cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The antifibrogenic effect of (−)-epigallocatechin gallate results from the induction of de novo synthesis of glutathione in passaged rat hepatic stellate cells

Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are the major players during hepatic fibrogenesis. Overproduction of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a characteristic of activated HSC. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is the most potent fibrogenic cytokine while connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) mediates the production of TGF-beta-induced ECM in activated HSC. HSC activation and hepatic fibrogenesis are stimulated by oxidative stress. Glutathione (GSH) is the most important intracellular antioxidant. The aim of this study is to explore the mechanisms of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the major and most active component in green tea extracts, in the inhibition of ECM gene expression in activated HSC. It is hypothesized that EGCG inhibits ECM gene expression in activated HSC by interrupting TGF-beta signaling through attenuating oxidative stress. It is found that EGCG interrupts TGF-beta signaling in activated HSC by suppressing gene expression of type I and II TGF-beta receptors. EGCG inhibits CTGF gene expression, leading to the reduction in the abundance of ECM, including alphaI(I) procollagen. Exogenous CTGF dose dependently eliminates the antifibrogenic effect. EGCG attenuates oxidative stress in passaged HSC by scavenging reactive oxygen species and reducing lipid peroxidation. De novo synthesis of GSH is a prerequisite for EGCG to interrupt TGF-beta signaling and to reduce the abundance of alphaI(I) procollagen in activated HSC in vitro. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the interruption of TGF-beta signaling by EGCG results in the suppression of gene expression of CTGF and ECM in activated HSC in vitro. In addition, our results, for the first time, demonstrate that the antioxidant property of EGCG derived from de novo synthesis of intracellular GSH plays a critical role in its antifibrogenic effect. These results provide novel insights into the mechanisms of EGCG as an antifibrogenic candidate in the prevention and treatment of liver fibrosis.
Facile Synthesis of (Phosphine)- and (N-heterocyclic Carbene)Gold(I) and Silver(I) Azide Complexes

Two general protocols for the synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene- or phosphine-ligated gold(I) and silver(I) azide complexes have been developed. The first utilizes thallium(I) acetylacetonate, followed by treatment with trimethylsilyl azide, while the second protocol exploits the relative weakness of d10 metal−oxygen bonds in the reaction of metal(I) acetate with trimethylsilyl azide. Both methods give products in high yield, but only the metal(I) acetate/trimethylsilyl azide method proceeds to completion for an N-heterocyclic carbene-ligated silver(I) acetate. The successful application of this method to silver(I) suggests that this nonaqueous protocol may have general applicability to late transition element or main group acetate precursors. Eight new complexes are reported, of which six are metal azides; four have been crystallographically characterized. Products have been characterized by vibrational and multinuclear NMR spectroscopies and combustion analysis. The synthesis methods described here pr...
Polymerase chain reaction analysis of hepatitis B virus DNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver biopsies from alcoholics using a simplified and standardized amplification protocol

Sixty-seven formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded liver biopsies from HBsAg-negative alcoholics without previous blood transfusions or intravenous drug abuse were analyzed for the presence of low-level hepatitis B virus DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. To simplify and standardize the amplification procedure, aliquots of a complete polymerase chain reaction mix were prepared and frozen for storage; random samples were tested prior to analysis of clinical material. Freezing and storage of the aliquots did not affect the activity of Taq polymerase. One large batch of ready-to-use aliquots could thus be used as a standardized polymerase chain reaction kit for all experiments. The suitability of the extracted material for polymerase chain reaction analysis was tested in two ways. First, the absence of nonspecific polymerase chain reaction inhibitors was demonstrated in all samples by amplifying cloned hepatitis B virus DNA in the presence of extracted material. Second, the integrity of the extracted DNA was tested by amplifying a segment of the beta-globin gene. Twenty-three samples were beta-globin DNA positive and thus contained sufficient amounts of nondegraded DNA. These results emphasize the importance of testing both the absence of nonspecific inhibitors and DNA integrity in DNA samples extracted from fixed tissue. Among the 23 beta-globin positive samples, 12 had cirrhosis (52.1%). Two of these samples were hepatitis B virus DNA positive (8.7%); one of these cases had cirrhosis. Thus, even in the absence of common risk factors, the incidence of hepatitis B virus in this alcoholic population was increased compared to the general population.
SystemC transaction level models and RTL verification

This paper describes how systems companies are adopting SystemC transaction level models for system on chip design and verification, and how these transaction level models are being reused for RTL verification. The paper discusses how the task of system verification is changing as systems become more complex and it discusses how companies are striving to eliminate fragmentation within their design and verification flows by leveraging SystemC transaction level models.
Discovery of Endothelial to Mesenchymal Transition as a Source for Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts

Activated fibroblasts are associated with many different tumors. Myofibroblasts, activated fibroblasts, and perivascular mesenchymal cells such as pericytes play a role in cancer progression. Many studies suggest that myofibroblasts facilitate tumor growth and cancer progression. The source for myofibroblasts and other activated fibroblasts within the tumors is still debated. Although de novo activation of quiescent fibroblasts into alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha SMA)-positive myofibroblasts is one likely source, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and bone marrow recruitment are also evolving as possible mechanisms for the emergence of a heterogeneous population of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts. Here, we show that transforming growth factor-beta1 could induce proliferating endothelial cells to undergo a phenotypic conversion into fibroblast-like cells. Such endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is associated with the emergence of mesenchymal marker fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP1) and down-regulation of CD31/PECAM. Additionally, we show EndMT in tumors using the B16F10 melanoma model and the Rip-Tag2 spontaneous pancreatic carcinoma model. Crossing Tie2-Cre mice with R26Rosa-lox-Stop-lox-LacZ mice allows for irreversible tagging of endothelial cells. We provide unequivocal evidence for EndMT at the invasive front of the tumors in these transgenic mice. Collectively, our results show that EndMT is a unique mechanism for the accumulation of carcinoma-associated fibroblasts and suggest that antiangiogenic treatment of tumors may have a direct effect in decreasing activated fibroblasts that likely facilitate cancer progression.
Modeling Propagation Dynamics of Bluetooth Worms

The growing popularity of mobile devices in the last few years has made them attractive to virus and worm writers. One communication channel exploited by mobile malware is the Bluetooth interface. In this paper, we present a detailed analytical model that characterizes the propagation dynamics of Bluetooth worms. Our model captures not only the behavior of the Bluetooth protocol but also the impact of mobility patterns on the Bluetooth worm propagation. Validation experiments against a detailed discrete-event Bluetooth worm simulator reveal that our model predicts the propagation dynamics of Bluetooth worms with high accuracy.
Peripheral arterial disease in diabetes: Is there a role for genetics?

Atherosclerotic occlusion of vessels outside of the heart is commonly referred to as peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The lower extremity is the most common site of PAD and its development is associated with the same risk factors involved in general atherosclerosis. However, there is emerging evidence that other risk factors may play a key role in the development of PAD. Over the past decade polymorphism in a number of genes has been shown to contribute to the risk of developing PAD. These genes can be classified into proartherosclerosis or proatherothrombosis based on the known gene function. Moreover, they can be categorized as “novel” polymorphism when the function of the genes is not known or when the specific gene within an associated genetic locus is not known. It is intriguing that not only are gene polymorphisms associated with PAD being identified, but more recently studies are now finding gene polymorphisms that may be important in development of this syndrome only in the contest of certain environmental factors such as diabetes. Currently how these gene–environment interactions contribute to the pathogenesis of PAD is poorly understood but will likely play a critical role in future understanding of this complex disease.
Transdermal opioids for cancer pain

Patients with moderate to severe malignancy-related pain frequently require the use of opioid pharmacotherapy. Unfortunately, many cancer patients continue to be prescribed subtherapeutic doses of pain medications resulting in undo suffering and diminished quality of life. The choice of analgesic pharmacotherapy should be individualized and based on the intensity and etiology of pain reported by the patient. Health care providers must be able to readily quantify the relative analgesic potency when converting from one opioid to another or from one route of administration to another. Transdermal fentanyl is effective and well tolerated pharmacotherapy for the cancer pain patients. However, clinicians need to be cognizant that the U.S./U.K. manufacturer's recommendations for equilalagesic dosing of transdermal fentanyl may result in initial doses that produce subtherapeutic levels and unrelieved pain in some patients. A more aggressive dosing algorithm for transdermal fentanyl using a 2:1 (mg/day of oral morphine: mcg/hr of transdermal fentanyl) conversion ratio that considers both a review of the literature and clinical experience should help clinicians individualize cancer pain pharmacotherapy. Transdermal buprenorphine is now being prescribed in Europe and Australia for chronic and cancer pain management. Buprenorphine's mixed agonist/antagonist activity, dosage ceiling, and high affinity to the opiate receptor limits its use to those patients who do not already require large daily doses of opioids. Thus, buprenorphine may not be an appropriate medication for some patients with advanced unremitting cancer pain.
Severe hyperkalaemia resulting from octreotide use in a haemodialysis patient

A 48-year-old man, with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis, presented to the emergency department with sulphonylurea-induced hypoglycaemia. His hypoglycaemia was persistent despite glucose infusion, so he was treated with octreotide. Octreotide administration reversed the hypoglycaemia but also resulted in severe hyperkalaemia. The patient was urgently dialysed, the octreotide was discontinued and his potassium normalized. We believe that the hyperkalaemia was caused by octreotide-induced insulin suppression and resultant impaired cellular potassium uptake. Although octreotide may be an effective therapy in refractory sulphonylurea-induced hypoglycaemia, it should be used with caution in patients on dialysis.
Gastrointestinal Helminths of Six Sympatric Species of Leptodactylus from Tocantins State, Brazil

Abstract A total of 107 leptodactylid frogs representing 6 species, Leptodactylus fuscus (n = 15), Leptodactylus leptodactyloides (n = 9), Leptodactylus mystaceus (n = 2), Leptodactylus ocellatus (n = 31), Leptodactylus petersii (n = 31), and Leptodactylus pustulatus (n = 19), collected in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, were examined for helminths. One species of Digenea (Catadiscus marinholutzi), 6 species of Nematoda (adults of Cosmocerca podicipinus, Ochoterenella scalaris, Oswaldocruzia proencai, and Schrankiana larvata and larvae of Brevimulticaecum sp. and Physaloptera sp.), and 1 species of Acanthocephala (as cystacanths) were found. The mean number of helminth species infecting each frog species was 3.3 ± 2.1 SD, with a range of 1–7. Ten new host records are reported.
The transcription T-bet is required for optimal proinflammatory trafficking of CD4+ T cells

Background: The transcription factor T-bet is a critical regulator of Th1 effector function. Animals deficient in T-bet are protected from a variety of inflammatory diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and inflammatory arthritis. An essential function of Th1 cells is the ability to traffic appropriately to sites of inflammation, which is largely dependent on the expression of specific selectin ligands and chemokine receptors. We therefore hypothesised that T-bet would modulate lymphocyte trafficking in vitro and in vivo by direct regulation of both selectin binding and chemokine function. Methods: Balb/c mice deficient in, or transgenic for, T-bet had been generated previously. T-bet\(^{-/-}\) × DO11.10 TCR and T-bet\(^{-/-}\) × IFN\(^{-/-}\) mice were generated by backcrossing for >10 generations. CD4\(^+\) T cells were generated from primary lymph nodes from all these mice by positive selection and stimulation with appropriate antigen. Functional analysis used the following four methods: adoptive transfer into WT Balb/c mice, which were then injected with OVA, cells were harvested from the spleen, lymph node and peritoneum; selectin binding, interactions with immoblised P-selectin and E-selectin under conditions of laminar flow were examined in a parallel plate flow chamber; expression of selectin ligands, using flow cytometry, real-time PCR and 35S incorporation; and chemokine receptor expression and function, using flow cytometry, real-time PCR, transwell chemotaxis and endothelial binding under flow conditions. Results: Selective migration of T-bet\(^{-/-}\) CD4\(^+\) T cells in a Th1-dependent model of peritoneal inflammation was completely abrogated. Further investigation revealed that this effect was due to a 50% reduction in binding to P-selectin but not E-selectin under in vitro flow conditions and that this was as a result of impaired tyrosine sulfation of PSGL-1. In addition, mRNA and surface expression of CXCR3, but not CCR5, was reduced and this was associated with a reduction in both transwell chemotaxis and binding to endothelial cells. Retroviral transfer experiments of T-bet cDNA into T-bet\(^{-/-}\) and T-bet\(^{-/-}\) × IFN\(^{-/-}\) cells demonstrated that these effects were independent of interferon. Conclusions: These data establish that T-bet imprints a specific migratory program onto developing CD4\(^+\) cells via control of PSGL-1 sulfation (and thus P-selectin binding) and CXCR3 expression and function. Furthermore, as E-selectin and CCR5 binding are unimpaired, this reveals a level of control on trafficking of Th1 lymphocytes not recognised by previous paradigms.
Ecological Nitrogen Limitation Shapes the DNA Composition of Plant Genomes

Phenotypes and behaviors respond to resource constraints via adaptation, but the influence of ecological limitations on the composition of eukaryotic genomes is still unclear. We trace connections between plant ecology and genomes through their elemental composition. Inorganic sources of nitrogen (N) are severely limiting to plants in natural ecosystems. This constraint would favor the use of N-poor nucleotides in plant genomes. We show that the transcribed segments of undomesticated plant genomes are the most N poor, with genomes and proteomes bearing signatures of N limitation. Consistent with the predictions of natural selection for N conservation, the precursors of transcriptome show the greatest deviations from Chargaff's second parity rule. Furthermore, crops show higher N contents than undomesticated plants, likely due to the relaxation of natural selection owing to the use of N-rich fertilizers. These findings indicate a fundamental role of N limitation in the evolution of plant genomes, and they link the genomes with the ecosystem context within which biota evolve.
Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopic Study of Reactive Acyl Intermediates Relevant to Cobalt-Catalyzed Carbonylations1

Time-resolved infrared spectroscopic studies have been used to characterize the reactive intermediate CH3C(O)Co(CO)2PPh3 (ICo), which is relevant to the mechanism of the catalysis of alkene hydroformylation by the phosphine-modified cobalt carbonyls. Step-scan FTIR and (variable) single-frequency time-resolved infrared detection on the microsecond time scale were used to record the spectrum of ICo and to demonstrate that the principal photoproduct of the subsequent reaction of this species at PCO = 1 atm is the methyl cobalt complex CH3Co(CO)3PPh3 (MCo). At higher PCO the trapping of ICo with CO to re-form CH3C(O)Co(CO)3PPh3 (ACo) (rate = kCO[CO][ICo]) was shown to become competitive with the rate of acetyl-to-cobalt methyl migration to give MCo (rate = kM[ICo]). Activation parameters for the competing pathways in benzene were determined to be ΔH⧧CO = 5.7 ± 0.4 kJ mol-1, ΔS ⧧CO = −91 ± 12 J mol-1 K-1 and ΔH ⧧M = 40 ± 2 kJ mol-1, ΔS ⧧M = −19 ± 5 J mol-1 K-1. The effects of varying the solvent on the compet...
Simultaneous repetition-rate multiplication and envelope control based on periodic phase-only and phase-mostly line-by-line pulse shaping

We experimentally demonstrate simultaneous pulse repetition-rate multiplication and periodic pulse-to-pulse peak-intensity control based on optimized periodic spectral line-by-line pulse shaping. Accordingly, the method allows us to generate multiplied pulse trains in which the amplitude of each single pulse in a period can be arbitrarily tailored. The technique is illustrated with the generation of 4×9 GHz arbitrary periodic pulse trains, including binary code patterns, from a 9 GHz uniform input pulse train. Special attention is paid to pulse train generation based on all-pass line-by-line filters.
Understanding the Behavior of Bank Spreads in Latin America

Over the last decade, many countries in Latin America have eliminated interest rate ceilings, reduced reserve requirements, and stopped direct credit controls. These market-oriented reforms have encouraged financial deepening, thereby producing considerable economic benefits to the countries. Nevertheless, the persistence of high interest rate spreads has been a disquieting outcome of the reforms. This paper explores the determinants of bank spreads in a systematic way for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay during the mid-1990s. The analysis shows that high operating costs raise spreads as do high levels of non-performing loans, although the size of these effects differs across the countries. In addition, reserve requirements in a number of countries still act as a tax on banks that gets translated into a higher spread. Beyond bank specific variables, uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment facing banks appears to increase interest spreads. The combination of these microeconomic and macroeconomic factors is a cause for concern in Latin America. As spreads widen, the cost of using the financial system becomes prohibitive to some potential borrowers. In addition, the results suggest that bank capital requirements may not prevent excessive risk taking by banks when bank spreads are high.
Mapping Elevations of Tidal Wetland Restoration Sites in San Francisco Bay: Comparing Accuracy of Aerial Lidar with a Singlebeam Echosounder

Abstract The southern edge of San Francisco Bay is surrounded by former salt evaporation ponds, where tidal flow has been restricted since the mid to late 1890s. These ponds are now the focus of a large wetland restoration project, and accurate measurement of current pond bathymetry and adjacent mud flats has been critical to restoration planning. Aerial light detection and ranging (lidar) has become a tool for mapping surface elevations, but its accuracy had rarely been assessed for wetland habitats. We used a singlebeam echosounder system we developed for surveying shallow wetlands to map submerged pond bathymetry in January of 2004 and compared those results with aerial lidar surveys in two ponds that were dry in May of 2004. From those data sets, we compared elevations for 5164 (Pond E9, 154 ha) and 2628 (Pond E14, 69 ha) echosounder and lidar points within a 0.375-m radius of each other (0.750-m diameter lidar spot size). We found that mean elevations of the lidar points were lower than the echosound...
Self- and cross-phase modulation of high-intensity laser beams emerging from a diamond-turned KDP wedge

The Laboratory for Laser Energetics plans to install KDP wedges on each beam line of the OMEGA laser system in order to improve the on-target laser uniformity by decreasing the instantaneous speckle through spatial averaging of the two resultant orthogonally polarized beams. The proposed wedge-production method, diamond turning, produces small residual scratch marks, causing each beam to acquire a pseudorandom phase perturbation. In addition, the orthogonally polarized beams interfere such that their combined polarization state continuously cycles through all elliptical states along any transverse plane. Since the nonlinear refractive index depends on the polarization state, intense beams accumulate a periodic phase perturbation that is greater for linear polarization. Propagation of both types of phase perturbation yields an intensity modulation that tends to be larger in the neighborhood of linear polarization, through a combination of diffraction and self- and cross-phase modulation. However, one- and two-dimensional calculations using a symmetrized split-step Fourier method demonstrate that diamond-turned KDP wedges are not a significant source of intensity modulation under OMEGA laser conditions. Installation of diamond-turned rather than polished wedges will reduce costs without adversely affecting the system performance.
Vapor Pressure, Enthalpy, Evaporation Coefficient, and Enthalpy of Activation of the Beryllium Nitride (Be3N2) Decomposition Reaction

Beryllium nitride (Be3N2) vaporizes congruently in the range 1640° to 1960°K by the reaction Be, N2(c) = 3Be(g) + N2(g). The equilibrium nitrogen partial pressure, in atmospheres, at the composition for congruent sublimation is given by the expression log PN2= [(–1.952 ± 0.038) × 104]T−1+ (6.509 ± 0.207). The measured enthalpy of decomposition (370 ± 5 kcal at 298° K) yields an enthalpy of formation for Be3N2(c) of –136 ± 6 kcal/mole. The upper limit to the evaporation coefficient at 1600° to 2000°K can be set as 10–4 by comparison of equilibrium data to Langmuir data obtained with a sample of 18% porosity. The apparent enthalpy of activation for the reaction is 409 ± 7 kcal/mole at 1800°K for the porous Langmuir specimen. An expression is developed to predict the temperature dependence of the reduced apparent pressures in Knudsen studies of substances with low evaporation coefficients in terms of the enthalpy of activation. The variation in temperature dependence of the Langmuir measurements and Knudsen measurements with three different-sized orifices is consistent with predictions from this expression.
Contemporary challenges in translating biomarker evidence into clinical practice.

With acute heart failure (AHF) being one of the most common and costly reasons for hospitalizations in the U.S., establishing the clinical utility of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and aminoterminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing has been an important advance in this area.
HBT Interferometry with Rescattering in the Medium

We derive the identical-particle correlation function when the particles are allowed to elastically rescatter in the medium in which they were produced. We then specialize to the case where the scatterers are static, localized potentials. In one dimension the correlation function is unaffected by the rescattering. In three dimensions, and with a Gaussian source, the ratio Rout/Rside increases with momentum from less than one to more than one. Specific numbers are used to illustrate kaon interferometry.
Attitudes Toward Marriage, Partner Availability, and Interracial Dating Among Black College Students From Historically Black and Predominantly White Institutions

This study examined attitudes toward marriage, perceptions of partner availability, and attitudes toward interracial dating among Black male and female college students at two historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and one predominately White institution (PWI). Most students had positive attitudes toward marriage, with women significantly more favorable than men. While both men and women reported insufficient romantic partner options, female students at PWIs were significantly more likely to report insufficient partner options than male students and those at HBCUs. Most students (72.6%) were favorable toward interracial dating, but males at HBCUs had more positive attitudes. However, students at HBCUs were more unsupportive of interracial dating than those at PWIs, and females at both types of institutions reported more unfavorable attitudes toward interracial dating than males. Findings reveal gender and contextual differences in attitudes and suggest a need for more nuanced studies of Black co...
Iron Content of Intact Placentas and Cords

l)e cent (If the wet weight of the organs. In a study of 143 German women, I\’Iischel4 found that the total iron ill the blood and tissue of the placentas averaged 1 l . 1 amid 4.2 mug., respectively, Tier 100 gin. of wet saniple. \Iore inforniation on the iron content of placelltas is needed in the evaluation of the iron requirement during pregnancy. The Inajority of investigations of this problem have been completed outside the United States, and few details of such factors as diet, prenatal medications and delivery procedures are ineluded, all of which mnay influence placental iroli losses. It appeared worthwhile, therefore, to collect intact placentas and their cords froni the delivery room of the State Uiiiversity of Iowa Hospitals in order to evaluate this iiiaterial ili niaternal iron loss.
Solvothermal Growth and Photophysical Characterization of a Ruthenium(II) Tris(2,2′-Bipyridine)-Doped Zirconium UiO-67 Metal Organic Framework Thin Film

A thin film of a RuII(bpy)2(dcbpy)Cl2, RuDCBPY, doped metal–organic framework of Zr6O4(OH)4(bpdc)6, RuDCBPY-UiO67 (where bpy is 2,2′-bipyridine, dcbpy is 5,5′-dicarboxyphenyl-2,2′-bipyridine, and bpdc is 4,4′-biphenyldicarboxylic acid), has been prepared on fluorine-doped tin oxide and glass slides solvothermally. The film is shown to be isostructural with UiO-67 and similarly doped RuDCBPY-UiO67 powders. The photophysical properties of the film show significant line broadening of the diffuse reflectance spectra, a successive red shift of the emission maxima, and biphasic kinetics with increased RuDCBPY doping of UiO-67 films above 10 mm. The two lifetime components are consistent with a dual population of RuDCBPY within the UiO-67 material: a population of RuDCBPY incorporated into the framework of UiO-67 replacing a bpdc ligand and a second population of RuDCBPY encapsulated within the octahedral cavities. The RuDCBPY dopant within the UiO-67 films interact with each other and undergo self-quenching via...
Invasive Assessment of Coronary Physiology Predicts Late Mortality After Heart Transplantation

Background—The aim of this study is to determine the prognostic value of invasively assessing coronary physiology early after heart transplantation. Methods and Results—Seventy-four cardiac transplant recipients had fractional flow reserve, coronary flow reserve, index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR), and intravascular ultrasound performed down the left anterior descending coronary artery soon after (baseline) and 1 year after heart transplantation. The primary end point was the cumulative survival free of death or retransplantation at a mean follow-up of 4.5±3.5 years. The cumulative event-free survival was significantly lower in patients with a fractional flow reserve <0.90 at baseline (42% versus 79%; P=0.01) or an IMR ≥20 measured 1 year after heart transplantation (39% versus 69%; P=0.03). Patients in whom IMR decreased or did not change from baseline to 1 year had higher event-free survival compared with patients with an increase in IMR (66% versus 36%; P=0.03). Fractional flow reserve <0.90 at...
Ethical approaches to possible unethical behavior in a physician colleague: A systematic approach

Dr Mose, a busy dermatologic surgeon, regularly sees patients referred from other dermatologists and primary care providers. On a busy Monday morning, he enters the room and greets Mr Scale, a patient with an apparent history of multiple dysplastic nevi, who was referred by his general dermatologist, Dr Shade, for treatment of a severely dysplastic nevus on the left side of his neck. Mr Scale hands the dermatopathology report to Dr Mose, which reflects a total of 11 biopsy specimens taken at his last visit, 7 demonstrating banal junctional nevi, 3 showing mildly dysplastic nevi, and 1 showing the severely dysplastic nevus. Mr Scale states that he usually has this many biopsy specimens taken when he sees Dr Shade on a monthly basis. Dr Mose checks his electronic medical record system and notices that he has seen several referrals from Dr Shade in the past, all of which have come with biopsy reports reflecting 8 or more biopsy sites per visit.
Thyroid dysfunction following bone marrow transplantation using hyperfractionated radiation

Thyroid dysfunction has been reported following single dose and fractionated radiation in the context of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Limited data are available regarding this complication following hyperfractionated radiation. We undertook a retrospective analysis of thyroid function in 150 patients who received BMT at our institution, and who were alive and diseasefree for at least 1 year after transplant. There were 100 pediatric patients and 50 adult patients, with a median follow-up of 6.2 years for the whole group. These patients had acute (n=91) or chronic leukemias (n=36), severe aplastic anemia (n=18) or immunodeficiency disorders (n=5). The majority of the patients received radiation-based cytoreductive regimens including 129 patients who received hyperfractionated total body irradiation (TBI) to a total dose of 1375 cGy or 1500 cGy and 10 patients who received total lymphoid irradiation (TLI) to a total dose of 600 cGy. Twenty two patients of the cohort of 150 patients (14.7%) and 21 of the 139 patients (15.1% who received hyperfractionated radiation were found to have developed hypothyroidism, 11-88 months after transplant (median 49 months). Eight patients had received 1375 cGy and 12 patients 1500 cGy TBI, while one patient was treated with 600 cGy TLI and one patient was treated with chemotherapy only (busulfan and cyclophosphamide). Three patients had primary thyroid failure with an elevated TSH and a low T4 index, while 19 patients had compensated hypothyroidism with an elevated TSH but a normal T4 index. Six of eight patients with untreated compensated hypothyroidism recovered spontaneously. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the incidence of thyroid dysfunction at 6 years after transplant for any of the following risk factors: age, sex, diagnosis, dose of TBI, type of BMT or the presence or absence of chronic GVHD. In summary, we observed primary hypothyroidism in 15.1% of patients following BMT using hyperfractionated radiation, which is lower than that described after a single dose, but comparable to that associated with fractionated irradiation
The Artist-Teacher: Models of Experiential Learning

At its very best, the study of art education in higher education is a rich field of inquiry that knows no bounds. At its worst, it is a subject that has separated learning from the contemporary art field and left us with a fleet of teachers more concerned with meeting standards and developing lesson plans. In contrast, the concept of the artist-teacher is rooted in the nineteenth century but has ramifications for the contemporary classroom. Through a review of several art teachers in higher education, their studio and classroom work is analyzed in order to highlight artistic dispositions that translate into educational practice.
Towards an anthropological historical archaeology in Greece

During the past three decades, various techniques and theoretical approaches developed by anthropological archaeologists have made steady inroads into the study of Greek prehistory. Most Aegean prehistorians are now conversant with survey methods, absolute chronometric techniques, ecological models, and the issues raised by the New Archaeology. Scholars who deal with historical periods (Archaic through Early Modern, i.e., 8th century b.c. to 15th century a.d.), however, have, with a few notable exceptions, been slower to adopt such innovations. For example, Late Roman and Byzantine archaeologists infrequently discuss issues of local subsistence, settlement hierarchies based on survey data, and theoretical models of social change. Chronologically, Aegean archaeologists largely ignore the period between the 16th and 20th centuries. This article reviews a series of recent efforts that attempt to introduce such theoretical and methodological approaches to historical archaeology in Greece. Among these developments are nonsite survey, geophysical prospecting, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for predictive modeling, and the application of various theoretical approaches as explanatory frameworks. This paper provides an historical overview of the forces that led historical archaeology along different paths in North America and Greece, respectively, points out recent trends that signal a convergence, and presents examples of such research from various projects in Greece.
Computing minimum-cardinality diagnoses by model relaxation

We propose a new approach based on model relaxation to compute minimum-cardinality diagnoses of a (faulty) system: We obtain a relaxed model of the system by splitting nodes in the system and compile the abstraction of the relaxed model into DNNF. Abstraction is obtained by treating self-contained sub-systems called cones as single components. We then use a novel branch-and-bound search algorithm and compute the abstract minimum-cardinality diagnoses of the system, which are later refined hierarchically, in a careful manner, to get all minimum-cardinality diagnoses of the system. Experiments on ISCAS-85 benchmark circuits show that the new approach is faster than the previous state-of-the-art hierarchical approach, and scales to all circuits in the suite for the first time.
Synergic security for smart water networks: redundancy, diversity, and hardening

Smart water networks can provide great benefits to our society in terms of efficiency and sustainability. However, smart capabilities and connectivity also expose these systems to a wide range of cyber attacks, which enable cyber-terrorists and hostile nation states to mount cyber-physical attacks. Cyber-physical attacks against critical infrastructure, such as water treatment and distribution systems, pose a serious threat to public safety and health. Consequently, it is imperative that we improve the resilience of smart water networks. We consider three approaches for improving resilience: redundancy, diversity, and hardening. Even though each one of these "canonical" approaches has been throughly studied in prior work, a unified theory on how to combine them in the most efficient way has not yet been established. In this paper, we address this problem by studying the synergy of these approaches in the context of protecting smart water networks from cyber-physical contamination attacks.
Protecting web contents against persistent distributed crawlers

Web crawlers have been misused for several malicious purposes such as downloading server data without permission from the website administrator. In this paper, based on one observation that normal users and malicious crawlers have different short-term and long-term download behaviors, we develop a new anti-crawler mechanism called PathMarker to detect and constrain persistent distributed crawlers. For each URL, by adding a marker to record its parent page that leads to the access to this URL and the user identity who accesses this URL, we can not only perform more accurate heuristic detection and Support Vector Machine (SVM) based machine learning detection to detect malicious crawlers at an earlier stage, but also dramatically suppress the efficiency of crawlers before they are detected. We deploy our approach on a forum website, and the evaluation results show that PathMarker can quickly capture all 6 open-source and in-house crawlers.
Measuring multimodal deformations in soft inflatable actuators using embedded strain sensors

The intrinsic mechanical compliance that makes soft robotic systems ideal for safe, adaptive physical interactions in the presence of uncertainty also poses significant challenges in control. The highly-nonlinear deformations that soft robots undergo are difficult to model and predict, and are even harder to measure and modulate when the soft structures are exposed to complex mechanical loads. This paper presents a method for tracking the deformation modes of soft inflatable bending actuators used in grasp assist devices. Soft strain sensors are designed and strategically placed within the body of a bending actuator to allow measurement of the primary deflection mode — flexion/extension — and measurement of axial twist and lateral deflection modes which are induced by grasping forces. Multimodal bending sensor prototypes were tested independently and embedded in pneumatic bending actuators. Results demonstrated varying levels of measurement accuracy and highlighted the challenges of tracking motion in soft devices. Multimodal sensors were also evaluated in a virtual proprioception experiment and demonstrated efficacy in providing sensory capabilities for human augmentation devices.
Eye Care for Elderly Americans with Diabetes Mellitus: Failure to Meet Current Guidelines

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to understand current pattern of eye care use among people with diabetes. Methods: Study population included 175,015 Medicare beneficiaries who had physician-diagnosed diabetes. The authors estimated overall rate of eye care visits among these beneficiaries in 1992 and 1993 using Medicare physician claims data. In combination of Area Resource File, the authors examined association of eye care use with demographic characteristics, regional socio-economic characteristics, and regional eye care provider supply. Results: Fifty-three percent of the population had at least 1 eye care visit in a 1-year period and 67% in a 2-year period. Younger age (ages Conclusion: The findings suggest that a large portion of elderly people with diabetes is not obtaining the necessary eye care, especially blacks, men, and those residing in poor areas with fewer ophthalmologists.
Why Counterinsurgents Should Follow the Laws of War

In recent years, however, many have argued that the United States and its allies in counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations can ignore the laws of war. They argue that the laws of war are based on the concept of reciprocity between states, and because terrorists and insurgents do not comply with the law, the United States need not do so either. However, reciprocity in the laws of war is based on strategic premises that are inapplicable under a win-the-population counterinsurgency strategy. Counterinsurgency instead suggests the principle of exemplarism as a foundation for the complying with the laws of war. Exemplarism is an inherently asymmetric approach. It holds that a party can be bound to law regardless of the actions of other parties. In doing so, the exemplarist state gains in prestige, legitimacy, and power. While humanitarian justifications always remain a powerful reason for counterinsurgents to follow the laws of war, the principle of exemplarism is a response to the war on terror theorists who assert that states have no self-interested reason to follow the laws of war in asymmetrical conflicts.
Counterfactual Reasoning: Public Policy Aspects

Counterfactual arguments arise whenever analysts draw causal inferences about the impact either of policies that were adopted (what would have happened if they were not) or of policies that were rejected (what would have happened if they were adopted). Do such counterfactual arguments, however, advance our understanding of public policy? Although political partisans often use counterfactuals to justify predetermined conclusions, not all such arguments are thinly veiled tautologies. This article documents: (a) a pressing need to be explicit about standards for evaluating competing claims; (b) an unfortunate tendency in the scholarly literature to oscillate between dismissing dissonant counterfactuals as hopelessly speculative and proclaiming favorite counterfactuals as self-evidently true. If debates are not to reduce to expressions of ideological taste, it is necessary to articulate standards of evidence and proof that transcend rival schools of thought. To this end, the article advances a provisional taxonomy of standards for judging counterfactual claims that includes logical tests (clarity and cotenability), historical tests (the minimal-rewrite rule), theoretical and statistical tests (consistency with known laws and regularities), and projectability (capacity to stimulate accurate predictions in other policy contexts).
Analyzing Opportunistic Request Routing in Wireless Cache Networks

To address the explosive increase in mobile data traf- fic in recent years, content caching at storage-enabled network nodes has been proposed. Alongside, a variety of forwarding strategies have been developed for wireless networks that exploit the broadcast nature of the wireless medium and the presence of time-varying fading channels to improve user performance. A widely popular forwarding strategy is opportunistic routing that opportunistically selects nodes that overhear packet transmis- sions to serve as ad hoc relays to forward the packet. In this paper, we investigate the request routing delay of a greedy opportunistic routing strategy for cache-enabled wireless networks considering uncorrelated and temporally correlated Rayleigh fading wireless channels. To this end, we develop Markovian models, leverage the wireless channel characteristics to determine the transition probabilities and then utilize them to obtain the request routing delay. Via numerical evaluation and simulation, we demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of our model in determining the request routing delay. We also investigate the impact of network parameters on performance through our experiments. Our work takes a step forward in providing network operators a tool for analyzing network performance before deploying their networks.
Correlated Parlay Betting: An Analysis of Betting Market Profitability Scenarios in College Football

In this paper we consider the case of potential “correlated parlays” in American college football wagering. The structure of college football games is such that games in which favorites prevail in “against-the-spread” (spread) bets are expected to be more likely to go over the posted “total” of the game. Using a longitudinal data set over the years from 2005-2015, our findings confirm this to be the case. However, to prevent bettors from utilizing this trend to profit in their wagers, many sportsbooks disallow some, or all, same-game parlay bets. Consequently, we find that sportsbooks have generally been too conservative in refusing such bets and have thus foregone profitability in the vast majority of betting situations. This analysis opens a new line of discussion in the area of sports market efficiency research – that of correlated parlay betting. We consider this case and present potential directions for future research.
Shakespeare Productions in the UK: A Sense of Return—“‘Tis Here, ‘Tis Here, ‘Tis Gone”

This chapter considers select stage productions in the UK during the Interwar period, while keeping in mind the cross-pollination of actors and directors that produced a dynamic charge moving across Europe, as well as traveling both ways across the Atlantic. After first focusing on Olivier’s Hamlet productions in order to consider the three returns of King Hamlet’s Ghost as an analogue to Chamberlain’s three visits to try to appease Hitler, I turn my attention to the production of Troilus and Cressida (1938) mounted at the Westminster Theatre in London. Moving from London to Stratford, I conclude by critiquing The Merchant of Venice (1933, 1934) and Macbeth (1934) directed by the Russian emigre Theodore Komisarjevsky at the newly opened Stratford Memorial Theatre.
Librarians and Administrators on Academic Library Impact Research: Characteristics and Perspectives

This study surveyed librarians, researchers, administrators, and others engaged in research on the impact of academic libraries on student success. This study, sponsored by an ACRL Impact Grant, specifically sought to expand the ACRL Academic Library Impact report, which defined strategic directions for library impact research, largely defined from the perspective of high-level administrators. This study addressed this limitation by surveying and interviewing professional librarians who are directly conducting library impact research, asking about their research experience, their attitudes about impact research, and their response to the ACRL report. Notable findings include differences in attitudes between librarians and library administrators about the helpfulness of impact research, administrators’ greater agreement with the ACRL report themes, and some pushback among librarians regarding quantitative impact research who are interested in qualitative research and findings that lead to more actionable improvement.
Venous structures can mimic masses in the foramen magnum.

Abstract Benign enhancing lesions at the foramen magnum is a recently described entity and believed to represent a varix or ganglion. These lesions are typically described as being single, located posterior to the intradural vertebral artery, and not attached to the dura. These 2 cases demonstrate previously undescribed variations in appearance of these lesions including contacting the posterior inferior cerebellar artery and lateral epidural plexus/dura, segmental dilatations, transverse and linear configuration, and visualization on an unenhanced CT head. These lesions most likely reflect bridging veins and are structures that clinicians should be aware of to avoid unnecessary follow-up or surgical intervention.