cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective load balancing for cluster-based servers employing job preemption

A cluster-based server consists of a front-end dispatcher and multiple back-end servers. The dispatcher receives incoming jobs, and then decides how to assign them to back-end servers, which in turn serve the jobs according to some discipline. Cluster-based servers have been widely deployed, as they combine good performance with low costs. Several assignment policies have been proposed for cluster-based servers, most of which aim to balance the load among back-end servers. There are two main strategies for load balancing: The first aims to balance the amount of workload at back-end servers, while the second aims to balance the number of jobs assigned to back-end servers. Examples of policies using these strategies are Dynamic and LC (Least Connected), respectively. In this paper we propose a policy, called LC*, which combines the two aforementioned strategies. The paper shows experimentally that when preemption is admitted (i.e., when jobs execute concurrently on back-end servers), LC* substantially outperforms bothDynamic and LC in terms of response-time metrics. This improved performance is achieved by using only information readily available to the dispatcher, rendering LC* a practical policy to implement. Finally, we study a refinement, called ALC* (Adaptive LC*), which further improves on the response-time performance of LC* by adapting its actions to incoming traffic rates.
Sinonasal hemangiopericytoma-like tumor with true pericytic myoid differentiation: a clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical study of five cases.

Background. Sinonasal hemangiopericytoma-like tumor (SHPCL) is an uncommon vascular tumor that is sometimes difficult to diagnose. Method. We report five cases arising from the nasal cavity. The tumors were subdivided into two types, prototype and soft tissue type, by the difference in histologic features. Results. The prototype, made up of three tumors, is characterized by uniform, spindle-shaped myoid cells that have eosinophilic cytoplasm and uniform nuclei and lay down in an orderly fashion. The soft tissue type, made up of two tumors, is similar to the hemangiopericytoma of soft tissue. Immunohistochemically, the tumors were positive for vimentin (100%), smooth muscle actin (80%), muscle-specific actin (100%), fibroblast growth factor-2 (100%), and vascular endothelial growth factor (100%). All were negative for cytokeratin, desmin, CD34, and factor VIII–related antigen. These histopathologic features suggest myoid differentiation and angiogenic activity of the tumors. All the tumors were treated with wide surgical excision. Only one case of soft tissue–type tumor with active mitoses received additional postoperative radiotherapy. No recurrence was found during 13 to 120 months of follow-up. Conclusions. Our data suggest that SHPCL with convincing myoid differentiation may have a more favorable clinical course than its soft tissue counterpart. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: 124–129, 2004
Extraneuronal potential fields evoked in septal region of cat by stimulation of fornix.

Abstract Extraneuronal fields of potential evoked by single-shock stimulation of the fornix were recorded and mapped in the septal region of the cat. Six main components were found. Near threshold stimulation of the ipsilateral medial fornix evoked a short latency axonal spike, then a series of brief negative spikes in the dorso-medial septum having tripole field configurations, and finally a negative wave found throughout the septum having a monopole field distribution. These components represent the result of antidromic stimulation of axons with cells of origin in the septum. At higher stimulus intensity there occurred in addition a response in the lateral septum having a latency and initial peak duration both of the order of 10 msec, which appeared as a dipole field (negative laterally with its zero isopotential lying in a parasagittal plane). Immediately thereafter and partially overlapping in both time and space there occurred complex events, consisting mainly of a dipole field centered in the gyrus rectus anterior to the septum (positive laterally with its zero isopotential lying also in a parasagittal plane), and a monopole field (initially positive) centered in the nucleus accumbens. These responses lasting over 100 msec were attributed to stimulation of pre-commissural fornical fibers of hippocampal origin, with activity relayed through the septum to the adjacent cortex and basal ganglia. The electrical fields generated by the hippocampal formation did not overlap the anteriorly centered fields. The complex wave forms observed at different sites in the septal region were presumed to result from rapid invasion of axonal potentials into several intermingled and adjacent neuron populations, each of which continued to generate electrical activity for varying lengths of time, overlapped by volume conduction. Maps of this activity provided the basis for selective averaging of evoked potentials in the region, in such fashion as to identify the wave forms of the various components. The problems encountered in extraneuronal potential field mapping are discussed in some detail.
THE STRUGGLE TO TEACH ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE, Adrian Holliday

THE STRUGGLE TO TEACH ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE. Adrian Holliday. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005. Pp. ix + 193. $25.95 paper.Curriculum settings, the relationship among language, culture, and discourse, and the change in the ownership of English are the main topics addressed in this volume. Holliday discusses social and political issues in English language education in diverse international locations. He focuses on the injustices created by the desire to change the cultures of nonnative-speaker students and teachers and proposes suggestions on how to overcome this situation. Working with English as an international language brings up some conflicts among TESOL educators and researchers, who face cultural and political interfaces created by the native-speakerist attitude. The balance of power in the classroom is central to Holliday's proposal of cultural continuity and enriching encounters.
IV Administered Gadodiamide Enters the Lumen of the Prostatic Glands: X-Ray Fluorescence Microscopy Examination of a Mouse Model.

OBJECTIVE. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) has become a standard component of multiparametric protocols for MRI examination of the prostate, and its use is incorporated into current guidelines for prostate MRI examination. Analysis of DCE-MRI data for the prostate is usually based on the distribution of gadolinium-based agents, such as gadodiamide, into two well-mixed compartments, and it assumes that gadodiamide does not enter into the glandular lumen. However, this assumption has not been directly tested. The purpose of this study was to use x-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) imaging in situ to measure the concentration of gadodiamide in the epithelia and lumens of the prostate of healthy mice after IV injection of the contrast agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Six C57Bl6 male mice (age, 28 weeks) were sacrificed 10 minutes after IV injection of gadodiamide (0.13 mmol/kg), and three mice were sacrificed after saline injection. Prostate tissue samples obtained from each mouse were harvested and froz...
Basic Exponential and Trigonometric Functions

In this chapter we shall introduce the basic exponential and basic trigonometric functions as solutions of a difference analog of the equation for harmonic motion on a q-quadratic grid. Some of their elementary properties will be derived in order to form the basis for developing the theory of basic Fourier series and study some of their applications in the subsequent chapters.
The Effect of Return Policy Leniency on Consumer Purchase and Return Decisions: A Meta-analytic Review

Abstract While most retail stores offer return policies, some offer more lenient return policies than others. The inherent belief is that lenient return policies are more likely to lead to purchases than to encourage returns. Examining prior research we find that return policy leniency has been characterized in terms of five different dimensions: time, money, effort, scope, and exchange. We conduct a meta-analysis of 21 papers examining the effect of leniency on purchase and return decisions, and demonstrate that overall, leniency increases purchase more than return. Further, we show the return policy factors that influence purchase (money and effort leniency increase purchase) are different from the return policy factors that influence returns (scope leniency increases returns while time and exchange leniency reduces returns).
Effect of chronic ethanol feeding on hepatic microsomal glycerophosphate acyltransferase activity

The activity and submicrosomal distribution of α-glycerophosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) were studied in rats fed ethanol for 6 wk. GPAT activity was also measured in rats after 10 days of alcohol feeding, 22 days of phenobarbital administration, or 24 days on a high fat (71% of total calories) diet. After 6 wk of ethanol feeding, GPAT activity was increased 73% when expressed per milligram of protein and 133% when expressed per 100 g of body weight (P
Employee Tenure, 2006

This paper updates previous Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) publications that have examined employee tenure data of American workers. The latest data on employee tenure from the January 2006 Supplement to the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) are examined and compared with the trends from previous CPS publications on employee tenure. A key finding from the study shows that for all wage and salary workers in both the private and public sectors age 25 or older, median job tenure was virtually unchanged from 1983 (5.0 years) to 2006 (4.9 years).
Corn oil and beef tallow elicit different postprandial responses in triglycerides and cholesterol, but similar changes in constituents of high-density lipoprotein.

The study was designed to compare, in a homogeneous, normolipidemic population, the postprandial responses of plasma lipids, in particular, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) constituents, after administration of a polyunsaturated fat and a more saturated fat.Emulsions of 100 g corn oil (CO) and 100 g beef tallow (BT) were given in a crossover protocol to 12 male subjects (21-24 years). Plasma cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and HDL lipid and protein constituents were measured at 0, 2, 4, 7 and 10 hours.A postprandial increase in TG at 2 hours after CO ingestion (96%) was twice that with BT (48%); TG returned to near fasting levels at 10 hours after ingestion of either fat. Areas under the TG response curves for CO and BT were 6.29 +/− 1.67 and 1.75 +/− 0.60 mmol × hour/L (mean +/− SE), respectively. TC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were unchanged at 10 hours after CO ingestion, but they were increased 8.1% and 9.3%, respectively, with BT. Both fats increased HDL TG at 2-4 hours...
Indignation and inclusion: Activism, difference, and emergent urban politics in postcrash Madrid

How to create radical democracy in a moment of crisis and austerity? On the one hand, geographies of autonomy, solidarity, and resistance can offer hope, promise, and utopian anticapitalist alternatives for future action. On the other hand, agonistic initiatives that discard consensus in favor of conflictive engagement with institutions of state rule can allow for pluralism and the acceptance of difference. Perhaps, however, actually existing democracy can be achieved through an emphasis on process that bridges both activist ideologies. Looking to competing forms of activism in Madrid’s housing movement, I identify two strands of action—radical autonomy versus agonistic engagement. Despite their profound disjunctures, however, I argue these strands complement each other to ultimately experience convergence, which in turn contributes to the flourishing of new political initiatives. Within this convergence, feminist perspectives attuned to difference have been crucial in forcing transformation through existing democratic structures. The resulting political projects engage with mechanisms of state rule while drawing on practices and procedures from autonomous struggles to elaborate frameworks for institutional change. In the process, I demonstrate the possibility of collaboration between competing modes of activism—often conceived as incommensurate—in the broader quest for emancipation from neoliberal state rule.
Does Institutional Design Matter? A Study of Trade Effectiveness and PTA Flexibility/Rigidity

This article examines the trade effect of flexibility design features within preferential trading arrangements (PTAs). Using a gravity model of bilateral trade that incorporates multilateral trade resistance, we report three main results. First, unconstrained escape provisions undermine the effectiveness of PTAs when it comes to increasing trade. Second, adding some restrictions to these escape provisions more than offsets the negative effect of unconstrained escape, leading to more effective PTAs than those without escape options. Third, adding more restrictions beyond a certain point serves only to make PTAs less effective. Thus, both too much institutional flexibility and too much institutional rigidity reduces the ability of PTAs to promote trade. However, fitting these results to the descriptive data makes it appear that most PTAs would be even more trade effective if they included greater restrictions on the use of their escape provisions. Consequently, it appears that policymakers generally choose fewer escape restrictions than would be optimal in terms of trade performance.
Targeting Liposomes to Immune Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are attractive targets for therapies aimed at enhancing or diminishing immunity. The delivery of antigens to DCs can effectively modify antigen-specific T cell responses and provides a strategy for enhancing vaccines which require potent T cell responses. Furthermore, in the absence of adjuvant delivery of antigen to DCs induces antigen-specific T cell anergy, providing a potential method for treating autoimmune diseases. Encapsulation of cargoes including antigens and adjuvants into nanoparticles (NPs) provides a promising method for in situ delivery to DCs. However, DCs are heterogeneous and their subsets mediate disparate functions. Therefore, to achieve effective T cell responses, the design of any NP platform must take into account which DC subset(s) needs to be targeted. In this chapter, we discuss how the function of DC subsets differ, how this impacts NP design, and outline recent promising novel NP platforms that may be suitable for DC targeting.
Emerging CNS Viral Infections

In a 2-part review, a neuroinfectious disease specialist at the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center and Veterans Medical Center describes emerging viral infections as diseases that infect new hosts, spread into new geographic areas, alter their pathogenesis, or are caused by agents not recognized as pathogenic.
HIP ABDUCTOR MUSCLE FORCE; AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF HIP POSITION WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO ROTATION.

1. A dried, male pelvis articulated with the lower two lumbar vertebrae and femur were positioned to represent the situation present when a man is standing on one extremity. The abductor muscles (gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and tensor fasciae latae, and iliotibial tract) were represented by chains and load cells designed to incorporate SR-4 strain gauges. 2. The model was loaded at the approximate center of gravity of the body with different weights and different hip positions to determine the counterforce on the load cells and thereby an approximation of the force exerted by the abductor muscles of the hip under the conditions tested. 3. The results by this method agreed within 4 per cent with the theoretical values calculated from a roentgenogram of the same model. 4. On the model the total abductor muscle force for a 150-pound man was found to be 154 pounds. 5. Superincumbent body weight should be used for all calculations rather than total body weight. 6. Abductor-muscle force is least with the pelvis in abduction and most with the pelvis in adduction. 7. Rotation of the femur internally or externally from its anatomical or neutral position necessitates increased abductor-muscle force to maintain a level pelvis. 8. The theory that abnormal gait patterns associated with rotational deformities of the femur represent the most efficient use of the hip abductor mechanism was supported by the findings.
Generation of Osteoporosis in Immune-Compromised Mice for Stem Cell Therapy

To evaluate therapeutic efficacy and to investigate involved molecular mechanisms of cell-based therapy in osteoporosis, the generation of a clinically relevant model is critically important. Herein, we describe detailed methods in generation of an immune-deficient osteoporotic murine model, and application of human umbilical cord blood-derived stem cells to assess their therapeutic efficacy.
Testing for Differences in Haplotype Frequencies in Case-Control Studies

The problem of testing for significant differences in haplotype frequencies between a random sample of individuals (randoms) and a sample of individuals with a genetic disease (cases) is considered. The questions are (1) What is the statistical power in testing for differences in haplotype frequencies? and (2) How much statistical power is lost when haplotype phase cannot be resolved but instead must be inferred using a maximum likelihood method? A likelihood ratio test of differences in haplotype frequencies in randoms and cases is used, and the theory is developed in terms of the non-centrality parameter of the non-central chi-square distribution. If a causative allele has a multiplicative effect on penetrance, and if sample sizes are large and the effect of the causative allele is small, analytic expressions for the non-centrality parameter are obtained when haplotypes can and cannot be resolved. The loss in power is independent of the frequency of the causative allele and can in general be compensated for by increasing the sample sizes by a factor of two or less. For a dominant causative allele, numerical results are obtained that show the important features of the results for multiplicative penetrance still are valid. We conclude that maximum likelihood inference of haplotype frequencies and a likelihood ratio test of differences in inferred frequencies can be useful in a case-control setting.
Introduction: Special Issue on Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping, Models, and Applications

ABSTRACT Gesch, D.B.; Brock, J.C.; Parrish, C.E.; Rogers, J.N., and Wright, C.W., 2016. Introduction: Special Issue on Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping, Models, and Applications. In: Brock, J.C.; Gesch, D.B.; Parrish, C.E.; Rogers, J.N., and Wright, C.W. (eds.), Advances in Topobathymetric Mapping, Models, and Applications. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 76, pp. 1–3. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Detailed knowledge of near-shore topography and bathymetry is required for many geospatial data applications in the coastal environment. New data sources and processing methods are facilitating development of seamless, regional-scale topobathymetric digital elevation models. These elevation models integrate disparate multi-sensor, multi-temporal topographic and bathymetric datasets to provide a coherent base layer for coastal science applications such as wetlands mapping and monitoring, sea-level rise assessment, benthic habitat mapping, erosion monitoring, and storm impact assessme...
Impairments of Motor Function While Multitasking in HIV.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) became a treatable illness with the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (CART). As a result, patients with regular access to CART are expected to live decades with HIV. Long-term HIV infection presents unique challenges, including neurocognitive impairments defined by three major stages of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). The current investigation aimed to study cognitive and motor impairments in HIV using a novel multitasking paradigm. Unlike current standard measures of cognitive and motor performance in HIV, multitasking increases real-world validity by mimicking the dual motor and cognitive demands that are part of daily professional and personal settings (e.g., driving, typing, and writing). Moreover, multitask assessments can unmask compensatory mechanisms, normally used under single task conditions, to maintain performance. This investigation revealed that HIV+ participants were impaired on the motor component of the multitask, while cognitive performance was spared. A patient-specific positive interaction between motor performance and working memory recall was driven by poor HIV+ multitaskers. Surprisingly, HAND stage did not correspond with multitask performance and a variety of commonly used assessments indicated normal motor function among HIV+ participants with poor motor performance during the experimental task. These results support the use of multitasks to reveal otherwise hidden impairment in chronic HIV by expanding the sensitivity of clinical assessments used to determine HAND stage. Future studies should examine the capability of multitasks to predict performance in personal, professional, and health-related behaviors and prognosis of patients living with chronic HIV.
Confirmation, Increase in Probability, and the Likelihood Ratio Measure: a Reply to Glass and McCartney

Bayesian confirmation theory is rife with confirmation measures. Zalabardo (2009) focuses on the probability difference measure, the probability ratio measure, the likelihood difference measure, and the likelihood ratio measure. He argues that the likelihood ratio measure is adequate, but each of the other three measures is not. He argues for this by setting out three adequacy conditions on confirmation measures and arguing in effect that all of them are met by the likelihood ratio measure but not by any of the other three measures. Glass and McCartney (2015), hereafter “G&M,” accept the conclusion of Zalabardo’s argument along with each of the premises in it. They nonetheless try to improve on Zalabardo’s argument by replacing his third adequacy condition with a weaker condition. They do this because of a worry to the effect that Zalabardo’s third adequacy condition runs counter to the idea behind his first adequacy condition. G&M have in mind confirmation in the sense of increase in probability: the degree to which E confirms H is a matter of the degree to which E increases H’s probability. I call this sense of confirmation “IP.” I set out four ways of precisifying IP. I call them “IP1,” “IP2,” “IP3,” and “IP4.” Each of them is based on the assumption that the degree to which E increases H’s probability is a matter of the distance between p(H | E) and a certain other probability involving H. I then evaluate G&M’s argument (with a minor fix) in light of them.
Surgical Treatment of Extraesophageal Manifestations of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Objective To review the current literature on the role of antireflux surgery (ARS) for the treatment of extraesophageal manifestations of GERD.
Speculations and Implications

This final chapter contains no new discussions of research findings, but instead presents speculations about the practical and theoretical implications of the research reviewed in previous chapters. There are four main sections, with the first consisting of a summary of the best-documented age trends reported in earlier chapters. The second section contains a discussion of the practical significance of these laboratory results, and the third an examination of issues confronting the development of a satisfactory functional age assessment device. The fourth section concludes with an evaluation of the current state of theoretical development in cognitive aging.
Recommendations for a Clinical Decision Support System for Work-Related Asthma in Primary Care Settings.

Objective:The aim of this study was to describe a recommended clinical decision support (CDS) approach for work-related asthma for incorporation in electronic health records (EHRs) for primary care health care providers.Methods:Subject matter experts convened by the American Thoracic Society reviewe
How to Assess Teaching Teachniques

There are many papers that experimentally compare effectiveness of different teaching techniques. Most of these papers use traditional statistical approach to process the experimental results. The traditional statistical approach is well suited to numerical data but often, what we are processing is either intervals (e.g., A means anything from 90 to 100) or fuzzy-type perceptions, words from the natural language like “understood well” or “understood reasonably well”.
The Effects of "Flipped Classroom" Concept on the Effectiveness of Teaching

A lesson study project is carried out to examine various teaching methodologies on the students’ learning through support from the Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) of University of Wisconsin System. The study involves a diverse body of faculty and students affiliated with three different programs on campus. One of the methodologies of interest is the “flipped classroom” concept in the teaching community. In this work, flipped classroom activities are conducted in teaching one engineering and technology course titled with “Fundamentals of Plastics Materials and Processing” (MFGT‐251). Particularly, the concept is incorporated in two series of lectures on injection molding, blow molding and thermoforming. Student’s performance is evaluated through laboratory assignments, quizzes, and exams. Results on students’ learning and the feedbacks from the students are presented. The implication of the results will also be discussed.
Strategies for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy: Insights From Computer Simulation Studies

We simulated gene therapy using parameters derived from the analysis of autologous transplantation studies in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase heterozygous cats to determine how hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology might influence outcomes. Simulation illustrates that a successful experiment can result by chance and may not be the repeated outcome of a specific protocol design or technical approach. As importantly, in many simulated gene therapy experiments where 1, 2, or 6 of 30 transplanted HSC were labeled, there was significant variation in the contribution from marked clones over time. Variability was minimized in simulations in which large numbers of HSC were transplanted. Strategies that may permit consistent clinically successful results are presented. Taken together, these simulation studies demonstrate that the in vivo behavior of HSC must be considered when optimizing approaches to gene therapy in large animals, and perhaps by extension, in humans.
Semi-normal operators

As in § 1.5, a bounded operator T will be called semi-normal if $$T{{T}^{*}}-{{T}^{*}}T=D,\ D\geqq 0\ \operatorname{or}\ D\leqq 0.$$ (3.1.1) Clearly any normal operator is also semi-normal. It is easy to see that the converse is also true in case the space H is finite-dimensional. For if, say, D≧0, its eigenvalues are non-negative while their sum is the trace of D, which is 0. Hence all eigenvalues are 0 and so D=0. In the infinite-dimensional case however it is possible that an operator be semi-normal without being normal. In fact, any isometric but not unitary operator V has this property; for V* V= I and VV* − V*V ≦ 0, ≠0. On l2 the operator A given by the matrix A= (a ij ) with a i +1,i=1 and a ij = 0 otherwise (i, j =1, 2, ...) is such an operator.
Organization of the S I Cortex

Recent electrophysiological mapping studies have led to a significant redefinition of the internal organization of “S I” of primates (11, 17). Classically, “SI” has been described as a single and at least largely continuous representation of the body surface spanning four distinct architectonic regions, areas 3a, 3b, 1 and 2, in a number of New World and Old World species of primates (1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 14, 27–31, 36-42). However, these new studies (extending earlier, more limited mapping studies of Paul et al., 23–25) have revealed that there are two complete (or nearly complete) representations of the body surface and two representations of deep body structures within the classical primate “S I” (11,17). The two large cutaneous representations are coincident with cytoarchitectonic areas 3b and 1. These two cutaneous representations have striking differences in internal topography, and in proportional representation of different skin surfaces.
Medical Certification of Death: Development and Feasibility of Deployment of an Online Course for Practicing Doctors

Introduction: Medical Certification of Cause of Death, a vital tool for country’s cause-specific mortality data, is an important responsibility of all medical practitioners. Despite its criticality, training on accurate certification and coding of cause-of-death is not routinely offered to all medical practitioners in the country very early in their careers. While MCCD training is vital, a face-to-face, classroom-based (traditional) training faces varied hurdles. A low-cost course on certification of cause-of-death that is easily accessible and available to country-wide medical practitioners would majorly benefit by enhancing their knowledge on death certification procedures. Method: We designed and hosted an 8-hour online course on certification of cause-of-death to strengthen the capacity of medical practitioners in death certification and ICD 10-coding. About 209 doctors from across the country have taken the course over the last six months. Result: Increasingly, medical practitioners are open to online learning. Accredited, knowledge-based online courses are an excellent tool for Continuing Professional Development of medical practitioners.
CHAPTER 30 – Mechanisms Regulating Cardiac Myofilament Response to Calcium

Membrane control of the amounts and rates of Ca 2+ movements to and from the myofilaments is a powerful mechanism of regulating cardiac output. This chapter focuses on various mechanisms that control the cardiac myofilament response to calcium. These mechanisms are significant in the intrinsic control of the heart by Starling's law, which appears to involve length dependent myofilament activation. Extrinsic control by the autonomic nervous system also involves changes in the myofilament response to Ca 2+ . Apart form these, ischemia, reperfusion injury, stunning, and heart failure may also involve major changes in the myofilament response to Ca 2+ . Isoform shifts of myofilament proteins also modulate the response to Ca 2+ in physiological and pathological states, and emerging evidence shows that familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a sarcomeric disease that is genetically linked to missense mutations in the crossbridge and in the regulatory proteins TnT and Tm. During short-term physiological changes, such as moderate exercise, the chemical state of the myofilaments is modified by covalent phosphorylation that is regulated through Ca 2+ and cyclic nucleotide pathways. Three key proteins that are substrates for these cAMP and/or Ca 2+ -dependent kinases are cTnI of the thin filament, myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C), and myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) of the thick filament.
Holoenzyme Forms of Yeast DNA Polymerases δ and ε

A detailed understanding of the mechanism of chromosome replication in the eukaryotic cell and of the fidelity of this process requires a comprehensive biochemical and genetic characterization of the DNA polymerases and their accessory factors. Genetic manipulation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has shown that at least three nuclear DNA polymerases are essential for cell viability. These are the products of the POL1 (also designated CDC17), POL2, and POL3 (CDC2) genes (Johnson, et al, 1985, Morrison et al., 1990, Sitney et al., 1989, Boulet et al., 1989). Extensive structural and functional similarity between yeast and mammalian cells for many components of the replication apparatus including the replicative DNA polymerases has prompted us to propose a unified nomenclature for the eukaryotic DNA polymerases (Burgers et al., 1990). The catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase a, previously called DNA polymerase I in yeast, is encoded by the yeast POL1 gene (Johnson et al., 1985). Polα is a 4-subunit enzyme and contains an associated DNA primase activity. One still unsolved problem in the biochemistry of Polα is whether this enzyme possesses a proofreading exonuclease activity (reviewed in Burgers, 1989). Whereas the 4-subunit yeast enzyme does not have a detectable 3’-5’-exonuclease activity, the purified monomelic polymerase polypeptide exhibited such an exonuclease activity in one, but not in another study (Kunkel et al., 1989, Brooke et al., 1991). Polδ, previously designated PolIII in yeast, is the product of the yeast POL3 gene (Sitney et al., 1989, Boulet et al., 1989). The 2-subunit enzyme has a 3′-5′-exonuclease activity capable of proofreading in vitro (Bauer, G.A. et al., 1988). The catalytic subunit of Pole, PolII, is the product of the yeast POL2 gene.
In vitro exposure to Hymenoptera venom and constituents activates discrete ionotropic pathways in mast cells.

Calcium entry is central to the functional processes in mast cells and basophils that contribute to the induction and maintenance of inflammatory responses. Mast cells and basophils express an arra...
Validating a Quality-of-Life Instrument for Allergic Contact Dermatitis.

BACKGROUND Contact dermatitis is a prevalent condition that has a significant impact on quality of life (QoL). Although many generic dermatological QoL instruments exist, none were developed by and for patients with allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to create and validate a reliable QoL instrument specific for the ACD population. METHODS We identified QoL items specific to ACD through a series of qualitative interviews with ACD patients and experts. We created a 17-question survey that queries the patient across the following 3 major domains: symptoms, functioning, and emotions. We used statistical methods to evaluate the reliability and validity of this tool. RESULTS Ninety patients with relevant positive results on patch testing completed the novel ACD instrument and the Skindex-29. This instrument exhibited reliability and validity in individuals with ACD and was more sensitive than the generic tool Skindex-29. CONCLUSIONS This novel instrument is the first tool developed specifically to assess the unique impacts of ACD on QoL. Providers can reliably use this index to assess the specific aspects of the disease most problematic for the ACD patient and use this information to more properly inform counseling and management.
Not A Matter of If, But 'When': Expanding the Immigration Caging Machine Regardless of Nielsen

Annually, over 400,000 people are held in 3x3m immigration cages (las hieleras), without access to counsel and subject to traumatic abuses, for an average time of six months before removal. To immigrant communities, the reality is that the immigration detention machine is constantly expanding and feeding on more Black, Brown, Asian, and Native who are politically designated as "illegal." In Nielsen v. Preap, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a noncitizen after released from criminal custody can be subject to mandatory detention if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security does not immediately take the individual into custody. On October 2018, the Court was offered three interpretations to define “when” immigration authorities may detain (i.e. cage), without bond, undocumented people after they are released from criminal custody: (1) immediately, (2) within a reasonable time, or (3) anytime, without restriction. In March 2019 and in a 5-4 decision, the Court decided that DHS can detain and cage someone at any time after they are released from criminal custody. This article examines how this holding will contribute to the expansion of the immigration caging machine by entrenching Congressional authority to use immigration prisons as part and parcel of deportation procedures, incentivize private and State actors to bolster investment in immigration prisons and broaden criminal statutes to capture more immigrants, and expand State and Federal policing power. Most importantly, this article argues that even if the Court would have adopted an “immediate” or “reasonable when” holding, that these decisions would have also expanded the caging machine. This article traces the settler-colonial roots of the immigration caging machine to show that the institutional triangle of actors involved are fundamentally constructed and incentivized towards expanding the machine by criminalizing, caging, and removing as many immigrants as possible as forms of control and elimination. This article concludes by arguing that, following the lead of organizers and directly impacted communities, movement lawyers must move beyond reform and instead abolish the immigration caging machine. This article seeks to add to immigration prison abolition scholarship by demonstrating how Nielsen―the premiere immigration detention case before the Supreme Court in the Trump era―complicates the immigrant liberation struggle.
Design, Optimization, and Benchmarking of Dense Linear Algebra Algorithms on AMD GPUs

Dense linear algebra (DLA) has historically been in the vanguard of software that must be adapted first to hardware changes. This is because DLA is both critical to the accuracy and performance of so many different types of applications, and because they have proved to be outstanding vehicles for finding and implementing solutions to the problems that novel architectures pose. Therefore, in this paper we investigate the portability of the MAGMA DLA library to the latest AMD GPUs. We use auto tools to convert the CUDA code in MAGMA to the Heterogeneous-Computing Interface for Portability (HIP) language. MAGMA provides LAPACK for GPUs and benchmarks for fundamental DLA routines ranging from BLAS to dense factorizations, linear systems and eigen-problem solvers. We port these routines to HIP and quantify currently achievable performance through the MAGMA benchmarks for the main workload algorithms on MI25 and MI50 AMD GPUs. Comparison with performance roofline models and theoretical expectations are used to identify current limitations and directions for future improvements.
Administrative Databases Used for Sports Medicine Research Demonstrate Significant Differences in Underlying Patient Demographics and Resulting Surgical Trends

Purpose To discern differences between the PearlDiver and MarketScan databases with regards to patient demographics, costs, reoperations, and complication rates for isolated meniscectomy. Methods We queried the PearlDiver Humana Patient Records Database and the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database for all patients who had record of meniscectomy denoted by Current Procedure Terminology 29880 or 29881 between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2016. Those that had any other knee procedure at the same time as the meniscectomy were excluded, and the first instance of isolated meniscectomy was recorded. Patient demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index, reoperations, 30- and 90-day complication rates, and costs were collected from both databases. Pearson’s χ2 test with Yate’s continuity correction and the Student t test were used to compare the 2 databases, and an alpha value of 0.05 was set as significant. Results We identified 441,147 patients with isolated meniscectomy from the MarketScan database (0.36% of total database), approximately 10 times the number of patients (n = 49,924; 0.20% of total database) identified from PearlDiver. The PearlDiver population was significantly older (median age: 65-69) than the MarketScan cohort, where all patients were younger than 65 (median age: 52; P Conclusions For those undergoing isolated meniscectomy, the MarketScan database comprised an overall larger and younger cohort of patients with fewer comorbidities, even when examining only subjects younger than 65 years of age. Level of Evidence Level III, retrospective comparative study.
A Rare Case of Dysferlinopathy Causing Cardiomyopathy

Introduction We report a case of a 30-year-old man who presented with advanced heart failure secondary to dilated cardiomyopathy. The patient was diagnosed with limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B (LGMD2B), a rare autosomal recessive disease. Cardiomyopathy is only rarely described in dysferlinopathies. Case This patient is a 30-year old African American male with medical history of left foot crush injury in 2016. The following year after injury he developed progressive exercise intolerance and palpitations. An electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus tachycardia. Echocardiogram revealed a severely dilated left ventricle, with increased wall thickness, apical trabeculations and ejection fraction (EF) of 20%. Right ventricle had normal size and function, and there was no significant valvular disease. His functional capacity and cardiac performance on imaging tests did not improve despite guideline directed medical therapy. He also had persistently elevated transaminases. Chronic liver disease workup was negative with liver biopsy showing mild sinusoidal dilatation without significant fibrosis. Persistently elevated transaminases in the absence of liver disease and significant systemic congestion prompted testing for muscle enzymes, which were severely elevated (CK-16,196; Aldolase 84.3 U/l). Neurologic examined revealed mild proximal muscle weakness. Further evaluation included electromyography (EMG), which was consistent with chronic myopathy. Genetic testing revealed a pathogenic splice site variant (c.2643+1GA), and two variants of uncertain significance (p.Asn367Lys, p.Arg553His) in the dysferlin gene. Muscle biopsy was performed which showed active myopathic features with myofiber necrosis and regeneration (Figure 1A, 1B). No chronic remodeling was present. Immunohistochemical staining showed loss of dysferlin expression (figure 1C; insert normal control). Expression of other sarcolemmal proteins like dystrophin was preserved (figure 1D). The biopsy findings support a diagnosis of a dysferlinopathy in the context of the described genetic variants and argue for the combination of the described variants to be disease causing. Conclusion LGMD2B is a rare limb girdle muscular dystrophy with very few previously reported cases of cardiac muscle involvement. Our case highlights the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation of idiopathic cardiomyopathy in young patients. Chronically elevated transaminases in young patients should prompt evaluation for myopathy, and genetic evaluation in the appropriate clinical context.
A Rational, Evidence-Based Approach to Methotrexate Poisoning

Our primary aim was to create a succinct yet thorough evidence-based review of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical presentation, evaluation, and treatment of methotrexate poisoning that may serve as a useful reference for practitioners and researchers. A significant amount of recent research has studied various aspects of intravenous high-dose methotrexate, particularly prevention and management of toxicity. Less substantial evidence exists concerning the management of intrathecal methotrexate overdoses, repeated oral ingestions, and the outcomes of acute oral methotrexate overdoses. Pharmacokinetics studies in children have highlighted the importance of body surface area for dosing and the monitoring of methotrexate concentrations to prevent complications after administration of intravenous high-dose methotrexate. Other studies have documented the efficacy of glucarpidase and leucovorin for some of these patients. Similarly, glucarpidase has been shown to be effective in case reports of intrathecal overdoses, even when administration is delayed. Recent retrospective reviews in adult and pediatric patients have shown that most acute oral overdoses of methotrexate rarely result in toxicity. However, chronic oral ingestions are more likely to develop toxic effects. This review generated management and treatment recommendations for various exposure types.
Rattlesnake: A MOOSE-Based Multiphysics Multischeme Radiation Transport Application

Advanced reactor concepts span the spectrum from heat pipe–cooled microreactors, through thermal and fast molten-salt reactors, to gas- and salt-cooled pebble bed reactors. The modeling and simulat...
APPLICABILITY OF E-SCAN TECHNOLOGY FOR FUTURE AIRPORT AVIATION WEATHER RADARS.

Efficiency, capacity, and safety improvements intended to accommodate future air traffic growth will require better predictions of the formation, extent, and movement of hazardous weather in the te...
Interactions between tissue-type plasminogen activator and extracellular matrix-associated plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2

Hepatic parenchymal cells contribute to the clearance of circulating tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) in vivo. The hepatocyte extracellular matrix is interposed between the endothelial-lined sinusoids and the parenchymal cell surface and thus may influence t-PA clearance. To test this hypothesis, the well differentiated human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was used to characterize the role of extracellular matrix in t-PA clearance in vitro. Previous studies with these cells demonstrated their capacity for specific catabolism of t-PA in a system modulated by plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1). In the present study the extracellular matrix growth substratum of HepG2 cells is shown to contain active PAI-1. PAI-1 is distributed in a punctuate pattern throughout the substratum. Components of the substratum confer stability to active PAI-1 for intervals of at least 24 h. Exposing substratum to 125I-t-PA leads rapidly to the formation and release of a sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable 95-kDa 125I-t-PA.PAI-1 complex. In comparison, cell monolayers have the additional capacity for specific binding of the complex. However, PAI-1 is not detected at the surface of HepG2 cells in suspension, suggesting that 125I-t-PA.PAI-1 complexes form in substratum and subsequently bind to cells. Specific binding of performed 125I-t-PA.PAI-1, but not 125I-t-PA, was demonstrated for HepG2 cells in suspension. These results suggest that components of extracellular matrix participate in the clearance of t-PA by hepatocytes.
Effect of Freezing, Irradiation, and Frozen Storage on Survival of Salmonella in Concentrated Orange Juice†

Six strains of Salmonella (Anatum F4317, Dublin 15480, Enteritidis 13076, Enteritidis WY15159, Stanley H0588, and Typhimurium 14028) were individually inoculated into orange juice concentrate (OJC) and frozen to -20 degrees C. The frozen samples were treated with 0 (nonirradiated), 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 kGy of gamma radiation and held frozen for 1 h, and the surviving bacterial population was assessed. The strains showed significant variability in their response to freezing and to freezing in combination with irradiation. The response was dose dependent. Relative to the nonfrozen, nonirradiated control, the reduction following the highest dose (2.0 kGy) ranged from 1.29 log CFU/ml (Salmonella Typhimurium) to 2.17 log CFU/ml (Salmonella Stanley). Samples of OJC inoculated with Salmonella Enteritidis WY15159 and irradiated were stored at -20 degrees C for 1, 2, 7, or 14 days, and the surviving population was determined. Relative to the nonfrozen, nonirradiated control, after 14 days, the population was reduced by 1.2 log CFU/ml in the nonirradiated samples and by 3.3 log CFU/ml following treatment with 2.0 kGy. The combination of frozen storage plus irradiation resulted in greater overall reductions than either process alone.