cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interferon Induction of TAP1: The Phosphatase SHP-1 Regulates Crossover Between the IFN-α/β and the IFN-γ Signal-Transduction Pathways

Interferon (IFN)-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta induction of the transporter associated with antigen processing-1 (TAP1) promoter was compared in HeLa cells and endothelial cells (ECs). In HeLa cells, IFN-gamma acts through Stat1alpha/Stat1alpha homodimers binding to the gamma activating sequence (GAS) and IFN-alpha/beta acts through Stat1/Stat2/p48 binding to the IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE). In ECs, however, IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta act through both the GAS and ISRE. The basis of the IFN signaling crossover in ECs was investigated. HeLa and ECs contain similar ratios of Stat1alpha to Stat2 proteins, and IFN-alpha/beta also activates the same Janus kinases (JAKs) (Jak1 and tyrosine kinase (Tyk) 2 but not Jak2). However, IFN-alpha/beta activates more Stat1alpha than does IFN-gamma in ECs, whereas the reverse occurs in HeLa, and expression of the IFN-alpha/beta receptor-associated phosphatase SHP-1 is much lower in ECs than HeLa cells. Overexpression of SHP-1 in ECs blocks IFN-alpha/beta signaling through GAS, and expression of a dominan negative SHP-1 in HeLa cells permits IFN-alpha/ss signaling through GAS, demonstrating a role for SHP-1 in regulating crossovers between the IFN-alpha/beta and IFN-gamma signaling pathways.
PRELIMINARY PREFORMULATION INVESTIGATION OF TEBUFELONE, A NOVEL NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUG

A preliminary preformulation investigation of tebufelone, a novel member of the di-tert-butyl phenol class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds was conducted. Radiolabeled tebufelone was fo...
Entropy-based motion segmentation from a moving platform

The forward moving target segmentation from a moving platform with a pinhole camera is an important and relatively unexplored problem in visual tracking. This paper proposes a novel segmentation algorithm for extracting a moving target when using a moving platform (that follows a similar trajectory and has a camera that is not calibrated for the particular scene). When the target has unpredictable motions, we are unable to model it and the pertinent backgrounds are very different. We introduce a new entropy-based clustering algorithm in order to find a bounding box representing the target. A target model based on graph representation is used for matching the moving target. To demonstrate the robust target segmentation scheme, we apply the method to a team of miniature robots (the Explorers developed at the University of Minnesota) in real tracking missions.
ON THE NATURE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PROTEIN IN FROZEN‐STORED COD MUSCLE

SUMMARY Decrease in readily extractable protein IREPI paralleled by an increase in free fatty acid (FFA) occurred more rapidly in cod muscle during the first 8–10 wk of storage at – 12°C and -18°C than during subsequent storage. After 32 wk, FFA appeared to be approaching a lower maximum at –18°C. Aggregated protein was extracted during the period of decrease in REP. It was similar in extraction and sedimentation properties to altered protein obtained from frozen-stored cod muscle in which FFA was formed largely during storage in ice. Increase in cohesiveness of the myofibrils was the only alteration in microstructure observed with phase microscopy. It was concluded that change to a more hydrophobic solvent environment due to FFA formation plays an important part in the rate change and in the level of FFA reached as a function of storage temperature. A model for the association process based on bonding potentials existing in the muscle on freezing and those developed during storage is presented.
A brief review of some applications of coherent optical processing to image improvement

A guide is given to some recent literature on some new advances in the application of holographic correlative and convolutive picture processing, including image improvement in high-resolution electron microscopy and holographic fingerprint identification. It is intended to supplement Vander Lugt's recent review of coherent optical processing [1].
Oxidation of serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and antioxidant status in young and elderly humans

The incidence of atherosclerosis increases with age, as do various indices of free-radical mediated damage, e.g., lipid peroxidation. Because lipid peroxidation plays a prominent role in lipoprotein oxidation, likely a prelude to atherosclerosis, we compared the susceptibility of lipoproteins to oxidation in young (19-30 years) and elderly (59-86 years) groups. Although we found no significant differences in serum malondialdehyde (MDA) or oxidized LDL antibodies (OLAB) between young and elderly lipoproteins, MDA was directly related to OLAB regardless of age (r = 0.322, p = 0.005) and there was a trend for lower OLAB levels (30.5%, p = 0.079) in the elderly compared to the young population. Overall, serum antioxidant status was either similar or greater in the elderly group compared to the young group, likely reflecting antioxidant supplementation by the elderly group. OLAB was inversely related to Vitamin C (r = -0.310, p = 0.008) and Vitamin E intake (r = -0.277, p = 0.018) from foods and supplements. Serum levels of Vitamin C and Vitamin E were significantly higher (18.5%, p = 0.021 and 58.1 %, p < 0.001, respectively) in the elderly group compared to the young group and the ratio of Vitamin E to Vitamin C was significantly higher (30.4%, p = 0.042) in the serum of the elderly group. Oxidation of serum LDL and antioxidant status were not affected by age; however, the ratio of serum Vitamin E to Vitamin C was higher in the elderly group which may affect Vitamin E recycling.
The Use of Intentions Data to Predict Behavior: A Best-Case Analysis

Abstract In surveys individuals are routinely asked to predict their future behavior, that is, to state their intentions. This article studies the relationship between stated intentions and subsequent behavior under the “best-case” hypothesis that individuals have rational expectations and that their responses to intentions questions are best predictions of their future behavior. The objective is to place an upper bound on the behavioral information contained in intentions data and to determine whether prevailing approaches to the analysis of intentions data respect the bound. The analysis focuses on the simplest form of intentions questions, those that call for yes/no predictions of binary outcomes. The article also discusses “forced-choice” questions, which are distinct from, but are sometimes confused with, intentions questions. A primary lesson is that not too much should be expected of intentions data. It is shown that intentions data bound but do not identify the probability that a person will behav...
Empirical analysis of operand usage and transport in multimedia applications

As transistor feature sizes decrease exponentially, the critical problem in massively parallel architectures for multimedia systems becomes the wire delay latency imposed by transporting operands. In this paper, we first characterize the locality properties of operands in multimedia applications to motivate the development of alternate low-cost and low-latency operand communication mechanisms. Based on the locality properties, we then present the results of a simulation study that estimates the impact of varying sized local storage on the transport complexity of the operands. A small amount of local storage (eight-entry) per functional unit with approximate information on operand dynamic lifetimes is sufficient to suppress 79.4% of operand writes in MediaBench applications. The empirical study shows that local storage alone reduces operand read traffic by up to 35.5%.
Multidetector-row CT of lung cancer screening

L UNG CANCER IS currently the most common cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. ~,2 Despite the development of effective multimodality treatments, mortality from primary lung cancer has continued to rise over the past 3 decades; approximately 85% of those who develop lung cancer die from i t) More Americans die from lung cancer than colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. Small-cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 25% of lung cancers. Small-cell lung cancer is usually a systemic disease at initial presentation because of its aggressive nature with early dissemination throughout the body. Outcome is not improved by screening. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 75% of all lung cancers. The prognosis in patients with NSCLC follows surgical stage at the time of diagnosis. Overall, 5-year survival from lung cancer remains less than 15%3; however, patients with surgically resected early-stage NSCLC have 5-year survival rates of up to 70% or more. 4 Five-year survival in a cohort of 598 patients with surgically resected stage I tumors was recently reported as 75%; however, when stratified by TNM tumor classification, patients with T1 tumors fared better than those with T2 tumors, with 5-year survival rates of 82% and 68%, respectively. 4,5 Small tumor size at time of diagnosis and treatment is associated with longer survival, particularly when tumors are less than 1 cm in diameter. This improvement in survival forms the primary rationale for the early detection of lung cancer using multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) screening.
A convex geometric approach to counting the roots of a polynomial system

Consider a polynomial system F=(f1,…,fn) in n variables with complex coefficients. A standard way to bound the number of isolated roots of F in Cn is to multiply and add the degrees of the fi in a straightfoward computation described explicitly by some variant of Bezout's theorem. Unfortunately, even if one knows a priori which monomial terms will appear, this upper bound can be far from exact. In practice, one frequently knows which monomial terms will appear in a polynomial system before one actually decides to count or approximate its roots, so a fast accurate root count which takes this additional information into account is vital. We propose a much tighter upper bound on the number of isolated roots of F in Cn, and give an explicit combinatorial geometric criterion for when it is exact. As a corollary we obtain a geometric characterization of the average-case computational complexity of root counting. Our root count is a formula derived from the theory of toric varieties and its computation involves finding the mixed volume of n shadowed polytopes in Rn. Our formula generalizes the BKK bound (Bernshtein, 1975; Kushnirenko, 1976; Khovanskii, 1978; Canny and Rojas, 1991) in four ways: 1. For any rϵ{0,…,n}, our formula can be used to count the roots whose first r coordinates are nonzero. (The BKK bound only handles the r=n case.) As a corollary we obtain that for fixed n, all of these root counts (for generic F) can be done in time polynomial in the numbers of monomial terms of the fi. 2. We refine Bernshtein's (1975) algebraic criterion for exactness of the BKK bound into a complete classification of the subsets of the coefficients of F whose genericity guarantees exactness in our generalized bound. 3. Our results are stated in terms of arbitrary algebraically closed fields of any characteristic. (The BKK bound was originally stated only over the complex numbers.) 4. We generalize all of the above to results on the number of (n—k)-dimensional components of the zero set of (f1,…,fk) when k⩽n.
Franklin's disease: immunoglobulin heavy chain disease

A 64-year-old male presented with persistent fatigue, weakness and abdominal discomfort. He was found to have pancytopenia and hepatosplenomegaly. His bone marrow examination was mildly hypocellular with trilineage hematopoiesis. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed broad beta protein area but no gamma monoclonal spike (A). Surprisingly, immunofixation study identified monoclonal γ-heavy chain with no corresponding κ- or λ-light chains (B).
Robust and least-squares orthogonal mapping: methods for the study of cephalofacial form and growth.

A method is presented for the description and analysis of cephalofacial form and growth using two-dimensional coordinate data. The procedure permits the identification of shape differences at specific cephalofacial coordinate locations without reliance upon conventional cephalometric landmarks. The resulting size-standardized coordinates can be analyzed by statistical methods for further data exploration. Two methods of shape transformation—least-squares and robust fitting—are described and compared. An example of the utility of the technique for cephalofacial growth studies is provided.
Multi-task text segmentation and alignment based on weighted mutual information

Text segmentation is important for text analysis, while text alignment is to determine shared sub-topics among similar documents. Multi-task text segmentation and alignment is the extension of single-task segmentation to utilize information of multi-source documents. In this paper we introduce a novel domain-independent unsupervised method for multi-task segmentation and alignment based on the idea that the optimal segmentation and alignment maximizes weighted mutual information, mutual information with term weights. The experiment results show that our approach works well.
Graph embedding to improve supervised classification and novel class detection: application to prostate cancer

Recently there has been a great deal of interest in algorithms for constructing low-dimensional feature-space embeddings of high dimensional data sets in order to visualize inter- and intra-class relationships. In this paper we present a novel application of graph embedding in improving the accuracy of supervised classification schemes, especially in cases where object class labels cannot be reliably ascertained. By refining the initial training set of class labels we seek to improve the prior class distributions and thus classification accuracy. We also present a novel way of visualizing the class embeddings which makes it easy to appreciate inter-class relationships and to infer the presence of new classes which were not part of the original classification. We demonstrate the utility of the method in detecting prostatic adenocarcinoma from high-resolution MRI.
Systemic amyloidosis in mice inoculated with lyophilized Candida cells.

Abstract Injection of lyophilized Candida albicans or C. parapsilosis cells induced amyloidosis in outbred CFW mice. The disease process was irreversible, and a significant number of animals died of systemic amyloidosis within 400 days after the last treatment. The techniques described may represent a model system for the study of systemic amyloidosis.
Status of ANITA and ANITA-lite

We describe a new experiment to search for neutrinos with energies above 3 × 1018 eV based on the observation of short duration radio pulses that are emitted from neutrino-initiated cascades. The primary objective of the ANtarctic Impulse Transient Antenna (ANITA) mission is to measure the flux of Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin (GZK) neutrinos and search for neutrinos from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). We present first results obtained from the successful launch of a 2-antenna prototype instrument (called ANITA-lite) that circled Antarctica for 18 days during the 03/04 Antarctic campaign and show preliminary results from attenuation length studies of electromagnetic waves at radio frequencies in Antarctic ice. The ANITA detector is funded by NASA, and the first flight is scheduled for December 2006.
Dynamics and control of electromagnetic satellite formations

Satellite formation flying is an enabling technology for many space missions, especially for space based telescopes. Electromagnetic formation flying (EMFF) is a novel concept that uses superconducting electromagnetic coils to provide forces and torques between different satellites in a formation. With EMFF the life-span of the mission becomes independent of the fuel. This comes at the cost of coupled and highly nonlinear dynamics of the formation and makes the control problem a challenging one. In this paper the dynamics for a general n-satellite electromagnetic formation (in 2D) is derived for deep space missions and then a non-linear control law using potential functions for the formation control and reconfiguration with collision avoidance is discussed. For EMFF formation reconfiguration problem is an optimal time problem as fuel cost for EMFF is zero. A framework for computing optimal time trajectories of electromagnetic formations is also presented. Specifically it is shown that an n-satellite electromagnetic formation can be stabilized under fairly general assumptions, therefore, showing the viability of this novel approach for satellite formation flying from dynamics and controls perspective.
Effect of Thermal Gradients on Ionic Defects in Wustite

The thermal gradient response of ionic defects in wustite was studied using two methods. The first involved measuring the decay of the thermoelectric voltage of a sample with time in a thermal gradient. The second involved measuring concentration gradients in samples which had been annealed in a thermal gradient for an extended amount of time. Both types of experiments gave results that could be predicted by assuming that the behavior of ionic defects in a thermal gradient is determined primarily by the local equilibrium of the sample with the gas phase.
P-type conductivity in annealed strontium titanate

Hall-effect measurements indicate p-type conductivity in bulk, single-crystal strontium titanate (SrTiO3, or STO) samples that were annealed at 1200°C. Room-temperature mobilities above 100 cm2/V s were measured, an order of magnitude higher than those for electrons (5-10 cm2/V s). Average hole densities were in the 109-1010 cm−3 range, consistent with a deep acceptor.
Predation by the Leech Helobdella stagnalis on Tendipes plumosus (Diptera: Tendipedidae) Larvae

The leech Helobdella stagnalis (L.) has been reported to feed on midge larvae (Diptera: Tendipedidae) and other small invertebrates by Pawlowski (1936), Bennike (1943), and Mann (1955, 1957). In faunal collections from Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, this leech was observed preying upon the larvae of Tendipes plumosus (L.). The effect of temperature on the rate of predation and the extent of this predation under simulated natural conditions were studied in the laboratory.
Translating 1492: Mexico's and Spain's First National Celebrations of the ‘Discovery’ of the Americas

A reCOLONization of 1492 might define much of the discourse of the Quincentenary. Indeed, there is scarcely an aspect of the visual cultures on either side of the Atlantic unaffected by the significance and events of 1992. From the advertising campaigns of multinational corporations to more regional efforts in historically important centers such as Seville or Genoa, the mass marketing of commodities through the lure of Columbus imagery has saturated the media and inundated a consuming public. Columbus and Discovery images have become open signifiers dependent upon cultural discourse. The images have come to suggest everything from Old World traditions to, more recently, ethnicity, multiculturalism, and even genocide.' But to state that these readings are integral to the discourse of culture is only to remind us, in a slightly different context, of what many others have written more eloquently elsewhere: that is, the metaphors of the past are constructed and re-presented in the present.2 Nonetheless, by stressing these contemporary examples of cultural relativism from the onset, at least one answer to the question of how Mexico and Spain used Columbus and Encounter imagery during their first national celebrations of 1892 may be suggested-although not necessarily a self-evident one-in the very construction of the question. Therefore, today's relevant issues will be my compass in this brief navigation. The Fourth Centenary celebrations were the first to have been handled on national levels by government-sponsored institutions specifically targeting large consumer audiences. That year, a number of American and European nations organized committees, established special exhibitions, and barraged the press and scholarly institutions with products and seminars on Columbian and discovery themes that capitalized on tourists' interests, the supreme example being the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. There are further parallels between today's events and those of 1892. The debates focused on the concept of a Quincen.......
Operation performance evaluation based optimization method of controllable parameters for coal-fired power processes

Aiming at solving problems occurred during optimization of complex processes of coalfired power generation,an operation performance evaluation based optimization method of controllable parameters for coal-fired power processes was proposed.On the basis of analyzing the technology and mechanism of coal-fired power generation,the lazy learning strategy based local modeling method was applied to establish the local dynamic models of turbine heat rate and boiler efficiency.Comprehensive evaluation for the unit operation performance was conducted by using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method.According to the current operation boundary conditions and comprehensive evaluation grade,the case-based reasoning method was employed to obtain the optimization target values of the controllable parameters when the unit ran with better performance.Then the closed-loop optimization setting for controllable parameters was realized on the basis of evaluation for the optimization target values.The simulation results show that,the proposed method can improve the unit's operation performance significantly,thus to solve the problems about operation optimization during coal-fired power process.
Informationized and scientific construction of archives management in Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Archives are the essential information resources in center for disease control and prevention( CDC),archives management can reflect the work performance of each department,and were one of the important work of year-end appraisal. To do a good job of archive management,first of all,we should perfect archives management system,the second is the management of documents,electronic and acoustic image files. With the development of CDC,electronic information technology integrates into the archives management and promotes the innovation of archives management work. To do the informationized and scientific construction of archives management,we should actively learn new methods and upgrade oneself,departments add corresponding hardware equipment,improve the informationized and scientific technology level,form new archives concept and thinking. Informationized and scientific archives management will become the development trend of archives management in current situation.
Effective Governance in the Family Owned Business

Family business is the most prevalent form of organization in the world. It has been estimated that as many as 90 % of businesses are either family owned or family controlled. A third of the firms listed on the S&P 500 and those of the Fortune 500 are family owned or controlled by families. Much of the governance literature focuses on the larger publicly owned non-family corporations rather than on the unique issues of the more prevalent family businesses. This chapter presents information to give the reader an understanding of the unique and complex nature of family owned businesses, their problems and challenges, and the unique governance structures and practices used to effectively manage a family business to greater performance. Due to the predominance of family members in upper management roles, which leads to a reduction of agency costs, family firms have less bureaucracy, allowing for fast decision-making and the creation of competitive advantages. Depending on the organizational structure, family firms have shown superior financial performance compared to their non-family counterparts. Goal congruency among the top management team and a long-term outlook are differentiating factors that lead to improved performance. Family firms, however, can also benefit from an increase in more formal governance mechanisms.
Squamous cell carcinoma presenting with trigeminal anesthesia: An uncommon presentation of head & neck cancer with unknown primary.

Abstract Background The differential diagnosis of facial anesthesia is vast. This may be secondary to trauma, neoplasm, both intracranial and extracranial, infection, and neurologic disease. When evaluating a patient with isolated facial anesthesia, the head and neck surgeon often thinks of adenoid cystic carcinoma, which has a propensity for perineural invasion and spread. When one thinks of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with or without unknown primary, the typical presentation involves dysphagia, odynophagia, weight loss, hoarseness, or more commonly, a neck mass. Squamous cell carcinoma presenting as facial anesthesia and perineural spread, with no primary site is quite rare. Methods Case presentations and review of the literature. Conclusions Trigeminal anesthesia is an uncommon presentation of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with unknown primary. We present two interesting cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the trigeminal nerve, with no primary site identified. We will also review the literature of head and neck malignancies with perineural spread and the management techniques for the two different cases presented.
Strategies to predict radiated sound fields from foldable, Miura-ori-based transducers for acoustic beamfolding

To bypass challenges of digital signal processing for acoustic beamforming applications, it is desirable to investigate repeatable mechanical approaches that accurately reposition transducers for real-time, simple guiding of acoustic energy. One promising approach is to create arrays configured on origami-inspired tessellated architectures. The low dimensionality, easy implementation, compactness, and use of straightforward folding to guide acoustic energies suggest that tessellated arrays may bypass limitations of conventional digital signal processing for beamforming. On the other hand, the challenge of developing such reconfigurable arrays lies in determining tessellation design and folding extent that direct sound as required. This research assesses the utility of the computationally efficient, approximate solutions to Rayleigh's integral to predict radiated sound fields from tessellated arrays based on Miura-ori fold patterns. Despite altering assumptions upon which the integral is derived, it is found that the salient beam-steering properties and amplitudes are accurately reconstructed by the analytical approach, when compared to boundary element model results. Within the far field angular space accommodated by the formulation assumptions, the analytical approach provides a powerful, time-efficient, and intuitive means to identify tessellated topologies and folding extents that empower desired wave-guiding functionalities, giving fuel to the concept of acoustic beamfolding.
Analytical Observations Regarding Butvar B-98 and Paraloid B-72 Blends as a Suitable Adhesive in Hot Climates

An adhesive that can withstand elevated temperatures is necessary for the conservation of artifacts in hot climates. The use of Butvar B-98 as a modifier to raise the glass transition temperature of Paraloid B-72 was investigated. The characteristics of B-48N and B-72 blends, currently in use in the field of conservation, were used as a comparison for analysis of the B-98 and B-72 blends. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to determine the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the blends and shear testing was used to investigate the shear strength of the blends. While the B-98 and B-72 blends attained elevated glass transition temperatures and performed well during shear testing, issues regarding miscibility and phase separation of the blends were investigated using transmission FTIR, DSC, and optical microscopy.
Feasibility of a Supplemental Phonological Awareness Intervention via Telepractice for Children with Hearing Loss: A Preliminary Study

The goal of the current study was to examine the feasibility of a telepractice intervention to improve phonological awareness skills in children with hearing loss as compared to a conventional in-person intervention. Twenty children with hearing loss participated in this study. Two groups of ten children each received a supplemental phonological awareness intervention either via telepractice or an in-person service delivery model. Within each of the two groups, five children were enrolled in preschool or kindergarten and five children were enrolled in first or second grade. The two groups of children demonstrated similar phonological awareness, non-verbal IQ, and vocabulary skills during pre-tests. After a 12-week intervention children with hearing loss showed improved phonological awareness skills as measured by a standardized post-test. No significant differences were found between the performance of the telepractice group and in-person group. Nor was a significant interaction found between the two age groups (PreK/K vs. 1st /2nd grade) and the two types of service delivery models (in-person vs. telepractice). The results suggest that a telepractice service delivery model is feasible for young children with hearing loss, and that telepractice may be as effective as in-person intervention in improving phonological awareness skills.
Engaging experts and patients to refine the nutrition literacy assessment instrument

An objective measure of nutrition literacy is unavailable for use in the primary care population. The Nutrition Literacy Assessment instrument (NLit) is a tool designed to measure nutrition literacy across six domains and has been previously piloted in breast cancer and parent populations. The purpose of this research was to engage nutrition experts and patients to guide revisions of the NLit for use in adult primary care. Experts (n = 5) reviewed each item in the NLit using a survey to assign rankings of their agreement according to relevance, clarity, and reading difficulty. Relevance rankings were used to calculate Scale Content Validity Index. After suggested revisions were made, patients (n = 12) were recruited from urban primary care clinics of a University Medical Center located in the Midwestern United States and were interviewed by trained researchers using the cognitive interview approach to generate thoughts, feelings, and ideas regarding NLit items. Data analysis involved qualitative and quantitative methods. Content validity from expert review was confirmed with a total Scale Content Validity Index of 0.90. Themes emerging from the cognitive interviews resulted in changes in the NLit to improve instrument clarity. These data suggest the NLit achieves its target constructs, is understood by the target audience, and is ready to undergo validity and reliability testing within the primary care population.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Type 2 Diabetes

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing problem likely to worsen worldwide with the epidemic of obesity. Insulin resistance in obesity drives a constellation of metabolic abnormalities that create a state known as “lipotoxicity,” in which the liver is uniquely posed to be affected (Cusi K, Gastroenterology 142:711–25 e6, 2012; Neuschwander-Tetri BA, Hepatology 52:774–88, 2010). Additional factors that appear to play a role are chronic hyperglycemia and subclinical inflammation. As the vast majority of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are obese, they are particularly susceptible to develop NAFLD and to have a worse long-term prognosis. The disease can present itself as a quiescent condition with hepatic triglyceride accumulation with minimal or no inflammation or adopt a more aggressive phenotype associated with hepatocellular injury, marked inflammation, and fibrosis (known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH) (Ahmed A, Wong RJ, Harrison SA, Clin Gastro Hepatol 13:2062–70, 2015). These patients are at a much higher risk of cirrhosis, as well as of hepatocellular carcinoma (Wang C, Wang X, Gong G, et al., Int J Cancer 130:1639–48, 2012).
Mechanical thrombectomy - is time still brain? The DAWN of a new era.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to review the history of treatments for acute ischemic stroke, examine developments in endovascular therapy, and discuss the future of the management of acute ...
IL-1β suppresses cLTP-induced surface expression of GluA1 and actin polymerization via ceramide-mediated Src activation.

Brain inflammation including increases in inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β is widely believed to contribute to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Although IL-1β-induced impairments in long-term potentiation (LTP) in acute hippocampal slices and memory functions in vivo have been well documented, the neuron-specific molecular mechanisms of IL-1β-mediated impairments of LTP and memory remain unclear. This study uses an in vitro approach in primary hippocampal neurons to evaluate the effect of IL-1β on chemical LTP (cLTP)-induced structural plasticity and signaling. We found that IL-1β reduces both the surface expression of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluA1 and the spine growth following cLTP. These effects of IL-1β were mediated by impairing actin polymerization during cLTP, as IL-1β decreased the cLTP-induced formation of F-actin, and the effect of IL-1β on cLTP-induced surface expression of GluA1 can be mimicked by latrunculin, a toxin that disrupts dynamics of actin filaments, and can be prevented by jasplakinolide, a cell-permeable peptide that stabilizes F-actin. Moreover, live-cell imaging demonstrated that IL-1β decreased the stability of the actin cytoskeleton in spines, which is required for LTP consolidation. We further examined the role of sphingolipid signaling in the IL-1β-mediated impairment of spine plasticity and found that both the neutral sphingomyelinase inhibitor GW4869 and the inhibitor of Src kinase PP2 attenuated the IL-1β-mediated suppression of cLTP-induced surface expression of GluA1 and actin polymerization. These findings support a mechanism by which IL-1β, via the sphingomyelinase/ceramide/Src pathway, impairs structural spine remodeling essential for LTP consolidation and memory.
Pipe flow of suspensions in turbulent fluid

The general case of a fully developed pipe flow of a suspension in a turbulent fluid with electrically charged particles or with significant gravity effect, or both, and for any inclination of the pipe with the direction of gravity, is formulated. Parameters defining the state of motion are: pipe flow Reynolds number, Froude number, electro diffusion number, diffusion response number, momentum transfer number and particle Knudsen number. Comparison with experimental results is made for both gas-solid and liquid-solid suspensions. It is shown that the gravity effect becomes significant in the case of large pipe diameters and large particle concentrations.
The Politics of Free Exercise After Employment Division v. Smith: Same-Sex Marriage, the 'War on Terror,' and Religious Freedom

This Essay, written for a symposium commemorating the twentieth anniversary of Employment Division v. Smith, examines the politics of free exercise as it has changed since Smith was decided. It focuses on two historical developments that have and will continue to shape the doctrine of free exercise going forward. The first development is the gay and lesbian civil rights movement and its pursuit of marriage equality in the courts. The second development is the "war on terror" that followed the attacks of 9/11 and the nation’s subsequent cultural and political response to fundamentalist Islam. This Essay describes how these historical developments are putting doctrinal and legislative pressure on the post-Smith free exercise equilibrium. The Essay also speculates about the continuing political and legal viability of Smith in light of these pressures.
Performance and carcass merit of growing beef steers with chlortetracycline-modified sensitivity to pituitary releasing hormones and fed two dietary protein levels.

This paper reports the effects of reduced sensitivity to growth hormone-releasing hormone and thyrotropin-releasing hormone through feeding a subtherapeutic level of chlortetracycline (CTC; 350 mg CTC/d) and two levels of dietary CP (10% and 13% of diet DM) on growth performance and carcass merit characteristics. Thirty-two steers (initial average BW, 286 kg) were adapted to a common 13% CP diet consisting primarily of grass hay, corn, and soybean meal fed to gain 1.25 kg/d. The steers were assigned to four treatments (with or without CTC and 10% or 13% dietary CP in a factorial arrangement) and fed ad libitum amounts of diet for 91 d. Feed intake was determined daily and steers were weighed weekly. Steers were killed at the end of the feeding period for carcass merit determinations. Efficiency of BW gain was greater (P < .05) for steers fed the 13% CP diet than for the 10% CP diet and tended to be less for CTC-steers when the 10% CP diet was fed and greater for the CTC-steers when the 13% CP diet was fed (CTC x dietary CP interaction, P < .10). Feeding CTC increased (P < .01) fat over the longissimus muscle and marbling. This study is interpreted to indicate that the sustained effect of subtherapeutic feeding of CTC to cattle appears to increase fat deposition consistent with a reduced growth hormone and thyroid status reported earlier for these same steers. This would tend to increase energy utilization but may not necessarily produce a measurable increase in BW gain.
Coagulation Factor VIIIa as an Agent

Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) is an important component in the intrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. Its active form, factor VIIIa, acts as a co-factor with factor IXa to activate factor X. Clinically, factor VIII is used for replacement therapy in those suffering from hemophilia A, an inherited, X-linked deficiency of this factor.
Effect of chloroquine on intestinal lipid metabolism.

Most studies that have quantitated recovery of infused lipid in the intestinal mucosa and mesenteric lymph have only been able to recapture 50-75%. One possibility is that the missing lipid enters a triacylglycerol (TG) storage pool in the enterocyte and is hydrolyzed by lysosomal lipase, and the free fatty acid released is transported by the portal vein. This postulate was tested by comparing glyceryl trioleate (TO)-infused rats pretreated with the lysosomotropic drug, chloroquine (6.3 mg.kg-1.h-1) with saline controls. Chloroquine increased mucosal TG from 94 +/- 6 to 128 +/- 8 mumol. Additionally, the specific activity of the mucosal TG relative to the infused [3H]TO was reduced in the treated rats. The mucosal TG increase was not due to impaired TG output, which remained the same as controls. We conclude that the TG in the acid lipase-sensitive pool derives most of its glyceride-glycerol from endogenous sources. Furthermore, the increment in mucosal TG caused by chloroquine is not enough to explain the majority of the acyl groups unaccounted for in the mucosa and lymph after a TG infusion. For these a direct passage of acyl groups through the enterocyte is postulated.
What are the Genuine Risks of an Implanted Silicone Device

It is likely that more patients have been harmed by the fear engendered by the press, and by activity in the courts, than have been injured by the silicone breast implant. To date there is no evidence that the risk of breast cancer is influenced by the breast implant. Mammography may be somewhat impeded by the presence of an implant but special radiographic techniques exist, and there is no evidence of diagnostic delay among women with breast implants. Thus far, careful epidemiologic studies have not detected any differences in rheumatic symptomatology or disease when women with and without implants are compared. The breast implant will not last forever and may need to be replaced, but the incidence of rupture is difficult to determine. Current restrictions imposed by the FDA involve the silicone gel breast implant, but not the saline-filled implant. No doubt, there will be more bad news featured in the media and in the courtroom. Meanwhile research continues.
Mastocytosis-derived extracellular vesicles exhibit a mast cell signature, transfer KIT to stellate cells, and promote their activation

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been implicated in the development and progression of hematological malignancies. We thus examined serum samples from patients with systemic mastocytosis (SM) and found EVs with a mast cell signature including the presence of tryptase, FceRI, MRGX2, and KIT. The concentration of these EVs correlated with parameters of disease including levels of serum tryptase, IL-6, and alkaline phosphatase and physical findings including hepatosplenomegaly. Given reports that EVs from one cell type may influence another cell’s behavior, we asked whether SM-EVs might affect hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), based on the abnormal liver pathology associated with mastocytosis. We found that KIT was transferred from SM-EVs into an HSC line eliciting proliferation, cytokine production, and differentiation, processes that have been associated with liver pathology. These effects were reduced by KIT inhibition or neutralization and recapitulated by enforced expression of KIT or constitutively active D816V-KIT, a gain-of-function variant associated with SM. Furthermore, HSCs in liver from mice injected with SM-EVs had increased expression of α-SMA and human KIT, particularly around portal areas, compared with mice injected with EVs from normal individuals, suggesting that SM-EVs can also initiate HSC activation in vivo. Our data are thus consistent with the conclusion that SM-EVs have the potential to influence cells outside the hematological compartment and that therapeutic approaches for treatment of SM may be effective in part through inhibition of effects of EVs on target tissues, findings important both to understanding complex disease pathology and in developing interventional agents for the treatment of hematologic diseases.
Opioid analgesic use and patient-reported pain outcomes after rhinologic surgery.

Background Opioid-based analgesics are routinely prescribed after elective rhinologic surgery. Balancing appropriate pain management while avoiding overprescription necessitates an evidence-based approach. Methods Patients undergoing elective rhinologic surgery, including endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), septoplasty, or ESS with septoplasty, were prospectively enrolled. Patients completed demographic and psychometric questionnaires assessing attitudes toward pain, baseline anxiety, and depression before surgery. Postoperatively, patients documented peak pain levels (0-100 visual analog scale) and daily prescription and nonprescription medication requirements over a 2-week period. Results Of the 42 patients enrolled, 15 underwent ESS, 14 septoplasty, and 13 ESS with septoplasty. Five patients (11.9%) reported a history of chronic pain before surgery. Patients were given a median of 30 opioid pain pills after surgery: acetaminophen with codeine 325/30 mg (10 patients) or oxycodone with acetaminophen 5/325 mg (32 patients). Patients had a median of 27 pills left over at the end of the study period. Median peak pain levels for all procedures were 22 (range, 0-94) on day 0, 26.5 (range, 0-86) on day 1, 8.5 (range, 0-85) on day 3, and 3 (range, 0-52) on day 7. Median opioid requirements measured in morphine milligram equivalents (MME) over those same days were 6.0, 4.1, 0, and 0, respectively. Conclusion Postoperative pain after elective rhinologic surgery appears to peak over the first 3 days and decreases rapidly afterward. Most patients require a few doses of opioid analgesics. Opioid requirements and pain levels did not vary based on surgeon, type and extent of surgery, and demographic factors. Judicious prescribing of opioid medication after rhinologic surgery represents a practical opportunity for rhinologists and otolaryngologists to reduce opioid overprescription and abuse.
An Efficient Multi-Objective Bayesian Optimization Approach for the Automated Analytical Design of Switched Reluctance Machines

The design and optimization of electrical machines are often formulated as multi-physics and multi-objective problems that are complex and computationally intensive. The Bayesian optimization framework has been proven to be a powerful optimization tool that is able to take advantage of the information from prior optimization history and make an optimal search more efficient. Specifically, Bayesian optimization algorithms have been widely applied in optimization problems, especially in the field of machine learning and computer vision where evaluations of the objective functions are costly or the derivatives are often not accessible. Because of their similarities to the electrical machine design and optimization problems, this paper employs an expected-improvement-based Bayesian optimization approach for the automated analytical design of switched reluctance machines, and the expected improvement is selected as the acquisition function to balance exploration and exploitation throughout the optimization process. The optimization results demonstrate that compared to the popular and benchmark NSGA-II algorithm, the proposed Bayesian optimization method is more effective and efficient in terms of finding design candidates of better qualities that dominate the solutions generated by NSGA-II in a small number of evaluations.
Elevated anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody titer is associated with increased risk for interstitial lung disease.

This paper is to examine the relationship between anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody titers and the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with and without rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A retrospective investigation was conducted on all adult patients tested for anti-CCP between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2012, in a university healthcare system. Patients with specified exposures or conditions known to cause ILD were excluded. The prevalence of ILD was compared between those with and without a positive CCP. The study population was then divided into four titer groups based on anti-CCP titers: negative, low titer, moderate titer, high titer. Fisher’s exact tests compared the prevalence of ILD among the anti-CCP titer groups. Multivariate logistic regression examined the association between anti-CCP and ILD while controlling for confounders. These analyses were repeated in two subgroups: a “confirmed RA” subgroup and an “unconfirmed RA” subgroup. Two thousand and thirty patients met inclusion criteria and 453 of those had confirmed RA. Progressively higher anti-CCP titer groups developed an increasingly higher prevalence of ILD (p < 0.01). When adjusting for age, tobacco, and a diagnosis of RA, higher anti-CCP titer groups continued to correlate with an increased prevalence of ILD (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10–1.96, p < 0.001). This study is the first to show that progressively higher anti-CCP titers correlate with increasing prevalence of ILD, even when adjusting for confounders.
Imprisonment and Freedom: Rejecting and Embracing the Tension of Existence in Marcel Proust's in Search of Lost Time

This essay begins from the premise that Marcel Proust's "time regained" can be understood as the recovery of a primary experience of the cosmos, and of the metaxy or "in-between," as these terms are used by Eric Voegelin. The essay argues that the jealousy experienced by the narrator, Marcel, represents a closure of the self toward that primary experience of the cosmos and of the metaxy.
EGFR mutation pattern in African American population in a community-based academic center.

8069 Background: The two most common EGFR mutations, L858R in exon 21 and deletions in exon19, represent around 90% of all EGFR mutations in NSCLC and convey sensitivity to EGFR TKIs. Little is kno...
Image-Guided Intravenous Alteplase for Stroke — Shattering a Time Window

The era of time-based treatment with intravenous alteplase in patients with acute stroke may finally be drawing to a close. As the only approved pharmacologic treatment for acute stroke, and one th...