cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Cardiovascular Mortality After Renal Transplantation: A Role For Cytomegalovirus?

Death with a functioning graft (DWF) is now the most common cause of late renal transplant failure, with cardiovascular disease its most frequent etiology. In some populations, infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) increases risk of coronary disease. Few data exist regarding CMV and cardiovascular mortality after renal transplantation. We reviewed charts of 158 adult patients who died more than 90 days after receiving renal allografts and a matched cohort of 143 (of 2398) surviving patients transplanted at the University of Alabama at Birmingham between 1990 and 1998. Only advancing donor and recipient age increased risk of DWF; CMV infection did not. However, of 50 patients who died of cardiovascular causes, 94% were seropositive for CMV, while only 74% of the other 108 deaths occurred in CMV-seropositive patients (p < 0.05). Risk of cardiovascular death was greatest (p < 0.05) in patients with diabetes, advancing age, and CMV seropositivity. In renal transplant recipients, infection with CMV increases risk of death as a result of cardiovascular causes.
Instrumentation results from an in-situ coal gasification experiment

Sandia Laboratories has demonstrated the feasibility of remote monitoring of in situ coal gasification, using electrical resistivity and passive acoustic techniques to monitor the reaction zone. Thermal measurements made to provide diagnostic information aided in understanding the effectiveness of the remote techniques. Field resistivity data and model calculations can be compared to determine the path of the reaction zone. Source locations in the overburden for acoustical events during gasification are associated with subsidence over the gasified area.
Flow simulation in molds with preplaced fiber mats

The primary goal of this study was to develop 2-D and 3-D computer simulation schemes for the mold filling processes of structural reaction injection molding (SRIM) and resin transfer molding (RTM) under isothermal conditions. The developed computer code was abble to simulate the mold filling in molds with complicated geometry. Experiments were also carried out based on flow visualisations. Experimental results were compared with the numerical simulations
Quantitative Determination of Copper: Combining Project-Based Laboratories with Single-Analyte Detection

A multiweek experiment is presented for use in undergraduate instrumental analysis courses. The experiment combines project-based laboratories and single-analyte detection to provide students with experience in method development and validation, and to give them a more realistic experience in the analytical laboratory. Working together as a team, students develop methods for the detection of an analyte (i.e., copper) in water samples using at least two spectroscopic instruments (e.g., ICP-AES, AA, UV-vis, fluorescence). Student teams are given only topical information about their projects, and must research and plan the analyses, learn the instrumental methods to be used, obtain figures of merit (e.g., detection limits) from Beer’s law plots, analyze commercial water samples, and produce a standard operating protocol for one of their methods, which will be validated by another team during a subsequent laboratory. Goals of this approach include promoting teamwork and building student confidence in approaching and operating unfamiliar instrumentation. Even more importantly, students are placed in the position of being scientists and having to make decisions and recommendations. Each step of the analytical process must be carefully considered, and its significance assessed as there are no recipes to follow as they develop their methods and make comparisons between different techniques for the determination of a single analyte.
Parametrized scheme for calculating angle-resolved photoemission spectra from the fcc d -band metals

A parametrized scheme is developed for calculating angle-resolved photoemission spectra from the valence bands of the fcc $d$-band metals. We take as a starting point the result for the photo-current in a one-step model when final-state damping and dielectric screening of the free-space electric field are neglected. With use of scattering theory, a model for the final-state wave function ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{f}$ near the surface is derived, in which ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{f}$ is written as a linear combination of orthogonalized plane waves with group velocities directed both into and out of the bulk. This result is then generalized to obtain a model for ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{f}$ in the presence of electron damping, and a parametrized, $z$-independent, model for the screened electric field within the solid is adopted. Initial-state energies and wave functions are obtained using a combined interpolation scheme. Optical transition matrix elements are evaluated by adopting parametrized expressions for integrals involving the radial wave functions for the various angular momentum components of the initial and final states within a muffin-tin sphere. The use of this scheme as an improved method for extracting initial-state band positions from experimental photoemission spectra is discussed.
Doing It By Art: Reply to Dobson and Reis

It is argued that Dr. Dobson misconstrues my argument for a second process. My claim is not that Kohut did not have a vision of the future, but that his clinical technique lagged behind that vision. Internalization and interpretation are not designed to facilitate the creation of what has never been. Kohut's goal of articulating the nuclear program of the self requires the establishment of a potential space to create something new, a process distinct from analysis of transference. Against Dobson, I argue that to call the use of the analytic relationship to create a new future “transference” is to dilute and confuse the concept. Many analyses have been successful while conceptualizing only a single process of transference analysis because the analysis as practiced is not equivalent to the theory in the analyst's mind. Reiss's comments provide the opportunity to discuss the value and limitations of postmodern theory.
Stable semantics for disjunctive programs

We introduce the stable model semantics fordisjunctive logic programs and deductive databases, which generalizes the stable model semantics, defined earlier for normal (i.e., non-disjunctive) programs. Depending on whether only total (2-valued) or all partial (3-valued) models are used we obtain thedisjunctive stable semantics or thepartial disjunctive stable semantics, respectively. The proposed semantics are shown to have the following properties: • For normal programs, the disjunctive (respectively, partial disjunctive) stable semantics coincides with thestable (respectively,partial stable) semantics. • For normal programs, the partial disjunctive stable semantics also coincides with thewell-founded semantics. • For locally stratified disjunctive programs both (total and partial) disjunctive stable semantics coincide with theperfect model semantics. • The partial disjunctive stable semantics can be generalized to the class ofall disjunctive logic programs. • Both (total and partial) disjunctive stable semantics can be naturally extended to a broader class of disjunctive programs that permit the use ofclassical negation. • After translation of the programP into a suitable autoepistemic theory\( \hat P \) the disjunctive (respectively, partial disjunctive) stable semantics ofP coincides with the autoepistemic (respectively, 3-valued autoepistemic) semantics of\( \hat P \) .
Spontaneous central nervous system remyelination in strain A mice after infection with the Daniel's (DA) strain of Theiler's virus

Intracerebral infection of susceptible SJL/J (H-2s) mice with the Daniel’s strain of Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus produces chronic, progressive, inflammatory central nervous system demyelination, with minimal spontaneous remyelination. To assess the role of host genetic factors in spontaneous myelin repair following chronic infection with the Daniel’s strain of Theiler’s virus, we examined demyelination and spontaneous remyelination in strain A mice after infection with Theiler’s virus. We found that A.BY/SnJ (H-2b) mice were resistant to Theiler’s virus-induced demyelination, whereas A/J (H-2a), A/WySnJ (H-2a), and A.SW/SnJ (H-2s) mice all developed chronic demyelination with substantial spontaneous remyelination 90 days after infection. In the spinal cords of both A/J and A/WySnJ mice, one quarter of the total lesion area showed spontaneous remyelination, whereas in A.SW/SnJ mice, the extent of remyelination increased to two thirds of the total lesion area. The spontaneous remyelination seen in strain A mice was consistent with myelin repair by oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells, and occurred despite the presence of persistent virus antigen. These results indicate that host-pathogen interactions play an important role in myelin regeneration after virus-induced demyelination, and suggest that host genetic factors influence spontaneous remyelination.
The sorption of s-triazines by model nucleophiles are related to their partitioning between water and cyclohexane☆

Abstract Adsorption isotherms indicate that alkylamino- s -triazines containing chloro, methoxy, and methylthio groups in the 2-position are removed from 2% ethanol solution by nylon and cellulose triacetate by a solid solution process. It is proposed that the binding sites of the s -triazines are the electropositive 2-substituents and those of the solids are the carbonyl oxygen atoms. Sorption is concluded to result from dipole-dipole interaction. There is a linear relationship between the amount of sorption and the degree of partitioning between cyclohexane and water of s -triazines having common substituents. Partition coefficients prove a better general index of sorption than do the solubilities of s -triazines.
Effects of PGBx on the isolated perfused rat heart.

Abstract 1. PGBx at high concentrations (⩾500 ng/ml) depressed isometric systolic tension and coronary flow and decreased tissue concentrations of ATP and creatine phosphate. 2. At 1000 ng/ml, PGBx produced similar effects but, in addition, it markedly enhanced cardiac glycogen utilization, increased tissue concentrations of glucose-1-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate and caused a significant increase in diastolic tension after perfusion for 60 min at this concentration.
Enabling communications in disadvantage environments: An airborne remote communication (ARC) platform

Disaster response efforts during natural or man-made disasters are often hampered by compromised communications (e.g., lack or outage of cellular coverage). This can create a dangerous lack of communication or reliance on ad hoc networks, stifling information sharing. Existing systems that target this compromised communication gap are often difficult to rapidly deploy, proprietary and not interoperable, or designed for military use. Additionally, for many first responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS, etc.), current airborne sensor and communication assets are expensive or unavailable. In response to this capability gap, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has sponsored MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Pennsylvania State University to design and fabricate a low power, low weight, reliable communication prototype solution to provide essential information. The system design was driven by public safety data needs and operational constraints. The prototype system consists of wearable nodes that communicate via a repeater. Users can access the system using a standard 802.11 Wi-Fi access point. This paper describes the prototype system and its public safety design.
Leptin participates in the regulation of glucocorticoid and growth hormone axes

Abstract An adipocyte factor transducing the quantity of adipose to a hormonal message that targets the hypothalamus has been postulated for many years. Recently, a gene that encodes such a protein (named leptin) was identified. These findings indicate that adipose tissue performs important biological functions beyond storage of fat. In fact, data indicate that adipose tissue functions very much like other endocrine tissues, releasing a hormone into the circulatory system to relay a message to its target. Although there may be more than one target tissue for leptin, the best accepted component of any leptin endocrine axis is the hypothalamus. Because this integrative center is fundamental to many neuroendocrine axes, classical endocrine feedback circuits must now be extended to include leptin. Leptin deficiency is extremely rare and has been only reported in a mutant morbid obese mouse strain and in two children who also suffer from extreme obesity. Most types of human and murine obesity are accompanied by elevated leptin levels, and the concentrations of this hormone correlate well with degree of adiposity. Thus, it is thought that leptin may serve as a fuel gauge for the hypothalamus. When sufficient fuel is present or when lipid is being synthesized and stored in adipose, leptin levels rise and reduce further feeding behavior. In addition, a signal of abundant fuel reserve also serves as a message that energy can be expended for anabolism of protein and other biological processes such as growth, repair, and reproduction. Our data, together with those reported by others, indicate that leptin inhibits the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and thus antagonizes the catabolic glucocorticoids. A review of available data also supports that leptin stimulates the hypothalamic-growth hormone axis and hence promotes protein synthesis. Energy must be expended to support this anabolic state, and data indicate the energy is derived from metabolism of adipose reserve. Such loss of lipid would tend to decrease plasma leptin levels and thereby signal a state for replenishment of adipose stores.
Importance of Antibody in Virus Infection and Vaccine-Mediated Protection by a Latency-Deficient Recombinant Murine γ-Herpesvirus-68

The human γ-herpesviruses EBV and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus establish lifelong latent infections, can reactivate in immunocompromised individuals, and are associated with the development of malignancies. Murine γ-herpesvirus-68 (γHV68), a rodent pathogen related to EBV and Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, provides an important model to dissect mechanisms of immune control and investigate vaccine strategies. Infection of mice with γHV68 elicits robust antiviral immunity, and long-term protection from γHV68 reactivation requires both cellular and humoral immune responses. Vaccination of mice with AC-replication and transcription activator (RTA), a highly lytic latency-null recombinant γHV68, results in complete protection from wild-type γHV68 infection that lasts for at least 10 mo. In this report, we examine the immune correlates of AC-RTA–mediated protection and show that sterilizing immunity requires both T cells and Ab. Importantly, Ab was also critical for mitigating viral infection in the brain, and in the absence of Ab-mediated control, amplification of the AC-RTA virus in the brain resulted in fatality. Our results highlight important considerations in the development of vaccination strategies based on live-attenuated viruses.
Policy based reinforcement learning approach Of Jobshop scheduling with high level deadlock detection

We present a policy based reinforcement learning scheduling algorithm with high level deadlock detection for job-shop discrete manufacturing systems without buffer being equipped. Deadlock is a highly undesirable phenomenon resulting from resource sharing and competition. Hence, we first propose detection algorithms for second and third level deadlocks. Subsequently, based on these high level deadlock detection algorithms, a new policy based reinforcement learning scheduling algorithm is developed in the context of buffer-less job-shop systems. Applying our reinforcement learning approach into scheduling algorithm to a set of 40 widelyused buffer-less job shop benchmark, satisfactory makespan can be obtained, which, to our knowledge, have never been published before. It is safe to conclude that our policy based reinforcement learning scheduling algorithm can be applied to other discrete event systems (e.g., computer operation systems, communication systems, and traffic systems).
Efficacy of telavancin in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis: studies with a rabbit model

Objectives Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen isolated in osteomyelitis. This study evaluated the efficacies of telavancin (an investigational, rapidly bactericidal lipoglycopeptide with a multifunctional mechanism of action against Gram-positive bacteria), vancomycin and linezolid in a rabbit methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) osteomyelitis model. Methods Localized osteomyelitis was induced in New Zealand White rabbits by percutaneous injection of 10(6) cfu of MRSA clinical isolate 168-1 into the intramedullary cavity. Two weeks post-infection, rabbits with radiographically confirmed, localized proximal tibial osteomyelitis were randomized into four groups (n = 15 per group): untreated controls; vancomycin 30 mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 h; linezolid 60 mg/kg orally every 8 h; and telavancin 30 mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 h. After 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment, animals were left untreated for 2 weeks. Rabbits were then euthanized and the tibias harvested. Bone matrix and marrow from each tibia were cultured and bacterial counts determined. Results For MRSA isolate 168-1, the MIC was 0.25 mg/L for telavancin, 0.5 mg/L for vancomycin and 0.5 mg/L for linezolid. Tibial cultures were positive for MRSA in 9 of 15 (60%) untreated controls, and 3 of 15 (20%) telavancin-treated, 3 of 15 (20%) vancomycin-treated and 4 of 14 (29%) linezolid-treated rabbits. Conclusions Telavancin has comparable efficacy to vancomycin and linezolid in a rabbit model of MRSA osteomyelitis.
Activation of Mouse and Human Peroxisome Proliferator–Activated Receptors (α, β/δ, γ) by Perfluorooctanoic Acid and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate

This study evaluates the potential for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to activate peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors (PPARs), using a transient transfection cell assay. Cos-1 cells were cultured in Dulbecco’s Minimal Essential Medium (DMEM) with fetal bovine serum in 96-well plates and transfected with mouse or human PPARa, b/d, or g reporter plasmids. Transfected cells were exposed to PFOA (0.5‐100mM), PFOS (1‐250mM), positive controls (i.e., known agonists and antagonists), and negative controls (i.e., DMEM, 0.1% water, and 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide). Following treatment for 24 h, activity was measured using the Luciferase reporter assay. Inthisassay,PFOAhadmoretransactivitythanPFOSwithboththe mouse and human PPAR isoforms. PFOA significantly increased mouse and human PPARa and mouse PPARb/dactivity relative to vehicle. PFOS significantly increased activation of mouse PPARa and PPARb/d isoforms. No significant activation of mouse or human PPARg was observed with PFOA or PFOS. The PPARa antagonist, MK-886, significantly suppressed PFOA and PFOS activity of mouse and human PPARa. The PPARg antagonist, GW9662, significantly suppressed PFOA activity on the human isoform. In conclusion, this study characterized the dose response and differential activation of mouse and human PPARa, b/d, g by
Successful Vancomycin Desensitization in a Patient with End-Stage Renal Disease and Anaphylactic Shock to Vancomycin

OBJECTIVE:To report successful desensitization in a patient with a history of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and anaphylactic shock after receiving vancomycin.CASE SUMMARY:A 47-year-old white woman with a history of ESRD was admitted to the hospital reporting persistent nausea, vomiting, and diffuse abdominal pain. She had developed anaphylactic shock after exposure to vancomycin 3 years prior to this hospitalization. The patient's hospital course was complicated by septic shock and positive blood cultures for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis. The patient tolerated vancomycin desensitization and received intravenous vancomycin 100 mg/d for 21 days.DISCUSSION:The desensitization protocol used in this report allows for gradual increases in vancomycin serum concentrations, avoiding peak and trough concentrations that occur with intravenous boluses. Maintaining the desensitized state is dependent on the continuous presence of the antigen with a return of clinical sensitivity after drug discont...
Thyroid Hormones, Their Activation, Degradation and Effects on Metabolism

The control of both metabolism and developmental events by thyroid hormones involves a variety of metabolic modifier effects. These actions of thyroid hormones are mediated by nuclear thyroid hormone receptors that have their highest affinity for triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid hormone deiodinations can have activating or inactivating effects, with the production of T3 (the most active form) and its degradation being of key importance. At the organismic level, the development of thermogenic metabolic responses necessary for homeothermy in birds is correlated with the pattern of thyroid development and the extrathyroidal deiodinations of thyroid hormones. At the cellular level, deiodination effects on cellular T3 availability can protect T3 supply for critical developmental processes (e.g., in brain) or potentially play a role in the differentiation and maturation of various hormone-responsive tissues. Thyroid hormones, both alone and through interactions with other hormones and growth factors, also can influence intermediary metabolic responses that, in turn, play roles in growth and development.
The Smart Grid: Power for the 21 st century

The electric grid has been described by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering as the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century. Although the grid has benefited from many technological improvements, the structure of the world's electrical system has not changed much since the era of Thomas Edison: it is characterized by the one-way flow of electricity from carbon-producing centralized power generation plants to users who have little awareness of how much energy they consume and how they can be more efficient. The grid in most developed countries is aging and will require significant investment in the coming decades to replace outdated generation, transmission and distribution devices and systems in order to operate more efficiently, reliably and cleanly.
Fatal Rivalry, Flodden 1513: Henry VIII, James IV and the Battle for Renaissance Britain. By George Goodwin. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton, 2013. Pp. x, 288. $29.95.)

The author of this study effectively uses both primary and secondary sources to provide the reader with a detailed description of the battle of Flodden Field, Britain's last medieval and first earl...
Interpretation of full-azimuth broadband land data from Saudi Arabia and implications for improved inversion, reservoir characterization, and exploration

Interpretation of conventional land seismic data over a Permian-age gas field in Eastern Saudi Arabia has proven difficult over time due to low signal-to-noise ratio and limited bandwidth in the seismic volume. In an effort to improve the signal and broaden the bandwidth, newly acquired seismic data over this field have employed point receiver technology, dense wavefield sampling, a full azimuth geometry, and a specially designed sweep with useful frequencies as low as three hertz. The resulting data display enhanced reflection continuity and improved resolution. With the extension of low frequencies and improved interpretability, acoustic impedance inversion results are more robust and allow greater flexibility in reservoir characterization and prediction. In addition, because inversion to acoustic impedance is no longer completely tied to a wells-only low-frequency model, there are positive implications for exploration.
Charlotte Wilson, the “Woman Question”, and the Meanings of Anarchist Socialism in Late Victorian Radicalism

Recent literature on radical movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has re-cast this period as a key stage of contemporary globalization, one in which ideological formulations and radical alliances were fluid and did not fall neatly into the categories traditionally assigned by political history. The following analysis of Charlotte Wilson's anarchist political ideas and activism in late Victorian Britain is an intervention in this new historiography that both supports the thesis of global ideological heterogeneity and supplements it by revealing the challenge to sexual hierarchy that coursed through many of these radical cross-currents. The unexpected alliances Wilson formed in pursuit of her understanding of anarchist socialism underscore the protean nature of radical politics but also show an over-arching consensus that united these disparate groups, a common vision of the socialist future in which the fundamental but oppositional values of self and society would merge. This consensus arguably allowed Wilson's gendered definition of anarchism to adapt to new terms as she and other socialist women pursued their radical vision as activists in the pre-war women's movement.
Neighborhood social cohesion and youth participation in physical activity in Chicago.

Abstract Many young people do not meet recommended levels of participation in physical activity. Neighborhoods may play a role in supporting healthy behavior via social and physical environmental features. We examine whether neighborhood-levels of social cohesion, range of youth services and educational attainment were associated with participation in recreational programs and general physical activity among young people. Hierarchical regression analyses were carried out using data from 680 young people (ages 11–15 years at baseline) participating in the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. The participants' primary caregiver reported recreational program participation at baseline and self-reported general physical activity were assessed at follow-up 2–3 years later. Neighborhood-level characteristics were obtained from census data and via a community survey. Neighborhood social cohesion was inversely associated with participation in recreational programs at baseline, controlling for availability of neighborhood services for youth, neighborhood education status, race/ethnicity, individual-level parental education, overweight status, sex, and age. Residing in an area with greater social cohesion was directly associated with frequency of reported general physical activity, independent of previously reported participation in recreational programs and other neighborhood and individual-level covariates. The present findings suggest that neighborhood social cohesion influences participation in physical activity.
Obesity disparities among elementary-aged children: data from school-based BMI surveillance

OBJECTIVES: To examine 3-year trends and spatial clustering in the prevalence of obesity among elementary-aged children in Pennsylvania. METHODS: Height and weight were measured for ∼980 000 children between ages 5 and 12 years, corresponding to kindergarten through grade 6 in 3 consecutive school years (2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009). These data were obtained at the school district level and reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health in response to a state mandate requiring public schools to conduct annual surveillance of student growth. Analyses at the school district level ( n = 501) regarding obesity prevalence (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) according to age and gender were conducted to examine associations over time and in relation to population density, geographic boundaries, and a calculated family distress index. RESULTS: The mean prevalence of obesity remained stable over 3 years at ∼17.6% of elementary-aged children. However, within the state, significant differences in the prevalence of obesity were identified. Schools in the most rural areas had adjusted obesity prevalence over 2 percentage points higher than urban schools. Consistent with secular findings for the nation in general, students with families living in socioeconomic distress exhibited upward trends in obesity risk. CONCLUSIONS: School-based surveillance elucidates the disparate risk of obesity for younger students living in the most rural areas, a key finding for primarily rural states. Preventive interventions are needed to reach the most rural children with an emphasis on families where parents are single, are unemployed, have a lower income, and lower educational attainment.
Meeting the challenge of change

Health-care organizations and the physicians who work in them today face unprecedented change. This change can be managed successfully through proper use of four organizational practices: strategy, organization design, organization culture, and human resource practices. A fifth practice, pursuit of continuous improvement and personal mastery, allows the physician to adapt personally to change. This article describes how physicians may use these practices to meet the challenge of change.
Showcasing and subjugating minorities and women: Assignment to visible but trivial committees

Given social and legal pressures against employment discrimination, organizations often wish to present an impression of valuing diversity. However, an image of diversity is not necessarily indicative of a true commitment to diversity. To study this issue, we obtained data from 161 college students in a managerial in-basket exercise that assessed the extent to which students showcased racial minorities and women in high-visibility organizational roles. In addition, we examined the sincerity of visible displays of diversity by assessing whether participants subjugated minorities and women to trivial versus important roles. We found that our primary hypotheses were supported: Participants tended to assign female and Black employees to high-visibility roles and trivial roles.
Analog neural network circuits for ASIC fabrication

The design of high speed analog neural network (ANN) circuits suitable for ASIC fabrication is presented. The dependence of ANN performance in pattern recognition on device, circuit, and network characteristics is demonstrated. Alternative electrically alterable read only memory (EAROM) technologies for implementing analog neural networks are compared. >
Matrix metalloproteinases in kidney homeostasis and diseases

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent endopeptidases that have been increasingly linked to both normal physiology and abnormal pathology in the kidney. Collectively able to degrade all components of the extracellular matrix, MMPs were originally thought to antagonize the development of fibrotic diseases solely through digestion of excessive matrix. However, increasing evidence has shown that MMPs play a wide variety of roles in regulating inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. We now have robust evidence for MMP dysregulation in a multitude of renal diseases including acute kidney injury, diabetic nephropathy, glomerulonephritis, inherited kidney disease, and chronic allograft nephropathy. The goal of this review is to summarize current findings regarding the role of MMPs in kidney diseases as well as the mechanisms of action of this family of proteases.
Age-related identification of emotions at different image sizes.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine whether older adults are placed at a unique disadvantage in identifying emotions at small image sizes. BACKGROUND: Technologies relevant to older adults often display small images, though no studies have examined whether these systems are usable for this population. Given the importance of successful emotional processing, we draw on research showing age-related difficulties in processing negative emotions to examine older adults' performance on images with reduced sizes. METHODS: Sixty participants, 20 in each age group, were shown the names of emotions, followed by a facial expression, and were asked to indicate as rapidly as possible if they matched. RESULTS: For response time we found an interaction of age and window size, showing that older adults, unlike younger adults, are slower with small sizes than with large sizes. For accuracy, we found an interaction of age and emotion, indicating that older adults are less accurate in the perception of fearful, sad, and surprised stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Only older adults are disadvantaged by smaller images. Also, interactions of age and emotion reflect older adults' difficulty processing negative emotions. APPLICATIONS: Our results have implications for the design of videoconferencing technology and mobile systems and extend previous research on aging and emotion. Language: en
Toward a Critical Race Curriculum

(2002). Toward a Critical Race Curriculum. Equity & Excellence in Education: Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 93-107.
Strain-Free Total Resonant Sextet Benzenoids and Their Antisextet Dualists and Retro-Leapfrogs

The relationships between inner dual, dualist, sextet dualist, and antisextet dualist graphs and excised internal structures are fully delineated. It is proven that the antisextet dualist graph uniquely characterizes all strain-free benzenoids. At the same time, it is shown that the excised internal structure and dualist graph of the retro-leapfrog of all strain-free total resonant sextet benzenoids correspond to their antisextet dualist and sextet dualist graphs, respectively.
Osteoporosis and fracture risk: bone matrix quality.

Increased fracture risk is generally associated with the reduced bone mineral density (BMD) found in osteoporotic and osteopenic individuals, but the relationship between bone mass and fracture risk is an imperfect one. The results of anti-resorptive treatment on BMD and fracture risk provide the best example of this. The maximal fracture reduction with treatment occurs in the first year of treatment, whereas BMD continues to increase for at least several more years 1-4 . Black et al. in a meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials which used alendronate, raloxifene, calcitonin, estradiol, etidronate, risedronate or tiludronate found that the observed fracture risk reduction from anti-resorptive therapies was at least twice as large as would be expected from the changes in BMD alone 5 . Moreover, despite differences in the extent to which the different compounds increase BMD, reductions in spine fracture after three years are all similar 6
Non-Conservative Wave Interaction with Fixed Semi-Immersed Rectangular Structures

Previous attempts to analytically describe wave reflection and transmission at surface penetrating structures have neglected losses due to flow expansion, contraction, and skin drag along the structure boundaries (Black and Mei, 1970; Ijima, et al., 1972). The model described in this study includes these effects and allows for the inclusion of a dissipative medium such as rubble or closely spaced piles in the region beneath the structure. The problem of a fixed, two-dimensional structure in a train of monochromatic incident waves is modeled, as shown in Figure 1. The solution allows for 1) variable structure length and draft, 2) different depths in the regions fore, aft, and beneath the structure, 3) variable wave amplitude and period, and 4) turbulent and inertial damping in the region beneath the structure. An equivalent work technique is applied to linearize the damping beneath the structure, yielding a potential flow problem in all three regions. Amplitudes for the resulting series of eigenfunctions in each region are determined by matching pressure and horizontal mass flux at the region interfaces, orthogonalizing these expressions over the depth, and simultaneously solving the resulting equations to yield complex reflection and transmission coefficients. Complex horizontal and vertical force coefficients for the structure are also determined from the integrated Bernoulli equation. The solution technique is computationally efficient. In general, five modes in the eigen series provide satisfactory convergence for the various hydrodynamic parameters. Approximately six-tenths of a computer system second are required to solve for a single wave-structure condition. The results compare favorably with variational methods used by others.
Experimental study on peaking capability of a heating unit

By steam extraction test on a∏T-140/165-130/15-2type heating unit,the diagram reflecting relationship between the new steam flow rate and electric power under actual condition was drawn.Moreover,according to the unit's characteristics and actual heat load,the above diagram and the corresponding test data were analyzed and the power at different extraction flow rates was revised.Thus the peak regulation range at different heat loads was obtained.The results show that:with an increase in extraction flow,the unit's minimum electric power rose,and the maximum electric power grew first and then decreased;when the extraction flow was 60t/h, 120t/h,180t/h,240t/h,300t/h,and 360t/h,the unit's peak regulation range was 79.88MW, 77.98MW,67.35MW,61.11MW,55.88MW and 30.13MW,respectively,namely the higher of the extraction flow,the smaller of the unit's peak regulating range.
Scale-up and process integration of sugar production by acidolysis of municipal solid waste/corn stover blends in ionic liquids

Lignocellulosic biorefineries have tonnage and throughput requirements that must be met year round and there is no single feedstock available in any given region that is capable of meeting the price and availability demands of the biorefineries scheduled for deployment. Significant attention has been historically given to agriculturally derived feedstocks; however, a diverse range of wastes, including municipal solid wastes (MSW), also have the potential to serve as feedstocks for the production of advanced biofuels and have not been extensively studied. In addition, ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment with certain ILs is receiving great interest as a potential process that enables fractionation of a wide range of feedstocks. Acid catalysts have been used previously to hydrolyze polysaccharides into fermentable sugars following IL pretreatment, which could potentially provide a means of liberating fermentable sugars from lignocellulose without the use of costly enzymes. However, successful optimization and scale-up of the one-pot acid-assisted IL deconstruction for further commercialization involve challenges such as reactor compatibility, mixing at high solid loading, sugar recovery, and IL recycling, which have not been effectively resolved during the development stages at bench scale. Here, we present the successful scale-up demonstration of the acid-assisted IL deconstruction on feedstock blends of municipal solid wastes and agricultural residues (corn stover) by 30-fold, relative to the bench scale (6 vs 0.2 L), at 10% solid loading. By integrating IL pretreatment and acid hydrolysis with subsequent centrifugation and extraction, the sugar and lignin products can be further recovered efficiently. This scale-up development at Advanced Biofuels/Bioproducts Process Demonstration Unit (ABPDU) will leverage the opportunity and synergistic efforts toward developing a cost-effective IL-based deconstruction technology by drastically eliminating enzyme, reducing water usage, and simplifying the downstream sugar/lignin recovery and IL recycling. Results indicate that MSW blends are viable and valuable resource to consider when assessing biomass availability and affordability for lignocellulosic biorefineries. This scale-up evaluation demonstrates that the acid-assisted IL deconstruction technology can be effectively scaled up to larger operations and the current study established the baseline of scaling parameters for this process.
Global dynamics of a colorectal cancer treatment model with cancer stem cells

Abstract We present and analyze a mathematical model of the treatment of colorectal cancer using a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The model describes the effectiveness of immunotherapy and chemotherapy for treatment of tumor cells and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The effects of CD8+T cells, natural killer cells, and interleukin proteins on tumor cells and CSCs under the influence of treatment are also illustrated. Using the method of localization of compact invariant sets, we present conditions on treatment parameters to guarantee a globally attracting tumor clearance state. Numerical simulations using estimated parameters from the literature are included to showcase various global dynamics of the model.
Role of Minimally Invasive Surgery in Patients with Cirrhosis

Patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension are at increased risk of complications when undergoing surgery in the elective and acute setting for nonliver disease processes. When surgery is necessary in such patients many have previously advocated for traditional open surgery as it was felt that the risk of uncontrolled bleeding with laparoscopy was prohibitive. Recently, increased experience and expertise in laparoscopy, endoscopy, and other minimally invasive interventions has led to a re-evaluation of these ideas. Increasingly, laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques are being utilized in patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension to ever-greater effect. While such patients still constitute a high-risk population for surgery, the role and utility of minimally invasive surgical techniques continues to grow for these patients. Here we discuss the current knowledge on laparoscopic and endoscopic interventions for cirrhotic patients undergoing general, liver/hepatobiliary, and bariatric surgery as well as newly emerging endoscopic techniques.
Comparison of objective and subjective techniques of strabismus measurement in adults with normal retinal correspondence

Purpose Accurate measurement of strabismus is vital to proper diagnosis and treatment. Objective and subjective measurement techniques can be used. The authors hypothesized that subjective measurement techniques would measure larger deviations than objective ones. Methods Adults with strabismus, visual acuity greater than 20/50 in each eye, and normal retinal correspondence were measured in primary gaze at distance and near using the alternate prism and cover test and the red glass test. Results Seventy-three patients were prospectively enrolled. Objective mean deviations were 9.1 (distance horizontal), 5.1 (distance vertical), 10.0 (near horizontal), and 2.6 (near vertical) prism diopters (PD). Subjective mean deviations were 10.2 (distance horizontal), 6.8 (distance vertical), 12.2 (near horizontal), and 3.2 (near vertical) PD. Subjective measurements were larger by a statistically significant margin and were more likely to show the presence of a vertical deviation not measured objectively (19 occurrences vs 2 at near, P = .008; 15 occurrences vs 0 at distance, P = .004). The measured deviations were within 5 PD horizontally and 3 PD vertically most of the time (range: 66.7% to 83.6%). Conclusions The red glass test was more likely to measure a larger deviation at distance and near and to identify a vertical deviation not seen objectively at both distance and near. The mean difference between the tests was usually not large enough to affect surgical treatment, but could potentially result in different amounts of prescribed prism for patients treated optically. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2017;54(4):216-220.].
Use of the oxidase electrode to determine tumor cell metabolism of peroxide.

The purpose of the present study was to determine what factors govern cellular reduction of hydrogen peroxide. Both catalase and glutathione (GSH) peroxidase play a role in reducing peroxide, however, it has not been precisely determined to what degree each enzyme is involved. Therefore, we have studied the total capacity of two tumor cell lines to reduce peroxide as well as the contribution of each enzyme.
Computational analysis of the structural progression of human glomeruli in diabetic nephropathy

The glomerulus is the primary compartment of blood filtration in the kidney. It is a sphere of bundled, fenestrated capillaries that selectively allows solute loss. Structural damages to glomerular micro-compartments lead to physiological failures which influence filtration efficacy. The sole way to confirm glomerular structural damage in renal pathology is by examining histopathological or immunofluorescence stained needle biopsies under a light microscope. However, this method is extremely tedious and time consuming, and requires manual scoring on the number and volume of structures. Computational image analysis is the perfect tool to ease this burden. The major obstacle to development of digital histopathological quantification protocols for renal pathology is the extreme heterogeneity present within kidney tissue. Here we present an automated computational pipeline to 1) segment glomerular compartment boundaries and 2) quantify features of compartments, in healthy and diseased renal tissue. The segmentation involves a two stage process, one step for rough segmentation generation and another for refinement. Using a Naive Bayesian classifier on the resulting feature set, this method was able to distinguish pathological stage IIa from III with 0.89/0.93 sensitivity/specificity and stage IIb from III with 0.7/0.8 sensitivity/specificity, on n e 514 glomeruli taken from n e 13 human biopsies with diagnosed diabetic nephropathy, and n e 5 human renal tissues with no histological abnormalities. Our method will simplify computational partitioning of glomerular micro-compartments and subsequent quantification. We aim for our methods to ease manual labor associated with clinical diagnosis of renal disease.
Caloric Restriction, Aging and Oxidative Stress

Caloric restriction (also called dietary restriction or food restriction) is a consistently proven method of extending the mean and maximum life span in rats and mice based on reducing the total caloric intake without altering the intake of other essential dietary components.
Interleukin-4 Mediated Foreign Body Giant Cell Formation and Cytoskeletal Rearrangement on Poly(etherurethane Urea) In Vivo and In Vitro

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) mediated foreign body giant cell (FBGC) formation on poly(etherurethane urea) (PEUU) in vivo was studied using the subcutaneous cage system in mice. Purified goat anti-mouse IL-4 neutralizing antibody (IL4Ab), normal goat nonspecific control IgG (gtIgG), recombinant murine IL-4 (muIL4), or PBS was injected into the implanted cages containing PEUU every two days for 7 days. The injection of IL4Ab significantly decreased the FBGC density on PEUU cage-implanted in mice, when compared with the nonspecific gtlgG or PBS injection controls. Conversely, the FBGC density was significantly increased by the injection of muIL4 when compared with nonspecific gtIgG and PBS injection controls. Confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) was employed to visualize the spatial arrangement of the filamentous actin cytoskeleton of adherent macrophages and IL-4-induced FBGCs in vitro. Whereas the material surface-associated punctate actin structures occurred across the entire ventral cell surface in monocytes/macrophages cultured on PEUU, the structures became restricted to the periphery of the ventral cell surface upon addition of IL-4 as fused macrophages acquired FBGC phenotype. Our data suggest that IL-4 participates in FBGC formation on biomaterials in vivo and in vitro and that dramatic reorganization of the cytoskeleton occurs during FBGC formation.
Communication Codes and Error Control

Data and information are transmitted over communications facilities by the use of codes. A code is the representation of symbols used in the data or information. Such symbols are the numeric digits, the letters of the alphabet, and special characters of, say, a typewriter keyboard or the characters used in a graphic display. Collectively these symbols may be referred to as graphic characters, printable characters, etc.