cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Potential role for laminin 5 in hypoxia-mediated apoptosis of human corneal epithelial cells

Laminin 5 functions to promote cell-matrix adhesion and therefore is hypothesized to abrogate apoptosis initiated through the loss of epithelial cell contact with extracellular matrix. Laminin 5 levels are decreased in epithelial cells cultured in a hypoxic environment. Exposure of epithelial cells to hypoxia may induce apoptotic pathways transmitted through changes in mitochondrial membrane potential. Using an apoptosis assay based on mitochondrial membrane integrity, the effect of hypoxia (2% oxygen) on human corneal epithelial cell viability was determined. Both a virally transformed corneal epithelial cell line and third passage corneal epithelial cells were resistant to hypoxia-mediated apoptosis for up to 5 days in culture. However, at 7 days in culture, a statistically significant increase in apoptosis was noted in hypoxic corneal epithelial cells compared to normoxic (20% oxygen) controls. Increased apoptosis in hypoxic epithelium at 7 days in culture correlated with decreased deposition of laminin 5 into the extracellular matrix, as determined by western blot analysis and immunofluorescence microscopy. Additionally, the extracellular processing of the alpha3 and gamma2 chains of laminin 5 was negatively impacted by corneal epithelial cell exposure to hypoxia for 7 days. Treatment of human corneal epithelial cells cultured in 20% oxygen with function-inhibiting antibodies to laminin 5 for 2 or 3 days resulted in a statistically significant decrease in proliferation, and concomitant increase in apoptosis, compared with untreated normoxic controls. Based on these results, it appears that mechanisms of hypoxia-mediated apoptosis in human corneal epithelial cells may be initiated by the loss of processed laminin 5 in the extracellular matrix or by the loss of laminin 5-epithelial cell communication and transmitted through mitochondria.
Abstract IA01: The origins of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is a generic term that can be used for any malignant ovarian tumor. The majority of ovarian cancers are carcinomas, i.e., malignancies with epithelial differentiation. Ovarian carcinomas represent a heterogeneous group of tumors that can be divided into five major types based largely on their light microscopic appearance. Notably, the origins of these different tumor types (high-grade serous carcinoma, low-grade serous carcinoma, endometrioid carcinoma, clear cell carcinoma, and mucinous carcinoma) remain incompletely understood. Indeed, many ovarian cancers may not actually originate in the ovaries, but instead involve the ovaries secondarily. Even those that develop in the ovaries may arise from cell types, for example endometrial- or fallopian tube-type epithelium, that are not considered intrinsic to normal ovaries. Potential origins and putative precursors of the five major types of ovarian carcinoma will be reviewed and experimental data from mouse models supporting a role for the ovarian surface epithelium and/or fallopian tube epithelium will be presented. A more complete understanding of the origin(s) of each type of ovarian carcinoma is needed to inform the development of effective ovarian cancer prevention, early detection and treatment strategies. Citation Format: Kathleen R. Cho. The origins of ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA01.
Conjunctive representations in contingent planning: prime implicates versus minimal CNF formula

This paper compares in depth the effectiveness of two conjunctive belief state representations in contingent planning: prime implicates and minimal CNF, a compact form of CNF formulae, which were initially proposed in conformant planning research (To et al. 2010a; 2010b). Similar to the development of the contingent planner CNFct for minimal CNF (To et al. 2011b), the present paper extends the progression function for the prime implicate representation in (To et al. 2010b) for computing successor belief states in the presence of incomplete information to handle non-deterministic and sensing actions required in contingent planning. The idea was instantiated in a new contingent planner, called PIct, using the same AND/OR search algorithm and heuristic function as those for CNFct. The experiments show that, like CNFct, PIct performs very well in a wide range of benchmarks. The study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of the two planners and identifies the properties of each representation method that affect the performance.
Impact of the DNA Damage Response on Human Papillomavirus Chromatin.

The fidelity of replication is regulated by the DNA damage response (DDR), an elaborate signaling network of proteins that detect, signal, and repair DNA lesions. While some viruses have evolved mechanisms to avoid or eliminate DNA repair machinery, others exploit the DDR to replicate their genomes [1]. Recent studies indicate that the DDR facilitates productive replication of human papillomaviruses (HPV) [2–8]. The ability of cells to detect and repair DNA breaks is dependent on the reorganization of surrounding chromatin [9]. The importance of histone post-translational modifications and chromatin remodeling proteins in recruitment of repair factors to DNA breaks is becoming increasingly clear. HPV genomes are histone-associated in the virion and exhibit a nucleosome pattern similar to that of cellular DNA in infected cells [10,11]. HPV chromatin is subject to histone modifications, likely important in ensuring the correct temporal expression of viral genes through the life cycle [12,13]. However, the assembly of DNA repair factors in large complexes at HPV replication centers raises the intriguing possibility that viral chromatin may also be subject to the changing chromatin dynamics associated with the DDR, facilitating efficient productive replication through DNA repair mechanisms.
Perceptions and Practices of Family Physicians Regarding Diet and Cancer

This study was undertaken to determine the beliefs of family physicians about the role of diet and cancer, as well as to determine how often family physicians assess dietary risks in patient encounters and recommend preventive dietary practices to reduce cancer risk. This study consisted of a survey of a national random sample of 486 family physicians from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and 237 responded (49%). The demographic characteristics of the respondents were determined to be similar to those of the AAFP membership. Thirty-five percent of the physicians surveyed responded that diet is important in the development of cancer. While 31 % responded they recommend dietary changes to reduce cancer risk to their patients, only 21% agreed that they find counseling patients about dietary issues professionally gratifying. Respondents agreed with most of the American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, and surgeon general’s dietary recommendations to reduce cancer risk. The level of agreement to broad general recommendations was higher than the level of agreement to specific dietary recommendations that stated a specific level or amount of consumption.
Reduction and Mastopexy Techniques for Optimal Results in Oncoplastic Breast Reconstruction

Breast conservation therapy has emerged as an important option for select cancer patients as survival rates are similar to those after mastectomy. Large tumor size and the effect of radiation create cosmetic deformities in the shape of the breast after lumpectomy alone. Volume loss, nipple displacement, and asymmetry of the contralateral breast are just a few concerns. Reconstruction of lumpectomy defects with local tissue rearrangement in concert with reduction and mastopexy techniques have allowed for outstanding aesthetic results. In patients who have a reasonable tumor- to breast-size ratio, this oncoplastic surgery can successfully treat the patient's cancer while often improving upon preoperative breast shape. Specific surgical guidelines in reduction and mastopexy help achieve predictable aesthetic results, despite the effects of radiation, and can allow for a single surgical procedure for cancer removal, reconstruction, and contralateral symmetry in one stage.
Effects of aging and freezing/thawing sequence on quality attributes of bovine Mm. gluteus medius and biceps femoris

OBJECTIVE The effects of aging and freezing/thawing sequence on color, physicochemical, and enzymatic characteristics of two beef muscles (Mm. gluteus medius, GM and biceps femoris, BF) were evaluated. METHODS Beef muscles at 3 d postmortem were assigned to four different combinations of aging and freezing/thawing sequence as follows; aging at 2°C for 3 wk (A3, never-frozen control), freezing at -28°C for 2 wk then thawing (F2, frozen/thawed-only), aging at 2°C for 3 wk, freezing at -28°C for 2 wk then thawing (A3F2), and freezing at -28°C for 2 wk, thawing then further aging at 2°C for 3 wk (F2A3). RESULTS No significant interactions between different aging/freezing/thawing treatments and muscle type on all measurements were found. Postmortem aging, regardless of aging/freezing/thawing sequence, had no impact on color stability of frozen/thawed beef muscles (p<0.05). F2A3 resulted in higher purge loss than F2 and A3F2 treatments (p<0.05). A3F2 and F2A3 treatments resulted in lower shear force of beef muscles compared to F2 (p<0.05). Although there was no significant difference in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, F2A3 had the highest β-N-acetyl glucominidase (BNAG) activity in purge, but the lowest BNAG activity in muscle (p<0.05). GM muscle exhibited higher total color changes and purge loss, and lower GSH-Px activity than BF muscle. CONCLUSION The results from this present study indicate that different combinations of aging/freezing/thawing sequence would result in considerable impacts on meat quality attributes, particularly thaw/purge loss and tenderness. Developing a novel freezing strategy combined with postmortem aging will be beneficial for the food/meat industry to maximize its positive impacts on tenderness, while minimizing thaw/purge loss of frozen/thawed meat.
Preparation of 1,5‐Dioxaspiro[5.5]undecan‐3‐one

A. 3-Amino-3-(hydroxymethyl)-1,5-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane. A 1-L single-necked, round-bottomed flask is equipped with an egg-shaped, Teflon®-coated magnetic stirring bar (3.5 cm x 1.5 cm), capped with a rubber septum, flame-dried under vacuum, and cooled under an argon atmosphere (Note 1). After cooling to ambient temperature (21-23 °C), to the flask is added anhydrous N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF, 365 mL, 0.78 M) via cannula. Subsequently, tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride (45.0 g, 286 mmol, 1.00 equiv) (Note 2 and 3) is added in a single portion as white crystalline solid. The reaction vessel is immediately resealed with a rubber septum under inert atmosphere and stirring is commenced (Figure 1). To this white suspension is added 1,1-dimethoxycyclohexane (50.0 mL, 47.4 g, 329 mmol, 1.15 equiv) via syringe in one portion (Note 4). Lastly, to the off-white slurry is added para-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (p-TsOH•H2O, 1.63 g, 8.57 mmol, 0.03 equiv) as a solid in one portion quickly, immediately replacing the rubber septum to maintain an inert atmosphere.
When school language and home language differ: one parent’s lived experience

ABSTRACTThis phenomenological study investigated the relationship between parenting and schooling for one parent whose home language was not the same as the language used in the school. The central question for this phenomenological inquiry was: What is it like to parent a child who is attending school in a language that differs from the home language? The participant was one English-speaking mother who was sending her son to a French-medium school in Quebec, Canada. Data sources included email journal entries collected over two years, plus one interview at the end of the two-year period. Four major elements contributing to the structure of the lived experience of this mother were identified: that she considered varied community opinions, that she made firm guesses from unclear information from the school, that she ‘[went] in waves’ about language, and that she maintained her parental role. Together, these elements reflect an essential structure that echoes and adds to the literature on parental decision ...
What Political Theology Could Be

What is political theology? Chances are that political theology brings to mind, for you, one of three conversations. The first is among critical theorists, working with the complicated legacy of Ca...
Electronic conduction in hydrocarbon liquids

A large number of measurements of electron mobilities in low dielectric constant insulating liquids have yielded values close to those to be expected for negative ions. Recent evidence suggests that electrons initially produced may possess considerably higher mobilities for a short period prior to “trapping” to give finally ion-like carriers. For example, Minday et al.1 obtain one or two orders of magnitude higher mobility in hexane and other liquids purified in an ultrahigh vacuum system, when presumably impurities were reduced to the level at which trapping was negligible. Schmidt and Allen,2 using sub-microsecond x-ray pulses have measured transient currents in a number of ultra-pure liquids which yield mobilities as much as five orders of magnitude greater than found in longer duration experiments. Houser and Jarnagin3 obtained tentative evidence for a fast carrier in flash photolysis studies of doped n-hexane solutions, but their best resolution time (∼1 μsec) was sufficiently long so that the interpretation was not entirely unambiguous. One object of the work reported here was to improve this resolution time by using a high speed pulsed nitrogen laser, and high speed circuits, so as to examine carrier behavior within a few nanoseconds after their creation. By this means it was hoped to examine the behavior of “free” electrons even in normally “impure” systems. Since this work was done Takeda et al.4 have reported on similar measurements with a Q-switched ruby laser, and have found, as have we, conclusive evidence for a very fast initial carrier.
The Role of the Moral Theologian in the Church: A Proposal in Light of Amoris Laetitia:

Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia recast pastoral decisions in terms of conscience and discernment and asked moral theology to do the same. Such a request invites reforms for mor...
Fludarabine with pharmacokinetically guided IV busulfan is superior to fixed-dose delivery in pretransplant conditioning of AML/MDS patients

We hypothesized that IV busulfan (Bu) dosing could be safely intensified through pharmacokinetic (PK-) dose guidance to minimize the inter-patient variability in systemic exposure (SE) associated with body-sized dosing, and that this should improve outcome of AML/MDS patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. To test this hypothesis, we treated 218 patients (median age 50.7 years, male/female 50/50%) with fludarabine 40 mg/m2 once daily x4, each dose followed by IV Bu, randomized to 130 mg/m2 (N=107) or PK-guided to average daily SE, AUC of 6000 μM min (N=111), stratified for remission status and allo-grafting from HLA-matched donors. Toxicity and GvHD rates in the groups were similar; the risk of relapse or treatment-related mortality remained higher in the fixed-dose group throughout the 80-month observation period. Further, PK-guidance yielded safer disease control, leading to improved overall and PFS, most prominently in MDS patients and in AML patients not in remission at allogeneic stem cell transplantation. We conclude that AML/MDS patients receiving pretransplant conditioning treatment with our 4-day regimen may benefit significantly from PK-guided Bu dosing. This could be considered an alternative to fixed-dose delivery since it provides the benefit of precise dose delivery to a predetermined SE without increasing risk(s) of serious toxicity and/or GvHD.
Dimethyl Sulfide – Significance, Origins, and Control

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a substantial contributor to the aroma of many lager-style beers. Opinion varies on its desirability. It can be derived in beer from two sources: the thermal decomposition...
"Governance Mechanisms, Organizational Arrangements, and Innovation in Franchise Restaurant Chains"

This paper explores how the design of contract and the assignment of outlet ownership can align the franchisor and franchisees’ incentives to put cooperative efforts into innovation. By using trade...
Unveiling the Hidden Curriculum of Hindu Metaphysics

In the introduction of this project, I explained how my identity positions me in my self-study. I have a purpose in this world as a Hindu who uses Hindu dance to serve as an educator. It is almost as if my body is a vessel that the Supreme Being uses to teach about Hinduism. The Supreme Being gave me a purpose to fulfill as an interconnected part of this world. Once my purpose is fulfilled, I hope to attain moksha (liberation) and merge back to a Supreme Being.
Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer: Are We Failing Latino Patients at a Large Safety Net Hospital?

Abstract Introduction Active surveillance (AS) is one recommended option for low-risk prostate cancer and involves close follow-up and monitoring. Our objective was to determine whether non–clinical trial patients adhere to AS protocols and how many are lost to follow-up (LTFU). Patients and Methods Retrospective chart review was performed for patients with nonmetastatic prostate cancer who initiated AS at Los Angeles County Hospital (LAC) and University of Southern California Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (Norris) between January 1, 2008, and January 1, 2015. Competing-risks regression analyses examined the difference in LTFU rates of AS patients in the 2 institutions and examined the association between LTFU and patient characteristics. We used California Cancer Registry data to verify if patients LTFU were monitored and/or treated at other LAC medical facilities. Results We found 116 patients at LAC and 98 at Norris who met the AS criteria for this study. Patients at LAC and Norris had similar tumor characteristics but differed in median income, race, primary language spoken, distance residing from hospital, and socioeconomic status (SES). LTFU was significantly different between the institutions: 57 ± 7% at LAC and 32 ± 6% at Norris at 5 years ( P P = .045). By 5 years, the chance of an LAC patient remaining on AS was 8 ± 6% compared to 20 ± 6% for a Norris patient ( P Conclusion Successful AS implementation relies on patient follow-up. We found that patients on AS from lower SES strata are more often LTFU. Identifying barriers to follow-up and compliance among low SES patients is critical to ensure optimal AS.
ROCK inhibitors 3: Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationships of 7-azaindole-based Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors

Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors are potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of a variety of disorders including hypertension, glaucoma and erectile dysfunction. Here we disclose a series of potent and selective ROCK inhibitors based on a substituted 7-azaindole scaffold. Substitution of the 3-position of 7-azaindole led to compounds such as 37, which possess excellent ROCK inhibitory potency and high selectivity against the closely related kinase PKA.
Gravitational Properties of Antimatter

We have been concerned in the previous chapter with the detection of a non-Newtonian interaction via the composition-dependent acceleration differences that such a field would produce for two dissimilar samples of ordinary matter. However, a new intermediate-range force could also give rise to an acceleration difference between matter and antimatter, and hence it is of interest to explore what can be learned from antimatter experiments.
Sorption Phenomena in Foods: Theoretical and Practical Aspects

The control of moisture content in the processing of foods by various techniques is an ancient method of preservation, but only in recent years has the physical-chemical basis of the methods been studied and understood. When food is preserved the first and foremost principle is the destruction of control of deleterious or pathogenic microorganisms. With respect to water, the methods of preservation that operate on this principle are based on the fact that the water is made unavailable for microbial growth. These methods include: salting and sugaring of foods whereby the water present is tied up in some way so as to be made unavailable; freezing by which process the liquid water is converted into a solid state and thus is removed from being available to the organisms; and drying by which process the water is removed directly by vaporization from the food material. In most of the foods after the processing, microbiological growth is thus prevented during storage, however, chemical deterioration does occur to affect quality. As has been shown by Salwin (1959), Scott (1957) and reviewed by Labuza (1971) the relationship between the loss of quality of the food and the moisture content of the food is best represented by the term water activity or A w.
Multilevel Solvers for Elliptic Problems on Domains

Abstract We study to which extent the geometric multilevel approach based on dyadic scales of shift-invariant subspaces on ℝd can be used to produce accurate discrete solutions of elliptic boundary value problems of positive order on nonrectangular domains. We also deal with the construction of optimal preconditioners, including the case of nested refinement. Sufficient geometric conditions on a domain are given such that a robust and asymptotically optimal algorithm can be expected. In contrast to other approaches which emphasize biorthogonal wavelet decompositions, we are satisfied with a simpler frame concept which incorporates recent experience with finite element multilevel solvers.
Advanced Screening Options and Surveillance in Women with Atypical Breast Lesions

An integral component in the management of high-risk women is screening for breast cancer. The goal of a screening examination is to detect disease in asymptomatic individuals at an early stage, when treatment may be more effective, less invasive, and/or less expensive. A complete risk assessment may place many women with a history of atypia at an increased risk of breast cancer. Several imaging modalities may be considered for additional screening and surveillance.
Accuracy and reproducibility in crystal structure prediction: the curious case of ROY

We present the results of a new crystal structure prediction of ROY performed with the GRACE program, including the first wide search for Z′ = 2 structures. In addition, we present calculations of lattice-vibrational contributions to the polymorphs' relative stability. Because of excessive electron delocalization, the polymorphs of ROY constitute a surprisingly challenging system for density functional approximations, raising troubling questions regarding the performance of some of the most popular computational methods. Despite this, lattice dynamics calculations performed very well in reproducing the experimental cyano-group stretching frequencies, allowing us to propose a plausible candidate structure for the RPL polymorph, identified by comparing experimental Raman frequencies with calculated phonon modes.
Dynamics of a type IV conformable pressure vessel for natural gas passenger vehicles

Abstract In this study we report on the fast fill dynamics of a conformable 3.52 L (water volume) prototype Type IV compressed natural gas (CNG) tank with an aspect ratio of 52; aspect ratio being defined here as the ratio of tank length to tank diameter. Non-conformable CNG tanks with aspect ratios less than 3 typically do not develop significant longitudinal thermal gradients during fast filling because pressure work heated gas is efficiently recirculated with inflows of gas cooled by the Joule-Thomson effect. However, this study found that the poor recirculation of gas within the prototype conformable tank during a 18.2s refill resulted in the development of a 23.9 °C m −1 longitudinal thermal gradient and a 125.6 °C developed gas temperature at the rear of the tank; double what was expected. Data was collected during several refills ranging from 11.3s to 140.6s in length. This study is the first to report on the fast fill dynamics of a conformable Type IV CNG tank and the data presented here informs the engineering and design of conformable gaseous fuel storage systems.
HART: A Concurrent Hash-Assisted Radix Tree for DRAM-PM Hybrid Memory Systems

Persistent memory (PM) exhibits a huge potential to provide applications with a hybrid memory system where both DRAM and PM are directly connected to a CPU. In such a system, an efficient indexing data structure such as a persistent tree becomes an indispensable component. Designing a capable persistent tree, however, is challenging as it has to ensure consistency, persistence, and scalability without substantially degrading performance. Besides, it needs to prevent persistent memory leaks. While hash table has been widely used for main memory indexing due to its superior performance in random query, ART (Adaptive Radix Tree) is inherently better than B/B^+-tree in most basic operations on both DRAM and PM. To exploit their complementary merits, in this paper we propose a novel concurrent and persistent tree called HART (Hash-assisted ART), which employs a hash table to manage ARTs. HART employs a selective consistency/persistence mechanism and an enhanced persistent memory allocator, which can not only optimize its performance but also prevent persistent memory leaks. Experimental results show that in most cases HART significantly outperforms WOART and FPTree, two state-of-the-art persistent trees. Also, it scales well in concurrent scenarios.
ERAS protocol for pediatric laparoscopic cholecystectomy promotes safe and early discharge.

Abstract Purpose Elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) pediatric patients in our institution have historically been admitted for an overnight hospital stay (OHS). The purpose of this study was to implement an ERAS protocol for elective LC in pediatric patients to promote same-day discharge (SDD) while maintaining excellent outcomes. Methods An ERAS protocol for elective LC was implemented encompassing pre-, peri-, and postoperative management. A retrospective review of prospectively collected data from patients before (BI) and after implementation (AI) of the protocol was performed. Results A total of 250 patients (BI 105, AI 145) were included in the study. The AI group had significantly higher rate of SDD compared to BI (77.2% vs. 1.9%, p Conclusions The ERAS protocol significantly increased the rate of SDD after elective LC in pediatric patients without an associated increase in emergency department visits or readmissions. Level of evidence III.
Post-bariatric surgery lab tests: are they excessive and redundant?

Following bariatric surgery, ongoing postoperative testing is required to measure nutritional deficiencies; the purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence of these nutritional deficiencies based on two-year follow-up tests at recommended time points. A retrospective data analysis was conducted of all laboratory tests for bariatric patients who underwent surgery between May 2016 and January 2018 with available lab data (n = 397). Results for nine different nutritional labs were categorized into six recommended postoperative time periods based on time elapsed since the procedure date. Binary variables were created for each laboratory result to calculate descriptive statistics of abnormalities for each lab test over time and used in the individual GEE logistic regression models. Grouped logistic regression examined the total nutritional deficiencies of the nine combined nutrients considering total available labs. Multiple lab tests indicated a very low frequency of abnormalities (e.g., Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Copper, and Folate). Many of the nine included nutritional labs had an average deficiency of less than 10% across all time points. The grouped logistic model found preoperative nutritional deficiency to be predictive of postoperative nutritional deficiency (OR 3.70, p < 0.001). We found the vast majority of routine lab test results to be normal at multiple time points. Current practice can add up to significant lab expenses over time. The frequency of postoperative testing in this population may be redundant and of very little value. Unnecessary follow-up laboratory testing costs the patients and the health care system in both time and resources. Patients with preoperative deficiencies appear to be at higher risk for nutritional deficiencies when compared to bariatric surgery patients that did not have preoperative nutritional deficiencies. Future research should focus on defining cost effective postoperative lab testing guidelines for at risk bariatric patients.
The impacts of Extra-tropical ENSO Precursors on Tropical Pacific Decadal-scale Variability

Off-equatorial wind anomalies on seasonal timescales from both the North and South Pacific, known as “precursors” of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), have been shown to independently trigger the ENSO feedbacks in the tropics and its teleconnections to the extra-tropics. However, the impacts of ENSO precursors on Tropical Pacific Decadal-scale Variability (TPDV) is still not well understood and quantified. We show that the dynamic sequence from extra-tropical ENSO precursors to ENSO (tropics) to extra-tropical ENSO teleconnections is not only important for ENSO, but acts as a primary mechanism to filter (e.g. reddening) the low-frequency variability of the seasonal precursors into the decadal-scale variance of the Pacific basin, accounting for the largest fraction of the TPDV (~65%) and its phase. This process, which contrasts previous theories advocating for a TPDV generated internally in the tropics (e.g. ENSO residuals), is inherently unpredictable and not well reproduced in climate models and raises challenges for understanding and predicting the role of internal TPDV in future climate change scenarios.
Hematologic adverse events associated with temozolomide (TMZ)

2053 Background: Secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is reported to occur in 3%-10% of patients treated with alkylating agents for Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and multiple myeloma. The incidence of secondary AML is greatest at 5–10 years after treatment, and AML often follows myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). TMZ is a pro-drug of methyl-triazeno-imidazole-carboxamide (MTIC), an alkylating metabolite of dacarbazine. Chemotherapy induced aplastic anemia is usually dose-related versus an idiosyncratic mechanism. A small number of fatal cases of TMZ-induced aplastic anemia have been reported. The FDA, in a Drug Safety Newsletter, described 18 cases of aplastic anemia reported between 1999 and 2006. TMZ use in brain tumors and in melanoma is increasing, with little known on the incidence of severe hematologic adverse events. Methods: We searched the FDA MedWatch database for TMZ and obtained all entries submitted to the FDA from November 1, 1997 to September 3, 2...
Conducting an immersive community-based assessment of post-hurricane experience among Puerto Ricans: lived experience of medical ecology in an environmental disaster and migration.

Two devastating sequential hurricanes impacted Puerto Rico during September of 2017. The hurricanes were traumatic and created social and ecological upheaval throughout Puerto Rico, and subsequently in communities of Central Florida where affected Puerto Ricans migrated. The 2017 hurricane season exposed and exacerbated previous long-standing socio-political, economic, environmental, and health crises, generating a humanitarian emergency in the country. The consequences of these human-ecological disasters destroyed much of Puerto Rico’s residential and environmental infrastructure, displacing thousands of people and resulting in an unprecedented migration to the United States. We report on the lived experience of the investigator team and partnership in conducting community-based formative research subsequent to this disaster, research that aimed to identify salient issues relating to the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on Puerto Rican communities both in Puerto Rico and in Central Florida. The challenges faced during the conduct of this research include but are not limited to (1) emotional distress of participants and team members, (2) access to affected populations, and (3) precarious environmental factors, such as unstable infrastructure. To address these challenges, the researchers applied a Critical Medical Ecological paradigm along with qualitative methods to assist constructing explanatory models while obtaining internally-valid (from the community perspective), cathartic narrative accounts of the lived experience of hurricane survivors. The experience of the research team may help inform other investigators conducting applied research during a humanitarian crisis. Lessons learned in this research included: (1) usefulness of applying the Critical Medical Ecological model in the development of the project, (2) incorporating participation and methods that prioritize authenticity, (3) understanding the trauma experience and using study methods sensitive to it, and (4) innovating with best approaches to conduct the study given the challenges in post-hurricane Puerto Rico. These lessons could provide new insights on how to conduct in-depth participatory health research with community members who have been traumatized and – often – displaced. This research also demonstrates the value of pre-existing partnerships, critical consciousness in the field team, and medical ecological modeling as experiential for organizing complex, inter-related, multi-level variables that explain community and individual impact of environmental disasters.
Unique Regulation of Coupled NaCl Absorption by Inducible Nitric Oxide in a Spontaneous SAMP1/YitFc Mouse Model of Chronic Intestinal Inflammation

In the small intestine, Na:H (NHE3) and Cl:HCO3 (DRA or PAT1) exchangers present in the brush border membrane (BBM) of absorptive villus cells are primarily responsible for the coupled absorption of NaCl, the malabsorption of which causes diarrhea, a common symptom of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Inducible nitric oxide (iNO), a known mediator of inflammation, is increased in the mucosa of the chronically inflamed IBD intestine. An SAMP1/YitFc (SAMP1) mouse, a spontaneous model of chronic ileitis very similar to human IBD, was used to study alterations in NaCl absorption. The SAMP1 and control AKR mice were treated with I-N(6)-(1-Iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL) to inhibit iNO production, and DRA/PAT1 and NHE3 activities and protein expression were studied. Though Na:H exchange activity was unaffected, Cl:HCO3 activity was significantly decreased in SAMP1 mice due to a reduction in its affinity for Cl, which was reversed by L-NIL treatment. Though DRA and PAT1 expressions were unchanged in all experimental conditions, phosphorylation studies indicated that DRA, not PAT1, is affected in SAMP1. Moreover, the altered phosphorylation levels of DRA was restored by L-NIL treatment. Inducible NO mediates the inhibition of coupled NaCl absorption by decreasing Cl:HCO3 but not Na:H exchange. Specifically, Cl:HCO3 exchanger DRA but not PAT1 is regulated at the level of its phosphorylation by iNO in the chronically inflamed intestine.
Current surgical techniques in the management of the symptomatic neonate with severe Ebstein anomaly: Too much, too little, or just enough?

Abstract The management of severely symptomatic neonates with Ebstein anomaly is challenging during the early neonatal period. Initial management goals should focus on mitigating a central shunt; providing respiratory mechanical support; providing an adequate but not excessive source of pulmonary blood flow; and minimizing pulmonary vascular resistance. For most patients thus stabilized, definitive repair should be prudently deferred until it is safe for a bailout bidirectional Glenn anastomosis to be added, usually at age 3 to 4 months. For those who remain critical, initial ligation of the large ductus and placing a more peripheral aortopulmonary shunt, or ligating the main pulmonary artery, should be weighed against a primary biventricular repair (Knott-Craig repair), or the Starnes' single-ventricle palliation. The Da Silva cone biventricular repair should generally be avoided during the early neonatal period. An initial Starnes' repair can be potentially converted to a biventricular repair in later infancy.
Isolation housing elevates amphetamine seeking independent of nucleus accumbens glutamate receptor adaptations.

Overdose death rates caused by psychostimulants have increased by 22.3% annually from 2008 to 2017. Cue-evoked drug craving progressively increases and contributes to perpetual relapse. Preclinical models have determined that glutamate receptor plasticity within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) drives amplified cue-evoked drug seeking after prolonged abstinence (>40 days). Isolated condition (IC) rearing increases cocaine and amphetamine (AMP) self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement. We tested the hypothesis that housing in the IC will augment AMP seeking after short and prolonged abstinence from AMP self-administration when compared with rats reared in the enrichment condition (EC). EC and IC male rats acquired stable AMP or SAL self-administration and were tested in a cue-induced AMP-seeking test after 1 and 40 days of abstinence. After the seeking test, the whole NAc was extracted and prepared for western blot analysis. Results indicate that IC rats had more active lever presses during a brief extinction interval and during the cue-induced seeking test. After 40 days of abstinence, IC rats had more active lever presses than EC rats during the cue-induced seeking test. Western blots indicated that the expression ratio between GluA1:mGlur5 was reduced only in IC-AMP-trained rats and the ratio between GluA1:mGlur1 was positively correlated with AMP seeking after prolonged abstinence in IC-AMP rats. These results indicate that IC housing engenders a vulnerable phenotype prone to persistent AMP seeking. The behavioural momentum of this vulnerable phenotype is further revealed when AMP-associated cues are presented following prolonged abstinence.
Ecosystem Evaluation, Climate Change and Water Resources Planning

This paper considers ecosystem evaluation under conditions of climate change in the context both of the U.S. Water Resources Council’s Principles and Guidelines (P&G) and the more general Federal regulations governing environmental evaluation. Federal water agencies have responsibilities for protecting aquatic ecosystems through their regulatory programs and operations and planning missions. The primary concern of water resources and aquatic ecosystems planning in the United States is on the riparian or floodplain corridors of river systems. In the context of climate change, planning for these systems focusses on adaptation options both for current climate variability and for that engendered by potential climate change.
Endocrine disruption in endangered Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa) (911.9)

The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is an endangered species residing in the Pacific Northwest whose dwindling numbers having caught the attention of biologists and environmental scientists. We...
Should Faculty Rank Be Included as a Predictor Variable in Studies of Gender Equity in University Faculty Salaries

Many different approaches, almost all of which use some form of regression, have been used to study the issue of gender equity in university faculty salaries. One major point of contention in ail of these approaches is whether faculty rank, which is university conferred, should be included as a predictor variable. Two illustrations are presented to demonstrate how omitting faculty rank as a predictor variable from gender equity studies of university faculty salaries can lead to incorrect conclusions concerning gender discrimination. The first illustration uses hypothetical data constructed so that there is no difference in salary due to gender. However, when faculty rank is not included as a predictor variable in the regression model, there is a significant difference in salary due to gender. The second illustration uses actual data from a study of gender equity in pay at Bowling Green State University. This data set is used to construct a new data set that is totally free of gender bias. When a regression model omitting faculty rank is fit to this gender bias-free data, again a significant difference in salary due to gender is present. Therefore, it is recommended that faculty rank be included as a predictor variable in any model used to study gender equity relating to salary.
Finding Light in the Darkness? The Historical Treatment of Genocide as a Template for the Field of Hate Studies

I am discovering that to teach about the history of Nazism, the Holocaust, and genocide is to enter into a profoundly spiritual experience. By this I mean that in engaging with these subjects, students of history must come to terms with some of the most elemental, existential qualities of the human potential for radical destruction and limitless hatred. The topics force us into a direct confrontation with the concept of ultimate evil: its manifold attractions; its power to deceive and destroy both perpetrators and victims; and yet at the same time, appearing in the midst of the reign of death, the possibility of overcoming evil with good.
The optimization of cognitive functioning in old age: Predictions based on cohort-sequential and longitudinal data.

Introduction Social scientists who are concerned with examining the hypothesis that optimization can occur with advancing age and who direct their efforts to discover the factors that allow some but not all individuals to optimize their abilities to maintain high-quality lives generally would seem to make three implicit assumptions. The first assumption has a negative flavor: Declines from asymptotic levels attained during early adulthood are assumed to occur in old age in both biological and behavioral functioning, whether at the level of observed performance or of reserve capacity. The second assumption, by contrast, is more positive: Individuals are thought to differ widely in their adaptation to experienced losses, and patterns of individual maintenance in decline may be both varied and subject to multiple influences. The third assumption concerns the model chosen for the study of aging pheonmena: Decline with age is often thought to be gradual, continuous, and irreversible in nature. Evidence with respect to these assumptions has long been examined in the area of cognitive functioning, the topic of this chapter. Whether older adults can maintain levels of adaptation that allow continuation of independent living and the expression of accomplishments in late life is necessarily contingent upon the maintenance of levels of intellectual functioning that have not fallen significantly below the normative levels expected by our society. It is quite true that many individuals throughout much of their life manage to cope at below-average levels of competence.
Theory of a higher-order phase transition: The superconducting transition in Ba 0.6 K 0.4 BiO 3

We describe here the properties expected of a higher-order (with emphasis on the order fourth) phase transition. The order is identified in the sense first noted by Ehrenfest, namely, in terms of the temperature dependence of the ordered-state free energy near the phase boundary. We have derived an equation for the phase boundary in terms of the discontinuities in thermodynamic observables, developed a Ginzburg-Landau free energy and studied the thermodynamic and magnetic properties. We also discuss the current status of experiments on ${\mathrm{Ba}}_{0.6}{\mathrm{K}}_{0.4}{\mathrm{BiO}}_{3}$ and other ${\mathrm{BiO}}_{3}$-based superconductors and the expectations for parameters and examine alternative explanations of the experimental results.
Trends in the Assessment of Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Public Law 99-457 requires a multidisciplinary assessment and evaluation of children with disabilities in five domains: cognitive development, physical development, language and speech development, psychological development, and self-help skills; and this assessment must include information required in the Individualized Family Service Plan. A variety of assessment instruments are available, and some of the most notable are surveyed in this article. Traditional tests, as well as more current, naturalistic assessments, are reviewed. The author cautions against using one test for all purposes, or using a test that has an insufficient research base.
Development of a test bed for evaluating human-robot performance for explosive ordnance disposal robots

This paper discusses the development of a test bed to evaluate the combined performance of the human operator and an explosive ordnance disposal robot. We have other means of evaluating the capabilities of the robots but for the robots to be truly useful it is necessary to understand how effectively and efficiently operators will be able to use these robots in critical situations. In this paper we discuss the tasks developed for the test bed and how we are going about development of the metrics for assessing the human-robot performance and, more specifically, the human-robot user interface.
Control of beryllium-7 in liquid lithium

Abstract Radiation fields created by the production of 7Be in lithium of the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) Facility can be sufficiently high to prevent contact maintenance of system components. Preliminary experiments have shown that 7Be will adhere strongly to the FMIT piping and components and a good control method for 7Be must be develop, ed. The initial experiments have been conducted in static stainless steel capsules and a Modified Thermal Convection Loop (MTCL). The average lithium film thickness on stainless steel was found to be 11 μm in the temperature range 495°–571°K from the capsule experiments. The short-term experiments showed that 7Be migrates to the capsule wall and the long-term experiment indicated that 7Be actually penetrates into the stainless steel wall. The diffusion coefficient for 7Be in stainless steel at 543°K was calculated to be 5.31 × 10−15 cm2/sec. The cold leg of the MTCL picked up much of the 7Be activity released into the loop. The diffusion trap, located in the cold leg of the MTCL, was ineffective in removing 7Be from lithium, at the very slow flow rates (
Definiteness marking and the structure of Danish pseudopartitives

The Danish pseudopartitive constructions differ in their possibilities of definiteness marking: the Indirect Partitive Construction (IPC) (D N1 P N2) permits N1 to bear the definite suffix, while the Direct Partitive Construction (DPC) (D N1 N2) does not; in addition, neither construction permits the prenominal definite article in the absence of a prenominal modifier. Drawing on previous work regarding the morphosyntax of definiteness marking in Danish, we use the distribution of definiteness marking as a probe to illuminate the structure of the pseudopartitive constructions. Our conclusion is that despite superficial similarities the two constructions are quite different in structure, the IPC having a lexical N head and a PP complement, and the DPC a functional n head with an NP complement, forming a single extended projection of N2. These assumptions allow us to account for a number of differences in the behavior of these constructions, shedding light on the nature of pseudopartitives as well as on the theory of extended projections.