sample of 455 participants (57% male; mean age = 35.5 years) completed a multiple-choice adaptation of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)-the Iowa Picture Interpretation Test (IPIT)-and two self-report instruments: the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) representation of the domain traits of the five-factor model. Results Several significant and meaningful interrelationships emerged between the IPIT and the PAI and IPIP five-factor scales. Conclusions Findings suggest that TAT methodology can correlate meaningfully with similar constructs assessed using self-report when comparable response formats are utilized, offering further support for the role of method variance in precluding heteromethod relationships.
Emergency General Surgery Volume and Its Impact on Outcomes in Military Treatment Facilities.

Abstract Background Low hospital volume for emergency general surgery (EGS) procedures is associated with worse patient outcomes within the civilian health care system. The military maintains treatment facilities (MTFs) in remote locations to provide access to service members and their families. We sought to determine if patients treated at low-volume MTFs for EGS conditions experience worse outcomes compared with high-volume centers. Materials and methods We analyzed TRICARE data from 2006 to 2014. Patients were identified using an established coding algorithm for EGS admission. MTFs were divided into quartiles based on annual EGS volume. Outcomes included 30-d mortality, complications, and readmissions. Logistic regression models adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic differences in case-mix including EGS condition, surgical intervention, and comorbidities were used to determine the influence of hospital volume on outcomes. Results We identified 106,915 patients treated for an EGS condition at 79 MTFs. The overall mortality rate was 0.21%, with complications occurring in 8.55% and readmissions in 4.45%. After risk adjustment, lowest-volume MTFs did not demonstrate significantly higher odds of mortality (OR: 2.02, CI: 0.45-9.06) or readmissions (OR: 0.77, CI: 0.54-1.11) compared with the highest-volume centers. Lowest-volume facilities exhibited a lower likelihood of complications (OR: 0.76, CI: 0.59-0.98). Conclusions EGS patients treated at low-volume MTFs did not experience worse clinical outcomes when compared with high-volume centers. Remote MTFs appear to provide care for EGS conditions comparable with that of high-volume facilities. Our findings speak against the need to reduce services at small, critical access facilities within the military health care system.
Efficient optimization of control libraries

A popular approach to high dimensional control problems in robotics uses a library of candidate "maneuvers" or "trajectories". The library is either evaluated on a fixed number of candidate choices at runtime (e.g. path set selection for planning) or by iterating through a sequence of feasible choices until success is achieved (e.g. grasp selection). The performance of the library relies heavily on the content and order of the sequence of candidates. We propose a provably efficient method to optimize such libraries, leveraging recent advances in optimizing sub-modular functions of sequences. This approach is demonstrated on two important problems: mobile robot navigation and manipulator grasp set selection. In the first case, performance can be improved by choosing a subset of candidates which optimizes the metric under consideration (cost of traversal). In the second case, performance can be optimized by minimizing the depth in the list that is searched before a successful candidate is found. Our method can be used in both on-line and batch settings with provable performance guarantees, and can be run in an anytime manner to handle real-time constraints.
Cephalosporins target quorum sensing and suppress virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Caenorhabditis elegans infection model

Pseudomonas aeruginosa utilizes a chemical social networking system referred to as quorum sensing (QS) to strategically co-ordinate the expression of virulence factors and biofilm formation. Virulence attributes damage the host cells, impair the host immune system, and protect bacterial cells from antibiotic attack. Thus, anti-QS agents may act as novel anti-infective therapeutics to treat P. aeruginosa infections. The present study was performed to evaluate the anti-QS, anti-biofilm, and anti-virulence activity of β-lactam antibiotics (carbapenems and cephalosporins) against P. aeruginosa. The anti-QS activity was quantified using Chromobacterium violaceum CV026 as a QS reporter strain. Our results showed that cephalosporins including cefepime (CP), ceftazidime (CF), and ceftriaxone (CT) exhibited potent anti-QS and anti-virulence activities against P. aeruginosa PAO1. These antibiotics significantly impaired motility phenotypes, decreased pyocyanin production, and reduced the biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa PAO1. In the present study, we studied isogenic QS mutants of PAO1: ?LasR, ?RhlR, ?PqsA, and ?PqsR and found that the levels of virulence factors of antibiotic-treated PAO1 were comparable to QS mutant strains. Molecular docking predicted high binding affinities of cephalosporins for the ligand-binding pocket of QS receptors (CviR, LasR, and PqsR). In addition, our results showed that the anti-microbial activity of aminoglycosides increased in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of CP against P. aeruginosa PAO1. Further, utilizing Caenorhabditis elegans as an animal model for the in vivo anti-virulence effects of antibiotics, cephalosporins showed a significant increase in C. elegans survival by suppressing virulence factor production in P. aeruginosa. Thus, our results indicate that cephalosporins might provide a viable anti-virulence therapy in the treatment of infections caused by multi-drug resistant P. aeruginosa.
Learning and Unlearning through Questioning Practices: Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers’ Transformations to Support English Learners

Questioning is recognized as a well-established aspect of good mathematics teaching, and this study draws on this instructional practice to provide multilingual learners high-level mathematics, discourse, and cognitively demanding mathematics. Three seventh grade mathematics teachers engaged in professional learning to develop their questioning practice over the course of a semester, with this research seeking to answer the following questions: 1) How did three seventh grade mathematics teachers develop their questioning practices over the course of a semester?; and 2) What opportunities did these mathematics teachers’ questioning provide for discourse, particularly for English learners? The research was framed using the concepts teacher learning and unlearning, discourse, and questioning. Qualitative data analysis of seven observations and four interviews from each teacher examined which types of questions teachers asked, how teachers’ questioning developed over time, and how students responded to questioning. The findings illustrate that teachers’ questioning strategies were fairly limited initially and that teachers rarely planned to support multilingual students. As teachers’ questioning practices developed, they asked a wider variety of questions, always wanting to ask better questions. While some of the teachers’ questioning practices changed, there were interesting developments in the teachers’ conceptions of their students, particularly related to how teachers identified multilingual students’ mathematical capabilities. Questioning created an inquiry space for teachers that allowed teachers to develop their instructional practices while also reconsidering their expectations for multilingual students both linguistically and mathematically.
Heavy Alcohol Use Is Associated With Gastric Cancer: Analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey From 1999 to 2010.

Introduction Evidence regarding the association between alcohol use and gastric cancer (GC) has been inconsistent. Methods Adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010 were included. Multivariable regression was used to assess the association between GC and heavy alcohol use (≥5 alcoholic drinks daily). Results Of 470,168 individuals surveyed, 342 had a history of GC. Heavy alcohol use was associated with GC (odds ratio 3.13, 95% confidence interval 1.15-8.64) on multivariable analysis. Discussion This is the largest study to our knowledge to demonstrate an association between heavy alcohol use and GC in the United States.
Timeline to Physeal Closure After Epiphysiodesis Surgery About the Wrist

Background Partial or complete physeal arrest about the wrist can occur due to a variety of pediatric and adolescent conditions. At times, an ephiphysiodesis is warranted to prevent more deformity and/or ulnar abutment syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine the length of time until complete physeal closure following an epiphysiodesis procedure about the …
Maternal Depression History Moderates the Association Between Criticism (but not Praise) and Depressive Symptoms in Youth.

Children of mothers with past depression are at increased risk for developing the disorder themselves; however, the specific factors that increase their risk are unclear. Aberrant reactivity to social experiences may be one characteristic that increases risk for depression in offspring. This study investigates whether mothers’ depression history is associated with increased reactivity to criticism and decreased reactivity to praise in offspring by examining 72 youths (ages 8–15). Every evening for 21 days, youths reported their depressive symptoms and whether they were criticized and/or praised by their mothers, fathers, siblings, and friends, resulting in 1,382 data entries across participants. Mothers reported their own depression history and current depressive symptoms. Maternal depression history moderated offspring’s response to criticism. Although all youths reacted to perceived criticism from family members with transient increases of depressive symptoms, only children of mothers with higher (vs. lower) levels of past depression exhibited cumulative, person-level associations between perceived criticism and their own depressive symptoms. Additionally, only children of depressed mothers exhibited increases in depressive symptoms on days in which they were criticized by friends. Perceived parental praise was associated with lower levels of depression in youths regardless of maternal depression. Youth depressive symptoms were more strongly related to their parents’ (vs. siblings or friends) criticism and praise, highlighting parents’ more central role in youth depression risk. Taken together, our results reveal that maternal depression history is associated with increased reactivity to perceived criticism across relational contexts potentially contributing to youths’ risk for developing depression.
Regulation of necroptosis as a viral immune antagonistic mechanism (INM3P.361)

Regulation of cell death is an important aspect of immune responses to human pathogens. We observed rapid mRNA degradation in human primary dendritic cells (DC) after infection with seasonal but not pandemic H1N1 influenza A viruses. Investigating the mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we found that virus-induced cell death is responsible for cellular RNA degradation. Our data showed that infection with seasonal H1N1 influenza induces caspase independent but RIPK3 dependent necroptosis in primary human DCs as early as 4 hours post infection. Additionally, we found that necroptosis induction is dependent on de novo viral RNA synthesis. To elucidate which viral proteins mediated necroptosis regulation, DC were infected DCs with recombinant viruses encoding segments from a pair of influenza viruses that differed in inducing necroptosis. These DC cell death assays indicated that HA or NA play a pivotal role in necroptosis regulation. Differences in necroptosis induction observed between the seasonal and pandemic influenza strains in DCs, the main antigen presenting cells in antiviral immunity, could have a significant impact on the adaptive immune response and offer a potential explanation for differences observed in clinical outcomes of infection with pandemic or seasonal influenza virus strains.
CXCR4 and mobilization of hematopoietic precursors.

Abstract The binding of the chemokine [C‐X‐C motif] ligand 12 (CXCL12 or stromal cell–derived factor 1α [SDF‐1α]) constitutively produced by bone marrow stromal cells and osteoblasts, to the CXC receptor (CXCR) 4, a transmembrane chemokine receptor expressed on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), has emerged as a key signal for HSPC trafficking to and from the bone marrow. Disruption of CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling causes leukocytosis, with the release of HSPCs, neutrophils, and lymphocytes into the peripheral blood. Although mobilized peripheral blood has become the preferred source of stem cells for both autologous and allogeneic transplantation, the optimum strategy for obtaining mobilized products from donors is the subject of ongoing study. Granulocyte colony–stimulating factor (G‐CSF) and plerixafor (AMD3100) are two agents used clinically to induce HSPC mobilization by disruption of the CXCL12/CXCR4 interaction. This chapter describes current procedures used to phenotypically and functionally characterize murine and human HSPCs mobilized by G‐CSF or plerixafor.
Survival of Rhizobium phaseoli in Coal-Based Legume Inoculants Applied to Seeds

Eight coals used as carriers in legume inoculants promoted the survival of Rhizobium phaseoli on pinto bean seeds. Although peat was more protective, most coal-based inoculants provided >104 viable rhizobia per seed after 4 weeks.
Ets1 Is an Effector of the Transforming Growth Factor β (TGF-β) Signaling Pathway and an Antagonist of the Profibrotic Effects of TGF-β

Extracellular matrix (ECM) production and turnover are tightly controlled under normal physiological conditions. Ets factors regulate matrix turnover by activating transcription of several metalloproteinases (MMPs) and are frequently overexpressed in aggressive tumors and arthritis. Because of the prominent role of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in ECM synthesis, this study was undertaken to determine the possible interactions between Ets1 and the TGF-beta pathway. Experiments using adenoviral delivery of Ets1 in human fibroblasts have established that Ets1 strongly suppresses TGF-beta induction of collagen type I and other matrix-related genes and reverses TGF-beta-dependent inhibition of MMP-1. Subsequent experiments utilizing COL1A2 promoter demonstrated that Ets1 in the presence of TGF-beta signaling interferes with the stimulatory role of p300. To gain further insight into the mechanism of Ets1 inhibition of the TGF-beta signaling, the protein levels and post-translational modifications of Ets1 after TGF-beta treatment were analyzed. The level of total Ets1 protein was not affected after 24 h of TGF-beta stimulation. Moreover, TGF-beta did not affect either serine or threonine phosphorylation levels of Ets1. However, TGF-beta induced rapid and prolonged lysine acetylation of Ets1. In addition, analyses of endogenous p300.Ets1 complexes revealed that acetylated Ets1 is preferentially associated with the p300/CBP complexes. TGF-beta treatment leads to dissociation of Ets1 from the CBP/p300 complexes. Together, these findings suggest that elevated expression of Ets1 in fibroblasts fundamentally alters their responses to TGF-beta in favor of matrix degradation and away from matrix deposition as exemplified by arthritis and cancer.
Geometry caching for ray-tracing displacement maps

We present a technique for rendering displacement mapped geometry in a raytracing Tenderer. Displacement mapping is an important technique for adding detail to surface geometry in rendering systems. It allows complex geometric variation to be added to simpler geometry, without the cost in geometric complexity of completely describing the nuances of the geometry at modeling time and with the advantage that the detail can be added adaptively at rendering time.
Therapeutic abortion at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital.

Abstract A statistical analysis has been made of 301 therapeutic abortions performed at the Chicago Lying-in Hospital over a fifteen-year period. These data were compared with similar data from the preceding eight years. The total time is from the opening of the present Chicago Lying-in Hospital on May 25, 1931, up to June 30, 1954. Comments on the indications and technical methods have been given. An attempt has been made to designate changes in the indications as well as in the procedures. In 69 per cent of the cases the results have been adjudged satisfactory. Only 12.6 per cent of the group had an unsatisfactory outcome. The remaining percentage of patients did not return. Thus the procedures were properly chosen, for by critical appraisal the outstandingly favorable results speak for themselves. It is obvious that the future will witness changes in indications and management as medical science advances.
Key History Tree: Efficient Group Key Management with Off-Line Members

We present a new approach to deal with off-line members that are part of a secure dynamic group, where all the group members share a secret key, and this key is continuously changed to match current membership. Instead of re-negotiating keys when members become off-line or forcing direct interaction with the key manager, we propose a safe caching mechanism particularly suited for LKH (Logical Key Hierarchy) schemes. The basis of our approach is that in many applications, members that are back on-line just need to know the current key and not all the intermediate keys negotiated while they were off-line. We have devised a compact representation for that purpose called KHT (Key History Tree). A KHT is built using only publicly available information, so it can be safely replicated over the network, and its operation is transparent to clients and key managers. We use as an example of the benefits of our approach a web-based subscription service that anonymizes customer interactions while enforcing membership payments. Extensive simulations show the advantage of our approach over more conventional schemes.
DAIS: a real-time data attack isolation system for commercial database applications

Traditional database security mechanisms are very limited in defending successful data attacks. Authorized but malicious transactions can make a database useless by impairing its integrity and availability. The paper presents the design of a real-time data attack isolation system, denoted DAIS. DAIS isolates likely suspicious actions before a definite determination of intrusion is reported. In this way, the database can be immunized from many malicious transactions. DAIS is a COTS-DBMS-specific implementation of a general isolation algorithm that was developed previously (P. Liu et al., 2000). The design of the first DAIS prototype, which is for Oracle Server 8.1.6, is discussed. DAIS uses triggers and transaction profiles to keep track of the items read and written by transactions, isolates attacks by rewriting user SQL statements, and is transparent to end users. The DAIS design is very general. In addition to Oracle, it can be easily adapted to support many other database application platforms such as Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, and Informix.
Wearable wireless body area network for aeronautical applications

The desire for advancement of human space exploration brings the need for an adaptive, next generation health monitoring system in the form of a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN). The application of wireless networks has yet to be utilized in the space industry allowing for the untapped potential for next generation devices that increase mission awareness and safety. WBAN was designed to meet the requirements of space exploration, allowing for ease of movement and flexibility through non-restrictive components and a wireless network. The proposed system consists of two subsystems: a sensor network made up of a microcontroller, a Bluetooth transceiver, and an external antenna; and an Android device used as the data monitoring system. The Bluetooth transceiver transmits data from the sensors, via the external flexible antenna to the Android tablet. The data is collected and displayed via a custom-built application on the tablet. The application also keeps and monitors the total power of the system allowing for continuous vital sign monitoring.
Multijurisdictional Practice and the Influence of Model Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5 - An Interim Assessment

In adopting Model Rule 5.5 the ABA hoped to both modernize the standards for multijurisdictional practice, and to promote greater uniformity in the states with respect to such practice. While the ABA’s efforts have borne substantial fruit, the degree to which these goals have been met is often overstated. In this article, I explore in depth the influence Model Rule 5.5 has had on the states, the degree of variation that remains, and the unintended consequences that may flow from this reform effort.