cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancement of Antitumor Immunity in Lung Cancer by Targeting Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Pathways

Chemoresistance due to heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) hampers the long-term efficacy of frontline therapies for lung cancer. Current combination therapies for lung cancer provide only modest improvement in survival, implicating necessity for novel approaches that suppress malignant growth and stimulate long-term anti-tumor immunity. Oxidative stress in the TME promotes immunosuppression by tumor infiltrating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which inhibit host protective anti-tumor immunity. Using a murine model of lung cancer, we demonstrate that a combination treatment with gemcitabine and a superoxide dismutase mimetic targets immunosuppressive MDSC in the TME and enhances the quantity and quality of both effector and memory CD8+ T cell responses. At the effector cell function level, the unique combination therapy targeting MDSC and redox signaling greatly enhanced cytolytic CD8+ T cell response and further decreased T regulatory cell infiltration. For long-term anti-tumor effects, this therapy altered the metabolism of memory cells with self-renewing phenotype and provided a preferential advantage for survival of memory subsets with long-term efficacy and persistence. Adoptive transfer of memory cells from this combination therapy prolonged survival of tumor-bearing recipients. Furthermore, the adoptively-transferred memory cells responded to tumor re-challenge exerting long-term persistence. This approach offers a new paradigm to inhibit immunosuppression by direct targeting of MDSC function, generate effector and persistent memory cells for tumor eradication, and prevent lung cancer relapse.
Collaborative Distributed Building Engineering

This article presents a software environment for collaborative distributed building design and construction planning called CIFE WORLD. Its test domain and demonstration include conceptual architectural design, structural design, and construction planning of office buildings. CIFE WORLD provides eight designs and engineering applications that can be used by five project panicipants to collaborate on building design and construction in a geographically dispersed environment. The project forms a design group and a construction group, whose applications are organized based on a federated agent architecture. In this architecture. CIFE WORLD's applications are viewed as software agents, and their communication is mediated by a network of two facilitators. This article describes the CIFE WORLD environnment, examines the use of federated agent architecture for building design and construction planning, and reports on the experience gained from this development.
Solution of elliptic equations without initial boundary values

A method for the numerical solution of elliptic equations is presented here, which does not require the computation of initial boundary values. This method is particularly advantageous for a multidimensional system with complex source density distribution for which the accurate computation of boundary values can be several orders of magnitude more expensive than the elliptic problem resolution itself. Associated with the newly developed 'transmitted-wave' boundary condition, it can allow a multi-scale resolution of an elliptic equation on a system of grids having specific resolution adjusted to the variations of density, giving capabilities similar to tree codes. This elliptic solver is used in the electromagnetic PIC code BPIC3D for the computation of the initial electric and magnetic fields in simulations of beam transport in Heavy-Ion Inertial Fusion.
A hierarchical 3-D floorplanning algorithm for many-core CMP networks

With technology scaling and 3D integration, it is becoming possible to accommodate hundreds of processing elements forming many-core chip multiprocessors (CMP). Manual floorplanning of chips becomes more time consuming and inefficient as complexity increases. Compared to traditional ASIC architectures, CMPs have homogenous processing elements and regular network topologies. In this paper, we propose a floorplan technique that can exploit the regularity and structure present in 3D-CMP networks. We can generate floorplans for different topologies under different design constraints. Compared with traditional floorplanning approaches, our tool shows significant advantages in reducing the total interconnect wire-length and power.
Peripheral Blasts on Day 21 of Induction Chemotherapy in a Patient With Core Binding Factor Acute Myeloid Leukemia: More Than Meets the Eye

The combination of fludarabine, high-dose cytarabine, gemtuzumab ozogamicin, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), the FLAG-GO protocol, has resulted in excellent response rates and superior relapse-free survival as first-line therapy for patients with core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A side effect of administration of G-CSF is an increase in peripheral white blood cell count and blast cell percentage during the recovery phase of the bone marrow after induction chemotherapy. A 60-year-old man with inversion 16 AML was admitted for induction chemotherapy with the FLAG-GO protocol at our institution. On day 21 of his induction regimen, he was noted to have blasts in both the peripheral smear and in the bone marrow that resolved on their own without any intervention by day 28. Our case report underscores the importance of recognizing this phenomenon associated with the administration of G-CSF, and waiting for 5-7 days before administering re-induction therapy or classifying the disease as primary refractory AML.
Statistics Anxiety and the Role of Self-Perceptions

Abstract The relationship between 7 dimensions of self-perception and 6 dimensions of statistics anxiety was investigated using a canonical correlation analysis. Participants were 146 students enrolled in graduate-level research methodology courses. The first canonical function revealed that students with the lowest levels of perceived scholastic competence, perceived intellectual ability, and perceived creativity tended to have the highest levels of statistics anxiety associated with worth of statistics, interpretation anxiety, test and class anxiety, computational self-concept, fear of asking for help, and fear of the statistics instructor. A comparison of the standardized and structure coefficients suggests that perceived self-worth served as a suppressor variable. Implications of the findings are discussed.
ISPD placement contest updates and ISPD 2007 global routing contest

In 2005 and 2006, ISPD successfully hosted two placement contests and released a total of 16 benchmark circuits. These benchmarks are all derived from real industrial circuits and present modern physical design challenges such as scalability, variety of floorplans, movable macro handling, and congestion mitigation. Since their release, the ISPD placement benchmarks have been extensively used by the physical design community. Indeed, we have observed significant progress in placement and floorplanning in the last few years. Much of this success can be credited to the fact that the placement community finally has large, well-defined benchmark circuits available that allow for fair comparisons among different algorithms. In this presentation, we report the most recent results on ISPD placement benchmarks and review how much progress each placement tool has achieved.Continuing the tradition of spirited competition, ISPD 2007 presents a new contest in the global routing area. Similar to previous placement contests, a set of global routing benchmarks are released. These benchmarks are derived from the ISPD placement benchmark solutions; the level of complexity of these benchmarks is comparable to what real industry routing tools encounter. The global routing problem is formulated as a tile-based grid structure superimposed on the chip area; both 2D (single metal layer) and 3D (multiple metal layers) global routing instances will be released. The global routing solutions are evaluated on metrics such as total overflows, maximum overflow of a tile, routed wire length, and the number of vias. CPU time is not included this year to encourage high quality solutions. With placement and global routing benchmarks available, researchers in the fields of placement, floorplanning and global routing should have ample opportunities to attack realistic physical design challenges and contribute their solutions.The placement and global routing contests have attracted strong entries from research groups around the world. In recognition of the importance of the problems, IEEE CEDA and SRC have donated prizes for the winners. Each year of the contest has brought unexpected twists and turns; we anticipate that this and future years will be no different.
Interactions of DB75, a Novel Antimalarial Agent, with Other Antimalarial Drugs In Vitro

Pafuramidine is a novel orally active antimalarial. To identify a combination partner, we measured the in vitro antimalarial activities of the active metabolite, DB75, with amodiaquine, artemisinin, atovaquone, azithromycin, chloroquine, clindamycin, mefloquine, piperaquine, pyronaridine, tafenoquine, and tetracycline. None of the drugs tested demonstrated antagonistic or synergistic activity in combination with pafuramidine.
Kinetics of the Massicot-Litharge Transformation During Comminution

The kinetics of the polymorphic transformation of massicot to litharge during prolonged dry-grinding in a laboratory pebble mill were studied by quantitative X-ray diffraction using the direct-comparison method. The kinetics describe stages of (1) normal comminution and (2) particle agglomeration; the latter was confirmed by measuring relative specific surface areas. Both stages obey a modified logistic growth function which takes into account a strain-induced martensitic (shear) transformation which occurs during reduction of particle size.
The relationship of maternal characteristics and circulating progesterone concentrations with reproductive outcome in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) after artificial insemination, with and without ovulation induction, and natural breeding.

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) undergoing natural breeding and artificial insemination (AI) were examined to characterize serum progesterone concentrations and determine relationships among age, parity, and reproductive outcome. Progesterone profiles of five cycle types (n = 119 total cycles from 54 animals) were characterized as follows: (i) conception and production of a live term calf (conceptive-term, n = 73); (ii) conception and abortion after Day 60 (conceptive-abortion, n = 12); (iii) unknown conception status with prolonged, elevated progesterone and absence of a fetus (conceptive-unknown, n = 14); (iv) conception failure with normal luteal phase progesterone concentrations (non-conceptive, n = 14, AI cycles only); and (v) conception failure with progesterone insufficiency occuring after spontaneous ovulation or owing to premature ovulation induction using GnRH (non-conceptive-PI, n = 6, AI cycles only). By Day 21 post-insemination (PI), progesterone concentrations were similar (P > 0.05) among conceptive-term, conceptive-abortion and conceptive-unknown, and higher (P 0.05) progesterone concentrations than conceptive-abortion and unknown conception status cycles. Parity was not associated with reproductive outcome based on cycle type (P > 0.05). Age of females in conceptive-unknown (26.5 ± 10.1 yrs) and conceptive-abortion (22.1 ± 9.4 yrs) groups was higher (P < 0.05) than in conceptive-term (15.7 ± 7.2 yrs). The conceptive-unknown cycle type possibly represents undetected early embryonic loss occurring before Day 60 PI. Length of gestation using known conception dates was 376.1 ± 11.0 days and the range of this parameter (355-395 days) has implications for peri-parturient management procedures for the species.
The diagnostic process, the diagnosis and homeostasis.

In this paper I shall try to analyse appropriate logic and actual methods as a preliminary to developing expert systems that will simulate clinical diagnosis. It is doubtful that all diagnoses address the same kind of problem and hence no one logic will suffice. Sometimes the signs and symptoms manifest an underlying disorder that cannot be observed directly (“the substantialist model”); sometimes there seems to be no underlying disorder and the diagnosis is a rearrangement of the data (“the nominalist model”). In deciding their merits in the particular case, we must identify the sources of variation; what is meant by saying that the data are independent; and what can be meant by “wrong” diagnosis and misclassification. Problems arise in human diagnosis because the data may be false, even lies; because the known list of diseases is not exhaustive; and because the probability of multiple unrelated diseases increases with age. Special difficulties arise from homeostasis (which is fundamental in defining and understanding disease) because the primary disturbances may be hard to distinguish from the homeostatic responses to them.
Relationships between in vivo and in vitro aflatoxin production: reliable prediction of fungal ability to contaminate maize with aflatoxins

Aflatoxins are highly carcinogenic mycotoxins frequently produced by Aspergillus flavus. Contamination of maize with aflatoxins imposes both economic and health burdens in many regions. Identification of the most important etiologic agents of contamination is complicated by mixed infections and varying aflatoxin-producing potential of fungal spe- cies and individuals. In order to know the potential importance of an isolate to cause a con- tamination event, the ability of the isolate to produce aflatoxins on the living host must be determined. Aflatoxin production in vitro (synthetic and natural media) was contrasted with in vivo (viable maize kernels) in order to determine ability of in vitro techniques to pre- dict the relative importance of causal agents to maize contamination events. Several media types and fermentation techniques (aerated, non-aerated, fermentation volume) were compared. There was no correlation between aflatoxin production in viable maize and pro- duction in any of the tested liquid fermentation media using any of the fermentation tech- niques. Isolates that produced aflatoxins on viable maize frequently failed to produce detectable (limit of detection ¼ 1 ppb) aflatoxin concentrations in synthetic media. Aflatoxin production on autoclaved maize kernels was highly correlated with production on viable maize kernels. The results have important implications for researchers seeking to either identify causal agents of contamination events or characterize atoxigenic isolates for biological control. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The British Mycological Society.
Relay Assignment in AMT-Based Multicast Content Distribution

Automatic IP Multicast Without Explicit Tunnels (AMT) has recently been proposed as an enabling technology to expand multicast content availability in the Internet. Using AMT, clients in unicast-only networks can establish tunnels to AMT relay servers to receive multicast content over unicast-only networks. In this paper, we study the task of mapping unicast clients to AMT relay servers in a way to minimize bandwidth use in the content providers' network while maintaining load balanced situation across relays. We formulate the relay assignment problem as an instance of NP-hard bin packing problem and propose different solutions for application scenarios with or without considering client-relay server proximity. Our evaluations demonstrate the potential benefits of the proposed solutions under different scenarios.
Acetylcholine Receptor Structure

Over the past decade, studies of the atomic structure and the structural mechanism of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) gating have reached an advanced stage. AChRs are members and prototypes of the superfamily of Cys-loop pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. AChRs are expressed by neurons throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems and also by many nonneuronal cell types all over the body. Although many different AChR subtypes formed by various combinations of 17 AChR subunits exhibit distinct distribution patterns, various functional properties, and diverse pharmacological characteristics, all subunits are highly homologous and share the same topographical features as subunits of other Cys-loop receptors. Here, focusing on the antigenic structure and functional structure of muscle AChRs, we describe how the antigenic structure of muscle AChRs accounts for the pathological mechanisms by which neuromuscular transmission is impaired in myasthenia gravis. This is contrasted with the antigenic structure of a neuronal AChR involved in autoimmune dysautonomia. We also summarize AChR mutations identified in muscle AChR subunits in myasthenic syndromes. This is contrasted with disease-causing mutations revealed in neuronal AChR subunits.
Educational methodology in an obstetric and gynecologic medical school curriculum: a comparison of self-instructional with traditional methods.

Abstract Five successive groups of third-year medical students were identically tested on the subject “diagnosis of early pregnancy” at the end of their course in obstetrics and gynecology. The first group served as control, receiving no specific instruction on the subject. The next four groups did receive instruction on the subject and in the following ways: tape-slide program, lecture, instructional objectives alone, and instructional objectives plus the same tape-slide program. The average examination scores with S.D. were 40 ± 11, 68 ± 15, 48 ± 17, 42 ± 14, and 83 ± 20 respectively. Analysis of these results reveals that the tape-slide program produced significantly better scores than an identical lecture or the objectives alone, but that accompanying the tape-slide program with the objectives maximized learning. Ramifications and causes of these finding are discussed in detail.
A Study of Persistence in the Land–Atmosphere System Using a General Circulation Model and Observations

Abstract Persistence in the land–atmosphere system simulated with the National Center for Atmosphere Research Community Climate Model Version 2 (CCM2) coupled with the Biosphere–Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) is examined. BATS simulates various vegetation and soil types and explicitly predicts soil temperature. Thus, it is well equipped to study persistence in different climatic regions, and to compare the relative importance of soil hydrological and thermal processes. An evaluation of a 10-yr simulation produced with CCM2–BATS indicates that this coupled model is able to reproduce the observed spatial patterns of soil moisture and soil temperature in China. Also, the magnitude of these two soil variables in the simulation are, in general, close to observations. The major exception is soil temperature during wintertime. Analysis of this simulation indicates a significant persistence in soil moisture and soil temperature. The timescales of the persistence are of the order of months to seasons. In compar...
Febrile-Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (Fires)

Researchers at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and other epilepsy centers in Taiwan; Rome, Italy; Boston, USA; Paris, France; Vogtatreuth and Kiel, Germany; and Salzburg, Austria studied retrospectively the pathogenesis, treatment, and outcome of 77 children diagnosed with febrile infection-related epilepsy syndrome (FIRES) and reported in 8 publications between 2001 and 2010.
Towards manageable toxicities from targeted lung cancer treatment

Targeted agents are now considered standard of care for patients whose tumors possess a sensitizing mutation in EGFR or ALK rearrangement. As the toxicity profiles of these agents differ significantly from that of cytotoxic chemotherapy, physicians need to be cognizant of the clinically relevant adverse events and manage them aggressively. Early recognition of these toxicities is vital to ensure medication compliance and maintain quality of life for patients. As more novel agents enter the treatment armamentarium, such as third-generation EGFR and ALK inhibitors, it will be important for physicians to understand class-specific toxicities and rare but serious side effects associated with these drugs.
COMPLICATIONS OF LYMPHOGRAPHY

The following report, summarizing the more serious complications associated with lymphography, is based on a survey taken from 1966 to 1968 by the International Congress of Lymphology. Although the number of lymphograms performed over the last 7 or 8 years has increased greatly, it is believed that the relative distribution of complications is the same.
Co-workers in the Kingdom of Culture: Black Swan Records and the Political Economy of African American Music

In London in 1923, W. E. B. Du Bois addressed the third Pan-African Congress on the topic of “The American Negro.” In his talk he jumped from familiar themes such as voting rights and lynching to one topic that stood out: attempts by a large American phonograph record corporation to bankrupt Black Swan Records, a small, blackowned company that produced records for African American consumers. Why would a large phonograph corporation launch such a campaign? And why would it merit Du Bois’s attention in that heady forum? By way of answering those questions, this article investigates the rise and fall of the small record company and explores the complex political economy in which it operated. Black Swan was established by a former protege of Du Bois, Harry H. Pace, who saw the company as a powerful means to respond to the hostile conditions African Americans faced, both in the entertainment business and in American society at large. At stake was not merely entertainment but access to, and control of, material resources that could cultivate and boost African Americans’ creative spirits, support and encourage African American business development and economic self-sufficiency, and, it was believed, help shape popular opinion to produce tangible social, political, and economic benefits for African Americans.1
Ethics from the Edge: A Sketch of Precarity from a Philosophy of Communication

ABSTRACTThis essay offers an interpretation of precarity as a way to think about the fundamental nature of language (communication) to our being-together, which leads in turn to thinking deeply about ethics. The essay shows how our everyday and merely technological use of language has disastrous consequences for ethical conduct because it attacks what is unique to our being-together by way of what is most unique to us (i.e., language). It follows from this, that ethics requires our ability, as difficult as it admittedly is, to say “we” in a careful manner that attempts to use language as a way of showing the world. This “we” includes ethical obligations to past and future generations as well as those living today.
Dynamic tooth root strains and experimental correlations in spur gear pairs

Abstract This work investigates the static and dynamic tooth root strains in spur gear pairs using a finite element/contact mechanics approach. Extensive comparisons with experiments, including those from the literature and new ones, confirm that the finite element/contact mechanics formulation accurately predicts the tooth root strains. The model is then used to investigate the features of the tooth root strain curves as the gears rotate kinematically and the tooth contact conditions change. Tooth profile modifications are shown to strongly affect the shape of the strain curve. The effects of strain gage location on the shape of the static strain curves are investigated. At non-resonant speeds the dynamic tooth root strain curves have similar shapes as the static strain curves. At resonant speeds, however, the dynamic tooth root strain curves are drastically different because large amplitude vibration causes tooth contact loss. There are three types of contact loss nonlinearities: incomplete tooth contact, total contact loss, and tooth skipping, and each of these has a unique strain curve. Results show that different operating speeds with the same dynamic transmission error can have much different dynamic tooth strain.
Skeletal muscle metabolism in overweight and post-overweight women: an isometric exercise study using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether skeletal muscle anaerobic metabolism, oxidative metabolism or metabolic economy during controlled sub-maximal and near-maximal exercises is altered in overweight women after diet-induced weight reduction, and whether these parameters are different between normal-weight, obesity-prone and normal-weight obesity-resistant women with similar physical fitness levels. DESIGN: A prospective weight loss study of overweight women and their comparison with never overweight controls. SUBJECTS: Thirty overweight, nondiabetic, premenopausal women and 28 never overweight controls were included in this analysis. All were participating in a longitudinal investigation of the role of energy metabolism in the etiology of obesity. The overweight women were recruited specifically to have a positive family history of obesity and have a body mass index (BMI) between 27 and 30 kg/m2 and were studied in the overweight state and after reduction to a normal weight. The never-overweight controls were recruited specifically to have no personal and family history of obesity and were group matched with the weight-reduced post-overweight subjects in terms of premenopausal status, age, BMI, race and sedentary lifestyle. MEASUREMENTS: All testing was performed following one month of weight maintenance and during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Hydrostatic weighing was performed to measure body composition and a whole-body maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) test was done to measure aerobic fitness. 31P MRS was used to determine ATP production from oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos), ‘anaerobic’ glycolysis (AnGly), and creatine kinase (CK), as well as muscle metabolic economy. The time constant of ADP (TCADP), VPCr (ie the initial rate of PCr resynthesis following exercise), and Qmax (ie the apparent maximal oxidative ATP production rate) were also calculated as additional markers of mitochondrial function. RESULTS: Diet-induced weight loss did not have any effects on the anaerobic metabolism markers (AnGly and CK). The aerobic metabolism markers calculated from the initial recovery data (OxPhos and VPCr) were unaffected by diet-induced weight loss. However, diet-induced weight loss resulted in improvements in the TCADP and Qmax in the post-overweight state as compared to their overweight state. There were no differences in any of the anaerobic (AnGly and CK) or oxidative metabolism markers (OxPhos, VPCr, Qmax and TCADP) between the post-overweight and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Once the overweight women were reduced to a normal-weight state, their skeletal muscle energy metabolism and economy was similar to the never overweight control women. In overweight women, oxidative metabolism or mitochondrial function may be limited by blood flow to the muscle following the cessation of exercise.
An Automatic Schema Matching Method of Heterogeneous Systems

This paper introduces a mechanism that is capable to automate at the greatest extent possible the process of creating the mappings between the corresponding multidimensional structures in order to shorten the data warehouse integration process as a whole.The contribution of our work is to propose a match discovery procedure for data warehouse-specific multidimensional structures,with special emphasis to aggregation levels.We enhance the match discovery techniques for database and semi-structured data schemas,enabling their application to data warehouse schemas.
Inhibitory effect of epinephrine on renal potassium secretion: A micropuncture study

The effect of epinephrine on renal potassium excretion was examined in the rat. In group I KCl was infused acutely to increase plasma K (PK) by 2.0 meq/liter; urinary K excretion (UKV) rose by 1.22 mueq/min. In group II rats, which received a similar dose of KCl but with epinephrine, the increase in PK (delta = 0.8 meq/liter, P less than 0.001) was blunted and UKV was reduced (delta = 0.23 mueq/min, P less than 0.001). To determine whether the reduction in UKV resulted from the smaller increase in PK or from a direct action of epinephrine on renal K transport, a third group of animals received a lower dose of KCl. Despite similar PK levels, the epinephrine group excreted significantly less K in the urine (0.61 vs. 0.93 mueq/min). In group IV propranolol was infused with KCl; UKV was modestly increased. The effects of epinephrine on UKV were unrelated to changes in glomerular filtration rate, urine flow, or UNaV. Micropuncture results showed that at comparable PK levels epinephrine had no direct effect on K secretion by the distal tubule but indirectly inhibited K secretion in this nephron segment by reducing PK. In addition, epinephrine reduced K addition at tubular sites beyond the late distal tubule, most likely in the collecting tubule.
The First Frame: Theatre Space in Enlightenment France

Introduction: the 'first frame' of Enlightenment theatre space 1. The divided scene of theatre space in the Neo-classical era 2. The theatrical frame in French Neo-classical dramatic theory 3. Enlightenment spectators and the theatre of experiment 4. Theatre architecture reform and the spectator as sense function 5. Optics and stage space in Enlightenment theatre design Epilogue: modern spectatorial consciousness Appendix: dedicated public theatres built in France, 1752-90.
North Korean Trade with China as Reported in Chinese Customs Statistics: 1995-2009 Energy and Minerals Trends and Implications

China is North Korea’s largest international trading partner. Since 2000, fuels and minerals have become a larger portion of North Korean exports and a smaller portion of imports. North Korea remains a net importer of Chinese crude oil and oil products; however, it became a net exporter of electricity and coal to China in 2003. Aside from coal, imports and exports of metallic minerals and mining equipment are growing segments of China-North Korea trade. Whereas North Korean electricity and iron ore exports are sold at sub-market “friendship prices” Chinese coal and oil products have been sold to North Korea at premium prices. Chinese Customs data suggest that Beijing is taking a pragmatic, market-oriented approach to trade with its reclusive neighbor, while the increasingly asymmetrical energy embodiment of bilateral trade may reflect deterioration of North Korea’s non-military industries.
The huge hubbub: Freshman orientation fun at the library

On August 25, 2008, within the hallowed halls of Kentucky’s largest research library, the atmosphere was not as “academic” as one might think. From outside, gazing up at the imposing edifice of the University of Kentucky’s William T. Young library, which takes up nearly an entire city block in Lexington, Kentucky, you might have faintly heard the echoes of Guitar Hero, Wii bowling, or other video games. If you peeked inside, you would have found that students at the second annual “Hubbub” were enjoying a wide variety of free activities designed to welcome new freshmen during orientation week, by showing . . .
Porcine Urinary Bladder Extracellular Matrix for the Salvage of Fibula Free Flap Skin Paddle: Technical Note and Description of a Case:

This report establishes a novel application of a commercially available porcine urinary bladder extracellular matrix, MatriStem (ACell, Inc., Columbia, MD), in the salvage of partial loss of the skin paddle of a fibula osteoseptocutaneous free flap that was utilized for mandibular reconstruction.
The NRC Calculable Capacitor and Its Role in the SI

The National Research Council of Canada, in association with the National Measurement Institute in Australia and Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in France, is establishing a calculable ca...
Multi-barrier inter-layer tunnel field-effect transistor

The resonant tunneling characteristics of the inter-layer tunnel field-effect transistor (ITFET) within 2D van der Waals' materials can be made sharper by the use of multiple (m) intermediate well and tunnel barrier layers within a “mlTFET” variation. Ballistic quantum transport simulations are used to obtain the resonance characteristics in an MoS2 based-system, for specificity. Circuit simulations illustrate how the sharper resonance can lead to lower operating voltages and, thus, power, thereby improving the circuit performance.
Activation of Matrix Hyaluronan-Mediated CD44 Signaling, Epigenetic Regulation and Chemoresistance in Head and Neck Cancer Stem Cells

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a solid tumor composed by a genotypically and phenotypically heterogeneous population of neoplastic cells types. High recurrence rate and regional metastases lead to major morbidity and mortality. Recently, many studies have focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression that can help to predict prognosis and to choose the best therapeutic approach for HNSCC patients. Hyaluronan (HA), an important glycosaminoglycan component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), and its major cell surface receptor, CD44, have been suggested to be important cellular mediators influencing tumor progression and treatment resistance in head and neck cancer. HNSCC contains a small subpopulation of cells that exhibit a hallmark of CD44-expressing cancer stem cell (CSC) properties with self-renewal, multipotency, and a unique potential for tumor initiation. HA has been shown to stimulate a variety of CSC functions including self-renewal, clone formation and differentiation. This review article will present current evidence for the existence of a unique small population of CD44v3highALDHhigh-expressing CSCs in HNSCC. A special focus will be placed on the role of HA/CD44-induced oncogenic signaling and histone methyltransferase, DOT1L activities in regulating histone modifications (via epigenetic changes) and miRNA activation. Many of these events are essential for the CSC properties such as Nanog/Oct4/Sox2 expression, spheroid/clone formation, self-renewal, tumor cell migration/invasion, survival and chemotherapeutic drug resistance in HA-activated head and neck cancer. These newly-discovered HA/CD44-mediated oncogenic signaling pathways delineate unique tumor dynamics with implications for defining the drivers of HNSCC progression processes. Most importantly, the important knowledge obtained from HA/CD44-regulated CSC signaling and functional activation could provide new information regarding the design of novel drug targets to overcome current therapeutic drug resistance which will have significant treatment implications for head and neck cancer patients.
Serum thymic factor activity in deficiencies of calories, zinc, vitamin A and pyridoxine

Cell-mediated immunity is invariably impaired in protein-energy malnutrition. The effect of selected nutrient deficiencies on serum thymic factor activity was assessed in deprived rats and pair-fed controls. Deficits of calories, zinc or pyridoxine resulted in significant lowering of serum thymic factor activity whereas vitamin A deficiency did not have any effect. It is suggested that variants nutrients modulate different steps of cell-mediated immunity and that reduced thymic hormone activity may be the underlying mechanism of imparied immunity in some but not all nutritional deficiencies.
Tire Rolling Resistance and Vehicle Fuel Economy

Interest in fuel conservation and the goal of more energy efficient vehicles has generated considerable interest in the phenomenon of the rolling resistance of pneumatic tires. It is generally recognized that the pneumatic tire represents one of the major loss mechanisms for the engine output of a vehicle, the other mechanisms being aerodynamic loss, transmission and drive train inefficiency, and the power needed for acceleration of the vehicle.
Cellular localization of profibrinolysin (plasminogen).

A previously unrecognized property of the human eosinophil is described; namely, profibrinolysin localization within the eosinophilic granules of bone marrow cells. For this demonstration the fluorescent antibody technic was employed. Highly specific fluorescent antiprofibrinolysin marked all members of the eosinophilic series. As maturation proceeded, the profibrinolysin content increased with the greatest intensity of fluorescence seen in the mature eosinophils. These findings are compatible with the view that the bone marrow eosinophil is the site of profibrinolysin synthesis. Mature eosinophils in peripheral blood smears consistently stained less intensely. Apparently profibrinolysin is tranported from the marrow and released to the circulation and tissues when needed. These findings may be interpreted as indicating a role of the eosinophil in clot lysis and in maintaining the fluidity of the blood.
What Explains Variations in Democracy Assistance Programs? A Quantitative Analysis

Why does the United States promote democracy in the ways that it does? The transnational delegation structure of democracy assistance creates incentives for democracy practitioners -- who comprise the field that I call the democracy establishment -- to promote democracy in certain ways over time. To obtain funding, members of the democracy establishment promote democracy in ways that are measurable and that are compatible with the regimes of recipient countries. A statistical analysis of an original dataset of democracy assistance projects supports this argument. The project contributes to the debate about how democracy can and should be promoted by describing and explaining how democracy assistance actually takes place. It also deepens our understanding of idea-driven networks, the international sources of domestic politics, and international delegation.
A corneal epithelial inhibitor of stromal cell collagenase synthesis identified as TGF-beta 2.

Purpose To determine the molecular mechanisms whereby substances released by corneal epithelial cells act to inhibit the elaboration of collagenolytic activity by corneal stromal cells and to determine whether inhibitory activity might be mediated by interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) or transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta. Methods Conditioned media were generated from primary cultures of rabbit corneal epithelial cells, from passaged cultures of rabbit corneal stromal fibroblasts, and from cells of the rabbit corneal epithelial cell line, SIRC. Pure populations of stromal cells were isolated from rabbit cornea and used directly for bioassay of the conditioned media to detect substances that inhibit collagenase synthesis. The mink lung epithelial cell line, Mv1Lu, was used for bioassay of TGF-beta-like activity. The addition of specific neutralizing antisera to bioassays allowed an assessment of the contribution of each isoform to the net regulatory activity. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blot analysis were employed to detect the presence of IL-1ra or TGF-beta mRNA species in cells from cultures used to generate conditioned media. Results Both stimulatory and inhibitory substances that regulate the synthesis of stromal cell collagenase are released by corneal epithelial cells in primary culture. In contrast, only stimulatory activity is produced by corneal fibroblasts or SIRCs. MRNAs for a TGF-beta isoform, TGF-beta 2, and IL-1ra were identified in epithelial cells. Stromal fibroblasts also expressed TGF-beta 2 mRNA, but no evidence was found for expression of TGF-beta 3 mRNA in any of the three cell types. TGF-beta 2 is released by epithelial cells in both active and latent forms. This cytokine mediates the major portion of the net inhibitory activity against stromal cell collagenase synthesis produced by corneal epithelial cells. Conclusions This study demonstrates the expression of TGF-beta 2 and IL-1ra by corneal epithelial cells in culture. It is the TGF-beta 2 that acts as the major inhibitor of collagenase synthesis by corneal stromal cells in culture. However, IL-1ra and TGF-beta 2 are likely to play important roles in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions regulating corneal development, homeostatic maintenance, and repair.
Retracing the observations and footsteps of Beauchêne fils: A blueprint for scientific research.

Throughout the years, scientific and personal research has led us on a historical journey to learn about the life of Beauchene fils (Edme Francois Chauvot de Beauchene), a French clinical anatomist, prosector, and surgeon responsible for introducing the disarticulated skull technique and the first citation of an intraneural cyst. This letter describes our research, travels, and conversations intended to uncover the fascinating history of Beauchene fils and his family and our journey full of unexpected twists and turns. During a trip to Paris, we learned of a possible inspiration for the disarticulated skull technique from skulls afflicted with la teigne (Tinea corporis, ring worm) at the Musee Dupuytren. We toured the estate of his family's summer home in Paron, France, where we discovered a portrait of Beauchene fils' father that had been misidentified in our recent publication. We also discovered the date of death and elusive burial site of Beauchene fils in Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. We hope to bring to light the life and contributions of a nearly unknown figure who influenced not only research on intraneural ganglion cysts and the articular theory, but also the future of the field of anatomy. Clin. Anat. 31:1194-1198, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
CONNECTING ENVIRONMENTAL, ADMINISTRATION, AND DIRECT CARE FACTORS AFFECTING PATIENT-CENTERED CARE

The Targeted Training Intervention 360 (TTI 360) program, led by the Alzheimer’s Association, aims to improve quality of care for persons with dementia (PWD) living in Iowa long-term care communities. TTI provides training to administrators (n=10) and direct care professionals (n=45) at 10 participating facilities in Iowa. TTI employs the Experiential Model of Dementia, which focuses on the unmet needs of PWD to increase person-centered care. Data were collected from a pre-test given at the training sessions. An organization’s patient-centered care level was measured using the Person Centered Care Assessment tool (P-CAT). Administrators and their employees were asked to decide the degree to which they believed the statements corresponded to their own experiences within the organization. Participants were split in to three groups for purposes of data analysis: -direct care professionals, directors of nursing, and administrators. An analysis of variance model revealed that administrators endorsed significantly greater person-centered care support (Mean = 48) compared to direct care professionals (M = 42; p=.002). Perceptions of person-centered care were positively related to CMS rating. The results demonstrate that the participating administrators may be disconnected from the reality of care on the ground level of their organizations. Methods that are used to bolster person-centered care and improve the quality of care will be discussed.
Accommodation System: Accommodations

Abstract A domain within the accommodation system (AS) model, accommodations represents the individualized accommodations, assistive technology, and universal design interventions that are designed to bridge the gap caused by disability between the performance of specific work activities within specific work contexts. The accommodations domain is one of five which comprises the AS which also includes self, other, environment, and situated experience. Each of the domains reciprocally interacts with the others. Preintervention strategies may mediate the need for an intervention. Accommodations may involve more than a single strategy. Job choice may also mediate the need for accommodations. The AS sets the stage for the provision of accommodation services within the context of the employment of people with disabilities.
Maintaining Cognitive “Fitness” in Older Adults

Age-related cognitive decline can appear to be inevitable. We should just resign ourselves to the fact that as we age we will forget where we parked the car, our reaction time will slow, and we will become more impulsive. Or should we? Evidence over the past 40 years indicates that there are stark differences between normal cognitive aging and healthy cognitive aging. In this chapter, we will discuss the relationship between physical health and cognitive health. Physical interventions that show promise at not only improving physical fitness but also cognitive “fitness” in older adults will also be described. By the end of this chapter, the reader will have a better understanding of the relationship between physical and cognitive fitness, the types of interventions that can improve both, and the mechanisms that are responsible for the improvement.
Exploring MPI Communication Models for Graph Applications Using Graph Matching as a Case Study

Traditional implementations of parallel graph operations on distributed memory platforms are written using Message Passing Interface (MPI) point-to-point communication primitives such as Send-Recv (blocking and nonblocking). Apart from this classical model, the MPI community has over the years added other communication models; however, their suitability for handling the irregular traffic workloads typical of graph operations remain comparatively less explored. Our aim in this paper is to study these relatively underutilized communication models of MPI for graph applications. More specifically, we evaluate MPI's one-sided programming, or Remote Memory Access (RMA), and nearest neighborhood collectives using a process graph topology. There are features in these newer models that are intended to better map to irregular communication patterns, as exemplified in graph algorithms. As a concrete application for our case study, we use distributed memory implementations of an approximate weighted graph matching algorithm to investigate performances of MPI-3 RMA and neighborhood collective operations compared to nonblocking Send-Recv. A matching in a graph is a subset of edges such that no two matched edges are incident on the same vertex. A maximum weight matching is a matching of maximum weight computed as the sum of the weights of matched edges. Execution of graph matching is dominated by high volume of irregular memory accesses, making it an ideal candidate for studying the effects of various MPI communication models on graph applications at scale. Our neighborhood collectives and RMA implementations yield up to 6x speedup over traditional nonblocking Send-Recv implementations on thousands of cores of the NERSC Cori supercomputer. We believe the lessons learned from this study can be adopted to benefit a wider range of graph applications.
Integrating Computer-Assisted Testing and Assessment into the Counseling Process

The practical uses, potential problem areas, and ethical issues of microcomputer technology integrated into counseling are discussed. Several suggestions for software development are also made.
Hyponatriämie aufgrund neurologischer Erkrankung

Ein 67-jahriger Patient stellt sich wegen einer Parese des linken Beins, eines Harnverhalts, einer zweitatigen Episode mit Singultus und einer mehrstundigen Episode mit verschwommenem Sehen auf der Notfallstation vor.
Scottish children’s panels: Where volunteers are essential for fostering child well-being

The Children’s Hearing system was established in Scotland over 50 years ago to respond to child welfare and juvenile justice concerns. Found throughout all regions of Scotland, the child welfare sy...