cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combined nonlinear inverse diffusion filter and triangle method used for noise removal from polygonal shapes

A two step procedure for removing noise from polygonal shapes is presented here. The first step is the removal of vertices by linear and different nonlinear inverse diffusion filters. In the second step we apply the triangle method which identifies least dominant vertices from the polygon obtained from the first stage. Those vertices whose adjacent sides form triangles of the smallest area are defined as least dominant and most likely to be noise. A thorough testing of this method on the shapes typical in video images demonstrates that it successfully removes noise vertices while it preserves dominant ones.
Mediated Density: The Indirect Relationship between U.S. State Public Policy and PACs

How does the demand for lobbying reflected by government policy activity influence the use of lobbying strategies and tactics? The authors examine this question by assessing how the complexity of the policy space affects the political action committee (PAC) system. They hypothesize that the complexity of the policy space indirectly affects the size and activity of the PAC system through its direct effect on interest organization density. The authors test this hypothesis within the health sector using a unique data set that connects individual interest organizations registered to lobby U.S. state legislatures with active PACs in the state. It appears that social, economic, and political measures of policy space complexity influence the size of the lobbying community, which in turn influences the size and activity of the PAC community.
The eIF2 kinase PERK and the integrated stress response facilitate activation of ATF6 during endoplasmic reticulum stress

Disruptions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that perturb protein folding cause ER stress and elicit an unfolded protein response (UPR) that involves translational and transcriptional changes in gene expression aimed at expanding the ER processing capacity and alleviating cellular injury. Three ER stress sensors (PERK, ATF6, and IRE1) implement the UPR. PERK phosphorylation of the α subunit of eIF2 during ER stress represses protein synthesis, which prevents further influx of ER client proteins. Phosphorylation of eIF2α (eIF2α~P) also induces preferential translation of ATF4, a transcription activator of the integrated stress response. In this study we show that the PERK/eIF2α~P/ATF4 pathway is required not only for translational control, but also for activation of ATF6 and its target genes. The PERK pathway facilitates both the synthesis of ATF6 and trafficking of ATF6 from the ER to the Golgi for intramembrane proteolysis and activation of ATF6. As a consequence, liver-specific depletion of PERK significantly reduces both the translational and transcriptional phases of the UPR, leading to reduced protein chaperone expression, disruptions of lipid metabolism, and enhanced apoptosis. These findings show that the regulatory networks of the UPR are fully integrated and help explain the diverse biological defects associated with loss of PERK.
Female Downstream-Hatching Migration of the River Shrimp Macrobrachium ohione in the Lower Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya River

Abstract The shrimp Macrobrachium ohione (Decapoda, Caridea) was once numerous in the Mississippi River System (MRS) as far north as the Missouri and lower Ohio Rivers but is now abundant only within the lower Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. Adult M. ohione live and breed in fresh water, but larval development occurs in brackish and marine waters, a life history pattern termed amphidromy. A downstream female “hatching” migration may ensure that the stage-1 larvae reach the required salinity in time for the critical molt to stage-2 (first feeding larval stage). This study tested the hypothesis that embryo-bearing females deliver larvae to the estuaries of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in Louisiana. To test the prediction of a downstream migration, this investigation examined the reproductive condition and the spatial-temporal distribution of reproductive-sized females during 2008 and 2009. Shrimps were collected by trapping at downstream (Pass A Loutre, Atchafalaya Delta) and upstream (St. Fra...
Out-of-core build of a topological data structure from polygon soup

Many solid modeling applications require information not only about the geometry of an object but also about its topology. Most interchange formats do not provide this information, which the application must then derive as it builds its own topological data structure from unordered, “polygon soup” input. For very large data sets, the topological data structure itself can be bigger than core memory, so that a naive algorithm for building it that doesn't take virtual memory access patterns into account can become prohibitively slow due to thrashing. In this paper, we describe a new out-of-core algorithm that can build a topological data structure efficiently from very large data sets, improving performance by two orders of magnitude over a naive approach.
Discrepant Blood Typing Results in a 24-Year-Old Woman With a History of an Allograft Bone Marrow Transplant

1. How are the A, B, and O blood groups determined? 2. How should her current ABO blood type be reported? 3. Is there a discrepancy between her forward and reverse typing? If so what is the discrepancy? 4. What are some possibilities for the discrepancy? 5. What is the difference between blood type A subgroups A1 and A2? 6. How can this patient’s blood typing discrepancy be resolved? 7. What is the most likely explanation for this discrepancy? 8. Does this discrepancy have any significance for her medical care?
Participation through letters to the editor: Circulation, considerations, and genres in the letters institution

This article analyzes who participates in newspaper-mediated debate through letters to the editor, how they come to do it by passing muster under six editorial considerations, and what the three ge...
Betrayal and Academic Relationships

Betrayal, or the violation of human trust, is an important phenomenon happening in nurse-nurse and nurse-other human relationships in healthcare contexts. Specifically, betrayal and breaches of trust surface in academic relationships cocreating tension and uncertainty. This column begins a discussion of the phenomenon as viewed through the lens of the humanbecoming ethical tenets.
A quantitative analysis of reduplicated and variegated babbling in vocalizations by Down syndrome infants

Previous research has found that patterns of speech development shown by Down syndrome infants during their earliest months and years of life are often ‘qualitatively’ similar to patterns manifest by normally developing infants. Differences that do exist between normal and Down syndrome infants in their vocal development often tend to be related to their age at onset and/or rate of development. The present study investigated the putative ‘stages’ of reduplicated and variegated babbling in the vocalizations of nine Down syndrome infants who were followed longitudinally for about 18 months. As has previously been determined with normal infants, there was no evidence that reduplicated and variegated babbling represented separate stages of vocal development for these Down syndrome infants. Both types of productions were found to co-occur with approximately the same relative frequencies from about 6 months through to 2 years of age. There was also no evidence that the vocalizations produced by the Down syndrom...
Freshening Ages of Purebred Cows in Iowa Cow Testing Associations

Summary 1. The mean age at which 570 registered heifers in Iowa Cow Testing Associations first freshened was found to be 27.1 months but the distribution was decidedly skew with the mode at 24 months. More than half of them freshened before they were 25 1 3 months old. These ages were computed as the last full month attained before the freshening day and therefore are about 15 days less than the actual ages. 2. Some significant differences were found among the different breeds studied. Nearly 73 per cent of the data concern Holsteins. 3. Differences found from herd to herd were large enough to show a variation in management policy in this respect or an effective difference in herd environment. 4. Heifers fed liberally enough to approach advanced registry conditions and heifers fed poorly calved later than those which received about average feeding, but this relation is too slight to be practically important and even its statistical significance is doubtful. 5. The numbers of cows calving at various ages show a distinct cycle, the peaks being twelve months apart and beginning at 24 months. This cyclical distribution should be taken into account in studying the relation of other variables to age at calving. 6. This study is a survey of actual breeding practice among Iowa breeders of purebred dairy cattle. Whether breeding for such early freshening has more desirable than undesirable consequences, everything considered, is something we hope to investigate at an early date.
Neuropsychological impairment in deficit vs. non-deficit schizophrenia.

This study aimed to assess the severity and specificity of cognitive impairments that affect individuals with deficit versus non-deficit schizophrenia. We compared 26 patients with the deficit subtype of schizophrenia (SZ-D) and 79 with non-deficit schizophrenia (SZ-ND) to 316 healthy adults (NC). All study participants completed a battery with 19 individual cognitive measures. After adjusting their test performance for age, sex, race, education and estimated premorbid IQ, we derived regression-based T-scores for each measure and the six derived cognitive domains including attention, psychomotor speed, executive function, verbal fluency, visual memory, and verbal memory. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed significant group effects for every individual measure and domain of cognitive functioning (all ps < 0.001). Post hoc comparisons revealed that patients with SZ-D performed significantly worse than NCs in every cognitive domain. They also produced lower scores than the SZ-ND group in every domain, but only the difference for verbal fluency reached statistical significance. The correlations of the effect sizes shown by the SZ-D and SZ-ND patients were of intermediate magnitude for the individual tests (r = 0.56, p < 0.01) and higher, but not statistically significant for the cognitive domains (r = 0.79, p = 0.06). Patients with SZ-D demonstrate cognitive deficits that are both common and distinct from those shown by patients with SZ-ND. Their impairment of verbal fluency is consistent with the observation that poverty of speech is a clinically significant feature of patients with SZ-D. � 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Trans‐stimulation of L‐system amino acid transport in normal and chronic leukemic human lymphocytes: Phorbol ester restores function in CLL

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B-lymphocytes have a unique and specific diminution of L-system (leucine favoring) amino acid uptake; the maximal velocity is approximately 10% of normal B-lymphocytes. Treatment of CLL B-cells with the maturational agent, tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate, results in restoration of L-system amino acid uptake to normal velocity. To further characterize the effect of phorbol ester on the L-system of CLL B-cells, we have examined the ability of normal and CLL lymphocytes to exchange intracellular for extracellular amino acids by the L-system (trans-stimulation). A 60% increase in L-system uptake was noted in normal B- and T-lymphocytes in the presence of a high intracellular concentration of 2-amino-2-carboxy-bicycloheptane (BCH), a largely L-system-specific substrate. L-system transport was not trans-stimulated in CLL B-lymphocytes. Phorbol ester treatment restored L-system uptake in CLL to a normal Vmax of 900 mumol/liter cell water per minute in the absence of BCH loading. The Vmax could be increased further to 2,400 if phorbol ester-treated CLL cells were loaded with BCH. Hence, phorbol esters result not only in a normalization of L-system uptake in CLL B-cells but the transport system demonstrates exchange rates comparable to normal lymphocytes.
Organizational Identity and Firm Performance: What Happens When Leaders Disagree About “Who We Are?”

This study examines how the organizational success of 113 nonprofit professional theatres was affected when two top leaders responsible for different parts of the organization held divergent views about organizational identity. Focusing on five values that differentiate theatres, we find that leaders' disagreement about organizational identity was related to lower ticket revenues and lower net income, and that organizational performance was lowest when disagreement about identity was extreme. Although some findings suggest that minor identity disagreement between leaders may not hurt organizations, results generally support the perspective that leaders should actively promote a single identity.
Performance analysis of CDMA random access systems with heavy-tailed packet length distribution

This paper analyzes the performance of unslotted CDMA random access schemes with heavy-tailed packet length distribution. Most of the previous work cover the analysis of the system with Poisson process and for infinite population and infinite buffer size where the results mainly depend on the mean values of the traffic. We remove these assumptions and analyze the behavior of the system for the more general and realistic case of finite population, finite buffers and variable packet length. The emphasis is placed on the study of the effect of the heavy-tailed packet length on the system characteristics. Specifically, we show via analysis and simulation that even when the mean packet length is small the system can have bottlenecks due to the packet length characteristics, and therefore dynamic adaptation and control of the system is required.
Comparable Outcomes for Hematologic Malignancies after HLA-Haploidentical Transplantation with Posttransplantation Cyclophosphamide and HLA-Matched Transplantation

The implementation of high-dose posttransplantation cyclophosphamide (PTCy) has made HLA-haploidentical (haplo) blood or marrow transplantation (BMT) a cost effective and safe alternative donor transplantation technique, resulting in its increasing utilization over the last decade. We review the available retrospective comparisons of haplo BMT with PTCy and HLA-matched BMT in adults with hematologic malignancies. The examined studies demonstrate no difference between haplo BMT with PTCy and HLA-matched BMT with regard to acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), nonrelapse mortality, and overall survival. Chronic GVHD occurred less frequently after haplo BMT with PTCy compared with HLA-matched BMT utilizing standard GVHD prophylaxis. In addition, patients with a high risk of relapse by the disease risk index had a suggestion of improved progression-free and overall survival after haplo BMT with PTCy when compared with a historical cohort of HLA-matched BMT in one analysis. Furthermore, in Hodgkin lymphoma relapse and progression-free survival were improved in the haplo BMT with PTCy compared with the HLA-matched BMT cohort. These findings support the use of this transplantation platform when HLA-matched related donors (MRDs) are unavailable and suggest that clinical scenarios exist in which haplo BMT may be preferred to HLA-matched BMT, which warrant further investigation.
Relationships of Sleep Duration With Weight-Related Behaviors of U.S. College Students

This study describes sleep behaviors of U.S. college students (N = 1,252; 18-24 years old; 59% female) and examines associations of sleep duration with weight-related behaviors. More than one quarter of participants slept < 7 hr/night and had mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores indicating poor sleep quality. There were significant differences for all PSQI scales among sleep duration categories, < 7 hr (n = 344), 7-8 hr (n = 449), ≥ 8 hr (n = 459) sleep/night. Compared to those who slept ≥ 8 hr, those who slept < 8 hr had significantly more negative eating attitudes (2% higher), poorer internal regulation of food (4% lower), and greater binge eating (4% higher) scores. Findings advocate for health care professionals to evaluate sleep behaviors of college students during office visits and promote good sleep behaviors.
Adoption of Technology Upgrading by Rural Smallholders in the Nepalese Coffee Sector

The ecological settings in the Himalayan hills provide a unique opportunity to the resource-poor farmers in Nepal to sell their organically produced coffee as specialty coffee in the global market. However, there is little research about the cultivation methods and adoption of profitable technological upgrading in coffee cultivation in the country. Against such a back drop, this paper seeks to explore the factors that influence the small-scale coffee farmers’ decision to adopt technological upgrading such as wet processing in the farming process. Semi-structured interviews as well as focus group discussions were conducted in selected coffee-growing rural regions of Nepal. The cost-benefit analysis of different modes of coffee processing shows that the adoption of wet processing has a large potential of increasing the profit margins of farmers. Results from an adoption model identify education, book keeping on coffee activities, training, and access to credit and household location as the key determining factors for the adoption of technology upgrading.
Evaluating Place-Based Policing Strategies: Lessons Learned from the Smart Policing Initiative in Boston

In response to an increase in violent crime during the mid-2000s, the Boston Police Department implemented the Safe Street Teams program to control “hot spots” that generated a disproportionate amount of violence in Boston through the use of community and problem-oriented policing interventions. Like many police programs, the Safe Street Teams strategy was not implemented with a commitment to conduct a program evaluation. The Smart Policing Initiative provided the Boston Police with an important opportunity to partner with academic researchers to perform retrospective process and impact evaluations. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyze the concentration and stability of violent crime in targeted places, examine the integrity of program implementation, and conduct a rigorous quasi-experimental analysis of program impacts. These research products established the crime control effectiveness of the Safe Street Teams and assisted the Boston Police in strengthening the implementation of the...
The Significance of the Arts in Culture: Learning through Children's Literature

Cultural studies frequently rely on the arts to reveal traditions, history, ideologies, and other aspects of a particular group. However, at what point and how are child readers asked to consider the significance of the arts to individuals’ cultural lives? This paper shares an inquiry that addresses how children’s literature, outside being a distinctive art form in itself, can offer stories that place the arts inseparably at the heart of one’s life experiences – defining culture, traditions, family history, and personal identity. The inquiry shared here focuses on a text set of 12 children’s picturebooks in which characters connect to some form of the arts in very specific and purposeful ways – facing a life challenge as a result of his or her passion for the arts or a challenge for which the arts hold resolution. Through the lens of New Historicism supported by social semiotics, a critical content analysis of these books reveals their potential for powerful, authentic insights into the role of the arts in one’s personal culture.
Small Unit Leader Perceptions of Managing Soldier Behavioral Health and Associated Factors

This investigation explored squad leaders’ perceptions of their roles managing subordinate soldiers’ behavioral health (BH) needs. The data were obtained through an anonymous survey of 458 squad le...
The Transient Temperature and Stress Analysis of Extendible Nozzle with Jettisonable Deployment System

Provided thermodynamic characteristics of the rocket engine burning products and engine performances, the temperature and stress analysis of the extendible nozzle are finished by finite element method.Transient temperature and transient stress field are gained finally.And these results provide theory referring for project design.
Bidirectional membrane transport of intact glutathione in Hep G2 cells.

Rat hepatocytes exhibit bidirectional carrier-mediated transport of reduced glutathione (GSH) across the plasma membrane. Transport of GSH has not been well characterized in human-derived cells. We examined Hep G2 cells as a possible human liver model for GSH homeostasis. Hep G2 cell GSH averaged 25.9 +/- 1.4 nmol/10(6) cells. When Hep G2 cells were incubated in buffer, no GSH appeared in the medium over 2 h. However, after pretreatment with acivicin to inhibit gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity, GSH efflux was unmasked and measured 30 +/- 4 pmol x 10(6) cells-1 x min-1, which is comparable to rat hepatocytes. GSH efflux was inhibited by sulfobromophthalein GSH adduct (BSP-GSH) and cystathionine, agents that inhibit sinusoidal efflux in the rat, and was stimulated by adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent agents. GSH uptake was measured after cells were pretreated with acivicin and buthionine sulfoximine to prevent breakdown of GSH and resynthesis of GSH from precursors, respectively. In the presence of 4 microCi/ml of [35S]GSH and 10 mM unlabeled GSH, GSH uptake was linear up to 45 min and did not require Na+ or Cl-. GSH uptake exhibited saturability with a maximal velocity of 4.15 +/- 0.23 nmol.mg-1 x 30 min-1, a Michaelis constant of 2.36 +/- 0.26 mM, and two interactive transport sites. BSP-GSH cis-inhibited GSH uptake in a dose-dependent manner with an inhibitory constant of 0.46 +/- 0.05 mM. Inhibition by BSP-GSH (1 mM) of GSH uptake was through a single inhibitor site and was overcome at > 10 mM GSH, which is consistent with competitive inhibition. Similar to the rat, 10 mM extracellular GSH trans-stimulated GSH efflux. These findings may be important in gaining better insights into GSH homeostasis in human liver cells.
High-Throughput Cell Aggregate Culture for Stem Cell Chondrogenesis

Cell aggregate culture is a widely used, reliable system for promoting chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells. A high-throughput cell pellet culture enables screening of various soluble factors for their effects on stem cell function and chondrogenesis. In this protocol, we report a platform that allows the formation of stem cell aggregates in a 96-well plate format. Specifically, stem cells are centrifuged to form high-density pellets, mimicking mesenchymal condensation. The cell aggregates can be differentiated into chondrocytes when cultured in chondrogenic medium for 4 weeks. Such a technique is compatible for high-throughput screening and can be very useful for optimizing conditions for cartilage tissue engineering.
Design considerations for microwave EMI measurement systems

This paper addresses the sensitivity and dynamic range requirements for systems designed to make radiated emissions measurements above 1 GHz according to the various international regulations and proposals.
A preliminary study of longitudinal neuroadaptation associated with recovery from addiction.

Abstract Background Few studies have explored longitudinal change in event-related brain responses during early recovery from addiction. Moreover, existing findings yield evidence of both increased and decreased signaling within reward and control centers over time. The current study explored reward- and control-related signals in a risky decision-making task and specifically investigated parametric modulations of the BOLD signal, rather than signal magnitude alone. It was hypothesized that risk-related signals during decision-making and outcome evaluation would reflect recovery and that change in specific signals would correspond with improved treatment outcomes. Methods Twenty-one substance dependent individuals were recruited upon enrollment in community-based substance use treatment programs, wherein they received treatment-as-usual. Participants completed functional neuroimaging assessments at baseline and 3-month follow-up while performing the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Risk- and reward-sensitive signals were identified using parametric modulators. Substance use was tracked throughout the 3-month study interval using the timeline follow-back procedure. Results Longitudinal contrasts of parametric modulators suggested improved formation of risk-informed outcome expectations at follow-up. Specifically, a greater response to high risk (low-likelihood) positive feedback was identified in caudal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and a greater response to low risk (low-likelihood) negative feedback was identified in caudal ACC and inferior frontal gyrus. In addition, attenuation of a ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) “reward-seeking” signal (i.e., increasing response with greater reward) during risky decisions at follow-up was associated with less substance use during the study interval. Conclusions Changes in risk- and reward-related signaling in ACC/vmPFC appear to reflect recovery and may support sobriety.
Life history of the vulnerable endemic crayfish Cambarus (Erebicambarus) maculatus Hobbs and Pflieger, 1988 (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae) in Missouri, USA

The vulnerable freckled crayfish, Cambarus maculatus Hobbs and Pflieger, 1988, is endemic to only one drainage in eastern Missouri, USA, which is impacted by heavy metals mining and adjacent to a rapidly-expanding urban area. We studied populations of C. maculatus in two small streams for 25 months to describe annual reproductive cycles, and gather information about fecundity, sex ratio, size at maturity, size-class structure, and growth, capturing a monthly average of more than 50 individuals from each of the two study populations. Information about the density of the species at supplemental sampling streams was also obtained. The species exhibited traits consistent with a K -strategist life history: long-lived, slow-growing, with fewer but larger eggs than sympatric crayfish species. Breeding season occurred in mid- to late autumn, potentially extending into early winter. Egg brooding occurred primarily in May. Young of year were first observed in June. We estimated these populations contained four to six size-classes, observed smaller individuals grew faster than larger individuals, and that most became sexually mature in their second year of life. Densities of C. maculatus were low relative to several sympatric species of Orconectes Cope, 1872. Life history information presented herein will be important for anticipated future conservation efforts.
PIM1 kinase inhibition as a targeted therapy against triple-negative breast tumors with elevated MYC expression

In triple-negative breast cancer, the PIM1 kinase is highly expressed, acts to promote tumor cell survival and growth, and increases MYC transcriptional activity.
Generalization of a Rehearsal Strategy in Mildly Retarded Children

Two groups of EMR children were given a series of free recall tasks. One group was trained to use a strategy designed to induce deeper level semantic encoding and a “no training” control group received standard free recall instructions. Subjects received either related or unrelated lists during training and related or unrelated lists during two posttests (immediately following and one week after training). Semantic strategy usage was retained at posttesting and also generalized to word lists unlike those used during training.
Design of energy-transducing artificial cells

A sustainable society requires sources of renewable energy that are efficient, cost-effective, and robust. Achieving such energy sources represents a significant challenge that requires the development of novel technologies, including the creation of materials that control physical and chemical transformations at a molecular level. Photosynthesis performs solar energy conversion using Earth-abundant metals, a broad spectral range, and materials that operate under ambient conditions. The components of photosynthetic systems work cooperatively and efficiently with enviable rates, providing the motivation for using these components in energy transduction strategies. In PNAS, Altamura et al. (1) move us closer toward this goal by demonstrating how protein complexes from photosynthetic bacteria can be incorporated into artificial cells to convert light into chemical energy, in the form of a proton gradient, using new technical approaches that should be of general applicability. Since the pioneering work of Mitchell (2), it has been recognized that organisms use differences in proton concentrations across the cell membrane, termed proton gradients, to perform energy transduction. Biochemical reactions are coupled with the transfer of protons across the membrane through the use of proteins present in the membrane. For example, the membrane protein ATP synthase uses proton transfer to form the energy-rich compound ATP from ADP. In bacterial photosynthesis, the formation of the proton gradient is driven by the absorption of light by a pigment–protein complex called the reaction center (3). The reaction center is a membrane protein containing a number of cofactors arranged in two branches that span the membrane (Fig. 1). Light energy is … [↵][1]1Email: jallen{at}asu.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The Times, They Are A-Changin: Innovations in Health Care Delivery To Reduce CKD Progression

Over 12 million adults in the United States have CKD stages 3–5 ([1][1]). As the population ages and diabetes, hypertension, and obesity rates increase, the prevalence of CKD will grow ([1][1]). Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death and attributable Medicare expenditures are nearly $
Inequality and Elections: The Nationwide Origins and State-Level Dynamics of India's Maoist Insurgency

This article investigates the causes of India's Maoist insurgency and its changing dynamics. To explain its origins, we empirically test three hypotheses using cross-state-level data: inequality of...
Renal intercalated cells and blood pressure regulation

Type B and non- A, non- B intercalated cells are found within the connecting tubule and the cortical collecting duct. Of these cell types, type B intercalated cells are known to mediate Cl- absorption and HCO3 - secretion largely through pendrin- dependent Cl- /HCO3 - exchange. This exchange is stimulated by angiotensin II administration and is also stimulated in models of metabolic alkalosis, for instance after aldosterone or NaHCO3 administration. In some rodent models, pendrin- mediated HCO3 - secretion modulates acid- base balance. However, the role of pendrin in blood pressure regulation is likely of more physiological or clinical significance. Pendrin regulates blood pressure not only by mediating aldosterone- sensitive Cl- absorption, but also by modulating the aldosterone response for epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC)- mediated Na+ absorption. Pendrin regulates ENaC through changes in open channel of probability, channel surface density, and channels subunit total protein abundance. Thus, aldosterone stimulates ENaC activity through both direct and indirect effects, the latter occurring through its stimulation of pendrin expression and function. Therefore, pendrin contributes to the aldosterone pressor response. Pendrin may also modulate blood pressure in part through its action in the adrenal medulla, where it modulates the release of catecholamines, or through an indirect effect on vascular contractile force. This review describes how aldosterone and angiotensin IIinduced signaling regulate pendrin and the contributory role of pendrin in distal nephron function and blood pressure.
Hemoglobin A clearance in children with sickle cell anemia on chronic transfusion therapy

Background Chronic transfusion therapy for sickle cell anemia reduces disease complications by diluting sickle-erythrocytes with hemoglobin A (HbA)-containing erythrocytes and suppressing erythropoiesis. Minor antigen mismatches may result in alloimmunization, but it is unknown if antigen mismatches or recipient characteristics influence HbA clearance posttransfusion. Study design and methods Children with sickle cell anemia on chronic transfusion therapy were followed prospectively for 12 months. All patients received units serologically matched for C/c, E/e, and K; patients with prior red blood cell (RBC) antibodies had additional matching for Fya , Jkb , and any previous alloantibodies. Patients' RBC antigen genotypes, determined by multiplexed molecular assays (PreciseType Human Erythrocyte Antigen, and RHCE and RHD BeadChip, Immucor) were compared to genotypes of transfused RBC units to assess for antigen mismatches. Decline in hbA (ΔHbA) from posttransfusion to the next transfusion was calculated for each transfusion episode. Results Sixty patients received 789 transfusions, 740 with ΔHbA estimations, and 630 with donor Human Erythrocyte Antigen genotyping. In univariate mixed-model analysis, ΔHbA was higher in patients with past RBC antibodies or splenomegaly and lower in patients with splenectomy. RBC antigen mismatches were not associated with ΔHbA. In multivariate linear mixed-effects modeling, ΔHbA was associated with RBC antibodies (2.70 vs. 2.45 g/dL/28 d, p = 0.0028), splenomegaly (2.87 vs. 2.28 g/dL/28 d, p = 0.019), and negatively associated with splenectomy (2.46 vs. 2.70 g/dL/28 d, p = 0.011). Conclusions HbA decline was increased among patients with sickle cell anemia with prior immunologic response to RBC antigens and decreased among those with prior splenectomy, demonstrating that recipient immunologic characteristics influenced the clearance of transfused RBCs.
Shifting the Paradigm: The Quiet Revolution of Pediatric Procedural Sedation Practice

On April 12, 1945, Dr Gold1 from Weill Cornell Medicine (formerly Cornell University Medical College) presented a review titled “Sedatives and Stimulants in Pediatric Practice” to the section of pediatrics. He stated that he was “disappointed indeed to learn how scant were the revelations of pediatric views on these matters” and then reviewed the primary sedatives of that time for children (barbiturates and chloral hydrate). Over the next 50 years, the vast majority of “conscious” sedation in pediatrics was still being provided with barbiturates and chloral hydrate. Because of this lack of evolution, many of the seminal articles that have been used to guide the mechanics of pediatric sedation practice emanated from 2 sources: data from sedated procedures performed with these traditional long-acting agents and data from general anesthetic cases that were extrapolated to be relevant to procedural sedation. One issue that has been largely governed by these data sets is the risk of apnea and need for prolonged observation in former term and preterm infants after a sedated procedure. The literature regarding the risk of postanesthetic apnea in infants is robust. Infants who were born prematurely carry the most notable risk, as has been described in a number of reports.2–6 Apnea has also been seen postoperatively in term infants with no previous history or known risk factors for apnea.7 In a large, multicenter review in which researchers examined risk factors for postoperative apnea in former preterm infants, postconceptual age (PCA), gestational age, and continued use of a home …
Inhibition of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by ethanol

Ethanol inhibits the cellulase from Trichoderma reesi progressively and linearly up to 65 g/L. The inhibition of this magnitude presents a potential problem in the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, presently a norm of the process scheme in ethanol production from biomass.
Breast self-examination by young women: I. Characteristics associated with frequency.

We surveyed a stratified random sample of college women (n = 869) to investigate correlates of the frequency of breast self-examination (BSE) in two young, relatively low risk populations, undergraduate and graduate women. The findings from this study compared to those from studies on older women suggest that certain factors are associated with BSE frequency for women of all ages (i.e., confidence in one's ability to perform the exam and exposure to information on breast cancer). There also appear to be distinct factors associated with the frequency of BSE performances among women within specific age-groups. For the younger, undergraduate women, attitudinal barriers; medical services use; skill knowledge; perception of personal control in detecting lumps; reinforcement through clinical breast exam; and the discussion of BSE with others were important factors in accounting for the variation in frequency of BSE performance. For the graduate women, in addition to confidence in one's ability to perform the test and exposure to breast cancer messages, one's perceived susceptibility, knowledge of risk factors, and perception of personal control in detecting lumps were important. The independent variables examined within each age-group accounted for a substantial amount of the variance in the dependent measure (34 percent and 42 percent, respectively, for undergraduate and graduate women), as compared to previous research, which has explained only 7-15 percent of the variance in BSE performance. This tends to validate our approach of using a multidimensional conceptual framework drawn from existing theoretical orientations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Autobiography Based Prediction in a Situated AGI Agent

The ability to predict the unfolding of future events is an important feature of any situated AGI system. The most widely used approach is to create a model of the world, initialize it with the desired start state and use it to simulate possible future scenarios. In this paper we propose an alternative approach where there is no explicit model building involved. The agent memorizes its personal autobiography in an unprocessed narrative form. When a prediction is needed, the agent aligns story-lines from the autobiography with the current story, extends them into the future, then interprets them in the terms of the current events. We describe the implementation of this approach in the Xapagy cognitive architecture and present some experiments illustrating its operation.
Particle in Cell Monte Carlo Collision Codes(PIC-MCC); Methods and Applications to Plasma Processing

Simulations complement analytic modeling and lab experiments, following electron, ion and neutral motion in discharges used for processing materials, especially semiconductors. Simulations are shown of charged particle motion, fields, potentials, densities, and energies, etc., in the plasma volume and at surfaces. The PIC-MCC methods displayed come from first principles, fully nonlinear, run on fast workstations or PC’s, with many (non-invasive) diagnostics, with 1d, 2d, and 3d models, all with 3 velocity components. Examples are given, with experimental verification. Comparison is made between fluid and particle methods. The codes displayed are free.
Lethal NARS2-Related Disorder Associated With Rapidly Progressive Intractable Epilepsy and Global Brain Atrophy

Abstract Background Infantile epileptic encephalopathy is a heterogeneous condition that has been associated with variants in more than 200 genes. The variability in findings and prognosis creates challenges to making the correct diagnosis and initiating the appropriate therapy. Biallelic variants in NARS2, a mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase gene, were recently associated with neurodegenerative disorders that include epilepsy. Methods We describe two infant brothers who presented with focal status epilepticus that progressed to lethal epileptic encephalopathy. We compared the cost of diagnostic laboratory evaluation for each child. Detailed NARS2 protein analysis was performed using a sequence-to-structure-to-function workflow, merging multiple homologous structures, to suggest biologic impact of the NARS2 variants. Results Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed rapid progression to generalized atrophy. Extensive metabolic, infectious, chromosomal and genetic testing of the first infant failed to reach a specific diagnosis. The younger brother presented similarly. Rapid whole exome sequencing was performed revealing novel biallelic variants in NARS2. The variants c.167A>G (p.Gln56Arg) and c.631T>A (p.Phe211Ile) were confirmed in a reserved sample from the older brother. Management was then redirected toward palliative care and the child died at age nine months. Conclusions NARS2-related disorder should be considered in infants presenting with refractory seizures and rapid brain atrophy. Metabolic screening tests may be normal or yield nonspecific findings. Rapid whole exome sequencing in children with fulminant onset intractable epilepsy may minimize extensive diagnostic evaluation and aid in prognosis and medical management.
Novel pathway of Rac1 and Stat3 interaction

1716 Unlike cultured cells, cells in a tumor have extensive opportunities for adhesion to their neighbors in a three-dimensional structure, therefore in the study of signal transduction it is important to take into account the effect of surrounding cells. Stat3 has emerged as an important signal transducer with a role in the etiology of many cancers. In resting cells, Stat3 is inactive in the cytoplasm but following receptor activation it is phosphorylated at tyr-705, dimerizes and migrates to the nucleus where it activates transcription from a number of genes involved in cell division and survival. Our lab has recently demonstrated that cell-cell adhesion, as observed in confluent, cultured cells, can lead to a dramatic increase in the activity of Stat3, a protein often abnormally activated in breast and other cancers. Most importantly, this Stat3 activation required Calcium but was independent from a number of tyrosine kinases, including the Src family, IGF1-R, EGFR and Fer, often activated in a variety of cancers (Oncogene 23:2600, MBC 16:3832). It has recently emerged that engagement of E-cadherin, one of the surface receptors responsible for the formation of cell-cell adhesion junctions, results in the rapid activation of Rac1 and Cdc42 Rho family GTPases. Furthermore, expression of activated forms of the Rho GTPases leads to Stat3, ptyr705 and pser727 phosphorylation and activation. In an attempt to investigate whether Rac1 might be mediating the Stat3 activation we observe at post-confluence, we examined the state of Rac1 activity in extracts from MCF-10A normal human breast epithelial cells by measuring the binding of Rac1 . GTP to its effector, PAK. In agreement with previous results, a modest increase in Rac1 activity was noted as MCF-10A cells approached confluence. However, examination of total Rac1 levels by Western blotting revealed that while these levels were constant at confluences of up to 100%, there was a dramatic increase in total Rac1 protein, starting at confluence, with a proportional increase in Rac1 activity. This increase preceded the increase in Stat3-ptyr705 by approximately 24 hours and could possibly explain the observed Stat3 activation. Apparently, in addition to activation of Rac1 by cell-cell contact, which occurs immediately after cadherin engagement, there is a sustained increase in total Rac1 levels presumably through a transcriptional or possibly translational or post-translational mechanism. Similar results were obtained with mouse Balb/c 3T3 and NIH3T3 fibroblasts. This was a highly unexpected finding and it dramatically demonstrates the existence of a novel mechanism of Rac1 upregulation which is engaged following extensive cell-cell adhesion and is present in epithelial cells as well as fibroblasts.
Prevalence of low molecular weight proteinuria and Dent disease 1 CLCN5 mutations in proteinuric cohorts.

Dent disease type 1 (DD1) is a rare X-linked disorder caused mainly by CLCN5 mutations. Patients may present with nephrotic-range proteinuria leading to erroneous diagnosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and unnecessary immunosuppressive treatments. The following cohorts were screened for CLCN5 mutations: Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD; n = 112); Multicenter FSGS-Clinical Trial (FSGS-CT) (n = 96), and Novel Therapies for Resistant FSGS Trial (FONT) (n = 30). Urinary α1-microglobulin (α1M), albumin (A), total protein (TP), and creatinine (Cr) were assessed from CKiD subjects (n = 104); DD1 patients (n = 14); and DD1 carriers (DC; n = 8). TP/Cr, α1M/Cr, α1M/TP, and A/TP from the CKiD cohort were compared with DD1 and DC. No CLCN5 mutations were detected. TP/Cr was lower in DC and CKiD with tubulointerstitial disease than in DD1 and CKiD with glomerular disease (p 13.6 mg/mmol) creatinine were good screens for Dent disease. CLCN5 mutations were not seen in screened CKiD/FSGS cohorts. In our study, a cutoff of TP/Cr > 600 mg/g (> 68 mg/mmol) and A/TP of 13.6 mg/mmol) had the highest sensitivity and specificity when differentiating DD1 and studied CKiD populations.
Local rigidity for Anosov automorphisms

We consider an irreducible Anosov automorphism L of a torus T d such that no three eigenvalues have the same modulus. We show that L is locally rigid, that is, L is C 1+Holder conjugate to any C 1 -small perturbation f such that the derivative Dpf n is conjugate to L n whenever f n p = p. We also prove that toral automorphisms satisfying these assumptions are generic in SL(d,Z). Examples constructed in the Appendix show the importance of the assumption on the eigenvalues.
Towards a Stable Graph Representation Learning Using Connection Subgraphs

This chapter studies the problem of learning large-scale graph representations (a.k.a. embeddings) that encode the relationships among distinct nodes. The learned representations generalize over various tasks, such as node classification, link prediction, and recommendation. Learning node representations aims to map proximate nodes close to one another in a low-dimensional vector space. Thus, embedding algorithms pursue to preserve local and global network structure by identifying node neighborhoods. However, many existing algorithms generate embeddings that fail to preserve the network structure and are unstable. That is, the embeddings yield from multiple runs on the same graph are different. Therefore, on one side of the spectrum, such algorithms seem to be suitable for single graph-related tasks, like node classification; however, on the other side, these algorithms cannot fit multi-graph problems.