cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential diagnosis of restrictive cardiomyopathy and constrictive pericarditis

The differentiation of restrictive cardiomyopathy and constrictive pericarditis has been a perennial problem in clinical cardiology. Constrictive pericarditis requires surgical treatment and is usually curable, while restrictive cardiomyopathy, short of cardiac transplantation, is treatable only by medical means and often responds unsatisfactorily. The opinion has often been expressed that there are difficult cases in which only an exploratory operation will allow the two conditions to be distinguished. However, such cases were relatively rare in the past and should be extremely so in the present era. Many differences exist between the two conditions, even though no one diagnostic method can be relied upon to make the distinction by itself. Constrictive pericarditis was recognised in the 19th century and its surgical treatment was developed early in the 20th century. Paul Wood noted in 1961 that only details had been added to the picture presented to the English speaking world by Paul Dudley White in his 1935 St Cyres lecture.1 2 White described a “chronic fibrous or callous thickening of the wall of the pericardial sac that is so contracted that the normal diastolic filling of the heart is prevented . . . There may or may not be calcification . . . Parietal pericardium or epicardium may be preponderantly involved . . . one area may be involved, other areas free . . . associated heart disease is extremely rare . . . insidious evolution makes diagnosis more difficult than that of active constrictive pericarditis”. A history of several years duration and a predominant clinical feature of ascites, simulating liver disease, were notable in White's series. Haemodynamic features delineated in the 1940s and '50s included the narrow pulse pressure in the right ventricle with normal systolic pressure and greatly increased diastolic pressure, a prominent early diastolic dip and later diastolic plateau …
The prophylactic conversion to an extended infusion schedule and use of premedication to prevent hypersensitivity reactions in ovarian cancer patients during carboplatin retreatment.

Abstract Objective Repeated exposure to carboplatin can lead to hypersensitivity reactions during retreatment with carboplatin. This may prevent its further use in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer patients. At our institution, an increasing proportion of patients are prophylactically converted to an extended schedule of infusion after 8 cycles of carboplatin. We sought to determine whether an incrementally increasing, extended 3-hour infusion of carboplatin with appropriate premedication was associated with a lower rate of hypersensitivity reactions compared to the standard 30-minute schedule in sequentially treated patients. Methods We performed a retrospective electronic medical record review of patients with recurrent ovarian cancer retreated with carboplatin at our institution from January 1998 to December 2008. Results Seven hundred and seventy-seven patients with relapsed ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer were retreated with carboplatin and met study inclusion criteria. Of these, 117 (17%) developed hypersensitivity reactions during second-line or greater carboplatin-based treatment for recurrent disease. Only 6 (3.4%) of the 174 patients who received the extended schedule developed hypersensitivity reactions (0% grade 4; 50% grade 3) compared to 111 (21%) of 533 patients in the standard schedule group (13% grade 4; 77% grade 3). The first hypersensitivity episode occurred after a median of 16 platinum (carboplatin and cisplatin) treatments in the extended group compared to 9 in the standard group. Using the Fisher exact test, there was an association with a reduced incidence of hypersensitivity reactions with the extended infusion schedule ( P Conclusion Our data suggest appropriate premedication and prophylactic conversion to an extended infusion during carboplatin retreatment may reduce hypersensitivity reactions.
The Perspective of the Patient with Alzheimer's Disease: A Neglected Dimension of Dementia Research

The patient perspective has been largely ignored in studies of Alzheimer's disease. The person with dementia is often relegated to the status of object rather than legitimate contributor to the research process and much can be gained from a systematic study of patients' views regarding their illness and care. We examine the status of dementia patients in three research areas and identify research challenges and opportunities that may substantially increase our understanding of dementia.
Similarities and differences in inflammatory mechanisms of asthma and COPD

Educational aims To discuss the similarities and differences in inflammation between COPD and asthma To consider the clinical relevance of these differences To speculate about the therapeutic implications of this basic research
Affixing the O to Rubisco: discovering the source of photorespiratory glycolate and its regulation.

The source of glycolate in photorespiration and its control, a particularly active and controversial research topic in the 1970s, was resolved in large part by several discoveries and observations described here. George Bowes discovered that the key carboxylation enzyme Rubisco (ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is competitively inhibited by O2 and that O2 substitutes for CO2 in the initial `dark' reaction of photosynthesis to yield glycolate-P, the substrate for photorespiration. William Laing derived an equation from basic enzyme kinetics that describes the CO2, O2, and temperature dependence of photosynthesis, photorespiration, and the CO2 compensation point in C3 plants. Jerome Servaites established that photosynthesis cannot be increased by inhibiting the photorespiratory pathway prior to the release of photorespiratory CO2, and Douglas Jordan discovered substantial natural variation in the Rubisco oxygenase/carboxylase ratio. A mutant Arabidopsis plant with defective glycolate-P phosphatase, isolated by Chris Somerville, definitively established the role of O2 and Rubisco in providing photorespiratory glycolate. Selection techniques to isolate photorespiration-deficient plants were devised by Jack Widholm and by Somerville, but no plants with reduced photorespiration were found. Somerville's approach, directed mutagenesis of Arabidopsis plants, was subsequently successful in the isolation of numerous other classes of mutants and revolutionized the science of plant biology.
Lycopene from heat-induced cis -isomer-rich tomato sauce is more bioavailable than from all- trans -rich tomato sauce in human subjects

Lycopene is present mainly as cis-isomers in human serum and tissues whereas all-trans-lycopene predominates in tomato products, suggesting that all-trans-lycopene is isomerised in the body or is less bioavailable. The objectives of the present study were to develop processing conditions for tomatoes to obtain products with different cis-trans-lycopene isomer distribution and to assess their bioavailability. Healthy adult subjects (n 12) were recruited for this randomised cross-over trial. Each intervention was preceded by a 2-week washout period. Two tomato sauces, one rich in all-trans-lycopene (32.5 mg total lycopene/100 g sauce; 5 % cis-isomers), the other high in cis-lycopene (26.4 mg total lycopene/100 g sauce; 45 % cis-isomers), were produced by different heat-processing techniques. Each sauce (150 g) was served in a standardised meal at 08.00 hours after overnight fasting. Plasma TAG-rich lipoprotein fractions over 9.5 h following test-meal consumption as a measure of lycopene absorption were obtained and expressed as baseline-corrected area under the concentration v. time curves (AUC), using HPLC-electrochemical detection. AUC values adjusted for the amount lycopene consumed showed that total, total cis-, and all-trans-lycopene responses were significantly higher from the cis-isomer-rich sauce, compared with the all-trans-rich sauce, being 7.30 (sem 1.45) v. 4.74 (sem 1.08) nmol x h/l (P = 0.002), 3.80 (sem 0.76) v. 1.98 (sem 0.37) nmol x h/l (P = 0.0005) and 3.50 (sem 0.76) v. 2.76 (sem 0.76) nmol x h/l (P = 0.01), respectively. The present study demonstrates significant lycopene bioavailability from cis-lycopene-rich tomato sauce and highlights the importance of considering isomer-distribution for lycopene bioavailability. Furthermore, processing parameters can be controlled to alter isomer patterns of tomato products and influence lycopene bioavailability.
Melancholia, a Model in Madness: A Discussion of Recent Psychobiologic Research into Depressive Illness

An attempt is made to provide a cohesive conceptual frame upon which may be placed the recent advances in our understanding of the psychobiology of the affective disorders. Major literature in the ...
Pt‐catalyzed chemical modification of α,ω‐bis(hydrido)polydimethylsiloxanes and copoly(methylhydridosiloxane/dimethylsiloxane) with vinylheptaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane

Pt-catalyzed hydrosilylation between vinylheptaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane and a series of α,ω-bis(hydrido)polydimethylsiloxanes and copoly(methylhydridosiloxane/dimethylsiloxane) was used to prepare chemically modified materials. These modified polymers were characterized by IR, UV, and 1H, 13C, and 29Si NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The molecular weights, determined by GPC, UV, and NMR end-group analysis, showed the anticipated increases. The thermal properties of the polymers were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The crystallinity, determined by DSC, was either reduced or completely eliminated for the modified polymers. The thermal stabilities, measured in both air and nitrogen by TGA, were slightly higher than the thermal stability of α,ω-bis(trimethylsiloxy)polydimethylsiloxane. Significantly increased bulk viscosities were observed for all the modified polymers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3007-3017, 2005
Forward-peaked angular distributions observed in ( π, π′) on light nuclei

Abstract Pion inelastic scattering on 12 C and 28 Si at extreme forward angles has revealed a set of states not previously observed. Their characteristics suggest they may be the spin-flip E1 giant resonance.
Dynamic hierarchy for multiagent air combat

We consider application of Linguistic Geometry to the simplified air combat problems. The first example (Air Combat 1) requires an extremely deep search making this problem practically intractable employing conventional approaches. In the second example (Air Combat 2) the concurrent motions of agents are allowed which results in a significant growth of the branching factor. In both cases the Linguistic Geometry tools solved the problems demonstrating a dramatic search reduction, down to tens of moves.
Blood vessels engineered from human cells

Tissue engineering has made considerable progress in the past decade, but advances have stopped short of clinical application for most tissues. We postulated that an obstacle in engineering human tissues is the limited replicative capacity of adult somatic cells. To test this hypothesis, the effectiveness of telomerase expression to extend cellular lifespan was assessed in a model of human vascular tissue engineering. Telomerase expression in vascular cells isolated from elderly patients enabled the successful culture of engineered autologous blood vessels. Engineered vessels may one day provide a source of bypass conduit for patients with atherosclerotic disease.
Informal (Free Choice) Science Learning

Falk (2001) has suggested that the term “informal” should be replaced with “free choice learning, ” which is non-sequential, self-paced, and voluntary. It is guided by one’s own needs and interests. In contrast to classroom experiences, “free choice learning experiences allow the learner the opportunity to stop at will, repeat at will, spend more or less time, and share the learning process with friends and family members ” (p. 47).
Polyclonal Lymphocyte Activation by M. tuberculosis and Its Products

The origin of the term polyclonal activation as applied to lymphocytes can be ascribed to the original finding of Nowell,1 who was the first to show that the proliferation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes in culture could be stimulated by a plant lectin phytohemagglutinin (PHA). With the development of an adequate culture system for mouse lymphocytes came an expansion of the use of this mitogen and the discovery of others, many of which are bacterial products. The value of these substances derived from the fact that lymphoid cells were stimulated non- specifically. Consequently, large numbers of cells were activated that permitted examination of the biochemical and immunologic events attendant to this process that was difficult at best to measure when dealing with a cell system based on specific antigenic recognition.
Disparate Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis and Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pleiotropic cells with potential therapeutic benefits for a wide range of diseases. Because of their immunomodulatory properties they have been utilized to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), which is characterized by demyelination. The microenvironment surrounding MSCs is thought to affect their differentiation and phenotype, which could in turn affect the efficacy. We thus sought to dissect the potential for differential impact of MSCs on central nervous system (CNS) disease in T cell mediated and non-T cell mediated settings using the MOG35–55 experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and cuprizone-mediated demyelination models, respectively. As the pathogeneses of MS and EAE are thought to be mediated by IFNγ-producing (TH1) and IL-17A-producing (TH17) effector CD4+ T cells, we investigated the effect of MSCs on the development of these two key pathogenic cell groups. Although MSCs suppressed the activation and effector function of TH17 cells, they did not affect TH1 activation, but enhanced TH1 effector function and ultimately produced no effect on EAE. In the non- T cell mediated cuprizone model of demyelination, MSC administration had a positive effect, with an overall increase in myelin abundance in the brain of MSC-treated mice compared to controls. These results highlight the potential variability of MSCs as a biologic therapeutic tool in the treatment of autoimmune disease and the need for further investigation into the multifaceted functions of MSCs in diverse microenvironments and the mechanisms behind the diversity.
GEOMETRICAL ANALYSIS OF SCOLIOTIC SPINES

A method is proposed, whereby the amount of compensation or decompensation of a scoliotic spine can be accurately measured by comparing the geometrical figures formed by lines drawn from the second to the ninth ribs on both sides. The normal outline of the chest is designated as a trapezoid and abnormal chests in scoliotics show geometrical variations from that outline. The correction of a scoliotic curve should tend to produce a geometrical outline of the chest, approximately of trapezoid type.
The Spy Novels of John le Carré: Balancing Ethics and Politics. By Myron J. Aronoff. New York: St. Martin’s, 1999. 316p. $49.95 cloth, $21.95 paper.

Literary forms of inquiry into politics range far beyond the journal article and the scholarly monograph. Myron Aronoff's monograph serves us well by respecting the novel of international intrigue as an insightful form for analyzing the politics of diplomacy, bureaucracy, covert action, and international regimes. Aronoff targets the latter-day dean of spy novelists, David Cornwell, who writes under the name of John le Carre´.
Dynamic rate-control and scheduling algorithms for quality-of-service in wireless networks

Rapid growth of the Internet and multimedia applications, combined with an increasingly ubiquitous deployment of wireless systems, has created a huge demand for providing enhanced data services over wireless networks. Invariably, meeting the quality-of-service requirements for such services translates into stricter packet-delay and throughput constraints on communication. In addition, wireless systems have stringent limitations on resources which necessitates that these must be utilized in the most efficient manner. In this thesis, we develop dynamic rate-control and scheduling algorithms to meet quality-of-service requirements on data while making efficient utilization of resources. Ideas from Network Calculus theory, Continuous-time Stochastic Optimal Control and Convex Optimization are utilized to obtain a theoretical understanding of the problems considered, and to develop various insights from the analysis. We, first, address energy-efficient transmission of deadline-constrained data over wireless fading channels. In this setup, a transmitter with controllable transmission rate is considered, and the objective is to obtain a rate-control policy for transmitting deadline-constrained data with minimum total energy expenditure. Towards this end, a deterministic model is first considered and the optimal policy is obtained graphically using a novel cumulative curves methodology. We, then, consider stochastic channel fading and introduce the canonical problem of transmitting B units of data by deadline T over a Markov fading channel. This problem is referred to as the “BT-problem” and its optimal solution is obtained using techniques from stochastic control theory. Among various extensions, specific setups involving variable deadlines on the data packets, known arrivals and a Poisson arrival process are considered. Using a graphical approach, transmission policies for these cases are obtained through a natural extension of the results obtained earlier. In the latter part of the thesis, a multi-user downlink model is considered which consists of a single transmitter serving multiple mobile users. Here, the quality-of-service requirement is to provide guaranteed average throughput to a certain class of users, and the objective is to obtain a multi-user scheduling policy that achieves this using the minimum number of time-slots. Based on a geometric approach we obtain the optimal policy for a general fading scenario, and, further specialize it to the case of symmetric Rayleigh fading to obtain closed-form relationships among the various performance metrics. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Testing and educating on urban soil lead: a case of Chicago community gardens.

Chicago has many urban agricultural projects that provide a source of local food for city dwellers. Urban garden soil, however, may contain lead pollution, and soil quality can vary dramatically from location to location. Soil testing and access to information should improve gardeners’ abilities to grow food safely in urban soils, and to know if time-consuming or expensive measures to avoid lead exposure or enrich the soil are really necessary for their gardens. Soil quality including lead levels was profiled in 10 Chicago gardens. Gardens growing food within raised beds were compared to gardens growing food without raised beds. We also quantified lead in adjacent areas of bare soil or where children might play. Soil lead was measured in two ways: through acid digestion with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 3050B method and a Mehlich-III extraction. The overall mean soil lead level reported through the EPA method was 135 parts per million (n=86), with a range from 10 parts per million to 889 parts per million in individual soil samples. The average for the Mehlich-III method was 63 parts per million. Lead levels in most gardens were not a concern, although gardens contained excessive fertility. Use of raised beds reduced lead levels and thus the potential risk of lead ingestion from plant uptake, but further study comparing the use of raised beds with a greater number of gardens is required. Higher lead levels in soil from nearby areas suggest the possibility of contamination to raised beds and supports the notion that areas with bare soil adjacent to gardens may be an equal or greater source of risk. Our results suggest that the Mehlich-III soil test was positively correlated with the more costly EPA test and could be developed as less expensive test easily conducted by commer­cial soil-testing labs. Additionally, a training pro­gram about urban garden safety with live and online options was created and evaluated with questionnaires given to Master Gardeners. Both live-trained and online-trained groups’ quiz scores improved significantly after the trainings, demonstrating that education about urban soil management can be effective.
Methionine and Cystine Requirements of Chicks Determined by Calculation

Abstract ALMQUIST (1952), after reviewing the literature, proposed that chicks fed a diet containing 20 percent protein require 0.45 percent methionine, and 0.35 percent cystine, or 0.80 percent methionine plus cystine in that diet for optimal growth, which is lower than the 0.54 percent methionine and 1.10 percent methionine plus cystine earlier proposed by Grau and Almquist (1943). McGinnis and Evans (1947) found that New Hampshire chicks fed soybean oil meal, which had been steamed for 30 minutes at 100°C., as the only source of protein grew very well. Growth was not improved by the addition of methionine, cystine, or methionine plus cystine to the diet. The diet contained 22.4 percent protein, 0.26 percent methionine and 0.46 percent cystine, or 0.72 percent methionine plus cystine. Methionine and cystine were determined by the differential oxidation procedure (Evans, 1945), and the values are, therefore, maximum ones, because they were determined from the total …
The Large Fruit Bats (Genus Artibeus) of Middle America, with a Review of the Artibeus jamaicensis Complex

Useful characters for identification of Middle American representatives of Artibeus inopinatus, Artibeus hirsutus, Artibeus jamaicensis, and Artibeus lituratus are discussed and a synoptic key to the four species is presented. Geographic variation and differentiation in Middle American Artibeus jamaicen¬sis are discussed. The study is based on examination of nearly 1600 specimens, 1300 of which are in the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection. Four areas of differentiation are recognized. 1. The humid tropical and subtropical areas of the Atlantic versant from northern Chiapas southeastward to eastern Panama. In this area the bats are large, dark in color, and have 2/3 (two upper and three lower) molars. A suitable name for this population is Artibeus jamaicensis richardsoni J. A. Allen. 2. The comparatively drier coastal plains and offshore islands from Tamaul-ipas, Mexico, southeastward to the Yucatan Peninsula, British Honduras and the Bay Islands of Honduras. Bats in this area are small in size, have 2/3 molars and are dark in color except in the northern part of the region where they tend to become wood brown. A suitable name for this population is Artibeus jamaicensis yucatanicus J. A. Allen. 3. The relatively dry Pacific slopes of Mexico from Oaxaca north to Sinaloa. There the bats are small in size, wood brown in color, and more than 95 per cent of the population has 3/3 molars in contrast to the 2/3 usually found elsewhere in Middle America. A suitable name for this population is Artibeus jamaicensis triomylus Handley. 4. The drier interior and Pacific slopes from eastern Oaxaca southeastward to the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. There the bats are small in size, wood brown in color, and more than 95 per cent of the population has 2/3 molars. The smallest of all Middle American A. jamaicensis are found in this population and a new name for it is proposed.
Biochemical Response of the American Cockroach to Immobilization and Insecticides

Stress imposed by immobilization and several chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides stimulate production of a fluorescent compound in Periplaneta Americana (L.). Such a compound is not produced by organophosphate insecticides. The speetrophotofluorimetric study shows 2 activation peaks at 280 and 330 mµ and a fluorescence peak at 425 mµ under alkaline and neutral p H conditions. The fluorescence is lost with low p H, H2O2, and cyanide treatments and could be regained by alkaline conditions.
Analysis for the epidemiological charateristics of varicella from 2008 to 2012 in Liwan district

Objective The aim was to know the prevalence of varicella from 2008 to 2012 in Liwan district,which will provide a scientific basis to set up the measures of prevention and control for varicella. Methods We sorted out information about outbreaks of varicella by Excel 2003 from 2008 to 2012,and analysis was carried out by using descriptive epidemiologic method and the data was processed by the statistical performance. The suggestions were made for the prevention and control for varicella in combination with the related documentation at present. Results Five thousand eight hundred ten and four( 5814) varicella cases were reported,from 2008 to 2012,the reported rate of incidence is 129. 46 /100 000,the incidence range is from 83. 50 /100 000 to 165. 3 / 100 000,within 5 years,among them the highest is in 2008,but the lowest is in 2012. Outbreaks occured at 22 streets all the year round and even more frequently in winters and springs in Liwan district. Among those cases,most infected people are children and teenagers,students occupies 42. 89%,the ratio between male and female is 1. 4∶ 1. The age of 4 690 cases is under 20 years old, which occpies 80. 67%( 4 690 /5 814). In collective departments,13 outbreaks are aggregate,while 4 outbreaks are in emergent. Conclusion The varicella outbreaks recently mainly occur in winters and springs,and student and children are major infected targets. Our suggestions are as followings. First,popularize the basic knowledge in education about varicella; Second,increase the rate of the first dose of vaccination; Third,put the emergent vaccination into practice,meanwhile,start investigation and discussion of the second dose of vaccination,in order to control the outbreaks and protect of the public health.
Calculation and Measurement of Electromagnetic Environment Parameters of UHVDC Transmission Lines

Electromagnetic environment parameters are important to the design of UHVDC transmission lines.To support the design works of Nuozhadu – Guangdong UHVDC transmission line,this paper calculates the elctromagnetic environment paramenters of the line,and performs experiments of these parameters in the National Engineering Laboratory for UHV Engineering Technology,Kunming,China.The calculation and measurement results show that the UHVDC transmission line,with a nominal cross-section area of 6×630 m2 and the bundle minimum height of 18 m,has the main paramenters that could meet the limits requirement of the power industry standards in China.
Discovering Contextual Information from User Reviews for Recommendation Purposes.

The paper presents a new method of discovering relevant contextual information from the user-generated reviews in order to provide better recommendations to the users when such reviews complement traditional ratings used in recommender systems. In particular, we classify all the user reviews into the “context rich” specific and “context poor” generic reviews and present a word-based and an LDA-based methods of extracting contextual information from the specific reviews. We also show empirically on the Yelp data that, collectively, these two methods extract almost all the relevant contextual information across three di↵erent applications and that they are complementary to each other: when one method misses certain contextual information, the other one extracts it from the reviews.
Does small for gestational age worsen outcomes in gestational diabetics

AbstractObjective: Our goal was to determine whether pregnancy outcomes are worse in gestational diabetics with small for gestational age (SGA) than those without.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 114 199 pregnancies with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in California, 6446 of which were complicated by SGA. SGA was defined as birth weight < 10th percentile. Predictors included the presence or absence of SGA. Outcomes included respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), neonatal demise (NND), intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD), hypoglycemia and jaundice. The data were also stratified by gestational age looking at 32 + 0–36 + 6 weeks and 37 + 0–41 + 6 weeks. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.Results: In the term 37 + 0 to 41 + 6 week GDM cohort the risk of RDS increased from 0.4% to 1.3%, the risk of neonatal demise from 0.02% to 0.09%, the risk of IUFD from 0.1% to 0.4%, the risk of hypoglycemia from 0.4% to 1.0% and the risk of jaundice from 18.0% to 23.3% (p < 0.001 for all)....
Abstract 3084: The effects of NT-1044, a novel AMPK activator, on endometrial cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell stress, and tumor growth

Objectives: Obesity and diabetes are associated with increased risk and worse outcomes in endometrial cancer (EC). Anti-diabetic biguanide drugs such as metformin may have anti-tumorigenic effects by behaving as AMPK activators and mTOR inhibitors. Metformin requires organic cation transporters (OCTs) for entry into cells, and NT-1044 (NovaTarg Therapeutics) is an AMPK activator designed to have greater affinity for two of these transporters, OCT1 and 3. We sought to compare the effects of NT-1044 on cell proliferation in human EC cell lines and on tumor growth in an endometrioid EC mouse model. Methods: Cell proliferation was assessed in two EC cell lines, ECC-1 and Ishikawa, by MTT assay after exposure to NT-1044. Apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC assay. Cell cycle progression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured using a DCFH-DA assay. Western immunoblotting was performed to evaluate the effects of NT-1044 on the downstream targets of the AMPK/mTOR pathway and proteins related to cell cycle and cellular stress. For in vivo studies, we utilized the LKB1f/f/p53f/f mouse model of endometrioid endometrial cancer. Mice were treated with placebo or NT-1044 (200 mg/kg/day, oral gavage) following tumor onset for 4 weeks. Results: NT-1044 significantly inhibited proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in both EC cell lines after 72 hours of exposure (IC50 218 uM for ECC-1; 87 uM for Ishikawa). Treatment with NT-1044 resulted in G1 cell cycle arrest, induced apoptosis and increased ROS production in both cell lines. NT-1044 increased phosphorylation of AMPK and decreased phosphorylation of S6, a key downstream target of the mTOR pathway. Expression of the cell cycle proteins CDK4, CDK6 and cyclin D1 decreased in a dose dependent-fashion while cellular stress protein expression was induced in both cell lines. As compared to placebo, NT-1044 inhibited endometrial tumor weight in the LKB1f/f/p53f/f mice by 56% (p = 0.031). Conclusions: NT-1044 suppressed EC cell growth through G1 cell cycle arrest, induction of apoptosis, cellular stress and inhibition of the AMPK/mTOR pathway. In addition, NT-1044 inhibited EC tumor growth in vivo. More work is needed to determine if this novel biguanide will be beneficial in the treatment of women with EC, a disease strongly impacted by obesity and diabetes. Citation Format: Dario R. Roque, Weiya Z. Wysham, Chunxiao Zhou, Ken W. Batchelor, Wendy R. Brewster, Victoria L. Bae-Jump. The effects of NT-1044, a novel AMPK activator, on endometrial cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell stress, and tumor growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3084.
Personal contact with HIV-positive persons is associated with reduced HIV-related stigma: cross-sectional analysis of general population surveys from 26 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Introduction : HIV-related stigma hampers treatment and prevention efforts worldwide. Effective interventions to counter HIV-related stigma are greatly needed. Although the “ contact hypothesis ” suggests that personal contact with persons living with HIV (PLHIV) may reduce stigmatizing attitudes in the general population, empirical evidence in support of this hypothesis is lacking. Our aim was to estimate the association between personal contact with PLHIV and HIV-related stigma among the general population of sub-Saharan Africa. Methods : Social distance and anticipated stigma were operationalized using standard HIV-related stigma questions con-tained in the Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicator Surveys of 26 African countries between 2003 and 2008. We fitted multivariable logistic regression models with country-level fixed effects, specifying social distance as the dependent variable and personal contact with PLHIV as the primary explanatory variable of interest. Results : We analyzed data from 206,717 women and 91,549 men living in 26 sub-Saharan African countries. We estimated a statistically significant negative association between personal contact with PLHIV and desires for social distance (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.80; p < 0.001; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 0.73 – 0.88). In a sensitivity analysis, a similar finding was obtained with a model that used a community-level variable for personal contact with PLHIV (AOR = 0.92; p < 0.001; 95% CI, 0.89 – 0.95). Conclusions : Personal contact with PLHIV was associated with reduced desires for social distance among the general population of sub-Saharan Africa. More contact interventions should be developed and tested to reduce the stigma of HIV. Keywords: Stigma; HIV; Africa; contact hypothesis; social distancing To access the supplementary material to this article please see Supplementary Files under Article Tools online. (Published: 11 January 2017) Citation: Chan BT and Tsai AC. Journal of the International AIDS Society 2017, 20:21395 http://www.jiasociety.org/index.php/jias/article/view/21395 | http://dx.doi.org/10.7448/IAS.20.1.21395
Configurable data exchange tool design based on tagged data structure

Nowadays, more and more information system used in operation of power grid, data exchange between these systems are necessary for information sharing. Due to different data structure, special data interfaces are usually programmed for data exchange between specified systems. Along with the extent ion of systems and additional data exchange demand, the data interface should be modified all the time. For the flexible data exchange between information systems used in power grid, this paper designs a configurable data exchange tool based on tagged data structure, which allows data between different systems exchanged flexibly by configuration of e file parameter and data exchanged in the file.
An Elastic Mixed-Criticality Task Model and Early-Release EDF Scheduling Algorithms

Many algorithms have recently been studied for scheduling mixed-criticality (MC) tasks. However, most existing MC scheduling algorithms guarantee the timely executions of high-criticality (HC) tasks at the expense of discarding low-criticality (LC) tasks, which can cause serious service interruption for such tasks. In this work, aiming at providing guaranteed services for LC tasks, we study an elastic mixed-criticality (E-MC) task model for dual-criticality systems. Specifically, the model allows each LC task to specify its maximum period (i.e., minimum service level) and a set of early-release points. We propose an early-release (ER) mechanism that enables LC tasks to be released more frequently and thus improve their service levels at runtime, with both conservative and aggressive approaches to exploiting system slack being considered, which is applied to both earliest deadline first (EDF) and preference-oriented earliest-deadline schedulers. We formally prove the correctness of the proposed early-release--earliest deadline first scheduler on guaranteeing the timeliness of all tasks through judicious management of the early releases of LC tasks. The proposed model and schedulers are evaluated through extensive simulations. The results show that by moderately relaxing the service requirements of LC tasks in MC task sets (i.e., by having LC tasks’ maximum periods in the E-MC model be two to three times their desired MC periods), most transformed E-MC task sets can be successfully scheduled without sacrificing the timeliness of HC tasks. Moreover, with the proposed ER mechanism, the runtime performance of tasks (e.g., execution frequencies of LC tasks, response times, and jitters of HC tasks) can be significantly improved under the ER schedulers when compared to that of the state-of-the-art earliest deadline first—virtual deadline scheduler.
Reproductive activity and distrubution of bats in Nebraska

New geographic, reproductive, and seasonal records are presented for 11 of 13 bats inhabiting Nebraska. New geographic records are presented for 10 species, most notably Myotis lucifugus (120 miles west of nearest known record), M. septentrionalis (42 miles west of nearest record), Nycticeius humeralis (72 miles west of nearest record), and Pipistrellus subflavus (258 miles northwest of nearest record). New reproductive localities are recorded for 9 species, particularly the 1st records of breeding by Pipistrellus subflavus in Nebraska (Cherry and Dixon Counties) and the 2nd record of breeding by Lasionycteris noctivagans in Nebraska (Lancaster County). New records of timing of lactation and appearance of flying-young are reported for 7 species, and new records of seasonal activity are reported for 3 species. Lastly, captures of adult males of Lasiurus borealis and L. cinereus in summer are reported from sites across the state; summer populations of these species previously were thought to consist entirely or primarily of adult females and young in some regions. Records presented here are the result of geographic range expansion of several species and of fieldwork conducted in previously unsampled areas.
Justices Of The Peace In Stuart England

American public administration has tended to neglect its his­torical roots in English administrative practice. This article examines the administrative practice of justices of the peace in Stuart England. It is argued here that the practice of the Stu­art justices exhibited an independence from central control by the crown and also a legalistic character, both of which have been important in shaping later American administrative practice.
Viewing RNA-seq data on the entire human genome

RNA-Seq Viewer is a web application that enables users to visualize genome-wide expression data from NCBI's Sequence Read Archive (SRA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. The application prototype was created by a small team during a three-day hackathon facilitated by NCBI at Brandeis University. The backend data pipeline was developed and deployed on a shared AWS EC2 instance. Source code is available at https://github.com/NCBI-Hackathons/rnaseqview.
Relaxing the stability limit of adaptive control systems in the presence of unmodelled dynamics

It is known that a closed-loop dynamical system subject to an adaptive controller remains stable either if there does not exist significant unmodelled dynamics or the effect of system uncertainties...
Quantification of microRNAs directly from body fluids using a base-stacking isothermal amplification method in a point-of-care device

MicroRNAs have been proposed to be a class of biomarkers of disease as expression levels are significantly altered in various tissues and body fluids when compared to healthy controls. As such, the detection and quantification of microRNAs is imperative. While many methods have been established for quantification of microRNAs, they typically rely on time consuming handling such as RNA extraction, purification, or ligation. Here we describe a novel method for quantification of microRNAs using direct amplification in body fluids without upstream sample preparation. Tested with a point-of-care device (termed Gene-Z), the presence of microRNA promotes base-stacking hybridization, and subsequent amplification between two universal strands. The base-stacking approach, which was achieved in <60 min, provided a sensitivity of 1.4 fmol per reaction. Tested in various percentages of whole blood, plasma, and faeces, precision (coefficient of variation = 2.6%) was maintained and comparable to amplification in pristine samples. Overall, the developed method represents a significant step towards rapid, one-step detection of microRNAs.
Political Science Priorities in Local African Research

A survey of the political science literature on Subsaharan Africa' leaves one with these major impressions. First, the literature has proliferated at an unprecedented rate in this decade and scholars already confront an awesome bibliography. Secondly, notwithstanding an impressive rate of output, the literature reflects a persistent imbalance. Political scientists have tended to devote their attention to the macropolitical, including topics mainly focused on nation-building, i.e., decolonization, political development; institutional activity, i.e., public administration, political parties, interest groups; ideological development, i.e., nationalism, socialism, pan-Africanism; political recruitment and elite development, i.e., politicians, students, the military; political integration, i.e., national, regional, continental; and international relations. At the same time, there has been a tendency to ignore local government and politics in general and village micropolitics in particular. Thirdly, most political scientists have been out-of-step with contemporary developments in the discipline. Their unwillingness and/or inability to enter into and draw upon the discipline's mainstream reflects a deep-rooted conflict between the social science and area studies perspectives. The disjuncture between the two perspectives is particularly salient in the literature on local government and politics.
Differential Adaptation of Cone Mechanisms Explains the Preferential Loss of Short-Wavelength Cone Sensitivity in Retinal Disease

A model is proposed to explain the preferential loss of short-wavelength (SW) cone sensitivity in retinal diseases. In this model, differential adaptation of color vision mechanisms under white or chromatic adapting fields combined with a ‘filter’ effect of retinal disease, is postulated as an explanation for the apparent susceptibility of the SW cone pathway. When it is assumed that all the color vision mechanisms are affected equally to create a filter effect, the model predicts: (1) a relative reduction of SW cone sensitivity, (2) differences in the amount of reduction of SW cone sensitivity when measured under white vs. yellow adapting fields, and (3) differences in the amount of SW cone sensitivity loss as a function of adapting field intensity. These predictions are consistent with the available clinical data. We also applied the model to threshold-versus-intensity (t.v.i.) curves for several test and field wavelength combinations from an animal exposed to intense blue light. However, in contrast to the filter effect of general retinal diseases, immediately following the intense light exposure, there where differences in the amount of threshold elevation for different t.v.i. curves. The highest threshold elevation for the cone pathway occurred for SW test flashes. Therefore, these results indicate that intense blue-light exposure produces a specific loss of SW cone sensitivity rather than a filter effect.
Risks and benefits of innovative off-label surgery.

Controversy associated with off-label application of drugs and devices has arisen as innovative treatments clash with responsible regulation. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The biology of fog: results from coastal Maine and Namib Desert reveal common drivers of fog microbial composition

Abstract Fog supplies water and nutrients to systems ranging from coastal forests to inland deserts. Fog droplets can also contain bacterial and fungal aerosols, but our understanding of fog biology is limited. Using metagenomic tools and culturing, we provide a unique look at fungal and bacterial communities in fog at two fog-dominated sites: coastal Maine (USA) and the Namib Desert (Namibia). Microbial communities in the fog at both sites were diverse, distinct from clear aerosols, and influenced by both soil and marine sources. Fog from both sites contained Actinobacteria and Firmicutes, commonly soil- and air-associated phyla, but also contained bacterial taxa associated with marine environments including Cyanobacteria, Oceanospirillales, Novosphingobium, Pseudoalteromonas, and Bradyrhizobiaceae. Marine influence on fog communities was greatest near the coast, but still evident in Namib fogs 50 km inland. In both systems, differences between pre- and post-fog aerosol communities suggest that fog events can significantly alter microbial aerosol diversity and composition. Fog is likely to enhance viability of transported microbes and facilitate their deposition, making fog biology ecologically important in fog-dominated environments. Fog may introduce novel species to terrestrial ecosystems, including human and plant pathogens, warranting further work on the drivers of this important and underrecognized aerobiological transfer between marine and terrestrial systems.
Humeral-sided Radiographic Changes Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.

Background: We sought to characterize humeral-sided radiographic changes at a minimum of 2 years after reverseshoulder arthroplasty (RSA) to determine their association with specific implantation techniques.Methods: The immediate and most recent postoperative anteroposterior radiographs of 120 shoulders with primary RSAand a minimum of 2-years of radiographic follow-up were analyzed (mean follow-up 35.2 months). Stress shielding wasevaluated by measuring cortical thickness at 4 different locations. Three independent examiners evaluated radiographsfor humeral osteolysis, radiolucent lines, stress shielding, stem loosening, and scapular notching.Results: The cortical diameter, marker of external stress shielding, significantly decreased from initial to mostrecent measurement (p <0.001), but did not differ between cemented and uncemented groups. Cemented stems hadsignificantly more osteolysis and radiolucent lines; uncemented stems had significantly more internal stress shielding(p <001). The presence of scapular notching was significantly correlated with the presence of humeral osteolysis(p <0.001). Three (2.5%) stems were deemed “at risk” for loosening and 2 (1.7%) were loose.Conclusion: Cemented humeral stems were associated with an increased rate of radiolucent lines and osteolysis,whereas uncemented stems were associated with more internal stress shielding. Humeral cortical thickness significantlydecreased over time regardless of fixation. There was an association between scapular notching and increasedhumeral osteolysis.Level of evidence: III
The expanding roles and mechanisms of G protein-mediated presynaptic inhibition.

Throughout the past five decades, tremendous advancements have been made in our understanding of G protein signaling and presynaptic inhibition, many of which were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry under the tenure of Herb Tabor as Editor-in-Chief. Here, we identify these critical advances, including the formulation of the ternary complex model of G protein–coupled receptor signaling and the discovery of Gβγ as a critical signaling component of the heterotrimeric G protein, along with the nature of presynaptic inhibition and its physiological role. We provide an overview for the discovery and physiological relevance of the two known Gβγ–mediated mechanisms for presynaptic inhibition: first, the action of Gβγ on voltage-gated calcium channels to inhibit calcium influx to the presynaptic active zone and, second, the direct binding of Gβγ to the SNARE complex to displace synaptotagmin downstream of calcium entry, which has been demonstrated to be important in neurons and secretory cells. These two mechanisms act in tandem with each other in a synergistic manner to provide more complete spatiotemporal control over neurotransmitter release.