cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Fluid Resuscitation and Dopamine on Diaphragm Performance, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Apoptosis Following Hemorrhagic Shock in a Rat Model

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of lactated Ringer's (LR) solution, sodium hydroxyethyl starch (hetastarch), and dopamine (DA) on diaphragm shortening (DS), diaphragm blood flow (DBF), diaphragm hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and diaphragm apoptosis following hemorrhagic shock (HS). Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned to the following groups: HS, LR, LR plus DA, hetastarch, and hetastarch plus DA. After removing 40% of the blood volume, with exception of the HS group, an equal volume of resuscitation fluid was administered. The diaphragm was excised so that DBF, H2O2, and apoptosis could be measured. LR did not increase DBF and DS, whereas the other fluids increased DBF and DS. H2O2 and apoptosis decreased with LR administration. H2O2 and apoptosis were decreased to a much greater extent with LR plus DA, hetastarch, and hetastarch plus DA infusions. In conclusion, LR plus DA, hetastarch, and hetastarch plus DA maintained DS and DBF, which may be attributed to the decreases ...
Seasonal Incidence of Indigenous Leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) on Corn and Several Winter Crops in Mississippi

At least 36 species of leafhoppers were collected on corn and from plots of winter grasses and grains (oat, ryegrass, wheat, and bahia grass) in the vicinity of State College, Miss., in 1965–66. Of the 33 that were found on corn (30 species in 1965, 26 in 1966), 12 were sufficiently numerous so that each constituted 1% or more of each season's total leaf hopper collections. The other 21 (15 species in 1965, 14 in 1966) were considered miscellaneous species which occurred only incidentally on corn. Graminella nigrifrons (Forbes) and Macrosteles fascifrons (Stal) accounted for 36.5% and 12.5%, and 54.0% and 23.0%, of the total seasonal leafhopper collections in 1965 and 1966, respectively. They were the predominant species in both years, and were collected during every semimonthly collection period. In general, leafhopper populations on corn reached high levels in late May and June, declined in July, and increased to high levels again in August and September. Bahia grass was an excellent winter host for M. fascifrons , but most leafhoppers preferred oat and ryegrass. G. nigrifrons , M. fascifrons , Deltocephalus sonorous Ball, and Balclutha sp. were the predominant leafhoppers during the winter. Five other species— Exitianus exitiosus (Uhler), Draeculacephala portola Ball, D. balli Van Duzee, Empoasca sp., and Aceratagallia sp.—were present in the test area throughout the year. Agallia constricta Van Duzee, Carncocephala flaviceps (Riley), Stirellus bicolor (Van Duzee), and Chlorotettix viridius (Van Duzee), on the basis of seasonal occurrence and population levels on corn, are other species which may be considered of significance in investigations of possible vectors of corn stunt virus.
Circulating Cell-Free DNA Differentiates Severity of Inflammation.

Introduction:As the U.S. population ages, the incidence of chronic disease will rise. Chronic diseases have been linked to chronic inflammation. The purpose of this review is to summarize the liter...
On Cinqué and the Historians

Howard Jones ends his eloquent essay about the supposition that Cinque participated in the African slave trade with the pronouncement that "Justice presumes innocence" and the demand that the "time has come to grant Cinque an acquittal." This is the English common-law rule. After reviewing Jones's own evidence, it seems that the more proper conclusion is the Scottish verdict: "not proven." Jones's argument rests on four prongs. First, that William A. Owens, without any serious research, popularized the notion that Cinque was involved in the African slave trade after his return to West Africa. Second, that no documentary evidence links Cinque to the slave trade, and what little evidence there might be is based on oral traditions, which Jones rejects. Third, that numerous historians, including the three scholars commenting here, have not been sufficiently diligent in our research and writing and have repeated the alleged misinformation set out in Owens's book. Fourth, that the character of Cinque makes the allegation impossible to accept: "My study of Cinque," Jones writes, "leads me to believe that he could never have participated in a practice that had already destroyed his life." Thus Jones concludes that the suggestion of Cinque s involvement in either the African slave trade or in domestic slavery in West Africa raises "serious questions about the integrity not only of the movie but also of the Amistad heritage."' What is most fascinating and what Jones highlights is how little we know about Cinque after he returned to Africa. He apparently renounced Christianity and ceased to have much contact with the American Missionary Association (AMA), the organization that had facilitated his return to Africa. Rumors spread: He was rich; he was a slave trader; he went to Jamaica. Owens claimed to have seen letters, written by AMA missionaries, suggesting that Cinque was a slave trader, but those letters cannot be found. Jones implies that Owens fabricated the claim of evidence to cover his poor research. But the transient nature of the Amistad collection (which has been housed in three different institutions in the past six decades) makes it possible that evidence that Owens saw has long ago been mislaid, lost, destroyed, or even stolen. The Amistad collection is apparently missing correspondence from 1879, which might include what Owens saw. Jones relies on the Africanist Arthur Abraham to
Field evaluation of a mechanical-assist cherry harvesting system

Abstract Mechanical harvest is one promising method to mitigate the labor pressure in fresh-market tree fruit industries. Due to the difficulty in adopting fully mechanical harvesting technologies in most of the current existing canopy architectures, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a mechanical-assist shake-and-catch system to harvest sweet cherries in a large range of commercial orchards. Field evaluation was conducted on four cherry varieties from nine orchards with three canopy architectures. Time distribution in each procedure, and the harvest rate defined as the amount of fruit harvested by a shake-and-catch team (two operators) or a skilled picker in a minute, were analyzed to determine the key factors in efficient harvesting. Time distribution study showed that shaking time accounted for less than 30% of entire operation time, while more than 50% of time was spent on relocation of the shake-and-catch system. Results showed that cherry trees with small pedicel fruit retention force, small canopy size and heavy fruit load had higher harvest rate for mechanical harvesting. The harvest rate could be potentially increased as high as 13.9 times if only the shaking time was considered, which indicated the substantial influence of the processes of catching fruit, relocating fruit catcher and moving ladders. The test results also indicated that the tree architecture had substantial influence on fruit removal efficiency, fruit catching rate, and fruit damage rate.
A gravimetric technique for evaluating flow continuity from two infusion devices.

A computerized gravimetric technique for examining the flow continuity from infusion devices was developed, and two infusion devices with different mechanisms of pump operation were evaluated to illustrate this technique. A BASIC program that records serial weight measurements and calculates weight change from previous determinations was written for and interfaced with a gravimetric balance and IBM PC. A plot of effused weight (normalized weight change that reflects the difference between desired timed-sample interval and actual time) versus time (desired timed-sample interval) was constructed. The gravimetric technique was evaluated using both a peristaltic-type and a piston-type infusion pump. Intravenous solution (5% dextrose and 0.9% sodium chloride) was effused at 10 mL/hr and collected in a beaker. Weights were measured at 10-second intervals over a two-hour infusion period, and the weights of the effused solution were plotted versus time. Flow continuity differed between the two infusion devices. Actual effused weight decreased to 0.007 g/10 sec during the refill cycle of the piston-type pump; the mean (+/- S.D.) effused weight was 0.029 +/- 0.002 g/10 sec. The desired effusion rate was 0.028 g/10 sec. The peristaltic pump had greater flow continuity, with a mean effusion weight of 0.028 +/- 0.003 g/10 sec. The gravimetric technique described in this report can be used to quantitatively depict the effusion profiles of infusion devices. Further studies are needed to identify the degree of flow continuity that is clinically acceptable for infusion devices.
Anesthesia in underdeveloped countries: a teaching program.

Abstract A unique volunteer anesthesia teaching program in East Africa is described. Its object is to help correct the shortage of anesthesia personnel in underdeveloped countries, characteristically so severe that, in some areas, only 10-15 present of the surgery that should be performed can be performed. The design of this program, with its emphasis on teaching, may prove helpful for establishment of similar teaching programs in other medical disciplines in underdeveloped countries.
Sex Ratio Modulators of Egg Parasitoids

The importance of sex ratio s in the biology and biocontrol application of egg parasitoids can be summarized as the cost of producing males. For both the biocontrol practitioner and the biocontrol agent a surplus of healthy fecund females is highly desirable. The sex ratio investment advice of a biological banker might be to maximize the total number of reproductive females and minimize the number of males. In this chapter we will describe two inherited genetic element s found in several Trichogramma species that can be considered either excellent or terrible investment options. These non-Mendelian genetic elements effectively distort offspring sex ratios in a manner that can be called selfish- since both promote their own transmission at the expense of host nuclear genes. One, a bacterium called Wolbachia can convert haplodiploid females into fully functional completely parthenogenetic organisms (Stouthamer et al. 1993). In fact, several Wolbachia infected species are only known from parthenogenetic females- few or no males are found (Huigens and Stouthamer 2003). The other, a nuclear “extra” chromosome called PSR (Paternal Sex Ratio) found only in male haplodiploids behaves in a manner that can only be described as extremely selfish. The PSR chromosome turns eggs destined to develop as females into males that carry the PSR chromosome (Werren and Stouthamer 2003). These two sex ratio distorters have opposite but sometimes complimentary consequences in parasitoid populations. We will discuss the biology and applied potential of both these sex ratio distorters in Trichogramma species.
Evolutionary Change in Genomic Regulatory Organization: Speculations on the Origins of Novel Biological Structure

In considering the mechanisms which could have led to the amazing variety of biological structures in the animal world, it has seemed reasonable to focus on the evolution of genomic regulatory pathways ((50), and Britten, this volume). Biological structure is the immediate result of developmental processes in which sets of diverse structural genes are expressed as ontogenically functional units. Such units must include genes that control the cell divisions in given tissue anlage or cell lineages, the nature of the products formed in the cells, their interactions with adjacent cells, and so forth. Relatives of most known structural genes seem to occur in a very wide phylogenetic range of creatures, while the specific patterns of development in which they are utilized are characteristic of each taxonomic group of organisms. If we understood the genomic organization underlying these specific ontogenic regulatory patterns, we might be in an excellent position to construct a useful theory of evolutionary invention at the DNA level. Unfortunately, such understanding still lies beyond current knowledge, though perhaps not very far beyond. In this essay I have chosen somewhat arbitrarily to consider two forms of hypothetical genomic regulatory organization. For neither of these is there yet any very strongly convincing evidence, particularly in regard to ontogenic regulatory coordination. Nonetheless, it is interesting to examine the implications for both kinds of proposed regulatory organization of various kinds of genomic alteration known to occur in evolution at a relatively high rate. This heuristic exercise shows that it is not difficult to imagine evolutionary mechanisms that could have had large scale functional effects on ontogenic patterns, and thus have led to the appearance of novel biological structures.
Comprehensive High-Resolution Studies Differentiate and Characterize Hypodiploid Multiple Myeloma

Abstract 2869 Background: Chromosome abnormalities are universal in multiple myeloma (MM) and will ultimately categorize patients into hyperdiploid and non-hyperdiploid MM. Among non-hyperdiploid patients those that exhibit hypodiploidy have the most aggressive clinical phenotype. What genetic features are unique to hypodiploidy are not fully described. Therefore, we performed a comprehensive high-resolution analysis to differentiate and characterize hypodiploid MM. Materials and methods: MM patients were analyzed using a combination of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) (n=275) and gene expression profiling (GEP) (n=239). Agilent 244K and Affymetrix U133A Plus 2.0 arrays were used in the aCGH and GEP experiments, respectively. Hypodiploid MM was differentiated using pseudokaryotyping based on aCGH findings. Samples estimated to have less than or equal to 44 chromosomes were designated hypodiploid, 45–47 chromosomes were nonhyperdiploid and greater than or equal to 48 and less than 74 chromosomes were considered hyperdiploid. Using GEP the main gene indices and signatures associated with outcome were determined including the translocation and cyclin D (TC) classification, UAMS 70-gene index, proliferation index, centrosome signature and NF-kB index. Differentially expressed genes were also investigated. Results: A total of 53 (19%) MM patients were classified into the hypodiploid group, mainly characterized by monosomies of chromosomes 13 (83%), 14 (42%), 22 (23%) and × (50%) (females) with p and/or q-arm aberrations including gains of 1q (51%) and 8q (25%) and losses of 1p (49%), 4p (21%), 4q (23%), 6q (38%), 8p (34%), 12p (25%), 12q (26%), 14q (32%), 16p (25%), 16q (51%) and 17p (25%). Patients with loss of 1p were associated with 4p- (p 2 fold expression change comparing hypodiploid vs. hyperdiploid including a five fold decrease in the heparin-degrading endosulfatase gene SULF2 , a decrease of genes in the TGF-b signaling pathway ( MYC, ID3, SMAD1, LTBP1 ) and those involved in Wnt signaling ( DKK1, FRZB ). Up regulated genes included those from the p53 signaling pathway and cell cycle ( CCND2 , CDKN1C, RPRM ), cell adhesion molecules ( ITGB8, CD28 ) and tight junction pathway ( RRAS2, RRAS, CSDA ). Conclusion: This represents the most comprehensive genomic characterization of hypodiploid MM to date. These cases exhibit a high propensity for high-risk gene expression profiles and have a high prevalence of −13, −14, 1q gain and 1p loss as predicted. Given our findings it is likely that hypodiploid is not a separate category but rather the genetic “phenotype” of a more advanced clone. Today, using these two platforms together in a routine setting would provide the most comprehensive genetic analysis, important for individualized therapeutics. Disclosures: Fonseca: Consulting :Genzyme, Medtronic, BMS, Amgen, Otsuka, Celgene, Intellikine, Lilly Research Support: Cylene, Onyz, Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding.
The complex formation between pirin and IkappaBalpha supports the prolonged NFκB activation in tumor cells

787 The constant activation of NFkB makes tumor cells resistant to pro-apoptotic stimulus and hypoxia. The activation of NFkB stimulates the transcription from the IkB alpha (IkBa) gene, and this regulatory loop decreases the NFkB activity after stimulation in the normal cells. This mechanism leads to the fast down regulation of NFkB activity after stimulation by TNF and IL1, and prevents the persistent activation of NFkB, even when the NFkB-activating factors are present in the media. The additional mechanisms should be present in the cells to keep NFkB constantly activated. Many tumor cells have an increased level of NFkB activity without additional stimulation. In our previous experiments, we isolated the protein pirin as a cellular interactor with poliovirus protein 3A. Pirin was described as a protein, which can be found in the complex with transcription factor NF1 and with an ankyrin repeat-containing protein bcl3 from IkB family (Dechend R. et al. 1999). The other member of IkB family is IkBa, an ankyrin repeat-containing cytoplasmic chaperon and a major suppressor of NFkB. We found that IkBa and pirin form a complex in vivo, and are co-localized in the cells. The level of pirin is elevated in tumor cells like HeLa, 293T, and melanomas in comparison with primary fibroblasts, primary epithelial cells, and benign cells from the moles. There is a good correlation between the level of pirin expression and the level of NFkB activity in the cells. The over-expression of pirin in fibroblasts increased NFkB-specific transcription. The depletion of pirin by siRNA-specific mechanism decreases NFkB activity and activates apoptosis in HeLa cells. We hypothesize that pirin may have a function as an IkB -binding protein that supports NFkB activity in tumor cells.
A Natural History of Money

Money is an essentially social phenomenon. In its details it is uniquely human, but it is enmeshed with the economy’s physical processes and in its functioning it bears a limited resemblance to mechanisms of social coordination that exist in other species. We begin with examples from those other species, covering both production for current use and behaviors that are functionally forms of investment. We then sketch different forms of coordination structures that humans use, leading to the coordinating role of money. The consideration of investment leads to the role of credit and its relationship to money.
Monochromatic backlighting of direct-drive cryogenic DT implosions on OMEGA

Backlighting is a powerful technique to observe the flow of cold and dense material in high-energy-density–plasma experiments. High-performance, direct-drive cryogenic deuterium–tritium (DT) implosions are a challenging backlighting configuration because of the low opacity of the DT shell, the high shell velocity, the small size of the stagnating shell, and the very bright self-emission of the hot core. A crystal imaging system with a Si Heα backlighter at 1.865 keV driven by ∼20-ps short pulses from OMEGA EP was developed to radiograph the OMEGA cryogenic implosions. The high throughput of the crystal imaging system makes it possible to record high-quality images with good photon statistics and a spatial resolution of ∼15 μm at 10% to 90% modulation. This imager has been used to study the evolution of preimposed mass-density perturbations in the ablator, to quantify the perturbations caused by the stalk that is used to mount the target, and to study the mix caused by laser imprint or small-scale debris o...
Sexual and Intimacy Problems of Older Clients

With the proportion of older persons in the population increasing, therapists can expect to see more older clients with sexual and intimacy problems. The challenge in treating these problems stems from three factors: (1) Therapists need to be aware of medical developments in the field of sex therapy, especially the newer diagnostic methods and treatments such as penile prostheses and injections; (2) the problems of older clients can be quite complex due to the interactive influences of biology, personality, relationship history, and social factors associated with aging; (3) practitioners need to appreciate the emerging contributions of systems concepts derived from family therapy that can add to the effectiveness of standard sex therapy approaches.
Black–White and Male–Female Differences in Criminal Thinking: Examining Instrumental and Expressive Motives for Crime in Federal Supervisees:

Using 2,000 federal supervisees comprised of 500 White males, 500 Black males, 500 White females, and 500 Black females, this study evaluated whether race and sex are differentially associated with proactive and reactive criminal thinking. It was predicted that proactive criminal thinking would be higher in Black than White supervisees and that reactive criminal thinking should be higher in female than male supervisees. Results revealed that instrumental motives for crime, as represented by proactive criminal thinking, were more prevalent in Black male offenders, and expressive motives for crime, as represented by reactive criminal thinking, were more prevalent in White female offenders.
“I Am Become a Name”: An Allusion to Psalm 69:8 in Tennyson's ULYSSES

In his widely anthologized poem “Ulysses,” Tennyson deploys an unusual grammatical construction at l.11: “I am become a name.” Historically, English neuter verbs (neither active nor passive) were s...
CRF modulation of central monoaminergic function: Implications for sex differences in alcohol drinking and anxiety.

Abstract Decades of research have described the importance of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling in alcohol addiction, as well as in commonly co-expressed neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety and mood disorders. However, CRF signaling can also acutely regulate binge alcohol consumption, anxiety, and affect in non-dependent animals, possibly via modulation of central monoaminergic signaling. We hypothesize that basal CRF tone is particularly high in animals and humans with an inherent propensity for high anxiety and alcohol consumption, and thus these individuals are at increased risk for the development of alcohol use disorder and comorbid neuropsychiatric diseases. The current review focuses on extrahypothalamic CRF circuits, particularly those stemming from the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), found to play a role in basal phenotypes, and examines whether the intrinsic hyperactivity of these circuits is sufficient to escalate the expression of these behaviors and steepen the trajectory of development of disease states. We focus our efforts on describing CRF modulation of biogenic amine neuron populations that have widespread projections to the forebrain to modulate behaviors, including alcohol and drug intake, stress reactivity, and anxiety. Further, we review the known sex differences and estradiol modulation of these neuron populations and CRF signaling at their synapses to address the question of whether females are more susceptible to the development of comorbid addiction and stress-related neuropsychiatric diseases because of hyperactive extrahypothalamic CRF circuits compared to males.
Chiral effects of quenched η′ loops☆

Abstract Preliminary results of a study of quenched chiral logarithms at β = 5.7 are presented. Four independent determinations of the quenched chiral log parameter δ are obtained. Two of these are from estimates of the η′ mass, one from the residue of the hairpin diagram and the other from the topological susceptibility combined with the Witten-Veneziano formula. The other two determinations of δ are from measurement of virtual η′ loop effects in m π 2 vs. quark mass and in the chiral behavior of the pseudoscalar decay constant. All of our results are consistent with δ = .080(15). The expected absence of quenched chiral logs in the axial-vector decay constant is also observed.
Race is Evidence of Parenting in America: Another Civil Rights Story

Commenting on Professor Montre D. Carodine's Essay in this volume, Race is Evidence, Professor Tanya Asim Cooper offers another counter-narrative to question the notion of progress in the American civil rights story, and highlight one of the great civil rights problems of our time: the disproportionate representation of Native American and African American children in foster care and the disparities they experience.
Chapter 20 Cardiovascular regulation of supraoptic vasopressin neurons

Abstract A number of laboratories have identified several key areas in the central nervous system that relay information from arterial baroreceptors to the supraoptic nucleus. Two of these regions are the diagonal band of Broca and the perinuclear zone of the supraoptic nucleus. Recent findings suggest that the inhibition of vasopressin neurons in the SON by caval-atrial stretch may also involve the perinuclear zone. Using Fos immunocytochemistry in combination with volume expansion in unanesthetized rats, we observed that volume expansion activates a number of regions in the CNS including the area postrema, the nucleus of the solitary tract, the caudal ventrolateral medulla, the paraventricular nucleus, the perinuclear zone and oxytocin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus. Further experiments using pericardial catheters demonstrate that the activation of the nucleus of the solitary tract, the ventrolateral medulla, the paraventricular nucleus and the perinuclear zone by volume expansion is dependent on cardiac afferents. However, the Fos in the area postrema and oxytocin neurons of the supraoptic nucleus is not affected by removal of cardiac afferents. Similarly, electrophysiological experiments show that stimulation of cardiac receptors in the caval-atrial junction inhibits supraoptic vasopressin neurons but does not significantly affect the activity of supraoptic oxytocin neurons. These experiments suggest that while the inhibition of supraoptic vasopressin neurons during volume expansion is mediated by cardiac afferents, the activation of supraoptic oxytocin is independent of cardiac afferents and may be mediated by other visceral afferents or humoral factors. Additional electrophysiological experiments examined the importance of the perinuclear zone in cardiopulmonary regulation of vasopressin. Excitotoxin lesions of the perinuclear zone region block the inhibitory effects of caval-atrial stretch on supraoptic vasopressin neurons. This lesion has previously been shown to block the inhibitory effects of arterial baroreceptor stimulation on supraoptic vasopressin neurons. Thus, the neural pathways that inhibit vasopressin release in response to an increase in blood pressure and an increase in blood volume may overlap at the perinuclear zone of the supraoptic nucleus. Also while the inhibition of supraoptic vasopressin neurons during volume expansion is mediated by cardiac afferents, the activation of supraoptic oxytocin neurons is independent of cardiac afferents and may be mediated by other visceral afferents or hormonal factors.
Access to dental care: the triad of essential factors in access-to-care programs.

ABSTRACT Background Solutions to the problem of limited access to dental care for some segments of the population are being sought. Certain factors in access-to-dental-care program design are critical to the success of these programs. Overview The author discusses the triad of factors that are essential in the successful design and operation of programs aimed at improving access to dental care for underserved populations. Conclusions The author found that attention must be paid to creating an effective demand for dental care, an adequate dental work force to respond to that demand and an economic environment that enables patients and dentists to participate in any programs that are aimed at improving access to care. Practice Implications Failure to adequately address demand, work force and economic factors will condemn any program designed to increase access to dental care to failure at worst, or to limited success at best.
DETECTION OF SPECIFIC MOUSE HISTONE mRNAs BY Sl NUCLEASE MAPPING

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the detection of specific mouse-histone messenger RNAs by S1 nuclease mapping. The histone genes are repeated and dispersed in the mouse genome. Each histone gene is present in about ten copies. The chapter describes an experiment in which genomic clones of two different H3 genes and one H2b gene were used to determine the structure of the respective RNAs. A quantitative assay for specific histone RNA transcripts was developed in this experiment. The DNA sequence of the two H3 genes was nearly identical in the protein-coding region, while the 3´-untranslated regions were highly divergent. This suggested that the coding regions of the histone region was highly conserved while the flanking regions may have varied considerably. Both H3 genes had a SAL I restriction site at amino acid 58, and both resulted in protection of a major fragment representing about 85% of the total protected radioactivity of approximately 180 ± 15 nucleotides. The minor protected fragments differ between the two probes. Using H3-2 DNA as a probe gave two minor fragments. One minor fragment consisting of 220±5 nucleotides accounted for about 10% of the total protected whereas the other minor fragment consisting of about 190 ± 10 nucleotides accounted for less than 5% of the total protected radioactivity. In contrast, the H3-1 gene protected a minor fragment of 200±10 nucleotides representing about 10% of the total protected.
Influence of Storage Temperature, Moisture Content, and Physical Impurities on the Distribution and Survival of Salmonella enterica in Poultry Fat Intended for Pet Food Use

ABSTRACT Contamination of rendered products with Salmonella is a concern for the rendering industry, particularly when those products are intended for use in other foodstuffs, such as pet food. This study was conducted to understand the influence of compositional variation on the location and survivability of Salmonella in a poultry fat matrix. Specifically, this study aimed to (i) assess the influence of postinoculation time and moisture content on the distribution of Salmonella in rendered poultry fat and (ii) evaluate the impact of postinoculation time and physical parameters (i.e., impurity level and moisture content) on survival of three Salmonella strains in rendered poultry fat stored at two different temperatures. Three studies, designated as study I(a), I(b), and II, respectively, were conducted to address these objectives. In study I(a), a green fluorescent protein–expressing strain of Salmonella Typhimurium was used to map the organism within warmed (45°C) poultry fat containing various levels ...
Transplanting Hepatitis C Virus–Infected or Uninfected Kidneys Into Hepatitis C Virus–Infected Recipients

New antiviral drugs now cure nearly everyone with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including those who have end-stage renal disease. In addition, patients with HCV who need a kidney transplant ca...
Review of Real-World Implementation Data on Emtricitabine-Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate as HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in the United States

The antiretroviral combination of emtricitabine-tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (FTC/TDF) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in individuals at high risk for acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in July 2012. Since then, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the use of PrEP have been published and implemented into clinical practice throughout the United States. A number of published open-label and PrEP demonstration projects have evaluated the real-world use of PrEP including analysis of the barriers to its use and addressing major concerns. Despite the approval of FTC/TDF for PrEP, its use for this indication relies on patient and provider acceptance, and its effectiveness requires patient adherence and retention in care during periods of high-risk behaviors. Concerns regarding the use of PrEP in healthy individuals persist and include medication adverse effects including renal dysfunction and bone mineral density loss; risk compensation leading to HIV infections, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancies; and the development of drug resistance in the event of seroconversion. The cost-effectiveness of PrEP continues to be assessed with the greatest cost-effectiveness remaining in those at highest risk of acquiring HIV. Additionally, cases of HIV acquisition in individuals who are adherent to PrEP highlight scenarios in which PrEP is not 100% effective including against the transmission of drug-resistant HIV strains. This review examines data on the implementation of PrEP outside the setting of clinical trials with the aim of providing clinicians with a summary of the current barriers and opportunities for PrEP use with a specific focus on the role of pharmacists in the optimization of PrEP implementation.
Unique Engineering Properties and Compression Behavior of Deep-Sea Calcareous Sediments

This study examines the individual particles comprising a typical deep-sea calcareous clay as a means of explaining their unique engineering properties and compression behavior. The scanning electron microscope is used todetermine calcareous particle geometry, size, and packing, and the effect of one-dimensional compression on microstructure and particle fracture. The sediments examined in this study have carbonate contents of 40 to 90 percent, including 5 to 10 percent of sand-sized Foraminifera, the remainder being fine, silt-sized nannofossils. The Foraminifera and nannofossils are hollow and capable of storing large quantities of intraparticle water. When subjected to moderate compression stresses, the Foraminifera particles are susceptable to fracture and release intraparticle water, whereas the nannofossils exhibit minor fracturing or chipping at particle contact points. Carbonate contents should be routinely performed as an index property on deep-sea sediment specimens to determine the presence of hollow nannofossil and foram particles.
Supply chain integration and operational performance of Kenya’s public health sector

This research objective is to determine the effect of the Supply Chain Integration dimensions on the operational performance of the of Kenya’s public health sector level five hospitals. The results are based on close-ended questionnaires from one hundred and sixty-four respondents working in the level five health facilities supply chain selected using simple random sampling. The data collected was subjected to completeness checks, before it was cleaned, coded, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) for the generation of both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that Supplier integration (?1, = 0.276; p value=0.000), customer integration (?2, = 0.119; p value=0.016) and internal integration (?3, = 0.232; p value=0.000) have a significant effect on operational performance. The R2was 0.429, indicating that 42.9% of the variation in operational performance is explicated by the variation of Supply chain integration dimensions. This implies that all three supply chain integration dimensions significantly influence operational performance. The study concludes that the government needs to internally integrate and embrace forward and backward integration with the customers and suppliers to leap the full benefits of an integrated health sector to accomplish the universal health care goals.
Discourse Relation Prediction: Revisiting Word Pairs with Convolutional Networks

Word pairs across argument spans have been shown to be effective for predicting the discourse relation between them. We propose an approach to distill knowledge from word pairs for discourse relation classification with convolutional neural networks by incorporating joint learning of implicit and explicit relations. Our novel approach of representing the input as word pairs achieves state-of-the-art results on four-way classification of both implicit and explicit relations as well as one of the binary classification tasks. For explicit relation prediction, we achieve around 20% error reduction on the four-way task. At the same time, compared to a two-layered Bi-LSTM-CRF model, our model is able to achieve these results with half the number of learnable parameters and approximately half the amount of training time.
Challenges Related to the Implementation of an EMS-Administered, Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke Score.

Author(s): Lawner, Benjamin J.; Szabo, Kelly; Daly, Jonathan; Foster, Krista M.; McCoy, Philip; Poliner, David; Poremba, Matthew; Nawrocki, Philip S.; Rahangdale, Rahul | Abstract: Introduction: There is considerable interest in triaging victims of large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes to comprehensive stroke centers. Timely access to interventional therapy has been linked to improved stroke outcomes. Accurate triage depends upon the use of a validated screening tool in addition to several emergency medical system (EMS)-specific factors. This study examines the integration of a modified Rapid Arterial oCcclusion Evaluation (mRACE) score into an existing stroke treatment protocol.Methods: We performed a retrospective review of EMS and hospital charts of patients transported to a single comprehensive stroke center. Adult patients with an EMS provider impression of “stroke/TIA,” “CVA,” or “neurological problem” were included for analysis. EMS protocols mandated the use of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Score (CPSS). The novel protocol authorized the use of the mRACE score to identify candidates for triage directly to the comprehensive stroke center. We calculated specificity and sensitivity for various stroke screens (CPSS and a mRACE exam) for the detection of LVO stroke. The score’s metrics were evaluated as a surrogate marker for a successful EMS triage protocol.Results: We included 312 prehospital charts in the final analysis. The CPSS score exhibited reliable sensitivity at 85%. Specificity of CPSS for an LVO was calculated at 73%. For an mRACE score of five or greater, the sensitivity was 25%. Specificity for mRACE was calculated at 75%. The positive predictive value of the mRACE score for an LVO was estimated at 12.50%.Conclusion: In this retrospective study of patients triaged to a single comprehensive stroke center, the addition of an LVO-specific screening tool failed to improve accuracy. Reliable triage of LVO strokes in the prehospital setting is a challenging task. In addition to statistical performance of a particular stroke score, a successful EMS protocol should consider system-based factors such as provider education and training. Study limitations can inform future iterations of LVO triage protocols.
Cooperative band-stop filters

Abstract We analyze light transmission both through a 1D waveguide that has a regular array of atoms inside, and through a stack of equally-spaced partially reflecting mirrors. We view the atoms and mirrors as linear filters. As such, they have two inputs, light coming in from both sides, and two outputs, light going out to both sides. The example systems formally have the individual filters chained so that inputs and outputs of successive filters are cross-coupled, whereupon the filters act cooperatively. Such an arrangement may form a band-stop filter with sharp edges and a deep minimum of transmission.
Selection of Pediatric Patients for the Initial Clinical Trials of Cardiac Xenotransplantation

Since the first pediatric xenotransplantation (baboon-to-human) in 1984 by Bailey, no further pediatric xenotransplants have been performed in humans. Today, with over two decades of scientific progress in the science of xenotransplantation, investigators appear to be on the verge of optimizing genetically engineered pigs suitable for human heart transplantation. The most logical first step among infants or small children would be to utilize pig xenotransplantation as a bridge-to-transplant therapy in patient groups for which available organs are rarely available in a suitable time frame. Such a clinical experiment could be considered if consistent 6-month survival can be achieved in a genetically engineered pig-to-nonhuman primate model. The most likely initial candidates would be infants with single ventricle physiology with severe heart failure after initial palliation, isolated unstable unoperated single ventricle patients, and children with severe graft failure early post-allotransplantation.
A Parallel Multigrid Algorithm for Aeroelasticity Simulations

This paper presents the development of a multigrid parallel algorithm for a nonlinear aeroelastic analysis. The aeroelastic model consists of 1) a nonlinear structural model that captures in-plane, out-of-plane, and torsional couplings; 2) an unsteady viscous aerodynamic model that captures compressible flow effects for transonic flows with shock/boundary-layer interaction; and 3) a solution methodology that assures a tightly coupled solution of the nonlinear structure and the fluid flow, including a consistent geometric interface between the highly deforming structure and the flowfield. A domain-decomposition parallel computation algorithm based on a message-passing interface was developed for the flow solver. A three-level multigrid algorithm was implemented in the flow solver to further reduce the computational time. A grid generation and deformation algorithm was developed concurrently with the flow solver in order to improve the efficiency of the computation. The grid deformation methodology kept the mesh topology unchanged as the structure deformed. Consequently, it was not necessary for either the parallel computation or the multigrid algorithm to update their communication pointers while the structure deformed. The validation of the numerical solver was done using experimental results of the F-5 wing. The aeroelastic solver was then used to assess the effect of structural nonlinearities on the aeroelastic response of the heavy Goland wing.
Abstract PO-056: Role of the metabolite N-acetylaspartate in breast cancer progression

Breast cancer (BCa) is a disease that affects over a quarter million women in the US every year. Our laboratory studies reprogrammed energy metabolism in BCa, which is an essential hallmark of the disease. Specifically, we focus on the metabolic rewiring events that occur in BCa, intending to identify cancer-associated metabolic vulnerabilities to treat this aggressive disease. Using a global metabolic profiling approach, we have determined that the metabolite N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is highly accumulated in patients with BCa. Prior studies involving NAA in other cancer types have attributed its accumulation to the upregulation of the enzyme N-acetyl transferase (NAT8L), which synthesizes NAA. However, using matched gene expression data, we found that the accumulation of NAA in these BCa tumors rather coincides with the downregulation of aspartoacylase (ASPA), the enzyme that breaks down NAA. To determine the role of NAA in BCa progression, we generated multiple cell line models containing either NAT8L knockdown, ASPA overexpression, or a combination of the two in the cell line MDA-MB231 in a bid to deplete intracellular NAA. We used these models to test for metastasis by tail vein injection in immunocompromised mice. Consistent with our expectations and other reports, NAT8L knockdown resulted in reduced lung metastasis. Interestingly, however, NAA depletion via ASPA overexpression increased metastasis to the lung in vivo. Furthermore, the combination of ASPA overexpression with the knockdown of NAT8L led to a moderate phenotype between the two independent genetic modifications. Our findings of the metastasis-promoting effect of NAA depletion via ASPA overexpression leads to us believe that it is not just the accumulation of NAA but also its utilization that is important for breast cancer progression. Our future experiments are directed towards determining how NAA utilization causes a pro-tumorigenic phenotype. We would also like to study the current inconsistency between ASPA transcript levels in patient tumors and its observed tumor-promoting function in xenograft experiments. Completion of these studies will potentially define the importance of elevated NAA levels in the context of aggressive BCa. Since NAA is a metabolite that can be detected in serum, our study could also lead to the development of NAA as a non-invasive biomarker for early detection of aggressive BCa, thus providing a bigger window for therapeutic intervention. Citation Format: Akhila Balasubramanian, Weijie Zhang, Franklin Gu, Chandra Ambati, Nagireddy Putluri, Xiang Zhang, Aryan Namboodiri, Stefan Ambs, Arun Sreekumar. Role of the metabolite N-acetylaspartate in breast cancer progression [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Virtual Conference on Epigenetics and Metabolism; October 15-16, 2020; 2020 Oct 15-16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(23 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-056.
On the Feasibility of Using Reduced-Precision Tensor Core Operations for Graph Analytics

Today's data-driven analytics and machine learning workload have been largely driven by the General-Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs). To accelerate dense matrix multiplications on the GPUs, Tensor Core Units (TCUs) have been introduced in recent years. In this paper, we study linear-algebra-based and vertex-centric algorithms for various graph kernels on the GPUs with an objective of applying this new hardware feature to graph applications. We identify the potential stages in these graph kernels that can be executed on the Tensor Core Units. In particular, we leverage the reformulation of the reduction and scan operations in terms of matrix multiplication [1] on the TCUs. We demonstrate that executing these operations on the TCUs, available inside different graph kernels, can assist in establishing an end-to-end pipeline on the GPGPUs without depending on hand-tuned external libraries and still can deliver comparable performance for various graph analytics.