cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of SRC-1 in Murine Prostate Carcinogenesis Is Nonessential due to a Possible Compensation of SRC-3/AIB1 Overexpression

The androgen and androgen receptor (AR)-regulated gene expression plays important roles in normal prostate and prostate cancer development, and AR transcriptional control of genes is mediated by transcriptional coactivators, including the three members of the steroid receptor coactivator (SRC) family, SRC-1 (NCOA1), SRC-2 (TIF2/GRIP1/NCOA2) and SRC-3 (AIB1, ACTR/RAC3/NCOA3). SRC-1 and SRC-3 are overexpressed in multiple human endocrine cancers and knockdown of either one of them in prostate cancer cell lines impedes cellular proliferation. Knockout of SRC-3 in mice suppresses the progression of spontaneous prostate carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigated SRC-1 contribution to prostate cancer in vivo by deleting the SRC-1 gene in TRAMP mice, which contain the probasin promoter-driven SV40 T/t antigen transgene. In assessing tumor mass of mice at various ages, we found that initiation and progression of prostate cancer induced by SV40 T/t antigens were unaltered in SRC-1(-/-) mice versus WT mice. Primary tumor histology and metastasis to distant lymph nodes were also similar in these mice at all time points assessed. These results demonstrate that the role of SRC-1 in mouse prostate carcinogenesis is nonessential and different from the essential contribution of SRC-3 that is required for prostate cancer progression and metastasis in mice. Interestingly, we observed that during prostate tumorigenesis SRC-1 expression was relatively constant, while SRC-3 expression was significantly elevated. Therefore, the loss of SRC-1 function may be compensated by SRC-3 overexpression during prostate tumorigenesis in SRC-1(-/-) mice.
Discrete probability density estimation using multirate DSP models

We propose a model based approach for estimation of probability mass functions for discrete random variables. The model is based on tools from multirate signal processing. Similar in principle to the kernel based methods, the approach takes advantage of well-known results from multirate signal processing theory. Similarities to and differences from wavelet based approaches are also indicated where appropriate. In the final form, the probability estimates are obtained by filtering the square root of the histogram through a multirate system whose components are biorthogonal partners of each other.
Influences of Information and Personal Concerns on Monetary Judgments

Previous studies have shown effects of various types of suggestions made by attorneys for developing a metric for damages to be awarded for pain and suffering. This study attempted to use rates set by respondents for their willingness to endure some of the problems of a wheelchair-bound individual as a means of getting the respondents to devise suitable awards for pain and suffering. Experimental subjects were asked how much would be necessary before they would spend a day living in a wheel chair, and control subjects were not. Variability of responses was high for both willingness to accept the wheelchair temporarily and for awards for pain and suffering. Although those who presumably thought about the problem more suggested higher awards, the difference was not statistically reliable. Within the Experimental Group there was a dependably greater amount awarded by those who said they would require larger sums to accept such a situation. Those respondents who were asked to specifiy total amounts suggested ...
Predicting metabolic adaptation, body weight change, and energy intake in humans

Complex interactions between carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism underlie the body's remarkable ability to adapt to a variety of diets. But any imbalances between the intake and utilization rates of these macronutrients will result in changes in body weight and composition. Here, I present the first computational model that simulates how diet perturbations result in adaptations of fuel selection and energy expenditure that predict body weight and composition changes in both obese and nonobese men and women. No model parameters were adjusted to fit these data other than the initial conditions for each subject group (e.g., initial body weight and body fat mass). The model provides the first realistic simulations of how diet perturbations result in adaptations of whole body energy expenditure, fuel selection, and various metabolic fluxes that ultimately give rise to body weight change. The validated model was used to estimate free-living energy intake during a long-term weight loss intervention, a variable that has never previously been measured accurately.
Imaging and Analyses of Iron-oxidizing Bacteria on Basalt Glass by methods of FIB-SEM and HRTEM

Metal-oxidizing bacteria have recently been shown to colonize basaltic rocks and grow from the energy released as the surface dissolves and Fe and Mn are oxidized and precipitated. However, although several of the organisms involved have recently been cultured, it is difficult to determine the mechanisms whereby microbial organisms actively transform the surfaces they colonize. To interrogate the mechanism of microbial basalt dissolution, we have developed synchrotron-based surface sensitive x-ray spectroscopic techniques capable of measuring the degree of Fe, Mn, Ca and Ti release from fresh basalt surfaces under biotic and abiotic conditions. In these experiments, depth profiles are established for each element, and the oxidation states of Fe and Mn can also be measured as a function of depth as the alteration proceeds. However, to fully interpret the spectroscopic data and to develop a structural model for the basalt-bacteria interface, we require complimentary information derived from the use of FIB-SEM and HRTEM, such as the spatial relationships between basalt surfaces, ironoxidizing microbial cells, and new biogenic iron minerals. In particular, we seek detailed characterization of the thickness of the reaction layers and the extent of element redistribution within the reacted surfaces as the basalts undergo large-scale chemical exchange with seawater and overlying biofilms. Methods and Results: Epipolished basalt slabs were prepared with an initial 5A rms and then colonized by ironoxidizing bacteria (FeOB) isolated from Loihi Seamount or reacted abiotically with seawater alone over the course of 1 year. X-ray scattering and spectroscopic data collected at the Advanced Photon Source indirectly indicates that the surfaces exhibit reaction rinds that range from 5nm to 500 nm to the micron scale over the time-course. Three samples that span from the beginning to end of this experiment were first characterized by HR-SEM, and then FIB cross sections using the FEI Helios Nanolab 600 were cut into the surface and prepared as thin sections for TEM imaging and analysis. SEM is capable of nanometer resolution across the surfaces, and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can provide atomic resolution for characterizing the structure and chemical composition of the interfaces. Parallel experiments have also been conducted by exposing fresh basalt slabs to lowtemperature hydrothermal conditions in-situ at Loihi Seamount. Basalt colonization by natural consortia of FeOB has been observed at Loihi, and again, FIB-SEM and HR-TEM techniques enable us to characterize the microbe-mineral interfaces at the appropriate scales. Thus data will be presented that shows how the structural and chemical information obtained from highresolution electron microscopy can be used to ground-truth the surface-sensitive x-ray spectroscopy and to provide new insights regarding the modes and mechanisms of basalt dissolution by metal-oxidizing bacteria. References
Measuring reactive nitrogen emissions from point sources using visible spectroscopy from aircraft

Accurate measurements of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a key trace gas in the formation and destruction of tropospheric ozone, are important in studies of urban pollution. Nitrogen dioxide column abundances were measured during the Texas Air Quality Study 2000 using visible absorption spectroscopy from an aircraft. The method allows for quantification of the integrated total number of nitrogen dioxide molecules in the polluted atmosphere and is hence a useful tool for measuring plumes of this key trace gas. Further, we show how such remote-sensing observations can be used to obtain information on the fluxes of nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere with unique flexibility in terms of aircraft altitude, and the height and extent of mixing of the boundary layer. Observations of nitrogen dioxide plumes downwind of power plants were used to estimate the flux of nitrogen oxide emitted from several power plants in the Houston and Dallas metropolitan areas and in North Carolina. Measurements taken over the city of Houston were also employed to infer the total flux from the city as a whole.
Volumetric Quantification of Type II Endoleaks: An Indicator for Aneurysm Sac Growth Following Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair

Delayed enhanced phase CT images can be used to perform volumetric quantification of type II endoleak cavities, a parameter that can be used to indicate which aneurysm sac will enlarge and which will be stable or shrink at follow-up CT.
DITCH: a model to simulate field conditions in response to ditch levels managed for environmental aims

Abstract Wetland areas are frequently managed by manipulating the water levels in the surrounding ditches, with the aim of restoring or enhancing the wetness of the site, especially for the ecological requirements of some bird populations. The extent to which water tables in the centre of fields can be controlled by this action can be simulated through the use of a model, Drain Interaction with Channel Hydrology (DITCH), based on drainage theory. DITCH successfully predicted the pattern of water table behaviour on two wetlands sites, in the Norfolk Broads and Somerset Levels areas in the UK. The model can also be used to predict the strength of the soil surface and the extent of surface flooding. When used to examine the effects of alternative ditch management regimes within the two test areas, the model shows that the effects of ditch management options are not easily converted into impacts in the centre of the fields. If the effects are not sufficient, then hydrological manipulation of sites to achieve or improve wetland status may require more active intervention.
Expanded Carbon Lattices and Congener Hydrocarbons with directionally Inserted Triple Bonds

The diamond or graphene lattices may be expanded theoretically by replacing one or several CC bonds of each carbon atom by the sequence C−(C≡C)k−C with k = 1, 2, etc. In this communication a systematic approach is described, by operating these replacements according to the four directions around an sp 3 -hybridized carbon atom (affording "m- directional diamond-yne") with m = 1 to 4 or the three directions around an sp 2 -hybridized carbon atom (affording "n- directional graphen-yne") with n = 1 to 3. The "n-directional graphen-yne" sheet may be folded to yield various types of directionally-expanded nanotube-ynes, nanocone-ynes, nanotor-ynes, or fullrene-ynes. Analogous di-ynes are briefly mentioned. In addition to infinite lattices, various possibilities for molecules (diamondoid and benzenoid hydrocarbons) obtained by analogous expansions are briefly mentioned. For applications such as hydrogen storage and lithium batteries, new possibilities for selecting the shape and size of rings are available by these directional insertions of triple bonds.
CO (and other) Lines from the Cloverleaf Quasar

The Cloverleaf quasar (H1413+117) at redshift 2.56 derives its name from its optical image, which is gravitationally lensed into a pattern of four points with separations of about 1″. The lensing galaxy is unseen, but models assuming an elliptical potential at intermediate redshift give total magnifications of roughly a factor of 10 (Kayser et al. 1990). The Cloverleaf’s optical spectrum has classical broad emission lines, plus broad absorption troughs-it is classified as a BALQ (broad absorption line quasar).
Application of Hill's functions to problems of propagation in stratified media

A novel method of solving Maxwell's equations in a plane-stratified dielectric layer is presented, The governing differential equations for each polarization are solved in terms of Hill's functions. The formulation yields solutions which are formally exact and applicable to an extremely wide range of dielectric variations within the layer, without restriction to any particular frequency regime. The method is used to study the reflection of a plane wave polarized parallel to the plane of incidence by an inhomogeneous layer separating two homogeneous regions of infinite extent. The effect of the graded boundary on the Brewster-angle phenomenon is discussed for the case where the two homogeneous regions have different dielectric properties. Reflections from a dielectric duct are also considered as an illustration of the utility of the method.
Efficient eventual consistency in Pahoehoe, an erasure-coded key-blob archive

Cloud computing demands cheap, always-on, and reliable storage. We describe Pahoehoe, a key-value cloud storage system we designed to store large objects cost-effectively with high availability. Pahoehoe stores objects across multiple data centers and provides eventual consistency so to be available during network partitions. Pahoehoe uses erasure codes to store objects with high reliability at low cost. Its use of erasure codes distinguishes Pahoehoe from other cloud storage systems, and presents a challenge for efficiently providing eventual consistency. We describe Pahoehoe's put, get, and convergence protocols—convergence being the decentralized protocol that ensures eventual consistency. We use simulated executions of Pahoehoe to evaluate the efficiency of convergence, in terms of message count and message bytes sent, for failure-free and expected failure scenarios (e.g., partitions and server unavailability). We describe and evaluate optimizations to the naive convergence protocol that reduce the cost of convergence in all scenarios.
Registered intensity and range imaging at 10 mega-samples per second

A video rate laser range finder based on the autosynchronized scanning approach is presented. This range camera simultaneously provides range and intensity information of a scene in EIA-RS-170 format. A spatial resolution of 420 horizontal lines each having 512 pixels was achieved at a rate of 30 images per second. A wide dynamic range in intensity (16 bits) coupled with drift compensation allows this sensor to achieve a range resolution of 8 bits. The volume of view is 50 x 50 x 50 mm3.
Absolutely continuous spectrum of discrete Schrödinger operators with slowly oscillating potentials

We show that when a potential bn of a discrete Schrodinger operator, defined on l2(ℤ+), slowly oscillates satisfying the conditions bn ∈ l∞ and ∂bn = bn +1 – bn ∈ lp, p < 2, then all solutions of the equation Ju = Eu are bounded near infinity at almost every E ∈ [–2 + lim supn ∞bn, 2 + lim supn ∞bn ] ∩ [–2 + lim infn ∞bn, 2 + lim infn ∞bn ]. We derive an asymptotic formula for generalized eigenfunctions in this case. As a corollary, the absolutely continuous spectrum of the corresponding Jacobi operator is essentially supported on the same interval of E (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
LOCALITY CONSTRAINTS ON THE INTERPRETATION OF ROOTS: THE CASE OF HEBREW DENOMINAL VERBS

This paper argues for a distinction between word formation from roots and word formation from existing words. Focusing on Hebrew, it is shown that roots - and only roots - may be assigned multiple interpretations in different environments. When the basis for the derivation is a word, this word forces its semantic and phonological properties on any element derived from it. To account for this difference, a locality constraint on the interpretation of roots is postulated: the first nominal or verbal head that merges with the root serves as the immediate environment for determining its interpretation. This head forms a closed domain: any further derivation takes as its input not the root itself, but an element whose semantic and phonological properties have been cashed out. Word-derived words thus have access only to the words they are derived from, not to the root. While the ability of Hebrew roots to acquire multiple interpretations is language specific, the distinction between word formation from roots and word formation from words is shown to be universal. This is illustrated here with English zero-related pairs, which are shown to exhibit the same contrasts as Hebrew between word formation from roots and from words. Showing the effect of roots in word formation in both Hebrew and English fur- ther motivates the root hypothesis, namely, that in all languages the lexical kernel, or the root, is distinct from 'words' - complex entities - even if this distinction is not always morphologically manifested.
Minimal feedback optimal algorithms for traffic engineering in computer networks

This paper addresses the problem of traffic engineering in computer networks. More precisely, optimal data rate adaptation laws are provided, which are applicable to networks where both multiple paths are available between any pair of source/destination nodes and multiple classes of service are to be provided. In particular, it is shown that the algorithms presented only need a minimal amount of information to achieve the optimal operating point. More precisely, they only require knowledge of whether a path is congested or not. Hence, the control laws provided in this paper require much less feedback than currently available ones. The proposed approach is applicable to utility functions of a very general form and endows the network with the very important property of robustness with respect to node/link failures; i.e., upon the occurrence of such failure, the presented control laws reroute traffic away from the inoperative node/link and converge to the optimal allocation for the "reduced" network.
Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Broiler Chicken Performance

Broiler chickens were exposed to 3,000, 6,000 and 12,000 ppm of CO2 for the 4-week brooding period, and their performance was compared to that of controls brooded where the CO2 level did not exceed 1,000 ppm. Exposure to 3,000 and 6,000 ppm did not significantly affect body weights at 4 or 7 weeks, but exposure to 12,000 ppm of CO2 depressed body weight at 4 weeks by about 60 g; the deficiency in weight persisted until 7 weeks of age. Feed conversions were not affected.
Sequence, expression and evolutionary relationships of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I in the toad Xenopus laevis

The sequence of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase I (CPSase I) cDNA and expression of the enzyme in liver of the toad Xenopus laevis are reported. CPSase I mRNA increases 6-fold when toads are exposed to high salinity for extended periods of time. The deduced 1,494-amino acid sequence of the CPSase I is homologous to other CPSases and reveals a domain structure and conserved amino acids common to other CPSases. A serine residue (S287) is present where there is a cysteine residue required for glutamine-dependent activity in CPSase Types III and II (Type I CPSases utilize only ammonia as nitrogen-donating substrate). A sequence of DNA 964 bases upstream from the ATG start codon for the CPSase I gene is also reported. Phylogenetic analysis for 30 CPSase isoforms, including X. laevis CPSase I, across a wide spectrum of phyla is reported and discussed. The results are consistent with the views that eukaryotic CPSase II as a multifunctional complex evolved from prokaryotic CPSase II and that CPSase I in terrestrial vertebrates and CPSase III in fishes arose from eukaryotic CPSase II by independent events after the divergence of plants in eukaryotic evolution.
Transport characteristics of suspensions VII. Relation of hindered‐settling floc characteristics to rheological parameters

Both the rheological and the hindered-settling characteristics of small particle size suspensions (0.1 to 50 μ) are primarily determined by the degree of flocculation and the concentration of the suspension. Previous studies have shown that when the laminar shear diagrams are fitted by the Bingham plastic model, the parameters τy/ϕ3 and ϕ−1 In η/μ are constants which are proportional to the degree of flocculation The present study showed that these rheological parameters were proportional to the value of α determined from the hindered-settling measurements (α is defined as the ratio of the volume of fluid immobilized by the floc structure to the volume of solids in the floc structure). The materials studied included suspensions of thorium oxide in water and methanol and of titania, kaolin, alumina, and graphite in water. The particle size range was from 0.40 to 17.0 μ Values of the attractive force between particles calculated from the rheological and hindered-settling data were in good agreement with each other and with the theoretical values calculated from the Derjaguin-Verwey-Overbeek theory of colloid stability. The good agreement among the different values suggests that the present approach may be generally applicable to a variety of different systems.
Diagnosis of acute aortic dissection by M- mode and cross-sectional echocardiography: a five-year experience

During a five-year period, 26 cases of acute thoracic aortic dissection were studied by M-mode and cross-sectional echocardiography prior to cardiac catheterization and aortography. The diagnosis could be made non-invasively in 20 patients. Important information concerning the extent of the dissection, and the presence or absence of aortic regurgitation or a pericardial effusion could be obtained. Negative examinations were largely confined to cases where the distal thoracic aorta alone was involved. In a further 30 cases admitted to the coronary care unit during this period in which echocardiography was performed to rule out aortic dissection, two false-positive examinations led to aortography which demonstrated aortic dilatation and aortic regurgitation only. In the remaining 28 cases, echocardiographic examination was negative and none of these patients subsequently evidenced aortic dissection. Echocardiography using both M-mode and cross-sectional techniques is a rapid and highly effective method of making an early diagnosis of thoracic aortic dissection. Cross-sectional echocardiography is complementary to the M-mode technique, enhancing diagnostic accuracy by improving structural recognition in a condition where the normal anatomy is often severely distorted.
Multimodality Molecular Imaging: A Futuristic Outlook

Over the past few decades, there have been significant advances in medical imaging, which have modernized the assessment of a large number of disorders and provided high accuracy. The advent of X-ray CT in 1973 unlocked a new-fangled era in structural imaging, which has improved over the years to further increase the number of clinical applications using this very powerful modality [1]. This technology had a profound impact on clinical practice and proved to be valuable in almost every disorder, predominantly in situations where surgical intervention is required for optimal patient management. Subsequent to the introduction of CT, MRI became the major spotlight owing to its high soft tissue contrast, which enabled the investigation of soft tissue abnormalities, mostly in the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems [2, 3]. For virtually all neurological diseases, MRI has become and still is the preferred modality for detection and accurate characterization of the underlying disorder. Similarly, MR provided superior value for the characterization of many musculoskeletal abnormalities owing to its high spatial and contrast resolutions that enables improved lesion detectability in this organ system.
Abstract 004: Interleukin 17a Regulates Salt And Water Retention Through Enhanced Sgk1 And Nhe3 Expression In The Renal Proximal Tubule

We have previously shown that the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 17A (IL17A), is upregulated by angiotensin II and plays a critical role in promoting angiotensin II-induced hypertension and vascular dysfunction. However, the mechanism by which IL17A promotes hypertension is not known. Our preliminary studies demonstrated that angiotensin II-induced hypertension decreased sodium hydrogen exchanger 3 (NHE3) in the kidneys of IL17A-/- mice to a greater extent than in wild type (WT) mice. This likely enhances the pressure natriuresis in these mice and could explain the lower hypertensive response to angiotensin II in these animals. Serum glucocorticoid kinase 1 (SGK1) potentially regulates NHE3 in the kidney. Therefore, we hypothesized that IL17A upregulates SGK1 and NHE3 in the renal proximal tubule and that loss of IL17A would enhance natriuresis and diuresis. Using cultured human proximal tubule cells (HK-2 cells), we found that IL17A upregulated SGK1 mRNA expression 3.9±0.4 fold (n=4, p
Effects of stilbestrol on pituitary-adrenal function in male and female rats.

SummaryStilbestrol administration produced apparently similar increases in pituitary and adrenal weights and losses in body weight upon comparison of male and female rats. Pituitary ACTH content was more than doubled in females and unchanged in male animals. Pituitary RNA and DNA were both unchanged in males, whereas RNA (but not DNA) was increased in females. Adrenal RNA was increased in both sexes while DNA was unchanged in males and decreased in females. Plasma Cpd. B levels after stress or ACTH were unaffected in males and markedly reduced in females. Biological half-life of Cpd. B was shortened and hepatic metabolism of the steroid enhanced in treated males. Opposite changes were observed in female rats. Adrenal steroidogenesis in vitro was inhibited in female rats. An increment in steroidogenesis was demonstrated in males per total gland whereas a decrease obtained per unit gland weight. Male responses became similar to those in the female by administration of a more potent dose of stilbestrol.
Large area chemical vapor deposition growth of monolayer MoSe2 and its controlled sulfurization to MoS2

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides which are part of the two dimensional materials family are experiencing rapidly growing interest owing to their diverse physical and optoelectronic properties. Large area controllable synthesis of these materials is required for transition from lab scale research to practical applications. In this work, we present a single step chemical vapor deposition process for large area monolayer growth of molybdenum selenide (MoSe2). We also demonstrate controllable thermal conversion from molybdenum selenide to molybdenum sulfide.
Influence of Attrition Grinding on the Recovery of Copper from a High-Grade Chalcopyrite Concentrate by the BSE-Process

In previous studies (Torma and Subramanian, 1974; Torma and Guay, 1976) we have demonstrated that a decrease in the particle size of the solid metal sulfide results in an increase in the rate/or extent of the metal extraction by the chemolithotrophic Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. The use of fractions of a lead-zinc sulfide concentrate (Torma and Subramanian, 1974) smaller than 5 pm in diameter resulted in zinc extractions as high as 98.1% in five days of leaching. Only limited information is available from the literature regarding the bacterial leaching of solid particles where the size of the ore would approach the bacterial dimensions (which are about 0.5 pm wide and 1.5 to 2.0 pm long). Conventional milling techniques are not practical for producing these very small particle sizes. However, the attrition grinding techniques have shown to be quite effective in producing mineral particles below the one pm range (Sadler et al., 1975). The applicability of attrition grinding in hydrometallurgical operations is a subject of intensive research (Gerlach et al., 1973; Beckstead et al., 1976).
Stress and Suicide

Suicide is a worldwide public health problem. Psychosocial–environmental stress factors contribute to suicidal behavior and resilience traits could account for better stress-coping style. Animal models show a gene–environment interaction influence on behavior. Early life stressful experiences alter monoamine systems and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function. Behavioral stress-induced depression in animals is associated with cell death and dendritic shrinkage. Smaller hippocampal volume may constitute a risk factor for the development of stress-related psychopathology. The cognitive framework for decision making is relevant to suicidal behavior and implicates the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, as well as the amygdala, somatosensory, and insular cortex.
Extending the Examination of the Fear Extinction Network Beyond Anxiety and Fear-Based Disorders: Insight Into Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Lacking the ability to fear dangerous situations could lead to excessive risk-taking and undesirable behavioral consequences; the reverse could lead to heightened anxiety levels and fear generalization. Fear conditioning and extinction paradigms have proven to be extremely useful to study the mechanisms underlying fear learning and emotion regulation abilities in both healthy and clinical human populations. Most of the clinical studies have been performed in individuals suffering from either anxiety disorders or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), given that these psychopathologies are known for their dysregulated levels of fear and anxiety.
How should static analysis tools explain anomalies to developers

Despite the advanced static analysis tools available within modern integrated development environments (IDEs), the error messages these tools produce remain perplexing for developers to comprehend. This research postulates that tools can computationally expose their internal reasoning processes to generate assistive error explanations that more closely align with how developers explain errors to themselves.
Localized inhibition of P2X7R at the spinal cord injury site improves neurogenic bladder dysfunction by decreasing urothelial P2X3R expression in rats

Abstract Aims Reestablishment of bladder function in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) is a clinical priority. Our objectives were to determine whether SCI-localized inhibition of purinergic P2X7 receptors (P2X7R) improve bladder function by decreasing afferent signals mediated by urothelial P2X3R. Main methods Systemic inhibition of P2X7R may improve locomotion in rodent SCI models; however, beneficial effects on bladder function and its physiological mechanisms have not been evaluated. We designed a thermosensitive nanohydrogel (NHG) consisting of the P2X7R antagonist brilliant blue-G (BBG) loaded into silica nanoparticles, embedded with poly( d , l -lactic- co -glycolic) acid, and resuspended in 20% pluronic acid. Female Sprague-Dawley rats with a bilateral dorsal lesion at the thoracic T8/T9 region received either 100 μl of an empty NHG, or a NHG containing BBG (BBG-NHG) on top of the spinal tissue. Cystometric properties, spinal immunohistochemistry for P2X7R, and bladder immunohistochemistry for P2X3R were evaluated at four weeks post-SCI. Key findings After SCI animals recovered hind-legs use but neurogenic bladder dysfunction remained. SCI rats treated with BBG-NHG for a period of at least two weeks post-SCI experienced fewer non-voiding contractions. The localized inhibition of P2X7R decreased microglia activation. At the lower urinary tract level we observed, unexpectedly, a concomitant reduction of urothelial P2X3 receptors, which are involved in initiation of bladder afferent transmission to start micturition. Significance Localized inhibition of P2X7R for two weeks can be associated with reduced number of microglia and attenuated bladder hyperexcitability mediated by downregulation of urothelial P2X3R in rats with neurogenic bladder dysfunction and independently of locomotor improvements.
Pre-vaccine plasma levels of soluble inflammatory indices negatively predict responses to HAV, HBV, and tetanus vaccines in HCV and HIV infection.

Abstract Background Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV infections are associated with impaired responses to neo-antigens contained in hepatitis A virus (HAV)/hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines, yet responsible mechanisms are unclear. Methods ACTG 5232 and CFAR0910 were clinical trials where pre-vaccine levels of plasma IP10, IL-6, sCD163 and sCD14 were measured in viremic HCV- (n = 15) or HIV-infected participants (n = 24) and uninfected controls (n = 10). Accelerated dosing HAV/HBV vaccine and tetanus booster were administered and antibody response was measured at 0, 1, 3, 8, and 24 weeks. Results Pre-vaccine plasma IP10, IL-6, and sCD14 levels were elevated in both HCV and HIV-infected participants, while sCD163 was also elevated in HCV-infected participants. Pre-immunization tetanus antibody levels were lower in HIV-infected than in uninfected participants, while vaccine induced antibody responses were intact in HCV and HIV-infected participants. After HAV/HBV vaccination, HCV and HIV-infected participants had lower and less durable HAV and HBV antibody responses than uninfected controls. Among HCV-infected participants, pre-vaccine plasma IP10, IL-6, sCD14, and sCD163 levels inversely correlated with HAV, HBV and tetanus antibody responses after vaccine. Low HAV/HBV vaccine responses in HIV-infected participants prohibited assessment of immune correlates. Conclusions During HCV and HIV infection markers of systemic inflammation reflect immune dysfunction as demonstrated by poor response to HAV/HBV neo-antigen vaccine.
Implications of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement for Processed Food Markets

Canada and the European Union (EU) recently completed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) to liberalize bilateral trade. Processed food trade between Canada and the EU is one of the fastest growing markets, in spite of large trade restrictions due to high tariffs and egregious nontariff barriers (NTB). The processed food sector is characterized by firms which differ in size, productivity, produce differentiated products, and engage in monopolistic competition. We implement a four‐region (Canada, the EU, the United States, and the Rest of the World) model of the processed food industry, incorporating these firm characteristics to study the effects of CETA. The results show Canadian and EU bilateral trade flows expand, the number of exporting firms rises, and net welfare in both these countries increases. Though CETA does not liberalize NTBs, we examine the impacts of a 40% cut in NTBs to highlight the benefits that would have accrued had CETA also covered NTBs. Under this scenario, the trade flows would have expanded significantly, and, more importantly, Canadian and EU welfare would have risen by 11.8‐ and 39.4‐fold, respectively. Since CETA excludes the United States, the U.S. processed food industry loses due to greater competition in Canadian and the EU markets, and the net U.S. welfare declines. Le Canada et l'Union europeenne (UE) ont recemment finalise L'Accord economique et commercial global (AECG) afin de liberaliser le commerce bilateral. Malgre les grandes restrictions commerciales liees aux tarifs appliques eleves et aux flagrantes barrieres non tarifaires (BNT), le commerce des aliments transformes entre le Canada et l'UE est l'un des marches les plus croissants. Le secteur des aliments transformes est forme d'entreprises de diverses tailles et productivite qui produisent des produits differents et se livrent a une concurrence monopolistique. Nous mettons en place un modele regional (Canada, UE, Etats‐Unis et le reste du monde) de l'industrie des aliments transformes, incorporant ces caracteristiques pour etudier les effets de l'AECG. Les resultats demontrent que le commerce bilateral entre le Canada et l'UE s'accroit, le nombre d'entreprises d'exportation augmente, et le bien‐etre dans ces pays aussi. Meme si l'AECG ne liberalise pas les BNT, nous examinons les impacts d'une coupure de 40 % aux BNT afin de mettre en relief les avantages qui se seraient produits si l'AECG tenait aussi compte des BNT. Dans le cadre de ce scenario, le commerce aurait augmente de maniere considerable, et, encore plus determinant, le bien‐etre canadien et au sein de l'Union europeenne aurait augmente de 11,8 et 39,4 fois respectivement. Puisque l'AECG exclut les Etats‐Unis, l'industrie des aliments transformes de ce pays se retrouve perdante et son bien‐etre en declin suivant une competition accrue provenant des marches canadiens et europeens.
The Relationship between Self-Reported Executive Functioning and Risk-Taking Behavior in Urban Homeless Youth

Introduction: Almost 2 million U.S. youth are estimated to live on the streets, in shelters, or in other types of temporary housing at some point each year. Both their age and living situations make them more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, particularly during adolescence, a time of increased risk taking. Much of self-control appears related to the development of the prefrontal cortex, which is at a particularly crucial period of elaboration and refinement during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Executive processes like decision-making, inhibition, planning, and reasoning may be vulnerable to adversity experienced as a result of homelessness and related impoverishment during childhood and adolescence. No study to date, to our knowledge, has directly investigated differences in risk-taking by homeless youth as it relates to their developing executive control. Objective: Examine the relationship between the level of self-reported executive function (EF) and engagement in risk taking behaviors among a sample of shelter-living urban homeless youth. We predicted that homeless youth who have lower levels of self-reported EF would more readily engage in risky behaviors that could lead to negative outcomes. Participants: One hundred and forty-nine youths between 18 and 22 years of age were recruited from homeless agencies in Chicago. Of this study sample, 53% were female and 76% African American. Measures: All participants completed, as part of a broader neuropsychological assessment, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Adult Version (BRIEF-A), the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), and the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Analyses: Groups were separated based on level of self-reported EF, with two groups identified: High self-reported EF fell >1 SD above the normative average, and low self-reported EF fell >1 SD below the normative average. All analyses utilized Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Results and Conclusions: Analyses revealed a relationship between the level of self-reported EF and risk taking behaviors in this group of sheltered homeless urban youths. Those with lower self-reported executive functioning had higher rates of engagement in multiple substance-related risk taking behaviors. These findings are important because they are a first step towards identifying contributions to risk-taking behavior in urban homeless youths. Identifying potential factors like low self-reported EF better allows us to potentially intervene, thereby providing focused support to youths who are at higher risk for engaging in problematic behaviors.
Visualizing Chemoreceptor Arrays in Bacterial Minicells by Cryo-Electron Tomography and Subtomogram Analysis

Bacterial chemoreceptors form a highly ordered array in concert with the CheA kinase and the CheW coupling protein. The precise architecture of the array is responsible for high sensitivity, high dynamic range, and strong amplification of chemotaxis signaling. Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) has emerged as a unique tool to visualize bacterial chemotaxis arrays at molecular level. Here we describe a detailed cryo-ET and subtomogram averaging procedure to determine in situ structure of the chemoreceptor arrays in Salmonella minicells. The procedure should be readily applicable to visualize other large macromolecular assemblies in their cellular context.
Chinese Youth Career Adaptability: Contextual Influences and Pathways to Positive Youth Development.

The present study investigated the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between youth-perceived contextual support and positive youth development on the basis of a survey of 1,...
Signal Design for Ultra-wideband Radio *

Research in the design of ultra-wideband (UWB) radio systems suggests different kinds of signal design criteria. After an introduction to UWB radio, a variety of sequence design problems, motivated by UWB system constraints, will be presented. Design for time-hopping, for spectral flatness, for rapid acquisition, and for multiple access will be discussed, and some sample designs will be presented.
Multicenter clinical trials of imaging workstations and methods

Infrastructure to support multicenter clinical trials of imaging workstations and methods in oncologic applications has been developed by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN). This infrastructure was assembled and tested in a retrospective trial of virtual colonography where 117 examinations from 8 centers were evaluated on 3 workstations (GE, Mayo, Vital Images) by 18 observers. The infrastructure consists of specialized applications to homogenize DICOM images from multiple manufacturers using an ACR-specific manufacturer code, data conditioning and archiving, observer-based rated response evaluation, and biostatistical analysis of results.
The Corporatization of Higher Education

This essay reviews recent books and articles that examine the politics and economics of the restructuring of public universities in the United States. The author weaves the arguments together to point to several prominent trends: increased corporatization of university governance and increased dependence on the market for resources previously provided by the state, reduction of full-time faculty in favor of instructors and adjuncts, dramatic growth of administrative personnel, and mounting student debt. The history of these developments is explored by examining the roots of the political attacks on the public university.
Flexible model for patient engagement: Achieving quality outcomes and building a research agenda for head and neck cancer.

Background This article describes the benefits of patient-driven research in the field of head and neck oncology, reviews lessons learned from establishing partnerships with patients and caregivers, and serves as a model for further patient-driven research endeavors. Methods Head and neck cancer survivors underwent training including that of effective communication and the basics of research methodology. They then drove the agendas for monthly meetings that included a multidisciplinary team of providers, facilitated by a physician champion (S.S.C.). Results The advisors reported concrete areas for improvement of the clinical flow, including the formation of a dental oncology clinic and a post-treatment survivorship clinic. They also refined research topics of interest, such as treatment regret. The advisors have also driven efforts to increase public awareness and have participated in cancer symposiums and local presentations. Conclusion Patient-driven research improves the relevance and implementation of head and neck oncology research and clinical processes.
Network Properties Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men Vary by Race

The HIV burden among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) may be related to variations in network characteristics of the individual’s social and sexual network. This study investigates variations in network properties among 188 Black and 295 White GBM recruited in New Orleans during the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance in 2014. Participants described up to five people who provided social support and five sex partners in the past 3 months. Network properties and network dissimilarity indicators were aggregated to the participant level as means or proportions and examined using PROC GLM. White participants reported larger networks (p = 0.0027), had known network members longer (p = 0.0033), and reported more substance use (p < 0.0001) within networks. Black participants reported networks with fewer men (p = 0.0056) and younger members (p = 0.0110) than those of White GBM. Network properties among GBM differ by race in New Orleans which may inform prevention interventions.
Human Behaviour Recognition Using Wifi Channel State Information

Device-Free Human Behaviour Recognition is automatically recognizing physical activity from a series of observations, without directly attaching sensors to the subject. Behaviour Recognition has applications in security, health-care, and smart homes. The ubiquity of WiFi devices has generated recent interest in Channel State Information (CSI) that describes the propagation of RF signals for behaviour recognition, leveraging the relationship between body movement and variations in CSI streams. Existing work on CSI based behaviour recognition has established the efficacy of deep neural network classifiers, yielding performance that surpasses traditional techniques. In this paper, we propose a deep Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) model for CSI based Behaviour Recognition that utilizes a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) feature extractor with stacked Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks for sequence classification. We also examine CSI de-noising techniques that allow faster training and model convergence. Our model has yielded significant improvement in classification accuracy, compared to existing techniques.
Thermochemistry of N3O2

N3O2- has been formed by the addition of 0.4 Torr of N2O to a flowing afterglow apparatus. Energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation of this anion gives NO- as the dominant product. O- and N2O- are also observed, and there is indirect evidence for electron detachment. The NO-−N2O bond energy at 0 K is measured to be 0.76 ± 0.10 eV. Ab initio calculations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level give a bond strength of 0.78 eV, in good agreement with the experimental results. The predominance of NO- over N2O- is consistent with a metastable N2O- anion. The results suggest that dissociative photodetachment of N3O2- gives highly internally excited products.
A historical look at men's involvement in nursing and leadership in GAPNA

The role of men in nursing is not always evident. Men have been care takers in early societies, military health care, and the religious sector. The perception of men in nursing, however, took a shift from one of honor to one of deviance and failure from medical school. As the contributions of historical men in nursing, such as Walt Whitman, are brought to light, so are the contributions of select men within the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA). Dr. George Peraza-Smith provides an exclusive interview, shares his dedication and contributions to the care of the aging adult, and provides words of wisdom to those wanting to impact the care of geriatric nursing.
Mother–Adult Daughter Questionnaire: Psychometric Evaluation Across First- and Second-Generation Black Immigrant Women:

This study was conducted to determine the generalizability of the Mother–Adult Daughter Questionnaire (MAD) for first- and second-generation Afro-Caribbean women. The measure was created specifical...