cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Excitatory Sympathetic Reflex in NaCl-Sensitive Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

We have previously demonstrated blunted reflex responses of lumbar sympathetic nerve activity during volume expansion in NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats maintained on basal (1% NaCl) diets compared with NaCl-resistant spontaneously hypertensive rats, Wistar-Kyoto rats, and Sprague-Dawley rats. The current study tested the hypothesis that chronic ingestion of a high (8%) NaCl diet further blunts cardiopulmonary reflex function in the NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rat. After 3 weeks of a 1% or 8% NaCl diet, male rats of all four strains were instrumented with femoral arterial and venous cannulas and lumbar nerve recording electrodes at 10 weeks of age. Two days later, conscious rats were infused with whole blood to expand blood volume. NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats maintained on a 1% NaCl diet had blunted responses of nerve activity to acute volume expansion compared with control strains. NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats maintained on an 8% NaCl diet had increases in nerve activity responses to volume expansion. In a second experiment, the volume expansion protocol was repeated in anesthetized NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats that had been subjected to sinoaortic denervation after 3 weeks of a 1% or 8% NaCl diet. After sinoaortic denervation, an increase in nerve activity was again observed during volume expansion in animals fed the 8% NaCl diet. In animals fed the 1% NaCl diet, changes in nerve activity were variable. The excitatory response was significantly reduced after bilateral vagotomy. These studies suggest that blood pressure regulation in NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats is a complex interaction of excitatory and inhibitory sympathetic reflex systems that is altered by high dietary NaCl exposure.
Conserved Alternative Splicing Patterns and Splicing Signals in the Drosophila Sodium Channel Gene Para

We cloned genomic DNA corresponding to the Drosophila virilis homologue of para, a gene encoding a sodium channel alpha-subunit, and obtained many partial cDNA clones from embryos and adults. Para protein has been well conserved, and the optional elements at six different sites of alternative splicing in D. melanogaster are present in D. virilis, in addition to one new optional exon. Among 31 different splice-types observed in D. virilis, the stage-specific pattern of alternative splicing seen in D. melanogaster is also conserved. Comparison of genomic DNA sequence revealed three aspects that vary between alternatively and constitutively used exon sequences. Sixteen short blocks (10-75 bp), the only recognizably conserved intron sequence, were disproportionately associated with alternatively used splice sites. Silent site substitutions were found much less frequently in alternative than constitutive exon elements, and the degree of match to the Drosophila splice site consensus tended to be lower at less frequently selected alternative splice junctions. This study shows that the developmentally regulated variability of para products is highly conserved and therefore likely to be of functional significance and suggests that a variety of different sequence-dependent mechanisms may regulate this pattern of alternative splicing.
Organization Culture, Distribution and Amount of Control, and Perceptions of Quality An Empirical Study of Linkages

Normative aspects of organization culture, the distribution and total amount of control, employee performance and perceived quality of service were investigated in a cross-sectional study (n = 823) involving subjects from 159 organizations. A model integrating these constructs is presented, followed by an empirical investigation of hypothesized linkages. Significant relationships were found between organization culture and control distribution, culture and total amount of control, culture and service quality, culture and employee performance, and total control and service quality. Contemporary organizations are making substantial financial and human resource investments in training in problem analysis and problem solving techniques, within the context of Total Quality Management (TQM) programs and, in some cases, culture change efforts (Beer, Eisenstat, & Spector, 1990). These investments are being made in the belief, rooted partly in the "human relations management" movement (Fayol, 1946; Likert, 1961; M...
Inviscid Design of Hypersonic Wind Tunnel Nozzles for a Real Gas

A straightforward procedure has been developed to quickly determine an inviscid design of a hypersonic wind tunnel nozzle when the test gas is both calorically and thermally imperfect. This real gas procedure divides the nozzle into four distinct parts: subsonic, throat to conical, conical, and turning flow regions. The design process is greatly simplified by treating the imperfect gas effects only in the source flow region. This simplification can be justified for a large class of hypersonic wind tunnel nozzle design problems. The final nozzle design is obtained either by doing a classical boundary layer correction or by using this inviscid design as the starting point for a viscous design optimization based on computational fluid dynamics. An example of a real gas nozzle design is used to illustrate the method. The accuracy of the real gas design procedure is shown to compare favorably with an ideal gas design based on computed flow field solutions.
Shannon Capacity Bound on Mobile Station Localization Accuracy in Urban Environments

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Phase II enhanced 911 (E-911) requirements have motivated increased interest in the challenge of localizing mobile sources in urban environments. The FCC E-911 Phase-II requires wireless carriers to provide the location of a 911 caller with accuracy of 100 meters in 67% of cases and 300 meters in 95% of cases. This work proposes an information theoretic bound on mobile station (MS) localization performance in urban environments that provides an alternative criterion for the MS localization performance evaluation. The proposed lower bound provides necessary, but not sufficient conditions for achieving arbitrary small probability of the localization error. The MS localization problem is modeled in the framework of communication via channels where the source location is modeled as a transmitted message which is encoded by the propagation conditions. The bound is evaluated for variety of propagation conditions predicted by a recently proposed statistical model of urban propagation conditions. The bound is demonstrated to apply to urban scenes of interest, and the sensitivity of the bound to changes in propagation conditions is discussed.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+release and muscle fatigue

Efforts to examine the relevant mechanisms involved in skeletal muscle fatigue are focusing on Ca2+ handling within the active muscle cell. It has been demonstrated time and again that reductions i...
Nikolaos van Dam Honored at SSA Annual Reception

0 0 1 136 780 University of Denver 6 1 915 14.0 Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Syrian Studies Association honored Ambassador Nikolaos van Dam with a panel discussion at its annual reception in December 2011. The reception, held in conjunction with the Assocation’s annual board and business meetings and the Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, included a critical appreciation of the fourth edition of van Dam’s The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba‘th Party (I. B. Tauris, 2011). Syrian Studies Association President Fred Lawson presided over a panel that included Professor Joshua Landis of the University of Oklahoma and Professor Lisa Wedeen of the University of Chicago.
Pathogenicity and Sequence Analysis Studies Suggest Potential Role of Gene 3 in Virulence of Swine Enteric and Respiratory Coronaviruses

Coronaviruses have been commonly associated with enteric and respiratory diseases. Two of the swine coronaviruses, namely transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV), have been extensively studied. TGEV replicates in both the enteric and respiratory tracts and causes enteric disease, whereas, PRCV replicates in the respiratory tract with limited to no replication in the enteric tract. We have isolated PRCV from swine herds with respiratory disease and have reproduced moderate pneumonia in gnotobiotic and conventionally reared pigs with two of the PRCV isolates. We have also identified two PRCV isolates with low virulence. One consistent difference that we have observed between PRCV isolates of different pathogenicities is in gene 3. The gene 3 is intact in the two virulent PRCV isolates, whereas gene 3 is altered in the two low virulence isolates. A similar observation has been reported for TGEV as a nonpathogenic TGEV mutant with a small plaque morphology had a deletion in gene 3. We have also observed that one of the low virulence PRCV isolates, IA1894, which has a deletion in gene 3, replicates poorly in cell cultures. Collectively these studies suggest that gene 3 may be an important determinant for in vivo virulence and in vitro replication of coronaviruses.
Legacy of the Secret War: Medical Needs in the UXO-Contaminated Areas in Laos.

Laos is a small country about the size of Utah. A Lao physician jokingly told me with a sad smile that "Americans thought Laos was a part of Vietnam during the war." The war in Laos was, however, an intentional secret war. The number of bombs dropped during the Vietnam War was greater than the bombs dropped in Europe during World War II. This bombing, which left an enormous number ofUXOs (unexploded ordnances), has created a silent public health emergency in Laos today. In any war, including the Gulf War, as much as 20 percent of the munitions remain unexploded in the ground, endangering anyone engaged in daily activities in the rice fields or a school yard. Nearly one half of the victims ofUXO injuries in Laos are children younger than 15 years. In many postconflict countries agricultural production is estimated to increase 150 percent if there are no land mines, a type ofUXO. There is no doubt that the longterm impact caused by UXOs is serious physically, socially, and psychologically. According to the 1997 National UXO Survey by Handicap International, a French nongovernmental organization, the highest priority for UXO clearance is given to the districts along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the southern province, and the second highest priority is given to the districts in Xieng Khouang province in the northwest. The prioritization of the Handicap International survey was based not only on the number of UXOs remaining but also on the proximity of UXOs to populated areas. I will describe the medical needs in Xieng Khouang and the districts around the Ho Chi Minh Trail, where I visited during 1997.
FISH Versus IHC as the Primary Test for HER-2 Analysis: Cost Analysis, Aneusomy Significance and Gene Heterogeneity in a Consecutive Series.

Objective: To utilize a test algorithm for HER-2 that has the lowest cost per reportable test and establishes the most accurate results for trastuzumab therapy decisions.By restricting hybridization area, we have reduced the probe quantity required without altering sensitivity and specificity. Our FISH reagent cost per test is $32.20. The cost per reportable test is $62.30 for FISH and $56.86 for IHC (Ventana). FISH cost/result is slightly costlier than IHC cost/result. However, reflex to FISH (20-25%) after 2+ IHC analyses is a more expensive test algorithm than primary FISH analysis with reflex to IHC (5.6%). The total cost of the FISH first algorithm/100 cases is $6548 and for IHC first algorithm is $6932. In a recent study of patients being considered for trastuzumab treatment, primary FISH analysis was the most cost-effective diagnostic approach.Studies have shown greater accuracy and precision of FISH vis a vis IHC in predicting response to trastuzumab: Our institution has selected FISH as the primary method for assessing HER-2 status, rather than IHC.HER-2 gene amplification is observed in 15-30% of breast cancers. FISH positivity predicts the response to trastuzumab. Increased gene copies may be due to repeated duplication of HER-2 amplicon or inherent chromosomal instability due to mitotic mis-segregation of cancer cells. Aneusomy is frequently found in cancers and may complicate the interpretation of HER-2 testing results. Tumors with aneusomy of 17 without amplification have a high and uncertain response rate to trastuzumab. There is no clear consensus on how to report tumor heterogeneity in cases due to 17 aneusomy.We report here the MGH experience in 90 consecutive cases using FISH as the primary test for assessing HER-2 status. Using CAP/ASCO guidelines for reporting HER-2 FISH, we determined 15.6% cases amplified, 5.6% equivocal and 78.9% normal. Chromosome 17 and Her2 aneusomy was observed in 27.8% of cases. Our percent aneusomy may be higher than some have reported due to preselection of cases in our reference lab setting. Most of the Her-2 amplified cases had HER-2/CEN-17 ratio >10.In one case the HER 2 amplicon extended widely to chromosome 17 centromeric region. FISH studies using Topoisomerase II alpha probes showed probable deletion of this gene putatively located within the HER-2 amplicon. Even though HER gene copy number was > 20 HER-2/Chromosome17 according to ASCO/CAP was normal ( 30% in studies of invasive breast cancer influencing the reporting of amplification. There are no existing guidelines on how to report such tumor heterogeneity. We hope this analysis will be useful to other centers evaluating the use of primary FISH algorithm for HER-2 testing. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 6037.
Railroad Empire across the Heartland: Rephotographing Alexander Gardner’s Westward Journey . By James E. Sherow. Photographs by John R. Charlton.

Railroad Empire across the Heartland: Rephotographing Alexander Gardner’s Westward Journey . By James E. Sherow. Photographs by John R. Charlton . (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2014. x + 212 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliographical essay, index. $34.95, paper.) As a photograph curator and amateur photographer, I enjoy immensely perusing rephotography books. I have attempted a rephotography project of my own, and it is far more difficult and time-consuming than I imagined. I can appreciate John R. Charlton’s patience and persistence in his work. Juxtaposing two images that create such a stark historical contrast is an excellent and thought-provoking method of engaging nonacademic audiences. Each viewer will bring his or her own interpretation of the images and come to their own conclusions based on their … daniel.davis{at}usu.edu
Occupational Stress and Fatigue Condition in Locomotive Crew

[Objective]To understand the locomotive crew's occupational stress,coping ability and fatigue condition,to discuss the influencing factors,and provide scientific evidence for developing relevant occupational health surveillance. [Methods]From August to September 2010,310 locomotive crew members from Jinan Railway Administration were selected for survey. [Results]The scores of working pressure and leadership relations of locomotive crew members with short service length were significantly higher than those of the ones with long service length(P0.05),as well as the coping ability of knowing yourself,interest,respect for others,Initiative and creativity(P0.05).97(71.32%) of members with short service length felt a sense of heavy workload,and 141(81.03%) in members with long service length had the same feeling,the difference between 2 groups was significant(P0.05).After leaving their posts,58(42.65%)in short service length group and 106(60.92%) in long service length group felt mighty tired or very tired,the difference was significant(P0.01). [Conclusion]The occupational stress,coping ability and fatigue of locomotive crew members were associated with service length.The differences of the above exist between locomotive crew members with different service length.
Mitigation of Salinity Buildup and Recovery of Wasted Salts in a Hybrid Osmotic Membrane Bioreactor-Electrodialysis System.

The osmotic membrane bioreactor (OMBR) is an emerging technology that uses water osmosis to accomplish separation of biomass from the treated effluent; however, accumulation of salts in the wastewater due to water flux and loss of draw solute because of reverse salt flux seriously hinder OMBR development. In this study, a hybrid OMBR–electrodialysis (ED) system was proposed and investigated to alleviate the salinity buildup. The use of an ED (3 V applied) could maintain a relatively low conductivity of 8 mS cm–1 in the feed solution, which allowed the OMBR to operate for 24 days, about 6 times longer than a conventional OMBR without a functional ED. It was found that the higher the voltage applied to the ED, the smaller area of ion-exchange membrane was needed for salt separation. The salts recovered by the ED were successfully reused as a draw solute in the OMBR. At an energy consumption of 1.88–4.01 kWh m–3, the hybrid OMBR-ED system could achieve a stable water flux of about 6.23 L m–2 h–1 and an effic...
Experimental Analysis of Steel Beams Subjected to Fire Enhanced by Brillouin Scattering-Based Fiber Optic Sensor Data

AbstractThis paper presents high temperature measurements using a Brillouin scattering-based fiber optic sensor and the application of the measured temperatures and building code recommended material parameters into enhanced thermomechanical analysis of simply supported steel beams subjected to combined thermal and mechanical loading. The distributed temperature sensor captures detailed, nonuniform temperature distributions that are compared locally with thermocouple measurements with less than 4.7% average difference at 95% confidence level. The simulated strains and deflections are validated using measurements from a second distributed fiber optic (strain) sensor and two linear potentiometers, respectively. The results demonstrate that the temperature-dependent material properties specified in the four investigated building codes lead to strain predictions with less than 13% average error at 95% confidence level and that the Europe building code provided the best predictions. However, the implicit consi...
MRI Findings in Patients With Leukemia and Positive CSF Cytology: A Single-Institution 5-Year Experience

OBJECTIVE. The purposes of this study were to describe the spectrum of MRI findings and determine the prognostic role of MRI in adults with acute leukemia with positive CSF cytology. MATERIALS AND METHODS. In this retrospective study of 34 patients (19 women, 15 men; mean age, 51 years; range, 18–72 years) treated for CNS leukemia between 2006 and 2011, 31 (91%) contrast-enhanced brain and 14 (41%) spine MRI studies were reviewed by two radiologists to note patterns of enhancement. Interobserver agreement and correlation of enhancement with outcome were analyzed. RESULTS. MRI showed abnormal findings in 25 patients (74%). Pachymeningeal enhancement (n = 9/31, 29%), leptomeningeal enhancement (n = 6/31, 19%), cranial nerve enhancement (n = 9/31, 29%), masslike enhancement (n = 3/31, 10%), and spinal meningeal enhancement (n = 10/14, 71%) were identified. There was strong interobserver agreement (κ = 0.906). Survival rates were shorter to a statistically significant degree with pachymeningeal enhancement (m...
Observability Analysis for Dynamic State Estimation of Synchronous Machines

This paper is concerned about the observability analysis of time-varying nonlinear dynamic model of a synchronous generator with its associated control systems. A byproduct of observability study is a set of guidelines to choose the appropriate set of measurements or sensors to be used to ensure strong observability for the dynamic states. The proposed analysis is developed using a Lie derivative based observability matrix and its singular values. A two-axis synchronous generator model and an associated IEEE-Type1 exciter are used to validate the results of observability analysis with dynamic simulations of disturbance scenarios using different types of measurements. It is shown that the dynamic state estimates will converge to the true trajectory faster and smoother if appropriate measurements that provide higher level of observability based on the proposed analysis are chosen. Results can be extended to other dynamic elements such as loads or time-varying parameters of machines.
Continued feeding on Diporeia by deepwater sculpin in Lake Huron

Monitoring changes in diets of fish is essential to understanding how food web dynamics respond to changes in native prey abundances. In the Great Lakes, Diporeia, a benthic macroinvertebrate and primary food of native benthivores, declined following the introduction of invasive Dreissena mussels and these changes were reflected in fish diets. We examined the diets of deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii collected in bottom trawls during 2010–2014 in the main basin of Lake Huron, and compared these results to an earlier diet study (2003–2005) to assess if their diets have continued to change after a prolonged period of Dreissena mussel invasion and declined Diporeia densities. Diporeia, Mysis, Bythotrephes, and Chironomidae were consumed regularly and other diet items included ostracods, copepods, sphaerid clams, and fish eggs. The prey-specific index of relative importance calculated for each prey group indicated that Mysis importance increased at shallow (≤55 m) and mid (64–73 m) depths, while Diporeia importance increased offshore (≥82 m). The average number of Diporeia consumed per fish increased by 10.0% and Mysis decreased by 7.5%, while the frequency of occurrence of Diporeia and Mysis remained comparable between time periods. The weight of adult deepwater sculpin (80 mm and 100 mm TL bins) increased between time periods; however, the change in weight was only significant for the 80 mm TL group (p < 0.01). Given the historical importance of Diporeia in the Great Lakes, the examination of deepwater sculpin diets provides unique insight into the trophic dynamics of the benthic community in Lake Huron.
The Impact of the Social Sciences

(1967). The Impact of the Social Sciences. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 1, No. 1-2, pp. 107-109.
Ezetimibe and simvastatin combination inhibits and reverses the pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic effects of cream in obese patients

Abstract Background and aims Inflammation and postprandial lipemia are associated with increased cardiovascular disease. We investigated whether ezetimibe and simvastatin combination, a lipid lowering combination of simvastatin and ezetimibe, exerts an anti-inflammatory effect in the fasting state and after dairy cream intake. Methods Twenty obese patients were randomized to either ezetimibe and simvastatin combination or placebo treatment for 6 weeks. All patients were asked to ingest 33 ml of dairy cream (300 Calories) at the beginning and at the end of intervention. Fasting and post-cream blood samples were obtained. Results At 0 week, ingestion of cream induced significant increases in MNC expression of IL-1β (105 ± 18%), TNFα (97 ± 12%), CD68 (48 ± 8%), CD16 (141 ± 39%), MMP-9 (122 ± 31%), PECAM (66 ± 10%), TLR-4 (84 ± 11%) and TLR-2 (67 ± 9%) and in endotoxin (LPS) concentrations (49 ± 7%) (p Conclusions Ezetimibe and simvastatin combination exerts a profound anti-inflammatory effect both in the fasting state and acutely after the ingestion of saturated fat.
Integrative sparse $K$-means with overlapping group lasso in genomic applications for disease subtype discovery

Cancer subtypes discovery is the first step to deliver personalized medicine to cancer patients. With the accumulation of massive multi-level omics datasets and established biological knowledge databases, omics data integration with incorporation of rich existing biological knowledge is essential for deciphering a biological mechanism behind the complex diseases. In this manuscript, we propose an integrative sparse K-means (is-K means) approach to discover disease subtypes with the guidance of prior biological knowledge via sparse overlapping group lasso. An algorithm using an alternating direction method of multiplier (ADMM) will be applied for fast optimization. Simulation and three real applications in breast cancer and leukemia will be used to compare is-K means with existing methods and demonstrate its superior clustering accuracy, feature selection, functional annotation of detected molecular features and computing efficiency.
Trends and Outcomes of Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients with aortic stenosis are less likely to undergo aortic valve replacement (AVR) due to their excess perioperative mortality. We aimed to evaluate contemporary utilization and outcomes of combined and isolated AVR in HD patients. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was used to identify 142,046 patients who underwent AVR in 2005 to 2014, of whom 2,264 (1.6%) were on HD. Crude and adjusted in-hospital outcomes and costs were assessed in unmatched and propensity-matched cohorts of HD and non-HD patients, respectively. The utilization of AVR in HD patients increased significantly (p = 0.047), with a significant decrease in mortality (p = 0.013). Compared with patients not on HD, crude in-hospital mortality in HD patients was twice higher (11.8% vs 6.2%, p
Sequence-Specific Detection of MicroRNAs Related to Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma at fM Concentration by an Electroosmotically Driven Nanopore-Based Device

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in gene regulation. Recently, traces of cancer-related miRs have been identified in body fluids, which make them remarkable noninvasive biomarkers. In this study, a new nanopore-based detection scheme utilizing a borosilicate micropipette and an assay of complementary γ-peptide nucleic acid (γ-PNA) probes conjugated to polystyrene beads have been reported for the detection of miR-204 and miR-210 related to the clear cell Renal Cell Carcinoma (ccRCC). Electroosmotic flow (EOF) is induced as the driving force to transport PNA-beads harboring target miRs to the tip of the pore (sensing zone), which results in pore blockades with unique and easily distinguishable serrated shape electrical signals. The concentration detection limit is investigated to be 1 and 10 fM for miR-204 and miR-210, respectively. The EOF transport mechanism enables highly sensitive detection of molecules with low surface charge density with 97.6% detection accuracy comp...
Abstract WP109: Repairing the Brain by Hematopoietic Stem Cell Factors 6 Months Post-experimental Stroke: a Causal Link Between Functional Improvement and Neurovascular Remodeling in the Peri-infarct Cavity Cortex

Stroke, a leading cause of adult disability in the world, is a severe medical condition with limited treatment. Chronic stroke represents the phase beyond 3 months after stroke onset. Physical therapy, the only treatment available for stroke rehabilitation, appears to be effective within 6 months post-stroke. Here we have mechanistically determined the efficacy of combined two hematopoietic growth factors, stem cell factor (SCF) and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) (SCF+G-CSF) in brain repair 6 months after cortical infarct induction in the transgenic mice carrying yellow fluorescent protein in layer V pyramidal neurons (Thy1-YFP-H). Using a combination of live brain imaging, whole brain imaging, molecular manipulation, synaptic and vascular assessments, and motor function examination, we found that SCF+G-CSF promoted mushroom spine formation, enlarged postsynaptic membrane size, and increased postsynaptic PSD-95 accumulation and blood vessel density in the peri-infarct cavity cortex through NF-κB. Once the SCF+G-CSF-enhanced synaptogenesis and angiogenesis in the peri-infarct cavity cortex were blocked by an NF-κB inhibitor, the SCF+G-CSF-induced motor function improvement was eliminated. These data suggest that a stroke-damaged brain is repairable by SCF+G-CSF even 6 months after the lesion occurs. This study provides novel insights into the development of new restorative strategies for stroke recovery. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)(R01 NS060911) in the United States.
Microsphere Embolization of Hypervascular Posterior Fossa Tumors

Background Preoperative embolization of highly vascular tumors of the posterior fossa can decrease morbidity and operative blood loss. No clear consensus exists for the embolization agent of choice for optimal devascularization of these tumors. The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of microsphere embolization in reducing tumor hypervascularity before surgical resection. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with hypervascular posterior fossa tumors who were treated at a single institution from 2009 to 2016. Results Four of 9 patients with hypervascular posterior fossa tumors underwent embolization with 300–500 μm microspheres before surgical resection. Patients selected for embolization had large tumors with large feeding vessels evident on brain magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical resection was performed within 24 hours of embolization in all 4 patients. Mean (SD) patient age was 42.5 years (18.4), and mean (SD) tumor size was 4.3 cm (1.4) in greatest dimension. All patients presented with symptoms related to mass effect. Gross total tumor resection was achieved in all patients. There were no intraoperative complications related to the embolization or craniotomy; mean (SD) blood loss was 350 mL (208). Conclusions Preoperative embolization with microspheres can effectively reduce vascularity of the hypervascular posterior fossa tumor bed. This technique helped achieve complete resection, particularly for patients with recurrence after previous resection.
Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) differentially regulates nuclear factor erythroid-2–related factors 1 and 2 (NRF1 and NRF2)

Nuclear factor erythroid-2–related factor 1 (NRF1) and NRF2 are essential for maintaining redox homeostasis and coordinating cellular stress responses. They are highly homologous transcription factors that regulate the expression of genes bearing antioxidant-response elements (AREs). Genetic ablation of NRF1 or NRF2 results in vastly different phenotypic outcomes, implying that they play different roles and may be differentially regulated. Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) is the main negative regulator of NRF2 and mediates ubiquitylation and degradation of NRF2 through its NRF2-ECH homology–like domain 2 (Neh2). Here, we report that KEAP1 binds to the Neh2-like (Neh2L) domain of NRF1 and stabilizes it. Consistently, NRF1 is more stable in KEAP1+/+ than in KEAP1−/− isogenic cell lines, whereas NRF2 is dramatically stabilized in KEAP1−/− cells. Replacing NRF1's Neh2L domain with NRF2's Neh2 domain renders NRF1 sensitive to KEAP1-mediated degradation, indicating that the amino acids between the DLG and ETGE motifs, not just the motifs themselves, are essential for KEAP1-mediated degradation. Systematic site-directed mutagenesis identified the core amino acid residues required for KEAP1-mediated degradation and further indicated that the DLG and ETGE motifs with correct spacing are insufficient as a KEAP1 degron. Our results offer critical insights into our understanding of the differential regulation of NRF1 and NRF2 by KEAP1 and their different physiological roles.
Brief Historical Perspective in Thermal Management and the Shift Toward Management at the Nanoscale

ABSTRACTSince the early days of computing, excess heat has been a major road block in the design and development of faster, more efficient, and more compact electronic devices. Coupled with improvements in thermal management has been a reduction in the size of major electronic components, primarily transistors. This has expanded the field of thermal management down into the nanoscale, where the “rules” of thermal transport become more complicated. This paper presents a brief perspective on the historical challenges in thermal management and outlines the major length scale regimes where thermal management is being developed. In particular, the expansion of thermal management into the nanoscale is presented due to the consequence that as the feature size of most nano-devices continues to diminish, the impact of thermal transport across solid-solid interfaces on device performance, reliability, and lifetime becomes increasingly important.
Chapter 2 Biomechanics of Leukocyte and Endothelial Cell Surface

Publisher Summary Human leukocytes—including neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes—are the major immune cells within blood. Leukocytes travel around the human body through circulatory vessels that are lined with Endothelial cells (ECs). When they leave blood, leukocytes roll on ECs first. This is due, in part, to weak adhesive interactions mediated mainly by selectins on both leukocytes and ECs. This weak adhesion, coupled with the force and torque imposed on the leukocyte by blood flow, yields a consecutive series of jerky motion of the leukocyte, often coined “rolling.” Neutrophil and lymphocyte rolling are essential for their immunological functions, whereas monocyte rolling is critical for its arrest on the vascular wall and invasion into the aortic intima. Leukocyte rolling on the endothelium is the first critical step of leukocyte migration to sites of infection, injury, or atherosclerotic lesions. Unstable rolling impairs effective neutrophil and lymphocyte recruitment to infected tissues and renders human beings defenseless against invading microorganisms, resulting in immunological diseases, such as leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome. On the other hand, stable rolling is critical for monocyte infiltration into the aortic intima that initiates and exacerbates cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Elucidating the mechanisms that underlie leukocyte rolling can pave the way toward therapeutic amelioration of such maladies. However, the rolling of leukocytes is a complex dynamic process that is mediated concertedly by adhesion molecules expressed on leukocytes and ECs, shear stress due to blood flow, and mechanical properties of leukocytes and ECs. A complete understanding of leukocyte rolling requires thorough knowledge in all these areas. This chapter discusses the recent advances gained in biomechanics of leukocyte and endothelial cell surface, as well as their impact on leukocyte rolling.
Ensuring a stillborn: the ethics of fetal lethal injection in late abortion.

PIP: This article responds to two papers: one describing and defending the intracardiac injection of potassium chloride (KCl) to achieve immediate cardiac arrest in fetuses destined for second-trimester abortion because of abnormalities and a second, accompanying, paper that replies to objections to KCl injection and presents positive arguments for the use of KCl. This response concurs with the moral acceptability of the use of KCl and goes further to argue for its use in late elective abortions of nonanomalous fetuses. The response, however, while agreeing with the conclusions of the arguments presented in the second paper, finds the reasoning set forth in the arguments to be faulty. The objections to the procedure addressed in the second paper are that all abortions are unjust, that newborns and second-trimester fetuses with identical defects should be managed in like manner, and that a woman is not entitled to the death of her fetus. The arguments presented in the second paper to defend KCl use are that the abortion decision is protected by the right to noninterference, that potential harm is avoided by the procedure, and that the potential for coercion is eliminated. Abortion is defended on the grounds that a majority supports a woman's right to choose abortion. The author of this response asserts that abortion can be defended because human fetuses are not persons and because religious commitments cannot be enforced in a pluralistic society. Furthermore, even infants who have severe anomalies need not be treated as potential persons. While a woman has no moral right to the death of her fetus, she does have the right to the safest surgical procedure and to a consideration of the short-term welfare of the fetus or the long-term welfare of children who may result from rescued fetuses. In each case, the denial of life may be the only way to minimize suffering. Even healthy fetuses can be aborted using this procedure on these grounds. Every child should be a wanted child, and until our society learns to care about the reality of a child instead of merely the idea, we have a duty to ensure a stillborn in any late abortion. While basing moral arguments on society's moral failures places ethicists in an uncomfortable position, it is harder to ignore the realities of life that suggest that children should be born only to those prepared to accommodate them.
The Right Fit: Perceptions of Lifelong Influences on the Activity Preferences of Older Women

A phenomenological approach was used to examine eight older women’s experiences with physical activity (PA) and to determine how older women name and give meaning to PA. Factors that influenced the...
Bimodal Hearing or Bilateral Cochlear Implants? Ask the Patient.

Objective The objectives of this study were to assess the effectiveness of various measures of speech understanding in distinguishing performance differences between adult bimodal and bilateral cochlear implant (CI) recipients and to provide a preliminary evidence-based tool guiding clinical decisions regarding bilateral CI candidacy. Design This study used a multiple-baseline, cross-sectional design investigating speech recognition performance for 85 experienced adult CI recipients (49 bimodal, 36 bilateral). Speech recognition was assessed in a standard clinical test environment with a single loudspeaker using the minimum speech test battery for adult CI recipients as well as with an R-SPACE 8-loudspeaker, sound-simulation system. All participants were tested in three listening conditions for each measure including each ear alone as well as in the bilateral/bimodal condition. In addition, we asked each bimodal listener to provide a yes/no answer to the question, "Do you think you need a second CI?" Results This study yielded three primary findings: (1) there were no significant differences between bimodal and bilateral CI performance or binaural summation on clinical measures of speech recognition, (2) an adaptive speech recognition task in the R-SPACE system revealed significant differences in performance and binaural summation between bimodal and bilateral CI users, with bilateral CI users achieving significantly better performance and greater summation, and (3) the patient's answer to the question, "Do you think you need a second CI?" held high sensitivity (100% hit rate) for identifying likely bilateral CI candidates and moderately high specificity (77% correct rejection rate) for correctly identifying listeners best suited with a bimodal hearing configuration. Conclusions Clinics cannot rely on current clinical measures of speech understanding, with a single loudspeaker, to determine bilateral CI candidacy for adult bimodal listeners nor to accurately document bilateral benefit relative to a previous bimodal hearing configuration. Speech recognition in a complex listening environment, such as R-SPACE, is a sensitive and appropriate measure for determining bilateral CI candidacy and also likely for documenting bilateral benefit relative to a previous bimodal configuration. In the absence of an available R-SPACE system, asking the patient whether or not s/he thinks s/he needs a second CI is a highly sensitive measure, which may prove clinically useful.
Real-time distributed non-myopic task selection for heterogeneous robotic teams

In this paper we introduce a novel algorithm for online distributed non-myopic task-selection in heterogeneous robotic teams. Our algorithm uses a temporal probabilistic representation that allows agents to evaluate their actions in the team’s joint action space while robots individually search their own action space. We use Monte-Carlo tree search to asymmetrically search through the robot’s individual action space while accounting for the probable future actions of their team members using the condensed temporal representation. This allows a distributed team of robots to non-myopically coordinate their actions in real-time. Our developed method can be applied across a wide range of tasks, robot team compositions, and reward functions. To evaluate our coordination method, we implemented it for a series of simulated and fielded hardware trials where we found that our coordination method is able to increase the cumulative team reward by a maximum of $$47.2\%$$ in the simulated trials versus a distributed auction-based coordination. We also performed several outdoor hardware trials with a team of three quadcopters that increased the maximum cumulative reward by $$24.5\%$$ versus a distributed auction-based coordination.
Postcranial remains of Teraterpeton hrynewichorum (Reptilia: Archosauromorpha) and the mosaic evolution of the saurian postcranial skeleton

Teraterpeton hrynewichorum is an unusual archosauromorph reptile from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) Evangeline Member of the Wolfville Formation in Nova Scotia (Canada). Its long snout has transvers...
Axillary reverse mapping and lymphaticovenous bypass: Lymphedema prevention through enhanced lymphatic visualization and restoration of flow.

Background A lymphedema (LE) prevention surgery (LPS) paradigm for patients undergoing axillary lymphadenectomy (ALND) was developed to protect against LE through enhanced lymphatic visualization during axillary reverse mapping (ARM) and refinement in decision making during lymphaticovenous bypass (LVB). Methods A retrospective analysis of a prospective database was performed evaluating patients with breast cancer who underwent ALND, ARM, and LVB from September 2016 to December 2018. Patient and tumor characteristics, oncologic and reconstructive operative details, complications and LE development were analyzed. Results LPS was completed in 58 patients with a mean age of 51.7 years. An average of 14 lymph nodes (LN) were removed during ALND. An average of 2.1 blue lymphatic channels were visualized with an average of 1.4 LVBs performed per patient. End to end anastomosis was performed in 37 patients and a multiple lymphatic intussusception technique in 21. Patency was confirmed 96.5% of patients. Adjuvant radiation was administered to 89% of patients. Two patients developed LE with a median follow-up of 11.8 months. Conclusion We report on our experience using a unique LPS technique. Refinements in ARM and a systematic approach to LVB allows for maximal preservation of lymphatic continuity, identification of transected lymphatics, and reestablishment of upper extremity lymphatic drainage pathways.
Ligand-Induced Selectivity in the Rhodium(II)-Catalyzed Reactions of α-Diazo Carbonyl Compounds†

3-Allyl-2,5-diazopentanedione and 3-butenyl-2,5-diazopentanedione were allowed to react with a trace amount of a rhodium(II) catalyst in methylene chloride at room temperature. The major products isolated correspond to the internal trapping of a carbonyl ylide as well as intramolecular cyclopropanation. Changing the catalyst from Rh2(OAc)4 to Rh2(cap)4 to Rh2(tfa)4 caused a significant alteration in product distribution. A rather unusual and unexpected regiochemical crossover in the cycloaddition occurred when Rh2(tfa)4 was used and is most likely due to complexation of the metal with the dipole. A computational approach to rationalize the observed product distribution was carried out. The thermodynamic stabilities of cycloaddition transition states were approximated from the computationally derived strain energies of ground state molecules using traditional force-field techniques. Globally minimized ground state energies were obtained for all possible cycloaddition products, and final strain energies wer...
Multiresolution Functional ANOVA for Large-Scale, Many-Input Computer Experiments

The Gaussian process is a standard tool for building emulators for both deterministic and stochastic computer experiments. However, application of Gaussian process models is greatly limited in prac...
Enabling Non-Hebbian Learning in Recurrent Spiking Neural Processors With Hardware-Friendly On-Chip Intrinsic Plasticity

Intrinsic plasticity (IP) is a non-Hebbian learning mechanism that self-adapts intrinsic parameters of each neuron as opposed to synaptic weights, offering complimentary opportunities for learning performance improvement. However, integrating IP onchip to enable per-neuron self-adaptation can lead to very large design overheads. This paper is the first work exploring efficient on-chip non-Hebbian IP learning for neural accelerators based on the recurrent spiking neural network model of the liquid state machine (LSM). The proposed LSM neural processor integrated with onchip IP is improved in terms of cost-effectiveness from both algorithmic and hardware design points of view. We optimize a baseline IP rule, which gives the state-of-the-art learning performance, to enable a feasible hardware onchip integration and further propose a new hardware-friendly IP rule SpiKL-IFIP. The hardware LSM neural accelerator with onchip IP is dramatically improved in area/power overhead as well as training latency with the proposed new IP rule and its optimized implementation. On the Xilinx ZC706 FPGA board, the proposed co-optimization dramatically improves the cost-effectiveness of on-chip IP. Self-adapting reservoir neurons using IP boosts the classification accuracy by up to 10.33% on the TI46 speech corpus and 8% on the TIMIT acoustic-phonetic dataset. Moreover, the proposed techniques reduce training energy by up to 49.6% and resource utilization by up to 64.9% while gracefully trading off classification accuracy for design efficiency.
An Evolutionary System for Better Automatic Software Repair

When a test suite is considered as the specification, the paradigm is called test-suite based repair Monperrus (ACM Comput Surv 51(1):17, 2018). The test suite should contain at least one negative (i.e., initially failing) test that triggers the bug to be fixed and a number of positive (i.e., initially passing) tests that define the expected program behavior.
Entrainment and Its Value in Arrhythmia Diagnosis

A patient presented with typical atrial flutter; however, during ablation, a change in cycle length prompted recognition of a change in the arrhythmia mechanism. Entrainment maneuvers proved critical in identifying the rhythm mechanism and appropriate subsequent ablation strategy.