cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolomics of ApcMin/+ mice genetically susceptible to intestinal cancer.

To determine how diets high in saturated fat could increase polyp formation in the mouse model of intestinal neoplasia, Apc Min/+ , we conducted large-scale metabolome analysis and association study of colon and small intestine polyp formation from plasma and liver samples of Apc Min/+ vs. wild-type littermates, kept on low vs. high-fat diet. Label-free mass spectrometry was used to quantify untargeted plasma and acyl-CoA liver compounds, respectively. Differences in contrasts of interest were analyzed statistically by unsupervised and supervised modeling approaches, namely Principal Component Analysis and Linear Model of analysis of variance. Correlation between plasma metabolite concentrations and polyp numbers was analyzed with a zero-inflated Generalized Linear Model. Plasma metabolome in parallel to promotion of tumor development comprises a clearly distinct profile in Apc Min/+ mice vs. wild type littermates, which is further altered by high-fat diet. Further, functional metabolomics pathway and network analyses in Apc Min/+ mice on high-fat diet revealed associations between polyp formation and plasma metabolic compounds including those involved in amino-acids metabolism as well as nicotinamide and hippuric acid metabolic pathways. Finally, we also show changes in liver acyl-CoA profiles, which may result from a combination of Apc Min/+ -mediated tumor progression and high fat diet. The biological significance of these findings is discussed in the context of intestinal cancer progression. These studies show that high-throughput metabolomics combined with appropriate statistical modeling and large scale functional approaches can be used to monitor and infer changes and interactions in the metabolome and genome of the host under controlled experimental conditions. Further these studies demonstrate the impact of diet on metabolic pathways and its relation to intestinal cancer progression. Based on our results, metabolic signatures and metabolic pathways of polyposis and intestinal carcinoma have been identified, which may serve as useful targets for the development of therapeutic interventions.
Invited Commentary on “Orthopedic Surgeons and Physical Therapists Differ in Assessment of Need for Physical Therapy After Traumatic Lower-Extremity Injury”

The Lower Extremity Assessment Project (LEAP) was a prospective, 8-center observational outcome study of 601 patients with high-energy, limb-threatening lower-leg (below the femur) injuries that evaluated the outcome of amputation versus reconstruction. It was conducted between 1994 and 1997. The investigation by Archer et al1 is a secondary analysis of the data from the reconstruction subgroup data (395 individuals) to determine whether therapists’ and surgeons’ recommendations for the need for physical therapy at 3, 6, and 12 months after injury differed from each other or by center. They used regression analysis to determine factors that may explain similarities and differences. There were wide variations among trauma centers for recommendation for physical therapy at all time periods for both surgeons and physical …
Occupational issues in episodic care populations

Background Much care for non-emergency problems is provided at “episodic care” settings (e.g., urgent care and emergency room). Methods Ninety-four subjects, without known occupational disease, who were seeking care for a chronic or sub-acute problem in an episodic care location, were interviewed to assess the frequency and types of occupational health concerns. They were asked whether work probably “caused” or “made worse” their illness and whether their illness “made work difficult.” Results Categorized hierarchically, 20% reported causation, 15% worsening, and 15% interference of illness with work. (Each was categorized in one category only). Only 50% reported absence of a workplace-health interaction. One-third reported that workplace changes could improve their functional status. Nevertheless, workplace factors were discussed only 21% of the time in physician-patient encounters. Conclusions This study suggests that occupational health issues are frequent in episodic care settings and that the definition of occupational health issues should be broadened to include “made worse” and “illness makes work difficult” as well as the traditional workplace causation definition. Further, episodic care settings present unique opportunities for prevention. Am. J. Ind. Med. 43: 221–226, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Clues to how alpha-synuclein damages neurons in Parkinson's disease.

Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) appears to normally regulate neurotransmitter release, possibly via calcium-dependent binding and dissociation from lipid domains on secretory vesicles. The pathogenic effects of α-syn leading to Parkinson's disease (PD) appear to result from alternate toxic effects on lipid membrane. A variety of findings indicate that overexpression of wild-type α-syn, pathogenic mutations of α-syn, and dopamine-modified-α-syn promote toxic interaction between α-syn oligomers and lipids. These may disrupt transmembrane concentration gradients across secretory vesicles and other organelles and interfere with normal lysosomal or ubiqutin/proteasome mediated protein degradation or mitochondrial function. Additional causes of PD may interfere at other points with normal handling and degradation of α-syn, providing a variety of entry points to a converging neurodegenerative path underlying the disease.
Mineral reactions in the sedimentary deposits of the Lake Magadi region, Kenya

The authigenic minerals, principally zeolites, in the Pleistocene to Holocene consolidated and unconsolidated sediments of the Magadi basin in the Eastern Rift Valley of Kenya have been investigated. Samples were available from outcrops as well as drill cores. The following reactions can be documented: (1) trachytic glass + H 2 O → erionite, (2) trachytic glass + Na-rich brine → Na-Al-Si gel, (3) erionite 4- Na + → analcime + K + + SiO 2 + H 2 O, (4) Na-Al-Si gel → analcime + H 2 O, (5) calcite + F-rich brine → fluorite + CO 3 −− , (6) calcite + Na-rich brine → gaylussite, and (7) magadiite → quartz + Na + + H 2 O. Erionite is the most common zeolite present, but minor amounts of chabazite, clinoptilolite, mordenite, and phillipsite were also recognized. Erionite can form directly from trachytic glass by the addition of H 2 O only. It is characteristic of the Magadi basin because of the low content of alkaline earths in the volcanic glasses and in the solutions interacting with them. Analcime is common in outcrops of the High Magadi and Oloronga Beds. It forms from erionite by a reaction probably initiated by a lowering of the silica activity, which results from the transformation of magadiite to chert. Analcime in the drill-core samples grew at the expense of a Na-Al-Si gel. This gel forms at the lake shore and is washed into the lake during flooding conditions. Fluorite is common in the core samples and can be explained by reaction of the fluoride-rich brines with calcium in the sediments, principally detrital calcite. Authigenic albite and potassium feldspar were not recognized, probably for reasons of reaction kinetics. The presence of authigenic minerals can be accounted for by considering the chemical compositions of the starting materials, mainly volcanic glasses, and the brines they come in contact with. Lake Magadi represents a unique opportunity for studies of diagenesis because authigenic minerals are forming there at the present time and because the evolution of its waters is well known.
Meaningful Use and the Patient Portal Patient Enrollment, Use, and Satisfaction With Patient Portals at a Later-Adopting Center

Many physicians are adopting patient portals in response to governmental incentives for meaningful use (MU), but the stage 2 requirements for portal use may be particularly challenging for newer electronic health record (EHR) users. This study examined enrollment, use based on MU requirements, and satisfaction in a recently adopting fee-for-service multispecialty system. Between 2010 and 2012, overall portal enrollment increased from 13.2% to 23.1% but varied substantially by physician specialty. In 2013, more than 97% of physicians would have met requirements for a stage 2 MU utilization measure requiring that patients download personal health information, but only 38% of all physicians (87% of primary care physicians [PCPs] and 37% of other specialists) would have met e-mail requirements. Satisfaction with the portal overall and with portal-based e-mails was high. These results suggest that later-adopting PCPs can succeed in providing satisfactory record and e-mail access but specialists may find reaching e-mail thresholds more difficult.
Investigating the impact of remotely sensed precipitation and hydrologic model uncertainties on the ensemble streamflow forecasting

[1] In the past few years sequential data assimilation (SDA) methods have emerged as the best possible method at hand to properly treat all sources of error in hydrological modeling. However, very few studies have actually implemented SDA methods using realistic input error models for precipitation. In this study we use particle filtering as a SDA method to propagate input errors through a conceptual hydrologic model and quantify the state, parameter and streamflow uncertainties. Recent progress in satellite-based precipitation observation techniques offers an attractive option for considering spatiotemporal variation of precipitation. Therefore, we use the PERSIANN-CCS precipitation product to propagate input errors through our hydrologic model. Some uncertainty scenarios are set up to incorporate and investigate the impact of the individual uncertainty sources from precipitation, parameters and also combined error sources on the hydrologic response. Also probabilistic measures are used to quantify the quality of ensemble prediction.
Profound reduction in sensitivity to the aversive effects of methamphetamine in mice bred for high methamphetamine intake

Abstract Reduced sensitivity to aversive effects of methamphetamine (MA) may increase risk for MA abuse. Studies in two replicate sets of mouse lines that were selectively bred for high and low levels of MA intake support this view. Current studies examined the extent of insensitivity to aversive MA effects of mice bred for high levels of MA drinking. Conditioning procedures in which drugs are delivered shortly after cue exposure have been used to detect aversive drug effects and, in some cases, are more sensitive to such effects. Aversive effects induced by MA injected immediately after exposure to cues from two different sensory modalities were examined. In addition, effects of higher MA doses than those used previously were examined. MA-associated place conditioning utilized tactile cues, whereas MA-induced taste conditioning utilized a novel tastant. Second replicate, MA high drinking (MAHDR-2) and low drinking (MALDR-2) mice were treated with doses of MA up to 4 mg/kg. MAHDR-2 mice were insensitive to aversive effects of MA, except after place conditioning with the 4 mg/kg dose; MALDR-2 mice exhibited sensitivity to aversive effects of MA at doses as low as 1 mg/kg. These studies show that the expression of aversion is dependent upon procedure and MA dose, and that MAHDR-2 mice have markedly reduced sensitivity to the aversive effects of MA. The current and previous results support a strong genetic relationship between level of MA intake and level of sensitivity to aversive effects of MA, a factor that could impact risk for MA use in humans. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’.
Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments.

People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error. Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.
Preclinical evaluation of the orally active camptothecin analog, RFS-2000 (9-nitro-20(S)-camptothecin) as a radiation enhancer

Abstract Purpose: To test for enhancement of radiation effects in vitro and in vivo by the orally administered camptothecin derivative, 9-nitrocamptothecin (RFS-2000); to study whether the mechanism of this enhancement involves inhibition of sublethal damage recovery. Methods and Materials: In vitro : H460 human lung carcinoma cells were incubated with RFS-2000 for various times at 37°C, irradiated, immediately rinsed, and assessed for colony-forming ability. Sublethal damage recovery (SLDR) was also assessed using two split doses of radiation. In vivo : H460 cell xenografts were used in nude mice. Tumors were grown subcutaneously on the flank, then treated with RFS-2000 (1 mg/kg) and/or radiation (2 Gy) for 5 consecutive days. Tumor growth delay was then measured for each treatment group. Results: Radiation enhancement was observed in vitro for incubation times between 4 and 24 hr with 10 nM RFS-2000. Using a 24-hr treatment, the radiation dose enhancement ratio values (DER) for 5, 10, and 15 nM were 1.22, 1.54, and 2.0, respectively. Incubation with 10 nM RFS-2000 inhibited SLDR by a factor of 2. The results of three independent in vivo experiments showed that RFS-2000 can enhance the effects of fractionated radiotherapy, with an enhancement factor (EF) of 1.64. Conclusion: Our results show that RFS-2000 can enhance the effects of radiation in human lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo , and that the mechanism of this effect may involve the inhibition of SLDR.
Dating Violence Help-Seeking Behaviors of African American Middle Schoolers

This study examined the relationship of African American middle school youths’ help-seeking intentions related to dating violence with their levels of violent victimization and perpetration. When faced with the possibility of dating violence, youth expressed a willingness to seek assistance from adults. Girls victimized by more violence reported a greater willingness to turn to friends for help, in addition to parents, than girls victimized by less violence. Boys who perpetrated more violence reported a greater willingness to turn to friends, in addition to parents, than those boys who perpetrated less violence. Implications for developing culturally sensitive prevention programming are discussed.
A logic for reasoning with higher-order abstract syntax

Logical frameworks based on intuitionistic or linear logics with higher-type quantification have been successfully used to give high-level, modular, and formal specifications of many important judgments in the area of programming languages and inference systems. Given such specifications, it is natural to consider proving properties about the specified systems in the framework: for example, given the specification of evaluation for a functional programming language, prove that the language is deterministic or that the subject-reduction theorem holds. One challenge in developing a framework for such reasoning is that higher-order abstract syntax (HOAS), an elegant and declarative treatment of object-level abstraction and substitution, is difficult to treat in proofs involving induction. In this paper we present a meta-logic that can be used to reason about judgments coded using HOAS; this meta-logic is an extension of a simple intuitionistic logic that admits higher-order quantification over simply typed /spl lambda/-terms (key ingredients for HOAS) as well as induction and a notion of definition. The latter concept of a definition is a proof-theoretic device that allows certain theories to be treated as "closed" or as defining fixed points. The resulting meta-logic can specify various logical frameworks and a large range of judgments regarding programming languages and inference systems. We illustrate this point through examples, including the admissibility of cut for a simple logic and subject reduction, determinacy of evaluation, and the equivalence of SOS and natural semantics presentations of evaluation for a simple functional programming language.
Diagenesis of sandstones in the back‐arc basins of the western Pacific Ocean

Sandstones occur in back-arc basins of the western Pacific at DSDP sites 299 (Sea of Japan), 297 (northern Shikoku Basin), 445 and 446 (Daito-Ridge-and-Basin Province), 453 (Mariana Trough), 286 (New Hebrides Basin) and 285 (South Fiji Basin). These sandstones are dominantly volcaniclastic arenites derived from andesitic island arcs. The degree of sandstone diagenesis is dependent on original composition, burial rate, heat flow history of the basin, and timing of sandstone deposition with respect to rifting processes and associated high heat flow. Sandstones containing a larger proportion of volcaniclastic components showed more diagenetic effects than sandstones containing a significant volume of other rock fragments and mineral components. Sandstones deposited during early stages of rifting (sites 445, 446) with a slow burial rate and high crustal heat flow showed the greatest degree of downhole diagenetic change. These diagenetic changes include early pore-space reduction and rim cementation by clay minerals followed later by calcite, and subsequent pore-fill cementation by clinoptilolite, heulandite, analcite and later calcite. Replacement of recognizable volcanic rock fragments by chert, calcite and zeolites was observed in the deepest part of the hole. Sandstones deposited after rifting under conditions of associated lower heat flow showed considerably less diagenetic changes, particularly if burial was rapid. The high heat flow associated with earliest rifting, associated fluid circulation driven by thermal convection, and slow burial rate controlled the diagenetic history of these sandstones. Thus, timing of sandstone deposition with rifting stage and associated burial rates were key factors in controlling sandstone diagenesis in back-arc basins.
Attachment and Spiritual Coping: Theory and Practice With Older Adults

Many older adults may reference God as both a source of helpful and harmful interactions in their lives. Attachment theory may be a useful lens for (a) assessment of older adults' relational style to a Transcendent Other with implications for formulating future interactions; (b) understanding how attachment to God facilitates coping; and (c) viewing attachment to God as a mechanism for regulating emotional overload. This article provides a practice framework for integrating spirituality into practice with older adults and encourages an individualized, culturally sensitive approach that allows helping professionals to enter into clients' worldviews without necessarily subscribing to the same worldview themselves.
The Impact of Title IX on Career Opportunities in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Title IX on the careers of men and women working in intercollegiate athletic administration. The participants (N = 1275) for this study were women (n = 497) and men (n = 778) working in intercollegiate athletic administration at NCAA Divisions I, II, II, as well as at NAIA schools and junior colleges. The participants completed the Female Sport Manager Career Survey and provided demographic and qualitative data. The primary impacts on careers described by the women in the study were (a) increased job opportunities for women, (b) no impact, and (c) increased opportunities for participation. The men, on the other hand, indicated the greatest impacts on careers as (a) no impact, (b) discrimination against qualified men, and (c) increased job opportunities for women. More research is needed to further examine these perceived impacts and how they affect the culture of an intercollegiate athletic department.
The Exosome Regulates Circadian Gene Expression in a Posttranscriptional Negative Feedback Loop

The eukaryotic circadian oscillators consist of autoregulatory negative feedback loops. However, little is known about the role of posttranscriptional regulation of RNA in circadian oscillators. In the Neurospora circadian negative feedback loop, FRQ and FRH form the FFC complex that represses frq transcription. Here, we show that FFC also binds frq RNA and interacts with the exosome to regulate frq RNA decay. Consequently, frq RNA is robustly rhythmic as it is more stable when FRQ levels are low. Silencing of RRP44, the catalytic subunit of the exosome, elevates frq RNA levels and impairs clock function. In addition, rrp44 is a clock-controlled gene and a direct target of the WHITE COLLAR complex, and RRP44 controls the circadian expression of some ccgs. Taken together, these results suggest that FFC and the exosome are part of a posttranscriptional negative feedback loop that regulates frq transcript levels and the circadian output pathway.
Arnica lanceolata subsp. prima, the Correct Name for Arnica lanceolata Nuttall subsp. amplexicaulis (Nuttall) Gruezo (Asteraceae, Heliantheae)

The new combination Arnica lanceolata subsp. prima (Maguire) Strother & S. J. Wolf is proposed as the correct name for Arnica lanceolata subsp. amplexicaulis (Nuttall) Gruezo.
Molecular epidemiology of human microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common human pathogen, responsible for more than 90% of overall human microsporidian infections. The epidemiology of E. bieneusi infections, however, is not well studied, and little is known about its transmission routes. Enterocytozoon bieneusi-like spores have been reported in surface and ground water in the United States and France, and a possible outbreak of microsporidiosis involving 200 persons was associated with drinking water in France. Recently, genotyping tools based on DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer of the rRNA gene have been used in elucidating E. bieneusi transmission. Studies conducted in Europe (Switzerland, France, Germany, and UK) and Uganda identified nine E. bieneusi genotypes in humans. A more recent study in Peru with a larger sample size confirmed the presence of three of the nine genotypes in humans, but also found eight other genotypes that have not been found in humans before. As expected, geographic differences are present in the distribution of E. bieneusi genotypes in humans, with genotype B being the predominant genotype in Europe and genotype A the most common genotype in Peru. Four of the human-pathogenic genotypes have been found in domestic animals and wild mammals, and many of the 40 or so Enterocytozoon genotypes identified in animals are genetically related to the human-pathogenic genotypes, indicating that zoonotic transmission of E. bieneusi is possible. Nevertheless, host-adapted Enterocytozoon spp have been found in dogs, cattle, and some wild mammals (muskrats and raccoons), which do not have apparent public health significance. Further studies of E. bieneusi transmission in humans and animals in other regions should be helpful to elucidate the epidemiology of microsporidiosis.
Buccal administration of human colostrum: impact on the oral microbiota of premature infants

Buccal administration of human colostrum: impact on the oral microbiota of premature infants
Improved space-time coding for multiple antenna multicasting

Multicasting is the general method of conveying the same information to multiple users. For multicasting applications over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels, it is of great importance to ensure that all users experience an adequate level of performance while utilizing the transmit diversity available in MIMO channels. One technique, called max-min beamforming, provides a way to increase the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the worst-case user. However, due to its limited degrees of freedom, this method suffers severe performance degradation when the number of users increases. Alternatively, space-time codes can be employed to transmit data simultaneously to all users. By introducing additional degrees of freedom in the time domain, open-loop orthogonal space-time block coding (OSTBC) schemes achieve better performance than max-min beamforming when the number of users is large. In this paper, a precoded OSTBC scheme is proposed that optimizes the performance of the worst-case user. By pre-multiplying the OSTBC codeword by a precoding matrix, the transmitter can adapt to current channel conditions which results in a higher worst-case receive SNR. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme performs universally better than open-loop OSTBC schemes and outperforms the max-min beamforming scheme for a large number of users.
Photographs and Descriptions of Cup-Fungi—XXXI. Mollisiella

In January, 1938, the writer received from Miss Lenore Aldinger, of Madison, Wisconsin, a branch of avocado from Florida infected with Trvblidiella, on which occurred a minute discomycetous fungus, for study and determination. In April of the same year similar specimens were received from Dr. R. K. Voorhees, of Florida, under the name of Cenangium Ravenelii (Berk. & Curt.) Sacc. On checking up these two specimens it was found that Cenangium Ravenelii was regarded by Rehm as a synonym of Mollisiella ilicincola (Berk. & Br.) Massee. In the meantime the specimen sent from Wisconsin was determined by Mrs. Stifler, of Chicago, as Lachnellula hysterigena (Berk. & Br.) Sacc. This was also regarded by Rehm as a synonym of Mollisiella ilicincola. Massee (Jour. Linn. Soc. 31: 522) also treated it as a synonym. The name Mollisiella was first used by Phillips in his British Discomycetes as a subgenus of Mollisia. Later George Massee, in 1895, took up the name and used it for the globose spored species only. The genus was based on Peziza ilicincola Berk. & Br. Since the writer had not before encountered any American material of this genus, or species, he was especially glad to have the two collections from Florida. Since this genus and species is very unusual this opportunity is taken to describe and illustrate the fungus so that it may be recognized by later collectors. Following is the diagnoses of the genus and species:
Control of the Sod Webworms Crambus teterrellus, C. trisectus, and C. mutabilis, in Kentucky

Five experiments were conducted in the field and laboratory during 1963 and 1964 to compare the effectiveness of a variety of insecticides against sod webworm larvae infesting blugrass turf. Trichlorfon, fenthion, Baygon® ( O -isopropoxyphenyl methylcarbamate), diazinon, carbaryl, and ethion at rates of 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, and 3 oz per 1000 Ft2 respectively, appeared to give effective control of sod webworm larvae. In general, the chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides did not give economic control in either laboratory or field tests.
Natural History of Sleep Disordered Breathing in Community Dwelling Elderly

Mild sleep disordered breathing is very common in the elderly, but little is known about the course of the disorder over time. Twenty-four elderly people from a population-based study were recorded three times over an 8.5-year period. There were no significant changes in either apnea index or in respiratory disturbance index (RDI) over time, even when controlled for body mass index. For most subjects, there was great variability over time in the number of respiratory disturbances. The sensitivity of RDI > or = 15 at visit 1 predicting RDI > or = 15 at visit 3 was only 20%. The predictive value was 50%. Sleep disordered breathing measured at a single point in time is rather weakly predictive of the severity of breathing disorder 4-8 years later.
In Vivo Neural Tissue Engineering: Cylindrical Biocompatible Hydrogels That Create New Neural Tracts in the Adult Mammalian Brain

Individuals with neurodegenerative disorders or brain injury have few treatment options and it has been proposed that endogenous adult neural stem cells can be harnessed to repopulate dysfunctional nonneurogenic regions of the brain. We have accomplished this through the development of rationally designed hydrogel implants that recruit endogenous cells from the adult subventricular zone to create new relatively long tracts of neuroblasts. These implants are biocompatible and biodegradable cylindrical hydrogels consisting of fibrin and immobilized neurotrophic factors. When implanted into rat brain such that the cylinder intersected the migratory path of endogenous neural progenitors (the rostral migratory stream) and led into the nonneurogenic striatum, we observed a robust neurogenic response in the form of migrating neuroblasts with long (>100 μm) complex neurites. The location of these new neural cells in the striatum was directly coincident with the original track of the fibrin implant, which itself had completely degraded, and covered a significant area and distance (>2.5 mm). We also observed a significant number of neuroblasts in the striatal region between the implant track and the lateral ventricle. When these fibrin cylinders were implanted into hemiparkinson rats, correction of parkinsonian behavior was observed. There were no obvious behavioral, inflammatory or tumorigenic sequelae as a consequence of the implants. In conclusion, we have successfully engineered neural tissue in vivo, using neurogenic biomaterials cast into a unique cylindrical architecture. These results represent a novel approach to efficiently induce neurogenesis in a controlled and targeted manner, which may lead toward a new therapeutic modality for neurological disorders.
Novel protective mechanism of reducing renal cell damage in diabetes: Activation AMPK by AICAR increased NRF2/OGG1 proteins and reduced oxidative DNA damage.

ABSTRACTExposure of renal cells to high glucose (HG) during diabetes has been recently proposed to be involved in renal injury. In the present study, we investigated a potential mechanism by which AICAR treatment regulates the DNA repair enzyme, 8-oxoG-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) in renal proximal tubular mouse cells exposed to HG and in kidney of db/db mice. Cells treated with HG for 2 days show inhibition in OGG1 promoter activity as well as OGG1 and Nrf2 protein expression. In addition, activation of AMPK by AICAR resulted in an increase raptor phosphorylation at Ser792 and leads to increase the promoter activity of OGG1 through upregulation of Nrf2. Downregulation of AMPK by DN-AMPK and raptor and Nrf2 by siRNA resulted in significant decease in promoter activity and protein expression of OGG1. On the other hand, downregulation of Akt by DN-Akt and rictor by siRNA resulted in significant increase in promoter activity and protein expression of Nrf2 and OGG1. Moreover, gel shift analysis shows reduction of N...
Regulatory methodologies and the risk-informed approach

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) developed regulations for a potential high-level radioactive waste (HLW) repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada using risk-informed, performance-based principles. NRC used the risk-informed, performance-based approach to focus its regulations for a potential repository at Yucca Mountain on those aspects of repository performance important for protecting public health and safety and the environment. This chapter discusses how risk-informed, performance-based methodologies were used to improve efficiency and effectiveness of regulations for the (1) requirements for a multiple barrier approach; (2) characteristics of the biosphere; (3) consideration of features, events, and processes in the performance assessment; and (4) implementation of risk-informed, performance-based approach in reviews.
FINANCIAL MOTIVATIONS AND SMALL BUSINESS LONGEVITY: THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND RACE

It is well established in previous research that female and minority entrepreneurs are less successful with business ventures in comparison to whites and males. In that same literature, motivation ...
Intelligence is not just Inside the Head: The Theory of Successful Intelligence

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the theory of successful intelligence, which says that intelligence is not just inside the head. The time has come to move beyond conventional theories of intelligence and its development. It provides data suggesting that conventional theories and tests of intelligence are incomplete. The general factor of intelligence may be an artifact of limitations in populations of individuals tested, types of materials with which they are tested, and types of methods used in testing. The studies show that even when one wants to predict school performance the conventional tests are fairly limited in their predictive validity. It proposes the theory of successful intelligence that fares well in constructing validations, whether one tests in the laboratory, in schools, or at the workplace. New notions are needed to increase an individual's achievements at school or at the workplace. There are many ways to move beyond conventional notions of intelligence.
3D printed mixed flow reactor for geochemical rate measurements

Abstract Desktop 3D printing is a rapid, low-cost, and flexible method for fabricating chemical reactors for low temperature geochemical investigations and engineering tests. Reactor designs can be easily shared between research groups. Here we demonstrate how a mixed flow reactor (MFR) designed to measure mineral precipitation rates is fabricated by desktop additive manufacturing (3D printing). Models of the MFR top and base were created by computer-aided design software and used to generate stereolithography input files. These files were converted to physical models using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology. Comparison of the model input files to actual prototypes showed that the manufactured reactor parts matched the model as closely as machined parts match mechanical drawings. Although this reactor was designed to measure mineral precipitation rates, it can be easily modified for use in mineral dissolution experiments. The reactor can also be used to synthesize large quantities of solids from a solution with a fixed composition and be combined with in situ scattering and spectroscopic methods for real time studies of mineral growth/dissolution processes.
MeDNN: a distributed mobile system with enhanced partition and deployment for large-scale DNNs

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) are pervasively used in a significant number of applications and platforms. To enhance the execution efficiency of large-scale DNNs, previous attempts focus mainly on client-server paradigms, relying on powerful external infrastructure, or model compression, with complicated pre-processing phases. Though effective, these methods overlook the optimization of DNNs on distributed mobile devices. In this work, we design and implement MeDNN, a local distributed mobile computing system with enhanced partitioning and deployment tailored for large-scale DNNs. In MeDNN, we first propose Greedy Two Dimensional Partition (GTDP), which can adaptively partition DNN models onto several mobile devices w.r.t. individual resource constraints. We also propose Structured Model Compact Deployment (SMCD), a mobile-friendly compression scheme which utilizes a structured sparsity pruning technique to further accelerate DNN execution. Experimental results show that, GTDP can accelerate the original DNN execution time by 1.86 − 2.44× with 2 -- 4 worker nodes. By utilizing SMCD, 26.5% of additional computing time and 14.2% of extra communication time are saved, on average, with negligible effect on the model accuracy.
DRAG AND HEAT TRANSFER REDUCTION CAUSED BY HETEROGENEOUS DRAG REDUCING SURFACTANT ADDITIVES

A series of experiments were performed to determine the heat transfer and friction coefficients in commercially smooth pipes for dilute solutions of a heterogeneous drag reducing surfactant. The studies covered a wide range of variables including surfactant concentration, pipe diameter, Reynolds number and temperature. An extensive set of data was obtained for heat transfer and friction coefficients for a heterogeneous surfactant known and MDR-2000. A wide range of Reynolds numbers were covered and experiments were conducted for many different Prandtl numbers. All drag and heat transfer reduction experiments were performed in the same installation using the same measurement techniques which facilitates the assessment of the trends caused by the various parameters studied. Typical results showed that the friction coefficient was reduced by half at the optimum concentration. While, the heat transfer coefficient was reduced even more dramatically.
The hope of modulating microbiome in the management of cancer patients

Human beings harbor tens of trillions of bacteria in their bodies. The majority of these bacterial colonies found either on the skin surface or inside the guts are typically benign or even beneficial. Using the human fecal samples of a cohort of 124 healthy individuals for metagenomics deep sequencing analysis, an estimate of 1000 to 1150 prevalent bacterial species was found. Among these bacterial species, 160 are shared by all the individuals. It is known that long-term dietary intake can impact the composition and activity of microorganisms in the human gut. However, how the actual bacterial community (microbiota) or microbiome (the genetic content of these bacteria) affects the health state of an individual remains unknown. Recently, the stories of the association of a specific microbiome with tumor progression and immunotherapeutic responses are beginning to unfold.
Central nervous system findings in a tenth decade autopsy population.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the central nervous system findings in a tenth decade autopsy population and emphasizes the decrease in frequency in the most aged group. The predominating cerebral lesion affecting patients in a tenth decade population sample is cerebrovascular disease. The diabetic patients in the necropsy population can be considered separately because there is evidence that diabetes mellitus alters the frequency and topographic distribution of cerebrovascular disease. It is known that brain weight decreases with advancing age. Statistical analysis of brain weight by race and sex was performed to ascertain if this trend continues into the old age groups. A combined retrospective statistical and histological study was undertaken to gather quantitative information regarding cerebral changes and disease states in an elderly autopsy population. Cerebrovascular disease may be subdivided into two major forms, encephalomalacia or brain infarction, and intracerebral hemorrhage or apoplexy. Thus, as regards all the cerebral pathological changes studied, the 90 years of age and over group exhibited lower frequencies than the age groups immediately preceding them.
Dante and Eckhart on Creation and Participation

The concept of creation (along with the related idea of participation) is the foundation of Christian understanding. Coming at the culmination of a millennial spiritual/philosophical tradition, Dan...
Learning Integral Representations of Gaussian Processes.

We propose a representation of Gaussian processes (GPs) based on powers of the integral operator defined by a kernel function, we call these stochastic processes integral Gaussian processes (IGPs). Sample paths from IGPs are functions contained within the reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) defined by the kernel function, in contrast sample paths from the standard GP are not functions within the RKHS. We develop computationally efficient non-parametric regression models based on IGPs. The main innovation in our regression algorithm is the construction of a low dimensional subspace that captures the information most relevant to explaining variation in the response. We use ideas from supervised dimension reduction to compute this subspace. The result of using the construction we propose involves significant improvements in the computational complexity of estimating kernel hyper-parameters as well as reducing the prediction variance.
Transitional care practices, services, and delivery in childhood cancer survivor programs: A survey study of U.S. survivorship providers

Purpose There are limited reports describing transition of young adult childhood cancer survivors (CCS) from pediatric to adult-focused survivorship care. The purpose of this study was to characterize current transitional care practices in the United States. Project description An online survey was sent to one preselected respondent at 163 Children's Oncology Group member institutions in the United States. Data were collected about (i) the availability and type of long-term follow-up services for adult CCS and (ii) policies and procedures for transitioning. Logistic regression was used to evaluate factors related to care for CCS. Results The response rate was 60% (97/163). Eighty-one respondents (84%) represented centers with specialized pediatric-focused CCS programs. Thirty-nine percent (38/97) of programs delivered specialized transitional care for adult CCS. Adult-centered care was delivered in both pediatric (39%, 15/38) and adult oncology clinics (39%, 15/38). The most common perceived transition barriers were lack of available partnering adult providers and adult providers' lack of knowledge regarding CCS. The larger the program in terms of new diagnoses, the more likely they were to offer formal transitional care ( 200: odds ratios [OR] 20.0; 95% CI 3.2, 100.0, P = 0.004). Conclusions A variety of models are utilized for delivering care to adult CCS. Our results suggest that interventions to establish effective partnerships with adult providers on appropriate care of CCS may facilitate expanded availability of these services.
The relationship between response and dose in published, contemporary phase 1 oncology trials.

e14583Background: Traditional dose-escalation trial designs have changed little even as diverse classes of oncology drugs have been developed. We aimed to examine whether the association of drug do...
Guest Editorial Special Issue on High-Power Fast Chargers and Wireless Charging

Electric transportation systems have made great strides forward in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness. Electric drivetrains provide better efficiency and higher reliability due to the lower complexity and smaller part numbers compared to combustion-based drivetrains. As such, electric transportation concepts are becoming viable for all modes of transportation. This move toward transportation electrification is enabled by the drastic improvements in battery performance, making passenger vehicles with a range of over 200 mi cost-competitive with petroleum-powered vehicles. Despite the increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads, the lack of charging infrastructure and long charging times restricts the use of these vehicles for daily commutes and short-distance trips.
EnrichrBot: Twitter bot tracking tweets about human genes.

MOTIVATION Micro-blogging with Twitter to communicate new results, discuss ideas and share techniques is becoming central. While most Twitter users are real people, the Twitter API provides the opportunity to develop Twitter bots and to analyze global trends in tweets. RESULTS EnrichrBot is a bot that tracks and tweets information about human genes implementing six principal functions: (i) tweeting information about under-studied genes including non-coding lncRNAs, (ii) replying to requests for information about genes, (iii) responding to GWASbot, another bot that tweets Manhattan plots from genome-wide association study analysis of the UK Biobank, (iv) tweeting randomly selected gene sets from the Enrichr database for analysis with Enrichr, (v) responding to mentions of human genes in tweets with additional information about these genes and (vi) tweeting a weekly report about the most trending genes on Twitter. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION https://twitter.com/botenrichr; source code: https://github.com/MaayanLab/EnrichrBot. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
LOAD-ENHANCED MOVEMENT QUALITY SCREENING AND TACTICAL ATHLETICISM: AN EXTENSION OF EVIDENCE.

BACKGROUND Military organizations use movement quality screening for prediction of injury risk and performance potential. Currently, evidence of an association between movement quality and performance is limited. Recent work has demonstrated that external loading strengthens the relationship between movement screens and performance outcomes. Such loading may therefore steer us toward robust implementations of movement quality screens while maintaining their appeal as cost effective, field-expedient tools. PURPOSE The purpose of the current study was to quantify the effect of external load-bearing on the relationship between clinically rated movement quality and tactical performance outcomes while addressing the noted limitations. STUDY DESIGN Crossover Trial. METHODS Fifty young adults (25 male, 25 female, 22.98 ± 3.09 years, 171.95 ± 11.46 cm, 71.77 ± 14.03 kg) completed the Functional Movement Screen™ with (FMS™W) and without (FMS™C) a weight vest in randomized order. Following FMS™ testing, criterion measures of tactical performance were administered, including agility T-Tests, sprints, a 400-meter run, the Mobility for Battle (MOB) course, and a simulated casualty rescue. For each performance outcome, regression models were selected via group lasso with smoothed FMS™ item scores as candidate predictor variables. RESULTS For all outcomes, proportion of variance accounted for was greater in FMS™W (R2 = ;0.22 [T-Test], 0.29 [Sprint], 0.17 [400 meter], 0.29 [MOB], and 0.11 [casualty rescue]) than in FMS™C (R2 = ;0.00 [T-Test], 0.11 [Sprint], 0.00 [400 meter], 0.19 [MOB], and 0.00 [casualty rescue]). From the FMS™W condition, beneficial performance effects (p<0.05) were observed for Deep Squat (sprint, casualty rescue), Hurdle Step (T-Agility, 400 meter run), Inline Lunge (sprint, MOB), and Trunk Stability Push Up (all models). Similar effects for FMS™C item scores were limited to Trunk Stability Push Up (p<0.05, all models). CONCLUSIONS The present study extends evidence supporting the validity of load-enhanced movement quality screening as a predictor of tactical performance ability. Future designs should seek to identify mechanisms explaining this effect. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.