cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel thyroid stimulating hormone β-subunit isoform in human pituitary, peripheral blood leukocytes, and thyroid

Abstract Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the anterior pituitary and is used to regulate thyroid hormone output, which in turn controls metabolic activity. Currently, the pituitary is believed to be the only source of TSH used by the thyroid. Recent studies in mice from our laboratory have identified a TSHβ isoform that is expressed in the pituitary, in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL), and in the thyroid. To determine whether a human TSHβ splice variant exists that is analogous to the mouse TSHβ splice variant, and whether the pattern of expression of the splice variant is similar to that observed in mice, PCR amplification of RNAs from pituitary, thyroid, PBL, and bone marrow was done by reverse-transcriptase PCR and quantitative realtime PCR. Human pituitary expressed a TSHβ isoform that is analogous to the mouse TSHβ splice variant, consisting of a 27 nucleotide portion of intron 2 and all of exon 3, coding for 71.2% of the native human TSHβ polypeptide. Of particular interest, the TSHβ splice variant was expressed at significantly higher levels than the native form or TSHβ in PBL and the thyroid. The TSHα gene also was expressed in the pituitary, thyroid, and PBL, but not the BM, suggesting that the TSHβ polypeptide in the thyroid and PBL may exist as a dimer with TSHα. These findings identify an unknown splice variant of human TSHβ. They also have implications for immune–endocrine interactions in the thyroid and for understanding autoimmune thyroid disease from a new perspective.
DNMT3B expression might contribute to CpG island methylator phenotype in colorectal cancer.

Purpose: DNA methyltransferase-3B ( DNMT3B ) plays an important role in de novo CpG island methylation. Dnmt3b can induce colon tumor in mice with methylation in specific CpG islands. We hypothesized that cellular DNMT3B level might influence the occurrence of widespread CpG island methylation (i.e., the CpG island methylator phenotype, CIMP) in colon cancer. Experimental Design: Utilizing 765 colorectal cancers in two cohort studies, we detected DNMT3B expression in 116 (15%) tumors by immunohistochemistry. We assessed microsatellite instability, quantified DNA methylation in repetitive long interspersed nucleotide element-1 (LINE-1) by Pyrosequencing, eight CIMP-specific promoters [ CACNA1G, CDKN2A (p16), CRABP1, IGF2, MLH1, NEUROG1, RUNX3 , and SOCS1 ], and eight other CpG islands ( CHFR, HIC1, IGFBP3, MGMT , MINT1, MINT31, p14, and WRN ) by real-time PCR (MethyLight). Results: Tumoral DNMT3B overexpression was significantly associated with CIMP-high [≥6/8 methylated CIMP-specific promoters; odds ratio (OR), 3.34; 95% confidence interval, 2.11-5.29; P P = 0.026) after adjusting for clinical and other molecular features, including p53, β-catenin, LINE-1, microsatellite instability, KRAS, PIK3CA , and BRAF . DNMT3B expression was unrelated with patient outcome, survival, or prognosis. Conclusions: Tumoral DNMT3B overexpression is associated with CIMP-high in colorectal cancer. Our data support a possible role of DNMT3B in nonrandom de novo CpG island methylation leading to colorectal cancer.
Modeling non-slicing floorplans with binary trees

Several novel topological representations of non-slicing floor-plans [2] have been more recently proposed, providing new ideas and techniques for solving block placement problems and other related layout applications. Among these topological representations, ordered trees exhibit a lower redundancy and, therefore, a provable smaller search space, which makes them the best topological candidate for solving general block placement problems. Starting from the early eighties, binary trees have been widely used to represent slicing floorplans [7]. This paper shows that binary trees can efficiently model non-slicing floorplans as well, as there is a one-to-one mapping between the sets of binary and ordered trees representing the floorplan. Moreover, this paper shows that binary trees exhibiting a certain property can be used to represent block placement configurations with symmetry constraints, which is very useful when dealing with device-level placement problems for analog layout. As the number of these trees is proven to be smaller than the number of symmetric-feasible sequence-pairs [1], using binary trees is better than using either sequence-pairs or O-trees when solving analog placement problems. A comparative evaluation, substantiating these theoretical results, has been carried out by providing alternative optimization engines to a placement tool operating in an industrial environment.
Intensive care unit scoring systems outperform emergency department scoring systems for mortality prediction in critically ill patients: a prospective cohort study

Multiple scoring systems have been developed for both the intensive care unit (ICU) and the emergency department (ED) to risk stratify patients and predict mortality. However, it remains unclear whether the additional data needed to compute ICU scores improves mortality prediction for critically ill patients compared to the simpler ED scores. We studied a prospective observational cohort of 227 critically ill patients admitted to the ICU directly from the ED at an academic, tertiary care medical center. We compared Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE III, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS), Prince of Wales Emergency Department Score (PEDS), and a pre-hospital critical illness prediction score developed by Seymour et al. (JAMA 2010, 304(7):747–754). The primary endpoint was 60-day mortality. We compared the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of the different scores and their calibration using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and visual assessment. The ICU scores outperformed the ED scores with higher area under the curve (AUC) values (p = 0.01). There were no differences in discrimination among the ED-based scoring systems (AUC 0.698 to 0.742; p = 0.45) or among the ICU-based scoring systems (AUC 0.779 to 0.799; p = 0.60). With the exception of the Seymour score, the ED-based scoring systems did not discriminate as well as the best-performing ICU-based scoring system, APACHE III (p = 0.005 to 0.01 for comparison of ED scores to APACHE III). The Seymour score had a superior AUC to other ED scores and, despite a lower AUC than all the ICU scores, was not significantly different than APACHE III (p = 0.09). When data from the first 24 h in the ICU was used to calculate the ED scores, the AUC for the ED scores improved numerically, but this improvement was not statistically significant. All scores had acceptable calibration. In contrast to prior studies of patients based in the emergency department, ICU scores outperformed ED scores in critically ill patients admitted from the emergency department. This difference in performance seemed to be primarily due to the complexity of the scores rather than the time window from which the data was derived.
Texture representations using subspace embeddings

In this paper, we propose a texture representation framework to map local texture patches into a low-dimensional texture subspace. In natural texture images, textons are entangled with multiple factors, such as rotation, scaling, viewpoint variation, illumination change, and non-rigid surface deformation. Mapping local texture patches into a low-dimensional subspace can alleviate or eliminate these undesired variation factors resulting from both geometric and photometric transformations. We observe that texture representations based on subspace embeddings have strong resistance to image deformations, meanwhile, are more distinctive and more compact than traditional representations. We investigate both linear and non-linear embedding methods including Principle Component Analysis (PCA), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), and Locality Preserving Projections (LPP) to compute the essential texture subspace. The experiments in the context of texture classification on benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed subspace embedding representations achieve the state-of-the-art results while with much fewer feature dimensions.
Marx and the Education of the Future.

With reference to Karl Marx's writings on education, this article outlines the education of the future as anti-capitalist education. In starting out from a conception of communism as the ‘real move...
Mechanical Strain Tightly Controls Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 Release From Cultured Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Although fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) participates in the response to vascular injury, the role of cellular deformation in FGF-2 release is incompletely understood. To test the hypothesis that mechanical strain tightly controls FGF-2 release, a novel device was used to impose homogeneous and uniform biaxial strain to human vascular smooth muscle cells. Release of FGF-2 increased with the number of cycles of strain (14%, 1 Hz); 1, 9, and 90 cycles of strain, respectively, released 0.55 +/- 0.06%, 2.9 +/- 0.3%, and 5.5 +/- 1.3% of the total cellular FGF-2 (versus 0.00 +/- 0.40% for control, P < .05), but release was not further increased for strain of 90 to 90,000 cycles. Mechanical release of FGF-2 depended on both the frequency and amplitude of deformation. For example, strain (90 cycles, 1 Hz) at 4% amplitude released only 0.1 +/- 0.1% of the total FGF-2, but strain at 14% and 33% amplitudes, respectively, released 5.7 +/- 0.5% and 19.0 +/- 3.0% of the FGF-2 cellular pool (P < .05), suggesting a strain amplitude threshold for FGF-2 release. Injury to a subpopulation of cells increased with the frequency and amplitude of strain, but cells were not injured by strains below 10% amplitude. Strain following pretreatment with heparin released 12.6 +/- 1.6% of the total FGF-2 (versus 15.8 +/- 0.9% for strain alone, P < .05), indicating that most FGF-2 was liberated from the nuclear or cytoplasmic pools and not from low-affinity extracellular receptors. Conversely, strain in the presence of heparin released 25.2 +/- 3.5% of the total FGF-2 (versus 15.6 +/- 2.6% for strain alone, P < .05). Thus, cellular strain closely modulates the release of intracellular FGF-2 from human vascular smooth muscle cells, but FGF-2 release is negligible in response to the smaller strains that occur in the normal artery. In addition, larger mechanical strains lead to transfer of intracellular FGF-2 to the extracellular low-affinity receptors, where FGF-2 may be displaced by heparin. These observations provide insight into the mechanisms by which deforming vascular injury, such as that produced by arterial interventions, may elicit a proliferative response.
NMR imaging of continuous and intermittent drying of pasta

Abstract An NMR imaging technique published in literature was adapted to investigate the role of glass transition on Fickian and non-Fickian modes of moisture transport in pasta. The modified technique allowed measuring the moisture distribution in samples with initial moisture content from 10% to 50% or higher. A change in slope in the signal intensity versus moisture content curves indicated different state or distribution of water in pasta samples below 16.9% moisture content for both 22 °C and 40 °C data. Sharp shape of moisture content profiles during continuous drying experiments indicated non-Fickian moisture transport near the glass transition regime. With progress of drying at 40 °C, the moisture profiles became more round, as pasta approached towards the glassy state, which indicated Fickian transport. A sharp change in pasta’s moisture content during drying near glass transition caused a wide contrast in pasta’s mechanical properties across its cross-section, which may make it prone to stress-cracking. During intermittent drying, a wet layer near the surface of pasta samples was clearly observed, which caused greater amount of moisture loss than during continuous drying.
Research on run-time overhead of RM and improvement

The rate-monotonic (RM) algorithm is a classic fixed priority real-time scheduling algorithm. However, in most embedded real-time systems where the workload is composed of many tasks of high frequency and short execution time, the overheads from preemptions of the real-time operating system will lead to a low resource utilization rate if the RM algorithm is directly used. By studying the preemption relationship of the tasks scheduled by RM algorithm, a model of preemption overheads is established with task attributes, based on which the run-time preemption overheads of RM algorithm are reduced by optimizing the start time of the tasks in embedded real-time systems. Finally, the experimental results show the validity of the proposed strategy.
A Comparative Analysis of NOSS Profiles on Nigerian and American Preservice, Secondary Science Teachers

In this study American preservice science TEACHERS' responses on Kimball's Nature of Science Survey (NOSS) were used as a basis for analyzing the sense of the nature of science held by a group of Nigerian preservice science teachers. From an item-by-item comparison two salient differences were noted. These differences are quite interesting and important, and one would expect to see replication attempts in the near future. The primary difference was that the Nigerian students were much more inclined to see science as a way of producing useful technology. Given the national interests of a developing nation this is an understandable perception and one common among government policy makers. Nevertheless, it is a view with potential long-range dangers if this view of science is effectively transferred from teacher to student. For example, such a view is likely to raise false expectations in the general population, which when not achieved could result in widespread rejection of science. The second distinctive of the Nigerian students' sense of the nature of science had to do with the openness of science. These students perceived scientists as nationalistic and secretive about their work. This finding is troubling and indicates an important line of investigation: What image of science, especially Western science, is carried in the international media? How is that image understood in non-Western nations? What are the implications for international scientific cooperation?
Stand scale effects of partial harvesting and clearcutting on small mammals and forest structure

Abstract Documenting responses of small mammals to alternative forestry practices (e.g., clearcutting versus partial harvesting versus no management) facilitates inferences about effects on wildlife communities. We compared abundances of small mammals (voles, mice, and shrews) during four summers among partially harvested mixed coniferous–deciduous stands (52–59% basal area removal, 15 m2/ha live-tree residual basal area), regenerating commercial clearcuts (11–20-year-old), mature (>12 m tree height) mixed stands, mature deciduous, and mature coniferous stands. Partially harvested stands had significantly greater overall abundance of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) than mature mixed stands, but abundances of red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) and short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda) were not significantly different. Regenerating clearcut stands had significantly lower abundances of voles and mice relative to mature mixed stands, and ranked low in abundance of shrews. Mature coniferous stands also ranked low in relative abundance of shrews and had the lowest abundance of deer mice relative to other mature stand types. Mature deciduous stands ranked high in abundance of deer mice and had the greatest abundance of short-tailed shrews among all stand types. Despite reduced canopy closure, lower relative density of coniferous trees and saplings, and decreased basal area of deciduous trees and snags, partially harvested stands supported densities of mice and voles comparable to mature mixed-forest types. Forest harvesting practices that retain some structural attributes of mature forests may be beneficial to small mammals and associated predators that utilize mice, voles, and shrews as prey.
Left atrial appendage anatomy and function: short term response to sustained atrial fibrillation

OBJECTIVE—To determine whether there is significant atrial or atrial appendage enlargement or functional remodelling as a result of one to two months of sustained atrial fibrillation, a duration similar to that experienced by patients undergoing warfarin anticoagulation before elective cardioversion. METHODS—To test the hypothesis that left atrial and left atrial appendage enlargement develop as a result of short term atrial fibrillation, serial anatomical and functional indices were measured using transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) in 20 patients with recent onset atrial fibrillation (14 men, six women; mean (SEM) age 67 (2) years). Serial TOE was performed 2.5 months apart in patients with sustained atrial fibrillation. RESULTS—There was no significant change in left atrial area (23.7 cm2 to 24.1 cm2, p = 0.98); length (5.7 cm to 5.7 cm, p = 0.48); width (5.2 cm to 5.2 cm, p = 0.65); volume (83 cm3 to 87 cm3, p = 0.51) or left atrial appendage area (7.9 cm2 to 8.1 cm2, p = 0.89); length (4.6 cm to 4.5 cm, p = 0.8); or width (2.5 to 2.4 cm, p = 0.87). Peak left atrial appendage velocity ejection (0.2 m/s to 0.2 m/s, p = 0.57), and presence of severe spontaneous echo contrast in the left atrial appendage (n = 15 (75%) to n = 13 (72%)) were also not significantly different. There was no correlation between changes in left atrial or left atrial appendage dimensions. CONCLUSIONS—In the setting of sustained atrial fibrillation, significant left atrial and left atrial appendage functional and anatomical remodelling do not occur with atrial fibrillation of a duration similar to that used for conservative anticoagulation in preparation for cardioversion. Keywords: atrial fibrillation; left atrial appendage; remodelling
Automatic hierarchical classification using time-based co-occurrences

While a tracking system is unaware of the identity of any object it tracks, the identity remains the same for the entire tracking sequence. Our system leverages this information by using accumulated joint cooccurrences of the representations within the sequence to create a hierarchical binary-tree classifier of the representations. This classifier is useful to classify sequences as well as individual instances. We illustrate the use of this method on two separate representations the tracked object's position, movement, and size; and the tracked object's binary motion silhouettes.
A FUNCTION BASED APPROACH FOR PRODUCT INTEGRATION

Reconfigurable and multifunctional products are breeds of products that cater to the increased diversification of customer needs. Unlike single-state static products which can perform only one primary function, these products cater to different customer needs by performing more than one function with or without changing their configuration. However, there is a lack of systematic methods to support the conceptual task of combining two existing single-state products into an integrated product that provides multiple functions. In this paper, a function based approach is proposed which provides more rigorous support to assess the feasibility of integrating two products. The function structures of the existing products are combined to obtain the overall function structure of the reconfigurable product. Function sharing, based on quantified functional similarity, is proposed and applied to identify functions that can be shared by the same component. The information obtained from the function structure is then mapped to the components of two existing products to analyze their roles in the final reconfigurable product architecture. A case study illustrates the proposed approach by analyzing the integration of a power drill and a dust buster.
An unexpected geography of opportunity in the wake of the foreclosure crisis: low-income renters in investor-purchased foreclosures in Phoenix, Arizona

During the recent United States foreclosure crisis, investors purchased and leased thousands of homes nationwide, opening up formerly owner-occupied neighborhoods to renters. Yet, little is known about how this process affected regional patterns of residential segregation and inequality. In this study, we combine property-level data on real estate transactions and subsidized housing vouchers from 2004 to 2014 to assess whether the conversion of foreclosures to rentals enabled low-income renters to live in more advantaged neighborhoods in Phoenix, Arizona. Renters with vouchers living in investor-purchased foreclosures were in lower-poverty neighborhoods compared with those not living in investor-purchased foreclosures. This suggests that foreclosure sales may have widened the geography of opportunity for low-income renters with subsidized housing.
THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF THE HEMOLYTIC-UREMIC SYNDROME IN KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON: LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR ASCERTAINMENT BIAS

The annual incidence of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome was determined for the well-defined population of King County, Washington, between 1971 and 1986, inclusive, to ascertain temporal trends in the epidemiology of this disease. The average annual incidence rose from 0.69 cases per 100,000 children under age 15 years between 1971 and 1975 to 1.77 cases between 1976 and 1980 and 1.74 cases between 1981 and 1986. The mean hematocrits, platelet counts, and blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations on admission were similar in all periods, as were the mean length of hospital stay and the proportions of patients requiring erythrocyte and/or platelet transfusions and dialysis. These results indicate that the increased incidence of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in childhood has been sustained in King County, Washington, and that this increase is not due to ascertainment bias caused by the diagnosis of less severely ill cases. Further investigations are needed to determine whether this increased incidence is being experienced in other populations and to assess strategies for the prevention of microangiopathic sequelae to hemorrhagic colitis.
The Secret of Wealth and Success: Lessons to Be Learned from Proverb's ‘Woman of Valor’

We live in a time when the importance of corporate social responsibility and ethics is apparent. Sadly, it is obvious that most leaders are more interested in making money than doing the right thing. The “Woman of Valor” described in Proverbs shows us what it takes to be successful: industriousness, entrepreneurship, honesty, kind-heartedness, devotion to family, and devotion to spiritual values.
Primary paranasal Aspergillus granuloma: case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Primary paranasal aspergillus granuloma (PPAG) is a slowly progressive chronic infection of the sinus extending beyond the confines of the sinus. It has been reported only in patients from the Sudan and India. Microscopically, it differs from chronic invasive fungal sinusitis in that there are pseudotubercles containing giant cells, histiocytes, lymphocytes, plasma cells, newly formed capillaries, eosinophils, and Aspergillus fungal elements. CONCLUSION We describe the first case of PPAG in the United States in an immunocompetent nonatopic woman who had never left Missouri.
Field Growth Rates and Dynamics of Body Mass for Rodents on the Texas Coastal Prairie

Growth rates and/ or dynamics of body mass for the hispid cotton rat ( Sigmodon hispidus ), fulvous harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys fulvescens ), and marsh rice rat ( Oryzomys palustris ) were determined from field data. Significant sexual dimorphism was exhibited by all three species when based on average body mass. Growth rates were categorized by sex, season, and size class for Sigmodon and Reithrodontomys. Female Sigmodon grew faster than males, there were no seasonal differences in growth rate for cotton rats, and Reithrodontomys exhibited increased spring female growth and overall decreased growth rate with increased size. The lack of seasonal differences in growth rates was attributed to the mild climate of the area and the continuous availability of resources. Growth rates determined in the field were, on the whole, much lower than growth rates obtained from laboratory colonies.
Oral lesions as the initial sign in pemphigus vulgaris.

Abstract The histopathologic features of pemphigus vulgaris are quite characteristic; however, other diseases may display intraepithelial vesiculation and acantholysis. In the case presented here, indirect immunofluorescent staining was used as an adjunctive diagnostic procedure that confirmed the diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris which at this time was confined to oral mucous membrane.
Heat capacity of solid state proteins

In an ongoing effort to understand the thermodynamic properties of proteins, ovalbumin, lactoglobulin, lysozyme are studied by adiabatic and differential scanning calorimetry over wide temperature ranges. The heat capacities of the samples in their pure, solid states are linked to an approximate vibrational spectrum with the ATHAS analysis that makes use of known group vibrations and a set of parameters, Θ1 and Θ3, of the Tarasov function for the skeletal vibrations. Good agreement is found between experiment and calculation with rms errors mostly within ±3%. The analyses were also carried out with an empirical addition scheme using data from polypeptides of naturally occurring amino acids. Due to space limitation, only selected results are reported.
Insights for Fisheries from Experimental and Predation Studies

Experimental work was an important part of CalCOFI at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in the 1970s and 1980s, but has now taken a less prominent role. These experimental studies were broadly focused on the two principal factors affecting the survival of the early life history stages of small pelagic fish, notably starvation and predation. The experimental studies relevant to CalCOFI spanned bioenergetics, growth, reproduction, feeding, behavior, cannibalism, and predation. Work in the laboratory and in the field complimented each other to effectively advance understanding of the early life history of the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) which was a key species of interest at that time.
Introduction of the Theorem

It was the conviction of Western statesmen that neither of the world wars fought in this century need have occurred if German leaders had known at the outset of each of those wars that the United States would ultimately intervene in decisive numbers on behalf of England and France. Therefore it was a paramount objective of post-World War 2 diplomacy to commit the United States, unmistakably and unambiguously, to any future European conflict and, thereby, so alter the calculus of costs and benefits to an aggressor that war would become unthinkable. It is perhaps a coincidence that NATO was formed in 1949, the same portentous year in which the events occurred that began the era of deterrence, but it is an agreeable one. For the deterrence of war, not its ambitious prosecution, was the goal of the Western allies at the same time that fate brought into being the events that culminated in the mutual deterrence of the thermonuclear era.
Not Everybody Is a Golfer: Bourdieu and Affluent Bodies in Mexico

The present article analyzes processes of social reproduction among upper-middle- and upper-class individuals in contemporary Mexico City, using affluent golf clubs as a case study. Drawing on ethn...
Food Allergy: What We Know Now

Food allergy is an adverse immune reaction that occurs reproducibly on exposure to a given food. Prevalence rates of food allergy continue to increase worldwide, sparking continual research efforts in finding a suitable and safe cure. Food avoidance, the current standard of care, can be difficult to achieve. This review aims to provide a broad overview of immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy, highlighting its epidemiology, masqueraders, immunopathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic work-up and available preventative and treatment strategies. This review also discusses novel, investigative therapies that offer promising therapeutic options, yet require continued research efforts to determine safety effects. Inducing tolerance, whether by immunotherapy or by the administration of monoclonal antibodies, allows us to move toward a cure for food allergy, which could vastly change this field of allergic diseases in the coming decades.
Synergistic antipruritic effects of gamma aminobutyric acid A and B agonists in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis.

Background Despite recent insights into the pathophysiology of acute and chronic itch, chronic itch remains an often intractable condition. Among major contributors to chronic itch is dysfunction of spinal cord gamma aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) inhibitory controls. Objectives We sought to test the hypothesis that selective GABA agonists as well as cell transplant-derived GABA are antipruritic against acute itch and in a transgenic mouse model of atopic dermatitis produced by overexpression of the T H 2 cell-associated cytokine, IL-31 (IL-31Tg mice). Methods We injected wild-type and IL-31Tg mice with combinations of GABA-A (muscimol) or GABA-B (baclofen) receptor agonists 15 to 20 minutes prior to injection of various pruritogens (histamine, chloroquine, or endothelin-1) and recorded spontaneous scratching before and after drug administration. We also tested the antipruritic properties of intraspinal transplantation of precursors of GABAergic interneurons in the IL-31Tg mice. Results Systemic muscimol or baclofen are antipruritic against both histamine-dependent and -independent pruritogens, but the therapeutic window using either ligand alone was very small. In contrast, combined subthreshold doses of baclofen and muscimol produced a significant synergistic antipruritic effect, with no sedation. Finally, transplant-mediated long-term enhancement of GABAergic signaling not only reduced spontaneous scratching in the IL-31Tg mice but also dramatically resolved the associated skin lesions. Conclusions Although additional research is clearly needed, existing approved GABA agonists should be considered in the management of chronic itch, notably atopic dermatitis.
Market Research and Predictive Analytics: Using Analytics to Measure Customer and Marketing Behavior in Business Ventures

The purpose of this study is to examine marketing analytics with female-owned business enterprises (FBEs). The researcher wanted to measure both internal firm behavior (customer influence) and external firm behavior (market influence) in this study. The primary focus of the research is to examine customer behavior and market behavior patterns in FBEs. We wanted to see if we predict firm behavior with FBEs based on four analytics. We tested a theoretical model based on the four different marketing analytics: (a) Customer Turnover Analytic, (b) Customer Credit Analytic, (c) Market Potential Analytic, and (d) Competition and Economics Analytic. A quantitative methodology was used to examine the data collected from the businesses. The findings of the study revealed the analytics: (a) Customer Turnover, (b) Customer Credit, and (c) Market Potential proved to be significant in both customer behavior and marketing behavior in the female-owned business ventures.
Asking in Time

This introductory essay highlights the importance of asking as well as giving within both humanitarian and religious frameworks. Humanitarian workers share with religious believers a profound appreciation of the moral force inherent in forms of giving, such as charity, philanthropy, and development assistance, as well as in styles of asking that include prayer, protest, fund-raising, and begging. Within anthropology, the foundational text on giving as a source of morality is Marcel Mauss’s study, The Gift. While Mauss depicts the gift as the moral basis of legal and religious justice, he does not view the request as compelling a return. The question, then, is how to conceptualize the sorts of obligations that activities of asking may confer, and how these might be related to the obligations attendant on giving. The approach taken here extends David Graeber’s discussion in Debt: The First 5,000 Years of how different kinds of economic transactions shape the ways relationships between their participants develop over time. In parallel fashion, forms of asking help to create and sustain the temporal frameworks in religious and humanitarian endeavors are carried out.
Introduction to Sociology and Socio-Cultural Impacts on Health

Recognize importance of socio-cultural impacts on health Define social determinants of health Introduce and define basic concepts in sociology and major theoretical perspectives
Bone Response to Dietary Co-Enrichment with Powdered Whole Grape and Probiotics.

Nutrition is a primary modifiable determinant of chronic noncommunicable disease, including osteoporosis. An etiology of osteoporosis is the stimulation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dietary polyphenols and probiotics demonstrate protective effects on bone that are associated with reduced ROS formation and suppressed osteoclast activity. This study tested the effect of dietary enrichment with powdered whole grape and probiotics (composed of equal parts Bifidobacterium bifidum, B. breve, Lactobacillus casei, L. plantarum, and L. bulgaricus) on bone microarchitecture in a mouse model of age-related osteoporosis. Groups (n = 7 each) of 10-month-old male mice were fed one of six diets for 6 months: 10% grape powder with sugar corrected to 20%; 20% grape powder; 1% probiotic with sugar corrected to 20%; 10% grape powder + 1% probiotic with sugar corrected to 20%; 20% grape powder + 1% probiotic; 20% sugar control. Femur, tibia and 4th lumbar vertebrae from 10-month-old mice served as comparator baseline samples. Bone microarchitecture was measured by micro-computed tomography and compared across diet groups using analysis of variance. Aging exerted a significant effect on tibia metaphysis trabecular bone, with baseline 10-month-old mice having significantly higher bone volume/total volume (BV/TV) and trabecular number measurements and lower trabecular spacing measurements than all 16-month-old groups (p 0.05). Vertebrae bone showed age-related deterioration in trabecular thickness and trabecular spacing and a trend toward preservation of trabecular thickness by grape and/or probiotic enrichment (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate no benefit to bone of combined compared to independent supplementation with probiotics or whole grape powder and even suggest an interference of co-ingestion.
Physiology-directed cardiopulmonary resuscitation: advances in precision monitoring during cardiac arrest

Purpose of reviewWe review the recent advances in physiologic monitoring during cardiac arrest and offer an evidence-based framework for prioritizing physiologic targets during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).Recent findingsCurrent CPR guidelines recommend a uniform approach for all patients in
Impaired left ventricular diastolic function in T2DM patients is closely related to glycemic control.

Background Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction commonly is observed in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We employed transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI) to investigate the hypothesis that LV diastolic dysfunction in T2DM is associated with poor glycemic control. Methods Forty subjects, 21 with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and 19 with T2DM, were studied with CMRI and TTE to assess LV function. Early-to-late transmitral flow ratio (E/A) and deceleration time (DecT) were assessed with both modalities. Normalized (to body surface area) end-diastolic volume (EDV/BSA) and normalized peak LV filling rate (pLVFR/BSA) were assessed with CMRI. Early transmitral flow velocity to septal velocity (E/e') and isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) were measured using TTE. Dimensional parameters were normalized to body surface area (BSA). Results CMRI measurements demonstrated impaired E/A (1.13 ± 0.34 vs 1.62 ± 0.42, P < .001), increased DecT (174 ± 46 ms vs 146 ± 15, P = .005), as well as lower EDV/BSA (63 ± 10 vs 72 ± 9 mL/m2, P < .01) and pLVFR/BSA (189 ± 46 vs 221 ± 48 mL s-1 m-2, P < .05) in T2DM subjects. TTE measurements revealed lower E/A (1.1 ± 0.4 vs 1.4 ± 0.2, P < .001) and E/e' (6.8 ± 1.5 vs 8.7 ± 2.0, P < .0001) with higher DecT (203 ± 22 ms vs 179 ± 18, P < .001) and IVRT (106 ± 14 ms vs 92 ± 10, P < .001) in T2DM. Multiple parameters of LV function: E/ACMRI (r = -.50, P = .001), E/ATTE (r = -.46, P < .005), pLVFR/BSA (r = -.35, P < .05), E/e' (r = -.46, P < .005), EDV/BSACMRI (r = -.51, P < .0001), EDV/BSATTE (r = -.42, P < .01) were negatively correlated with HbA1c. All but E/e' also were inversely correlated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Conclusions Impaired LV diastolic function (DF) was found in T2DM subjects with both CMRI and TTE, and multiple LVDF parameters correlated negatively with HbA1c and FPG. These results indicate that impaired LVDF is inversely linked to glycemic control in T2DM patients.
Introduction: Foreign Queens, Abusive Sovereignty, and Political Theory in the Past and the Present

Focusing on Shakespeare’s depiction of foreign queens, this book considers how their presence, conditions, and experiences in his plays make visible the abusive potential of sovereign will above law. Each of the four main chapters focuses upon one queen—Katherine of Aragon in Henry VIII, Hermione in The Winter’s Tale, Tamora in Titus Andronicus, and Margaret in the first history tetralogy. These queens reveal tensions within early modern English politics, particularly those associated with the ‘sovereign decision’ and the putative antinomy between friend and enemy as the basis of the concept of the political. The project as a whole links early modern and contemporary political theory and concerns through four key concepts—fragmented identity, hospitality, citizenship, and banishment—which point toward Shakespeare’s interest in questions of sovereignty, subjection, and active political engagement. It does not focus on gender per se, but on the vulnerability of foreign queens, as a cypher for all subjects, to the destabilizing, deleterious conjunction of personal and political agendas and judgments enacted through embodied sovereignty.
Veracity Enriched Event Extraction

To support intelligence analysis, lots of effort goes into the development of information extraction (IE) systems to ingest massive collections of both traditional sensor data and streaming data from both public domain and classified sources, classify them, distill evidence from them, and store that evidence as event and entity tuples in a knowledge base. This paper focuses on an unmet challenge of this effort: determining the veracity of extracted information, in order to help analysts make balanced, rational judgments.
Late Modernity and La Villette : “Unsettling” the Object/Event Dialectic

Johan Fornas, in Cultural Theory of Late Modernity, places symbolic communication at the heart of cultural production.1 He presents the inherited dialectical understanding of communicative structures and uses the limitations of this construct to investigate potential communicative processes that operate closer to the intersubjective and polyphonic nature of late modern culture.
Nuclear spin relaxation of powdered metallic antimony in liquid 3He

Nuclear spin relaxation studies have been carried out to determine the surface relaxation of powdered Sb immersed in liquid 3 He. The surface relaxation mechanism was observed to be significantly more effective than the bulk Korringa relaxation rate for temperatures T < 75 mK. This surface relaxation is attributed to the modulation of the dipole-dipole interaction between the Sb spins at the metal surface and the 3 He spins in the solid-like layer on the surface by the quantum zero-point motion of these 3 He atoms. The total relaxation has been analyzed in terms of the surface relaxation and the spin diffusion through the bulk of the Sb particles. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theory developed for this system. Replacement of the 3 He by 4 He removes the surface relaxation component and restores the relaxation rates to the bulk value.
Patient Education and Informed Consent

The long-term success of bariatric surgery is dependent on patient motivation and the capability of patients to make changes in lifestyle and eating behavior. Bariatric surgery is not curative, but a simple change in gastrointestinal anatomy, which facilitates limitation of calories. The variable results of individual patient weight loss accomplishment and the 10–25 % of patients who struggle with weight loss and weight maintenance are largely a reflection of the inability of patients to successfully change lifestyle and eating behavior. This offers opportunities in patient education and patient selection as more is learned about behavioral and lifestyle factors that may interfere with weight loss success after bariatric surgery. The process of patient-centered informed consent is designed to provide the patient with details of those individual factors, which argue for and against bariatric surgery. The communication of this important information in a manner which patients can comprehend is essential as is the confirmation that the patient does understand the information. Patient education and the informed consent process are complicated by inadequate health literacy skill, a common problem in patients with extreme obesity. Enhanced communication strategies and teaching techniques including audiovisual and multimedia interventions, extended patient discussions, and feedback techniques will help in addressing health literacy issues.
Use of software analytics of brain MRI (with & without contrast) as objective metric in neurological disorders and degenerative diseases

Complex degenerative and inflammatory processes of the central nervous system (CNS) often feature certain lymphocytic infiltrates and changes, which are felt to be involved in visual image alterations correlating with damage of myelin and nerve tissues per se. Changes are thought to be associated with autoimmune and degenerative disorders within the CNS often are demonstrated by changes on magnetic resource imaging (with and without contrast). These imaging changes have proven to demonstrate specific and progressive changes which may be correlated with failure of myelination resulting in a wide variety of non-functional clinical states and symptoms. Such entities, including stroke, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS), and tumors often present chronic and persistent disabilities. Use of quality imaging and interpretation is considered of great value to patient management. Progression and severity can now be accurately tracked utilizing the novel diagnostic software where detailed locations, volumetric analytics, lesion regression-progression monitoring etc. are available. Traditional interpretations are often tedious, and result in highly variable, and may provide incomplete comparative reporting. Inconsistent findings can result in limited or only moderately effective diagnostics using imaging interpretation by highly trained imaging specialists. The issue of standardization, depth, quality consistent interpretation and provision of such detail is an expensive and elusive challenge, making comparatives and interpretation somewhat limited. Time consumption, limited accuracy, and costs of serial MRI segmented/subsegmented analytics make very detailed, accurate neuroradiological interpretations almost impossible to standardize. Frequently different imaging specialist are often used for examining serial studies, thereby potentially magnifying potential variables. Use of a new, highly sophisticated, software helps resolve many issues, including taking manual (human) interpretation out of potential bias or different interpreters, while providing serial ability to track lesion and volumetric analysis in evaluation and management of these progressive and often debilitating circumstances. This paper intends to introduce this European technological advance to the North American and world marketplace, where few have seen the opportunity to take advantage of this software technology, and gain the opportunity to standard interpretations from a diagnostic and ongoing management standpoint.
The hypothetical impact of Accelerate Pheno™ system on time to effective therapy and time to definitive therapy in an institution with an established antimicrobial stewardship programme currently utilizing rapid genotypic organism/resistance marker identification

Background Rapid organism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) can optimize antimicrobial therapy in patients with bacteraemia. The Accelerate Pheno™ system (ACC) can provide identification and AST results within 7 h of a positive culture. Objectives To assess the hypothetical impact of ACC on time to effective therapy (TTET), time to definitive therapy (TTDT) and antimicrobial usage at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). Methods Patients with positive blood cultures from 29 March to 24 June 2016 were included. ACC was performed in parallel with normal laboratory procedures, but results were not made available to the clinicians. The potential benefit of having ACC results was determined if clinicians modified therapy based on actual AST results. Potential changes in TTET, TTDT and antibiotic usage were calculated. Results One hundred and sixty-seven patients were included. The median TTET was 2.4 h (IQR 0.5, 15.1). Had ACC results been available, TTET could have been improved in four patients (2.4%), by a median decrease of 18.9 h (IQR 11.3, 20.4). The median TTDT was 41.4 h (IQR 21.7, 73.3) and ACC results could have improved TTDT among 51 patients (30.5%), by a median decrease of 25.4 h (IQR 18.7, 37.5). ACC implementation could have led to decreases in usage of cefepime (16% reduction), aminoglycosides (23%), piperacillin/tazobactam (8%) and vancomycin (4%). Conclusions ACC results could potentially improve time to de-escalation and reduce use of antimicrobials. The impact of ACC on TTET was small, likely related to the availability of other rapid diagnostic tests at DMC.
Understanding the Role of Interfaces for Water Management in Platinum Group Metal-Free Electrodes in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

A systematic analysis, both experimental and model-assisted, has been performed over three main configurations of platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrodes in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs): catalyst-coated membrane CCM technology is being compared to the gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) method of electrode fabrication and juxtaposed to a hybrid/combined GDE-CCM method of membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication. The corresponding electrodes were evaluated for their electrochemical performance, modeled, and studied with in situ and operando X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT). The study establishes that through-thickness inhomogeneities play the most important role in water withdrawal/water management and affect most significantly PGM-free PEFC performance. The catalyst integration technique results in formation of interfacial regions with increased porosity and surface roughness. These regions form critical interfaces de facto responsible for flooding type behavior of the PEFC as shown f...