cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trichostatin A induces transforming growth factor β type II receptor promoter activity and acetylation of Sp1 by recruitment of PCAF/p300 to a Sp1·NF-Y complex

Transforming growth factor beta type II receptor (TbetaRII) is a tumor suppressor gene that can be transcriptionally silenced by histone deacetylases (HDACs) in cancer cells. In this report, we demonstrated the mechanism by which trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of HDAC, induces the expression of TbetaRII in human pancreatic cancer cell lines by modulating the transcriptional components that bind a specific DNA region of the TbetaRII promoter. This region of the TbetaRII promoter possesses Sp1 and NF-Y binding sites in close proximity (located at -102 and -83, respectively). Treatment of cells with TSA activates the TbetaRII promoter in a time-dependent manner through the recruitment of p300 and PCAF into a Sp1.NF-Y.HDAC complex that binds this DNA element. The recruitment of p300 and PCAF into the complex is associated with a concomitant acetylation of Sp1 and an overall decrease in the amount of HDAC associated with the complex. Transient overexpression of p300 or PCAF potentiated TSA-induced TbetaRII promoter activity. The effect of PCAF was dependent on its histone acetyltransferase activity, whereas that of p300 was independent. Stable transfection of PCAF caused an increase in TbetaRII mRNA expression, the association of PCAF with TbetaRII promoter, and the acetylation of Sp1. Taken together, these results showed that TSA treatment of pancreatic cancer cells leads to transcriptional activation of the TbetaRII promoter through modulation of the components of a Sp1.NF-Y.p300.PCAF.HDAC-1 multiprotein complex. Moreover, the interaction of NF-Y with the Sp1-associated complex may further explain why this specific Sp1 site mediates transcriptional responsiveness to TSA.
Impaired stimulus-response coupling in association with increased growth rate of HL60 cells.

Impairments in the respiratory burst and stimulus-response coupling were studied with respect to the increased rate of cell replication that occurred in HL6O cells during repetitive passages in cell culture. Dur- ing a 45-week period of culture, HL6O cells developed a progressive increase in rate of replication. Concomitantly, undifferentiated cells developed an impairment in ATP- induced calcium mobilization. The percentage of cells that could be differentiated with dimethyl sulfoxide progressively diminished. Differentiated cells developed an impairment in both the respiratory burst and secre- tion of 13-glucuronidase. In addition, regulation of the respiratory burst by CAMP agonists including isoproterenol, adenosine, and prostaglandin E2 was reduced in rapidly proliferating cells. Thus, multiple changes in stimulus-response coupling occur during cell culture in association with an increase in rate of cell repli- cation. It may be important to recognize progressive im- pairments in cell function in studies using repetitive sam- ples of HL6O cells from a continuously maintained cell population. The observed impairments in stimulus- response coupling may be relevant to unregulated cell growth in neoplastic disease. J. Leukoc. Biol. 52: 157-160; 1992. This report characterizes changes in the HL6O cell respiratory burst, secretion, and cAMP regulation during a 45-week period of cell culture. Our results are most consis- tent with the conclusion that repetitive passaging of cells may select for a subset of the cell population that grows most rapidly, is least susceptible to differentiation, and has the most pronounced impairments in cell function.
Novel H1N1-associated rhabdomyolysis leading to acute renal failure.

Abstract The WHO recently declared that the novel influenza H1N1 virus was responsible for the 2009 flu pandemic. As the virus continues to spread globally and affect more individuals, more complications of infection with this virus are being recognized. To our knowledge, we report the first case of H1N1-induced rhabdomyolysis leading to acute renal failure in an adult. This case highlights the importance of recognizing a significant extrapulmonary complication of H1N1 infection.
Descenso y caída del Plan Cruzado en Brasil

El presente trabajo examina el intento de Brasil por eliminar la inflacion a traves de una politica de shock de corte heterodoxo, llamado Plan Cruzado. Despues de hacer una descripcion del plan. Se examina de cerca su rapido deterioro. El error principal fue un exceso incremento en las remuneraciones. El colapso se agravo por una politica monetaria excesivamente expansiva y por la permanencia de una estructura de precios en desequilibrio.
Effect of context and efference copy on visual straight ahead

Bias in efferent commands to the eye changes the apparent straight ahead direction in an unstructured visual field, but has little effect in a normal visual environment. Naive subjects set a visible marker to appear straight ahead under monocular viewing conditions and while pressing on the viewing eye. Three background conditions were used: a naturalistic landscape photograph, a blank field, and a repeating checkerboard texture that provides strong contours but no information about visual direction. Effect of eyepress on straight-ahead judgments was small but significant with the landscape background, and larger with the blank field; the checkerboard texture yielded a bias halfway between the magnitudes of bias in the other two conditions. A visual capture theory predicts that the textured field should work like a blank one, while an oculomotor theory predicts that it should work like a natural one. Interpreted in this context, the results show the two theories to be about equally important in judging straight ahead. A second experiment with experienced observers and moving backgrounds gave the same result.
Determination of the Partition Coefficients, Acid Dissociation Constants, and Intrinsic Solubility of Carbenoxolone

Abstract The dissociation constants, partition coefficients, and solubility of carbenoxolone ( 1 ) were determined using tritium-labeled drug. The partition and solubility methods were used to assess the dissociation constants of carbenoxolone, while the p K a of the structurally related triterpenoid, enoxolone ( 2 ) was determined using a spectrophotometric method. The true partition coefficient ( TPC ) of carbenoxolone was found to be 643.8 in an n -octanol: aqueous buffer system, while its intrinsic solubility ( S o ) was 1.63 × 10 −5 M. The apparent partition coefficient ( APC ) was independent of the concentration of carbenoxolone over the pH range of 3 to 7. The values of p K 1 and p K 2 for carbenoxolone, obtained by the partition and solubility methods, were in reasonably good agreement. The observed p K a value of enoxolone enabled the assignment of p k 2 (the weaker acid grouping) to the carboxyl group at C-30.
Integrin activation by a cold atmospheric plasma jet

Current breakthrough research on cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) demonstrates that CAP has great potential in various areas, including medicine and biology, thus providing a new tool for living tissue treatment. In this paper, we explore potential mechanisms by which CAP alters cell migration and influences cell adhesion. We focus on the study of CAP interaction with fibroblasts and corneal epithelial cells. The data show that fibroblasts and corneal epithelial cells have different thresholds (treatment times) required to achieve maximum inhibition of cell migration. Both cell types reduced their migration rates by 30-40% after CAP compared to control cells. Also, the impact of CAP treatment on cell migration and persistence of fibroblasts after integrin activation by MnCl2, serum starvation or replating cells onto surfaces coated with integrin ligands is assessed; the results show that activation by MnCl2 or starvation attenuates cells' responses to plasma. Studies carried out to assess the impact of CAP treatment on the activation state of 1 integrin and focal adhesion size by using immunofluorescence show that fibroblasts have more active 1 integrin on their surface and large focal adhesions after CAP treatment. Based on these data, a thermodynamic model is presented to explain how CAP leads to integrin activation and focal adhesion assembly.
Cluster aware storage resource provisioning in a data center

Clustering solutions are frequently used in large enterprise and mission critical applications with high performance and availability requirements. This is achieved by deploying multiple servers for the purpose of load balancing or by having redundant servers for the purpose of high availability. Most cluster management tools focus on the availability of servers and IP connectivity, and rely on shared network storage like Network Attached Storage (NAS), Storage Area Network (SAN), etc. for storage resiliency. Modern enterprise storage systems are complex, with millions of possible configurations. For end-to-end performance and availability, the configuration of storage resources and interconnection fabric need to be carefully planned. Adhoc configuration may lead to poor availability, deteriorated performance or higher cost. In this paper, we discuss the challenges associated with provisioning storage resources in cluster environment and present a list of best practices and novel optimization strategies to make storage more resilient for clusters. We have build a tool called Casper that automates the process of planning, optimization and deployment of shared network storage for clusters. Casper distributes storage load across different storage nodes and across different network paths to ensure load balancing and prevent single point of failure.
Applications and Modeling of Diffractive Optics

There is an increasing number of diffraction optics applications in industry. J. Allen Cox from Honeywell has described some of the recent applications in his talk of June 10, 1988. His presentation, which is described in the sequel, included a general introduction to diffractive optics. In a subsequent discussion with Allen Cox several open problems were formulated, and these are presented in section 22.3.
Simulations of Unsteady Shocks and Detonation Interactions with Structures

Interaction of moving structures with unsteady shock fronts and detonations in gaseous mixtures is studied. A numerical framework for simulating such problems involving coupling of high speed reactive fluid flow to the motion of structural boundaries or embedded bodies has therefore been developed. Block structured Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) is performed to capture fine scale flow and surface features, while cutcell based immersed boundary method is employed to resolve moving boundaries. Simplified single step chemistry with Arrhenius kinetics is used to model detonation structure. Validation studies are performed for cases with prescribed motion of solid boundaries and when the boundary motion is determined by the surface stresses exerted by the fluid. Results reported for the validation cases demonstrates the robustness and accuracy of the numerical approach. Finally, the developed framework is applied to study detonation initiation due to a moving structure.
Abstract 4148: Integrating medical images and transcriptomic data in non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: To build an association map between medical images (CT/PET) and gene expression microarrays for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) from which to derive relationships between imaging features and gene expression. Methods: We studied 26 cases of NSCLC using CT and PET images and microarray data from excised tumors. An experienced thoracic radiologist annotated the CT image using “semantic features” from a controlled vocabulary, a nuclear medicine physician extracted the Standard Uptake Value (SUV) from the PET scan, and we developed and applied algorithms to extract “computational features” that characterized the lesion9s image texture using Gabor and other texture features, the sharpness of lesion boundaries and the lesion boundary shape, including notions of compactness, roughness, and other shape signatures. We preprocessed the microarray data using log transformation and quantile normalization, obtained 100 co-expressed gene clusters using k-means clustering, and computed a metagene for each cluster using its first principal component. We performed (a) univariate and (b) multivariate analyses to integrate imaging features and metagenes using (a) Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) with False Discovery Rate (FDR) multiple testing correction, and (b) Sparse Canonical Correlation Analysis (SCCA), respectively. Results: Image features included 44 semantic terms, 107 computational features, and SUV for each tumor. In a univariate analysis, 60 CT-features and SUV were significantly associated with at least one metagene, and on average 3.8 metagenes (FDR Conclusion: The integration of medical image features and gene expression promises to reveal molecular characteristics underlying medical image features. For translational purposes, this work highlights the potential use of medical image features as predictive markers for molecularly-targeted therapeutics. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4148. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4148
CPUE Standardization of Illex argentinus for Chinese Mainland squid-jigging fishery based on generalized linear Bayesian models

Illex argentinus is not only one of the important species in the marine ecosystem,but also a fishing target of the most important squid-jigging fishery in Southwest Atlantic Ocean.Catch per unit effort(CPUE) is an important index for fishery abundance,and the standardization of CPUE is an important content in the fishery stock assessment.Based on the catch data from Chinese mainland squid jigging fishery in the southwest Atlantic ocean and marine environmental factors(sea surface temperature,SST;horizontal gradient of sea surface temperature,GSST;sea surface height,SSH) derived from ocean satellite during 2000 to 2010,the Generalized Linear Bayesian models(GLBM),including the interaction terms excluded,fixed effects interaction terms and random effects interaction term,are used to standardize the CPUE for the Chinese Mainland squid-jigging fishery of I.argentinus in the southwest Atlantic Ocean,and the best model is selected based on the lowest DIC(Deviance Information Criterion).The results indicated that the models with random effects interaction term including the variance of latitude,SST,GSST,SSH,month×longitude,year×latitude and month×latitude had the best fit for the Chinese mainland squid-jigging fishery of I.argentinus in the southwest Atlantic Ocean.The CPUE standardized by GLBM is smaller and fluctuated lower than the nominal CPUE.Compared with the result by generalized linear models(GLM) and generalized additive models(GAM),the GLBM seemed to be best for standardization of CPUE for the Chinese Mainland squid-jigging fishery of I.argentinus in the southwest Atlantic Ocean,and our result showed that the standardized CPUE of I.argentinus has been decreased during 2000 to 2010.
Ixodes (Haemixodes) uruguayensis, New Subgenus, New Species (Acarina: Ixodidae) from Small Rodents in Uruguay

A new species of Ixodes having some morphological features suggestive of Haemaphysalis is described from 1 nymph (holotype) and 3 larvae from Scapteromys tumidus , 1 larva from Akodon obscurus , and 1 larva from Oryzomys flavescens . The new species differs so markedly from all other species of Ixodes that a new subgenus, Haemixodes , is proposed.
STUDY OF BEARING CAPACITY AND COMPLETE STRESS-STAIN CURVES FOR CONCRETE FILLED SQUARE STEEL TUBE COLUMNS

Based on data from 266 tests of concrete filled steel tubular stub columns gathered from literature, the design equations for axial load capacities according to domestic and international codes and specifications are examined. It is found that the equations of AISC, CECS and AIJ specifications are most conservative. The EC specifications provide statistically closer but slightly conservative predictions to the test results. The average predictions by DL and GJB specifications are slightly higher than the test data. The paper also characterizes the load-deformation relationships, and statistically evaluates several stress-strain models proposed by different researchers. It was found that they coincided with test results in the elastic stage, but for the description of the decline and strengthening stages, each model is quite different and has different applicable scope.
Bariatric surgery and the ob/gyn patient

Weight loss surgery may increase fertility but it can also heighten her risk of nutritional deficiencies and the GI problems associated with pregnancy. As more patients seek these procedures, ob/gyns need practical guidelines for managing their care.
Real Exchange Rate Policies for Economic Development: A Heterodox Interpretation

Korea and Taiwan, to mention only two among the ‘fish-scale countries’ that are known as the industrialising little dragons, have been success stories in the recent experience of economic development. They have relied upon managed trade and targeted industrial policies to an extent that is not readily reconcilable with conventional views of development economics. Meanwhile, in developed countries latent tendencies for intervention and protectionism are coming to the surface in an attempt to deal with ‘economic management’ as practised by their trading partners.
The Nonprofits as Social Assets and Agents of Public Policy

The purpose of this chapter is to lay out foundation concepts that are critical to our discussion and to the principal-agent paradigm as it applies to the theme: the nonprofit as a social capital asset and an agent of public policy. These concepts include (a) the nonprofit as a social capital asset and an agent of the public; (b) social capital—not a review of the literature on this subject, but precisely how it fits into our paradigm; (c) the substitution of nonprofits for governments as agents of public policy; and (d) the distinction between two types of agency relationships that a nonprofit may have when functioning as an agent of public policy—if it is under contract and if it is not. In the next chapter we see how these concepts fit into an application of the principal-agent paradigm.
Membrane-Disordering Action of Ethanol: Variation with Membrane Cholesterol Content and Depth of the Spin Label Probe

With the use of 5-doxylstearic acid as the spin probe, we previously found that low concentrations of ethanol in vitro reduced the order of mouse biomembranes and that similar membranes isolated from mice after 8 days of ethanol treatment had an elevated cholesterol content and were resistant to the in vitro disordering effect of ethanol. To localize the effects of ethanol, compare ethanol effects with temperature effects, and explore the relationship between cholesterol and ethanol, we have now measured order parameters of mouse synaptosomal plasma membranes and of multilayer vesicles composed of egg phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, spin-labeled with 5-doxyl-, 12-doxyl-, or 16-doxylstearic acid. The bilayer was more ordered at the region monitored by the 5-doxyl than the 12- or 16-doxyl label, and was made less ordered by warming or by the addition of ethanol (0.35 M). The disordering effect of ethanol (decrease in order parameter) was greater at high temperatures than at low temperatures and was progressively reduced by the addition of cholesterol. In brain membranes, ethanol had a greater effect with 12- and 16-doxylstearic acid than with the 5-doxyl label. In phospholipid model membranes, incorporation of cholesterol increased the order parameter of 12-doxylstearic acid more than that of the 5-doxyl label. In general, the effect of ethanol was greater at high temperatures, low cholesterol concentrations, or in the interior of the membrane between the surface and the core. Ethanol may thus act most strongly in relatively disordered domains of neuronal membranes.
Action Learning as a tool for concurrent problem solving and leadership development in IT organizations

The concept of action learning, while well known in educational circles is not widely used in corporate environments to infuse leadership skills in ldquohigh potentialrdquo or leadership ldquopipelinerdquo employees. The current trend for leadership development of these kinds of employees is usually that of theoretical instruction coupled with ldquoapprenticeshipsrdquo or mentoring by more senior employees. Action learning introduces a new tool for the development of these employees. After several years of successfully implementing an action learning program for its corporate leadership program, Intel's IT group Management and Leadership Development team decided to implement its own version. Essentially, the strategy involves taking a team of employees and posing a problem or challenge to them whose subject matter is not in their realm of expertise. This team then, who is "naive" to the problem to be solved, gets access to the foremost company experts in the specific subject matter at hand for consultations during the three-week period of the experience. During this period, the team also receives visits from respected leadership and innovation luminaries, both external and internal to the company. The participants' final set of recommendations are presented to the IT executive staff for their consideration on the final day of the program. The benefits of doing this are manifold; participants get a chance to work as a team to solve a complex issue that can benefit the corporation; they get access to some of the foremost leadership development experts in the field and they also get a chance to propose their ideas to the company's IT leadership team. The IT leadership team gets to observe pipeline candidates in action and also gets creative and innovative proposals to help them solve some of the organization's thorniest problems. Rabe, (2006) refers to this concept as "zero gravity thinking" where creative people who are not experts on a given subject matter can provide interesting and innovative ideas on that particular subject matter due to their naive approach to it. This paper describes the program itself, the results obtained by this program and possible avenues for future exploration of this concept as well as how this program approach could be used for other areas or disciplines.
The Dangerous Curve and The Guardrail: Disease and Vaccination

The author reflects on the attitudes of American parents with regards to vaccinations of their children, and it mentions the article "Trends in Personal Belief Exemption Rates Among Alternative Private Schools: Waldorf, Montessori, and Holistic Kindergartens in California: 2000-2014" by J.M. Brennen and others which appears in the same issue of the journal. The efforts to prevent and eradicate diseases such as smallpox are examined, along with a vaccination analogy involving guardrails.
Distracted Driving on the Job: Application of a Modified Stages of Change Model

Abstract Stage-based interventions have been tested and found to be successful in helping people adopt healthy and safe lifestyles. The safety stages of change model, a modified version of Prochaska's transtheoretical framework, shows how workplace safety behavior can progress through five stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, other-directed action, self-directed action, and maintenance. In this study, we explored the potential application of the safety stages of change model to study the use of cell phones and other electronic communication devices among employees prohibited from using them while driving on company business. About 18% of the study sample was made up of pre-contemplators and contemplators who should be considered a priority for interventions designed to reduce distracted driving in occupational settings. We used a series of discriminant function analyses to predict stage assignment based on a number of psychosocial factors related to employees' attitudes, decisional balance, self-efficacy, and normative beliefs. Even though interpretation of the results was complicated by partial misclassification of cases, the study succeeded in identifying what specific factors may facilitate progression to more advanced behavioral stages among employee drivers. Practical implications are discussed as a blueprint for future stage-based as well as non-staged safety improvement interventions in the workplace.
Vibrational and rotational relaxation dynamics of anions in reverse micelles by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy

Vibrational energy and rotational relaxation times for triatomic anions in the water pools of reverse micelles (RM) were measured by ultrafast infrared spectroscopy. The dynamics are slower than in bulk water due to confinement effects.
On the Choice of Combined Statistical Areas

Some Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) fail to encompass the full extent of metropolitan areas. Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs), combinations of Core-Based Statistical Areas, are larger and may be more a more appropriate choice for certain analyses. Differences between MSAs and CSAs (and some MSAs are not even included in CSAs) range from minor to the combination of large MSAs, with population increases ranging from a few percent more than doubling. The sharing of transportation infrastructure in the form of commuter rail service and shared airports demonstrates the integration of areas combined into CSAs. In addition, the extent of the MSAs defined for the 2000 census are comparable to current CSAs, which arise from a subsequent change in how metropolitan areas are defined.
Iodobismuthate(III) and Iodobismuthate(III)/iodocuprate(I) Complexes with Organic Ligands

Pyridine ligand complexes of [Bu₄N][BiI₄] were prepared using chelating ligands 2,2ʹ-bipyridyl (2,2ʹ-Bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen), and 4-nitro-1,10-phenanthroline (NO₂Phen), producing monomeric complexes [Bu₄N][(2,2ʹ-Bpy)BiI₄], [Bu₄N][(Phen)BiI₄], and [Bu₄N][(NO₂Phen)BiI₄], and bridging ligands 4,4ʹ-bipyridyl (4,4ʹ-Bpy), pyrazine (Pyz), and aminopyrazine (NH₂Pyz) resulting in formation of polymers [Bu₄N]n[(4,4ʹ-Bpy)BiI₄]n and [Bu₄N]2n[(RPyz)Bi₂I₈]n (R = H, NH₂). The latter contain edge-sharing Bi₂I₈ dimers. Organic ligand Bi(III)/Cu(I) clusters [Bu₄N]₂[L₂Bi₂Cu₂I₁₀] (L = PPh₃, P(OPh)₃) and [Bu₄N]₂[PyBi₂Cu₂I₁₀] (Py = pyridine) have been prepared. All bismuthate(III) centers are distorted octahedra and all cuprate(I) centers are tetrahedral, with organic ligands bonded to Cu(I). The first neutral BiI₃/CuI organic ligand complex [(PPh₃)₆BiCu₃I₆] is reported. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements reveal strong absorption bands for both iodobismuthate(III) and iodocuprate(I)/bismuthate(III) complexes in the UV and visible range. Despite the similarity in absorption bands, DFT calculations support a distinct shift in transition from a mixed halide/metal-to-ligand charge transfer (X/MLCT) to a metal-halide cluster-centered transition upon incorporation of copper(I) into the cluster.
Approaches to the environmental history of Late Antiquity, part II: Climate Change and the End of the Roman Empire

A growing body of scholarly literature on climate change from various disciplines has allowed historians to construct past possible climates and environments, as well as query climatological data in light of historical sources. This article presents important phenomena and environmental studies in light of the history of Late Antiquity and the ‘Dark Ages’ (fourth through ninth centuries C.E.) in the Roman and post-Roman Mediterranean.
The adipocyte as an endocrine cell

Communication between adipose and other tissues has been hypothesized since at least the 1940s to be bidirectional. Despite this expectation, early progress was largely limited to adipose tissue's role in metabolism and storage of fatty acids, its development, and its response to endocrine and neural cues. However, efforts of the last decade have identified several molecules that are secreted from adipocytes, apparently for the purpose of signaling to other tissues. Cloning of the mouse obesity gene in 1994 is perhaps the most famous impetus for recognition that adipocytes are active in the regulation of multiple body functions. The product of this gene, leptin, has since been found to inhibit feeding, enhance energy expenditure, and stimulate gonadotropes. Evidence for the roles of other adipocyte-derived signals is being generated. Resistin is a protein that can cause whole-body insulin resistance. Its expression is correlated with body fatness and is inhibited by thiazolidinediones, perhaps mediating the association of type 2 diabetes with obesity, and the effectiveness of these drugs. Resistin and a related molecule, RELM alpha, can also inhibit differentiation of preadipocytes. Adiponectin/Acrp30 secretion from adipocytes is diminished in obese states. This protein can enhance use of fatty acids in lean tissues, inhibit glucose production by liver, and consequently decrease both blood glucose and BW. Adiponectin may also be responsible for the effectiveness of thiazolidinediones, given that these drugs promote adiponectin secretion. Secretion of complement proteins has been observed in adipocytes, and these interact to generate a signal called acylation-stimulating protein, which can promote triacylglycerol synthesis. These signals seem to be largely unique to adipocytes. Other signals are derived from adipose tissue, and it is unlikely that all the adipocyte's endocrine signals have been identified. Certainly, there is much to learn about how these signals function; however, it is clear that these biomedical research discoveries comprise a useful model for our study of growth and development in livestock.
Pharmacogenomics of antioxidant supplementation to prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Casual readers of Vavvas et al.’s recent paper in PNAS (1) on the pharmacogenomics of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) may get the impression that the authors have made an important incremental advance based on a logical series of studies, each of which has been moving the science in the same direction. I believe that readers of PNAS should be aware of the chronology of this research. In 2013, Awh et al. (2) analyzed data from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) trial and claimed that the benefit of supplementation to prevent AMD depended on genotype. As a direct result of … [↵][1]1Email: vickersa{at}mskcc.org. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Unified detection and recognition for reading text in scene images

Although an automated reader for the blind first appeared nearly two-hundred years ago, computers can currently "read" document text about as well as a seven-year-old. Scene text recognition brings many new challenges. A central limitation of current approaches is a feed-forward, bottom-up, pipelined architecture that isolates the many tasks and information involved in reading. The result is a system that commits errors from which it cannot recover and has components that lack access to relevant information. We propose a system for scene text reading that in its design, training, and operation is more integrated. First, we present a simple contextual model for text detection that is ignorant of any recognition. Through the use of special features and data context, this model performs well on the detection task, but limitations remain due to the lack of interpretation. We then introduce a recognition model that integrates several information sources, including font consistency and a lexicon, and compare it to approaches using pipelined architectures with similar information. Next we examine a more unified detection and recognition framework where features are selected based on the joint task of detection and recognition, rather than each task individually. This approach yields better results with fewer features. Finally, we demonstrate a model that incorporates segmentation and recognition at both the character and word levels. Text with difficult layouts and low resolution are more accurately recognized by this integrated approach. By more tightly coupling several aspects of detection and recognition, we hope to establish a new unified way of approaching the problem that will lead to improved performance. We would like computers to become accomplished grammar-school level readers.
Examples of Fractal Surfaces

Discussion of some of the situations in which real surface fractal measurements have been made can be organized in two different ways. The preceding chapters have discussed the various measurement tools, including the kinds of microscopes (light, electron, scanned probe) used to acquire surface range or elevation images and the mathematical procedures applied to obtain the various fractal dimensions. Some mention of the findings from these studies and the use of these tools and simulations for real-world samples has been essential to explain the various approaches, but the emphasis has been on measurement techniques.
Comparative Analysis of Adverse Events After Esophageal Balloon and Bougie Dilations in Children.

ABSTRACTBackground:Pneumatic balloon and bougie dilation are widely used methods for pediatric esophageal dilation. There are no studies directly comparing the safety of these techniques in pediatric patients. This study compared adverse events (AEs) of balloon and bougie dilation in children at a s
Regional structure regulation of livestock husbandry based on comparative advantage theory.

Based on comparative advantage theory,this paper calculated comprehensive comparative advantage index of livestock products in China.Based on this,the paper analyzed the regional advantage features of animal products,and suggested that promote pork production moving to north China,exert the production of cattle and sheep potentiality in south China,set up different kinds of livestock development pattern according to regional advantage,adjust and optimize livestock production structure considering international and domestic market demand.
Effects of Three Herbicides on the Foliage of Kurume Azaleas

A single foliar spray of Fusilade 2000 (fluazifop-butyl) [( ± )-2-[4-[[5-(trifluoromethyl)-2-pyridinyl] oxy] phenoxy] propanoic acid] or PP005 (fluazifop-p-butyl) [butyl (R)-2[4-[[5-(trifluoromethy...
The olefin metathesis/transannular ene sequence: a method for the stereocontrolled synthesis of trans-decalin derivatives. 3. total synthesis of (±)-warburganal

Cyclobuten-1-carbonsaureester (I) reagiert mit 3-Methyl-cyclohexenon (II) zu einem Addukt (III), das sich thermisch zu (IV) umlagert.
Abstract 2154: A novel dual-function polymeric scaffold for cancer drug screening

Cell-based assay has been used as a conventional strategy for discovery of new anti-cancer drugs in pharmaceutical industries. Traditionally, two-dimensional (2D) cell culture based cytotoxicity assays are the most common approaches, despite the fact that they have significant limitations in simulating tissue or organ microenvironment. In comparison, 3-dimensional (3D) cell culture provides a more promising tool for new drug discovery, however, next-generation cell growth monitoring device for 3D cell culture is still challenging. Recent studies have shown the potential of metallic nanoparticle-polymeric composites in biosensing systems. We hypothesize that in a polymer-based 3D-cell culture system, cancer cell growth and the subsequent spheroid formation can cause structural change of the polymer network. With the incorporation of metallic nanoparticles into the polymeric network, electrical conductance change of the 3D-scafold may be monitored to reflect cell growth and spheroid formation. Here, we developed a dual-function polymer scaffold (DPS) by integrating thermosensitive polymers, silver flake-decorated polymers, and gNP-decorated polymers as a biosensor to monitor cancer cell growth. We found that the Triple negative breast cancer stem cell line MDA-MB-231 formed spheroid in DPS. It is notable that the increase of cancer cell numbers during the formation of spheroid was proportional to the change of electrical conductance of the 3D-scafold. Importantly, the results from DPS cell growth monitoring method correlate well with conventional cell counting during 3D cell culture of breast cancer cells. SEM imaging and AFM imaging have confirmed the integration of silver flakes and gold nanoparticles in the DPS. Finally, we demonstrated that the DPS 3D-scafold exhibited robust responses to MDA-MB-436 cells when exposed to 3 nM of paclitaxel (PTX) and docetaxel (DTX), respectively. This dual-function 3D-scaffold, for both cell growth and growth monitoring may have a good potential in drug screening in the future. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Tianfu Wu, Zuan-Tao Lin. A novel dual-function polymeric scaffold for cancer drug screening [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2154.
Management of distal humerus fractures

Distal humeral fractures represent approximately 2% of fractures in adults and are often treated operatively to restore stable humeral columns and allow early elbow motion. Diagnosis is made with orthogonal radiographs. The traction view radiograph and computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstruction can be helpful in preoperative planning. Treatment options include: (1) nonoperative management, which is reserved for lower-demand, medically unwell, elderly patients, (2) surgical osteosynthesis, which remains the treatment of choice for most fractures, and (3) prosthetic replacement with either hemiarthroplasty or total elbow arthroplasty, which is indicated for distal complex comminuted fracture patterns in elderly, low-demand patients with poor bone quality. A thorough understanding of the anatomy around the elbow is critical when planning surgical approach and reduction. Controversies exist in the following areas: (1) surgical approach, (2) management of the ulnar nerve, (3) plating technique-parallel versus orthogonal, and (4) whether osteosynthesis or prosthetic elbow replacement is superior in the elderly population.
The role of supplier performance evaluations in mitigating risk: Assessing evaluation processes and behaviors

Abstract Given the level of outsourcing, supplier performance evaluation (SPE) is a critical supply chain process. SPEs are used to record supplier performance levels to inform future supplier selections, and thus mitigate the risk of adverse selection. Numerous weaknesses associated with industrial buyers' collection and use of supplier performance information call SPE effectiveness into question. The risk-related factors affecting SPE effectiveness have not been empirically explored, including misuses of the tool. This research identifies the factors affecting SPE risk mitigation effectiveness. It employs a mixed method of qualitative interviews of buyers and suppliers in order to develop a model of SPE risk mitigation effectiveness using structural equations modeling of survey data from a rare sample of 131 performance assessors. Findings implicate the importance of a thoroughly defined scope of work, an accurate SPE, and documented rating justifications. Additionally, dissonance among several performance evaluators and the fear of a supplier's dispute detract from SPE risk mitigation effectiveness. Finally, this research unveils how SPEs are weaponized, pursuing short-term gains and clouding the view of the supplier's performance thereby hindering the long-term, risk-mitigating purpose of SPEs. Two separate forms of opportunism - threat and debt - are discovered and have differing effects.
Evidence to Support Universal Blood Pressure Screening in School-Based Clinical Settings

Objective: The majority of elevated blood pressure (BP) in children/adolescents remains undiagnosed. The American Academy of Pediatrics states "there is limited evidence to support school-based measurement of children's BP." We explored the clinical/public health utility of providing BP screening in school health clinics. Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 4096 students ages 6-to-17 from Title 1 Miami-Dade County Public Schools (50% female, 71% non-Hispanic Black, 26% Hispanic, mean age 12.0 [CI 95%: 11.90-12.09]) had their …
How Previous Epidemics Enable Timelier COVID-19 Responses: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Organizational Memory Theory

Introduction: There has been little systematic exploration of what affects timeliness of epidemic response, despite the potential for earlier responses to be more effective. Speculations have circulated that exposure to major epidemics helped health systems respond more quickly to COVID-19. This study leverages organizational memory theory to test whether health systems with any, more severe, more recent exposure to major epidemics enacted timelier COVID-19 policy responses. Methods: A dataset was constructed cataloguing 846 policies across 178 health systems in total, 37 of which had major epidemics within the last twenty years. Hypothesis testing used OLS regressions with WHO region fixed effects, controlling for several health system expenditure and political variables. Results: Results show that exposure to any major epidemics was significantly associated with providing earlier response in any category or for surveillance / response, distancing, and international travel policies when tested alone or with total number of cases. The effect was about six to ten days earlier response. The significance was largely nullified with additional independent variables. Both total cases and years since previous epidemics showed no statistical significance. Conclusion: This study suggests that health systems may learn from past major epidemics. Policymakers ought to institutionalize lessons from COVID-19. Future studies can examine specific generalizable lessons and whether timelier responses correlated with lower health and economic impacts.
Reduced hippocampal and amygdala volume as a mechanism underlying stress sensitization to depression following childhood trauma.

Background Stressful life events are more likely to trigger depression among individuals exposed to childhood adversity. However, the mechanisms underlying this stress sensitization remain largely unknown. Any such mechanism must be altered by childhood adversity and interact with recent stressful life events, magnifying their association with depression. Aim This study investigated whether reduced hippocampal and amygdala volume are potential mechanisms underlying stress sensitization following childhood violence exposure. Method A sample of 149 youth (aged 8-17 years), with (N = 75) and without (N = 74) exposure to physical abuse, sexual abuse, or domestic violence participated. Participants completed a structural MRI scan and assessments of depression. Approximately 2 years later, stressful life events were assessed along with depression symptoms in 120 participants (57 violence exposed). Results Childhood violence exposure was associated with smaller hippocampal and amygdala volume. Stressful life events occurring during the follow-up period predicted worsening depression over time, and this association was magnified among those with smaller hippocampal and amygdala volumes. Significant moderated mediation models revealed the indirect effects of violence exposure on increasing depression over time through hippocampal and amygdala volumes, particularly among youths who experienced more stressful life events. Conclusions These results provide evidence for reduced hippocampal and amygdala volume as potential mechanisms of stress sensitization to depression following exposure to violence. More broadly, these patterns suggest that hippocampal and amygdala-mediated emotional and cognitive processes may confer vulnerability to stressful life events among children who have experienced violence.
RF safety regulation background relevant to 5G

Recently, there has been quite a bit of discussion about the safety of newer 5G wireless communication systems [1]. It is not uncommon to find articles that compare RF safety standards developed by different organizations and accept the validity of each without comment [2] or dismiss the validity of a given standard by claiming a conflict of interest [3]. Given this, it is reasonable to ask about the legitimacy of the standards setting process. In regulating human RF exposure, most countries in the world refer to standards generated by either the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (IEEE/ICES) and its Committee on Man and Radiation (COMAR) or the International Commission on Nonionizing Radiation (ICNIRP). Hence, it is reasonable to discuss the processes by which these bodies arrive at their standards or guidelines for human exposure to RF electromagnetic fields. That is the purpose of this document. Prior to equating the validity of any alternative standard to those of COMAR or ICNIRP, a similar analysis of the alternative should be done. One example of such an analysis is presented in [4].
Effects of NaOH amount on condensation mechanism to form aluminosilicate, case study of geopolymer gel synthesized via sol–gel method

To balance cost and performance of geopolymers, alkalinity of activating solution is critical. Alkalinity affects condensation that determines the final gel structures, but this effect is confounded by dissolution and is not understood from direct experimental evidence. In this study, we investigated effects of alkalinity on condensation for gels synthesized via a sol–gel method that eliminates dissolution process. As alkalinity increased, particle sizes of the gels increased as indicated by SEM, Si/Al ratios of the gels decreased but polymerization extent increased as supported by FTIR, 27Al and 23Na NMR, and composition analysis. The mechanism for the effects of alkalinity was proposed accordingly: (1) increasing alkalinity lowers the Si/Al ratio (i.e., more incorporation of Al) of the resulting products probably by affecting charging conditions of the Si and Al units; (2) the presence of Al(OH)4− units promotes their condensation with nearby species to increase the extent of polymerization; (3) enhanced condensation increases particle sizes of the gels even at microstructural level. This understanding on condensation independent of dissolution provides ways to control gel structures and Si/Al ratios and thus tailor properties accordingly, as well as to suggest a strategy (by altering Si/Al ratios during condensation) to develop kinetics-controlling admixtures.
A New Species of the Web-Loving Bug Genus Lipokophila Štys (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plokiophilidae) from Costa Rica, with a Revised Key to Species

A new species of the spider-web inhabiting cimicoid family Plokiophilidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha) is presented. Lipokophila yanoviaki, n. sp. is described from Costa Rica, the four other species of the genus are diagnosed, and a revised key to species is given. Color habitus images are provided for L. eberhardi Schuh, L. tengella Schuh, and L. yanoviaki, n. sp., and feeding habits are discussed.