cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Higher prevalence of colon polyps in patients with Barrett's esophagus: a case-control study.

Background and aims: Barrett’s esophagus (BE) and colorectal neoplasms share similar risk factors. Previous studies have shown variable prevalence of colon polyps in patients with BE. Our aims were to determine the prevalence and incidence of colon polyps in patients with BE, compared to those without BE. Methods: In this case-control study, the study group included patients, aged 50–75 years, with biopsy-proven BE, who underwent colonoscopy at Cleveland Clinic from January 2002 to December 2011. The control group consisted of age- and sex-matched patients who underwent colonoscopy and also an endoscopy with no evidence of BE during the same time period. Exclusion criteria for both groups were family- or personal previous history of colon cancer or polyps, prior colonic resection, inflammatory bowel disease and familial polyposis syndromes. Patient demographics, comorbidities, medication use and endoscopic and colonoscopic details were collected, including biopsy results. Results: A total of 519 patients were included in the study; 173 patients with BE in the study group and 346 without BE in the control group. Mean age at index colonoscopy was 61 ± 8 years and 75% of patients were male. On index colonoscopy, patients with BE were more likely to have polyps than controls (45% vs 32%, respectively; P = 0.003). Patients underwent between one and five colonoscopies during the follow-up. On multivariate analysis—after adjusting for age, gender and diabetes—patients with BE were 80% more likely to have any type of polyp, and 50% more likely to have adenomas found during colonoscopy. Conclusions: Patients with BE had higher prevalence and incidence of colon polyps. This has important clinical implications for screening and surveillance in BE patients.
A longitudinal analysis of hospitalization and emergency department use among human immunodeficiency virus-infected women reporting protease inhibitor use

The impact of protease inhibitors (PIs) on emergency department (i.e., emergency room [ER]) visits and hospitalizations was examined among a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and high-risk women followed-up in the HIV Epidemiology Research Study (HERS) from 1993 through 1999. The rates of hospitalization and ER visits were measured as a function of recent or current PI use, age, race, transmission risk category, HERS site, baseline CD4 cell count, and baseline virus load; the PI effect was estimated separately by baseline CD4 cell count. In the HERS, PI use was strongly associated with lower rates of ER visits and hospitalizations for patients with baseline CD4 cell counts of <200 cells/mL (for hospitalizations: rate ratio [RR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.33-0.89; for ER visits: RR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.24-0.61). Other factors associated with increased hospitalization and ER use included history of injection drug use, low CD4 cell counts, and high virus loads.
Severe depletion of cocaine recognition sites associated with the dopamine transporter in Parkinson's-diseased striatum

The cocaine congener [3H]CFT, also designated [3H]WIN 35,428 (2 beta-carbomethoxy-3 beta-(4-fluorophenyltropane), labels cocaine receptors associated with the dopamine transporter in primate striatum. Autoradiographic distribution of [3H]CFT binding (5 nM) in human postmortem control and Parkinson's-diseased striatal tissue sections was compared. In control tissue, high and comparable levels of [3H]CFT binding were observed in the putamen and caudate nucleus. At least 90-99% of total [3H]CFT bound was inhibited by (-)-cocaine (30 microM), suggesting that a high proportion of [3H]CFT is specifically bound. In Parkinson's-diseased tissue, binding sites for [3H]CFT were reduced by 80% in the caudate nucleus and 96% in the putamen. This pattern of depletion parallels the previously reported loss of dopamine in these brain regions (Kish, Shannak, and Hornykiewicz, New Engl. J. Med., 318:876-880, 1988). In the dorsal caudate nucleus of Parkinson's-diseased tissue, a lateral-to-medial gradient of [3H]CFT binding was observed, with the lateral caudate more severely depleted than the medial caudate. The marked decrease of [3H]CFT binding sites in Parkinson's diseased striatum supports the following conclusions: 1) the dopamine transporter is localized primarily on presynaptic nigrostriatal terminals; 2) in the caudate and putamen, cocaine recognition sites are associated primarily with the dopamine transporter; 3) the low level of nonspecific binding of [3H]CFT and the marked depletion of [3H]CFT-labeled sites suggest that radiolabeled derivatives of CFT or its congeners may be suitable imaging probes for presynaptic dopamine nerve terminals.
Nitroxide Sod-Mimics: Modes of Action

Low molecular weight superoxide dismutase mimics have been shown to afford protection from oxidative damage. Such SOD-mimics can readily permeate cell membrane achieving sufficiently high levels both inside and outside the cell to effectively detoxify intracellular O−2. Preliminary findings also indicated that metal-based and metal-free SOD-mimics can protect hypoxic cells from H2O2-induced damage. The present study explored the possibility that SOD-mimics such as desferrioxamine-Mn(III) chelate [DF-Mn] or cyclic nitroxide stable free radicals could protect from O−2-independent damage. Killing of monolayered V79 Chinese hamster cells was induced by H2O2 or by t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP) and assayed clonogenically. Neither catalase nor native SOD protected the cells from t-BHP. In contrast. both DF-Mn and cyclic nitroxides protected suggesting cytotoxic processes independent of O−2 or of O−2 -derived active species. The inhibition of the damage by both metal-free and metal-based SOD mimics is attributabl...
Structural, Magnetic and Dielectric Properties of Magnetoelectric TbMn1−xCuxO3

TbMnO3 is a multiferroic magnetoelectric material known to simultaneously exhibit antiferromagnetism below 40K and ferroelectricity below 28K in the same crystalline phase [1]. Following interesting results of Cu substitution in LaMn1-yCuyO3 [2, 3], we report a study of TbMn1-x CuxO3 (0 < x < 0.15). We describe here our results of crystal structure refinement, together with measurements of magnetic and dielectric properties in the temperature range 2 - 320 K, and magnetic field 0 - 9 T. We find no major changes in structure or symmetry upon substitution of Cu up to x = 0.15 in TbMn1-x CuxO3. Unlike LaMn1-yCuyO3, which exhibits ferromagnetism with very low values of y, we observe antiferromagnetism at x = 0.15. Our study of dielectric properties as a function of temperature suggests increased lossy behavior upon substitution of Cu at the Mn site. In our temperature dependent studies of tan δ at 1 kHz, we observe a well-defined step-like feature near 120K in both pure and substituted samples, possibly ascribable to a change in carrier mobility, or a dielectric-relaxation process mediated by ordered oxygen vacancies [4, 5], which we will continue to study.
Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Competition between Independent and Affiliate Movie Theaters

This study presents a semi-parametric spatio-temporal regression model to understand how theater level differentiation affects the performance of independent and affiliate movie theaters. Independent movie theaters are privately owned and managed retail establishments, while affiliate theaters are managed by national-level chains such as AMC and Regal. Theater-level performance is measured using two standard industry metrics – theater-level daily revenue and theater-level daily revenue per screen. In our proposed model, we analyze how theater-level differences such as ticket price, movie assortment, geographic location, and theater format (independent vs. affiliate) affect a theater’s competitiveness. Our semi-parametric specification allows us to flexibly estimate how both time- and location-varying competitive effects (due to theater-level differentiation) influence the performance of independent and affiliate movie theaters. Our empirical analysis yields several interesting and novel findings for movie theaters. Some own differentiation strategies affect independent and affiliate theaters differently. For example, contrary to industry belief, none of the independent theaters benefit from the strategy of decreasing ticket price or increasing assortment breadth. However, the majority of affiliate theaters gain from decreasing ticket price and increasing assortment breadth. There also exist some own differentiation strategies that affect independent and affiliate theaters similarly. For example, most independent and affiliate theaters are better off increasing their number of screens. These findings also suggest that the performance impact of theater-level differentiation varies even within theaters of the same format. Furthermore, the effect of competitors' differentiation strategies on theaters’ performance varies by theater format. For example, when a competing affiliate theater increases its assortment breadth, independent theaters face losses whereas other affiliates stand to gain. Another interesting result suggests that the relationship between the individual dimensions of differentiation and the intensity of competition varies substantially across differentiation dimensions. For instance, while competitive intensity decreases almost linearly with assortment breadth, contrary to previous research it changes in a nonlinear and non-monotonic fashion with geographic distance. Armed with our proposed model, independent and affiliate movie theater managers can better understand the impact of theater-level differentiation on their own and competitors’ revenues, and they can use this to make more informed marketing investments.
Simulation metamodels

The simulation community has used metamodels to study the behavior of computer simulations for over twenty-five years. The most popular techniques have been based on parametric polynomial response surface approximations. The article discusses developments in this area, including alternative metamodel types and experimental designs.
Enhancement of Antibody Selectivity via Bicyclic Complex Formation

This study describes a strategy where antibody selectivity for high antigen-density surfaces is enhanced by forming a thermodynamically stable bicyclic complex. The bicyclic complex was formed via multivalent interactions of the antibody with a synthetic trivalent mimotope at a 3:2 molar ratio. Complex formation was analyzed using dynamic light scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation, showing a hydrodynamic radius of ∼22 nm and a calculated molecular weight of 397 kDa, depicting a trimeric complex formation. The complex has high thermodynamic stability and results in a 10-fold higher binding affinity for the trivalent mimotope (Kd = 0.14 μM) compared to the monovalent mimotope (Kd = 1.4 μM). As bicyclic complexes, the antibodies showed ∼18% binding of the monomeric form to low antigen-density surfaces. At high antigen-density, antibody binding was equal whether delivered as a complex or a monomer. These results establish bicyclic complex selectivity for high antigen-density surfaces and suggest a po...
Epidemiological analysis of hepatitis A in Putuo District of Zhoushan city from 1992 to 2009

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characters of hepatitis A at different stages in Putuo district of Zhoushan city from 1992 to 2009,and to provide scientific evidence for the measures of prevention and control in the future.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyze the epidemiological characteristics before and after the injection of hepatitis A vaccine.Results Before the injection of hepatitis A vaccine,the disease was naturally epidemic,and the incidence rate showed a wavy decline.After the vaccination,the incidence rate dropped significantly,and the epidemic of hepatitis A was weakened.The age shifted older and there was no variation in seasons.The distribution scattered in Islands due to low vaccination,poor hygiene and insufficient water.Conclusion The study suggested that with the promotion of hepatitis A vaccine,epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis A have changed.On the basis of national immunization programs including hepatitis A vaccine,the vaccination of key populations is strengthened and expanded.It is important to strengthen the management of water,feces and food for controlling local outbreaks.
36 A MITOCHONDRIA-TARGETED DNA REPAIR ENZYME, HOGG-1, PREVENTS ASBESTOS-INDUCED A549 CELL APOPTOSIS

Asbestos induces apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) via the mitochondria-regulated (intrinsic) death pathway. We previously showed that asbestos induces AEC mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that causes DNA damage, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), increased caspase-9 activity and apoptosis (AJRCMB 2003, AJP Lung 2004). The human 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase 1 (hOgg-1) is a DNA repair enzyme implicated in preventing mitochondrial DNA damage by ROS. We hypothesized that over-expression of a mitochondria-targeted hOgg-1 (kind gift of Dr. M. Gillespie) would protect AEC cells from asbestos-induced apoptosis. As compared to empty vector (EV) transfected A549 cells, cells transfected with an adenoviral vector encoding mitochondria-targeted hOgg-1 significantly increased hOgg-1 in the mitochondria rather than the cytosol as assessed by Western blot analysis. Compared to EV-controls, mitochondria hOgg-1 overexpressing A549 cells completely blocked asbestos-induced reduction in Δψm (-39 ± 6% vs. +19 ± 6%, respectively; n = 4) and caspase 9 activation (Table). Mitochondria-targeted hOgg-1 also prevented asbestos-induced apoptosis as assessed by DNA fragmentation (see Table). We conclude that mitochondria-targeted hOgg-1 inhibits asbestos-induced AEC mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. These data implicate an important role of AEC mitochondrial DNA in the pathogenesis of asbestos-induced pulmonary toxicity. Funding: VA Merit Award.
Grammatical Phenomena of Hakka & Gan Dialects in Local Operas in Jiangxi

There are lots of gra mmat ical materials in actors' lines in scrip of local operas in Jiangxi such as affi xes of nouns, numerals and quantifiers, aspects of verbs, serial verb structure, verb and object structure, special word order, etc. They are apparently differe nt from Putonghua and represent grammatical characteristics of Hakka and Gan dia lects.
Cytosolic [Ca2+], [Na+], and pH in guinea pig ventricular myocytes exposed to anoxia and reoxygenation

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the magnitude and time course of the intracellular acidification observed in anoxic cardiac myocytes was sufficient to protect against reoxygenation-induced hypercontracture. Cytosolic [Ca2+], [Na+], and pH were measured using fluorescent indicators in myocytes that were first subjected to both anoxia and glucose deprivation and then oxygen and glucose restoration 15-30 min after the onset of rigor. The cytosol underwent a profound acidification early in anoxia (pH 7.21 to 6.84) that reached a plateau at the time of rigor contracture. In contrast, [Na+] rose throughout anoxia. Cytosolic [Ca2+] underwent little rise during anoxia, but reoxygenation induced a large spike in [Ca2+]. Reoxygenation also induced a significant secondary acidification of the cytosol that was apparently induced by the spike in [Ca2+]. The characteristics of this secondary acidification were deemed sufficient to provide partial protection against the hypercontracture associated with the reoxygenation-induced [Ca2+] transient.
Coherent two-dimensional terahertz-terahertz-Raman spectroscopy

We present 2D terahertz-terahertz-Raman (2D TTR) spectroscopy, the first technique, to our knowledge, to interrogate a liquid with multiple pulses of terahertz (THz) light. This hybrid approach isolates nonlinear signatures in isotropic media, and is sensitive to the coupling and anharmonicity of thermally activated THz modes that play a central role in liquid-phase chemistry. Specifically, by varying the timing between two intense THz pulses, we control the orientational alignment of molecules in a liquid, and nonlinearly excite vibrational coherences. A comparison of experimental and simulated 2D TTR spectra of bromoform (CHBr3), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), and dibromodichloromethane (CBr2Cl2) shows previously unobserved off-diagonal anharmonic coupling between thermally populated vibrational modes.
Electrocardiogram Abnormalities of Caffeine Overdose

Caffeine is a widely popular, naturally occurring plant alkaloid that is classified as a methylated xanthine derivative. It is found in a variety of products, most notably coffee, carbonated beverages, and so-called energy drinks. Previous studies have confirmed that typical caffeine consumption is not generally associated with an increased risk of arrhythmias.1 Even at moderate doses (defined as 10 g, has been associated with tachydysrhythmias, including organized supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Because of the increasing popularity of caffeinated energy drinks, there is an increased risk for caffeine toxicity, and as a result, the clinical entity of acute caffeine toxicity may become a more common pathology. Therefore, it is important to not only recognize the effects of caffeine on the cardiovascular system at toxic doses but also to be aware of management strategies. See Editor’s Perspective by Asirvatham and Stevenson A 29-year-old female patient with a history of severe depression and prior suicide attempts presented to the Emergency Department after ingestion of ≈36 to 40 g of caffeine. Before arrival, she admitted to taking 180 to 200 pills of NoDoz brand caffeine, each pill containing ≈200 mg of caffeine. She denied taking any additional prescription medications or substances other than the caffeine pills. On presentation to the emergency room, the patient …
Pore geometry effects on elastic properties of Opalinus Clay

ABSTRACTRegarding the storage of nuclear waste within clay rock formations requires fundamental understanding of elastic properties of this rock type with regard to the risk evaluation process. The influence of the pore geometry on elastic properties of Opalinus Clay is studied on the basis of realistic pore microstructure, which is reconstructed from image data acquired by focused ion beam nanotomography. These microstructures are used as input pore geometries for linear elastic finite-element modeling to determine Thomsen’s ϵ, δ, and γ anisotropy parameters and the effective elastic moduli related to the porous material. The presence of fully drained intergranular pores substantially increases the values of ϵ and δ. For the investigated sample with an expected porosity of approximately 10 vol.%, the anisotropic pore space contributes similarly to the anisotropy parameters when compared with the contribution related to the preferred orientation of minerals. On the other hand, if the pore space is undrain...
Phase II Trial of Bortezomib Combined with Weekly Doxorubicin and Oral Dexamethasone for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma (MM): Effect of NF-κB Activation on Response.

Despite new therapies, patients with MM continue to relapse. Resistant MM cells are known to possess enhanced NF-κB activity which can be partially overcome in vitro by the proteosome inhibitor bortezomib. Bortezomib can also ameliorate topoisomerase IIαinhibition and restore sensitivity to agents such as doxorubicin. We designed a phase II trial of bortezomib combined with doxorubicin and dexamethasone to exploit this interaction. We also studied NF-κB activation induced by stromal cells and in primary MM cells derived from subjects. Eligibility: Progressive or refractory secretory MM, ≥ 1 previous treatments, total previous doxorubicin ≤ 220 mg/m2; previous bortezomib, transplantation, renal insufficiency with creatinine <5 mg/dl, were allowed. Methods: Patients received bortezomib 1.3 mg/m2 IV days 1,4,8, 11; doxorubicin 15 mg/m2 IV d 1,8 and dexamethasone 20 mg orally on d 1,4,8,11. Cycles were repeated every 21 days up to a maximum of 8 cycles. NF-κB activity was assayed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay using a P32labelled DNA probe on whole cell extracts derived from CD-138 positive cells isolated from pretreatment bone marrow aspirates. For stromal cell studies, CD-138 negative cells were plated, incubated for 14 days and washed. Residual adherent fibroblast like cells were then cocultured with RPMI 8226 MM cells for 24 hours and NF-κB activation in these cells analyzed as described above. Results: 9 patients have been enrolled; 7 patients are assessable for response. Previous treatments included 2 lenalidomide failures, 2 bortezomib failures, 2 transplant failures 1 subject with plasma cell leukemia. Median number of previous regimens: two (range 1–5), age range 40–88. Six of seven (85%) responded with 1 CR, 2 near CR, and 3 partial responses, including both lenalidomide failures. One patient, who had failed all previous therapy, rapidly progressed after one cycle. Of note, MM cells isolated from this resistant patient showed the highest levels of constitutive NF-κB activity whereas MM cells from responding patients showed far less constitutive activity. Stromal cells isolated from other patients demonstrated the ability to induce NF-κB activation in RPMI 8226 cells. Toxicities: no grade 3 hematologic toxicity was observed; 1 patient experienced grade 3 neuropathy, 2 patients grade 2 neuropathy after 6 cycles requiring dose reductions of bortezomib. Cost of doxorubicin $184/cycle (versus $8884/cycle if liposomal doxorubicin substituted). Conclusions: Bortezomib/doxorubicin/dexamethasone is an active, cost effective salvage regimen even in patients failing lenalidomide and single agent bortezomib. Neuropathy was the dose limiting toxicity of this regimen. High levels of constitutive NF-κB may predict for resistance to this regimen and may imply a proteosome independent pathway for NF-κB activation. Further analysis of constitutive NF-κB activity of primary MM and stromal cells in comparison to response is planned.
Effects of customer financial distress on supplier capital structure

Abstract We study how financial distress of a significant customer impacts capital structure of suppliers. Using a sample of U.S. firms that filed for Chapter 11 between 1980 and 2013, we find that the suppliers of these firms increase their leverage ratio over the two years prior to the filing date. This change is economically significant and consistent with the bargaining power theory, which states that an increase in suppliers' debt decreases the surplus available for negotiations. Therefore, suppliers increase their financing leverage to fortify their bargaining power with significant, distressed customers. We also find evidence that suppliers reduce their leverage after the customer reorganizes its liabilities and capital structure in the Chapter 11 process, indicating a return to a previous status quo.
Psychiatric Comorbidity and Functional Status in Adult Patients with Asthma

The goals of this study were to characterize the frequency of psychiatric disorders among patients with asthma, and to compare differences in functional status among asthma patients with and without comorbid depression and anxiety disorders. Fifty patients with confirmed asthma were administered the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-III-R and completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey. Patients with asthma had a higher lifetime prevalence of major depression, panic disorder, and agoraphobia, but a lower prevalence of social phobia, compared to lifetime prevalence rates for psychiatric disorders in a national probability sample. Participants with comorbid asthma and major depression had poorer physical and mental health functioning and health perception than did asthma patients without major depression. The results suggest that certain psychiatric disorders are common among patients with asthma and that depression is associated with significantly increased functional morbidity. These findings underscore the need for the appropriate detection and treatment of these comorbid conditions.
Transparent role assignment and task allocation in human robot collaboration

Collaborative robots represent a clear added value to manufacturing, as they promise to increase productivity and improve working conditions of such environments. Although modern robotic systems have become safe and reliable enough to operate close to human workers on a day-to-day basis, the workload is still skewed in favor of a limited contribution from the robot's side, and a significant cognitive load is allotted to the human. We believe the transition from robots as recipients of human instruction to robots as capable collaborators hinges around the implementation of transparent systems, where mental models about the task are shared between peers, and the human partner is freed from the responsibility of taking care of both actors. In this work, we implement a transparent task planner able to be deployed in realistic, near-future applications. The proposed framework is capable of basic reasoning capabilities for what concerns role assignment and task allocation, and it interfaces with the human partner at the level of abstraction he is most comfortable with. The system is readily available to non-expert users, and programmable with high-level commands in an intuitive interface. Our results demonstrate an overall improvement in terms of completion time, as well as a reduced cognitive load for the human partner.
The social locus of scientific instruments

The organizing question I chose for this paper goes to the heart of my conception of the relations of instruments to science: what would you expect to find in the work organization or system for the production of scientific knowledge of late 20th-century advanced science? And how would instruments be utilized in this process? How would they be integrated? Similarly, of course, you can ask the same for earlier periods of the history of modern societies in which science was being produced. Recent studies, including several important ones in this volume, have addressed the question of the production of science in the period of the Scientific Revolution, the advanced industrial revolution of the 19th century, and the large-scale science after post-World War II decades.
Ultrasound assessment of the bowel: inflammatory bowel disease and conditions beyond

Ultrasound (US) is a versatile imaging study for the evaluation of the bowel in children. US imaging of the bowel can be used as the initial examination or in follow-up for many common pediatric diseases. In this article, we highlight our bowel US technique and describe how US can depict the features of a select group of bowel pathologies relevant to pediatric practice.
Novel Agents in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

For nearly two decades, novel therapies for IBD have primarily targeted the same cell signaling cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). TNF is a key cytokine in inflammatory pathways, and dysregulation of TNF production has been implicated in both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). This strategy has been and continues to be effective but not wholly effective. Nearly a third of patients do not respond to this strategy and others flare despite initial control. This chapter focuses primarily on novel agents other than anti-TNFs that have either been recently released or under late-stage investigation and likely to progress to market.
Leadership Amid Racial Trauma and Unrest: UNC Charlotte’s Response to the Shooting of Keith Scott:

Amid heightened racial tensions throughout the country regarding law enforcement’s use of lethal force against African Americans, the city of Charlotte experienced civil uprising in the aftermath o...
Quality Improvement Virtual Practicum: The QI Simulator.

Introduction In recent years, undergraduate and graduate medical education has been rightfully emphasizing education in quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS). However, the best methods for ...
Sex matters: females in proestrus show greater diazepam anxiolysis and brain-derived neurotrophin factor- and parvalbumin-positive neurons than males.

In humans and animal models, sex differences are reported for anxiety-like behavior and response to anxiogenic stimuli. In the current work, we studied anxiety-like behavior and response to the prototypical anti-anxiety drug, diazepam. We used 6th generation outbred lines of adult Long Evans rats with high and low anxiety-like behavior phenotypes to investigate the impact of proestrus on the baseline and diazepam-induced behavior. At three doses of diazepam (0, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), we measured anxiogenic responses on the elevated plus maze of adult male and female rats. We assessed parvalbumin and brain-derived neurotrophin protein levels in forebrain and limbic structures implicated in anxiety/stress using immunohistochemistry. At baseline, we saw significant differences between anxiety lines, with high anxiety lines displaying less time on the open arms of the elevated plus maze, and less open arm entries, regardless of sex. During proestrus, high anxiety females showed less anxiety-like behavior at 0.1 mg/kg, while low anxiety females displayed less anxiety-like behavior at 0.1 and 1.0 doses, relative to males. Brain-derived neurotrophin protein was elevated in females in the medial prefrontal cortex and central amygdala, while parvalbumin-immunoreactive cells were greater in males in the medial prefrontal cortex. Parvalbumin-positive cells in high anxiety females were higher in CA2 and dentate gyrus relative to males from the same line. In sum, when tested in proestrus, females showed greater anxiolytic effects of diazepam relative to males, and this correlated with increases in neurotrophin and parvalbumin neuron density in corticolimbic structures.
In welchem ich alle Vorsicht in den Wind schlage, den freien Willen und den Ring der Nibelungen aufs Tapet bringe und berichte, was die Physik über Determinismus zu sagen hat, die beschränkte Wahlfreiheit unseres Geistes erläutere und zeige, dass unser Wille den Entscheidungen unseres Gehirns hinterherhinkt und Freiheit nur eine Empfindung unter vielen ist

In einem entlegenen Winkel des Universums, auf einem kleinen blauen Planeten, der um eine unbedeutende Sonne in einem der auseren Distrikte der Milchstrase kreist, entwickelten sich aus dem Urschlamm Organismen, die seit Aonen in einem epischen Kampf ums Uberleben stehen. Trotz aller Belege fur das Gegenteil hielten sich diese Zweibeiner fur auserordentlich privilegiert, als besetzten sie in einem Universum mit Billionen Billionen Sternen einen einzigartigen Platz. In ihrem Dunkel glaubten sie sogar, sie und nur sie allein konnten dem ehernen Gesetz von Ursache und Wirkung entkommen, das alles lenkt. Sie konnten dies kraft eines Phanomens, das sie als freien Willen bezeichneten und ihnen erlaube, Dinge ohne irgendeinen materiellen Grund zu tun.
Adult Learning Education and Literacy as International Comparative Education

Lifelong learning was created to offer a unified and compelling vision of the future, and as a paradigm that would bring about change. There are three dimensions of adult learning education as a paradigm: a scientific dimension, a pragmatic dimension, and an international dimension. The scientific dimension points to one of the major goals of adult learning education, which has been to contribute to theory building, research, and practice with the formulation of generalized propositions about the workings and the options of formal, non-formal and informal systems of learning and work apprenticeship, and their interactions with surrounding economies, politics, and cultures.
Localization in Clinical NMR Spectroscopy

Over the past decade, there has been a rapid proliferation of MR imagers into the diagnostic medical community. These scanners are used daily to provide anatomically based images in which the contrast is derived from differences in the intrinsic NMR properties (e.g., spin density, relaxation times, rates of diffusion) of the chemical constituents (i.e., fat and water) of the tissues being imaged. In the diagnostic setting, these images are used to both visualize and characterize abnormalities. It has proven to be difficult to completely characterize abnormalities based on the signal intensities observed on MRI alone. There have been a number of approaches that are based on MRI-derived methods such as contrast-enhanced MR imaging, MR diffusion and perfusion imaging as well as MR angiography, which are directed at obtaining so-called “functional” rather than anatomically based contrast. The ability of NMR spectroscopy to monitor metabolic processes noninvasively in living systems provides an attractive complementary technique for the characterization of tissue. In addition to this diagnostic application, NMR spectroscopy also has the potential to monitor the metabolic consequences of therapeutic intervention in order to provide early indicators of the success or failure of the intervention. It is reasonable to expect that metabolic changes that occur in the course of therapy precede any anatomical changes that might be observed on MRI.
Autonomous Multi-Robot Platoon Monitoring

Ensuring the safety of soldiers on foot in a platoon formation is an important goal for the military. Accomplishing this with the use of a protective encirclement of autonomous robots is an important application of human-machine collaboration. A key task for the robots in this regard is automatic optimal positioning with respect to a shifting platoon perimeter created by the motion of soldiers. This work formulates and evaluates an algorithm for optimal positioning of protective robots as soldiers in the platoon move to execute their task. The current location of the soldiers is acquired through GPS. This information is then used as an input to form a dynamic convex hull around the platoon. The convex hull is used to determine evolving positioning goals, and paths to get there for the protective robots. The algorithm is implemented and evaluated in a simulation environment using three protective robots and nine soldiers in the platoon.
Characterizing Dominant Program Behavior Using the Execution-Time Variance of the Call Structure

Traditional profiling techniques typically identify performance hot-spots. Other specialized techniques such as WCET analysis cater to safety critical real-time systems with hard constraints and thus make conservative assumptions. However, several domains motivate the need to systematically characterize and represent differential timing properties such as the variance in execution time of application artifacts such as the functions. Such domains include, vulnerability analysis of applications with regard to differential timing attacks, and the optimization of soft-real-time applications to reduce frame-rate fluctuations. In this paper, we motivate the need for execution variance as a performance measure and propose a variance-based analysis scheme. We introduce a new program representation called Variance Characterization Graph (VCG) that is used both as the intermediate representation for the variance-based analysis, and as the final representation that provides concise actionable information to programmers and optimization frameworks. We develop a methodology based on statistical pattern matching to summarize the dominant patterns of application behavior into a very compact VCG representation useful for tuning application behavior such as the soft-real-time properties.
GAENETICS OF WORKING MEMORY AND VIGILANCE EDOPHENOTYPES IN ADHD

Background Joint genetic analysis of correlated endophenotypes markedly enhances insight into the relationships among them and the shared and distinct genetic influences on phenotypically related complex traits. In addition, identifying pleiotropic effects among endophenotypes can help improve our biological understanding of the genetic architecture of a complex disease, namely childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Cognitive functions, in particular aspects of executive functioning, have long been proposed as endophenotypes for ADHD, in some cases with distinct components of ADHD emphasized (hyperactivity and inattention-disorganization). This study identifies and characterizes the individual and shared genetic variants associated with two major cognitive endophenotypes—Working Memory (WM) and arousal — in relation to both ADHD sub-dimensions. Methods Composite scores for working memory and arousal were created on the basis of a latent variable model using multiple laboratory-obtained measures of each construct. Inattention and hyperactivity were defined on the basis of a composite of parental and teacher ratings. A confirmatory factor model fit well, supporting the internal validity of the composite scores. Subjects included 656 unrelated community recruited volunteer children ranging 7 to 13 years old (n=435 ADHD, 221 non-ADHD). SNPs included in our analysis (n=193,657) were from a polygenic risk score (PGS) computed using the reported discovery sample of 20,183 ADHD cases and 35,191 controls from the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium. A linear regression analysis accounting for age, sex and population stratification was used to test for association to each endophenotype. Pleiotropic relationships were identified using linear regression analysis accounting for the correlation among all four phenotype measures. A likelihood ratio test framework was used for inferring the number of traits associated with a genetic variant and for partitioning traits associated with the different SNPs. Results The PGS was associated with ADHD diagnosis (Nagelkerke R2=.04, p=0.0000006) and multi-indicator dimensional ADHD latent variables by parent report (beta=.196, SE=.041) and teacher report (beta=.176, SE=.040). Univariate SNP associations (p Discussion Our study provides motivation for pleiotropic effects in ADHD endophenotypes and helps begin to account for the mechanism by which cognitive endophenotypes participate in ADHD development.
Membrane-based liquid desiccant air dehumidification: A comprehensive review on materials, components, systems and performances

Abstract Membrane-based liquid desiccant air dehumidification (MLDAD) is a separation process driven by the vapor pressure difference. Different from the conventional liquid desiccant air dehumidification, MLDAD uses semi-permeable membranes to separate the processing air and desiccant liquid so that only water vapor molecules in the air side can transfer through the membrane and be absorbed by the solution. In this process, the vapor is removed from the air stream, and the carryover of solution droplets in the air is also able to be eliminated. This review addresses the characteristics of liquid desiccants and membranes, the design of MLDAD modules and systems, the performance assessment and comparison of the dehumidification and regeneration module, as well as the system-level energy analysis. State-of-the-art research results are presented, and the future needs for this promising technology are discussed.
Synthesis of an N-acyl sulfamate analog of luciferyl-AMP: a stable and potent inhibitor of firefly luciferase.

Abstract In the first of two half-reactions resulting in the emission of visible light, firefly luciferase forms luciferyl-adenylate from its natural substrates beetle luciferin and Mg-ATP. The acyl-adenylate is subsequently oxidized producing the light emitter oxyluciferin in an electronically excited state. In vitro, under mild conditions of temperature and pH, the acyl-adenylate intermediate is readily hydrolyzed and susceptible to oxidation. We report here the multi-step synthesis and physical and enzymatic characterization of an N-acyl sulfamate analog of luciferyl-adenylate, 5′-O-[(N-dehydroluciferyl)-sulfamoyl]-adenosine (compound 5). This represents the first example of a stable and potent (Ki = 340 nM) reversible inhibitor of firefly luciferase activity based on the structure of the natural acyl-adenylate intermediate. Additionally, we present the results of limited proteolysis studies that demonstrate that the binding of the novel acyl-adenylate analog protects luciferase from proteolysis. The findings presented here are interpreted in the context of the hypothesis that luciferase and the other enzymes in a large superfamily of adenylate-forming proteins adopt two conformations to catalyze two different partial reactions. We anticipate that the novel N-acyl sulfamate analog will be a valuable reagent in future studies designed to elucidate the role of conformational changes in firefly luciferase catalyzed bioluminescence.
On using machine learning algorithms to define clinically meaningful patient subgroups

We have read with interest the study from Spielmann et al in which three distinct subgroups of patients with anti-Ku autoantibodies were identified.1 To accomplish this, the authors acquired large amounts of clinical data from a heterogeneous cohort of anti-Ku-positive patients. Next, they used a factorial map to reduce the dimensions of their data and then applied the Ward agglomerative hierarchical clustering method to the resulting dimensions. Subsequently, to determine the number of clusters of anti-Ku patients, they used FactoMineR to determine the elbow point in the inertia graph.2 This revealed three distinct clusters of anti-Ku-positive patients with statistically significant differences in clinical features. We are concerned that the approach used by Spielmann …
Planar cell polarity signaling regulates polarized second heart field morphogenesis to promote both arterial and venous pole septation.

The second heart field (SHF) harbors progenitors that are important for heart formation, but little is known about its morphogenesis. We show that SHF population in the mouse splanchnic mesoderm (SpM-SHF) undergoes polarized morphogenesis to preferentially elongate anteroposteriorly. Loss of Wnt5, a putative ligand of the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway, causes the SpM-SHF to expand isotropically. Temporal tracking reveals that the Wnt5a lineage is a unique subpopulation specified as early as E7.5, and undergoes bi-directional deployment to form specifically the pulmonary trunk and the dorsal mesenchymal protrusion (DMP). In Wnt5a-/- mutants, Wnt5a lineage fails to extend into the arterial and venous poles, leading to both outflow tract and atrial septation defects that can be rescued by an activated form of PCP effector Daam1. We identify oriented actomyosin cables in the medial SpM-SHF as a potential Wnt5a-mediated mechanism that promotes SpM-SHF lengthening and restricts its widening. Finally, the Wnt5a lineage also contributes to the pulmonary mesenchyme, suggesting that Wnt5a/PCP is a molecular circuit recruited by the recently identified cardiopulmonary progenitors to coordinate morphogenesis of the pulmonary airways and the cardiac septations necessary for pulmonary circulation.This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in HIV and Non-HIV Individuals

Cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) is a severe, vision-threatening disease that primarily affects immunosuppressed patients. CMVR is the most common ocular opportunistic infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients and is the leading cause of blindness in this group; however, the incidence of CMVR in HIV patients has dramatically decreased with antiretroviral therapy. Other causes of immunosuppression, including organ transplantation, hematologic malignancies, and iatrogenic immunosuppression, can also lead to the development of CMVR. Herein, we describe the pathogenesis of CMVR and compare clinical features, epidemiology, and risk factors in HIV and non-HIV infected individuals with CMVR.
Afterword: Towards a variantology of hands-on practice

The essays in this special issue offer us compelling and inventive pedagogical strategies for effectively transporting artefacts and technological media from the past to the present and even for tr...
3D in situ imaging of female reproductive tract reveals molecular signatures of fertilizing spermatozoa in mice

Out of millions of ejaculated sperm, only a few reach the fertilization site in mammals. Flagellar Ca2+ signaling nanodomains, organized by multi-subunit CatSper calcium channel complexes, are pivotal for sperm migration in the female tract, implicating CatSper-dependent mechanisms in sperm selection. Here, using biochemical and pharmacological studies, we demonstrate that CatSper1 is an O-linked glycosylated protein, undergoing capacitation-induced processing dependent on Ca2+ and phosphorylation cascades. CatSper1 processing correlates with protein tyrosine phosphorylation (pY) development in sperm cells capacitated in vitro and in vivo. Using 3D in situ molecular imaging and ANN-based automatic detection of sperm distributed along the cleared female tract, we demonstrate that all spermatozoa past the UTJ possess intact CatSper1 signals. Together, we reveal that fertilizing mouse spermatozoa in situ are characterized by intact CatSper channel, lack of pY, and reacted acrosomes. These findings provide molecular insight into sperm selection for successful fertilization in the female reproductive tract.
Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma in Hispanics: a case series and literature review

Intravascular large B-cell Lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare subtype of extra nodal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is challenging to diagnose and has a poor prognosis. Here we describe three non-White His...
Forecasting The Air Temperature at a Weather Station Using Deep Neural Networks

Abstract Air temperature forecasting is an interesting research topic as changes in it affect our day to day lives. This type of forecasting is well suited for analysis by deep learning techniques. With the wide availability of weather observation data nowadays, these approaches can be utilized effectively. This work explores the application of deep learning models to air temperature forecasting in order to accurately predict it over two forecast horizons. Three deep neural networks are used in this study, namely, Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), Long Short Term Memory Network (LSTM) and a combination of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and LSTM. The predictive performance of these models is compared using two evaluation metrics. The results show that the combination of convolutional neural network and LSTM outperforms the other models in both the forecast horizons.
Recoiled star clusters in the Milky Way halo: N‐body simulations and a candidate search through the SDSS

During the formation of the Milky Way, ≳100 central black holes (BHs) may have been ejected from their small host galaxies as a result of asymmetric gravitational wave emission. We previously showed that many of these BHs are surrounded by a compact cluster of stars that remained bound to the BH during the ejection process. In this paper, we perform long-term N-body simulations of these star clusters to determine the distribution of stars in these clusters today. These numerical simulations, reconciled with our Fokker–Planck simulations, show that the stellar density profile follows a power law with slope ≈−2.15, and show that large-angle scattering and tidal disruptions remove 20–90 per cent of the stars by ∼1010 yr. We then analyse the photometric and spectroscopic properties of recoiled clusters accounting for the small number of stars in the clusters. We use our results to perform a systematic search for candidates in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We find no spectroscopic candidates, in agreement with our expectations from the completeness of the survey. Using generic photometric models of present-day clusters, we identify ∼100 recoiling cluster candidates. Follow-up spectroscopy would be able to determine the nature of these candidates.