cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CDK5 inhibition suppresses pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis

C68 We have previously shown that CDK5, a tissue-specific kinase that is a potential therapeutic target in Alzheimer’s disease, controls cancer cell motility and invasion, and that CDK5 inhibition blocked metastasis in a prostate cancer xenograft model (Strock et al, Cancer Res. 66: 5559, 2006). CDK5 is also active in melanoma, lung, thyroid, and pancreatic cancer, suggesting its importance in metastasis in these diseases. Here, we show that inhibition of CDK5 in pancreatic cancer cell lines blocks cell motility and invasion. In an orthotopic xenograft model of pancreatic cancer, CDK5 inhibition by expression of a dominant negative CDK5 construct resulted in inhibition of growth of the primary tumor, and ablation of metastasis. These effects were accompanied by decreased activity of the ras effector RalA. Since RalA has been shown to be important for pancreatic tumorigenesis, these data suggest that CDK5 inhibition may inhibit the ras signaling pathway through RalA, and that CDK5 may be a potential therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. Supported in part by NIH grants R01CA85567 and R01CA113669, the SolGoldmanPancreaticCancerResearchCenter, the National Pancreas Foundation, and a fellowship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Epidemiology of Dizziness and Balance Problems in Children in the United States: A Population-Based Study.

OBJECTIVE: To study national prevalence of dizziness and balance problems in US children and explore associated risk factors and patterns of healthcare utilization. STUDY DESIGN: A multistage, nationally representative, probability sample of children (n = 10 954; aged 3-17 years) was examined based on the 2012 National Health Interview Survey Child Balance Supplement. Parents were asked if during the past year their child was bothered by symptoms of dizziness and balance problems: vertigo (motion sensation), light-headedness/fainting, clumsiness/poor coordination, poor balance/unsteadiness when standing-up or walking, frequent falls, or other dizziness and balance problems. Logistic regression was used to examine associations with sociodemographic information, birth weight, developmental delays, and significant health conditions. RESULTS: Prevalence of dizziness and balance problems was 5.3% (3.3 million US children); females, 5.7%, males, 5.0%. Non-Hispanic white (6.1%) had increased prevalence compared with Hispanic (4.6%) and non-Hispanic black (4.3%) children, P = .01. Prevalence increased with age, from 4.1% for children aged 3-5 years to 7.5% for children aged 15-17 years, P CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors identified provide useful epidemiologic information about dizziness and balance problems in children and will be used in tracking the Healthy People 2020 goal to increase utilization of healthcare services for these children. Language: en
Global Imbalances and Lending Constraints in a Standard Business Cycle Model

Does increased international liquidity, the saving glut explain the recent deterioration of US current account balances? In this paper, we develop a simple, two country real business cycle model to answer this question. The salient feature of our model is that lending by one country is constrained by it's wealth by a regulatory or institutional lending constraint. We allow shocks to this lending constraint to capture a country's ability to lend as financial regulations evolve and the country's financial markets to develop. Applying our model to the test case of Japan (lender) and the US, we find that our general equilibrium model captures well, how differential productivity growth affects the flow of capital from the lending country (Japan) to the U.S., and how the lending constraint interacts with productivity growth to impact the borrowing country, or the U.S. current account.
Book Review: Social Movements, Legal Change, and the Challenges of Writing Legal History

(Reviewing Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Courage to Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement (2011)).This Essay identifies the key contributions that Tomiko-Brown Nagin’s Courage to Dissent makes to the legal history of the civil rights movement. It situates the book among several other prominent legal histories of the civil rights era and offers thoughts on the challenge of creating historical accounts that illuminate the complex intersections of legal change and social activism. The Essay argues that Courage to Dissent is among the most thorough and ambitious efforts to confront this challenge in the literature today.
Factory Girls After the Factory Female Return Migrations in Rural China

Many scholars of gender and migration assume that migration increases women’s household bargaining power, but this article argues that migration recreates and relies on patriarchal expectations that women return to household domestic labor. It draws on 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork with migrant factory women in China’s export processing zones as well as one migrant-sending community in China. Based on this fieldwork, I argue that despite young women’s desires to continue migrating for factory jobs, older generations perpetuate gendered views of female migration as licentious and risky, in opposition to a dominant paradigm of proper femininity that relegates young women to household labor. They do this because migration creates an intergenerational dependence in migrant origin sites. Older women, unemployable in factories and deprived of state welfare support at home, rely on wage remittances from high-earning migrant sons and sons-in-law for subsistence. To ensure they receive remittances, they enco...
Internal multiple attenuation on Encana data

The attenuation of internal multiple energy on land data is still one of the most challenging tasks in seismic data preprocessing. Low data quality and lack of velocity information of complicated structure (especially in near surface) on land data often result in poor predictions in many cases. Inverse Scattering Series (ISS) internal multiple attenuation is a very promising algorithm to attenuate internal multiple energy on land seismic exploration data. The key characteristic of this ISS-based methods is that they do not require any information about the subsurface, i.e., they are fully data driven. Internal multiples from all possible generators are predicted simultaneously from the input data. In this paper we apply Inverse Scattering Series (ISS) internal multiple attenuation algorithms on a land seismic data from Canada.
Euthanasia: an inclusive definition.

We continue to share with our remotest ancestors the most tangled and evasive attitudes about death, despite the great distance we have come in understanding some of the profound aspects of biology...
Optimization AGC Control System of Aluminum Rolling Processes

To the problem that the thickness control system of aluminum rolling mill is a nonlinear, time delay, multivariable coupled, and complex real lime system, an optimization control system appropriate for variety of rolling mills is proposed. Many kinds of AGC, optimization, and self-adaptive control methods are adopted to make optimal precise control on rolling system. The product quality is guaranteed, and the ef-ficiency of production is improved. Test result shows that the optimization control system provides real time operation rate less than 100 ms, and keeps the deviation of exit strip thickness below 2 % and guarantees the product quality, in the mean time, the average running speed is increased by 10 % , and production efficiency is apparently increased.
A small RNA is associated with dermatan sulfate proteoglycan

A specific RNA, called pgRNA, was bound to purified dermatan sulfate proteoglycan from porcine skin. The pgRNA was approximately 20 bases in length and contained greater than 80% guanosine. The pgRNA-proteoglycan complex was dissociated into pgRNA and apo-proteoglycan by denaturing conditions. The complex was reconstituted from apo-proteoglycan and pgRNA, but not by other RNA molecules. Both pgRNA and an additional smaller RNA, perhaps derived from pgRNA, were isolated complexed to the glycosaminoglycan dermatan sulfate derived from dermatan sulfate proteoglycan. Both the chromatographic and physical properties of the dermatan sulfate were influenced by the pgRNA binding.
Sparse recovery with partial support knowledge

The goal of sparse recovery is to recover the (approximately) best k-sparse approximation x of an n-dimensional vector x from linear measurements Ax of x. We consider a variant of the problem which takes into account partial knowledge about the signal. In particular, we focus on the scenario where, after the measurements are taken, we are given a set S of size s that is supposed to contain most of the "large" coefficients of x. The goal is then to find x such that ||x - x||p ≤ C min k-sparse x′ supp(x′)⊆S ||x-x′||q. We refer to this formulation as the sparse recovery with partial support knowledge problem (SRPSK). We show that SRPSK can be solved, up to an approximation factor of C = 1+e, using O((k/e) log(s/k)) measurements, for p = q = 2. Moreover, this bound is tight as long as s = O(en/ log(n/e)). This completely resolves the asymptotic measurement complexity of the problem except for a very small range of the parameter s. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first variant of (1 + e)- approximate sparse recovery for which the asymptotic measurement complexity has been determined.
β3 integrin promotes chemoresistance to epirubicin in MDA-MB-231 through repression of the pro-apoptotic protein, BAD

Resistance to anthracycline based chemotherapy is a major limitation in the treatment of breast cancer, particularly of the triple negative sub-type that lacks targeted therapies. Resistance that arises from tumor-stromal interaction facilitated by integrins provides the possibility of targeted disruption. In the present study, we demonstrate that integrin β3 signaling inhibits apoptosis induced by a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agent, epirubicin, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Drug efflux based mechanisms do not contribute to this effect. We show that integrin β3 employs the PI3K-Akt and the MAPK pathway for enabling cell survival and proliferation. Further, our results indicate that integrin β3 helps inhibit epirubicin induced cytotoxicity by repression of the pro-apoptotic protein BAD, thus promoting an anti-apoptotic response. Myristoylated RGT peptide and a monoclonal antibody against integrin β3 brought about a reversal of this effect and chemosensitized the cells. These results identify β3 integrin signaling via repression of BAD as an important survival pathway used by breast cancer cells to evade chemotherapy induced stress.
Effect of ablation of phospholamban on dynamics of cardiac myocyte contraction and intracellular Ca2

We compared mechanical activity and Ca2+ transients of ventricular myocytes isolated from wild-type and phospholamban (PLB)-deficient mouse hearts in control conditions and during beta-adrenergic stimulation. Compared with wild-type controls, cells isolated from PLB-deficient mouse hearts showed 1) a 2-fold increase in extent of cell shortening, 2) a 3-fold increase in maximal shortening velocity, and 3) a 3.4-fold increase in maximal relengthening velocity. PLB-deficient myocytes also demonstrated significant increases in the peak amplitude of the fura 2 fluorescence ratio and the rates of rising and falling phases of the Ca2+ transient. The fura 2 diastolic ratios were similar in both groups, suggesting no change in intracellular Ca2+ during diastole. In PLB-deficient myocytes, 0.05 microM isoproterenol induced an increase in the twitch amplitude by 152 +/- 11% (n = 6) compared with 290 +/- 31% (n = 6) in wild-type cells. Maximal shortening velocity was increased by 183 +/- 10% (n = 6) in PLB-deficient myocytes, compared with 398 +/- 62% (n = 6) in wild-type cells. The isoproterenol-induced increase in maximum relengthening velocity was increased by 168 +/- 8% (n = 6) in PLB-deficient cells compared with 445 +/- 71% (n = 6) in wild-type myocytes. In both groups, these changes in contractile parameters were accompanied by changes in the Ca2+ transient. Our results indicate that phosphorylation of sites other than PLB may play an important role in regulation of contraction-relaxation dynamics of heart cells responding to beta-adrenergic stimulation.
Bone grafting with granular biomaterial in segmental maxillary osteotomy: A case report.

Introduction Segmental maxillary osteotomy enables correction of anterior open bites. However, the outcome can be somewhat unstable, particularly if pseudarthrosis occurs. Bone grafts can be used to prevent this complication. Among the many biomaterials available for grafting, Bio-oss® has been used successfully in a range of modalities, with studies to support several indications. This report describes a case of segmental maxillary osteotomy in which Bio-oss® granules were used as bone grafts in the surgical gap.
Mechanistic Studies of Single-Step Styrene Production Using a Rhodium(I) Catalyst

The direct and single-step conversion of benzene, ethylene, and a Cu(II) oxidant to styrene using the Rh(I) catalyst (FlDAB)Rh(TFA)(η2-C2H4) [FlDAB = N,N′-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-2,3-dimethyl-1,4-diaza-1,3-butadiene; TFA = trifluoroacetate] has been reported to give quantitative yields (with Cu(II) as the limiting reagent) and selectivity combined with turnover numbers >800. This report details mechanistic studies of this catalytic process using a combined experimental and computational approach. Examining catalysis with the complex (FlDAB)Rh(OAc)(η2-C2H4) shows that the reaction rate has a dependence on catalyst concentration between first- and half-order that varies with both temperature and ethylene concentration, a first-order dependence on ethylene concentration with saturation at higher concentrations of ethylene, and a zero-order dependence on the concentration of Cu(II) oxidant. The kinetic isotope effect was found to vary linearly with the order in (FlDAB)Rh(OAc)(η2-C2H4), exhibiting no KIE when [...
Mechanism of inhibition of botulinum neurotoxin type A light chain by two quinolinol compounds.

Quinolinol-based compounds are a promising starting point for discovery of effective inhibitors of the clostridial neurotoxin, botulinum neurotoxin type A light chain (BoNT/A LC). Insights into the mechanism of inhibition by quinolinol compounds facilitate interpretation of docking data and inhibitor optimization. In this study, a fluorogenic substrate of BoNT/A, SNAPtide, was used to study the mechanism by which two new quinolinol compounds, MSU58 and MSU84, with IC50 values of 3.3 μM and 5.8 μM, respectively, inhibit BoNT/A LC. Kinetic studies and model discrimination analysis showed both compounds to be competitive inhibitors of BoNT/A LC with inhibition constants (KI) 3.2 μM and 6.2 μM for MSU58 and MSU84, respectively. These data indicate that the inhibitors bind in the BoNT/A LC active site and that inhibitor binding is mutually exclusive with the binding of the substrate. This is the first study to report the competitive inhibition of BoNT/A LC by quinolinol compounds. These data help define the inhibitor binding pocket and, along with structure activity relationship studies, provide immediate direction for further compound synthesis.
Cancer is a somatic cell pregnancy

At the present time there is no active immunotherapy approved for treatment of any malignancy. B-cell malignancy arises from one original B lymphocyte and therefore all the members of a given lymphoma tumor population have the same unique immunoglobulin which can serve as a target for immune therapy. When the idiotype of each immunoglobulin is used as a vaccine, antibodies and T cells can be induced and each can cause rejection of the tumor by the host. This special opportunity for tumor specificity is accompanied by the challenge of constructing a different vaccine for each patient. The first clinical trial of Id vaccination for lymphoma at Stanford University included patients with low-grade, follicular lymphoma. Over half (14/32) mounted anti-Id immune responses to the vaccine. Development of an immune response is strongly correlated with prolonged freedom from disease progression in comparison to non-responders. Overall survival has also been superior in immune responding patients. The clinical activity of Id-KLH vaccination was confirmed by investigators at the National Cancer Institute. Subsequent phase II trials supported by industry, Genitope and Favrille, have led the current phase III trials that hopefully will prove the efficacy of idiotype vaccination. How can this customized vaccine approach be applied to large numbers of patients? The ability to amplify and clone Id genes from B-cell tumor specimens using PCR has opened up a variety of new strategies that can streamline the production of Id vaccines. It may even be possible to use formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tissues, thus obviating the need for fresh tumor tissue. Once the V region genes are cloned the Id proteins can be produced in mammalian cells, insect cells, plants or bacteria. It may even be possible to produce proteins in a completely cell free transcription/translation system. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
Theory of measurement for site-specific evolutionary rates in amino-acid sequences

In the field of molecular evolution, we commonly calculate site-specific evolutionary rates from alignments of amino-acid sequences. For example, catalytic residues in enzymes and interface regions in protein complexes can be inferred from observed relative rates. While numerous approaches exist to calculate amino-acid rates, it is not entirely clear what physical quantities the inferred rates represent and how these rates relate to the underlying fitness landscape of the evolving proteins. Further, amino-acid rates can be calculated in the context of different amino-acid exchangeability matrices, such as JTT, LG, or WAG, and again it is not well understood how the choice of the matrix influences the physical interpretation of the inferred rates. Here, we develop a theory of measurement for site-specific evolutionary rates, by analytically solving the maximum-likelihood equations for rate inference performed on sequences evolved under a mutation--selection model. We demonstrate that for realistic analysis settings the measurement process will recover the true expected rates of the mutation--selection model if rates are measured relative to a naive exchangeability matrix, in which all exchangeabilities are equal to 1/19. We also show that rate measurements using other matrices are quantitatively close but in general not mathematically equivalent. Our results demonstrate that insights obtained from phylogenetic-tree inference do not necessarily apply to rate inference, and best practices for the former may be deleterious for the latter.
Generalizing Ecological Effects of Shoreline Armoring Across Soft Sediment Environments

Despite its widespread use, the ecological effects of shoreline armoring are poorly synthesized and difficult to generalize across soft sediment environments and structure types. We developed a conceptual model that scales predicted ecological effects of shore-parallel armoring based on two axes: engineering purpose of structure (reduce/slow velocities or prevent/stop flow of waves and currents) and hydrodynamic energy (e.g., tides, currents, waves) of soft sediment environments. We predicted greater ecological impacts for structures intended to stop as opposed to slow water flow and with increasing hydrodynamic energy of the environment. We evaluated our predictions with a literature review of effects of shoreline armoring for six possible ecological responses (habitat distribution, species assemblages, trophic structure, nutrient cycling, productivity, and connectivity). The majority of studies were in low-energy environments (51 of 88), and a preponderance addressed changes in two ecological responses associated with armoring: habitat distribution and species assemblages. Across the 207 armoring effects studied, 71% were significantly negative, 22% were significantly positive, and 7% reported no significant difference. Ecological responses varied with engineering purpose of structures, with a higher frequency of negative responses for structures designed to stop water flow within a given hydrodynamic energy level. Comparisons across the hydrodynamic energy axis were less clear-cut, but negative responses prevailed (>78%) in high-energy environments. These results suggest that generalizations of ecological responses to armoring across a range of environmental contexts are possible and that the proposed conceptual model is useful for generating predictions of the direction and relative ecological impacts of shoreline armoring in soft sediment ecosystems.
Societal and Family Lifetime Cost of Dementia: Implications for Policy

Objectives To estimate the cost of dementia and the extra cost of caring for someone with dementia over the cost of caring for someone without dementia. Design We developed an evidence-based mathematical model to simulate disease progression for newly diagnosed individuals with dementia. Data-driven trajectories of cognition, function, and behavioral and psychological symptoms were used to model disease progression and predict costs. Using modeling, we evaluated lifetime and annual costs of individuals with dementia, compared costs of those with and without clinical features of dementia, and evaluated the effect of reducing functional decline or behavioral and psychological symptoms by 10% for 12 months (implemented when Mini-Mental State Examination score ≤21). Setting Mathematical model. Participants Representative simulated U.S. incident dementia cases. Measurements Value of informal care, out-of-pocket expenditures, Medicaid expenditures, and Medicare expenditures. Results From time of diagnosis (mean age 83), discounted total lifetime cost of care for a person with dementia was $321,780 (2015 dollars). Families incurred 70% of the total cost burden ($225,140), Medicaid accounted for 14% ($44,090), and Medicare accounted for 16% ($52,540). Costs for a person with dementia over a lifetime were $184,500 greater (86% incurred by families) than for someone without dementia. Total annual cost peaked at $89,000, and net cost peaked at $72,400. Reducing functional decline or behavioral and psychological symptoms by 10% resulted in $3,880 and $680 lower lifetime costs than natural disease progression. Conclusion Dementia substantially increases lifetime costs of care. Long-lasting, effective interventions are needed to support families because they incur the most dementia cost.
Spectral performance analysis and design for distributed control of multi-agent systems

We characterize the performance measure of a multi-agent system that is controlled by a distributed feedback control law. The agents may acquire the relative feedback on an undirected graph. Furthermore, a subset of them are aware of their full state; i.e. connected to a (possibly virtual) leader. We show the performance measure is a spectral function of the loopy graph Laplacian; i.e. the sum of a so-called performance function over Laplacian eigenvalues. This generalizes the existing results for the performance metrics in the formation control of integrator agents. The linear algebraic evaluation of these functions is independent of the network size. It turns out that using random sampling methods, we may approximate the performance measure without eigendecompositions. This observation benefits us in the optimal reweighting problem of a network graph. Moreover, the optimal feedback gains may be synthesized efficiently. Indeed, we introduce a framework that allows one to effectively optimize the networks of general linear time-invariant subsystems. We illustrate the practical aspects of our theoretical contributions by applying the methodology to systems of various dynamics, including the platooning of vehicles and formations of integrator agents.
Problem-Solving through Problems. By Loren C. Larson

(1985). Problem-Solving through Problems. By Loren C. Larson. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 92, No. 9, pp. 676-678.
Population Expansion of Humpback Chub In Western Grand Canyon and Hypothesized Mechanisms

Abstract— Humpback chub, Gila cypha, is an endangered warm water fish endemic to the Colorado River basin of southwestern North America. In Grand Canyon National Park, cold hypolimnetic water-release temperatures from Glen Canyon Dam have largely precluded successful spawning and recruitment of humpback chub in the mainstem Colorado River. Therefore, the species has utilized the warmer, more saline, and free-flowing Little Colorado River for its primary spawning habitat and continued existence. Based on long-term fish sampling efforts, we document local recruitment and population expansion of humpback chub in the western Grand Canyon and hypothesize that this is a result of recent warmer mainstem water temperatures. Continued recruitment and population expansion of humpback chub in the western Grand Canyon could potentially reduce extinction risk by providing population redundancy and less reliance upon the Little Colorado River for the species survival in the Grand Canyon.
In vitro and in vivo metabolism of sunitinib in nonclinical species and humans

1285 Sunitinib malate (SU11248) is an oral, multitargeted, tyrosine kinase inhibitor of VEGFRs, PDGFRs, KIT, FLT3, CSF-1R, and RET, approved multinationally for the treatment of advanced RCC and imatinib-resistant or -intolerant GIST. We report here the results of preclinical studies investigating the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of sunitinib, which guided the design and conduct of human drug-drug interaction (DDI) and radiolabeled mass balance studies. Sunitinib was metabolized in vitro by liver microsomes from mice (M), rats (R), dogs (D), monkeys (Mo), and humans (H). SU12662 (N-desethyl, active metabolite) was the major metabolite in M, Mo, and H liver microsomes, while SU12487 (an N-oxide metabolite) was the major metabolite in D liver microsomes. In R liver microsomes, SU12487 was the major metabolite at a low concentration (2 μM) of sunitinib, but SU12662 predominated at a higher substrate concentration (25 μM). Pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies with sunitinib in M, R, rabbits (Rb), and Mo demonstrated high systemic levels of the parent drug, while SU12662 was the only quantifiable metabolite in plasma in M, R, Rb, and Mo; in D, SU12487 was also found. The predominant drug-related compounds found in bile were sunitinib and SU12662 and, in urine, sunitinib, SU12662, and SU12487. Monohydroxylation on the aromatic ring system and aliphatic moieties occurred and their sulfate and glucuronide conjugates were found in bile and urine as minor metabolites. Across studies (M, R, Mo), sunitinib and SU12662 were the only major drug-related compounds found in plasma. SU12487 was only found in M and D plasma. CYP3A-mediated N-deethylation to form SU12662 was the major pathway of sunitinib metabolism in R, Mo and H liver microsomes. In H liver microsomes, sunitinib N-deethylation was correlated only with testosterone 6β-hydroxylase (CYP3A4) activity (r2 = 0.56). N-deethylation of SU12662 in human hepatic microsomes was also mediated by CYP3A4 as shown by its metabolic inhibition by ketoconazole (93% inhibition at 1 μM), but not by furafylline (CYP1A inhibitor). In human liver microsomes and hepatocytes, sunitinib or SU12662 did not induce or inhibit major CYP enzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, CYP3A4/5, and CYP4A9/11) and are unlikely to have any clinically relevant DDIs with drugs that may be metabolized by these enzymes. In summary, sunitinib was moderately metabolized in all species evaluated. The N-desethyl metabolite, SU12662, was the primary metabolite identified in the majority of species with minor quantities of the N-oxide metabolite, SU12487. CYP3A4 was the primary route of metabolism, but neither sunitinib nor SU12662 are likely inhibitors or inducers of this or any other CYP450-mediated metabolism. Only sunitinib and SU12662 are measured in clinical trials and clinical recommendations are given only for coadministration of potent CYP3A4 inhibitors and inducers.
Deep learning in design workflows: The elusive design pixel:

The recent wave of developments and research in the field of deep learning and artificial intelligence is causing the border between the intuitive and deterministic domains to be redrawn, especiall...
Business Premium Collection

Business Premium Collection (BPC) is ProQuest’s most comprehensive solution for business research. The platform offers more than 10,000 sources from more than 2200 publishers. Navigating and evalua...
Nach dem Krieg ist vor dem Krieg

Nicht durch Reden und Majoritatsbeschlusse werden die grosen Fragen der Zeit entschieden – das ist der grose Fehler von 1848 und 1849 gewesen – sondern durch Eisen und Blut«, mit diesen Worten hatte Bismarck 1862 in einer Rede vor dem Preusischen Abgeordnetenhaus fur eine Heeresreform geworben. Und so wurde dann in der Tat die deutsche Einigung in mehreren Kriegen – gegen Danemark, Osterreich und Frankreich – blutig herbeigefuhrt.
Early-onset colorectal cancer: What reported statistics can and cannot tell us and their implications

In their current article, Virostko and colleagues report on the distribution of adult colorectal cancer cases in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015 based on age-eligibility for screening. The editorial discusses the findings, the features of the database, and uses population-based data to contextualize emerging trends in incidence and mortality and the need for research to improve outcomes in all people at risk for colorectal cancer irrespective of screening-eligibility.
A Practical Guide to Cluster Randomized Trials in School Health Research

BACKGROUND When well-designed and implemented, cluster randomized trials can meet the high standards federal agencies and other funders increasingly require for evidence on the effectiveness of school health programs and services. However, designing and implementing these studies can present more challenges than at first appears. METHODS I reviewed summaries of the methodological literature on cluster randomized trials. I then conducted a search to identify practical applications of these methods in school health research. RESULTS The review identified 6 key issues or decisions school health researchers must address when designing, conducting, and analyzing data from a cluster randomized trial: (1) reasons to use a clustered design, (2) sample size calculation, (3) the use of matching or stratification, (4) definition of the school and student samples, (5) consent gathering, and (6) analysis methods. CONCLUSIONS School health researchers can take several practical steps to ensure the availability of high-quality research evidence and meet the growing demands for evidence and accountability in education policy and programming. These steps include selecting the right research design for the intervention and evaluation setting, identifying appropriate sample definitions and analysis methods, and developing appropriate procedures for gathering parental permission and student assent.
Qualitative evidence for Resilience, Stress, and Ethnicity (RiSE): A program to address race-based stress among Black women at risk for cardiovascular disease

Abstract Objective Growing evidence demonstrates that perceived discrimination and racism are significant contributing factors to psychological distress, low-grade chronic inflammation, and cardiovascular health disparities among minorities, particularly among Black women. Despite this evidence, there are no evidence-based complementary therapy interventions available to ameliorate chronic stress associated with racism and discrimination. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a novel, 8-week, group-based stress reduction program, Resilience, Stress and Ethnicity (RiSE), designed to help Black women at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) develop effective coping skills for dealing with chronic stress uniquely associated with being a minority. Methods We conducted two semi-structured focus groups with Black women (N = 22) following their participation in the 8-week RiSE program. We analyzed the data using constant comparative qualitative methods. Results Attrition rate was low (13%) with all participants attending at least 6 of the 8 classes. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program and the majority (81%) reported practicing the skills that they learned in real-life stressful situations. In describing the participants’ response to the program, four key categories emerged from the data: (1) Increasing awareness of stressors associated with perceived discrimination and racism; (2) Coping with race-based stressors; (3) Coping with other sources of stress; and (4) Increasing sense of empowerment and emotion regulation. Conclusions Findings suggest that RiSE is feasible and effective in helping Black women at risk for CVD cope with chronic stress associated with being a minority. Given evidence that perceived discrimination and racism are underlying factors in many inflammatory-based chronic diseases, this research may have broader implications for reducing health disparities across a wide-spectrum of chronic illnesses in which women minorities are disproportionately affected.
Environmental Risk Factors for Endometriosis: a Critical Evaluation of Studies and Recommendations from the Epidemiologic Perspective

Recent studies of environmental chemicals and endometriosis were critically evaluated from the epidemiologic perspective to identify aspects of study design and analyses that may contribute to discrepant results across studies. Of the 29 studies reviewed, 12 studies used new approaches to population-based sampling. The remaining studies were conducted primarily among patients undergoing pelvic surgery; controls may not represent the exposure experience of the underlying study base, resulting in biased estimates of associations. Most studies used biologic specimens collected near diagnosis and varied in analytic approaches to minimize bias. Few studies investigated ovarian, deep-infiltrating, and peritoneal endometriosis presentations separately. Recommendations to move the field forward include (1) control selection from a defined study base, (2) exposure characterization during the etiologically relevant window, (3) employment of best practices to minimize bias in analyses, and (4) separate consideration of endometriosis presentations that may be etiologically distinct entities.
The Optical Mouse: Early Biomimetic Embedded Vision

The 1980 Xerox optical mouse invention, and subsequent product, was a successful deployment of embedded vision, as well as of the Mead–Conway VLSI design methodology that we developed at Xerox PARC in the late 1970s. The design incorporated an interpretation of visual lateral inhibition, essentially mimicking biology to achieve a wide dynamic range, or light-level-independent operation. Conceived in the context of a research group developing VLSI design methodologies, the optical mouse chip represented an approach to self-timed semi-digital design, with the analog image-sensing nodes connecting directly to otherwise digital logic using a switch-network methodology. Using only a few hundred gates and pass transistors in 5\(\upmu \) nMOS technology, the optical mouse chip tracked the motion of light dots in its field of view, and reported motion with a pair of 2-bit Gray codes for \(x\) and \(y\) relative position—just like the mechanical mice of the time. Besides the chip, the only other electronic components in the mouse were the LED illuminators.
Cerebral arteriovenous fistulae

Dural arteriovenous fistulae (dAVFs) are diverse, complex lesions that share the common feature of arteriovenous shunting without an intervening nidus. In this chapter, the ensuing discussion is organized by dAVF location, followed by further consideration of less common, distinct types of dAVFs-carotid cavernous fistulae, pial arteriovenous fistulae, and vein of Galen malformations. For each lesion type, epidemiology, clinical presentation, imaging findings, classification considerations, and treatment options are discussed.
Cervical Pediatric Spine Trauma Managed With Open Spinal Fixation and Instrumentation and a Review of the Literature.

Cervical spine injuries in the pediatric population are rare. Most injuries to the cervical spinal cord and vertebral column can be managed nonoperatively; however, surgical management may be required in certain clinical scenarios. A posterior surgical approach has been previously preferred; however, the utilization of anterior spinal fixation and instrumentation has been limited. We present a small case series of patients presenting with a traumatic cervical spine injury and detail the feasibility of craniocervical junction (CVJ) and subaxial spinal fixation in the pediatric population. We report four cases involving pediatric patients, all of whom presented with cervical spine injuries necessitating operative intervention using a combination of the anterior and posterior operative approaches. All four patients recovered well, did not require surgical revision, and were neurologically intact at the last follow-up. Therefore, we conclude that spinal arthrodesis is a safe, effective way to manage spinal injuries in the cervical spine following traumatic injury.
How Should Trainees Be Taught to Have Compassionate Intention When Force Is Necessary to Care Well for Patients

Trainees are expected to encounter clinical training environments and situations that utilize methods of force as a component of clinical care. These include emergency care, critical care, and psychiatry. Several educational recommendations are offered in this paper related to these situations-including de-escalation training and crisis management skills, trauma-informed care, person-centered care approaches, and compassionate care approaches-to support trainee development across clinical care settings. Trainees require supervisors' focused attention to consider and implement force when caring for a diverse range of patients and retraumatization risk. Minimization of the need for forced care and the implementation of compassionate force in treatment require thoughtful and comprehensive educational plans.
Effects of optical polarization on hybridization of radiative and evanescent field modes

Author(s): Iurov, A; Huang, D; Gumbs, G; Pan, W; Maradudin, AA | Abstract: The effects of induced optical polarization by Dirac electrons in graphene on the hybridization of radiative and evanescent fields are found. Such effects result in a localized polarization field which significantly modifies an incident surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) field. This yields a high sensitivity to local dielectric environments and provides an investigative tool for molecules or proteins selectively bound with carbons. A scattering matrix is utilized with varied frequencies in the vicinity of the surface-plasmon (SP) resonance for the increase, decrease, and even a full suppression of the polarization field, which enables accurate effective-medium theories to be constructed for Maxwell-equation finite-difference time-domain methods. Moreover, double peaks in the absorption spectra for hybrid SP and graphene-plasmon modes are significant only with a large conductor plasma frequency, but are overshadowed by a round SPP peak at a small plasma frequency as the graphene is placed close to the conductor surface. These resonant absorptions facilitate polariton-only excitations, leading to polariton condensation for a threshold-free laser.
One Cost of Global Warming - The View from the ILS Market

The June 2017 issue of Science magazine laid out an extensive and comprehensive model for projecting the future cost of climate change for the United States of America. What the paper does not do, and which is the objective herein is to ask, what has climate change cost us so far? The paper takes one non-controversial aspect of climate change – the elevation of sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean – and seeks to estimate costs emanating from that sole source. The lens used for this examination is the Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) market. Beginning in 2006 the ILS market began to provide expected loss estimate for different ILS under two different scenarios – that the sea surface elevation would be sustained, or alternatively, that the temperature would in time drop back to the long-term average. The difference between these two estimates essentially provides an incremental estimate of the cost of this phenomenon of climate change. The ILS market is a small, but increasingly vibrant, part of the whole catastrophe reinsurance market. The paper grosses up the ILS effects to the whole market to get a US cost of climate change. The paper concludes that it is as much as one basis point of annual US GDP growth.
Trace Mineral Nutrition and Interrelationships as Applied to Dairy Cattle

Some 15 trace minerals elements have been shown to be essential for animals including dairy cattle (Mills, 1985; Underwood, 1977, 1981). Deficiencies of seven have been observed under some practical condition. These are cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc. Although some of the others can be important practical problems as toxic elements, interest in them as essential nutrients is primarily academic. They are chromium, fluorine, molybdenum, nickel silicon, tin, vanadium, and arsenic. As is true of all nutrients, every essential trace element can be harmful when fed in too great numbers.
Honor Killing: Multidimensional and Multilevel Perspectives

Honor killing is a crime and a social and intercultural moral dilemma in terms of understanding its motivations and possible prevention. This article presents multiple perspectives to illuminate the multifaceted dimensions of honor killing. Various contemporary ethical and theoretical perspectives on honor killing are addressed. The article is organized into four sections: honor killing as contextualized and defined; honor killing as a complex social, moral, and intercultural issue; social ecological and intercultural facework perspectives on honor killing, with an illustrative application; and finally, conclusions and future directions.
The identification of small molecules that alter the activity of the LINE1 endonuclease (LB253)

Long interspersed element-1 (LINE1) is the only currently active autonomous retroelement within the human genome. LINE1 replicates itself through a process known as retrotransposition that requires the endonuclease and reverse transcriptase activities of the LINE1 protein ORF2. During retrotransposition, the LINE1 endonuclease recognizes an AT-rich target sequence loosely defined as 5'TTTT/AA3' ("/" denotes site of cleavage). After nicking of DNA by LINE1 endonuclease and reverse transcription of LINE1 RNA, a new copy of LINE1 is inserted into the genome. The complete details of LINE1 insertion are undefined, however, a double strand break (DSB) must occur during this process prior to integration of novel LINE1 elements. Further studies characterizing LINE1 endonuclease function demonstrated that LINE1 endonuclease induces formation of DSBs. While LINE1 mutagenic insertion events have been associated with diseases such as breast and colon cancer as well as muscular dystrophy, the full effect of LINE1 endo...
Cumulative responses of muscle protein synthesis are augmented with chronic resistance exercise training.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the anabolic response of a single bout of high intensity resistance exercise (RE) following 5 weeks of RE training. Methods: To complete these studies, Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned by body mass to RE, exercise control (EC), or sedentary cage control (CC) groups and studied over 36 h after 5 weeks of RE (squat-like) training. Cumulative (final 36 h) fractional rates of muscle protein synthesis (FSR) were determined by 2H2O, and acute (16 h post-RE) rates of muscle protein synthesis (RPS) were determined by flooding with l-[2,3,4,5,6-3H]phenylalanine. Regulators of peptide-chain initiation, 4E-BP1, eIF4E and the association of the two were determined by Western blotting and immunoprecipitation respectively. Results: No differences were observed with acute measures of RPS obtained 16 h following the final exercise bout in the plantaris or soleus muscles (P > 0.05). Consistent with this observation, 4E-BP1 was similarly phosphorylated and bound to eIF4E among all groups. However, upon determination of the cumulative response, FSR was significantly increased in the plantaris of RE vs. EC and CC (0.929 ± 0.094, 0.384 ± 0.039, 0.300 ± 0.022% h−1 respectively; P < 0.001), but not the soleus. Conclusion: With the advantage of determining cumulative FSR, the present study demonstrates that anabolic responses to RE are still evident after chronic RE training, primarily in muscle composed of fast-twitch fibres.
Slurry Pipeline Design with Geometric Programming

The objective of pipeline design is the selection of pumping station sites, pipe diameters, and pipe wall thicknesses economically over the length of the pipeline with regard to the pressures within the pipe. A new technique in nonlinear optimization called geometric programming offers a fast and inexpensive way to design a pipeline as a function of project costs and pipeline pressures. Once the characteristics of the fluid and the terrain have been incorporated into the model, a digital computer quickly solves the geometric program. Some recent studies show that for long distance coal slurry pipelines in mountainous terrain, additional pumping stations and changing pipe outer diameters may be cost beneficial. An additional pumping station may reduce the static pressure in a substantial length of pipeline which decreases the cost of the pipe.
LIQUEFACTION OF SATURATED SANDS DURING CYCLIC LOADING

Liquefaction of saturated sands was studied by means of pulsating loading triaxial tests on isotropically consolidated undrained laboratory samples. An analysis indicates that this type of test can be made to simulate idealized loading conditions on elements of soil in the field during earthquakes. The test results indicate that the danger of liquefaction of a saturated sand is determined by the following factors: (1) Void ratio; the higher the void ration the more easily liquefaction will occur. (2) Confining pressure; the lower the confining pressure the more easily liquefaction will occur, and (3) magnitude of cycle stress or strain; the larger the cyclic stress or strain the fewer the number of cycles required to induce liquefaction. Data from large shaking table experiments, and from observations of liquefaction during recent earthquakes lend qualitative support to the conclusions drawn from these laboratory cyclic loading triaxial tests.