cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sudden Cardiac Arrest Due to Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in a Child.

Abstract Background Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an uncommon hyperinflammatory condition in children that may acutely mimic septic shock. Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in children is also uncommon and may be of unclear etiology upon initial presentation. Case Report A 10-year-old previously healthy child presented with sudden cardiac arrest after an insidious course of throat pain, fever, and progressive altered mental status. He was subsequently diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus-associated HLH and suffered cerebral edema and death. Why Should an Emergency Physician be Aware of This? HLH has not previously been described as a cause of sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in children. Rapid diagnosis of underlying cause of an unexpected cardiac arrest may help guide appropriate therapy to salvage organ function.
ΔNp63-driven recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells promotes metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is particularly aggressive, with enhanced incidence of tumor relapse, resistance to chemotherapy, and metastases. As the mechanistic basis for this aggressive phenotype is unclear, treatment options are limited. Here, we showed an increased population of myeloid-derived immunosuppressor cells (MDSCs) in TNBC patients compared with non-TNBC patients. We found that high levels of the transcription factor ΔNp63 correlate with an increased number of MDSCs in basal TNBC patients, and that ΔNp63 promotes tumor growth, progression, and metastasis in human and mouse TNBC cells. Furthermore, we showed that MDSC recruitment to the primary tumor and metastatic sites occurs via direct ΔNp63-dependent activation of the chemokines CXCL2 and CCL22. CXCR2/CCR4 inhibitors reduced MDSC recruitment, angiogenesis, and metastasis, highlighting a novel treatment option for this subset of TNBC patients. Finally, we found that MDSCs secrete prometastatic factors such as MMP9 and chitinase 3-like 1 to promote TNBC cancer stem cell function, thereby identifying a nonimmunologic role for MDSCs in promoting TNBC progression. These findings identify a unique crosstalk between ΔNp63+ TNBC cells and MDSCs that promotes tumor progression and metastasis, which could be exploited in future combined immunotherapy/chemotherapy strategies for TNBC patients.
On the Evolution of Service Ecosystems: A Study of the Emerging API Economy

Service ecosystems can be described as complex, evolving systems of highly interdependent human and non-human stakeholders who co-create value and are shaped by institutions and social norms. The ecosystem lens is increasingly used by scholars and practitioners to describe and understand the complex nature of value creation and emergent industry structures, replacing traditional lenses of value creation. In this chapter we (1) provide a brief, retrospective view of the evolution of service value creation—from the traditional linear value chain perspective to service value networks and ultimately service ecosystems—and (2) describe, through a data-driven analysis and visualization, the emergence of a particular type of service ecosystem, namely the application programming interface (API) economy. The objective of our chapter is multifold. First and foremost is our desire to deepen the appreciation and appropriateness for using an ecosystem lens in the field of service science. Second, we want to underline the importance of digital relationships in service value creation and the particular growth of the API economy. Lastly, we provide a methodological approach for analyzing and visualizing service ecosystems with the hope to provide stimulus for future data-driven studies of service systems.
Assessing the Performance of National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Surgical Risk Calculator in Elective Spine Surgery: Insights from Patients Undergoing Single-Level Posterior Lumbar Fusion

Introduction The American College of Surgeons–National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Surgical Risk Calculator is a tool developed to use 21 individual patient characteristics to make predictions for occurrence of 13 general and 2 procedure-specific outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Surgical Risk Calculator in predicting outcomes in patients receiving posterior lumbar fusion. Methods American College of Surgeons–National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Participant Use File for 2015 was queried for patients with age ≥18 years undergoing single-level posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) surgery. Individual patient characteristics were entered into the online risk calculator interface to retrieve the predicted estimated risk for perioperative outcomes and complications. Following this, predictive performance was analyzed by computing Brier score, c-statistic, and sensitivity values for all observed outcomes. Results A total of 2808 patients undergoing single-level PLF were included in the analysis. Overall, a very low incidence of 30-day postoperative complications was observed with the procedure (0.9%–6.3%). Poor predictive performance was found for all outcomes, including readmissions (c-statistic = 0.63; sensitivity = 15.28%; Brier score = 0.048) and returns to operating room (c-statistic = 0.56; sensitivity = 21.05%; Brier score = 0.032). The best performance was observed for venous thromboembolism (c-statistic=0.66: Brier score = 0.008), although sensitivity was poor (3.85%) on account of low incidence. Predictive performance for length of stay revealed good agreement between observed and predicted values with the exception of prolonged predicted hospital stays (>3.5 days). Conclusions This study assesses the performance of the risk calculator for a homogenous population of patients undergoing a single-level PLF. Although the calculator did not fare well in predicting most outcomes, results need to be interpreted in the context of the low incidence rate of such outcomes.
The Life and Times of Emmy Noether; contributions of E. Noether to particle physics

The contributions of Emmy Noether to particle physics fall into two categories. One is given under the rubric of Noether's theorem, and the other may be described as her important contributions to modern mathematics. These are discussed along with an historical account of her work and what its impact has been. In addition a brief biography is given. (To be published in the Proceedings of the Int'l Conf. on The History of Original Ideas and Basic Discoveries in Particle Physics, Erice, Italy, 29 July - 4 Aug., 1994.)
Long-term survival is possible using cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC for sarcomatosis-Case report of 2 patients.

Abstract Background Sarcomatosis results from the dissemination of cells from an abdominal or pelvic primary sarcoma to the peritoneal surfaces. In most patients this is a lethal condition. Methods The clinical and radiologic features of two patients with sarcomatosis were reviewed. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) were used for treatment. Current status of these two patients was available. Results These two patients had a large extent of disease. In one, a myxoid sarcoma filled the pelvis. In another, all quadrants of the abdomen and pelvis were involved by peritoneal metastases from a uterine leiomyosarcoma. The grade of these two tumors was moderate and low. Surgical resection of all sarcomatosis was performed and this was followed by HIPEC. Clinical and radiologic follow-up at 37 and 58 months after complete cytoreduction show no evidence of disease. Conclusion An effort to identify patients with sarcomatosis who are predicted to have a complete cytoreduction should occur when these patients are evaluated. Patients with a complete resection and a sarcoma-specific HIPEC may have prolonged disease-free survival. No other treatments for these patients have been described.
An online curriculum in movement disorders for neurology housestaff.

Abstract Introduction In many neurology residency programs, outpatient neurology subspecialties are underrepresented. Trainee exposure to these subspecialties, including movement disorders, is limited by paucity and variability of clinical experiences. We designed a structured educational tool to address this variability and allow for standardization of elements of movement disorders teaching. Methods We designed and implemented a web-based curriculum in movement disorders for neurology housestaff, in order to improve participant knowledge. The curriculum includes an introduction with a structured framework for the description of abnormal movements and 10 interactive modules focusing on common movement disorders. The curriculum was piloted with nine neurology housestaff at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Evaluation of the curriculum was performed using pre- and post-tests, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. Results The mean pre-test score was 0.7 (±0.19), and the mean post-test score was 0.95 (±0.05) (t = 3.27). Surveys demonstrated mean Likert values >4/5 for all questions in all categories (knowledge acquisition, quantity, enthusiasm and technical). Semi-structured interviews revealed the following themes: 1) the modules increased participant comfort with the topic, 2) the format was engaging, and 3) the curriculum accommodated different learning styles. All participants remarked that the structured framework was a particular strength. Conclusion We have created, implemented, and evaluated a foundational curriculum in movement disorders for neurology trainees, using readily-available technology. Housestaff responded positively to the curriculum, both in terms of content and format. This curriculum can be implemented in a variety of educational settings, as a central component of a standardized approach to movement disorders teaching.
Probing the Solid Phase of Noble Metal Copper at Terapascal Conditions.

Ramp compression along a low-temperature adiabat offers a unique avenue to explore the physical properties of materials at the highest densities of their solid form, a region inaccessible by single shock compression. Using the National Ignition Facility and OMEGA laser facilities, copper samples were ramp compressed to peak pressures of 2.30 TPa and densities of nearly $30\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{g}/\mathrm{cc}$, providing fundamental information regarding the compressibility and phase of copper at pressures more than 5 times greater than previously explored. Through x-ray diffraction measurements, we find that the ambient face-centered-cubic structure is preserved up to 1.15 TPa. The ramp compression equation-of-state measurements shows that there are no discontinuities in sound velocities up to 2.30 TPa, suggesting this phase is likely stable up to the peak pressures measured, as predicted by first-principal calculations. The high precision of these quasiabsolute measurements enables us to provide essential benchmarks for advanced computational studies on the behavior of dense monoatomic materials under extreme conditions that constitute a stringent test for solid-state quantum theory. We find that both density-functional theory and the stabilized jellium model, which assumes that the ionic structure can be replaced by an ionic charge distribution by constant positive-charge background, reproduces our data well. Further, our data could serve to establish new international secondary scales of pressure in the terapascal range that is becoming experimentally accessible with advanced static and dynamic compression techniques.
LED advancements for plant-factory artificial lighting

Abstract Plant factories (PFs) utilize sole-source lighting (SSL) for indoor crop production. SSL is the technical factor most limiting development of the PF industry. In the past 10 years, light-emitting diode (LED) technology has developed sufficiently to be adopted for commercial use. The capability for LEDs to control spectral photon emissions opens exciting possibilities to manipulate crop photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis that never existed previously. The history of LED use for crop production is reviewed, including the roles of different wavebands in controlling plant responses, and how research is guiding development of next-generation LED fixtures with enhanced capabilities to control crop production with enhanced quality attributes. Although LEDs have enabled a rapid expansion of knowledge in plant photobiology and subsequent advances in applications for developing lighting and growth recipes for PF crops, many questions remain to be addressed and more investigations to be conducted leveraging the unique properties of LEDs for plant growth.
Microbiota composition modulates inflammation and neointimal hyperplasia after arterial angioplasty.

Abstract Background Neointimal hyperplasia is a major contributor to restenosis after arterial interventions, but the genetic and environmental mechanisms underlying the variable propensity for neointimal hyperplasia between individuals, including the role of commensal microbiota, are not well understood. We sought to characterize how shifting the microbiome using cage sharing and bedding mixing between rats with differing restenosis phenotypes after carotid artery balloon angioplasty could alter arterial remodeling. Methods We co-housed and mixed bedding between genetically distinct rats (Lewis [LE] and Sprague-Dawley [SD]) that harbor different commensal microbes and that are known to have different neointimal hyperplasia responses to carotid artery balloon angioplasty. Sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was used to monitor changes in the gut microbiome. Results There were significant differences in neointimal hyperplasia between non-co-housed LE and SD rats 14 days after carotid artery angioplasty (mean intima + media [I + M] area, 0.117 ± 0.014 mm2 LE vs 0.275 ± 0.021 mm2 SD; P Conclusions We describe a novel mechanism for how microbiome manipulations affect arterial remodeling and the inflammatory response after arterial injury. A greater understanding of the host inflammatory-microbe axis could uncover novel therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of restenosis.
Effect of copper salts on hydrothermal oxidative decarboxylation: a study of phenylacetic acid

Decarboxylation of carboxylic acids is favored under hydrothermal conditions, and can be influenced by dissolved metals. Here, we use phenylacetic acid as a model compound to study its hydrothermal decarboxylation in the presence of copper(ii) salts but no O2. Our results showed a strong oxidizing role of copper in facilitating oxidative decarboxylation.
Transforming Libraries to Serve Graduate Students . Crystal Renfro and Cheryl Stiles, eds., for the Association of College and Research Libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 2018. 445p. Paper, $88.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-4606-0). LC Z711.92.G73 T73.

Graduate students are not a monolithic user population. A doctoral student in a faculty track has a very different trajectory from a master’s student in a professional track. Graduate education also varies widely by academic discipline. Variation is inevitable when the groups you serve span the full range of scholarly knowledge. The editors of Transforming Libraries to Serve Graduate Students acknowledge that there is a great deal of variation between graduate students.
Cues to care: future directions for ecological landscapes

The design of urban yards is key to reducing natural resource consumption in cities. However, going from turf lawns and ornamental plants to more native vegetation with structural complexity is contingent on public acceptance. Addressing social/cultural values is important and landscape designers frequently point to the need for yards to be designed with human intent, or ‘cues to care’. Cues to care studies have explored what kinds of designs and maintenance practices indicate that a landscape meets cultural expectations of standards for maintenance. The intent is to create more ecological landscapes, but research on cues to care has been sparse and results are often misinterpreted. In this perspective essay, I review past empirical studies in the U.S. and Canada, discuss the evolution of cues to care concept, and provide future synergies between landscapes that are aesthetically appealing and provide ecological benefit.
Transection of Gustatory Nerves Differentially Affects Dietary Fat Intake in Obesity-Prone and Obesity-Resistant Rats

The current prevalence of obesity has been linked to the consumption of highly palatable foods and may be mediated by a dysregulated or hyposensitive orosensory perception of dietary fat, thereby contributing to the susceptibility to develop obesity. The goal of the current study was to investigate the role of lingual taste input in obesity-prone (OP, Osborne-Mendel) and obesity-resistant (OR, S5B/Pl) rats on the consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD). Density of fungiform papillae was assessed as a marker of general orosensory input. To determine if orosensory afferent input mediates dietary fat intake, surgical transection of the chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal nerves (GLX/CTX) was performed in OP and OR rats and HFD caloric intake and body weight were measured. Fungiform papillae density was lower in OP rats, compared with OR rats. GLX/CTX decreased orosensory input in both OP and OR rats, as measured by an increase in the intake of a bitter, quinine solution. Consumption of low-fat diet was not altered by GLX/CTX in OP and OR rats; however, GLX/CTX decreased HFD intake in OR, without altering HFD intake in OP rats. Overall, these data suggest that inhibition of orosensory input in OP rats do not decrease fat intake, thereby supporting that idea that hyposensitive and/or dysregulated orosensory perception of highly palatable foods contribute to the susceptibility to develop obesity.
Chronic stress and adipose tissue in the anorexic state: endocrine and epigenetic mechanisms

Although adipose tissue metabolism in obesity has been widely studied, there is limited research on the anorexic state, where the endocrine system is disrupted by reduced adipose tissue mass and there are depot-specific changes in adipocyte type and function. Stress exposure at different stages of life can alter the balance between energy intake and expenditure and thereby contribute to the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa. This review integrates information from human clinical trials to describe endocrine, genetic and epigenetic aspects of adipose tissue physiology in the anorexic condition. Changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid, -adrenal, and -gonadal axes and their relationships to appetite regulation and adipocyte function are discussed. Because of the role of stress in triggering or magnifying anorexia, and the dynamic but also persistent nature of environmentally-induced epigenetic modifications, epigenetics is likely the link between stress and long-term changes in the endocrine system that disrupt homoeostatic food intake and adipose tissue metabolism. Herein, we focus on the adipocyte and changes in its function, including alterations reinforced by endocrine disturbance and dysfunctional adipokine regulation. This information is critical because of the poor understanding of anorexic pathophysiology, due to the lack of suitable research models, and the complexity of genetic and environmental interactions.
The Impact of Autonomous Vehicles' Headway on the Social Delay of Traffic Networks

Through vehicle platooning, autonomous vehicles are capable of maintaining variable longitudinal headway, which can be shorter than the usual headway of human-driven vehicles. Thus, autonomous vehicles are expected to be capable of increasing road capacities. In this work, we consider a scenario where a centralized authority is able to specify the target inter-vehicle headway in autonomous vehicle platoons on the roads and as a consequence, adjust roadways' flow capacities in mixed (human-driven/autonomous) network traffic. We employ a variable, capacity asymmetry degree, which is the ratio between the road capacity when all vehicles are human-driven and the road capacity when all vehicles are autonomous, to characterize and reflect autonomous vehicles' shorter headway compared to human-driven vehicles. We then consider a routing game with inelastic demands on traffic networks with a homogeneous capacity asymmetry degree across the network. We study the impact of the variable capacity asymmetry degree on the overall delay of the network at the Wardrop routing equilibrium. We show that for networks with a single origin-destination pair, we can always decrease the overall or social network delay by decreasing the capacity asymmetry degree (reducing the headway for the autonomous vehicle platoons). Specifically, for series parallel networks with a single origin-destination pair and affine delay functions, we upper bound the improvement on the social delay by reducing the headway for the autonomous vehicle platoons.
Using verbal protocol to examine construction of meaning from social studies texts

Abstract Verbal protocol methodology is used to examine how fourth-grade students construct meaning as they read and respond to two informational social studies texts. Results indicate most students are active readers, often engaging in higher-level comprehension strategies and critical thinking as they read independently. However, critical thinking and comprehension processes are not often captured in their responses to end-of-reading questions (ERQ), which as a result have limited scope and utility for guiding social studies instruction. Results also indicate that when students change their patterns of strategy use for reading and responding to text in response to a change in text, they are more successful on the ERQ than when their strategy use remains stagnant.
The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism

Introduction Fundamentalist Religion as an Intratextual Search for Meaning Fundamentalism as a Meaning System The History of Protestant Fundamentalism Fundamentalism in a Pentecostal Denomination: The Church of God (of Prophecy) Fundamentalism among Religious Serpent-Handling Sects Fundamentalism among the Amish Fundamentalist Islam Intratextuality, Stereotyping, and Quasi-Fundamentalisms Epilogue Notes References Index
Ionizing radiations and cancer.

Publisher Summary Ionizing radiation has several important relationships with cancer. Two of these—the production of cancer by radiation and the destructive effects of radiation on the neoplastic process—are discussed in this chapter. The effect of radiation on tumor immunity is also explored. The fact that tracer methods make it possible to study synthetic processes in a direct way indicates that this branch of cancer research has a bright future. The survival time of irradiated cultures is sufficiently variable to make this criterion of radiation dosage a difficult one to use. The irradiation of tumor fragments before inoculation yields variable results, and it often appears that the fragments are somewhat more resistant to irradiation than tumors in vivo. The tumors that grow appreciably when transplanted into heterologous hosts share the ones that maintain a rapid growth rate to outstrip the development of the immune mechanism.
African American Male Students and the Achievement Gap: Building a Successful

This article explores the systemic inequalities found within educational systems that have long hampered educational achievements within the African American community, especially oppressions that continue to hinder the accomplishments made by young African American males. The achievement gap along with the history and culture of oppression are examined in relation to social supports and feelings of belonging to provide professional school counselors with effective interventions and strategies to utilize when serving this population.
An exploratory study of zoo visitors' exhibit experiences and reactions

Visiting a zoo or aquarium is not only fun, but can also have a positive impact on visitors' knowledge and attitudes regarding animals and the environment. The biggest challenge, however, is for these institutions to strategically provide opportunities for cognitive and affective learning while simultaneously facilitating enjoyment and fun. Recent studies in zoos and aquaria have examined various factors that can influence learning such as engaging visitors' emotions or connecting with visitors' prior knowledge and interests. The intent of the current study was to further this line of investigation and explore the relationship between visitors' predispositions and their cognitive and affective experiences and reactions as they walked through an animal exhibit. We selected three indoor immersion exhibits and one outdoor naturalistic exhibit for the study to obtain a wide range of different animals and exhibit settings. Research assistants randomly intercepted visitors leaving the exhibits and asked, among other things, the extent they experienced certain thoughts and feelings while they were walking through the exhibits. Results revealed that visitors' emotional responses to viewing animals were key experiences along with opportunities for introspection and reflection during their time in the exhibits. Implications of the study are discussed in reference to providing both fun and meaningful learning experiences for visitors.
Expression of cytokine and chemokine mRNA and secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α by gallbladder epithelial cells: Response to bacterial lipopolysaccharides

In addition to immune cells, many other cell types are known to produce cytokines. Cultured normal mouse gallbladder epithelial cells, used as a model system for gallbladder epithelium, were examined for their ability to express the mRNA of various cytokines and chemokines in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. The synthesis and secretion of the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) protein by these cells was also measured. Untreated mouse gallbladder cells expressed mRNA for TNF-α, RANTES, and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2). Upon treatment with lipopolysaccharide, these cells now produced mRNA for Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and showed increased expression of TNF-α and MIP-2 mRNA. Untreated mouse gallbladder cells did not synthesize TNF-α protein; however, they did synthesize and secrete TNF-α upon treatment with lipopolysaccharide. Cells were treated with lipopolysaccharides from 3 strains of bacteria. Qualitative and semi-quantitative RT-PCR, using cytokine or chemokine-specific primers, was used to measure mRNA levels of TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, KC, RANTES, MCP-1, and MIP-2. TNF-α protein was measured by immunoassays. This research demonstrates that gallbladder epithelial cells in response to lipopolysaccharide exposure can alter their cytokine and chemokine RNA expression pattern and can synthesize and secrete TNFα protein. This suggests a mechanism whereby gallbladder epithelial cells in vivo may mediate gallbladder secretory function, inflammation and diseases in an autocrine/paracrine fashion by producing and secreting cytokines and/or chemokines during sepsis.
A daughter Regge trajectory in a field-theory model.—III

The second daughter Regge trajectory and the four satellite poles which accompany it in a perturbation-theory treatment of ladder diagrams are examined in detail. Although the second daughter pole couples to equal mass two-particle states. it is very slowly moving fors>0 while the leading pole is rising rapidly towards the physical region. The daughters of the two satellite poles accompanying the first daughter trajectory are also qualitatively different from their parents. The conchision is that even, as well as odd, danghter Regge trajectories are definitely not parallel to the parent trajectory and are unlikely ever to reach the physical region.
Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis: Toward an Empathic Theory of Mind

This issue of AJOB Neuroscience deals with the psychological constructs that psychoanalysts have become ever more concerned with: empathy, social relatedness, and need for psychological connection,...
DEVELOPMENT OF THE RAT PALATE.

Normal fetuses 13-to-21 days of age were obtained from female Long Evans Rats maintained on a stock diet known to produce normal offspring. Cleft palate fetuses were produced from mothers fed the same diet supplemented with 100 mg of pyrimethamine per kg of diet for four days beginning on the tenth day of gestation. The heads were studied with the low-power microscope and serial histologic sections. In normal fetuses the lateral palatine processe appeared to form the roof of the mouth by two distinct mechanisms. Palatal closure was achieved rostrally by rotation of the lateral palatine processes from a ventromedial to a horizontal position while caudally, it resulted from the fusion of outgrowths from the medial surfaces. The original free ventral edges of the lateral palatine processes in the caudal region largely underwent regression by the seventeenth day. Closure commenced in the anterior third of the palate and proceeded rostrally and caudally. In the fetuses with cleft palate induced by pyrimethamine, the lateral palatine processes were observed in various stages of rotation or transformation depending on the region of the palate examined. The narrow width of these processes suggested that the antimetabolite had suppressed their growth at a critical stage in development. The results suggested certain similarities in the mechanisms of palatal closure in rat and man.
Semiclassical electroweak Weizsacker-Williams method

The Weizs\"acker-Williams method is a semiclassical approximation scheme used to analyze a wide variety of electromagnetic interactions. It can greatly simplify calculations that would otherwise be impractical or impossible to carry out using the standard route of the Feynman rules. The method is rederived here under the more general assumptions that the couplings are either electromagnetic, charged weak, or neutral weak, and that the fields are massive. All major formulas are found to reduce to those of the traditional method when appropriate limits are taken.
Zinc protects against apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by linoleic acid and tumor necrosis factor α

Background Zinc requirements of the vascular endothelium may be increased in inflammatory conditions, ie, atherosclerosis, in which apoptotic cell death is prevalent. Objective We hypothesized that zinc deficiency may potentiate disruption of endothelial cell integrity mediated by fatty acids and inflammatory cytokines by enhancing pathways that lead to apoptosis and up-regulation of caspase genes. Design Endothelial cells were maintained in low-serum medium or grown in culture media containing selected chelators, ie, diethylenetriaminepentaacetate or N,N,N', N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-ethylenediamine (TPEN), with or without zinc supplementation. Subsequently, cells were treated with linoleic acid, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), or both. We studied the effect of zinc deficiency and supplementation on the induction of apoptosis by measuring caspase-3 activity, cell binding of annexin V, and DNA fragmentation. Results Our results indicated that linoleic acid and TNF-alpha independently, but more markedly in concert, up-regulated caspase-3 activity and induced annexin V binding and DNA fragmentation. Zinc deficiency, especially when induced by TPEN, dramatically increased apoptotic cell death induced by cytokines and lipids compared with control cultures. Supplementation of low-serum- or chelator-treated endothelial cells with physiologic amounts of zinc caused a marked attenuation of apoptosis induced by linoleic acid and TNF-alpha. Morphologic changes of cells observed during zinc deficiency were prevented by zinc supplementation. Media supplementation with other divalent cations (eg, calcium and magnesium) did not mimic the protective role of zinc against apoptosis. Conclusions Our data indicate that zinc is vital to vascular endothelial cell integrity, possibly by regulating signaling events to inhibit apoptotic cell death.
A comparison of outcomes of emergent, urgent, and elective surgical treatment of diverticulitis

Abstract Background There is a controversy regarding the best urgent surgical treatment of colonic diverticulitis. We sought to compare outcomes of patients who underwent surgery for diverticulitis by the type of admission. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases were used to examine the clinical data of patients who underwent colorectal resection for diverticulitis during 2012 to 2013. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify outcomes of patients. Results We sampled a total of 13,510 patients admitted for diverticulitis who underwent colorectal resection, of which 7.8% had emergent and 19.7% had urgent operation. Patients with perforation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 188.56, P P P = .04) and morbidity (AOR 2.14, P P = .02). Conclusions Emergent treatment of diverticulitis is associated with a high morbidity and mortality. In the setting of emergent treatment of diverticulitis, colonic anastomosis without a stoma has a high risk of anastomosis leakage.
Challenge: ubiquitous location-aware computing and the "place lab" initiative

To be widely adopted, location-aware computing must be as effortless, familiar and rewarding as web search tools like Google. We envisage the global scale Place Lab, consisting of an open software base and a community building activity as a way to bootstrap the broad adoption of location-aware computing. The initiative is a laboratory because it will also be a vehicle for research and instruction, especially in the formative stages. The authors draw on their experiences with campus and building-scale location systems to identify the technological and social barriers to a truly ubiquitous deployment. With a grasp of these "barriers to adoption," we present a usage scenario, the problems in realizing this scenario, and how these problems will be addressed. We conclude with a sketch of the multi-organization cooperative being formed to move this effort forward.
Low myopathy rates associated with statins as monotherapy or combination therapy with interacting drugs in a group model health maintenance organization.

Study Objective. Because the risk for myopathy increases when 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors (statins) are used with other agents known to inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 in patients with dyslipidemia, we sought to quantify this risk in a diverse, real-world sample of patients receiving statin therapy. Design. Retrospective chart review. Setting. Kaiser Permanente Colorado (KPCO), a group model health maintenance organization with approximately 360,000 members. Patients. Four hundred sixty-eight patients who were identified as having a diagnosis of myopathy over a 4-year period using KPCO computerized data systems. Measurements and Main Results. Medical records were reviewed to confirm myopathy cases associated with statin therapy. Of the 468 patients, 61 had received statin therapy before their diagnosis, and 41 (67%) of these patients had confirmed myopathy (documented creatine kinase level ≥ 1000 IU/L). The prevalence of myopathy was 0.12% with statin mono-therapy and 0.22% with statins in combination with interacting drugs. Only 17 of the 41 (41%) patients had confirmed myopathy with no other plausible clinical explanation, such as a muscle injury. Increased risk of myopathy associated with statin therapy in combination with interacting drugs approached statistical significance (p=0.052) but was of minimal clinical significance. Conclusion. The prevalence of confirmed myopathy in patients receiving statin therapy is low (< 1%). Combining statin therapy with interacting drugs (e.g., fibrates) was not associated with a clinically important increase in the prevalence of myopathy. The risk of developing myopathy during statin therapy is outweighed by the benefits derived from the therapeutic effects of the therapy.
Strategies for control of transitional and turbulent flows using plasma-based actuators

An exploratory numerical study of the control of transitional and turbulent separated flows by means of dielectric-barrier-discharge (DBD) actuators is presented. The flow fields are simulated employing a high-fidelity Navier-Stokes solver augmented with a phenomenological model representing the plasma-induced body forces imparted by the actuator on the fluid. Several applications are considered, including interaction of an actuator with a laminar boundary layer, suppression of wing stall, control of boundary layer transition on a plate, control of laminar separation over a ramp, and turbulent separation over a wall-mounted hump. Effective suppression of stall over a NACA 0015 airfoil at moderate Reynolds numbers is demonstrated using either co-flow or counter-flow actuators pulsed at a sufficiently high frequency. By contrast, continuous actuation is found to provide little control of separation. For a laminar boundary layer developing along a flat plate, a counter-flow DBD actuator is shown to provide an effective on-demand tripping device. This property is exploited for the suppression of laminar separation over a ramp. Control of turbulent boundary-layer separation over a wall-mounted hump suggests that once the flow is turbulent, control effectiveness is only achieved for higher actuator strengths with implications for the scalability of DBD devices to higher freestream velocities.
Assessing the antipredatory defensive strategies of Caribbean non-scleractinian zoantharians (Cnidaria): is the sting the only thing?

The relative importance of chemical, nematocyst, and nutritional defenses was examined for 18 species of Caribbean sea anemones (actinarians), zoanthids, and mushroom polyps (corallimorpharians) from the Florida Keys and the Bahamas Islands, 2008–2010. Feeding assays were performed using the fish Thalassoma bifasciatum with artificial foods containing crude organic extracts of cnidarian tissues. A novel behavioral assay using brine shrimp nauplii was used to assess nematocyst defenses. The nutritional quality of cnidarian tissues was examined using bomb calorimetry and soluble protein assays. In general, actinarians invested in nematocyst defenses, zoanthids in either nematocyst or chemical defenses, and corallimorpharians lacked both, except for 1 of 3 species that was chemically defended. Relative to other coral reef invertebrates, cnidarian tissues had similar caloric values but lower soluble protein concentrations. Trade-offs between chemical and nematocyst defenses were observed for 65% of species, while habitat and behavior provided a likely explanation for undefended species.
Stabilization of Neumann boundary feedback of parabolic equations: The case of trace in the feedback loop

A parabolic equation defined on a bounded domain is considered, with input acting in the Neumann (or mixed) boundary condition, and expressed as a specified finite dimensional, nondynamical feedback of the Dirichlet trace of the solution ("boundary observation"). The free system is assumed unstable. Conditions are given at the unstable eigenvalues, under which one can select boundary vectors of the feedback operator, so that the corresponding feedback solutions decay exponentially to zero, in the uniform operator norm ast ź + ź. These conditions consist of (i) verifiable algebraic (full rank) conditions, plus (ii) an Invertibility Condition. The latter depends crucially on properties of the Dirichlet traces of the (`free system') eigenfunctions, whose direct knowledge is available only in special cases. We then specialize--in the appendix--to canonical situations, involving the Laplacian (translated) on spheres and parallelepipeds. In these cases, we indicate how to construct (in infinitely many ways, in fact) boundary vectors of the feedback operator, which satisfy both the algebraic conditions and the Invertibility Condition, thereby yielding stabilization.
Estimating Clearing Functions for Production Resources Using Simulation Optimization

We implement a gradient-based simulation optimization approach, the Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) algorithm, to estimate clearing functions (CFs) that describe the expected output of a production resource as a function of its expected workload from empirical data. Instead of trying to optimize the fit of the CF to the data, we seek values of the CF parameters that optimize the expected performance for the system when the fitted CFs are used to develop release schedules. A simulation model of a scaled-down wafer fabrication facility is used to generate the data and evaluate the performance of the CFs obtained from the SPSA. We show that SPSA significantly improves the production plan by either searching for better CF parameters or by directly optimizing releases.
Operational Forecasting of Wind-Generated Waves by Hurricane Isabel at NCEP*

Abstract The accuracy of the operational wave models at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for sea states generated by Hurricane Isabel is assessed. The western North Atlantic (WNA) and the North Atlantic hurricane (NAH) wave models are validated using analyzed wind fields, and wave observations from the Jason-1 altimeter and from 15 moored buoys. Both models provided excellent guidance for Isabel in the days preceding landfall of the hurricane along the east coast of the United States. However, the NAH model outperforms the WNA model in the initial stages of Isabel, when she was a category 5 hurricane. The NAH model was also more accurate in providing guidance for the swell systems arriving at the U.S. coast well before landfall of Isabel. Although major model deficiencies can be attributed to shortcomings in the driving wind fields, several areas of potential wave model improvement have been identified.
First‐generation Latina graduate students: Balancing professional identity development with traditional family roles

The author discusses the little-examined tensions that female and Latina first-generation college students (FGS) experience while negotiating their ethnic and professional identities. Despite having general parental support for pursuing an education, Latina and female FGS who are graduate students in the author's university department must juggle multiple identities of gender role expectations with being students, family members, and parents.
Before dynamic simulation: systematic layout design from scratch

Excellent production design and planning depends on accurate simulation of a high quality layout. A good layout project will always begin With an analysis of the production volumes of the products with common process sequences and tool requirements in order to create manufacturing families. For each of these families you can select the "best manufacturing practices" that need to be used and re-engineer the processes and tooling to fit the desired throughput and inventory requirements. Once you know the manufacturing practices to be used for each family, you can begin developing layouts through a systematic flow and non-flow evaluation process. Static flow and relationship analysis software tools FactoryFLOW and FactoryPLAN/OPT lend themselves to a systematic process leading to effective layout design in record time.
Serum immunoglobulins in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Serum major class immunoglobulin concentrations were measured in 162 patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and 85 normal controls. Significant elevations of IgM, A and G were found in the GBS group. Forty-four of 162 GBS patients (27%) had IgM concentrations greater than two standard deviations above the control mean. GBS patients with high serum IgM were young and 68% showed serologic evidence of recent infection with DNA core agents, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, or Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Longitudinal studies in seven patients with elevated serum IgM revealed that clinical improvement was accompanied by a marked decline in serum IgM. IgA and IgG changes were less consistent. Our findings indicate that the serum immunoglobulin response in GBS is polyclonal and follows the usual pattern seen in infections and other conditions with an immune component.
Experimental trichinosis in the golden hamster. II. Electrocardiographic changes.

Abstract An investigation of electrocardiographic changes in experimental trichinosis of the golden hamster is reported. Atrioventricular blocks were observed in 2 of 5 animals during the early stages of the infection. Both animals subsequently died. Intraventricular blocks were observed in 7 of 62 animals with older infections. The effects of Trichinella larvae on cardiac tissue and the electrical activity of the heart are discussed.
Selection and timing of liver transplantation in primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis

In summary, we answer the three questions we have previously posed: (a) Can liver transplantation prolong survival? Evolving data from several centers indicate that liver transplantation indeed prolongs survival in patients with PBC and PSC as compared with estimated survival using disease-specific risk scores based on the natural history of PBC and PSC. (b) Can we optimize timing of liver transplantation? Although many factors enter into the timing of liver transplantation, including when the patient is actually referred for liver transplantation and the individual desires of the patient to pursue liver transplantation, evidence is growing that having patients with chronic liver diseases like PBC and PSC undergo transplantation a little earlier in the course of the disease rather than waiting until the patients have experienced life-threatening complications or are on life-support measures can indeed improve early postliver transplant survival. In patients with PBC and PSC, the survival risk score, which reflects disease severity, can serve as an objective measurement to assess and evaluate the effect of liver disease severity on transplant outcome. Indeed, a number of studies have strongly suggested that optimal timing of liver transplantation may indeed be important to improve outcome, decrease morbidity and decrease cost. (c) Does the present allocation system in the United States allow for optimal use of our scarce donor organ resource?(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Teacher Efficacy and Past Experiences as Contributors to the Global Attitudes and Practices among Vocational Home Economics Teachers.

Contributions ofteacher efficacy and past experiences to global education attitudes and practices of 78female Florida home economics teachers were studied. Teacher efficacy included twofacets: teaching efficacy as outcome expectancies and personal teaching efficacy as self-efficacy expectations. Teacher efficacy was assessed in relation to expectations associated with teaching students about other cultural or ethnic groups. Past experiences referred to teachers' age, educational level, length of teaching in home economics, travel experiences to other world regions, and cumulative time spent outside the United States. Regression analyses revealed teaching efficacy to be the only significant predictor of teachers' global education attitudes, whereas personal teaching efficacy wasfound to be the only significant predictor of their global education practices. The overall modelsfor both ofthese analyses were significant. Findings were discussed on the basis of Bandura's self-efficacy theory relative to the importance of aspects of teacher efficacy and past experiences in determining behavior.