cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of Protonated Peptide Ion Collisions with Organic Surfaces: Consonance of Simulation and Experiment

In this Perspective, mass spectrometry experiments and chemical dynamics simulations are described that have explored the atomistic dynamics of protonated peptide ions, peptide-H+, colliding with organic surfaces. These studies have investigated the energy transfer and fragmentation dynamics for peptide-H+ surface-induced dissociation (SID), peptide-H+ physisorption on the surface, soft landing (SL), and peptide-H+ reaction with the surface, reactive landing (RL). SID provides primary structures of biological ions and information regarding their fragmentation pathways and energetics. Two SID mechanisms are found for peptide-H+ fragmentation. A traditional mechanism in which peptide-H+ is vibrationally excited by its collision with the surface, rebounds off the surface and then dissociates in accord with the statistical, RRKM unimolecular rate theory. The other, shattering, is a nonstatistical mechanism in which peptide-H+ fragments as it collides with the surface, dissociating via many pathways and formin...
Environmental Policy in Practice

Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax presents readers with a choice: protect the land for future use, or develop the land for monetary gain. The story unfolds as a young boy attempts to understand what caused the extinction of the beautifully colored Truffula Trees. He discovers that the trees were cut down in order to produce Thneed needed for various products. Eventually, Thneed was overproduced, causing the natural landscape to become dark and dreary—a wasteland where no one wanted to live because of all the pollution. This story reminds us what happens when we make environmental choices; cutting down trees has costs and benefits.
From International to National Engagement and Back: the YWCA's communicative techniques of Americanisation in the aftermath of World War I

ABSTRACTIn the United States and across the globe, World War I intensified anxieties about the relationship between cultural diversity and national identity. In that context, the Americanisation programmes of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) bridged the organisation's international experiences with its domestic agenda of service work. This article recovers the YWCA's woman-centric methods for facilitating communication and civic engagement among diverse groups of immigrants in the USA; it draws attention to the YWCA's insights into the relationship between gender, culture and democratic life; and it highlights the practical utility, theoretical insight and ethical implications of the YWCA's techniques for contemporary peace building and international work.
Stem Cell Therapy for Ischemic Stroke

Defined as a cerebrovascular disease arising from interruption of blood circulation to the brain, with the resulting damage characterized by a necrotic core enveloped within a region of hypoxic, degenerating cells, ischemic stroke remains a primary cause of death within the United States. Despite our increasing scientific knowledge regarding the pathology of stroke, our medical intervention options for patients suffering from stroke remain extremely limited. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only FDA-approved drug shown to improve stroke. Unfortunately, in order for tPA treatment to be effective, it must be administered within 4.5 h of stroke onset. Consequentially, its therapeutic efficacy is constrained to less than 5 % of all patients suffering from ischemic stroke. One experimental therapy for stroke treatment involves the transplantation of stem cells. Stem cell transplantation has been traditionally considered to either replace dead and dying cells, or to release growth factors in affording therapeutic benefits in stroke. To date, however, the exact mechanism by which stem cell transplantation achieved neuroregeneration has not yet been precisely elucidated. Recent evidence suggests the ability of transplanted stem cells to form a biobridge connecting the area of infarction to the neurogenic niche within the brain. That stem cells can form a cellular migratory pathway between the neurogenic niche, and the stroke core and penumbra may assist and promote interaction between host brain cells and transplanted stem cells, thereby providing novel opportunities to improve the effectiveness of stem cell therapy in stroke. This chapter discusses established and emerging paradigms of stroke recovery after stem cell transplantation, in an effort to offer an in-depth understanding of safe and efficacious cell-based therapeutics for stroke.
A Dual Processing Theory Based Approach to Instruction and Assessment of Diagnostic Competencies

Evidence suggests that diagnostic error plays a major role in America’s suboptimal patient care. Evidence also suggests that generalizable problem solving or clinical reasoning skills are not the primary determinant of diagnostic accuracy. Rather, knowledge-based constructs likely play a greater role in diagnostic performance. Dual processing theory (DPT) posits how knowledge-based constructs and information processing (problem solving or reasoning) mechanisms work together to enable categorization tasks such as differential diagnosis. This manuscript describes how medical educators might use DPT to create training and testing methods to improve the diagnostic capabilities of tomorrow’s practitioners and subsequently patient care outcomes.
Prognostic Impact of a Nutritional Index Including Muscle Volume in Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND Nutritional status influences cancer prognosis. Measurement of the area of the psoas muscle on computed tomography is useful for evaluation of skeletal muscle mass and prediction of prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS The psoas muscle index (PMI) was determined in 42 patients undergoing surgery for stage 4 colorectal cancer. Patients were classified into high and low PMI groups using a cutoff of 5.5×10-4 cm2 m-2 Relationships of PMI with prognosis, chemotherapy period, and postoperative complications were examined. RESULTS The 3-year overall survival rate was 24.0%. PMI was significantly associated with 3-year OS in univariate (high vs. low PMI: 43.0% vs. 12.9%, p=0.0415) and multivariate (p=0.0146) analyses. A low PMI was associated with a shorter period of chemotherapy. A reduction in PMI was a predictor of a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION PMI status is related to the period of chemotherapy and is an independent prognostic factor in patients with stage 4 colorectal cancer.
Smart Control of Seismically Excited Highway Bridges

This chapter proposes a novel smart fuzzy control algorithm for mitigation of dynamic responses of seismically excited bridge structures equipped with control devices. The smart fuzzy controller is developed through the combination of discrete wavelet transform, backpropagation neural networks, and Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed smart fuzzy controller, it is tested on a highway bridge equipped with magneto rheological (MR) dampers. It controls the smart dampers installed on the abutments of the highway bridge structure. The 1940 El-Centro and Kobe earthquakes are used as disturbance signals. It is demonstrated that the smart fuzzy controller is effective in reducing the structural responses of the highway bridge under a variety of seismic excitations.
ROTOR DYNAMICS: A STATE-OF-THE-ART

This is a state-of-the-art report of selected papers highlighting the development that has taken place in recent years in the field of rotor dynamics. The work is reviewed under various headings vi...
d-Amino Acids

d -amino acids are the result of biosynthesis and catabolism as well as protein aging. They play important roles in cell structure and in signaling/regulation. Though not used in translation, they can be incorporated into peptides by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases. Exclusion of d -amino acids from the translation machinery results from discrimination at many levels including aminoacyl-tRNA formation and the hydrolysis of d -aminoacyl-tRNAs.
Pharmacotherapy of Addiction

Addiction is a very serious and very costly public health problem. FDA-approved medications are available for alcohol, nicotine, and opiate addiction but not for stimulants or cannabis addictions. The focus of this chapter is on the medications to treat illicit substances, mainly heroin, stimulants, and cannabis. Currently, psychotherapy is still the primary mode of treatment for stimulants and cannabis addiction; however, relapse rates remain high. The search for effective pharmacological treatments has yielded some positive signals in proof of concept trials. Medications that are being tested in confirmatory trials for stimulants addiction include bupropion, topiramate, modafinil, disulfiram, ondansetron, and methylphenidate. For cannabis addiction there have been proof of concept trials that have shown efficacy, such as buspirone, nefazadone, and marinol. Early preclinical and clinical data suggest that some new molecular entities would be promising for multiple addictions, e.g., CB1 antagonists, D3 partial agonists, and CRF antagonists.
SV40 and Notch-I: multi-functionality meets pleiotropy.

We have discovered that Simian virus 40 (SV40) infection of human mesothelial cells induces Notch-1. Upregulation of Notch-1 is achieved at the transcriptional level and requires the activity of both the large (90-100 kDa) and the small (20 kDa) SV40 tumor antigens. Notch-1 upregulation is maintained in SV40-transformed mesothelial cell lines in tissue culture, and Notch-1 is overexpressed only in SV40-positive mesotheliomas. Chemical inactivation of Notch-1 causes cell growth arrest of SV40-transformed human mesothelial cells. Our findings indicate that Notch-1 activation plays an important role in SV40-mediated carcinogenesis. Notch-1 is a pleiotropic gene that influences cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. The effects of Notch-1 activation are species and cell type specific, in that, in different species or cell type within the same species, Notch-1 signaling can cause opposite effects. In this chapter, we review some general aspects of Notch signaling, and how Notch signaling regulates differentiation, the cell cycle and apoptosis. Recent data involving Notch and human cancer will be discussed. Then, we will deal with the current information regarding a specific form of lung cancer (malignant mesothelioma) and the involvement of SV40 in the pathogenesis of this form of human cancer. We will enter into the details of SV40-mediated cell transformation, and the specific interaction between SV40 and primary human mesothelial cells when infected with SV40 in vitro.
Autoimmune Hepatitis: Focusing on Treatments other than Steroids

BACKGROUND: Corticosteroid therapy has been the time-honoured treatment for autoimmune hepatitis; however, the emergence of new immunosuppressive agents has afforded opportunities to improve or replace the standard regimens.
Pectoralis Major Tendon Transfer

Rotator cuff disease is among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders treated by orthopedic surgeons. While supraspinatus tears are far more prevalent, subscapularis tears comprise between 3.5 and 8 % of all rotator cuff tears (Codman EA, Lesions of the supraspinatus tendon and other lesions in or about the subacromial bursa. In: The shoulder. Thomas Todd Co, Boston, pp 65–67, 1934; Deutsch et al., Am J Sports Med 25:13–22, 1997; Frankle and Cofield, Rotator cuff tears involving the subscapularis tendon. Techniques and results of repair. In: Proceedings of the fifth international conference on Shoulder Surgery, International Shoulder and Elbow Society, Paris, p 52, 1992) and frequently go undiagnosed (Bennett, Arthroscopy 17:173–80, 2001; Gerber and Krushell, J Bone Joint Surg Br 73:389–394, 1991). Normal shoulder biomechanics depend heavily upon a functional subscapularis for dynamic stability of the glenohumeral joint. Patients with subscapularis insufficiency tend to present with anterior shoulder pain, weakness with internal rotation, increased passive external rotation, and sometimes with anterior glenohumeral instability. Physical examination tests designed to elucidate subscapularis pathology include the lift-off test, internal rotation lag sign, the belly-press test, the belly-off sign, and the bear-hug test. MRI remains the most useful and widely utilized imaging modality to confirm and characterize subscapularis disease. The majority of subscapularis tears can be treated with either arthroscopic or open primary repair. Significant muscle atrophy, fatty infiltration, tendon retraction, and large tear size reduce the chance of successful primary repair, and in extreme cases make such tears irreparable. Management of these tears remains a challenge, with musculotendinous transfer of the pectoralis major being the most commonly employed treatment option. General indications are pain, anterior instability, and/or significant functional limitations after failure of nonoperative management in the setting of an irreparable subscapularis tear. Contraindications include concomitant irreparable supraspinatus tear, advanced patient age, severe glenohumeral joint arthrosis, fixed anterior joint subluxation, an inability to comply with postoperative measures and rehabilitation, and pectoralis major dysfunction/insufficiency. Several techniques have been described and vary primarily upon the amount of tendon transferred as well as the location of tendon passage as it relates to the coracoid process and conjoined tendon. Postoperative rehabilitation protocols generally call for 6 weeks of immobilization with early pendulum exercises and gentle passive external rotation, progressing to active range of motion at 6 weeks, and strengthening beginning at 12 weeks. Robust outcomes data for this procedure is largely lacking in the current orthopedic literature, but many smaller clinical series suggest improvement in pain and incremental functional gains. As such, pectoralis major tendon transfer remains the workhorse salvage procedure for the management of the irreparable subscapularis tear.
Capacity over capacitance for reliable energy harvesting sensors

Today, most sensors that harvest energy from indoor solar, ambient RF, or thermal gradients buffer small amounts of energy in capacitors as they intermittently work through a sensing task. While the utilization of capacitors for energy storage affords these systems indefinite lifetimes, their low energy capacity necessitates complex intermittent programming models for state retention and energy management. However, recent advances in battery technology lead us to reevaluate the impact that increased energy storage capacity may have on the necessity of these programming models and the reliability of energy harvesting sensors. In this paper, we propose a capacity-based framework to help structure energy harvesting sensor design, analyze the impact of capacity on key reliability metrics using a data-driven simulation, and consider how backup energy storage alters the design space. We find that for many designs that utilize solar energy harvesting, increasing energy storage capacity to 1-10 mWh can obviate the need for intermittent programming techniques, augment the total harvested energy by 1.4-2.3x, and improve the availability of a sensor by 1.3-2.6x. We also show that a hybrid design using energy harvesting with a secondary-cell battery and a backup primary-cell battery can achieve 2-4x the lifetime of primary-cell only designs while eliminating the failure modes present in energy harvesting systems. Finally, we implement an indoor, solar energy harvesting sensor based on our analysis and find that its behavior aligns with our simulation's predictions.
Abstract 4819: Sacituzumab Govitecan (IMMU-132) in uterine serous carcinoma

Objective: Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive variant of endometrial cancer with poor prognosis. Sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting trophoblast antigen 2 (Trop-2), a cell surface glycoprotein highly expressed in many epithelial tumors including USC, to deliver SN-38, the active metabolite of irinotecan. The objective of this study was to preclinically evaluate the efficacy of IMMU-132 against primary USC cell lines and xenografts. Methods: Trop-2 expression in primary tumor cell lines and USC cell viability after exposure to IMMU-132 ADC (hRS7-CL2A-SN-38), non-targeting control ADC (h679-CL2A-SN-38), and naked antibody hRS7 IgG were evaluated using RT-PCR and flow-cytometry-based-assays. Antibody-dependent-cell-cytotoxicity (ADCC) against Trop-2+ and Trop-2- USC cell lines was evaluated in vitro using 4 hr Chromium release assays. Finally, in vivo activity of Sacituzumab govitecan was tested against Trop-2+ USC xenografts by 3 twice-a-week retro-orbital injection of 500 μg of IMMU-132, control-ADC, and hRS7 naked-IgG. Results: Overexpression of Trop-2 was detected in 67% (8 out of 12) of primary USC cell lines. Primary tumors overexpressing Trop-2 were significantly more sensitive (ie, lower IC50) to IMMU-132 (hRS7-CL2A-SN-38) when compared to control ADC (h679-CL2A-SN-38). Both sacituzumab govitecan (IMMU-132) and the naked antibody hRS7 induced high level of ADCC against Trop2+ USC cell lines while no cytotoxicity was detected against Trop-2 negative tumors. In vivo experiments comparing IMMU-132 activity to control ADC and hRS7 showed a dramatically improved tumor suppression and increased survival in IMMU-132 treated mice when compared to controls (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Conclusion: IMMU-132 demonstrated remarkable antitumor activity against biologically aggressive USC overexpressing Trop-2. Our preclinical results combined with the dramatic clinical response recently reported in an USC patient treated with IMMU-132 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gore.2018.05.009) strongly supports further clinical development of sacituzumab govitecan in USC patients with advanced/recurrent disease. (ie, clinical trial IND 140394). Furthermore, due to a cleavable linker that can cause bystander effect, sacituzumab govitecan could be also effective in tumors with heterogenous TROP-2 expression. Citation Format: Salvatore Lopez, Chanhee Han, Burak Zeybek, Elena Bonazzoli, Anna Bianchi, Paola Manara, Stefania Bellone, Aranzazu Manzano, Emanuele Perrone, Luca Zammataro, Gary Altwerger, Alessandro D. Santin. Sacituzumab Govitecan (IMMU-132) in uterine serous carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4819.
Restorative servicescapes in health care: examining the influence of hotel-like attributes on patient well-being.

This study examines how 527 patients across different health states assessed the influence of hotel-like attributes on their well-being. Using theoretical mechanisms of attention restoration underl...
An Efficient Pipelined Architecture for Superconducting Single Flux Quantum Logic Circuits Utilizing Dual Clocks

In standard single flux quantum (SFQ) logic circuits, it is required to insert path balancing D-flip-flops (DFFs) to guarantee correct circuit operation. DFF insertion should be done in a way that any path from a primary input to a primary output has the same length in terms of the clocked element count. This is known as full path balancing (FPB) method. The FPB method usually requires insertion of many path balancing DFFs that can be even more than the actual gate count in the original circuit. This significantly increases the chip area, lowers the local clock frequency, and increases both static and dynamic power dissipation. This article presents an architecture for realizing SFQ circuits which removes all path balancing DFFs, resulting in a huge reduction in total area, node and Josephson junction count, and power consumption. The drawback is a degradation of the peak throughput of the circuit, which can be overcome by performing partial path balancing in the circuit, thereby recovering the circuit throughput by adding some path balancing DFFs.
The Right to Life, Liberty and Security for Prostitution: Canada v. Bedford

Canada v. Bedford (2013) was a Supreme Court case challenging prostitution laws in Canada. Before Bedford, the Criminal Code outlawed certain elements of prostitution. In Bedford, it was argued the...
Data-based reinforcement learning approximate optimal control for an uncertain nonlinear system with control effectiveness faults

Abstract An infinite horizon approximate optimal control problem is developed for a system with unknown drift parameters and control effectiveness faults. A data-based filtered parameter estimator with a novel dynamic gain structure is developed to simultaneously estimate the unknown drift dynamics and control effectiveness fault. A local state-following approximate dynamic programming method is used to approximate the unknown optimal value function for an uncertain system. Using a relaxed persistence of excitation condition, a Lyapunov-based stability analysis shows exponential convergence to a residual error for the parameter estimation and uniformly ultimately bounded convergence for the closed-loop system. Simulation results are presented which demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method.
Voting rights, anti-intersectionality, and citizenship as containment

This piece argues that dominant histories of U.S. suffrage have misremembered the history of voting rights legislation as one of steady social progress and multicultural inclusion. By contrast, I c...
Joint inversion of full-waveform ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity data — Part 2: Enhancing low frequencies with the envelope transform and cross gradients

ABSTRACTRecovering material properties of the subsurface using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data of finite bandwidth with missing low frequencies and in the presence of strong attenuation is a ch...
Loren Kruger, A Century of South African Theatre

abstract: A Century of South African Theatre revises and updates Loren Kruger’s seminal book, The Drama of South Africa. Kruger rejects essentializing categories such as African or European, arguin...
Coffee plantations, hurricanes and avian resiliency: insights from occupancy, and local colonization and extinction rates in Puerto Rico

Insights on impacts and resiliency of avian species with respect to hurricanes in the Caribbean have largely focused on responses measured in protected habitats. We assessed avian responses in non-protected habitat, specifically shade-restored coffee plantations, because their structural complexity retains many attributes of secondary forests, and may contribute to landscape scale species resiliency. We tallied species richness and estimated occupancy probability of 12 resident avian species, after adjusting for imperfect detection, to assess the impact of hurricane Maria (20 September 2017). For five of those species, we also estimated local colonization and extinction probabilities to assess their prospect of rebounding (resiliency) in the context of two stages of shade restoration. We used survey data collected March-June 2015–2017 (pre-hurricane) and 2018 (post-hurricane) in 58 coffee farms and satellite imagery to assess vegetation structure. Restored farms were grouped into two categories based on time-since-restoration: newly-restored and fully-restored. We predicted that mean percent forest cover in fully-restored farms (~30–40%) would revert to levels in newly-restored farms (<15%), with concomitant changes in occupancy by avian species. As predicted, mean percent forest cover (16.17±4.27%) in fully-restored farms post-hurricane reverted to pre-hurricane levels in newly-restored farms (15.00±5.61%). The loss represented 30–38% relative to the pre-hurricane cover levels. Detections of focal species dropped an average of 41% post-hurricane, with associated reductions in occupancy for 9/11 species. Occupancy of the Puerto Rican Bullfinch and Puerto Rican Spindalis reverted to levels detected in newly-restored plantations prior to the hurricane as predicted. Prospects of rebounding were more likely for species with invariant or increases in colonization probability (e.g., Yellow-faced Grassquit, Northern Mockingbird, Puerto Rican Spindalis). Rebounding for frugivores like the Puerto Rican Bullfinch would be protracted given that colonization rates dropped from 0.56±0.12 (pre-hurricane) to 0.04±0.2 (post-hurricane), regardless of restoration stage. Our work showed that the avian community associated with restored coffee farms exhibited a high degree of ecological resistance as the similarity in species composition before and after the hurricane was 81%, and all 12 focal species continued to occupy farms under both restoration stages. The prospect of the focal species to rebound (resiliency) was species-specific, and in some cases, mediated by their affinity to a particular farm restoration stage. The strength of hurricanes is projected to intensify with global warming. Pockets of undamaged or partially damaged shade-grown or fully-restored coffee plantations may contribute to species resiliency by increasing landscape level habitat redundancy, and facilitate habitat shifts to secure food resources or harbor source populations to colonize recovering, hurricane-damaged habitat tracts.
Vertical Profiles of Ozone Concentrations in the Lower Troposphere Downwind of New York City during LISTOS 2018-2019

Twenty-six balloon-borne ozonesondes were launched near the north shore of central Long Island in the summers of 2018 and 2019 as part of the Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study (LISTOS). Wh...
Southwestern ponderosa pine forest patterns following wildland fires managed for resource benefit differ from reference landscapes

Managers aiming to utilize wildland fire to restore southwestern ponderosa pine landscapes require better understanding of forest cover patterns produced at multiple scales. Restoration effectiveness of wildland fires managed for resource benefit can be evaluated against natural ranges of variation. We describe landscape patterns within reference landscapes, including restored and functioning ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona, and compare them to wildland fires managed for resource benefit. We make comparisons along a gradient of extents and assess the effects of scale on landscape differences. Using Sentinel-2 imagery, we classified ponderosa pine forest cover and calculated landscape metrics across a gradient of landscape extent within reference and managed landscapes. We used non-parametric tests to assess differences. We used random forest models to assess and explore which landscape metrics were most importance in differentiating landscape patterns. Restored forests exhibited landscapes patterns consistent with those of ecologically intact forest landscapes. Managed wildfire landscape patterns differed significantly when compared to reference landscape patterns among nearly all landscape metrics considered and became increasingly different with increasing landscape extent (15–840 ha), tending towards both denser and larger patch areas. Landscape patterns from wildland fires managed for resource benefit we examined differ from those of reference landscapes. Differences become more pronounced with increasing landscape size. Landscape patterns among large managed forest landscapes suggest that the predominately single-entry, low-severity disturbance regime from these managed fires is failing to reduce tree densities and break up large contiguous areas of canopy cover.
Anoikis Mediated by Stress-Activated MAPK Signaling Pathways

The JUN NH2-terminal kinases (JNKs) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) represent a group of signaling enzymes that are collectively named stress-activated MAPKs. Recent studies of epithelial cells have demonstrated that both of these signaling pathways promote detachment-induced cell death (anoikis) in vitro and in vivo. The p38 MAPK pathway phosphorylates activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) and increases expression of the JUN transcription factor that promotes expression of the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family member BIM. The JNK signaling pathway causes phosphorylation of the transcription factor JUN and similarly causes increased BIM expression. JNK also causes pro-apoptotic phosphorylation of the BIM-related protein BMF and inhibitory phosphorylation of the anti-apoptotic protein MCL1. The JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways therefore function co-operatively and non-redundantly to increase BIM and BMF apoptotic activity. The mechanism of cell death is mediated by the BAX/BAK-dependent intrinsic cell death pathway. Blocking either the JNK or the p38 MAPK pathway suppresses epithelial cell anoikis in vitro and prevents luminal clearance of mammary epithelial ducts in vivo.
Robust Peer Review: Caputo’s Response to Dunleavy:

In this essay, I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative peer-review processes and the rationale and evidence used by Dunleavy (2021). To move the discussion forward, I end this res...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features Associated with Histology of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Nodules: Generation of a Predictive Model.

BACKGROUND Histologic phenotypic variation of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been hypothesized to underlie response to medical therapy. We evaluate pre-operative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of robotic simple prostatectomy (RASP) specimens and determine imaging features associated with histologic phenotype. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients undergoing RASP from 11/2015 to 11/2019 with a multiparametric MRI ≤ 1 year prior to RASP were included. Patients without identifiable BPH nodules on histologic specimens were excluded. Histology slides were obtained from whole mount adenoma specimens and corresponding MRI were reviewed and graded independently by a blinded expert in BPH histopathology (DWS) and an experienced radiologist specializing in prostate imaging (DNC), respectively. Each nodule was assigned a phenotypic score on a 5-point Likert scale (1=predominantly glandular, 5 = predominantly stromal) by each reviewer. Scores were compared using the sign test and univariate analysis. Signal intensity relative to background transition zone and nodule texture were noted on T2, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging (DCE) sequences. Univariate and multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis were conducted to identify MRI features associated with histology score. All analyses were performed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS, v. 9.4). RESULTS 99 prostate nodules in 29 patients were included. Median phenotypic scores by histology and MRI were comparable (2, IQR 2-3 vs. 2, IQR 2-4, respectively; p=0.63). Histology scores were positively correlated with MRI scores (Pearson correlation 0.84, p<0.0001). Multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that low apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) signal intensity (p<0.001) and DCE wash-in (p=0.03) were positively associated with more stromal histology, while ADC SD (p=0.03), DCE wash-out (p=0.001), and heterogeneous T2 texture (p=0.003) were associated with more glandular histology. CONCLUSION There is strong correlation between MRI features and the histologic phenotype of BPH nodules. MRI may provide a non-invasive method to determine underlying BPH nodule histology.
Positionally-independent and Extended Read Range Resonant Sensors Applied to Deep Soil Moisture Monitoring

Abstract Here we detail an inductively coupled extender (ICE) and resonant (LC) sensor to monitor soil moisture using a portable reader. Significant advances of this ICE-LC design are extending typical LC sensor read range over a meter and reducing positional alignment sensitivity between reader and sensor. An analytical model validates the working principle and feasibility of the ICE-LC system. Prototypes of the ICE-LC sensor were built and optimized in terms of sensitivity and power transfer (single and four turns for ICE top and bottom coils, respectively). Soil moisture tests validated the ICE-LC improvements on minimized positional alignment sensitivity and extended read range, transducing a decrease in resonant frequency with increasing soil moisture. When calibrating with existing wired approaches, the ICE-LC sensor had a reproducible, linear sensor gain of 4.52%moisture content/MHz with an R2 of 0.745 and RMSE of 2.41%. A smaller, planar form factor of the ICE-LC sensor was also tested and exhibited reduced positional alignment sensitivity between reader and sensor at shorter read ranges. This initial study demonstrates the feasibility of the ICE-LC resonant sensor as a cost-effective method to monitor soil moisture content throughout the growing season at many field locations.
Developmental changes in CSF hypocretin-1 (orexin-A) levels in normal and genetically narcoleptic Doberman pinschers.

Loss of hypocretin cells or mutation of hypocretin receptors causes narcolepsy. In canine genetic narcolepsy, produced by a mutation of the Hcrtr2 gene, symptoms develop postnatally with symptom onset at 4 weeks of age and maximal symptom severity by 10–32 weeks of age. Canine narcolepsy can readily be quantified. The large size of the dog cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cerebellomedullary cistern allows the withdrawal of sufficient volumes of CSF for accurate assay of hypocretin levels, as early as postnatal day 4. We have taken advantage of these features to determine the relation of CSF hypocretin levels to symptom onset and compare hypocretin levels in narcoleptic and normal dogs. We find that by 4 days after birth, Hcrtr2 mutants have significantly higher levels of Hcrt than normal age- and breed-matched dogs. These levels were also significantly higher than those in adult narcoleptic and normal dogs. A reduction followed by an increase in Hcrt levels coincides with symptom onset and increase in the narcoleptics. The Hcrtr2 mutation alters the normal developmental course of hypocretin levels.
Theories of Poverty: Findings from Textbooks on Human Behavior and the Social Environment

ABSTRACT Social work is distinguished from other helping professions and social science disciplines by its primary concern with poverty. It is unclear, however, how well social work students understand various theories of poverty or how this understanding informs their practice with those who live in poverty. This article attempts to begin answering this question through an analysis of poverty content in 14 frequently assigned textbooks in Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBS (2) The extent to which the theme of poverty is diffused throughout the textbook; (3) The extent to which poverty is viewed in terms of the interaction between human behavior and the social environment; and (4) The extent to which poverty is described as a universal condition. In general, the 14 textbooks devote little space to poverty content and fail to address these four criteria. The analysis concludes with recomm...
Chapter 31 The theory of value in security markets

Publisher Summary General equilibrium theory is applied wholesale to obtain a theory of value for security markets. The modern theory of value for security markets extends general equilibrium theory in various ways: (1) it explicitly treats general multiperiod trading opportunities under uncertainty and in incomplete markets; (2) it investigates, in remarkable depth, implications of the law of one price—that is, of arbitrage-free prices; (3) to represent security returns in convenient and testable ways, it places strong restrictions on preferences and exploits a great deal of probability theory, especially the theories of Markov processes and stochastic integration, separately and together. The chapter discusses that as financial market theory grows, it laps over the boundaries of the general equilibrium paradigm to focus on the process of price formation. The microstructure of security markets has come under increasing scrutiny; the theory of specialist market makers, for example, is gradually being filled out. The need to address asymmetric information, in particular, has led to strategic models of investment behavior. Despite the diverse aims of financial economic theory, the chapter summarizes the developments in finance that rest or build on general equilibrium theory, emphasizing the valuation of financial assets.
Mapping finite element graphs on hypercubes

Two-way stripe partition mapping and greedy assignment mapping are proposed for mapping finite-element graphs (FEGs) onto hypercubes. They can be used to map both 2-D and 3-D FEGs on hypercubes. Two-way stripe partition mapping is a two-phase mapping approach. In the first phase, two-way stripe partition is used to achieve low communication cost. In the second phase, the load transfer heuristic is used to balance the computational load among processors. Greedy assignment mapping tries to minimize the communication cost and balance the computational load of processors simultaneously. The estimated lower bound speed up and the estimated upper bound speedup are derived for both bidirectional and unidirectional communication, to measure the mapping results. Simulation results show that the speedups for two-way stripe partition mapping are better than those for greedy assignment mapping when the load balance criterion is achieved in both approaches. The greedy approach, however, gives good performance at a much lower cost. >
Anchoring of glutamate receptors at the synapse.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the recent progress in the identification of proteins that are involved in clustering and anchoring of glutamate receptors at postsynaptic sites in glutamatergic synapses. The ionotropic glutamate receptors—N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors—are predominantly localized at postsynaptic sites, where they are suitably positioned to bind to the neurotransmitter glutamate released from the presynaptic terminal. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of clustering of glutamate receptors in glutamatergic synapses is important because the correct localization of these receptors is critical for efficient excitatory transmission. Although the key genetic experiments are lacking in mammals, an important genetic finding in drosophila strongly supports the idea that PSD-95 family proteins are involved in synaptic clustering of their ion channel binding partners. The NMDA receptors and AMPA receptors are major classes of ionotropic glutamate receptor. Glutamate also acts on G-protein coupled seven-transmembrane receptors or metabotropic glutamate receptors. Genetic mutations that affect PDZ-containing proteins in invertebrate model organisms result in mislocalization of channels and receptors and cause developmental and behavioral defects.
Adenosine metabolism in human whole blood. Effects of nucleoside transport inhibitors and phosphate concentration.

Abstract Adenosine (Ado, 10 μM) was metabolized in whole blood within 1 min, primarily to hypoxanthine and ATP. The concentration of Ado, the activities of adenosine deaminase (ADA) and Ado kinase, the K m values for Ado with ADA and Ado kinase, and the substrate inhibition of Ado kinase are factors that govern the Ado metabolism between deamination and phosphorylation. If ADA activity was blocked by 2′-deoxycoformycin (dCF, 5 μM), a tight-binding inhibitor of ADA, most of the Ado (96%) was incorporated into adenine nucleotides, whereas if Ado kinase activity was blocked with 5-iodotubercidin (10 μM), Ado was mainly (95%) metabolized into hypoxanthine. A high phosphate concentration (25 mM) caused marked increases in the formation of IMP. The nucleoside transport inhibitors dilazep (1 μM), dipyridamole (10 μM) and nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR, 1 μM) strongly blocked cellular Ado metabolism. In the presence of nucleoside transport inhibitors, Ado which slowly enters the cell was metabolized principally by Ado kinase rather than ADA. Dilazep, NBMPR and dipyridamole were more effective in blocking Ado uptake and metabolism by erythrocytes suspended in a protein-free medium than by cells suspended in plasma.
Studies on Intestinal Absorption of L-Ascorbic Acid-1-C14

Summary 1.At concentrations from 10 −6 to 10 −3 M, there was no accumulative transport of L-ascorbic acid-1-C 14 when initially present at the same concentration on both sides of rat or hamster everted intestinal sacs in vitro. This was true in the presence or absence of glucose in pH 7.4 Krebs-bicarbonate buffer, in three other buffers. 2.When initially present on only one side of the sacs, the quantity of L-ascorbic acid-1-C 14 which appeared on the opposite side at 1 hr. was linearly related to the concentration, both for the mucosal to serosal and for the reverse flux. Such diffusion was not interfered with by the presence of isoascorbic acid or dehydroascorbic acid. 3.The quantity of radioactive ascorbic acid "lost" in the gut wall was only sporadically greater than that expected on the basis of its tissue water content, particularly at the lowest concentrations of the vitamin in the presence of sodium phosphate buffer. 4.Chromatography of mucosal and serosal solutions failed to reveal a radioactive peak other than the original ascorbic acid. 5.Radioactive ascorbic acid placed within ligated intestinal loops of the hamster in vivo decreased in concentration; it is uncertain whether the vitamin moved more rapidly than the water flux, or whether water had entered to cause dilution.
First Steps Toward a Quality of Climate Finance Scorecard (QUODA-CF)

Are climate finance contributor countries, multilateral aid agencies and specialized funds using widely accepted best practices in foreign assistance? How is it possible to measure and compare international climate finance contributions when there are as yet no established metrics or agreed definitions of the quality of climate finance? As a subjective metric, quality can mean different things to different stakeholders, while of donor countries, recipients and institutional actors may place quality across a broad spectrum of objectives. This subjectivity makes the assessment of the quality of climate finance contributions a useful and necessary exercise, but one that has many challenges.This work seeks to enhance the development of common definitions and metrics of the quality of climate finance, to understand what we can about those areas where climate finance information is available and shine a light on the areas where there is a severe dearth of data. Allowing for comparisons of the use of best practices across funding institutions in the climate sector could begin a process of benchmarking performance, fostering learning across institutions and driving improvements when incorporated in internal evaluation protocols of those institutions.
Anti-Transcription Factor RNA Aptamers as Potential Therapeutics

Transcription factors (TFs) are DNA-binding proteins that play critical roles in regulating gene expression. These proteins control all major cellular processes, including growth, development, and homeostasis. Because of their pivotal role, cells depend on proper TF function. It is, therefore, not surprising that TF deregulation is linked to disease. The therapeutic drug targeting of TFs has been proposed as a frontier in medicine. RNA aptamers make interesting candidates for TF modulation because of their unique characteristics. The products of in vitro selection, aptamers are short nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) that bind their targets with high affinity and specificity. Aptamers can be expressed on demand from transgenes and are intrinsically amenable to recognition by nucleic acid-binding proteins such as TFs. In this study, we review several natural prokaryotic and eukaryotic examples of RNAs that modulate the activity of TFs. These examples include 5S RNA, 6S RNA, 7SK, hepatitis delta virus-RNA (HDV-RNA), neuron restrictive silencer element (NRSE)-RNA, growth arrest-specific 5 (Gas5), steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA), trophoblast STAT utron (TSU), the 3' untranslated region of caudal mRNA, and heat shock RNA-1 (HSR1). We then review examples of unnatural RNA aptamers selected to inhibit TFs nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), TATA-binding protein (TBP), heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), and runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1). The field of RNA aptamers for DNA-binding proteins continues to show promise.
Evaluation of zomepirac sodium

The chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, physical dependence and tolerance, drug interactions, dosing, and cost of zomepirac sodium (Zomax, McNeil) are reviewed. Zomepirac is a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (NSAIA) approved for the treatment of mild to moderately severe pain. The drug is well absorbed when given orally. It undergoes extensive biotransformation in the liver. Zomepirac shares the pharmacology of the other NSAIAs by decreasing prostaglandin synthesis. The efficacy of zomepirac has been demonstrated primarily in acute forms of pain with associated inflammatory processes including postdental-extraction, postpartum, and postoperative pain. Many of these studies have been single-dose evaluations. Zomepirac sodium 100 mg has been reported to be approximately equivalent to one to two tablets of aspirin-phenacetin-caffeine (APC) with codeine 30 mg. In two studies, zomepirac sodium 100 mg compared favorably with morphine sulfate 8 and 16 mg i.m. It has been shown to be superior to aspirin 650 mg in oral-surgery patients. In osteoarthritis, daily doses of zomepirac sodium 400-600 mg are approximately equivalent to aspirin 3200-4800 mg. Zomepirac has side effects similar to high-dose aspirin. Zomepirac is associated with an increased incidence of urogenital symptoms such as dysuria and pyuria. Because of tumorigenicity in rats, the drug is contraindicated in children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. The drug has not demonstrated any potential for physical dependence, withdrawal, or tolerance. Zomepirac may provide a suitable alternative to aspirin, narcotic/NSAIA combinations, and narcotics in the treatment of mild to moderately severe pain. It is unlikely that zomepirac will replace narcotics in more severe types of pain.
Proptosis, Diplopia, and an Ocular Bruit in a Patient With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

We describe a case of a 30 -year-old female with a history of the Vascular form of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome who presented to a community Emergency Department with complaints of eye pain, blurred vision, and diplopia. On examination, she was noted to have proptosis, scleral injection and an ocular bruit. Imaging studies demonstrated dissection of the carotid artery and a carotid cavernous sinus fistula. Patient underwent endovascular coil embolization of the lesion with resolution of symptoms. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jmc915w
Intramolecular hydrogen bonds: ab initio Car Parrinello simulations of arylamide torsions

Abstract Gas-phase, room temperature Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations using the HCTH density functional are reported for the arylamides acetanilide ( 1 ) and ortho -methylthioacetanilide ( 2 ). The simulations show that in 1 , rotation around the ring–amide bond is relatively unrestricted. By contrast, in 2 the methylthio side chain encourages the amide to be directed with N–H pointing toward S, not to flip by 360°, and furthermore to remain close to coplanar with the benzene ring. Because of an intramolecular N–H⋯S hydrogen bond, the N–H stretch frequency of 2 is red-shifted by ∼78 cm −1 compared to that of 1 .
Cyclization of diphenylacetylene on methylchromium σ-complexes III. Hydrogen transfer reactions☆☆☆

Abstract The reaction of diphenylacetylene with methylchromium systems yields cis - and trans -stilbene, cis - and trans -α-methylstilbene, α-benzylstyrene and bibenzyl as well as cyclic and linear condensation products. Studies with a specifically deuterated methylchromium system and diphenylacetylene and also experiments with deuterium oxide have established that the methyl group is the chief source of hydrogen in the formation of these products. Secondary hydrogen sources are also indicated. Transient carbene-chromium complexes are probable intermediates.