cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pathogenesis of Fasting and Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes: Implications for Therapy

The objective of this research is to gain a greater understanding of the cause of fasting and postprandial hyperglycemia in people with type 2 diabetes. Endogenous glucose production is excessive before eating and fails to appropriately suppress after eating in people with type 2 diabetes. This is due in part to impaired insulin-induced suppression of endogenous glucose production, which is observed early in the evolution of type 2 diabetes. Increased rates of gluconeogenesis and perhaps glycogenolysis contribute to hepatic insulin resistance. Insulin-induced stimulation of hepatic glucose uptake and hepatic glycogen synthesis are reduced in people with type 2 diabetes primarily due to decreased uptake of extracellular glucose presumably because of inadequate activation of hepatic glucokinase. Delayed insulin secretion results in higher peak glucose concentrations particularly when suppression of glucagon is impaired, whereas insulin resistance prolongs the duration of hyperglycemia, which can be marked when both hepatic and extra-hepatic insulin resistance are present. The premise of these studies, as well as those performed by many other investigators, is that an understanding of the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes will enable the development of targeted therapies that are directed toward correcting specific metabolic defects in a given individual. I, as well as many other investigators, believe that such therapies are likely to be more effective and to have a lower risk than would occur if everyone were treated the same regardless of the underlying cause of their hyperglycemia. While we do not yet have sufficient knowledge to truly individualize therapy, in my opinion this approach will be the norm in the not too distant future.
Neurophysiological Evidence for the Time Course of Activation of Global Shape, Part, and Local Contour Representations during Visual Object Categorization and Memory

Categorization of visual objects entails matching a percept to long-term representations of structural knowledge. This object model selection is central to theories of human visual cognition, but the representational format(s) is largely unknown. To characterize these neural representations, event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to fragmented objects during an indirect memory test were compared when only local contour features, but not global shapes of the object and its parts, differed between encoding and retrieval experiences. The ERP effects revealed that the format of object representations varies across time according to the particular neural processing and memory system currently engaged. An occipito-temporal P2(00) showed implicit memory modulation to items that repeatedly engaged similar perceptual grouping processes but not items that merely reinstantiated visual features. After 500 msec, memory modulation of a late positive complex, indexing secondary categorization and/or explicit recollection processes, was sensitive to local contour changes. In between, a frontocentral N350, indexing the model selection and an implicit perceptual memory system, showed reactivation of object representations whenever the same global shapes were reactivated, despite local feature differences. These and prior N350 findings provide direct neurophysiological evidence that the neural representations supporting object categorization include knowledge beyond local contours and about higher-order perceptual structures, such as the global shapes of the object and its parts, that can differ between object views. The N350 is proposed to index a second state of interactive, recurrent, and feedback processing in occipital and ventral temporal neocortex supporting higher-order cognitive abilities and phenomenological awareness with objects.
A current-controlled t.d.m. transmission path

The paper deals with the design of a current-operated t.d.m. transmission path suitable for use in an electronic telephone exchange employing 4-wire transmission. Direct replacement of the thermionic valve circuits used in the proposed Highgate Wood exchange with equivalent transistor stages raises difficulties. These are enumerated, and the advantages of current operation are outlined. A detailed description is given of typical circuit-elements including modulators and demodulators. Finally, a brief outline of the performance is included.
SPARSH: touch the cloud

SPARSH presents a seamless way of passing data among multiple users and devices. The user touches a data item they wish to copy from a device, conceptually saving it in the user's body. Next, the user touches the other device they want to paste/pass the saved content. SPARSH uses touch-based interactions as indications for what to copy and where to pass it. Technically, the actual transfer of media happens via the information cloud. Accompanying video shows some of the SPARSH scenarios.
PAF-Mediated MAPK Signaling Hyperactivation via LAMTOR3 Induces Pancreatic Tumorigenesis

Summary Deregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling leads to development of pancreatic cancer. Although Ras -mutation-driven pancreatic tumorigenesis is well understood, the underlying mechanism of Ras-independent MAPK hyperactivation remains elusive. Here, we have identified a distinct function of PCNA-associated factor (PAF) in modulating MAPK signaling. PAF is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer and required for pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. In mouse models, PAF expression induced pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia with expression of pancreatic cancer stem cell markers. PAF-induced ductal epithelial cell hyperproliferation was accompanied by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation independently of Ras or Raf mutations. Intriguingly, PAF transcriptionally activated the expression of late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor, MAPK and mTOR activator 3 ( LAMTOR3 ), which hyperphosphorylates MEK and ERK and is necessary for pancreatic cancer cell proliferation. Our results reveal an unsuspected mechanism of mitogenic signaling activation via LAMTOR3 and suggest that PAF-induced MAPK hyperactivation contributes to pancreatic tumorigenesis.
The Effect of Surface Cleaning on Current Collapse in AlGaN ∕ GaN HEMTs

Current collapse is a limiting factor in the performance of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), and can be ameliorated by silicon nitride passivation. The effect of three types of surface cleaning prior to the application of a silicon nitride passivation layer was studied. The best results were obtained when the wafers were cleaned using an air plasma descum followed by an HCl dip prior to the deposition of the silicon nitride passivation. Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling indicated that the degree of collapse was correlated with the amount of residual carbon contamination at the silicon nitride/AlGaN interface.
An Internet-based, inverse-GPS system for monitoring and tracking mobile aquatic sensors

This paper presents a novel, Internet-based system designed for continual monitoring and tracking of mobile aquatic sensors. A general overview of current positioning and tracking techniques is presented. The paper then details the two facets of the proposed system: (1) the sensors and signal processing for positioning and monitoring; and (2) the Internet-based tracking. The signal processing system is comprised of hardware and software components needed to acquire and store the necessary information from ultrasonic beacon signals in a database. Hyperbolic multi-lateration algorithms solve the inverse-GPS problem using the received signals from multiple stations to position the sensor in 3-D, while simultaneously extracting the sensor's unique ID along with any sensed information. The extracted information is time-stamped and stored in a database, which is accessed through a Web site. A server-side scripting language is used to dynamically create the chosen Web page, to process the data retrieved via SQL from the database, and to perform the tracking functions. The processed information may be viewed either as raw data or in graphical form.
A Ring Transducer System for Medical

An ultrasonic ring transducer system has been developed for experimental studies of scattering and imaging. The transducer consists of 2048 rectangular elements with a 2.5-MHz center frequency, a 67% -6 dB bandwidth, and a 0.23-mm pitch arranged in a 150-mm-diameter ring with a 25-mm elevation. At the center frequency, the element size is 0.30lambda times 42lambda and the pitch is 0.38lambda. The system has 128 parallel transmit channels, 16 parallel receive channels, a 2048:328 transmit multiplexer, a 2048:16 receive multiplexer, independently programmable transmit waveforms with 8-bit resolution, and receive amplifiers with time variable gain independently programmable over a 40-dB range. Receive signals are sampled at 20 MHz with 12-bit resolution. Arbitrary transmit and receive apertures can be synthesized. Calibration software minimizes system nonidealities caused by noncircularity of the ring and element-to-element response differences. Application software enables the system to be used by specification of high-level parameters in control files from which low-level hardware-dependent parameters are derived by specialized code. Use of the system is illustrated by producing focused and steered beams, synthesizing a spatially limited plane wave, measuring angular scattering, and forming b-scan images
Leading questions and the eyewitness report

A total of 490 subjects, in four experiments, saw films of complex, fast-moving events, such as automobile accidents or classroom disruptions. The purpose of these experiments was to investigate how the wording of questions asked immediately after an event may influence responses to questions asked considerably later. It is shown that when the initial question contains either true presuppositions (e.g., it postulates the existence of an object that did exist in the scene) or false presuppositions (e.g.. postulates the existence of an object that did not exist), the likelihood is increased that subjects will later report having seen the presupposed object. The results suggest that questions asked immediately after an event can introduce new — not necessarily correct — information, which is then added to the memorial representation of the event, thereby causing its reconstruction or alteration. 1 Although current theories of memory are derived largely from experiments involving lists of words or sentences, many memories occurring in everyday life involve complex, largely visual, and often fast-moving events. Of course, we are rarely required to provide precise recall of such experiences — though as we age, we often volunteer them — but on occasion such recall is demanded, as when we have witnessed a crime or an accident. Our theories should he able to encompass such socially important forms of memory. It is clearly of concern to the law, to police and insurance investigators, and to others to know something about the completeness, accuracy, and malleability of such memories. 2 When one has witnessed an important event, one is sometimes asked a series of questions about it. Do these questions, if asked immediately after the event, influence the memory of it that then develops? This paper first summarizes research suggesting that the wording of such initial questions can have a substantial effect on the answers given, and then reports four new studies showing that the wording of these initial questions can also influence the answers to different questions asked at [begin page 561] some later time. The discussion of these findings develops the thesis that questions asked about an event shortly after it occurs may distort the witness’ memory for that event.
The heterogeneity of regional specific ventilation is unchanged following heavy exercise in athletes

Heavy exercise increases ventilation-perfusion mismatch and decreases pulmonary gas exchange efficiency. Previous work using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) arterial spin labeling in athletes has ...
Two-stage NP method with inheritance

The nested partitions method is a flexible and effective framework of optimizing large-scale problems with combinatorial structure. In this paper we consider the nested partitions method for simulation optimization and propose a new variant that uses inheritance to speed convergence. The new nested partitions method with inheritance algorithm performs well for when applied to test problems but it also calls for new analysis of convergence.
On some noncoercive variational inequalities containing degenerate elliptic operators

We are concerned with the solvability of variational inequalities that contain degenerate elliptic operators. By using a recession approach, we find conditions on the boundary conditions such that the inequality has at least one solution. Existence results of Landesman-Lazer type for a nonsmooth inequality and a resonance problem for a weighted p-Laplacian are discussed in detail.
Children at Risk: The Association Between Perceived Weight Status and Suicidal Thoughts and Attempts in Middle School Youth*

Background: Suicide is one of the most common causes of death among young people. A report from the US Surgeon General called for strategies to prevent suicide, including increasing public awareness of suicide and risks factors, and enhancing research to understand risk and protective factors. Weight perception has been linked to depression and poor self-esteem in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived weight status and suicidal thoughts and actions by gender in middle school youth. Methods: All public middle school students in 4 eastern North Carolina counties presented, and with parental permission (n = 5174), completed the Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Middle School Questionnaire. The 3 dependent variables were self-reported thinking, planning, and attempting suicide. Bivariate analyses describe suicidal thoughts and actions; multiple logistic regression models examined the relationship between weight description and suicidal thoughts and actions controlling for age, race, household composition, grades on report cards, and parents' education. Results: Significantly more females than males reported thinking (26% vs 19%), planning (12% vs 9%), and attempting (11% vs 8%) suicide. For females, those who perceived themselves as overweight were significantly more likely to report suicidal thoughts and actions; while for males, perceptions of overweight and underweight were significantly associated with suicidal thoughts and actions. Conclusions: Controlling for personal and family characteristics, perceived weight status was significantly associated with suicidal thoughts and actions in middle school boys and girls. Language: en
A general method for implementing vibrationally adiabatic mixed quantum-classical simulations

An approach for carrying out vibrationally adiabatic mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics simulations is presented. An appropriate integration scheme is described for the vibrationally adiabatic equations of motion of a diatomic solute in a monatomic solvent and an approach for calculating the adiabatic energy levels is presented. Specifically, an iterative Lanczos algorithm with full reorthogonalization is used to solve for the lowest few vibrational eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. The eigenfunctions at one time step in a mixed quantum-classical trajectory are used to initiate the Lanczos calculation at the next time step. The basis set size is reduced by using a potential-optimized discrete variable representation. As a demonstration the problem of a homonuclear diatomic molecule in a rare gas fluid (N2 in Ar) has been treated. The approach is shown to be efficient and accurate. An important advantage of this approach is that it can be straightforwardly applied to polyatomic solutes that have mult...
Albumen Quality of Eggs Laid During Molt Induction

Abstract Two experiments were conducted on 63-week-old Single Comb White Leghorn laying hens to determine the albumen quality of eggs laid during molt induction and those laid immediately upon resumption of lay following the molt. The first experiment utilized 1165 laying hens in group cages with 5 to 6 hens per cage. Light was restricted from 16L:8D to 8L:16D beginning 16 days prior to feed withdrawal. Feed was withheld for 7 days, with water available ad libitum, followed by feeding grain or a 12% protein mash for 21 days. Then, all hens were fed their normal laying ration and light was increased to 16L:8D. The second experiment utilized 588 laying hens in individual cages. Light was restricted from 16L:8D to 8L:16D for 6 days, beginning on the first day of molt induction. A molt was induced cither by feed withdrawal for 6 days or by feeding laying mash containing 20,000 ppm Zn (from ZnO) for 6 days. Water was available ad libitum. All hens then were fed their normal laying ration. In both experiments, albumen quality (Haugh units) increased dramatically in the eggs laid during molt induction, appearing as early as the second day after feed withdrawal. In eggs laid immediately following the molt, albumen quality was better than that observed just prior to molt induction but was not as good as that seen in eggs laid during molt induction.
High Frequency of Autoreactive Myelin Proteolipid Protein–Specific T Cells in the Periphery of Naive Mice Mechanisms of Selection of the Self-Reactive Repertoire

The autoreactive T cells that escape central tolerance and form the peripheral self-reactive repertoire determine both susceptibility to autoimmune disease and the epitope dominance of a specific autoantigen. SJL (H-2s) mice are highly susceptible to the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) with myelin proteolipid protein (PLP). The two major encephalitogenic epitopes of PLP (PLP 139–151 and PLP 178–191) bind to IAs with similar affinity; however, the immune response to the PLP 139–151 epitope is always dominant. The immunodominance of the PLP 139–151 epitope in SJL mice appears to be due to the presence of expanded numbers of T cells (frequency of 1/20,000 CD4+ cells) reactive to PLP 139–151 in the peripheral repertoire of naive mice. Neither the PLP autoantigen nor infectious environmental agents appear to be responsible for this expanded repertoire, as endogenous PLP 139–151 reactivity is found in both PLP-deficient and germ-free mice. The high frequency of PLP 139–151-reactive T cells in SJL mice is partly due to lack of thymic deletion to PLP 139–151, as the DM20 isoform of PLP (which lacks residues 116–150) is more abundantly expressed in the thymus than full-length PLP. Reexpression of PLP 139–151 in the embryonic thymus results in a significant reduction of PLP 139–151-reactive precursors in naive mice. Thus, escape from central tolerance, combined with peripheral expansion by cross-reactive antigen(s), appears to be responsible for the high frequency of PLP 139–151-reactive T cells.
A Simulation Study Of Economic Production Quantity Lot Size To Kanban For A Single Line Production System Under Various Setup Times With Annual Setup Cost As Performance Metric

The Setup time variable was evaluated for the two systems (Kanban and EPQ) against the performance measure of total completion time. EPQ outperforms Kanban on total completion time. The research helped clarify for practitioners whether EPQ might be more suitable than Kanban for their given situations.
Amino acid concentrations in fetal and maternal plasma

Summary Fetal and maternal plasma samples, obtained at the time of cesarean section, were analyzed by column ion exchange chromatography for individual amino acids. The oncentrations of 9 individual and 3 paired amino acids, plus taurine and urea, are compared. Each amino acid with the exception of proline was found to exist in higher concentration in the fetal blood. This was found to be true when fetal and maternal blood samples were drawn simultaneously and also when maternal samples were compared to blood samples obtained from the newborn infants of other mothers. The data are presumed to be evidence favoring an active, mediated transport of the amino acids across the placental barrier. The relationship of these findings to the rate of fetal protein synthesis and to the endocrine control of the cellular uptake of free amino acids is discussed.
Economic Freedom and Financial Market Liquidity: Evidence from ADRs

This paper analyzes the effect of economic freedom on the liquidity of financial markets using a non-traditional approach. Using a sample of 393 American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), we examine the liquidity of these securities while conditioning on the level of economic freedom in the ADR home country. We find robust evidence that ADRs from countries with the most economic freedom have the most liquidity (i.e. the lowest bid-ask spreads and the least price impact). These findings are driven by certain characteristics of economic freedom, such as the lower levels of regulation, more free trade, stronger property-right protection, and sound money. In other tests, we examine liquidity surrounding the beginning of several broad-based regulatory changes in the Chinese financial system, which allowed for more open foreign investment and lending services. Using this (arguably) exogenous event as a natural experiment, we find meaningful improvements in the liquidity of Chinese ADRs vis-a-vis non-Chinese ADRs. These results suggest that causation flows from economic freedom to market liquidity instead of the other way around.
A phase II study evaluating the efficacy and safety of single agent IMC A12, a monoclonal antibody (MAb), against the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-IR), as monotherapy in patients with metastastic, asymptomatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC)

5142 Background: IGF-IR-mediated signaling contributes to prostate cancer carcinogenesis and pathogenesis and may be associated with hormone resistance. IMC-A12 is a fully human IgG1 MAb that speci...
On the anamorph genera Helicosporium and Drepanospora

This paper reviews the status of all known species currently assigned to the genus Helicosporium. The generic concept is modified to include species with hyaline conidia whose filaments do not exceed 3 fjLm diam. Sixteen species are recognized. Helicosporium murinum and H. talbotii are proposed as nomen novo to replace H. griseum Bonorden and H. ramosum Talbot, which are homonyms of previously named species. Helicosporium lumbricoides is considered a synonym of H. griseum. Revised descriptions and a key to the species are given. Species resembling Helicosporium but having fuscous to dark conidia with filaments exceeding 5 nm in width have been assigned to the genus Drepanospora, as D. pannosa and D. viride. These are described and illustrated. Thirty-six names of doubtful or excluded species are treated. The genus Helicosporium was established in 1817 by Nees (1817), based on H. vegetum Nees. Our current concept of the genus stems from Linder (1929), who redefined the generic concepts of the overlapping genera Helicomyces,
Stomach Poisons for Control of The Squash Vine Borer (Melittia Satyriniformis HBN.)

The squash vine borer ( Melittia salyriniformis Hbn..) has until recently been considered uncontrollable by the use of insecticides, especially stomach poisons, Three years experiments at Lafayette, Indiana, indicate that under certain conditions of exact timing and direction of applications, certain stomach poison insecticides give satisfactory and practical control of this insect at low cost. On the basis of closely compared results from exact observations under identical conditions, Bordeaux 4–4–50-arsenate of lead spray gave the best control, viz., 88 per cent. Adhesiveness is an important factor in effectiveness. Delayed planting, while effective in preventing infestation, is not practicable, since it results in a crop of uncertain quality or no crop at all.
The making of an interethnic coalition: urban and rural anarchists in La Paz, Bolivia, 1946–1947

ABSTRACTThe 1947 upheavals on haciendas outside La Paz, Bolivia, were facilitated by an interethnic coalition between indigenous peasants and urban anarchists, most of whom were mestizos and cholos (thus ‘non-indigenous’ by official definition). Three sets of factors were essential to this alliance. First, the urbanites’ own politics – their libertarian socialist vision, their attentiveness to both ‘ethnic’ and ‘class’ demands, and their organizational federalism – proved particularly conducive to coalition-building. Second, prior autonomous mobilization outside the city had created local leaders and networks which would form the rural bases for the coalition, and which would also help redefine the anarchist left starting in 1946. Finally, a series of coalition brokers bridged traditional divides of language, ethnicity, and geography. These three factors allowed anarchist organizers to exploit a limited political opening that appeared in 1945–1946. This account qualifies common dismissals of the Latin Ame...
“Received as a woman”: rethinking the concubinage of Aurembiaix of Urgell

Medieval Iberians practiced a form of concubinage known as barragania – a potentially time-limited, contractual arrangement between men and women who could not or would not marry. The agreement between Jaume I, ruler of the Crown of Aragon, and Aurembiaix, the Countess of Urgell, made at Agramunt in October 1228, has been cited as an example of a concubinage contract. This article examines their agreement as an example of a feudal convenientia, produced in the context of earlier convenientiae between Jaume's father and grandfather and Aurembiaix's parents, Count Ermengol VIII and Countess Elvira of Urgell, as well as convenientiae between Ermengol and Elvira themselves. I argue that the introduction of women – and gendered language surrounding them – into feudal protocols confuses historians who see sex when language is gendered, and have therefore understood Aurembiaix's agreement as primarily one of concubinage. Instead, I suggest it should be understood as a typical convenientia, one that solved a spec...
Consensus Development for Producing Diagnostic Procedure Guidelines: SPECT Brain Perfusion Imaging with Exametazime

UNLABELLED A method for developing diagnostic practice guidelines is presented in which a team of experts used a semiquantitative scoring system to reach consensus on a standard procedure for SPECT cerebral perfusion imaging. METHODS An expert panel generated a list of elements that they thought were important for the optimal performance of cerebral perfusion imaging as the first phase of a modified Delphi panel technique. Panel members then scored each statement to indicate the importance of that statement for the performance of cerebral perfusion imaging. The scores were recorded for each statement and the average score, s.d. and variance for each statement were determined for each successive panel round. A total of three panel rounds were conducted. The change in average s.d. between scoring rounds was analyzed for significance using both parametric and nonparametric tests. RESULTS The average s.d. decreased by 35% from 2.1 to 1.32 between the first and final panel round. This change in average s.d., which indicated enhanced consensus, was significant at p < 0.0001. Following consensus, all statements were grouped into four categories based on average score: critical elements, important elements, less important elements and elements of uncertain importance. This grouping formed the basis for a guideline summary narrative. Results were generated in 3 mo, at low cost and with clear documentation of rationale. CONCLUSION Through simple adaptations of this methodology, expert panels that develop practice guidelines can replace informal discussion with systematic scoring methods to rate the quality of evidence, generalizability to practice conditions, appropriate indications and strength of recommendations.
Antagonistic Functions of Verbal Pauses: Filled and Unfilled Pauses in the Solution of Additions:

The time required for the mental solution of addition problems is much greater if the subject fills the pause with vocalization habitually used to fill pauses in speaking (e.g.: ah, er, um), than if the pause is filled with silence. This supports previous results of Goldman-Eisler with thematic materials. Practice reduces solution time under both filled and unfilled pauses by an identical proportion whose magnitude varies from subject to subject. It is argued that filled pauses serve antagonistic functions, increasing the speakers control of conversation, but decreasing the quality of his production; filled pauses in speech without an audience may serve an analogous function of controlling distractions introduced by anxiety.
Role of calcium and cAMP messenger systems in intracellular pH regulation of osteoblastic cells

We have recently shown that two mechanisms are involved in the regulation of pHi in the osteoblastic phenotype cell line UMR-106 (Na(+)-H+ antiporter and a Na(+)-independent Cl(-)-HCO 3(-)-OH- exchanger). In the present work, we used the pH-sensitive dye 2',7'-bis(2-carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein as well as isotope fluxes to investigate the influence of second messengers on the activity of these transporters. Elevation in intracellular calcium concentration [( Ca2+]in) in UMR-106 cells (measured by fura-2 fluorescence) is followed by stimulation of the Cl(-)-HCO3- exchanger, leading to cytosolic acidification. Subsequently, cell alkalinization, mediated by the Na(+)-H+ exchanger, restores pHi to its resting value. An acute reduction in [Ca2+]in abruptly stops the activity of the anion exchanger while having no influence on the activity of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger. The stimulatory effect of Ca2+in on the anion exchanger is dose dependent and is abrogated by the calmodulin inhibitors N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-naphthalenesulfonamide and calmidazolium. An increase in intracellular adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) brought about by forskolin, 8-bromo-cAMP, or prostaglandin E2 leads to inhibition of activity of both the Na(+)-H+ antiporter and the anion exchanger. The suppressive effect of cAMP on Cl(-)-HCO3- exchange could be overcome by elevating [Ca2+]in. We conclude that 1) Ca2+in and cAMP can influence pHi in osteoblasts by altering the activities of pHi regulatory mechanisms and 2) the effect of Ca2+in is probably mediated by calmodulin.
Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapies for Prevention of Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke represents one of the leading causes of death and disability in both the United States and abroad, particularly for patients with prior ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A quintessential aspect of secondary stroke prevention is the use of different pharmacological agents, mainly antiplatelets and anticoagulants. Antiplatelets and anticoagulants exhibit their effect by blocking the activation pathways of platelets and the coagulation cascade, respectively. Clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of antiplatelets for noncardioembolic stroke prevention, while anticoagulants are more often used for cardioembolic stroke prevention. Commonly used antiplatelets include aspirin, clopidogrel, and aggrenox (aspirin plus extended-release dipyridamole). Furthermore, commonly used anticoagulants include warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban. Each of these drugs has a unique mechanism of action, and they share some common adverse events such as gastrointestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage in more serious cases. Consequently, physicians should carefully assess the benefits and risks of using different antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapies when managing patients with previous ischemic stroke or TIA. This review discuses the published literature on major clinical trials assessing the efficacy of different antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs under varying circumstances and the subsequent guidelines that have been developed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Additionally, the role of imaging in stroke prevention is discussed.
Abstract 3081: Novel cucurbitacin analogue Cuc D exhibits potent anti-cancer activity in cervical cancer

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the leading cause of mortality among women in US. Naturally occurring dietary compounds have gained increasing attention for their anticancer effects. Cucurbitacins, tetracyclic triterpenoid compound, belong to a family of Cucurbitaceae have shown promising anti-cancer activity. Herein, we investigated the potential anti-cancer effects of a novel analogue of cucurbitacin D (Cuc D) against cervical cancer in in vitro and in a xenograft mouse model. Methods: In our study, we used human cervical cancer cells (CaSki and SiHa). Cells were treated with Cuc D (0.05 to 1μM) for 48 and 72 hrs. MTS and colony formation assays were performed to investigate the effects of Cuc D on cell viability and proliferation. Western Blot analysis was performed to investigate the effects of Cuc D on cell proliferation and apoptotic markers. To determine the therapeutic effects of Cuc D, we used female athymic nude mice and injected CaSki cells (4 × 106) into the cervix to develop orthotopic xenograft tumors. Cuc D (1 mg/kg body weight) was administered through intratumoral injection four weeks post-tumor cell injection. Tumor volume in these mice were recorded bi-weekly. Results: Cuc D inhibited cell viability of cervical cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. IC50 of Cuc D was observed 400 nM and 250 nM in Caski and SiHa cells, respectively. Cuc D treatment effectively inhibited growth of cervical cancer cells which was determined by decreased cell proliferation and colony formation assays. Cuc D treatment induced apoptosis in cervical cancer cells as measured by enhanced Annexin V staining. Western blot result also illustrated cleavage in PARP protein in Cuc D treated cells which further confirms apoptosis induction. Cuc D treatment also inhibited PI3K and c-Myc protein levels and phosphorylation of STAT3 and Rb proteins. In addition, Cuc D treatment induced the cell cycle inhibitory proteins (p21 and p27) and PTEN and the expression of a tumor suppressor microRNA, miR-145, as determined by qRT-PCR. In an orthotopic tumor xenograft mouse model, Cuc D treatment effectively inhibited tumor growth as compared to vehicle control treated mice. Conclusion: Taken together, our results demonstrate potent anti-cancer efficacy of Cuc D in cervical cancer cells via modulation of key onco/tumor suppressor proteins. Thus, Cuc D could be a useful therapeutic agent for cervical cancer treatment. Citation Format: Mohammed Sikander, Bilal Bin Hafeez, Fathi T. Halaweish, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan. Novel cucurbitacin analogue Cuc D exhibits potent anti-cancer activity in cervical cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3081.
Orion: Discovery Environment for HPC Research and Bridging XSEDE Resources

We present a case study on how Georgia State University (GSU) has grown its active High Performance Computing (HPC) research community by 80% in 2015 over previous year, and how GSU is projected to double its active HPC research community for 2016 over 2015. In October 2015, GSU launched an institutional HPC resource, Orion, which provides batch and interactive compute environment. Currently, Orion supports both the traditional and non-traditional research communities on our campus as well as our affiliates from Qatar University, University of Toronto, and Georgia Tech. At GSU, Research Solutions' HPC facilitators are responsible for facilitating the HPC research, which is done in a form of providing technical support in developing pipelines and automating job submission process for various applications that researchers need for their research. This approach has resulted in nearly 80% growth in our active HPC users from 2014 to 2015, and currently we are tracking at doubling our active HPC user community in 2016. XSEDE remains a backbone of our ambitious goals, as we rely on XSEDE for providing us the necessary resources for select users whose research quickly exceeds our local infrastructure.
Intestinal Na + ,K + , 2Cl cotransporter 2 plays a crucial role in hyperosmotic transitions of a euryhaline teleost

Euryhaline fishes, such as the red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), must quickly transition between hyperosmotic and hypoosmotic physiological strategies. When freshwater individuals transition to seawater they are exposed to increased diffusive water loss and ion gain. To maintain osmoregulatory balance these animals must drink and absorb seawater through the intestine, followed by ion excretion at the gills. The ability of fishes to transition between strategies can limit the magnitude of osmotic shock that can be tolerated. Here, we demonstrate that red drum can tolerate direct transfer from freshwater to full-strength seawater with marginal impacts on osmotic balance, as indicated by plasma and muscle ion concentration, as well as muscle water. Seawater transition is concurrent with a significant increase in intestinal fluid volume. Typical patterns of osmoregulatory plasticity were observed in the gill with increased expression of nkcc1 and cftr. Expression changes in the anterior intestine were observed after 24 h for nkcc2 with smaller and later responses observed for slc26a3, slc26a6, and nbc. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated similar patterns of NKCC localization in freshwater and seawater intestines; however, reduced basolateral staining of V-type ATPase was observed in seawater. Electrophysiological preparations demonstrated that seawater fish had increased absorptive current in the anterior intestine, which was significantly reduced in the presence of 10 μmol/L bumetanide. Overall, these results suggest that nkcc2 plays a crucial role during hyperosmotic transitions, and may be a more important complement to the well-known bicarbonate secretion pathway than generally considered.
The State of American Linguistics in the Mid 1950s

This chapter discusses the state of American linguistics in the mid 1950s. The linguistics practiced in the United States in the 1950s, along with that in much of Europe, owed an intellectual debt to the great Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913). Saussure's lecture notes, published posthumously as the Cours de Linguistique Generale , represent a turning point in the history of linguistics. The central principle of the Cours is that a well-defined subpart of language can be abstracted from the totality of speech. This subpart Saussure called langue, which he contrasted with parole, or speech. The two pioneers of structural linguistics in America were Edward Sapir and Leonard Bloomfield. Sapir, in fact, had worked out the basic principles of structuralism even before Saussure's Cours had been published, as is evidenced by his Takelma grammar of 1911. Sapir's interests were far-ranging; in addition to grammatical analysis, he concerned himself with the humanistic and cultural aspects of language and published papers on the functioning of language in creative literature, mythology, and religion. The essence of the intellectual differences between Sapir and Bloomfield can be captured nicely by Bloomfield's sobriquet for Sapir, medicine man, and by Sapir's references to Bloomfield's sophomoric psychology.
All Together Now: Impact of a Regionalization and Bedside Rounding Initiative on the Efficiency and Inclusiveness of Clinical Rounds.

Background Attending rounds at academic medical centers are often disconnected from patients and team members who are not physicians. Regionalization of care teams may facilitate bedside rounding and more frequent interactions among doctors, nurses, and patients. Objective We used time-motion analysis to investigate how regionalization of medical teams and encouragement of bedside rounds affect participants on rounds and rounding time. Design and setting We used pre-post analysis to study the effects of care redesign on teams' daily rounds on a general medicine service at an academic medical center. Participants Four general medical teams were evaluated before the intervention and 5 teams afterward. Interventions General medical teams were regionalized to specific units, the admitting structure was changed to facilitate regionalization, and teams were encouraged to round bedside. Measurements Primary outcomes included proportion of time each team member was present on rounds and proportion of bedside rounding time. Secondary outcomes included round duration and non-patient time during rounds. Results Proportion of time the nurse was present on rounds increased from 24.1% to 67.8% (P ⟨ 0.001), and proportion of total bedside rounding time increased from 39.9% to 55.8% (P ⟨ 0.001). Mean total rounding time decreased from 3.0 hours to 2.4 hours (P = 0.01), despite a higher patient census. Conclusions Creating regionalized care teams and encouraging interdisciplinary bedside rounds increased the proportion of bedside rounding time and the presence of nurses on rounds while decreasing total rounding time. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2017;12:150-156.
What is Philosophical about Kant’s Anthropology?

AbstractIn this essay, I argue that Kant’s Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View is fundamentally about the sphere of civilization, and, with this, a particular kind of philosophical self-understanding. By civilization, Kant means to indicate the process by which human beings transform their inner natures based on pragmatic or prudential considerations born of our living together. Civilization is what we do to ourselves in order to get along with others with whom we share the earth. In the Anthropology, what we come to understand about ourselves is the possibility of transforming our inner natures based on our will.
Intravenous Fish Oil and Pediatric Intestinal Failure-Associated Liver Disease: Changes in Plasma Phytosterols, Cytokines, and Bile Acids and Erythrocyte Fatty Acids.

Background: Soybean oil (SO) emulsions are associated with intestinal failure–associated liver disease (IFALD); fish oil (FO) emulsions are used to treat IFALD. SO and FO differ with respect to their fatty acid and phytosterol content. In children with IFALD whose SO was replaced with FO, we aimed to (1) quantify changes in erythrocyte fatty acids and plasma phytosterols, cytokines, and bile acids and (2) correlate these changes with direct bilirubin (DB). Design: This study enrolled IFALD children who received 6 months of FO. Blood samples were collected prior to FO, and after 2 weeks and 3 and 6 months of FO. The primary outcome was 3-month vs baseline biomarker concentrations. Results: At study initiation, the median patient age was 3 months (interquartile range, 3–17 months), and mean ± standard deviation DB was 5.6 ± 0.7 mg/dL (n = 14). Cholestasis reversed in 79% of subjects. Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid was greater than baseline (P < .001, all time points). Linoleic and arachidonic aci...
When Asteroids Attack the Moon: Design and Implementation of an STK-Based Satellite Communication Simulation for the NASA-Led Simulation Exploration Experience

The Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE) is an annual, inter-university, distributed simulation challenge led by NASA. A primary objective is to provide a platform to college students to work in highly dispersed teams to design, develop, test, and execute a simulated lunar mission using High Level Architecture. During the SEE in 2016, 19 federates developed by student teams from three continents successfully joined the HLA federation and collaborated to accomplish a lunar mission. The Midwestern State University first participated in SEE and developed a communication satellite federate which broadcasts alert to physical entities on the moon surface about the incoming of an asteroid. This paper describes the design of the communication federate, the federation object model, lessons learned and recommendations for future federate development.
Time-Varying Effects of Parental Alcoholism on Depression.

INTRODUCTION Children of alcoholic parents are at increased risk for lifetime depression. However, little is known about how this risk may change in magnitude across age, especially in mid-adulthood and beyond. METHODS We used a nationally representative sample (N = 36,057) of US adults from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, wave III. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, we examined the relationship between parental alcoholism and outcomes of 1) major depressive disorder, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) and 2) DSM-5 persistent depressive disorder. To examine continuous moderation of this relationship across participants' age, we used time-varying effect models. RESULTS Parental alcoholism was associated in general with a higher risk for both major depressive disorder (odds ratio [OR], 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.85-2.11; P < .001) and persistent depressive disorder (OR, 2.28, 95% CI, 2.04-2.55; P < .001). The association between parental alcoholism and major depressive disorder was stable and positive across age, but the association with persistent depressive disorder significantly declined among older adults; respondents older than 73 years old were not at increased risk for persistent depressive disorder. CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study show that the risk of parental alcoholism on depression is significant and stable among individuals of a wide age range, with the exception of a decline in persistent depressive risk among older adults. These findings highlight the importance of screening for depression among adults with parental alcoholism.
Piloting a theory-based approach to inferring gender in big data

Machine learning methods can be used to accurately predict core characteristics about people such as their gender, age, race, or political orientation. However, prediction models tend not to generalize, offer little explanation for particular corpora, produce weak theory, and suffer from latent biases. In this study, we present an alternative approach to demographic inference combining sociological theories of gender with machine learning to create high-dimensional measures of gender rather than predict sex. We create measurement models for gender across five corpora: blog posts, tweets, crowdfunding essays, movie scripts, and professional writing. We show these models validly measure gender in the corpora and then compare their ability to predict author gender to standard prediction models. We find that measurement models of gender are as accurate and sometimes more accurate than prediction models. Thus we show theory-based measurement models are not only interpretable but performant.