cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of repeated days of intensified training on muscle glycogen and swimming performance.

Twelve, highly trained male swimmers were studied before, during, and after 10 successive days of increased training in an attempt to determine the physical effects of training over-load. Their average training distance was increased from 4,266 to 8,970 m.d-1, while swimming intensity was maintained at 94% (SE +/- 2%) of their maximal oxygen uptake, resulting in an average caloric cost during training of 2,293 kcal.d-1 (+/- 74). As a result of the intensified training regimen, the swimmers experienced local muscular fatigue and difficulty in completing the training sessions. Nevertheless, their swimming power, sprinting (s.22.86 m-1), endurance (s.365.8 m-1) performance, aerobic capacity, and muscle (m. deltoid) citrate synthase were unchanged as a consequence of the 10-d training regimen. Four of the 12 swimmers were, however, unable to tolerate the heavier training demands, and were forced to swim at significantly slower (P less than 0.05) speeds during the training sessions. These men were found to have significantly reduced muscle glycogen values, which was the result of their abnormally low carbohydrate intake. The findings of this research suggest that some swimmers may experience chronic muscular fatigue as a result of their failure to ingest sufficient carbohydrate to match the energy demands of heavy training.
Toward exascale computational science with heterogeneous processing

Computational requirements for scientific simulation continue to grow in scale and complexity. Meanwhile, HPC systems and centers are facing urgent constraints of power and thermal limits, while continuing to advance computational science. Our experiences show that heterogeneous systems can offer one possible solution for addressing these constraints for specific applications; however, they can also introduce the new challenges to programmer productivity. In this talk, I will review these benefits and challenges as they relate to DOE and NSF applications on graphics processors, and introduce an NSF-funded project to deploy an innovative supercomputer based on graphics processors.
Slewer fractional-order-hold: the ideal DAC response for direct digital synthesizers

Digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are the principal performance limiting components in the sine output direct digital synthesizers (DDSs). This paper presents a novel DAC response called Slewer Fractional-Order-Hold or just Fractional-Order-Hold (/spl Delta/OH) which is designed to optimize DAC performance in DDSs. This Fractional-Order-Hold response also applies to Sample-and-Hold (S&H) output waveforms where the S&H follows a DAC. The conventional DAC response modeled with the Zero-Order-Hold (ZOH) response may be largely responsible for the shortcomings of DAC specifications for the DDS application where low spurs are desired. Conventional definitions of differential and integral nonlinearity (DNL and INL) are only applicable to the settled state, and glitch area and settling time specifications for the transient are inadequate when spurs are a concern. First, this paper discusses how the dynamic linearity, glitch area, and other DAC response parameters affect spur levels in a DDS. Second, this paper describes the novel /spl Delta/OH response and compares its performance to that of other conventional responses such as the ZOH. Finally, this paper discusses a newly patented DAC design, the Smooth Transition Digital-to-Analog Converter (STDAC), which strives to implement the /spl Delta/OH response. The STDAC improves on prior art by applying the /spl Delta/OH that rigorously defines how the waveform should dynamically make the transitions, from one settled output level to another, optimizing these transitions to minimize DAC spurs.
Barrier coverage in camera sensor networks

Barrier coverage has attracted much attention in the past few years. However, most of the previous works focused on traditional scalar sensors. We propose to study barrier coverage in camera sensor networks. One fundamental difference between camera and scalar sensor is that cameras from different positions can form quite different views of the object. As a result, simply combining the sensing range of the cameras across the field does not necessarily form an effective camera barrier since the face image (or the interested aspect) of the object may be missed. To address this problem, we use the angle between the object's facing direction and the camera's viewing direction to measure the quality of sensing. An object is full-view covered if there is always a camera to cover it no matter which direction it faces and the camera's viewing direction is sufficiently close to the object's facing direction. We study the problem of constructing a camera barrier, which is essentially a connected zone across the monitored field such that every point within this zone is full-view covered. We propose a novel method to select camera sensors from an arbitrary deployment to form a camera barrier, and present redundancy reduction techniques to effectively reduce the number of cameras used. We also present techniques to deploy cameras for barrier coverage in a deterministic environment, and analyze and optimize the number of cameras required for this specific deployment under various parameters.
ATP modulation of synaptic transmission in the spinal substantia gelatinosa

Actions of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on neurons of the substantia gelatinosa (SG) were evaluated in spinal cord slices using tight-seal, whole-cell recordings. Bath-applied ATP activated a fast inward current and potentiated both glutamate-induced and synaptically evoked currents by acting through a purinergic receptor with the pharmacology of the P2 type. ATP also induced a delayed slow outward current and depressed synaptic currents that appeared to result from hydrolysis of ATP to adenosine. The inhibitory actions had features suggesting mediation by a P1-like purinergic receptor. Suramin, a putative P2 antagonist, inhibited ATP-induced fast inward currents but did not suppress synaptic currents evoked by dorsal root stimulation. It was concluded that in the SG, ATP released in synaptic regions acts as a synaptic modulator by augmenting excitatory amino acid actions and possibly by also producing a secondary adenosine inhibition.
The effects of subcutaneous insulin-like growth factor-I infusion in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Insulin-dependent diabetes can be associated with low insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels despite normal or even high GH secretion. The basis of the diabetic abnormalities in GH-IGF dynamics that contribute to insulin resistance and impaired fuel metabolism are not well understood. To further investigate these matters, this study evaluated baseline IGF system parameters and responses to recombinant human IGF-I in four diabetic adolescents and six pubertal stage-matched controls. Spontaneous overnight and arginine-stimulated GH secretion, insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), and IGFBP-3 levels were measured before, during, and after daily 10-h sc infusions of saline or IGF-I (20 micrograms/kg.h). Baseline overnight GH secretion and IGFBP-1 and -3 levels were not significantly different in the two groups, but IGF-I levels were significantly lower and IGF-II levels were higher in diabetic subjects. IGF-I infusion produced a 3-fold increase in serum IGF-I levels and a reciprocal profound reduction in IGF-II levels in both groups. IGFBP-1 levels increased dramatically in diabetics and modestly in normal subjects in response to IGF-I infusion, but IGFBP-3 levels were not significantly altered. Spontaneous overnight and arginine-stimulated GH secretion were suppressed by about 50% in both groups after IGF-I infusion. Insulin requirements were substantially reduced in diabetics receiving IGF-I, and insulin secretion was suppressed in normal subjects, with no evidence of a change in insulin half-life. Blood glucose remained stable in both groups throughout saline and IGF-I infusions, and no hypoglycemia or other adverse effect occurred during IGF-I infusions. Further studies are necessary to determine whether the addition of IGF-I to insulin replacement therapy may stably reduce the insulin requirement, maintain normal GH levels, and perhaps achieve better metabolic and anabolic balance in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes.
Non-classical effects in non-linear analysis of pretwisted anisotropic strips

Abstract The literature on classical analysis of anisotropic beams assumes that all 1D “moment strain” measures (i.e. twist and bending curvatures) are of the same order of magnitude, resulting in a linear cross-sectional analysis. The present paper treats the situation in which one or more of the 1D moment strain measures may be larger than the other(s), resulting in a non-linear cross-sectional analysis. This type of non-classical analysis is needed, for example, in problems where the trapeze effect is important, such as in rotor blades. As a precursor to complicated non-linear sectional analysis of arbitrary cross sections, a non-linear sectional analysis is presented for an anisotropic strip with small pretwist, based on the dimensional reduction of laminated shell theory to a non-linear one-dimensional theory using the variationalasymptotic method. Results obtained from this strip-beam analysis are compared with available theoretical and experimental results for a problem in which the trapeze effect is important. In order to demonstrate the usage of the results in the analysis of structures made of an arbitrary geometrical combination of pretwisted generally anisotropic strips, a closed-form expression is derived for the torsional buckling of a column with a cruciform cross section.
NEUTRINO PHYSICS WITH THE ICECUBE DETECTOR

IceCube is a cubic kilometer neutrino telescope under construction at the South Pole.The primary goal is to discover astrophysical sources of high energy neutrinos.We describe the detector and present results on atmospheric muon neutrinos from2006 data collected with nine detector strings.
ARQ with Sequential Decoding of Packetized Data: Queueing Analysis

The operation of a sequential decoder in a packet-switching environment is considered. Packets arrive randomly at the decoder, and a packet is stored in a buffer if the decoder is busy upon its arrival. The decoder devotes no more than a time-out period of predetermined length to the decoding of any single packet. If packet decoding is completed within that period, the packet leaves the system. Otherwise, it is retransmitted and its decoding starts anew. While a packet is retransmitted, the decoder decodes another packet that resides in its buffer. An upper bound on the maximum rate of packets that can be supported by the channel-decoder combination is derived, and the optimum time-out that maximizes that rate is determined. A discrete-time model of the decoder's queue is presented, and the average queue length and throughput are evaluated.
Response Bias and Personality: The Deviation Hypothesis

(1955). Response Bias and Personality: The Deviation Hypothesis. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 61-72.
Antepartum fetal heart rate testing: I. Evolution of the nonstress test

On May 1, 1975, at Women's Hospital, Los Angeles County--University of Southern California Medical Center, a new antepartum fetal heart rate (AFHRT) protocol was put into clinical use. This included the widely used contraction stress test (CST) and a new concept of nonstress testing (NST). The NST was based on FHR response associated with fetal movements and was categorized as reactive (normal) or nonreactive (abnormal). The nonreactive fetus was then evaluated with a CST if not contraindicated. During the 24 months, May 1, 1975 to April 30, 1977, a total of 2,422 NST's were done in 1,169 patients with 1,547 (64 per cent) reactive and 829 (35 per cent) nonreactive. CST was done 939 times, with 851 (90.6 per cent) negative, 29 (3 per cent) positive, 13 (1.4 per cent) equivocal, and 46 (5.0 per cent) unsatisfactory. There were ten (3.3 per cent) perinatal deaths within one week of a negative CST, five (1.0 per cent) within one week of a reactive NST, and two (8.7 per cent) with a positive CST. A reactive NST was as predictive of good outcome as was a negative CST. Analysis of the nonreactive NST showed that two or more accelerations were not associated with abnormal CST's. Also, some nonreactive fetuses became reactive with oxytocin and had good outcome. These observations were utilized in the development of a newer, shorter NST which allows for fetal stimulation in an attempt to further define fetal well-being.
Plasticizing screw process

A very important component of any extruder is the plasticator with its screw and barrel. Figure 4.1 highlights the screw’s three processing sections (zones) of feed, transition (or compression), and metering. In extruding plastic, if the proper screw design is not used, products may not meet their performance and cost requirements. The hard steel shaft screw has helical flights which rotates within a barrel to mechanically process and advance the plastic. There are general purpose and dedicated screws used. Type of screw used is dependent on the plastic material to be processed [233, 262, 333, 392].
Creating Impact: Issues, Challenges and Solutions: Sarah Morton Addresses Plenary

EDITOR'S SUMMARY At the University of Edinburgh, Sarah Morton studies the process of social research and how it affects policy. In her plenary session at the 2015 ASI&T Annual Meeting she cast research impact as knowledge exchange, bringing together researchers, the ways research is used and consequent change. Morton explained that research is used to solve problems and drive knowledge development, typically with multiple contributors, and applied to alter viewpoints or bring about change. For research to have effect it must be communicated, presented in context and put together with real world experience. While a formal research setting promotes an organization's use of research, time issues, competing priorities and poor communication undermine getting the most benefit. When assessing research impact, the presence of collaborative networks, planned user engagement throughout the process and knowledge sharing strategies gained are key. The focus for research has evolved from knowledge dissemination to recognition of relationships and multiple information sources. Ideally a systems model of knowledge combines priorities, culture and context, mediated by relationships and including both researchers and those who put research findings to use.
Drinking and blood pressure during sodium depletion or ANG II infusion in chronic cholestatic rats

After a chronic ligation of the common bile duct (BDL), Long-Evans rats are hypotensive and have elevated saline intake during both sodium-depleted and nondepleted conditions. We tested whether BDL rats have exaggerated hypotension during sodium depletion or an elevated dipsogenic response to angiotensin II (ANG II) that might help to explain the saline intake. After 4 wk of BDL, rats were hypotensive at baseline and developed exaggerated hypotension during acute furosemide-induced diuresis. Without saline to drink, BDL rats increased water intake during depletion equal to sham-ligated rats. However, with saline solution available at 22 h after sodium depletion, the BDL rats drank more water and saline than did sham-ligated rats. This rapid intake temporarily increased their mean arterial pressure to equal that of sham-ligated rats. Intravenous infusion of ANG II induced equal drinking responses despite reduced pressor responses in the BDL rats relative to sham-ligated rats during both ad libitum and sodium-depleted conditions. Thus BDL rats have exaggerated hypotension during diuresis, and their hypotension is corrected by drinking an exaggerated volume of saline, but they do not have an increased drinking response to ANG II.
Gay Rights, the New Judicial Federalism, and State Supreme Courts: Disentangling the Effects of Ideology and Judicial Independence

ABSTRACTState supreme courts have been on the cutting edge of the movement toward equality for gays and lesbians in the areas of marriage and family law that has unfolded over the last two decades. Previous scholarship analyzing this phenomenon has emphasized the role of judicial independence, observing that supreme courts in states with judicial selection and retention systems insulating judges from popular backlash have generally been more willing to assume an activist role in the advancement of gay rights. This article reassesses this relationship using an original dataset consisting of all the votes cast by state supreme court justices in cases since 1993 in which gays and lesbians have sought legal equality in the areas of marriage and the family. Using a newer and more precise measure of judicial ideology, it finds that the voting behavior of judges in these cases is driven largely by ideology and by shifts in public opinion toward greater support for gay rights. Conversely, potential constraints on...
Same-day discharge after elective percutaneous coronary intervention was noninferior for safety to staying overnight in hospital

Source Citation Heyde GS, Koch KT, de Winter RJ, et al. Randomized trial comparing same-day discharge with overnight hospital stay after percutaneous coronary intervention: results of the Elective ...
Ureteral Stump Metastases from Renal Adenocarcinoma

AbstractA case of ureteral stump renal adenocarcinoma is reported and the literature related to renal parenchymal metastases to the lower ureter and bladder is reviewed. Presentation, precautions and management are outlined briefly.
Kinase Domain Point Mutations in Ph+ Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Lymphoid Blast Crisis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Their Emergence Following Therapy with Bcr-Abl Kinase Inhibitors.

Abstract Bcr-Abl kinase domain (KD) point mutations are detected in the dominant clone(s) in approximately 45% of CML at the time of disease resistance, developing after an average of 20–35 months of imatinib therapy. However, low numbers of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)+ tumor cells with KD mutations could be present at earlier timepoints providing a pool of potential resistant subclones. Since current therapy of Ph+ ALL relies on imatinib maintenance therapy, the pattern of Bcr-Abl KD mutations in this tumor is an important and understudied phenomenon. We assessed the frequency and levels of Bcr-Abl KD mutations at different points in ALL, including at diagnosis, upon relapse and following salvage therapy with kinase inhibitors. We performed Bcr-Abl KD mutational analysis by direct sequencing in 25 cases of Ph+ ALL at the time of diagnosis and 25 cases upon disease persistence/relapse. For comparison, we analyzed 22 cases of lymphoid blast crisis of CML (LyBC), most of which transformed following long-term imatinib monotherapy. To track the emergence of mutated clones, we also performed more sensitive analysis for the T315I mutation by pyrosequencing (5% sensitivity) and allele-specific oligonucleotide probe (ASO) PCR (1:500 sensitivity). KD mutations were not seen by direct sequencing in ALL cases at diagnosis. The T315I mutation was also not detected by pyrosequencing (n =25) or ASO-PCR (n = 10) in newly diagnosed ALL. In contrast, Bcr-Abl KD mutations (Y253H in 3, Q252H, T315I, F317L, E355Q, H396R in 1 each) were seen in 8 of 25 (32%) relapsed/persistent ALL, occurring in patients who had been receiving imatinib for a median of 14 months (range 2–26). An additional 3 patients treated with dasatinib or nilotinib for relapse subsequently developed KD mutations (T315I and Y253H, and F317L) after 1, 4 and 9 months of second therapy. KD mutations were seen in 16 of 22 (73%) patients with lymphoid blast crisis, including T315I in 7, E255K and M244V in 2 each, and Y253H, V299L, F311I, E355G, F359V in 1 each. All KD mutations in LyBC developed following imatinib or nilotinib therapy. As with CML, kinase inhibitor therapy particularly in the relapse/salvage setting is the primary risk factor for emergence of Bcr-Abl KD mutations in Ph+ ALL. There is a high frequency of Bcr-Abl KD mutations associated the lymphoid transformation of CML. However, Bcr-Abl KD mutations develop more rapidly in persistent or relapsed Ph+ ALL than in CML and there is a higher frequency of Y253H mutations noted. These findings will likely have consequences for the timing and dosages of imatinib and other kinase inhibitors in maintenance and relapsed ALL regimens.
The Denial of Tragedy: The Self-Reflexive Process of the Creative Activity and the French New Novel

In ‘Nature, Humanisme et Tragedie,’1 Alain Robbe-Grillet requested that denial of tragedy be the first and necessary commitment made by the comtemporary artist.
Refractory thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura following acute pancreatitis

Abstract Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare blood disorder with an estimated incidence of 4–5 cases per million people per year. It is characterized by small-vessel platelet-rich thrombi that cause thrombocytopenia, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and organ damage. There are reports in literature that TTP and acute pancreatitis are associated, indicating each can be the cause of the other. However, acute pancreatitis triggering TTP is very rare. A 71 years old female presented with abdominal pain of 3 days, followed by dark urine. She had icteric sclera, petechial rash and mild epigastric tenderness. Lab findings were significant for hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and elevated lipase. CT of abdomen showed evidence of pancreatitis and cholelithiasis. After admission, patient developed symptoms of stroke. Further investigation showed elevated lactate dehydrogenase and normal coagulation studied with peripheral blood smear showed 5–6 schistocytes/high power field. Disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs-13 (ADAMTS13) activity showed less than 3% with high ADAMTS13 inhibitor 2.2. Patient required 6–7 weeks of daily plasmapheresis until she showed complete response. Our patient presented with clinical features of pancreatitis prior to having dark urine and petechial rash. Therefore, we strongly believe that our patient had pancreatitis which was followed by TTP. Patient's ADMTS13 activity was 6% after 10 plasma exchanges, signifying refractory TTP and higher risk for morbidity and mortality. There are limited data and consensus on the management of refractory TTP. TTP and acute pancreatitis are associated. However, refractory TTP following acute pancreatitis is rarely mentioned in the literature. We would like to emphasize the importance of having higher clinical suspicion of the association of both disease entities.
Alteration in Melphalan Conditioning Regimen for Multiple Myeloma: Reflection on Therapeutic Benefit and Length of Hospital Stay.

BACKGROUND: Melphalan is the most common conditioning regimen prior to autologous stem cell transplant in patients with Multiple Myeloma. Conventionally Melphalan was administered at a dose of 200mg/m2 for 2 days[100 mg/m2 each day] prior to transplantation on days -4 and -3 followed by autologous stem cell infusion on day 0. Recently we changed the scheduling of Melphalan to 200mg/m2 given on day-2 and stem cell infusion on day 0. OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis was done to assess the effect of this change in Melphalan regimen on length of stay in hospital and gastrointestinal toxicity. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 20 patients receiving melphalan as conditioning regimen prior to autologous stem cell transplant. All patients received similar induction therapy and were transplanted as part of their initial therapy. Assessment including maximum oral score per day of transplant (using the oral assessment guide developed by the University of Nebraska Medical Center) and number of days with nausea/vomiting/diarrhea were analyzed to compare gastrointestinal toxicity. PATIENTS: Records on twenty patients with multiple myeloma undergoing autologous stem cell transplant from January 2003 until August 2006 were reviewed. Study population included10 females and 10 males. Average age was 60 yrs in melphalan 200mg/m2 over 2 days group and 55 in melphalan 200mg/m2 over one day group. RESULTS: The average length of hospital stay was 17.4 days in the Melphalan 200mg/m2 over 2 days group and 15.4 days in the Melphalan 200 mg/m2 over 1 day group. The average number of days of reported nausea/vomiting and diarrhea was 7.1 in the Mel 200 mg/m2 over1 day and 7.6 days in the Mel 200mg/m2 over 2 day group. The average peak daily oral score in the Mel 200mg/m2 over 2 days was slightly higher (14 vs 12) and the duration of reported abnormal oral scores was slightly longer for the patients in the Mel 200mg/m2 over 1 day group (13 days vs. 10 days). CONCLUSION: The major advantage of delivering Melphalan over one day as opposed to two days is decreased length of hospital stay and thereby the costs. However this does not appear to be at the expense of increased gastrointestinal toxicity. Although the duration of mucositis appears to be longer in the Melphalan 200mg/m2-1 day group, this did not lead to a prolonged length of stay in our patients. Reported nausea/vomiting/diarrhea was not significantly different in both groups.
Control of an Uncertain Nonlinear System with Known Time-Varying Input Delays with Arbitrary Delay Rates

Abstract: A tracking controller is developed for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with bounded external disturbances and time-varying input delay. Inspired by predictor-based delay compensators, the current result exploits a linear transformation to map the time dependent control input to a modified control input that depends on both time and a spatial variable. This transformation enables the developed controller to be applied when the delay rate is upper bounded by an arbitrarily large bound, unlike previous robust control approaches. However, unlike previous predictor-based methods, the development of a novel auxiliary error signal that includes an integral of past control values facilitates a robust control design that is applicable to uncertain nonlinear systems. A Lyapunov-based stability analysis that uses Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals is used to prove the developed controller yields exponential convergence of the tracking error to a steady-state residual (i.e., uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) tracking errors). Numerical simulation results are also provided to illustrate the performance of the controller for different delay rates.
Visual Sentiment Analysis by Attending on Local Image Regions

Visual sentiment analysis, which studies the emotional response of humans on visual stimuli such as images and videos, has been an interesting and challenging problem. It tries to understand the high-level content of visual data. The success of current models can be attributed to the development of robust algorithms from computer vision. Most of the existing models try to solve the problem by proposing either robust features or more complex models. In particular, visual features from the whole image or video are the main proposed inputs. Little attention has been paid to local areas, which we believe is pretty relevant to human's emotional response to the whole image. In this work, we study the impact of local image regions on visual sentiment analysis. Our proposed model utilizes the recent studied attention mechanism to jointly discover the relevant local regions and build a sentiment classifier on top of these local regions. The experimental results suggest that 1) our model is capable of automatically discovering sentimental local regions of given images and 2) it outperforms existing state-of-the-art algorithms to visual sentiment analysis.
Nanostructured Titanium Oxide Film- and Membrane-Based Photocatalysis for Water Treatment

Titanium oxide (TiO2) photocatalysis, one of the ultraviolet (UV)-based advanced oxidation technologies (AOTs) and nanotechnologies (AONs), has attracted great attention for the development of efficient water treatment and purification systems due to the effectiveness of TiO2 in generating highly oxidizing hydroxyl radicals, which readily attack and decompose organic contaminants in water. In this chapter, we provide an overview of how the physicochemical properties of TiO2 are precisely controlled and functionalized at the nanoscale for versatile, practical, and full-scale applications. Some challenges in TiO2 photocatalysis, including enhancement of the catalytic activity, controllability of the structural properties, immobilization to form films and membranes, narrowing of the bandgap energy, and selective decomposition of target contaminants, could be solved by introducing nanotechnological synthesis routes, noble material processing approaches, and new reactor design and concepts. The nanostructured TiO2 films and membranes inherently possess multiple functions under UV and even visible-light irradiation, including photocatalytic decomposition of organic pollutants, inactivation of microorganisms, anti-biofouling action, and physical separation of water contaminants.
Gene Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a complex, fatal autosomal recessive inherited disorder caused by mutations of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene [1]. The disease affects children and young adults and is most common in individuals of Northern European descent, with an estimated incidence in Caucasians of 1 in 2,500 births and a prevalence of 30,000 in the United States. Remarkably, the heterozygous carrier frequency in this population is 1 in 25 individuals. CF is also found in individuals of African and Southern European descent, Native Americans and Ashkenazi Jews although it is significantly less frequent in these populations [1, 2]. The first comprehensive clinical descriptions of CF as a familial disorder were provided in the 1930s [3, 4] followed by identification of the autosomal recessive mode of inheritance in 1946 [5]. A biochemical clue came in 1953 when an abnormally high sodium chloride concentration was noted in the sweat of individuals with CF [6]. Additional biochemical insight was provided in the 1980s with the description of abnormal regulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-activated chloride conductance in the apical membrane of epithelial cells of CF sweat glands [7] and respiratory airways [8].
On the Eccentricity Function in Graphs

Given a graph \(G=(V,E)\), the eccentricity of a vertex u is the distance from u to a vertex farthest from u. The set of vertices that minimizes the maximum distance to every other vertex (has minimum eccentricity) constitutes the center of the graph. The minimum eccentricity value represents the graph’s radius. The eccentricity function of a graph can be unimodal or non-unimodal. A graph with unimodal eccentricity function has the property that the eccentricity of every vertex equals its distance to the center plus the radius. A graph with non-unimodal eccentricity function lacks this property. In this work, we characterize each type of eccentricity function and study the impact of each type on the intersection of shortest paths among distant vertex pairs with the center. A shortest path intersects the center if it includes at least one vertex that belongs to the center. In particular, we show that if the eccentricity function is unimodal, all shortest paths among distant vertex pairs intersect the graph’s center. We also discuss when those paths do not intersect the center in graphs with non-unimodal eccentricity functions.
Phytochrome B regulates resource allocation in Brassica rapa

Crop biomass and yield are tightly linked to how the light signaling network translates information about the environment into allocation of resources, including photosynthates. Once activated, the phytochrome (phy) class of photoreceptors signal and re-deploy carbon resources to alter growth, plant architecture, and reproductive timing. Most of the previous characterization of the light-modulated growth program has been performed in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we use Brassica rapa as a crop model to test for conservation of the phytochrome-carbon network. In response to elevated levels of CO2, B. rapa seedlings showed increases in hypocotyl length, shoot and root fresh weight, and the number of lateral roots. All of these responses were dependent on nitrogen and polar auxin transport. In addition, we identified putative B. rapa orthologs of PhyB and isolated two nonsense alleles. BrphyB mutants had significantly decreased or absent CO2-stimulated growth responses. Mutant seedlings also showed misregulation of auxin-dependent genes and genes involved in chloroplast development. Adult mutant plants had reduced chlorophyll levels, photosynthetic rate, stomatal index, and seed yield. These findings support a recently proposed holistic role for phytochromes in regulating resource allocation, biomass production, and metabolic state in the developing plant.
Subtotal Colectomy for Lower GI Bleeding

Bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract, for which the location within the colon cannot be determined. Bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract that is refractory to nonoperative treatment measures.
Studies on rat liver choline oxidase; an assay method.

With the recent observations by Dubnoff (1) and Muntz (2) that choline oxidase is necessary for transmethylation reactions from choline, the choline oxidase system appears to be an important link in animal metabolism. In other work the animal choline oxidase activity has been shown to be influenced strongly by dietary folic acid (3) and aminopterin (4), though not when they are added to the enzyme in vitro (5). Since vitamin Blz appears to be related to methyl group utilization as demonstrated by Schaefer et al. (6), it is possible that this vitamin is also related to the choline oxidase system. Although some studies have been made on the choline oxidase system, no general method for assaying activity of this enzyme in whole liver homogenates has been devised. In the present paper we wish to present some additional studies made in order to obtain a general assay method for the choline oxidase system in rat liver. With this method the effects of various nutritional factors on methyl-group transfer can be studied.
Characterization, Regulation and Localization of the Gastric Cl- Channel Associated with Gastric Acid Secretion

The Cl-channel of the apical membrane of the gastric parietal cell was characterized in native rabbit H/K ATPase-containing membrane vesicles in bilayer reconstitution studies. It is a linear Cl- channel which exhibits activation by reduction of extracellular pH and PKA. The ClC-2 Cl- channel cloned from rabbit gastric mucosa and expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes, exhibited similar electrophysiological characteristics and regulation as the native gastric Cl- channel. Potential PKA phosphorylation sites in rabbit ClC-2 appear to underlie PKA activation. The pH sensor on the extracellular surface of ClC-2 was identified as E419 and amidation resulted in activation of the channel. Recombinant ClC-2 stably expressed in HEK-293 cells showed Cl- currents that were activated by forskolin and IBMX, low extracellular pH, amidation, arachidonic acid and acid-activated omeprazole. Using immunofluorescent confocal microscopy, ClC-2 was localized to the secretory canalicular membrane of stimulated parietal cells and to intracellular structures (tubulovesicles) in resting parietal cells, which was confirmed by immunogold electron microscopy. Distribution of the gastric H/K ATPase and ClC-2 were similar. These findings strongly support the view that ClC-2 is the Cl- channel in the apical secretory membrane of the gastric parietal cell which, together and in concert with the H/K ATPase and a K+ channel, result in HCl secretion.
Loss of endothelial surface expression of E-selectin in a patient with recurrent infections.

Neutrophil accumulation at sites of inflammation is mediated by specific groups of cell adhesion molecules including the β2 (CD18) integrins on leukocytes and the selectins (P- and E-selectin on the endothelium and L-selectin on the leukocyte). This is supported by studies of patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndromes whose leukocytes are genetically deficient in the expression of β2 integrins or selectin carbohydrate ligands (eg, sialyl-Lewisx). However, inherited deficiency or dysfunction of endothelial cell adhesion molecules involved in leukocyte recruitment has not been previously described. In this report we describe a child with recurrent infections and clinical evidence of impaired pus formation reminiscent of a leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome, but whose neutrophils were functionally normal and expressed normal levels of CD18, L-selectin, and sialyl-Lewisx. In contrast, immunohistochemical staining of inflamed tissue from the patient showed the absence of E-selectin from the endothelium, although E-selectin mRNA was present. However, E-selectin protein was expressed as significantly elevated levels of circulating soluble E-selectin were detected, the molecular size of which was consistent with a proteolytically cleaved form of E-selectin. Gene sequencing failed to show evidence of a secreted mutant variant. These data represent, to our knowledge, the first description of a potentially inherited dysfunction of an endothelial cell adhesion molecule involved in leukocyte recruitment and provide additional human evidence of the importance of endothelial selectins in the inflammatory response.
Profiles of Coping with Ethnic-Racial Discrimination and Latina/o Adolescents' Adjustment.

The approaches Latina/o youth use for coping with discrimination have important consequences for their adjustment. Yet, little research has examined how adolescents draw on different coping strategies and how patterns of strategies may differentially predict their outcomes. The current investigation examined adolescents’ patterns of coping strategies, changes in these patterns over time, and whether profile membership or transitions in profile membership related to adolescent adjustment. Among a longitudinal sample of Latina/o adolescents (N= 323, 49.5% female, Mage = 15.31 years), three profiles of coping strategies emerged: Passive and Moderately Proud, Confrontative, and Proactive. Latent Transition Analysis showed that these profiles were stable over time, that a majority of youth remained in the same profile of strategies across three years, and that the profiles were differentially related to adolescents’ adjustment. The findings showed that individuals in the Proactive profile reported higher self-esteem and academic motivation than adolescents drawing on different repertoires of coping strategies. These results provide new insights regarding the concurrence of strategies Latina/o youth use to cope with ethnic-racial discrimination and suggest that the adoption of proactive strategies as part of a repertoire of coping strategies could potentially reduce the negative effects of discrimination among adolescents.
Simultaneous-equation estimation with no instrumental variables

For a single equation in a system of linear equations, estimation by instrumental variables is the standard approach. In practice, however, it is often difficult to find valid instruments. This let...
Inclusive Education Teachers—Strategies of Working Collaboratively With Parents of Children With Special Educational Needs in Macau:

Education for learners with special education needs has become one of the major concerns of education policies in every corner of the world. In Macau, however, the transformation of schools into in...
Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis in children treated at US children's hospitals.

Abstract Background The incidence of and risk factors for Hirschsprung's-associated enterocolitis (HAEC) following pull-through have been limited to single institutions studies. We characterized the incidence of, risk factors for, and consequences of post-operative HAEC. Methods We identified children with Hirschsprung's Disease (HD) at US Children's Hospitals from 2007 to 2017 with and an associated pull-through operation at less than 1 year of age. HAEC readmissions were identified using ICD9/10 Diagnosis Codes and antibiotic administration. Hierarchical logistic regression models were developed for the risk factors for HAEC after pull-through and effects of recurrent HAEC on HD-related reoperations. Results We identified 2030 children with HD, and 138 (7%) who had two or more readmissions related to HAEC. The frequency of recurrent HAEC by hospital ranged from 0 to 33%. Pre-operative HAEC, history of central nervous system infection, and congenital neurologic anomalies were associated with increased risk of recurrent HAEC. Recurrent HAEC was associated with HD-specific re-operation (OR 5.2, CI 3.3–8.1, p Conclusions HAEC following pull-through occurs in a large proportion of infants with HD and predicts reoperation. Multicenter studies are needed to develop prediction models and treatment protocols for HAEC. Level of Evidence II Type of Study Retrospective cohort study.
The death panel myth among older adults: Political ideology, advance directives, and perceived discrimination on the basis of age.

The “death panel” myth holds that the Affordable Care Act sought to determine which Americans are worthy of medical care. Two interview surveys among older adults (Study 1, N = 210, Study 2, N = 19...
1791-P: The Threshold for Fasting Insulin Secretion Is Independent of the Beta-Cell Secretory Response to Glucose in Nondiabetic Humans

The transition from normal fasting glucose (NFG) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT) to type 2 diabetes is characterized by impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Graded Glucose Infusion (GGI) has been used to measure β-cell function in response to glucose and to extrapolate the β-cell threshold for insulin secretion. However, this assumes a linear relationship between fasting insulin secretion and the response to a GGI. This may not be the case in e.g., humans with IFG/NGT who have normal β-cell function despite IFG. As part of a series of experiments examining the pathogenesis of prediabetes, we examined the relationship of fasting insulin secretion with the subsequent β-cell response to GGI. To do so, we studied nondiabetic, weight-stable individuals (53 ± 2 yrs, BMI 27.5 ± 1.2 kg/m2). At the time of screening, subjects underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. On the study day, after an overnight fast, at 0700 (-120 min) a variable insulin infusion was used to maintain glucose at ∼80 mg/dL (until 0845). At 0900, GGI commenced (0-240 min total, starting at 1 mg/kg/min and doubling every 60 min). Insulin Secretion Rate (ISR) was estimated by deconvolution of frequently sampled peripheral C-peptide concentrations. The rate of change of ISR in response to increasing glucose concentrations was used to calculate β-cell responsivity to glucose and the set-point of insulin secretion. As expected, ISR rose throughout the study (0.07 ± 0.01, 0.21 ± 0.05, 0.30 ± 0.07, 0.55 ± 0.13, 0.94 ± 0.15 nmol/min; 0, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min respectively). The individual glucose threshold for insulin secretion (4.8 ± 0.1 mmol/l) was independent of β-cell function during the screening glucose tolerance test (R2 = 0.07, p = 0.67) and during the GGI (R2 = 0.06, p = 0.68). These data imply that the glucose threshold for insulin secretion is independent of β-cell function. Disclosure J.D. Kohlenberg: None. M.C. Laurenti: None. A.M. Egan: None. C. Dalla Man: Research Support; Self; Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH. R.A. Rizza: None. C. Cobelli: None. A. Vella: Advisory Panel; Self; vTv Therapeutics, Zealand Pharma A/S. Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Funding Endocrine Fellows Foundation; National Institutes of Health (R01DK78646, R01DK116231)
Recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland: A comparison of radiographic and pathologic tumor burden

Abstract Purpose To compare recurrent pleomorphic adenoma tumor burden as detected on magnetic resonance and computerized tomography imaging with postoperative histopathology. Materials and methods 44 patients were identified at a tertiary medical center between 2000 and 2015. Patients were included if they had viewable preoperative imaging and a postoperative diagnosis of recurrent pleomorphic adenoma. Primary outcomes were differences in the number and size of lesions detected on imaging and pathology. Results The size in greatest dimension between pathology and imaging was not significant on aggregate MRI + CT (p = 0.78), MRI (p = 0.41), or CT (p = 0.69). There were more lesions found on pathology compared to both aggregate MRI + CT (p = 0.003) and CT alone (p = 0.014). The number of lesions between MRI and pathology failed to reach significance (p = 0.06). On univariate analysis, the interval between imaging and pathology (recurrent surgery) did not significantly affect the number of lesions detected (p = 0.18). On multivariable analysis, CT as the primary imaging modality and >1 recurrence was independently associated with greater inaccuracy with respect to number of lesions detected (p = 0.006; p = 0.008). Conclusion The size of the largest lesion on pathology can be accurately determined with imaging. Compared to MRI, CT scans significantly underpredict the number of lesions found on pathology. MRI should be prioritized unless contraindications exist. These findings will help guide imaging choice, preoperative planning, and patient counseling.
The organizational ecology of global governance

The ecology of governance organizations (GOs) matters for what is or is not governed, what legitimate powers any governor may hold, and whose political preferences are instantiated in rules. The ar...
Amplified cortical tracking of word-level features of continuous competing speech in older adults

Speech-in-noise comprehension difficulties are common among the elderly population, yet traditional objective measures of speech perception are largely insensitive to this deficit, particularly in the absence of clinical hearing loss. In recent years, a growing body of research in young normal-hearing adults has demonstrated that high-level features related to speech semantics and lexical predictability elicit strong centro-parietal negativity in the EEG signal around 400 ms following the word onset. Here we investigate effects of age on cortical tracking of these word-level features within a two-talker speech mixture, and their relationship with self-reported difficulties with speech-in-noise understanding. While undergoing EEG recordings, younger and older adult participants listened to a continuous narrative story in the presence of a distractor story. We then utilized forward encoding models to estimate cortical tracking of three speech features: 1) "semantic" dissimilarity of each word relative to the preceding context, 2) lexical surprisal for each word, and 3) overall word audibility. Our results revealed robust tracking of all three features for attended speech, with surprisal and word audibility showing significantly stronger contributions to neural activity than dissimilarity. Additionally, older adults exhibited significantly stronger tracking of surprisal and audibility than younger adults, especially over frontal electrode sites, potentially reflecting increased listening effort. Finally, neuro-behavioral analyses revealed trends of a negative relationship between subjective speech-in-noise perception difficulties and the model goodness-of-fit for attended speech, as well as a positive relationship between task performance and the goodness-of-fit, indicating behavioral relevance of these measures. Together, our results demonstrate the utility of modeling cortical responses to multi-talker speech using complex, word-level features and the potential for their use to study changes in speech processing due to aging and hearing loss.
Do patient-reported outcome measures improve after aseptic revision total hip arthroplasty?

Background:The purpose of this study was to determine patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) changes in: (1) pain, function and global health; and (2) predictors of PROMs in patients undergoing ...