cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Safety and efficacy of teimisartan for the treatment of essential hypertension

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of telmisartan in the treatment of pa- tients with mild to moderate hypertension.Methods:One hundred patients with mild to moderate hyper- tension were given telmisartan 80mg/d for eight weeks.The efficacy was evaluated based on the clinical outcomes pre-and post-therapy change of blood pressure,including heart rate,blood biochemical and hematological tests.Results:The telmisartan-treated patients experienced significant reductions of systol- ic and diastolic pressure from(159.5±16.4)mmHg/(101.5±7.1)mmHg to(145.4±20)mmHg/ (93.4±10)mmHg(P＜0.01),the levels of creatinine/uric acid and serum triglyceride from(64.55±15.17)/(289.52±110.35)μmmol·L~(-1)and(1.9±1.51)mmol·L~(-1)to(59.84±13.49)/(256.47±78.07)/μmmol·L~(-1)(P＜0.01)and(1.57±1.18)mmol·L~(-1)(p＜0.05).No significant differences of heart rate,liver and renal functions and other blood biochemical outcomes were found.Conclusion: Telmisartan offers a safe and effective therapy for patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
Discussion Paper An Assessment of the Criticisms of the Principle of Profit Maximization

This brief paper outlines the basis of the criticisms of the principle of profit maximization. Further it attempts to assess the validity of the criticisms of the principle of profit maximization as it relates to theory of the firm. Its conclusion is that there is no evidence of a single and comprehensive alternative model or theory that inclusively cover firms working under different market conditions such as perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition and oligopoly.
Intrinsic radioactivity of KSr 2 I 5 :Eu 2+

A current need in nuclear security is an economical, yet high energy resolution (near 2%), scintillation detector suitable for gamma-ray spectroscopy. For current scintillators on the market, there is an inverse relationship between scintillator energy resolution and cost of production. A new promising scintillator, KSr2I5:Eu2+, under development at the University of Tennessee, has achieved an energy resolution of 2.4% at 662 keV at room temperature, with potential growth rates exceeding several millimeters per hour. However, the internal background due to the 40K content could present a hurdle for effective source detection/identification in nuclear security applications. As a first step in addressing this question, this paper reports on a computational investigation of the intrinsic differential pulse height spectrum (DPHS) generated by 40K within the KSr2I5:Eu2+ scintillator as a function of crystal geometry. It was found that the DPHS remains relatively equal to a constant multiplicative factor of the negatron emission spectrum with a direct increase of the 1.46 MeV photopeak relative height to the negatron spectrum with volume. Further, peak pileup does not readily manifest itself for practical KSr2I5:Eu2+ volumes.
Functional Properties of T Lymphocytes

The T lymphocyte population represents a heterogeneous class of immunocompetent cells endowed with a variety of immunological functions. The term “helper” cell arose as a qualitative description of the overall functional effect of T lymphocyte participation in humoral immune responses to a variety of antigens that fall in the T-dependent category. This functional effect is manifested as facilitation of the antibody response in terms of magnitude, class, affinity, and the quality and quantity of immunological memory upon recall stimulation. In general, comparable qualitative effects of helper T cells are manifested in cell-mediated immune reactions in terms of generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and allograft rejection. Helper T lymphocytes have been distinguished from certain other T lymphocytes on functional, physical, and morphological grounds. By definition, helper T lymphocytes are distinguished functionally from suppressor T lymphocytes by virtue of the ultimate biological effect they exert. As one might expect with a heterogeneous population of cells, there is considerable overlap among various functional subpopulations of T lymphocytes in terms of size, density, and other physical properties.
A longitudinal Study of the Stability of Psychographic Dimensions

The purpose of the study was to provide a longitudinal analysis of the reliability of psychographic items. The results suggest that respondents’ answers may vary over a period of time. The most stable dimensions appear to be related to the individual’s self concept.
Early Environments, Developmental Plasticity and Chronic Degenerative Disease

Classic models of chronic disease epidemiology emphasize the role of heredity and adult lifestyle factors as the primary influences on disease development. This chapter reviews a third set of factors that contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases and related diseases of aging. It discusses the links between early environments and adult health, including the underlying developmental and epigenetic mechanisms. Nutritional, hormonal and other aspects of the prenatal and infancy environments have effects on physiology and metabolism that persist into adult life. This developmental plasticity may allow organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions, and involves modified growth of organs and tissues and durable epigenetic changes that influence patterns of gene expression. Two key public health problems are discussed: cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in lower and middle-income nations, and persistent health disparities within societies related to ethnicity and race. Reducing social and nutritional stressors in pregnancy is key to ensuring healthy aging in future generations of adults.
A Meta-Analysis of Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin Lymphoma Identifies Risk Loci at 6p21.32

Abstract 2686 Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma (NSHL) is epidemiologically and pathologically distinct from other Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes. It is highly heritable and is the most common form of HL in young adults. In a combined analysis of results from two genome-wide association scans (one undertaken at the University of Southern California using the Illumina Human610-Quad beadchip and the other at the University of Chicago using the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0) of 395 European-origin NSHL patients and 3,245 controls, we identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at chromosome 6p21.32 directly genotyped in both scans associated with disease risk at genome-wide levels of significance (rs9268542: p=8.2×10 −10 , odds ratio (OR)= 1.63, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.40–1.91; and rs204999: p=2.3×10 -9 , OR= 0.54, 95% CI: 0.44=0.66). These SNPs are located in distinct haplotype blocks and are in only weak linkage disequilibrium (LD) (r 2 =0.06). Joint analysis revealed that each SNP was independently associated with disease risk, with the global likelihood ratio test remaining statistically significant for each group (p-value for 2 df test USC = 7.46 × 10 -9 and UC=.3.51 × 10 -6 ). Neither SNP is in a known gene or microRNA. rs9268542 is in LD with SNPs in the HLA-DRA gene (r 2 =0.92-0.93) and is a cis-acting expression QTL (eQTL) for several HLA Class II genes ( HLA-DRB1-HLA-DRB5; HLA-DQB1-HLA-DQB2; all p=1×10 -5 ). Of note, rs6903608, an imputed SNP in the same region also surpassing genome-wide significance for association with NSHL, is an eQTL for these same HLA Class II genes at p=1×10 -20 . rs204999 is in LD with SNPs in the nearby PRRT1 (r 2 =0.82) and EGFL8 (r 2 =0.81) genes, for which function remains poorly defined. Thus, we identified one SNP on chromosome 6p21.32 associated with NSHL that, by eQTL analysis, may be implicated in the transcriptional regulation of HLA-class II genes, a known susceptibly region for NSHL, and one SNP in the genomic region that appears to be independently-associated with NSHL, but which does not appear to be linked to the HLA locus. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Metabolic alterations in paediatric GH deficiency

Growth hormone (GH) has a large number of metabolic effects, involving lipid and glucose homoeostasis, lean and fat mass. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is associated with a metabolic profile similar to the Metabolic Syndrome which is characterized by dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, haemostatic alterations, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. GH replacement treatment in GHD children improves these cardiovascular risk factors, while cessation of GH is associated with a deterioration of most of these risk factors. However, it is unclear whether the changes of these risk factors are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases especially after discontinuing GH treatment. GH treatment itself can lead to insulin resistance, which probably also influences the cardiovascular health status. Therefore, longitudinal studies with the primary outcome cardiovascular diseases are needed in GHD children. Furthermore, new approaches such as metabolomic studies might be helpful to understand the relationship between GHD, GH treatment, and cardiovascular diseases.
Instability of the Antarctic Ross Sea Embayment as climate warms

Collapse of the Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum 18,000 years ago is most pronounced in the Ross Sea Embayment, which is partly ice-free during Antarctic summers, thereby breaching the O-ring of ice shelves and sea ice surrounding Antarctica that stabilizes the ice sheet. The O-ring may have vanished during Early Holocene (5000 to 3000 B.C.), Roman (1 to 400 A.D.), and Medieval (900 to 1300 A.D.) warm periods and reappeared during the Little Ice Age (1300 to 1900 A.D.). We postulate further collapse in the embayment during the post-1900 warming may be forestalled because East Antarctic outlet glaciers “nail” the Ross Ice Shelf to the Transantarctic Mountains so it can resist the push from West Antarctic ice streams. Our hypothesis is examined for Byrd Glacier and a static ice shelf using three modeling experiments having plastic, viscous, and viscoplastic solutions as more data and improved modeling became available. Observed crevasse patterns were not reproduced. A new research study is needed to model a dynamic Ross Ice Shelf with all its feeder ice streams, outlet glaciers, and ice calving dynamics in three dimensions over time to fully test our hypothesis. The required model must allow accelerated calving if further warming melts sea ice and discerps the ice shelf. Calving must then successively pull the outlet glacier “nails” so collapse of the marine West Antarctic Ice Sheet proceeds to completion.
Getting There: Michael Palin’s Travels

In his post-Monty Python career, Michael Palin has carved a significant niche for himself as a traveler, crafting eight televisions series (with accompanying books and website) out of his extended treks across the world. Three broad principles organize his approach. He is, first, more interested in getting to places than in being in them. Second, he is always, irretrievably and absolutely, an Englishman abroad, with all the problems (in terms of unresolved imperialist legacies) and possibilities (as far as adventurous involvement with highly different cultures and peoples) that this entails. Finally, Prasch’s “Getting There: Michael Palin’s Travels” reveals that the most memorable moments of any of Palin’s treks are improvisational, interpersonal interactions: Palin conversing (if almost always through an interpreter) with local people, unscripted, often unplanned.
Training Employers to Implement Health Promotion Programs: Results From the CDC Work@Health® Program:

Purpose:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the Work@Health Program to teach employers how to improve worker health using evidence-based strategies. Program goals included (1...
Development, validation, and evaluation of an assay for the detection of wood frogs ( Rana sylvatica ) in environmental DNA

We developed and describe a qPCR assay for the detection of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) using environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling. A single primer set was designed to amplify a 115-bp region of the wood frog cytochrome B gene and assessed for target specificity. There was no evidence of amplification in 11 non-target species. We evaluated the utility of the primer set in qPCR assay by conducting geo-referenced eDNA field surveys in Interior Alaska. Results indicate that the assay consistently detects wood frog DNA in the environment to 1.83 × 10−3 pg/μL. The assay provides a complement to traditional survey methods and can be readily applied in a wider conservation and management context.
Biomechanical Analysis of Range of Motion and Failure Characteristics of Osteoporotic Spinal Compression Fractures in Human Cadaver

Vertebroplasty is a treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. The optimal location of needle placement for cement injection remains a topic of debate. As such, the authors assessed the effects of location of two types of cement instillations. In addition, the motion and failure modes at the index and adjacent segments were measured. Seven human osteoporotic cadaver spines (T1-L4), cut into four consecutive vertebral segments, were utilized. Of these, following the exclusion of four specimens not suitable to utilize for analysis, a total of 24 specimens were evaluable. Segments were randomly assigned into four treatment groups: unipedicular and bipedicular injections into the superior quartile or the anatomic center of the vertebra using confdence (Confdence Spinal Cement System®, DePuy Spine, Raynham, MA, USA) or polymethyl methacrylate. The specimens were subjected to nondestructive pure moments of 5 Nm, in 2.5 Nm increments, using pulleys and weights to simulate six degrees of physiological motion. A follower preload of 200 N was applied in fiexion extension. Testing sequence: range of motion (ROM) of intact specimen, fracture creation, cement injection, ROM after cement, and compression testing until failure. Nonconstrained motion was measured at the index and adjacent levels. At the index level, no significant differences were observed in ROM in all treatment groups (P > 0.05). There was a significant increase in adjacent level motion only for the treatment group that received a unipedicular cement injection at the anatomic center. The location of the needle (superior or central) and treatment type (unipedicular or bipedicular) had no significant effect on the ROM at the index site. At the adjacent levels, a significant increase occurred with therapy through a unipedicular approach into the centrum of the vertebra at the treated segment.
Optimum penetration of regional utility-scale renewable energy systems

Abstract Optimum penetration of various renewable energy systems is a topic frequently studied by many researchers around the world. The primary purpose of this paper is to determine the optimum amount of combined solar and wind installed capacity for one of the Midwestern states in the United States. We utilized a renewable energy optimization matrix that identifies the hourly electrical load that can be provided by solar or wind energy systems. Two approaches are suggested in the determination of the optimal solar and wind combination. One approach is to specify a utilization rate and then optimize the amount of electric load that is met by the combination of solar and wind energy. The second approach is the inverse: specifying a specific portion of electric load to be met by a combined wind and solar system, and then optimizing the system to find the combination that will produce the lowest levels of curtailment. This framework may be valid when the goal is to find the optimum levels where long distance transmission of electricity from other states is limited. The suggested research framework may further incorporate energy storage options and cost analyses for a larger geographical area to evaluate real-world applications.
Abstract P068: Cigarette Smoking and Peripheral Arterial Disease in African Americans of the Jackson Heart Study

Introduction: African Americans are more than twice as likely to develop peripheral arterial disease (PAD) compared to whites. Increased rates of hypertension, obesity and diabetes may account for some of these differences; however other factors such as cigarette smoking, which is understudied in African Americans, may play an important role. Aim: To evaluate the relationship between cigarette smoking and PAD in African Americans in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). Methods: JHS participants (n=5,301) were classified by self-reported smoking status into current, past (smoked at least 400 cigarettes/life) or never smokers. Multivariate logistic and robust linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between smoking status at baseline and measures of subclinical PAD [carotid intimal medial thickness (CIMT, visit 1), ankle-brachial index (ABI, visit 1) and aortic calcium by computed tomography (visit 2)] to yield odds ratios (OR) and β-coefficients (estimated adjusted difference) to compare each smoking status to never smokers (reference group). Results: There were 3579 never smokers, 986 past smokers and 693 current smokers identified at baseline. After adjustment for covariates, past and current smokers had an increased risk of ABI Conclusions: In a large prospective African American cohort, current cigarette smoking was independently associated with measures of PAD in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, cigarette smoking was most strongly associated with abdominal aortic and aorto-iliac calcification. Current smoking is a strong predictor of subclinical PAD in African Americans and smoking cessation should be recommended.
Prohlatype: A Probabilistic Framework for HLA Typing

HLA typing from sequencing data is considered as a classical probabilistic inference problem and Profile Hidden Markov Models (PHMM) are motivated for the likelihood calculation. Their generative property makes them a natural and highly discernible method; at the cost of considerable computation. We discuss ways to ameliorate this burden, and present an implementation https://github.com/hammerlab/prohlatype.
Formal Assurance for Cooperative Intelligent Autonomous Agents

Developing trust in intelligent agents requires understanding the full capabilities of the agent, including the boundaries beyond which the agent is not designed to operate. This paper focuses on applying formal verification methods to identify these boundary conditions in order to ensure the proper design for the effective operation of the human-agent team. The approach involves creating an executable specification of the human-machine interaction in a cognitive architecture, which incorporates the expression of learning behavior. The model is then translated into a formal language, where verification and validation activities can occur in an automated fashion. We illustrate our approach through the design of an intelligent copilot that teams with a human in a takeoff operation, while a contingency scenario involving an engine-out is potentially executed. The formal verification and counterexample generation enables increased confidence in the designed procedures and behavior of the intelligent copilot system.
Scope of Interventions to Address Food Insecurity

This chapter examines the different types of responses that can occur when a patient or family is identified as having food insecurity (FI). The chapter begins with how an individual healthcare provider responds to a positive FI screen within a clinical setting. Next, there is a discussion of how the larger community or practice can address FI in a broader way largely outside the clinic walls. Finally, the chapter discusses how healthcare providers can affect change by developing and advocating for policy changes in their region or nationally.
Recovery From Schizophrenia: The Case of Mexican-Origin Consumers and Family Caregivers

This study examined the views about the future of persons with schizophrenia and their caregivers to understand what is at stake in engaging in recovery. The views of 60 Mexican-origin consumer-caregiver dyads were coded by three independent raters using a recovery literature-based coding system of recovery components: social relations, caregiving burden relief, independence, self-responsibility, and empowerment. General recovery expectations were also rated. Interrater reliability, component frequency, and congruence between the consumers and caregivers' expectations were statistically examined. Dominant recovery components for consumers and caregivers were independence (72.5%), general expectations for recovery (51%), and social relations (43%). Relatives differed in two important ways. Consumers held significantly greater expectations for independence (p < 0.01), whereas caregivers focused more on general recovery (p < 0.001). What matters for recovery for this sample of Mexican-origin consumers and caregivers differs. Addressing differences in views may facilitate person-centered treatment that considers the views of consumers and caregivers.
An integration of technology into education majors' civic responsibilites

Developing a multidisciplinary information technology course that meets the objectives of the course and uses the community as a research laboratory while engaging students in learning is challenging. The authors present a curriculum design in which prospective teachers are trained how to integrate technology into lesson plans and how to effectively use the technologies to stimulate student learning. The civic component of this model challenges prospective teachers to increase the technical skills of a minority all-girl high school by formulating instructional materials and student assessments via their newly acquired technical knowledge.
Coronary Artery Disease: Development and Progression

Over the past decades the term “Coronary Artery Disease” (CAD) epitomized the involvement of the epicardial coronary circulation in the atherosclerotic disease process, classically in conjunction with the visualization of luminal narrowing by angiography. However, a disease state of the coronary arteries can develop independently from the systemic atherosclerotic disease process, for instance, as part of a vasculitis syndrome such as Kawasaki disease or systemic diseases such as amyloidosis. Moreover, CAD functionally involves the entire coronary circulation, including the myocardial microvasculature. This chapter will review CAD as part of the atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) process. Specifically, it will focus on current concepts of its pathophysiology as it underlies clinical presentation and therapy.
Crosstalk Between Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) and Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Receptors

Growth factors induce a multitude of responses integral to development and sustained physiological function in most normal tissues. Binding of growth factors to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptors activates downstream intracellular signaling pathways vital to both the normal and malignant cellular phenotype. Dysregulation of either one of these receptor-regulated pathways has been linked to aberrant modulations in proliferation, motility, and protection from apoptosis. More importantly, crosstalk between EGFR and IGF-IR has been implicated in a number of cancers and correlates with tumor grade and disease progression. The following review addresses the most recent findings involving EGF and IGF receptor crosstalk and how this interaction may impact clinical therapeutic efficacy.
The fentanyl HCl patient-controlled transdermal system (PCTS): an alternative to intravenous patient-controlled analgesia in the postoperative setting.

Inadequate pain control in the postoperative period not only contributes to patient discomfort, but also causes physiological changes that may result in increased risk of myocardial ischaemia, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. These events complicate postoperative recovery and may lead to longer hospital stays as well as increased healthcare costs. Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has emerged as an effective way for patients to manage their pain, allowing self-administration of small doses of analgesics to maintain a certain level of pain control. PCA is most commonly delivered via an intravenous (IV) or epidural route, and while patient satisfaction is higher with PCA than with conventional methods of analgesic administration, the invasiveness, costs and risk of errors associated with currently available modalities may limit their utility. These systems also require significant healthcare resources, as nurses must manually program the pumps to deliver the correct amount of medication. Several new PCA modalities are being developed to address these limitations. These systems deliver drug through a variety of routes, including nasal transmucosal and transdermal. Most notably, a self-contained, credit card-sized, transdermal PCA system is currently in the final stages of development. The fentanyl HCl patient-controlled transdermal system (PCTS; IONSYS™, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc., Raritan, NJ) uses an imperceptible, low-intensity direct current to transfer fentanyl on demand across the skin into the systemic circulation. This compact system is patient-activated, can be applied to the patient’s upper arm or chest, and is designed to manage moderate-to-severe pain requiring opioid analgesia. The system delivers a preprogrammed amount of fentanyl HCl over 10 minutes, for a total of 80 doses, or for 24 hours, whichever occurs first. The on-demand dosing and pharmacokinetics of this system differentiate it from the passive transdermal formulation of fentanyl designed for the management of chronic pain. Clinical studies have shown that the fentanyl HCl PCTS is effective in the management of acute postoperative pain. These studies have also demonstrated that the system is safe and well tolerated by patients.
Is exon 8 the most critical or the only dispensable exon of the VCAN gene? Insights into VCAN variants and clinical spectrum of Wagner syndrome

Wagner syndrome and erosive vitreoretinopathy together constitute the phenotypic continuum of an autosomal dominant vitreoretinopathy, with clinical findings typically isolated to the eye. The disease is caused by pathogenic variants in the VCAN gene and all such variants reported to date are those that plausibly result in haploinsufficiency of exon 8 containing vcan transcripts. Here, we report the molecular findings and long-term follow-up of a 16-year-old female with a history of retinal detachments and pigmentary retinal changes. Next-generation sequencing and microarray analysis of 141 genes established a diagnosis of Wagner syndrome in this individual, by detection of an 11.7 kilobase (kb) deletion encompassing exon 8 of VCAN. In light of the emerging functions and roles of versican protein in human disease, we discuss how variants within exon 8 of the VCAN gene can be compared to those in exon 2 of the COL2A1 gene that cause atypical Stickler syndrome and propose that variants in other regions of the gene can be expected to present with a more systemic disease. The distinctive facial features and atypical gastrointestinal symptoms observed in this long-term follow-up study support the possibility that individuals with VCAN-related vitreoretinopathy may have extra-ocular clinical features.
The Impact of Specialization in Journal Networks and Scholarship.

Background The use of bibliometrics to evaluate authors, institutions, and journals faces significant challenges in comparing biomedical specialties because of marked differences among fields. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of specialty field and physician numbers on bibliometric parameters. Methods For this bibliometric analysis, data from MDLinx.com and SCImago Journal & Country Rank for 2016 were used to rank the journals. The 2015 Physician Specialty Data Report provided the number of specialists in specific fields. We assessed the means for bibliometric parameters across medical and surgical specialties. Results A total of 904 journals within 25 medical and surgical specialties were identified. Medical specialty journals had higher average total citations than did surgical specialty journals (8360 ± 16082 vs. 6217 ± 8743; P = 0.01). Medical specialties with the highest impact factor were oncology (7.8 ± 20.7), psychiatry (4.6 ± 4.0), and neurology (4.4 ± 4.1), whereas surgical specialties were led by urology (2.9 ± 3.3), cardiothoracic surgery (2.9 ± 2.7), and general surgery (2.6 ± 1.7). Impact factor and Eigenfactor score (a measure of both journal citations and caliber) were strongly correlated (r = 0.84, P = 0.0001). Comparison of impact factor per total physicians in the specialty suggested that top-ranked specialty journals were in allergy/immunology, pulmonology, and cardiothoracic surgery. Mean Eigenfactor score per total physicians showed that top journals were in cardiothoracic surgery, rheumatology, and pulmonary medicine. Conclusions Journal bibliometrics, which may strongly influence professional advancement and grant funding, show dramatic differences in ranking after accounting for specialty and physician population. Improved analysis and understanding of available bibliometrics, including their limitations, are necessary to appreciate their role in measuring scholarship.
E2a-Pbx1 direct targets and secondary mutations in leukemogenesis

4396 E2a-Pbx1 is expressed as a result of the t(1;19) chromosomal translocation in nearly 5% of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases. The E2a-Pbx1 chimeric transcription factor contains the N-terminal transactivation domain of E2A fused to the C-terminal DNA-binding homeodomain of Pbx1. Previews studies indicate that additional genetic events may be required for E2A-Pbx1-leukemic transformation, based on long incubation times and the monoclonal nature of tumors observed in mouse models. While there is no doubt of its oncogenic potential, the mechanisms of E2a-Pbx1-mediated pre-B cell transformation and the nature of direct E2a-Pbx1 target genes and additional events that complement the fusion oncogene to create full-blown leukemia are still unclear. Herein we used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-chip) assays to identify direct targets of E2a-Pbx1, and we used gene and miRNA expression arrays of siRNA E2a-Pbx1-silenced cells to evaluate changes in expression induced by the fusion protein. To identify complementary genetic rearrangements, analyses of primary E2a-Pbx1 leukemias were performed to detect copy number changes and loss of heterozygosity which might identify mutations that synergize with the direct/functional E2a-Pbx1 targets to produce the leukemic phenotype. Our data identified members of the WNT pathway as direct targets of E2a-Pbx1. Expression data from E2a-Pbx1 silenced cells support this finding as they demonstrate a functional regulation of this pathway. We further show a differential impact of E2a-Pbx1 silencing on the miRNA profile and identify E2a-Pbx1 dependent miRNAs. Using CGH arrays on primary E2a-Pbx1 samples we were able to pinpoint candidate secondary mutations as well as broad genetic categories: cases with 1q+, 1q+ combined with 9p-, and, separately, cases with +8. In summary we present direct and functional E2a-Pbx1 targets as well as candidate secondary mutations. We propose a model where direct and functional E2a-Pbx1 driven pathways, which might include both genes and miRNAs, might collaborate with functional complementary events to produce E2a-Pbx1-positive leukemia.
Miscellaneous Mesenchymal Tumors: Smooth Muscle, Skeletal Muscle, Cartilaginous, and Osseous Tumors

This chapter will cover a variety of cutaneous mesenchymal tumors including those with smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, and cartilaginous and osseous differentiation. Entities covered include leiomyoma, angioleiomyoma, smooth muscle hamartoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyomatous mesenchymal hamartoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, soft tissue chondroma, extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma, osteoma cutis, fibro-osseous pseudotumor, and extraskeletal osteosarcoma.
Optical resonance near the edge of a photonic band gap (PBG): turning the effects of a PBG on/off using a resonant driving field

We studied the effects of a coherent monochromatic resonant laser field driving the transition of a two-level atom embedded in a photonic band gap (PBG) material on the emission dynamics of the ato...
Competitive Customization

We consider a duopoly market with heterogeneous customer tastes. The firms play a two-stage game. First, each firm chooses whether to invest in mass customization, which would enable it to offer customized products that increasingly match each customer's ideal product as the chosen customization level increases. A firm that chooses not to invest in mass customization serves a standard product. Second, the firms competitively price their product lines. We characterize each firm's investment in mass customization and study its dependence on competitive position, as determined by its cost efficiency and perceived quality vis-a-vis its competitor. We find that the value of mass customization critically depends on the firm's competitive position. It may not be desirable even at zero cost due to its negative effect on price competition. A firm with an overall cost and quality disadvantage never unilaterally adopts mass customization. We show that allowing firms to set different prices for each product configuration leads to a broader adoption of mass customization compared to when they are restricted to uniform prices. However, a firm's chosen customization level may be higher with uniform prices. Our analysis also helps a customizing firm determine whether to target its process improvement efforts for a lower cost or a higher customization level.
Policing labor trafficking in the United States

Despite new mandates to identify and respond to labor trafficking crimes, US law enforcement struggles to integrate labor trafficking enforcement with traditional policing routines and roles. As a result, human trafficking enforcement has primarily focused on sex trafficking and few labor trafficking cases have been identified and prosecuted. This study utilizes data from 86 qualitative interviews with municipal, state, county and federal law enforcement, victim service providers and labor trafficking victims in four US communities to inform our understanding of police responses to labor trafficking in local communities. Through the coding of these interviews across a series of themes, we identify three major challenges that impact police identification and response to labor trafficking crimes. These include lack of clarity about the definition of labor trafficking, lack of institutional readiness to address labor trafficking, and routines of police work that undermine police responsiveness to labor trafficking in local communities. Considering these challenges, we explore strategies law enforcement can take to improve identification, including developing non-traditional partnerships with labor inspection and local regulatory agencies. Additionally, interview data suggest a role for the police in ensuring labor trafficking victims are safe and their needs are met, regardless of the outcomes of the criminal justice process. This is the first study to examine police responses to labor trafficking from the perspective of police, service providers and victims.
Body mass index versus bioelectrical impedance analysis for classifying physical function impairment in a racially diverse cohort of midlife women: the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Body composition strongly influences physical function in older adults. Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) differentiates fat mass from skeletal muscle mass, and may be more useful than body mass index (BMI) for classifying women on their likelihood of physical function impairment. This study tested whether BIA-derived estimates of percentage body fat (%BF) and height-normalized skeletal muscle mass (skeletal muscle mass index; SMI) enhance classification of physical function impairment relative to BMI. Black, White, Chinese, and Japanese midlife women (N = 1482) in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) completed performance-based measures of physical function. BMI (kg/m2) was calculated. %BF and SMI were derived through BIA. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, conducted in the overall sample and stratified by racial group, evaluated optimal cutpoints of BMI, %BF, and SMI for classifying women on moderate–severe physical function impairment. In the overall sample, a BMI cutpoint of ≥ 30.1 kg/m2 correctly classified 71.1% of women on physical function impairment, and optimal cutpoints for %BF (≥ 43.4%) and SMI (≥ 8.1 kg/m2) correctly classified 69% and 62% of women, respectively. SMI did not meaningfully enhanced classification relative to BMI (change in area under the ROC curve = 0.002; net reclassification improvement = 0.021; integrated discrimination improvement = − 0.003). Optimal cutpoints for BMI, %BF, and SMI varied substantially across race. Among Black women, a %BF cutpoint of 43.9% performed somewhat better than BMI (change in area under the ROC curve = 0.017; sensitivity = 0.69, specificity = 0.64). Some race-specific BMI and %BF cutpoints have moderate utility for identifying impaired physical function among midlife women.
Bond Number Revisited: Two-Dimensional Macroscopic Pendant Drop.

The definition of the Bond number, which is widely used for the qualitative description of the shape and stability of a macroscopic pendant drop, is revisited. Two new numbers, named Rbθ and Rbλ, are introduced for two kinds of two-dimensional pendant drops, which have a constant contact angle and a constant width of drop-solid contact, respectively. These numbers contain only input parameters such as the volume of the drop, gravitational acceleration, fluid densities, surface tensions, and contact angles. This distinguishes them from the traditional Bond number, which involves, in addition to the input parameters, prior unknown experimentally derived characteristics of the drop, e.g., height of the drop or radius of the curvature at the drop apex. It is shown that, when properly defined, the new numbers can be used, in particular, for predicting the breakup conditions of the drop and estimating their shape.
Natura Magistra Vitae: Natural Pedagogy in Élisée Reclus’s Histoire D’un Ruisseau

This article examines the role that anarchist geographer Elisee Reclus attributed to nature as a moral and political teacher capable of enhancing human wellbeing and community. After showing that R...
Prehospital Trauma Care Education Using Innovative Pedagogy for Rural Texas Trauma Care

Trauma is a leading cause of death worldwide and is particularly prevalent and troubling in the United States.
Growing Sustainable Transportation in an Autocentric Community: Current Trends and Applications

Transportation is among the highlights of human achievement, but it comes at a major cost in exhausting nonrenewable resources and increasing environmental pollution. In particular, the expansion of automobiles throughout the world has led to higher levels of air pollution, greater degree of congestion, and the promotion of urban sprawl. This chapter examines how initiatives in sustainable transportation can counter some of the environmental distress caused by our current transportation system. It first looks at the meaning of sustainable transportation by looking at what makes our transportation system unsustainable, including resource depletion, air pollution, congestion, and inequities in access. It then examines several means by which to shift transportation modes to more walking and bicycling by altering the community infrastructure, encouraging denser housing, functional integration, and traffic calming. It then discusses how to enhance the efficiency of personal vehicles through improvements in gas mileage, introduction of electric and hybrid vehicles, and strategies to make traffic run more smoothly. Finally, the chapter shows how accessibility can be improved for those who have been left behind through greater investments in transit and in making automobiles available for short term use. Taken together, many of these initiatives can lead to a more sustainable transportation future.
Quantifying oxygen vacancies in neodymium and samarium doped ceria from heat capacity measurements

Abstract It has been previously reported in the literature that the vacancy concentration in a solid can be estimated using the linear term derived from low temperature heat capacity measurements. This paper investigates how such a model performs in both random and partially clustered vacancy systems. The heat capacity measurements were used to investigate the effect of singly (Nd or Sm) doped and co-doped (Nd and Sm) ceria, where simultaneous doping affects vacancy clustering and ionic conductivity. Comparison of calculated vacancy concentrations with sample stoichiometries showed that a vacancy concentration based on the linear term in the low temperature heat capacity is quantitative for near randomly distributed vacancies at low dopant concentration, but the prediction is low by approximately an order of magnitude when vacancies become clustered at higher dopant levels. This confirms that the linear term in the low-temperature heat capacity for non-metallic materials is a viable approach to estimate the vacancy concentration for randomly distributed vacancies which, in turn, can be used to distinguish between the random versus clustered vacancies.
Chapter 8 – Physical Metallurgy-Based Guidelines for Obtaining High Joint Efficiency

This chapter provides guidelines to obtain high joint efficiency friction stir welds in 7XXX Al alloys. The guidelines are based on physical metallurgy as well as FSW process conditions.
Elevated depressive symptoms and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among adults with and without diabetes: The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study.

Abstract Aims To examine the association of elevated depressive symptoms with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and determine whether these associations differ for those with and without diabetes. Methods We included 22,807 black and white men and women aged 45–98 years at baseline (2003–2007) from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study. Elevated depressive symptoms were defined as a score ≥ 4 on the 4-item Centers for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale. Participants were classified as having diabetes, prediabetes, or no prediabetes/diabetes based on glucose levels and diabetes medication use. All-cause mortality events were available through 2018 and adjudicated CVD mortality events were available through 2015. Results During follow-up, there were 5383 all-cause deaths, of which 1585 were adjudicated CVD deaths. The mean survival time was lower for participants with elevated depressive symptoms than those without elevated depressive symptoms for those with diabetes, prediabetes, and no prediabetes/diabetes. In multivariable adjusted models, elevated depressive symptoms increased the risk of all-cause mortality for those with diabetes (HR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.00–1.32), prediabetes (HR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.28–1.91), and neither prediabetes/diabetes (HR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.19–1.50) (p for interaction = 0.0342). Findings were similar for CVD mortality. Conclusion Elevated depressive symptoms increased the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality among individuals with and without diabetes, with a stronger magnitude of association observed among those with prediabetes. This underscores the need for assessing depressive symptoms across the glycemic spectrum, including those with prediabetes.
Concomitant Reduction in Uterine Blood Flow and Intrauterine Oxygen Tension in the Rat Following Nicotine Administration

It is well established that cirgarette smoking adversely affects pregnancy (see: Weathersbee, 1980a). Many of the deleterious actions of tobacco use during pregnancy are thought to result from nicotine, the principal alkaloid of tobacco. Nicotine exerts diverse effects on the endocrine system, thereby influencing the initiation, course and outcome of pregnancy. In addition to modifying gonadotropin secretion (Blake et al., 1972; Yoshinaga et al., 1979), the alkaloid evokes the release of catecholamines (Resnik et al., 1979) which in turn constricts the uterine vasculature (Anderson et al., 1977) and alters the intrauterine environment (Hammer et al., 1981). Indeed, inhalation of cigrarette smoke produces transient fetal hypoxia (Manning and Feyerabend, 1976). While such events in late pregnancy may impair fetal well-being, pregnancy wastage occurs very frequently during the peri-implantation period (see: Weathersbee 1980b). Though unattached to the uterus, the conceptus nevertheless grows at a rapid rate and its metabolic needs proceed pari passu as the time for implantation approaches. Such increased metabolic demands, prior to the establishment of sufficient blastocystuterine contact, render the conceptus particularly vulnerable to suboptimal supplies of oxygen and other metabolic substrates. In the rat for example, administration of nicotine during early pregnancy suppresses conceptus growth (Hammier et al., 1981), impairs uterine decidualization (Card and Mitchell, 1978), and retards implantation (Card and Mitchell, 1979). Since the process of nidation is dependent on a number of vascular-related events, the following study was undertaken to determine the relationship between uterine blood flow and the availability of oxygen within the uterus and the effects of nicotine on such vascular-dependent phenomena as blood flow and capillary permeability at the implantation site.
Inhibition of phosphodiesterase type 9 reduces obesity and cardiometabolic syndrome in mice

Central obesity with cardiometabolic syndrome (CMS) is a major global contributor to human disease, and effective therapies are needed. Here, we show inhibiting cyclic-GMP selective phosphodiesterase-9A (PDE9-I) in both ovariectomized female or male mice suppresses pre-established severe diet-induced obesity/CMS with or without superimposed mild cardiac pressure-load. PDE9-I reduces total body, inguinal, hepatic, and myocardial fat, stimulating mitochondrial activity in brown and white fat, and improving CMS, without significantly altering activity or food intake. PDE9 localized at mitochondria, and its inhibition in vitro stimulated lipolysis and mitochondrial respiration in adipocytes and myocytes coupled to PPARα-dependent gene regulation. PPARα upregulation was required to achieve the lipolytic, anti-obesity, and metabolic effects of PDE9-I. All these PDE9-I induced changes were not observed in obese/CMS non-ovariectomized females, indicating a strong sexual dimorphism. We found that PPARα chromatin binding was re-oriented away from fat-metabolism regulating genes when stimulated in the presence of co-activated estrogen receptor-alpha, and this may underly the dimorphism. These findings have translational relevance given that PDE9-I is already being studied in humans for indications including heart failure, and efficacy against obesity/CMS would enhance its therapeutic utility.
Battery Power Efficiency of PPM and OOK in Wireless Sensor Networks

Sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are often expected to operate on batteries for a long period of time. Battery power-efficiency is a critical factor dictating the lifetime of WSNs. In this paper, we compare two pulse-based modulations, namely pulse position modulation (PPM) and on-off keying (OOK), both of which are suitable for WSNs due to their low complexity transceivers. The comparison is based on a general model that integrates typical WSN transmission and reception modules with realistic nonlinear battery models. We analyze and compare the battery power-efficiency of PPM and OOK using coherent detection, and with bit error rate (BER) and cutoff rate criteria. Our results reveal that in sparse WSNs, PPM is more battery power-efficient. In dense WSNs, OOK outperforms PPM. In addition, the battery power-efficiency of OOK increases as the required cutoff rate decreases.