cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-F-T-220: Validation of Hounsfield Unit-To-Stopping Power Ratio Calibration Used for Dose Calculation in Proton Radiotherapy

Purpose: To validate the stoichiometric calibration of the Hounsfield Unit (HU) to Stopping Power Ratio (SPR) calibration used to commission a commercial treatment planning system (TPS) for proton radiotherapy dose calculation. Methods and Materials: The water equivalent thickness (WET) of several individual pig tissues (lung, fat, muscle, liver, intestine, rib, femur), mixed tissue samples (muscle/rib, ice/femur, rib/air cavity/muscle), and an intact pig head were measured with a multi-layer ionization chamber (MLIC). A CT scan of each sample was obtained and imported into a commercial TPS. The WET calculated by the TPS for each tissue sample was compared to the measured WET value to determine the accuracy of the HU-to-SPR calibration curve used by the TPS to calculate dose. Results: The WET values calculated by the TPS showed good agreement (< 2.0%) with the measured values for bone and all soft tissues except fat (3.1% difference). For the mixed tissue samples and the intact pig head measurements, the difference in the TPS and measured WET values all agreed to within 3.5%. In addition, SPR values were calculated from the measured WET of each tissue, and compared to SPR values of reference tissues from ICRU 46 used to generate the HU-to-SPR calibration for the TPS. Conclusion: For clinical scenarios where the beam passes through multiple tissue types and its path is dominated by soft tissues, we believe using an uncertainty of 3.5% of the planned beam range is acceptable to account for uncertainties in the TPS WET determination.
Shoulder impairment before breast cancer surgery

OBJECTIVE To compare pre- and post-operative shoulder active range of motion (AROM) values from female breast cancer survivors to population norm values for shoulder AROM; and to compare shoulder AROM differences pre- and post-surgery between female African American and White breast cancer survivors (BCA). STUDY DESIGN This pilot study used a convenience sample and longitudinal design measuring participants 2 times (T0 = baseline, after biopsy but within 2 weeks before BCA surgery; T1 = 2nd postoperative week). BACKGROUND The U.S. has the largest BCA survivor population in history and yet the mortality burden remains highest among AA BCA survivors. AAs may also have greater burden of physical and functional side effects compared to whites and the general population. METHODS AND MEASURES The data were collected from a convenience sample (n = 33; nAA = 9, nW = 24) and included data on shoulder AROM, medical chart review for pre- and co-morbid conditions, and self-reported demographics and medical history. We used t-tests to compare sample AROM means to population norms. We then compared our sample across 2 timepoints (T0 = pre-surgery; T1 = 2 weeks post-surgery) using independent samples t-tests and repeated measures analysis of variance (p < .05) to compare AA to White sub-samples AROM means. RESULTS African Americans had significantly less shoulder abduction (at T0) and flexion (at T1) than whites. However, 100% had significantly reduced AROM for all movements at T0 (prior to surgery but after biopsy) when compared to population norms. CONCLUSIONS The significant reduction in shoulder AROM after biopsy but before surgery points to a possible unmet need for early physical therapy intervention. Further research using randomized controlled trial design is recommended.
A non-zero-sum, sequential detection game

This paper examines a two-player, non-zero-sum, sequential detection game motivated by problems arising in the cyber-security domain. A defender agent seeks to sequentially detect the presence of an attacker agent via the drift of a stochastic process. The attacker strategically chooses the drift of the observed stochastic process, while his payoff increases in both the drift of the stochastic process and the expected time spent undetected by the defender. It is the defender's objective to minimize a payoff function which is a weighted sum of the expected observation time and both type I and type II detection errors. As such, a best response sequential decision rule for the defender is a continuous-time version of Wald's Sequential Probability Ratio Test. We prove the existence of pure Nash equilibria and give sufficient conditions for the existence of Stackelberg equilibria with the defender as leader in the special case that the attacker does not discount future payoffs. The equilibria are explored through numerical examples.
The challenge hypothesis: Where it began and relevance to humans

A contribution to a special issue on Hormones and Human Competition. Over 40years ago assay methods that allowed the accurate measurement of circulating levels of hormones were developed for the first time enabling us to sample free-living as well as captive animals. This led to a new concept called "field endocrinology". It quickly became apparent that endocrine profiles of animals under natural conditions were very different from congeners in captivity. Furthermore, hormone data could be organized by functional units (e.g. reproductive states) spaced in time according to natural duration of those states rather than simply by date alone. This approach changed how we interpret data and revealed species-specific patterns of hormone secretion. The "challenge hypothesis", stating that the temporal patterns of testosterone in blood were determined by a trade-off between the degree of male-male competition that increased testosterone, and the expression of paternal care that required a decrease in testosterone, grew out of a combination of field endocrine investigations that then informed laboratory experimentation. A strong argument can now be made that the challenge hypothesis is highly relevant for understanding social interactions in humans and non-human primates. Investigations on human subjects provide some of the best models for the challenge hypothesis. However, the central mechanisms by which aggressive and other social interactions regulate the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonad axis will depend upon work on not only primates, but also other vertebrates in very different ecological contexts. Research on the challenge hypothesis in humans will play a critical role as new insight on the interrelationships of testosterone and male-male competition comes from new technologies.
Seasonal Abundance of the Adventive Chinese Tallowtree Herbivore Caloptilia triadicae (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and Its Parasitoids

Chinese tallowtree, Triadica sebifera (L.) Small (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), is an invasive weed from southern China that is invasive in the Gulf states of the southeastern USA. One significant factor that contributes to the success of this weed has been the lack of herbivore species attacking it in the invaded range. However, the leafminer species Caloptilia triadicae Davis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) was discovered feeding on Chinese tallowtree in Florida in 2008 and has now been found throughout much of the plant's invaded range. We monitored the seasonal abundance of C. triadicae populations and their associated parasitoids over 2 yr in Florida. Populations of C. triadicae peaked in Jun and Jul in 2013 and 2014. Parasitism averaged about 3.3% of larvae and pupae, with a peak of 12%. The most abundant parasitoid species was Goniozus sp. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) (76% of all parasitoid individuals reared) and, second, Brasema sp. (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) (18% of parasitoids). Due to specific niche requirements and the apparent exploitation of leaf mines by these parasitoid species, it is doubtful they will attack species being considered for biological control of Chinese tallowtree.
Comparison of computed tomography shielding design methods using RadShield.

Purpose. To comprehensively compare four computed tomography (CT) scanner shielding design methods using RadShield, a Java-based graphical user interface (GUI). Methods. RadShield, a floor plan based GUI, was extended to calculate air kerma and barrier thickness using accepted methods from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), the British Institute of Radiology, and a method using isodose maps, for spatially distributed points beyond user defined barriers. For a stationary CT scanner, the overall shielding recommendations found using RadShield were also compared to those found by American Board of Radiology certified diagnostic medical physicists using the conventional NCRP dose length product method and the isodose map method. Results. The results between methods differed significantly for calculation point locations beyond the gantry and to the rear of the gantry. Overall shielding design recommendations across the four methods yielded similar average air kerma and thickness values for the barriers. Conclusions. RadShield was extended to perform CT shielding design and proved reliable using four methods.
Overcoming Cultural Constraints: Essential to Korean Women’s Leadership Success in Korea

Chapter 3 examines the gender discrimination Korean women leaders currently face and addresses why minimal structural changes are insufficient to change ingrained beliefs regarding gender. Social psychology and cognitive neuroscience research findings are used to explain why ingrained and often unconscious beliefs are resistant to change. Dynamic relationships among systemic and internalized gender privilege and oppression are explored, as well as their unconscious interactions in perpetuating gender discrimination in the workplace. Paradigm shifts in thinking and learning to overcome cultural constraints to foster women’s leadership success in Korea are proposed.
Urologic Manifestations of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

A long-term study of 17 patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria revealed an unexpectedly high incidence of functional and anatomic renal abormalities. All patients demonstrated varying degrees of hematuria and proteinuria distinct from hemoglobinuria. All patients also had granular casts in multiple urinalyses. Evaluation of renal function revealed hyposthenuria, abnormal tubular function and declining creatinine clearance. Radiologically, one or more of these demonstrated enlarged kidneys, renal cortical infarcts and thinning, papillary necrosis, acute renal atrophy, retroperitoneal hematoma and ureteral infarction, which were confirmed by autopsy studies. Hypertension developed in 7 patients. Urinary tract infection was uncommon and no patient had a clinical history compatible with chronic or acute pyelonephritis. Contrary to usual opinion our compatible clearly showed evidence of frequent and widespread renal pathology in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria most likely due to repeated microvascular thromboses similar to the venous trombosis involving other organs in this disorder. Since most of these patients present initially to urologists knowledge of this entity is mandatory.
Detection of azoospermic factor genes in Chinese men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia.

Purpose:We investigated the prevalence of deletions in the azoospermic factor (AZF) region of chromosome Yq11 in Chinese men with infertility due to idiopathic azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. The DAZ gene cluster was also examined for mutations.
Alterations of functional circuitry in aging brain and the impact of mutated APP expression.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disease of aging that results in cognitive impairment, dementia and death. Pathognomonic features of AD are amyloid plaques composed of proteolytic fragments of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau protein. One type of familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) occurs when mutant forms of APP are inherited. Both APP and tau are components of the microtubule-based axonal transport system, which prompts the hypothesis that axonal transport is disrupted in AD, and that such disruption impacts cognitive function. Transgenic mice expressing mutated forms of APP provide preclinical experimental systems to study AD. Here we perform manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) to study transport from hippocampus to forebrain in four cohorts of living mice: young and old wild-type and transgenic mice expressing a mutant APP with both Swedish and Indiana mutations (APPSwInd). We find that transport is decreased in normal aging and further altered in aged APPSwInd plaque-bearing mice. These findings support the hypothesis that transport deficits are a component of AD pathology and thus may contribute to cognitive deficits.
Land-use change and terrestrial carbon: the temporal record

Understanding changes in the terrestrial pools of carbon (C) over the last two centuries helps identify management strategies that might be used to enhance the storage of C on land in the future. Three general types of management can be recognised. The first two: policies affecting the area of forests; and policies affecting the amount of C per unit area of forest, including the amount stored in forest products; are directly related to the management of land, particularly forests. The third type of management pertains to maintaining the climate of the Earth so as, again, to conserve and enhance both the area of forests and the amount of C stored per unit area of forest. Although the latter type of management is not related to land use or land-use change, perse, knowing the contribution of land-use change to the global C cycle over the last two centuries helps identify the critical role that forests may play in the future.
Biomaterial strategies to modulate cancer

Abstract: Biomaterials have significantly enhanced current abilities to study, diagnose, and treat cancer. Biomaterials have enabled a more detailed study of cancer by improving in vitro modeling of the disease. Since biomaterials facilitate in vitro culturing of cancer cells in 3D, the in vivo tumor environment can be more accurately simulated allowing for in-depth investigations of the underlying molecular and genetic mechanisms of disease progression. Biomaterials have also been utilized to improve cancer detection methods through the development of biomaterials-based contrast agents and molecular probes specific for cancer. Finally, biomaterials have made a significant impact in the development of therapeutics for cancer treatment. In this chapter, we demonstrate how the advancement of biomaterials has been particularly advantageous in the study, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as biocompatible materials have begun to play key roles in each of these areas.
Possible Roles for Zinc in Destruction of Trypanosoma Cruzi by Toxic Oxygen Metabolites Produced by Mononuclear Phagocytes

The effects of a single nutrient deficiency on immune function is now most extensively characterized using the dietary zinc deficient murine model. Deficiencies in zinc have rapid adverse effects on host defenses of humans and rodents. This impaired defense seems to be, in part, the result of a reduction in number of lymphocytes available for surveillance since residual lymphocytes are able to carry out many normal functions. In vitro, the lymphocytes were able to proliferate at a normal rate as well as produce antibodies or interleukin 2 in response to mitogens or antigens even when cultured in autologous serum to reduce the possibility of restoration of zinc deficient functions. Conversely, mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) from deficient mice had a significantly reduced capacity to associate with and kill the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) which causes Chaga’s disease. Moreover, indicating the specificity of the deficient function, a short incubation of ZnCl2 but not other metals completely restored the capacity of MNP from deficient mice to take up and kill T. cruzi. Dependency on H202 production by the MNP’s oxygen burst for killing of T. cruzi.suggested that MNP from zinc deficient mice might produce smaller amounts of H202. The possibility that zinc might play an integral role in the oxygen burst seemed evident from the ability of zinc to quickly restore the killing capacity of MNP from the zinc deficient mice. Further, the renewed interest in the role of metals in the production of highly reactive oxidants in biological systems prompted a literature search to identify enzymes and/or reactions known to be involved in the generation of oxygen radicals or toxic oxygen metabolites that might be zinc dependent. The literature review provided herein indicates many possible roles for zinc in the generation of toxic oxygen species. The data indicated that normal levels of H202 are produced by MNP from zinc deficient mice. The amount of H202/mg macrophage protein is normal in response to phorbol or opsonized zymosan but reduced in response to direct stimulation by T. cruzi. However, the reduced H202 production by T. cruzistimulated zinc deficient MNP was due to reduced stimulation as a result of fewer T. cruzi associated with the MNP. Thus, H202 levels/parasite were the same as zinc adequate controls. Yet, this does not preclude the possibility that reduced killing of T. cruzi by MNP from zinc deficient mice may be due to a function for zinc in the actual killing process or in the production of some other agent important in the killing of T. cruzi.
EFFECTS OF CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDES AND RELATED AGENTS ON RENAL POLYPHOSPHOINOSITIDE METABOLISM

SUMMARY: When rabbit kidney cortex slices were incubated in the presence of 32 Pi and dibutyrylcyclic AMP (dbcAMP) 1 or cyclic AMP (cAMP) and caffeine a significant decrease in the labeling of DPI but not TPI was observed. Caffeine potentiated the inhibitory effect of dbcAMP on DPI labeling and at high concentrations decreased the 32 Pi labeling of both DPI and TPI. These decreases in 32 Pi labeling were not mediated by changes in the labeling of intracellular Pi or ATP. Addition of cyclic GMP to the incubation medium decreased the labeling of DPI and to a lesser extent TPI also. Addition of parathyroid hormone (PTH) to the incubation medium (in the absence of exogenous cyclic nucleotides) also decreased the 32 Pi labeling of DPI but not TPI. In contrast to the effects of cAMP, dbcAMP, cGMP, PTH, and caffeine, the addition of insulin to the incubation medium resulted in increased 32 Pi labeling of DPI with no effect on TPI labeling. DPI isolated from kidney cortex slices prelabelled with 32 Pi and subsequently incubated with cAMP or dbcAMP contained less label than DPI isolated from slices similarly prelabelled but subsequently incubated in the absence of either cAMP or dbcAMP. These data suggest an increased rate of DPI breakdown in the presence of elevated cAMP or dbcAMP concentrations. This hypothesis was supported by the fact that cAMP stimulated the hydrolysis of DPI but not TPI by a phosphodiesterase present in the supernatant fraction of rabbit kidney cortex.
Modeling Ethics: Reflections At The Intersection Of Ethics And Simulation

The rise of computer simulation provokes a diverse range of ethical questions, which computational modelers are striving to navigate. Computer simulation can also be turned to the analysis of ethical themes such as the origins and spread of social norms and the processes of scientific research and technological development; these lines of inquiry have the potential to change the way the philosophical field of ethics conceives itself. In this two-way traffic between simulation and ethics, two imperatives arise: the ethical obligation to apply computer simulations to urgent social problems and the obligation for philosophers to be prepared to offer ethical analyses of every new application of computer simulation to human affairs. This paper discusses these four lines of interaction, argues that close connections between simulation and ethics will only become more important in the future as the power and influence of computational simulation increases, and advances several practical suggestions.
Technical and economic feasibility of solar flat-plate collector thermal energy systems for small and medium manufacturers

Abstract Manufacturing industries require process heating for a wide variety of operations, such as drying, cooking, washing, and sterilizing. Studies of industrial energy consumption have shown that more than 50% of industrial heating demand is in the low ( ϕ ‾ , f -chart method and modified ϕ ‾ , f -chart design method are used to predict the amount of energy collected by solar flat-plate collectors. A simplified model is proposed to assess the cost of solar flat-plate collector energy systems. To demonstrate the presented feasibility analysis methodology, a decision support software application is developed. What-if scenarios are presented for several geographic locations of varying climates. A sensitivity analysis of savings-to-investment ratio (SIR) was performed by changing selected input parameters by ±30% from the base case. It was found that SIR is sensitive to natural gas price, followed by collector area dependent cost, discount rate, cost of the auxiliary gas heater, and cost of the preheating system.
Civic Engagement in The Creation of Entrepreneurship

Our study analyzes the association between civic engagement and entrepreneurship. Analysis of a longitudinal national survey shows that volunteering, a major form of civic engagement, increased the...
Generating straight skeleton-based navigation networks with Industry Foundation Classes for indoor way-finding

Abstract Indoor navigation networks are the foundation of indoor localization-based services. To build navigation graph networks of buildings, the medial axis is an effective way to represent the paths of indoor spaces, as medial axis-based navigation networks are consistent with common human cognition of paths and satisfy the requirements of spatial queries in most indoor map-matching algorithms. The existing methods for generating medial axis-based indoor navigation networks compute the modified medial axis of indoor spaces to represent indoor paths. However, these methods cannot deal with rooms with irregular shapes or generate detours. Especially, these methods fail to generate path lines to represent floor-to-floor paths accurately. To address these issues, this study develops a novel approach called an improved generation of straight skeletons-based navigation networks (I-GSSNN) to produce straight skeletons based indoor navigation graph networks. The straight skeleton is adopted in I-GSSNN to catch the medial axis of indoor spaces. The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) model, a widely-used format of Building Information Modeling (BIM), is used as input in the I-GSSNN. The I-GSSNN is a workflow that includes constructing path lines of corridors, connecting doors to corridors, generating floor-to-floor path lines, and removing redundant lines. Compared with existing methods, the I-GSSNN can handle rooms with any polygon shape and produces fewer detours. Novel algorithms are developed in the I-GSSNN to generate path lines for accurately representing stairs and elevators. An educational building is used as a case study to validate the result of I-GSSNN. The case study indicates that the I-GSSNN can generate a complete three-dimensional (3D) navigation network of the educational building. In addition, the accuracy test shows that the route length based on the generated navigation networks is very close to the real length. Significantly, the results show that the I-GSSNN can accurately generate full 3D navigation graph networks of buildings that can serve as indoor maps for indoor route planning and navigation and can also be used in code checking and pedestrian circulation analysis during building design.
Copying and Product Development: Definitions and Practices by Fashion Industry Personnel

The results of copying are clearly visible as consumers adopt the apparel style of others through a cyclic consumption process. Copying may be a simple as drag and click; however, copying may have legal and financial ramifications. This study examines fashion industry practices about copying through in-depth interviews using various social media and survey technology. Fashion industry practitioners were interviewed. Definitions and practices are delineated in the study. Findings have implications for both fashion industry personnel as well as educators.
Leveraging Advanced Practice Nursing in Complex Health Care Systems

The US health care system has seen unprecedented growth in health care cost with only a mediocre return on investment. Achieving sustained quality improvement will require innovation that is effectively integrated into complex systems of care. Complexity leadership has the ability to place value on traditional quality improvement processes, with less focus on rigid structure and more attention on the potential for flexibility and creativity at the point of care. Clinical team leaders, such as nurse practitioners, must nurture adaptability to the constantly changing clinical environment while balancing structured thinking of team members. Nurse practitioners operating in interdisciplinary teams are well positioned to foster adaptive change through rapid cycle improvements at the point of care. As a learning approach to quality improvement, the PDSA (plan-do-study-act) method should be seen as a useful tool for organizations to create an emergent quality improvement process. This article discusses the significance of nurse practitioner leadership using the PDSA method informed by complexity leadership theory and the impact for clinical practice.
Chapter 335 – Systemic Sclerosis

Publisher Summary A characteristic feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc) distinguishing it from other autoimmune and connective tissue diseases is the occurrence of widespread parenchymal fibrosis. SSc carries the highest case fatality rate among the connective tissue diseases. Although inflammation, autoimmunity, vascular injury, and damage are prominent early events in SSc with significant roles in the development of progressive tissue damage, fibrosis is the hallmark of the disease. Genetic and epidemiologic studies suggest that SSc occurs in susceptible individuals following exposure to (as yet uncharacterized) environmental triggers. Suppression of pro-fibrotic factor expression and/or function and induction of anti-fibrotic gene expression or activity provide complementary approaches for the prevention and/or treatment of fibrosis. Potential approaches that might be feasible for such anti-fibrotic interventions are illustrated. Several animal models of scleroderma are described, although none reproduce all the cardinal features of human SSc. Robust experimental strategies such as transgenic animal modeling and DNA microarray analysis of gene expression are beginning to yield a coherent picture. Selected novel therapeutic agents with a potential utility in the treatment of SSc-associated fibrosis are listed.
Genomic and immunogenic changes over the history of the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS-IVb) fish virus (=Piscine novirhabdovirus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes

Abstract Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) (=Piscine novirhabdovirus) appeared in the Laurentian Great Lakes in 2005, constituting a unique and highly virulent genogroup (IVb), which killed >32 fish species in large 2005 and 2006. Periods of apparent dormancy punctuated smaller outbreaks in 2007, 2008, and 2017. We conducted the first whole genome analysis of IVb, evaluating its evolutionary changes using 46 isolates, in reference to immunogenicity in cell culture, and the genomes of other VHS genogroups (I–IVa) and other Novirhabdoviruses. IVb isolates had 253 genomic nucleotide substitutions (2.3% of the total 11,158 nucleotides), with 85 (16.6%) being non-synonymous. The greatest number of substitutions occurred in the non-coding region (NCDS; 4.3%) followed by the Nv- (3.8%), and M- (2.8%) genes. The M-gene possessed the greatest proportions of amino acid changes (52.9%), followed by the Nv- (50.0%), G- (48.6%), N- (35.7%) and L- (23.1%) genes. Among VHS genogroups, IVa from the northeastern Pacific exhibited the fastest substitution rate (2.01×10-3), followed by Ivb (6.64×10−5), and I/III from Europe (4.09×10−5). A 2016 gizzard shad isolate from Lake Erie was the most divergent IVb isolate (38 NT, 15.0%, 15 AA), yet exhibited reduced virulence with in vitro immunogenicity analyses, as did other 2016 isolates, in comparison to the first IVb isolate (2003). The 2016 isolates exhibited lower impact on innate antiviral responses, suggesting phenotypic effects. Results suggest continued sequence change and lower virulence over the history of IVb, which may facilitate its long-term persistence in fish host populations.
Building Ethical Arks

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) published a revision of its benchmark World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy in 2005. The document included a new section on “Ethics and Animal Welfare.” Although ethics permeates all dimensions of zoo management, zoo animal welfare is fundamentally an ethical issue. An ethical ark, therefore, may be defined as “a zoo or aquarium that is committed to advancing superior animal welfare standards and practices.” Good welfare is inherent in the operating philosophy of all successful zoos, but great welfare requires an extraordinary commitment throughout the organization. We believe that zoo visitors expect and want the organization to designate the health and welfare of the animals as its first priority. Both AZA and WAZA regard welfare as a component of conservation. We believe it is time to consider giving equal institutional priority to conservation and welfare, and to acknowledge that zoos and aquariums can pay homage to both. Field veterinarians support conservation projects by treating sick and injured animals in the field. If welfare is defined as a reduction in suffering then conservation medicine may be regarded as a form of wildlife welfare. Stoinski et al. (Curator 45(2):129–143, 2002) investigated the exposure of zoo visitors to explicit photos of animals killed in the bushmeat trade. It appears that a zoo, largely positioned as a happy family destination, can be an effective venue for delivering unvarnished, alarming conservation messages.
Decoding an organ regeneration switch by dissecting cardiac regeneration enhancers

Heart regeneration in regeneration-competent organisms can be accomplished through the remodeling of gene expression in response to cardiac injury. This dynamic transcriptional response relies on the activities of tissue regeneration enhancer elements (TREEs); however, the mechanisms underlying TREEs are poorly understood. We dissected a cardiac regeneration enhancer in zebrafish to elucidate the mechanisms governing spatiotemporal gene expression during heart regeneration. Cardiac lepb regeneration enhancer (cLEN) exhibits dynamic, regeneration-dependent activity in the heart. We found that multiple injury-activated regulatory elements are distributed throughout the enhancer region. This analysis also revealed that cardiac regeneration enhancers are not only activated by injury, but surprisingly, they are also actively repressed in the absence of injury. Our data identified a short 22-bp DNA element containing a key repressive element. Comparative analysis across Danio species indicated that the repressive element is conserved in closely related species. The repression mechanism is not operational during embryogenesis and emerges when the heart begins to mature. Incorporating both activation and repression components into the mechanism of tissue regeneration constitutes a new paradigm that may be extrapolated to other regeneration scenarios.
Neonatal segmental small bowel volvulus with normal intestinal rotation

Abstract Segmental small bowel volvulus is a condition in which a portion of bowel twists upon itself. The most common causes include malrotation and intestinal atresia. Volvulus can present at any age, but typically presents within the first few weeks of life. Presentation of midgut volvulus with normal mesenteric fixation and no malrotation is termed primary midgut volvulus. Unrecognized midgut volvulus leads to bowel ischemia and varying degrees of bowel necrosis. We present a rare case of Segmental small bowel volvulus without malrotation in a preterm neonate. On day of life 53, a preterm female born at 25 weeks gestation developed abdominal distention and respiratory distress. Abdominal x-ray showed distended, gas-filled loops of bowel and upper GI series showed no malrotation. Due to concerns for intestinal obstruction, an exploratory laparotomy was performed, which revealed a segmental small bowel volvulus with extensive necrosis, but no malrotation. A well-known complication of midgut volvulus is bowel ischemia, often leading to necrosis and sepsis. With the low prevalence of primary midgut volvulus, delayed diagnosis is common, which often leads to fatal outcomes. Therefore, primary midgut volvulus should be considered in all patients, including neonates that present with abdominal distention, shock, and signs of intestinal obstruction.
Impact of left atrial posterior wall isolation on arrhythmia outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing repeat ablation.

Background It remains unclear whether additional left atrial posterior wall isolation (LAPWI) beyond pulmonary vein reisolation (PVRI) is beneficial in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients undergoing repeat ablation. Objective We sought to assess impact of LAPWI on arrhythmia outcomes in patients undergoing repeat AF ablation. Methods All AF patients that underwent repeat ablation between January 2016 and December 2018 were included. Those undergoing PVRI only served as control, whereas those undergoing LAPWI (with or without PVRI) were the study group. Primary endpoint was freedom from atrial arrhythmias (AA) off antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) at 1 year follow-up. Secondary endpoint was freedom from AA on/off AADs at 1 year follow-up. Results One hundred ninety-six patients (61% paroxysmal AF, 39% persistent AF) participated; 93 underwent PVRI and 103 underwent LAPWI±PVRI. Patients in the LAPWI group were older, had more hypertension and persistent AF, and had lower rates of PV reconnection (52.4% vs 100%, P Conclusion LAPWI did not improve freedom from atrial arrhythmias on or off AADs at 1 year beyond PVRI in AF patients undergoing repeat ablation. Differences in patient demographics and AF type may underlie the observed lack of benefit of LAPWI, and further study is warranted.
Genetic Evaluations of Dairy Bulls and Cows For Production

The innovative and most important features of the animal model are twofold. First, equations are developed for each animal that include all of the environmental and genetic influences that affect the trait being evaluated. Second, the genetic relationships of each animal being evaluated to every other related one that is identified - sire, dam, offspring, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. - are included simultaneously by adding the inverse of the genetic relationship matrix (A1 in genetic jargon) to the genetic equations for cows. The net result is that everything that affects a cow's performance for a trait - genetics, location (herd), year and season of calving, weather, nutrition, exposure to disease - can be included inone of the many equations and the cow's record will be adjusted for it. Effects of nutrition, weather and exposure to disease are generally accounted for by the herd-year-season equations. Equations for environmental affects and those for cows, which may together number in the millions, are then solved simultaneously to get the most accurate measure of the animal's genetic value possible.
The Pervasive Whiteness of Service-Learning: The Case for Pedagogies of Humility

Service-learning programs are a widely utilized pedagogical practice for social justice education. However, many service-learning programs are steeped in whiteness in terms of pedagogy and participants. While critical and justice-oriented approaches to service-learning seek to redistribute power and cultivate collaborative and authentic relationships through critical pedagogies, we argue critical whiteness pedagogy’s focus on identity development is an insufficient practice to address these goals. Thus, we offer pedagogies of humility as one possibility for both disrupting whiteness and building a path toward carrying out the practices critical and justice-oriented approaches to service-learning envision.
Visualizing educational data from logic tutors

We propose a data visualization tool that offers insights into the way students solve procedural domain problems The tool uses nodes and edges to represent states and actions which students have generated using an intelligent tutoring system or computer aided instruction tool, ultimately showing the way a student has solved a problem We use the example of logic tutor data and suggest two methods of evaluation for ensuring the tool is effective at aiding educators to better understand student learning.
An evaluation of two fabrication methods for hybrid titanium composite laminates

Hybrid composite laminates consisting of layers of metal alloy bonded together with fiber-reinforced resin show great promise as a high-fatigue-resistant material. Fiber-reinforced metal laminates have been shown to exhibit improved toughness as well as higher resistance to fatigue. The hybrid titanium composite laminate (HTCL) incorporates the mechanical advantages of existing hybrid composite laminates such as ARALL and GLARE while extending its applications for use at elevated temperatures. Fabrication of hybrid laminates involves a consolidation process at appropriate applied pressures and temperatures. Two current methods of consolidation are the hot press process and the autoclave process. This study will compare the mechanical performance of HTCL specimens fabricated by the hot press process with those specimens fabricated by the autoclave. Two titanium metastable {beta}-alloys. Ti-15-3 and Timetal-21S, will be investigated using a high-temperature resin reinforced by carbon fibers. Experimental testing will include composite laminate testing as well as constituent material testing. The mechanical response of autoclaved and hot-pressed HTCL laminates will be compared with predicted response based upon constituent property input utilizing a computer program called AGLPLY.
Jewish Identity over the Life Cycle: Poems by Maxine Kumin and Linda Pastan

Stuart Charme’ et al (2008) propose a complex, spiral-shaped model of Jewish identity, in which one’s identity evolves over a lifetime, responding to Jewish issues according to changing circumstances and one’s stage in the life cycle, and is influenced by other identities that one has. Responding to their call for longitudinal studies, Rubin argues that the poems of Maxine Kumin and Linda Pastan, composed over more than fifty years of writing, provide just such insight into their developing Jewish identity. To trace this, she discusses poems about their childhood experiences with family and culture, poems that reveal their responses to experiences (visits to Israel) and events (Hamas election victory), and late life poems that both revisit earlier issues related to Jewishness and branch out in new directions. Many of their poems also reveal the interaction of other identities (environmentalist, feminist, universalist, art-lover) with their Jewish selves. While the “Jewish” poems of the two women follow in some respects different trajectories, Pastan’s revisiting late in life the immigration experience of her relatives, Kumin’s including a new element, sacred Jewish texts, in a recent collection, they both also present responses to common experiences of twentieth century Jewish life.
Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Laws

This paper provides an overview of U.S. law and policy concerning energy efficiency and conservation. The United States appears torn between two narratives - one expressing the abundant demonstrated opportunities provided by energy savings and the other based on a fear of deprivation from using less energy. Rather than choosing between the two, U.S. law and policy splits the difference - embracing efficiency and conservation more or less halfheartedly. Energy efficiency and conservation policy thus has a Groundhog Day aspect, in which the same or similar arguments are made year after year, decade after decade, and often (it appears) to little effect. In recent years, however, the federal government has strengthened the nation’s commitment to efficiency and conservation. The paper first discusses federal laws and policies that are intended to support efficiency and conservation as well as laws that are antagonistic to those goals. It then describes energy efficiency and conservation features of proposed climate change and clean energy legislation. Finally, this paper discusses energy conservation under the Framework Convention on Climate Change and in the European Union.
In vivo microdialysis and conditioned place preference studies in rats are consistent with abuse potential of tramadol

The abuse potential of tramadol was investigated using both in vivo microdialysis measures of dopamine (DA) release within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in rats. Tramadol (75 mg/kg, i.p.) induced a statistically significant increase (starting 80 min posttreatment) in DA release within the NAc shell, which was maintained for at least 120 min posttreatment. Tramadol (18.75, 37.5, and 75 mg/kg i.p.) produced a statistically significant CPP, with the effects of the two highest doses comparable to those induced by morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.). The release of DA within the NAc shell may be responsible for the rewarding properties of tramadol and, together with the CPP results, provide evidence that tramadol may possess greater abuse potential than originally believed.
An investigation of the temperature dependent linearity of weakly-saturated, electrically-matched SiGe NPN and PNP HBTs

The linearity of electrically-matched NPN and PNP silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) on insulator (SOI) under weakly-saturated conditions, at both room temperature (300 K) and an elevated temperature (373 K), is investigated and compared for the first time. In addition, the potential circuit leverage associated with using matched complementary SiGe HBTs biased in weak-saturation is demonstrated using a Class AB push-pull output stage of a current feedback amplifier.
Transfer Coefficients in Complex Cases by Scaling the Transport Equations

The equations with partial derivatives describing the transport phenomena are transformed into algebraic equations by evaluating (by scaling) each of their terms using quantities that involve characteristic lengths and velocities. In this manner, expressions have been derived for the transfer coefficients that are valid over the entire range of Prandtl numbers or that combine forced and natural convection or forced convection and a homogeneous reaction. To emphasize the generality of the procedure, it was also employed to derive an expression for the thickness of the layer that is coating a vertical plate that is withdrawn from a large reservoir.
Observations of nearshore wave dissipation over muddy sea beds

[1] Wave propagation on the Louisiana inner shelf is studied using concurrent measurements at two shallow water ocean observatory sites, in sedimentary environments dominated by mud at one site, and sand at the other. Contrary to the widely accepted hypothesis that mud-induced wave dissipation is important only for long waves, observations show significant damping of high-frequency, short waves, which interact weakly with the bottom. The mechanism of short wave dissipation is not understood. Numerical simulations show that other dissipative processes such as refraction, or depth-limited breaking, do not account for the magnitude of the observed effects. Independent observations of strong sediment re-working during storms suggest that these effects are related to sediment resuspension processes.
FURIN IS IMPORTANT BUT NOT ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROTEOLYTIC MATURATION OF GP160 OF HIV-1

The envelope glycoproteins of HIV are required for viral infectivity. Proteolysis of the precursor envelope glycoprotein gp160 results in the formation of gp120 and gp41. Cleavage occurs after the sequence Arg-Glu-Lys-Arg. This sequence is expected to be a substrate for the cellular protease furin. We examined whether furin is responsible for cleavage of gp160 by using a furin-deficient CHO cell line and the same cell line transfected with furin cDNA. Data obtained from viral transmission assays suggested that furin increased viral infectivity but was not essential for the maturation of gp160, implying that other proprotein processing enzymes also recognize this putative furin cleavage site.
The Effect of Promethazine Hydrochloride on Bilirubin Metabolism in the Rat

The effect of 21 days of promethazine-HC1 administration on hepatic bilirubin metabolism and transport was studied in adult rats. A significant increase in mean cumulative hepatic bilirubin uptake (84.5 +/- 7.6 (SE) mug/100 g/min in controls vs. 110.0 +/- 4.3 in treated rats), mean hepatic glucuronide conjugation (1,330 +/- 86 (SE) mug bilirubin conjugated/g liver/40 min in controls vs. 1.713 +/- 61 in treated rats), and mean maximal hepatic excretion (47.2 +/- 4.9 (SE) mug/100 g/min vs. 63.5 +/- 2.7) was observed in treated animals. Mean total liver weight and total hepatic protein also increased significantly. These observations suggest that promethazine is an inducer of protein and enzyme synthesis in rat liver and is capable of significantly stimulating the three major steps in hepatic disposal of bilirubin.
A Wavelet-Based Approach to Preserve Privacy for Classification Mining*

Despite the commercial success of data mining, a major drawback has been acknowledged across academic, industry, and government sectors, namely, the issue of violating the privacy of individuals. We propose a data transformation method based on wavelets to disguise private data while preserving the original classification patterns. Wavelet transformations have been used extensively in signal processing for data reduction, multiresolution analysis, and removing noise from data. In our implementation, two commonly used wavelet transforms, the Haar and the Daub-4 transforms, are tested for pattern and privacy preservation in classification mining tasks. Empirical results confirm that the Haar and the Daub-4 transforms preserve the classification patterns and preserve the privacy for real valued data.
Older Adult Inmates: The Challenge for Social Work

Older adult inmates have grown both in proportion and in number due to the confluence of a number offactors. This aging of the prison population has created a host of policy and practice issues that encompass justice considerations, cost containment issues, and biopsychosocial care needs. The older prisoner's physical, social, and psychological needs are complex and necessitate gerontologically based service delivery systems. The intent of this article is to help in the preparation of social work practitioners who can engage in older adult prison advocacy work by familiarizing them with a review of pertinent literature. Topics discussed include the following: the characteristics of older adult inmates, the special needs of older offenders and accompanying service delivery issues, and the use of selective decarceration as one strategy for addressing the problem of prison overcrowding. The authors conclude the article with a summary of key challenges social workers face in assisting this population.