cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Data Reveals Efficacy of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Repair

Cell therapy has rapidly emerged as a potential option for cardiac repair in patients with ischemic heart disease. Since the turn of the century, several forms of cell therapy have been evaluated in clinical trials, including skeletal myoblasts, bone marrow mononuclear cells, mesenchymal stem cells, and cardiac stem cells (CSCs). Cell therapy, in its various forms, has generally been efficacious, providing modest improvements in cardiac structure and function in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), as well as chronic ischemic heart disease.1 Although bone marrow cells are relatively easy to harvest and deliver, these are not natural residents of cardiac tissue, and their ability to regenerate lost myocardium remains controversial. In the absence of an obvious choice, the search for newer cellular substrates has continued. Article, see p 1223 In 2003, Beltrami et al2 described the existence of c-kit+ cells in the heart, which were reported to be self-replicating, clonogenic, and multipotent, giving rise to cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, and new blood vessels in ischemic rat hearts. Subsequent demonstration of heart repair with intravascular delivery of c-kit+ CSCs paved the way for clinical translation using intracoronary delivery.3 Intense research in this area quickly resulted in the discovery of several additional types of cardiac progenitors, including cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), Sca-1+ cells, cardiac side population cells, Isl1+ cells, and epicardial progenitors, among others. Of these, c-kit+ CSCs and CDCs have already been tested in randomized controlled trials in humans. Intracoronary injection of culture-expanded autologous c-kit+ CSCs into hearts of ischemic cardiomyopathy patients improved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and reduced infarct size in the Stem Cell Infusion in Patients With Ischemic cardiomyopathy (SCIPIO) trial.4 Injection of autologous CDCs into the infarct-related artery reduced scar mass and increased regional contractility with a nonsignificant …
The Emerging Role of Mitochondrial Targeting in Kidney Disease

Renal disease affects millions of people worldwide, imposing an enormous financial burden for health-care systems. Recent evidence suggests that mitochondria play an important role in the pathogenesis of different forms of renal disease, including genetic defects, acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, aging, renal tumors, and transplant nephropathy. Renal mitochondrial abnormalities and dysfunction affect several cellular pathways, leading to increased oxidative stress, apoptosis, microvascular loss, and fibrosis, all of which compromise renal function. Over recent years, compounds that specifically target mitochondria have emerged as promising therapeutic options for patients with renal disease. Although the most compelling evidence is based on preclinical studies, several compounds are currently being tested in clinical trials. This chapter provides an overview of the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in renal disease and summarizes the current knowledge on mitochondria-targeted strategies to attenuate renal disease.
Chinese Border Disputes Revisited: Toward a Better Interdisciplinary Sythesis

China has long been embroiled in a wide array of territorial disputes and has occasionally flexed its military muscle in the process. Its conduct in such situations has been of great theoretical and practical relevance and has attracted considerable attention from scholars across the socio-legal spectrum. Researchers in the field of international law have carefully surveyed official and semi-official Chinese pronouncements and practices, while their social science counterparts have rigorously dissected key behavioral patterns. This is an inherently complex subject that this two-pronged approach has not yet been able to comprehensively address, however, because scholars engaged in the enterprise have only completed a partial exploration of a multifaceted phenomenon and insufficient interdisciplinary alignment. A potentially richer investigative platform, and more effective conceptual bridge building, may help narrow the gaps in the explanatory architecture.
Preparation of a Select Tautomer of Various Unsymmetrical 1,3,5-Pentanetriones, (1Z,4Z)-1-(Aryl)-1,5-dihydroxy-5-phenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones, a 4H-1-benzothiopyran-4-one, and a 2-(2-oxoyl)quinolin-4(1H)-one

Deprotonation of 1-benzoylacetone with excess lithium hexamethyldisilazide (LHMDS) or lithium diisopropylamide (LDA) resulted in a dilithium dianion-type intermediate, which underwent a Claisen-type condensation with substituted aromatic esters or an isatoic anhydride to afford unsymmetrical 1,3,5-pentanetriones or a cyclized heterocyclic product when the C-acylated intermediates contained a select ortho-substituted phenacyl pendant group. Spectral data indicated that a particular tautomer, a (1Z,4Z)-1-(4-aryl)-1,5-dihydroxy-5-phenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-one, resulted upon recrystallization of the linear products. Condensation–cyclization of the dianion-type intermediate with methyl thiosalicylate resulted in a phenacyl benzoheterocyclic thiopyranone and with 5-chloroisatoic anhydride in a phenacyl quinolinone. X-ray crystal analysis of several products afforded additional proof of structure, especially regarding which tautomer was isolated.
Spectral stabilization of external dual grating reflector coupled surface emitter array

We present an external dual grating reflector coupled surface emitting laser array. The emitters are wavelength locked by means of a diffraction grating array in Littrow arrangement. 64 Watts of total peak power is demonstrated.
Distributed cognition in software design: an experimental investigation of the role of design patterns and collaboration

Software design is a knowledge intensive task that constitutes a critical part of the software development process. Using a controlled experiment involving software practitioners, this research examines two potentially useful mechanisms for improving the software design process. Specifically, this study examines the impact of structural distribution of cognition through design patterns and social distribution of cognition through collaborating pairs on design outcomes. The results indicate that the use of design patterns as external cognitive artifacts improves design quality, reduces time taken to solve a design problem, and leads to higher participant satisfaction. Collaborating pairs of software designers were compared to participants working alone but whose efforts were conjointly considered as the best and second-best members of nominal pairs. It was found that paired designers produced higher quality designs compared with the second-best members of nominal pairs, did not differ from the best member of a nominal pair, but took more time to complete a design task than either member of a nominal pair. The results also indicate that the availability of design patterns raises the performance level of the second-best member of a nominal pair, in terms of quality, and reduces task completion time when compared with a pair not using design patterns. Finally, paired designers were found to experience higher levels of task satisfaction when compared with individuals. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Discovery of a Covalent Kinase Inhibitor from a DNA-Encoded Small-Molecule Library × Protein Library Selection

We previously reported interaction determination using unpurified proteins (IDUP), a method to selectively amplify DNA sequences encoding ligand:target pairs from a mixture of DNA-linked small molecules and unpurified protein targets in cell lysates. In this study, we applied IDUP to libraries of DNA-encoded bioactive compounds and DNA-tagged human kinases to identify ligand:protein binding partners out of 32 096 possible combinations in a single solution-phase library × library experiment. The results recapitulated known small molecule:protein interactions and also revealed that ethacrynic acid is a novel ligand and inhibitor of MAP2K6 kinase. Ethacrynic acid inhibits MAP2K6 in part through alkylation of a nonconserved cysteine residue. This work validates the ability of IDUP to discover ligands for proteins of biomedical relevance.
TUBB2B Mutation in an Adult Patient with Myoclonus-Dystonia.

Background Tubulin mutations are a cause of neuronal migrational disorders referred to as tubulinopathies. Mutations in tubulin genes can have a severe impact on microtubule function and result in heterogeneous clinical presentations. Current understanding of the clinical spectrum of tubulinopathies is predominantly based on research in fetal tissue and early-childhood cases. Methods Testing of candidate genes followed by whole-exome sequencing was performed in an adult woman with a neurodevelopmental, hyperkinetic movement disorder, to identify the underlying genetic cause. Bioinformatic modeling and a systematic review of literature was conducted to investigate genotype-phenotype correlations. Results The patient was found to carry a heterozygous, de novo c.722G>A, p.R241H mutation in a conserved domain of TUBB2B, encoding the β-isoform of tubulin. In silico analysis indicated that this mutation was pathogenic. On neuroimaging, the patient had asymmetric pachygyria and dysmorphic basal ganglia. Her neurological examination demonstrated mild cognitive impairment, myoclonus-dystonia, and skeletal anomalies. Conclusions Here, we report the unique phenotype of an adult TUBB2B mutation carrier. This case illustrates a relatively mild phenotype compared to previously described fetal and early childhood cases. This highlights the importance of obtaining molecular genetic testing in individuals with a high probability of a genetic disease, including undiagnosed adult patients.
Hit Him Again

I kick my legs back and forth futilely. I can’t touch the ground. Gathering my strength, I thrash my upper body side to side. There. I feel a slight tear. Victory is short, though. I can hear him walk back into the room.
Activation of the Listeria monocytogenes Virulence Program by a Reducing Environment

Upon entry into the host cell cytosol, the facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes coordinates the expression of numerous essential virulence factors by allosteric binding of glutathione (GSH) to the Crp-Fnr family transcriptional regulator PrfA. Here, we report that robust virulence gene expression can be recapitulated by growing bacteria in a synthetic medium containing GSH or other chemical reducing agents. Bacteria grown under these conditions were 45-fold more virulent in an acute murine infection model and conferred greater immunity to a subsequent lethal challenge than bacteria grown in conventional media. During cultivation in vitro, PrfA activation was completely dependent on the intracellular levels of GSH, as a glutathione synthase mutant (ΔgshF) was activated by exogenous GSH but not reducing agents. PrfA activation was repressed in a synthetic medium supplemented with oligopeptides, but the repression was relieved by stimulation of the stringent response. These data suggest that cytosolic L. monocytogenes interprets a combination of metabolic and redox cues as a signal to initiate robust virulence gene expression in vivoIMPORTANCE Intracellular pathogens are responsible for much of the worldwide morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. These pathogens have evolved various strategies to proliferate within individual cells of the host and avoid the host immune response. Through cellular invasion or the use of specialized secretion machinery, all intracellular pathogens must access the host cell cytosol to establish their replicative niches. Determining how these pathogens sense and respond to the intracellular compartment to establish a successful infection is critical to our basic understanding of the pathogenesis of each organism and for the rational design of therapeutic interventions. Listeria monocytogenes is a model intracellular pathogen with robust in vitro and in vivo infection models. Studies of the host-sensing and downstream signaling mechanisms evolved by L. monocytogenes often describe themes of pathogenesis that are broadly applicable to less tractable pathogens. Here, we describe how bacteria use external redox states as a cue to activate virulence.
Lora Arduser. Living Chronic: Agency and Expertise in the Rhetoric of Diabetes. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press, 2017. 220 pages. $74.95 hardcover.

The study of technical communication yields discussions of agency and power—agency and power in writing and experience. In Living Chronic: Agency and Expertise in the Rhetoric of Diabetes, Lora Ard...
A field experiment on bureaucratic discretionary bias under FOI laws

Abstract The gap between the approval of RTI laws and their implementation leaves room for discretionary bias and discrimination from government officials. This paper explores possible discretionary bias and ultimately discriminatory behavior exhibited by Uruguayan government agencies while answering RTI requests. We explore whether public officials are more likely to respond to requests from citizens that are informed about their right under the RTI law vs regular citizens, as well as from influential citizens (journalists and firm owners). We also assess whether public servants' responses to RTI requests are gender-biased. We conducted a randomized field experiment to test for unequal treatment given to citizens' requests by Uruguayan government officials, considering different citizen categories. We find that only those citizens who know the RTI law and invoke its existence have a greater likelihood of obtaining an answer from bureaucrats. This result is driven mostly by men's requests declaring they know the law when making their request, while invoking the law doesn't make a difference in responses to women. These findings show that public campaigns to promote citizens' awareness of RTI laws and their use, not only would increase requests, but also governments' responsiveness regarding RTI requests.
The Terrestrial Carbon Sink

Life on Earth comes in many forms, but all life-forms share a common element in carbon. It is the basic building block of biology, and by trapping radiation it also plays an important role in maint...
The Accuracy of the Violent Offender Identification Directive Tool to Predict Future Gun Violence

We evaluate the Violent Offender Identification Directive (VOID) tool, a risk prediction instrument implemented within a police department to identify offenders likely to be involved with future gu...
Taxation in the Aviation Industry: Insights and Challenges:

Taxation in the aviation industry has evolved considerably over the last 25 years. Despite the vital role aviation and airports play in efficiently moving goods and people, the effect of taxation i...
Patchy, incomplete, and heterogeneous X-inactivation in the human placenta

Abstract The placenta is formed after the first few weeks of pregnancy and is the genotype of the fetus. It acts as an immune modulator in the uterine environment to sustain a successful pregnancy. One of the X chromosomes in XX females is silenced by a process called X-inactivation. Prior research suggests that incorrect dosage on the X chromosome could lead to poor development of the placenta and ultimately result in complications in pregnancy. Previous studies of X- inactivation in the placenta were either in non-human placentas, or were limited to only a few SNPs and genes in human placentas. Thus, it is not clear whether within human placenta, X- inactivation is completely homogeneous, patchy, or mosaic. Further, X-inactivation is not complete in humans; as many as one-third of the genes on the X chromosome escape X- inactivation, but variability in genes that escape X-inactivation in the placenta has not been investigated. We sequenced RNA from 60 placenta samples from 30 full-term, uncomplicated pregnancies with female offspring. We can confidently rule out X-inactivation being completely mosaic in the human placenta. Rather, we find strong evidence that X-inactivation in the human placenta is patchy, with large potential clonal expansions of either silenced maternal or paternal X-chromosomes, with provocative suggestions of bias towards silencing the paternal X. We also find variation in the degree of silencing, where a high portion of variants (between 26.8-75.3% in any sample) are silenced incompletely. Finally, we find evidence for variability in genes that escape X-inactivation within and among placenta samples. Significance The placenta is formed early during development, is essential for healthy pregnancy, and is largely composed of DNA from the offspring, and thus can be XX or XY. One of the X chromosomes in XX females is silenced by a process called X-inactivation. We studied patterns of X-inactivation in two regions of the placenta across 30 placentas, and find strong evidence for large patches of either maternally or paternally silenced X-chromosomes in the human placenta. We also found that the genes that escape X-inactivation vary both across individuals, and within the placenta of a single individual, suggesting mechanisms for variability in placenta function, and implications for prenatal testing that samples only a single region of the placenta.
Percutaneous trial lead placement for failed back surgery syndrome

Abstract A 57-year-old female with a history of L4-L5 and L5-S1 laminectomy and fusion presents with persistent axial back and left leg pain. She has been diagnosed with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). She has trialed several medial branch blocks and lumbar epidural steroid injections with minimal relief. She is currently taking gabapentin 300 mg three times daily and has participated in several courses of physical therapy with minimal benefit. She is anxious that no solutions will be found for her chronic pain and seems willing to try alternative therapies. Discussion takes place to consider spinal cord stimulation and the possibility of performing a trial of the stimulation to see if it can help her. She expresses interest in proceeding and is given some literature to review on the therapy.
Promoting genetic counseling among African American women with hereditary risk for breast cancer.

e13639Background: Breast cancer (BC) mortality is substantially higher for African American (AA) women compared to their white counterparts. Genetic counseling (GC) is a key step in management of w...
Efficient and robust high-level synthesis design space exploration through offline micro-kernels pre-characterization

This work proposes a method to accelerate the process of High-Level Synthesis (HLS) Design Space Exploration (DSE) by pre-characterizing micro-kernels offline and creating predictive models of these. HLS allows to generate different types of micro-architectures from the same untimed behavioral description. This is typically done by setting different combinations of synthesis options in the form or synthesis directives specified as pragmas in the code. This allows, e.g. to control how loops should be synthesized, arrays and functions. Unique combinations of these pragmas leads to micro-architectures with a unique area vs. performance/power trade-offs. The main problem is that the search space grows exponentially with the number of explorable operations. Thus, the main goal of efficient HLS DSE is to find the synthesis directives' combinations that lead to the Pareto-optimal designs quickly. Our proposed method is based on the pre-characterization of micro-kernels offline, creating predictive models for each of the kernels, and using the results to explore a new unseen behavioral description using compositional methods. In addition, we make use of perceptual hashing to match new unseen micro-kernels with the pre-characterized micro-kernels in order to further speed up the search process. Experimental results show that our proposed method is orders of magnitude faster than traditional methods.
Biomaterial strategies for improved intra‐articular drug delivery

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint degenerative disease that has become one of the leading causes of disability in the world. It is estimated that OA affects 50 million adults in the United States. Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments that slow OA progression and its treatment is limited to pain management strategies and life style changes. Despite the discovery of several disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs) and promising results in preclinical studies, their clinical translation has been significantly limited because of poor intra-articular (IA) bioavailability and challenges in delivering these compounds to tissues of interest within the joint. Here, we review current OA treatments and their effectiveness at reducing joint pain, as well as novel targets for OA treatment and the challenges related to their clinical translation. Moreover, we discuss intra-articular (IA) drug delivery as a promising route of administration, describe its inherent challenges, and review recent advances in biomaterial-based IA drug delivery for OA treatment. Finally, we highlight the potential of tissue targeting in the development of effective IA drug delivery systems.
Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Due to Combined Use of Phentermine and Lisdexamfetamine.

Objectives This is the first case report of iatrogenic Takotsubo syndrome (TS) due to a combination of lisdexamfetamine and phentermine. Background TS is characterized by transient acute ballooning of the left ventricular wall. Typically, it occurs in extremely stressed post-menopausal women, however a few iatrogenic causes have been described recently. Results A 55-year old woman prescribed lisdexamfetamine and phentermine, presented with acute substernal chest pain. Acute coronary syndrome was excluded. The echocardiogram was diagnostic of TS, and she recovered spontaneously, with supportive care. Conclusion Caution with the use of sympathomimetic medications in post-menopausal women appears warranted. LEARNING POINTS This is the first case report in the published English literature of medication-induced Takotsubo cardiomyopathy due to combination use of lisdexamfetamine and phentermine.This provides new information about iatrogenic causes of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.Caution is indicated in the use of such medications, particularly in post-menopausal women, who are at higher risk.
Two Photon Interference via Coupled Ring Resonators on a Silicon Photonic Chip

We demonstrate an on-chip Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiment where the conventional directional coupler-based beam splitter is replaced with coupled ring resonators. Two photon interference is achieved with raw visibilities as high as 95% and, ∼ π rotation is achieved.
Two-Stream Appearance Transfer Network for Person Image Generation.

Pose guided person image generation means to generate a photo-realistic person image conditioned on an input person image and a desired pose. This task requires spatial manipulation of the source image according to the target pose. However, the generative adversarial networks (GANs) widely used for image generation and translation rely on spatially local and translation equivariant operators, i.e., convolution, pooling and unpooling, which cannot handle large image deformation. This paper introduces a novel two-stream appearance transfer network (2s-ATN) to address this challenge. It is a multi-stage architecture consisting of a source stream and a target stream. Each stage features an appearance transfer module and several two-stream feature fusion modules. The former finds the dense correspondence between the two-stream feature maps and then transfers the appearance information from the source stream to the target stream. The latter exchange local information between the two streams and supplement the non-local appearance transfer. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicate the proposed 2s-ATN can effectively handle large spatial deformation and occlusion while retaining the appearance details. It outperforms prior states of the art on two widely used benchmarks.
Rift interaction zones and the stages of rift linkage in active segmented continental rift systems

[Abstract Although much is known about the interaction of faulting and sedimentation within the basins of active segmented continental rift systems, little is known about these processes within the interaction zones of varying geometries that separate the young interacting segments. We address this problem by exploring the non‐volcanic rift interaction zones (RIZ) along the humid, magma‐poor juvenile western branch of the East African Rift System (WB‐EARS). We examine the large‐scale ‘cross‐over’ relief profiles (basin‐to‐basin through‐going profiles extending across RIZs), the spatial patterns of rift‐linking faults (breaching faults), and axial stream morphology. Our results show that: (1) the RIZs are at different stages of their evolution; (2) distinct long‐wavelength 2‐D cross‐over topographic relief shapes, directionality of axial stream flow (sediment routing patterns), and breaching fault patterns characterise RIZs at the various stages of the linkage of interacting rift basins; (3) these stages include unbreached, partially‐breached, recently‐breached, and breached RIZs; (4) deforming RIZs exhibit different styles of directionality of breaching, including a unidirectional (distinct propagator and receiver segments), bi‐directional propagation (both segments act as propagators and receivers), and nucleation and outward propagation of a narrow intra‐RIZ subsidiary rift basin; (5) RIZ breaching is facilitated by overlap rift‐flank deformation, and/or rift tip propagation structures in the form of rift splaying, border fault rotation (rift‐tip rotation), and fault cluster networks and (6) the lateral propagation of breaching faults at the rift tips and flanks, facilitated by localized stress concentrations, is modulated by the extension direction and inherited basement structures. Our findings offer a broader insight into the geometries, structural, and morphological evolution of RIZs, and provide first‐order predictions of the large‐scale sedimentation patterns of humid early‐stage continental rift environments. Our models provide testable hypotheses for linking rift architecture and patterns of early stage sedimentation applicable to ancient rift basins., During the early stages of continental extension, isolated rift segments propagate laterally and interact to link‐up at RIZs. In this study, we investigate RIZs in East Africa to decipher the stages of their evolution and gain insights relevant for understanding the evolution of rift systems. ]
A community-driven approach to democratize access to satellite ground stations

Should you decide to launch a nano-satellite today in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), the cost of renting ground station communication infrastructure is likely to significantly exceed your launch costs. While space launch costs have lowered significantly with innovative launch vehicles, private players, and smaller payloads, access to ground infrastructure remains a luxury. This is especially true for smaller LEO satellites that are only visible at any location for a few tens of minutes a day and whose signals are extremely weak, necessitating bulky and expensive ground station infrastructure. In this paper, we present a community-driven distributed reception paradigm for LEO satellite signals where signals received on many tiny handheld receivers (not necessarily deployed on rooftops but also indoors) are coherently combined to recover the desired signal. This is made possible by employing new synchronization and receiver orientation techniques that study satellite trajectories and leverage the presence of other ambient signals. We compare our results with a large commercial receiver deployed on a rooftop and show a 8 dB SNR increase both indoors and outdoors using 8 receivers, costing $38 per RF frontend.
Serum Total Testosterone and Premature Mortality Among Men in the USA.

The relationship between testosterone and premature mortality has caused recent controversy. While previous studies have demonstrated mixed results, this is partly because of variable patient populations, different testosterone thresholds, and the use of antiquated techniques to measure serum testosterone. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey we analyzed a cohort representative of men in the USA to explore the relationship between serum testosterone and premature mortality using contemporary guidelines and testosterone measurements. We found that men with low testosterone (<300 ng/dl) were at higher risk (odds ratio 2.07, 95% confidence interval 1.30-3.32; p < 0.01) of premature death compared to men with normal testosterone. Furthermore, men with low testosterone were also more likely to have treatable comorbid conditions that were independently predictive of premature mortality. Both testosterone and these comorbid conditions are also modulated by lifestyle modifications, rendering this an important therapeutic approach in men with either or both conditions. Patient summary We explored the relationship between testosterone levels and premature death in a large US population. We found that low testosterone is associated with both premature death and related disease processes such as obesity, both of which can be initially treated with diet and exercise.
Hepatorenal syndrome

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is defined as functional renal failure that develops in patients with advanced liver disease. HRS may be either slowly or rapidly progressive (type I and II HRS, respectively). Untreated HRS carries a high mortality. Liver transplantation is the best available treatment for HRS. However, all patients with HRS are not suitable candidates for transplantation. Moreover, an organ is often not available in a timely manner in those who are candidates for transplantation. Treatment with vasoconstrictors (terlipressin, octreotide, and midodrine) and plasma expansion with albumin is beneficial and serves as a bridge to transplantation in such cases. The vasopressin analog, terlipressin, produces a sustained reversal of HRS in about 57% to 78% of the patients. The benefits of terlipressin are seen mainly in those who are also receiving albumin simultaneously. In those who improve, recurrence of HRS is reported to be relatively uncommon in the short and intermediate term. In the United States, terlipressin is not available, and octreotide and midodrine are often used for the medical management of HRS. Unfortunately, there are only limited uncontrolled data to support the use of these drugs for HRS. In those who respond to octreotide and midodrine, the subsequent placement of a transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic shunt (TIPS) has been shown to produce a sustained improvement in renal function. TIPS alone also improves renal functions in selected patients with HRS. The exact role of TIPS in HRS needs further evaluation, as patients with HRS are particularly at risk for complications such as encephalopathy and liver failure. Molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) is an albumin-based dialysis system that has a promising role in the treatment of HRS and liver failure. MARS is a very expensive form of treatment, and further clinical trials are needed to establish its utility. Development of HRS can be prevented by adding albumin to the antibiotic regimen to treat spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and through pentoxifylline administration to the patients with acute alcoholic hepatitis.
Human herpesvirus-encoded MicroRNA in host-pathogen interaction

Human herpesviruses (HHV) are ubiquitous, linear dsDNA viruses that establish lifelong latency, disrupted by sporadic reactivation. HHV have evolved diverse ingenious mechanisms to evade robust host defenses. Incorporation of unique stem loop sequences that generate viral microRNAs (v-miRs) exemplifies one such evolutionary adaptation in HHV. These noncoding RNAs can control cellular and viral transcriptomes highlighting their ability in shaping host-HHV interactions. We summarize recent developments in functional characterization of HHV-encoded miRNAs in shaping the outcome of host-pathogen interaction. Non-immunogenic dissemination of v-miRs through exosomes confer added advantage to HHV in incessant modulation of host microenvironment. This review delineates the mechanistic role of v-miRs in facilitating viral persistence and tropism by targeting genes associated with cellular (apoptosis, angiogenesis, cell migration, etc.) and viral life cycle (latency, lytic and reactivation). Burgeoning evidences indicate plausible association of v-miRs in various immune-mediated diseases (nasopharyngeal carcinoma, neurological disorders, periodontal diseases, etc.) and herpesvirus-related malignancies indicating their broad-spectrum impact on host cellular pathways. We propose to exploit tisssue and systemic levels of v-miRs as diagnostic and prognostic markers for cancers and immune-mediated diseases. Therapeutic targeting of v-miRs will advance the promising outcomes of preclinical discoveries to bedside application.
Plant and mineral oils as insecticide adjuvants: Effects on residues and toxicity

Effects were measured of combining plant and mineral oils with insecticides on residue properties of insecticides on cotton leaves. Surface residues of a relatively polar organophosphate, parathion, were increased in persistence. Little effect of oils on residue properties was found in tests with the more nonpolar synthetic pyrethroid, permethrin. Effects of oils on insecticide toxicity were measured in tests where insects were exposed to residues on glass surfaces. All oils increased efficacy of organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticides. Thus, oils are effective in modifying both insecticide residue life and toxicity. Polarity us test insecticides and nature of the oil are important variables in determining the effects produced.
Caracterização Sensorial da Carne de Codornas Poedeiras (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Alimentadas com Diferentes Dietas em Diferentes Tempos

As the consumption of quail’s meat is still innovation in Brazil, the quantitative descriptive analysis becomes important to know the sensorial characteristics of this product, therefore with this work we aimed to evaluate sensorially the effect of the different diets elaborated for posture quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica), in different times. The birds, 150 quails, (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with 37 days of age were fed with diets containing: flour of fish silage plus deffated rice bran (FSP+FAD), flour of commercial fish plus deffated rice bran (FP+FAD) and commercial diet, for the period of 90 days and abated to the 30, 60 and 90 days of diet and frozen. The sensorial evaluation was accomplished by the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (ADQ), where twelve evaluators were submitted to training, after determination of the terminology, accomplished in open panel. In the evaluation the team was formed by seven evaluators which were selected by their distinguishing skills, reproducibility and agreement with each other. The results obtained for the quantitative descriptive analysis were evaluated by the test of Tukey, where the interaction diet x time was significant for the attributes of characteristic flavor and corn scent, it was verified that the meat of the birds fed during 60 days with the diet of flour of fish silage with degreased rice bran presented the best sensorial characteristic.
CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER IN PREGNANCY: REPORT OF THREE CASES.

Abstract Three cases of carcinoma of the bladder complicating pregnancy are reported. The incidence, prognosis, and treatment of such cases are discussed. The need for the thorough evaluation of hematuria during pregnancy is stressed.
Value-based stakeholder loyalty toward sport technology A case of the electronic body protector and scoring system in Taekwondo events

Only a few studies have examined issues related to sport stakeholders’ (e.g., athletes’, spectators’, and coaches’) perceived value of tech nology products and its influence on the purchase intention of sport technology. The model of value-based stakeholders’ loyalty toward sport technology (MVLST) is offered to inform customer purchase intentions of technology-based products by proposing theoretical rela tionships between perceived value, brand attitude, and purchase intention. The MVLST leverages core aspects of the technology accep tance model (TAM) and salient product attributes as quality, price, and innovativeness to develop the perceived value of sport technology (PVST). To test the theoretical relationships proposed in MVLST, a structural equation model was performed. Finally, multi-group SEM was employed to examine the moderating effect of consumer involvement. A total of 341 useful cases were collected from key stakeholders (e.g., spectators, coaches, and athletes) attending the 2010 US Open Taekwondo Championship; the technology-based product assessed by these survey participants was the electronic body protector and scoring system. The results of this analysis demonstrate that: (i) Usefulness, quality, and price are important value dimensions for attitude; (ii) conative loyalty (i.e., purchase intention) toward a sport technology occurs as consumers develop positive value perceptions and attitude toward the product; and (iii) the purchase intention of high vs. low involvement groups is dissimilarly influenced by the proposed value dimensions. From a theoretical perspective, the current study sheds light on the importance of attitude as a mediating variable and involvement as a moderating variable. A b s t r a c t
Characterization of a periplasmic 3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase gene, cpdP, from the marine symbiotic bacterium Vibrio fischeri.

Vibrio fischeri, a marine bacterium that forms a bioluminescent symbiosis with certain fish and squids, exhibits the unusual attribute of growth on 3':5'-cyclic AMP (cAMP), apparently through the activity of a 3':5'-cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (3':5'-CNP) with exceptionally high activity. The V. fischeri 3':5'-CNP is located in the periplasm, a novel cellular location for this enzyme in bacteria. To gain insight into the physiological function of this enzyme, we cloned the gene (designated cpdP) encoding it from V. fischeri MJ-1. This is the first bacterial 3':5'-CNP gene to be cloned. Sequencing and analysis of the 1.26-kb cpdP locus revealed a single open reading frame specifying a protein of 330 amino acid residues, including a 22-amino-acid leader peptide. The putative cpdP promoter contained a reasonable -10 promoter region (TATTAT) but contained no obvious -35 region; instead, a 12-bp inverted repeat (TTAAATATTTAA) occurred just upstream of this location. A possible rho-independent transcriptional terminator with a calculated free energy of -21.2 kcal.mol-1 (ca. -88.7 kJ.mol-1) followed the CpdP protein coding sequence. The predicted subunit molecular weight of 33,636 for the mature CpdP protein (36,087 less 2,451 for the leader peptide) was consistent with the molecular weight of 34,000 estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The deduced amino acid sequence of the CpdP protein exhibited 30.3% identity with that of the low-affinity 3':5'-CNP (PDE1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 33.6% identity with that of the extracellular 3':5'-CNP of Dictyostelium discoideum. The residue identities clustered in two regions, residues 100 to 146 and 238 to 269, which contained 30 of the 33 amino acids conserved in all three proteins, 4 of which were histidines. A gene replacement mutant of V. fischeri MJ-1 containing a 0.45-kb BglII deletion within the cpdP gene lacked periplasmic 3':5'-CNP activity and did not grow on cAMP, confirming for V. fischeri the relationship among cpdP, synthesis of the periplasmic 3':5'-CNP, and growth on cAMP. The mutant exhibited no obvious sensitivity to high extracellular concentrations of cAMP (5 and 10 mM), suggesting that the enzyme does not play a role in defense against extracellular cAMP.
A computer-controlled automated test system for fatigue and fracture testing

A computer-controlled system consisting of a servohydraulic test machine, an in-house designed test controller, and a desktop computer has been developed for performing automated fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth testing both in the laboratory and in hot cells for remote testing of irradiated specimens. Both unloading compliance and dc-potential drop can be used to monitor crack growth. The test controller includes a dc-current supply programmer, a function generator for driving the servohydraulic test machine to required test outputs, five measurement channels (each consisting of low-pass filter, track/hold amplifier, and 16-bit analog-to-digital converter), and digital logic for various control and data multiplexing functions. The test controller connects to the computer via a 16-bit wide photo-isolated bidirectional bus. The computer, a Hewlett-Packard series 200/300, inputs specimen and test parameters from the operator, configures the test controller, stores test data from the test controller in memory, does preliminary analysis during the test, and records sensor calibrations, specimen and test parameters, and test data on flexible diskette for later recall and analysis with measured initial and final crack length information. During the test, the operator can change test parameters as necessary. 24 refs., 6 figs.
Fat Soluble Vitamins. XXXII. The Distribution of Vitamin A in Tomato and the Stability of Added Vitamin D.

In making use of the ultraviolet rays as an antirachitic activating agent, it is necessary, of course, to consider harmful or destructive effects which may be produced simultaneously as the food materials are exposed. It is well known that protein substances become coagulated, that enzymes are destroyed and that even starches acquire a very distinctive taste upon long exposure. Zilva (1) showed that vitamia C in decitrated lemon juice was not destroyed by exposure to the radiations of a quartz mercury vapor lamp for six to eight hours; vitamin B in autolyzed yeast, after being exposed for six hours, apparently was not destroyed, but vitamin A in butter showed itself to be much more labile to this treatment, because after an exposure of eight hours, the butter fat, fed at a level of 2 per cent did not prevent the incidence of ophthalmia in rats. Spinka (2) reported that ultraviolet light did not destroy vitamin B in yeast nor vitamin C in lemon juice, but treated butter fat was found toxic unless air was excluded. Zflva (3) reported that the death of Spinka's mice possibly was not due to toxicity but to destruction of vitamiu A. These deductions were based upon Zilva's experience with rats in his previous paper (1). Later Zilva (4) showed that this destruction was due to ozone generated during the course of radiation. When the radiation was carried out in C02 vitamin A was not destroyed. Peacock (5) and Holmes and Pigott (6) also referred to vitamin A destruction by ultra violet. Titus, Hughes, Henshaw, and Fitch (7) showed that in the irradiation of mill~; vitA.rn~n A con-
Optical and Radio Observations of Structure in the Midlatitude Ionosphere: Midlatitude Ionospheric Dynamics and Disturbances

We present a reanalysis of optical and radio observations of nighttime ionospheric structure at midlatitudes during heightened geomagnetic activity (Kp > 4). This is done using several examples of structures that have been studied in past publications. The reanalysis is performed in light of recent advances in our understanding of these structures and in search of common properties. It is found that these structures are characterized by enhancements in the background total electron content, development of instabilities on the edges of the structure due to the generalized E x B instability, and a counterclockwise rotation aligning the structures significantly off the magnetic meridian. The instabilities generated on the gradients occur over several decades of scale sizes, and there is evidence that associated irregularities can occur at the magnetic equator along field lines connected to the structures' edges. We discuss the possibilities of the structures being equatorial or local in origin and suggest that future experiments are required with expanded coverage of the ionosphere.
New Results in Sasaki-Einstein Geometry

This article is a summary of some of the author’s work on Sasaki–Einstein geometry. A rather general conjecture in string theory known as the AdS/CFT correspondence relates Sasaki–Einstein geometry, in low dimensions, to superconformal field theory; properties of the latter are therefore reflected in the former, and vice versa. Despite this physical motivation, many recent results are of independent geometrical interest and are described here in purely mathematical terms: explicit constructions of infinite families of both quasi-regular and irregular Sasaki–Einstein metrics; toric Sasakian geometry; an extremal problem that determines the Reeb vector field for, and hence also the volume of, a Sasaki–Einstein manifold; and finally, obstructions to the existence of Sasaki–Einstein metrics. Some of these results also provide new insights into Kahler geometry, and in particular new obstructions to the existence of Kahler–Einstein metrics on Fano orbifolds.
Recent observations of solar oscillations at SCLERA

This work deals with the subject of global solar oscillations. These oscillations are observed as fluctuations in the diameter of the sun. A diameter is determined by a mathematical solar edge definition at the SCLERA1 instrument. The oscillations have periods ranging from a few minutes to several hours and have amplitudes measured in millionths of a solar radius. These small amplitudes are observable only due to the unique properties of the edge definition. The properties of the observed solar oscillations are determined from the data; their statistical significance and repeatability are then tested.
Semaphorins: mediators of repulsive growth cone guidance

During development, neuronal growth cones encounter a variety of guidance cues while mediating axon path finding, target recognition and synapse formation. It is clear that repulsive guidance mechanisms play an essential role in these processes. The semaphorin gene family, which is conserved from invertebrates to mammals, includes members that mediate repulsive guidance. Molecular and cellular analysis of this gene family is providing insight into how inhibitory cues function during neurodevelopment.
Cuticular lipids of larvae of Attagenus megatoma

The cuticular lipids extracted from the larvae of the black carpet beetle, Attagenus megatoma, form a very hard wax with a melting point of 76–78°C. The hydrocarbons amounted to 10–12% of the wax and were primarily odd-chain n-alkanes from C25C35 although even-chain hydrocarbons were also present. There were no unsaturated hydrocarbons, and branched-chain alkanes amounted to <2% of the hydrocarbon fraction. Wax esters, consisting mainly of saturated C20, C22 and C24 fatty acids esterified to primary alcohols with chain lengths of C18-C32, were the major components (about 65%) of the lipid fraction. Free fatty acids amounted to 11–13% of the cuticular wax and the fraction contained a higher percentage of unsaturated fatty acids than did the bound fatty acids. When the larvae were treated with the food additive tricalcium phosphate (TCP), tested as a surface active dust, the free fatty acid fraction, particularly the unsaturated acids, was significantly reduced. The TCP treatment did not affect the ratios of the cuticular hydrocarbons or the weights of any of the other lipid fractions.