cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Side effects and mortality associated with use of phenytoin for early posttraumatic seizure prophylaxis

Object. The goals of this study were to determine if the use of phenytoin to prevent early posttraumatic seizures following head injury was associated with significant adverse side effects and also to determine if the reduction in early posttraumatic seizures after phenytoin administration was associated with a change in mortality rates in head-injured patients. Methods. The authors performed a secondary analysis of the data obtained in a prospective double-blind placebo-controlled study of 404 patients who were randomly assigned to receive phenytoin or placebo for the prevention of early and late posttraumatic seizures. The incidence of adverse drug effects during the first 2 weeks of treatment, however, was low and not significantly different between the treated and placebo groups. Hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 0.6% of the patients in the phenytoin-treated group compared with 0% in the placebo group (p = 1.0) during week 1, and in 2.5% of phenytoin-treated compared with 0% of placebo-treated pa...
Gold's theorems and the logical problem of language acquisition.

Evaluating Brian MacWhinney's multiple ‘solutions’ to the logical problem of language acquisition requires delineating exactly what the alleged problem is. He takes it to stem from the theorems of Gold (1967), the most celebrated of which is G1.
Dynamical chaos in SU (2) ® U ( 1 ) theory

Abstract We study the dynamics of the classical homogeneous SU(2)⊗U(1) gauge theory in the spontaneously broken phase. A transition from regular to chaotic dynamics is shown to occur for energy densities e>0.3 m W 2 / G F ≈2×10 10 GeV/fm 3 . The regular regime is characterized by a sharp frequency spectrum for the Yang-Mills fields. The frequency spectrum in the chaotic regime is continuous and the sharp frequency lines of the regular regime are dispersed. In the early universe or at high energy densities in a Yang-Mills plasma this transition may have observable effects that can be studied by analyzing the frequency spectrum and the time correlation functions. In the chaotic regime these time correlation functions decay considerably faster than in the regular regime.
Methyl Acceptors for the Biosynthesis of Choline

Abstract FOR the biosynthesis of choline, Jukes (1947) and Artom (1952) proposed a scheme for the stepwise addition of methyl groups from methionine via transmethylation to aminoethanol. However, Stekol et al. (1955) demonstrated that dimethylaminoethanol was the only direct acceptor of the methyl group of methionine for choline biosynthesis in rats, the other 2 methyl groups were produced by de novo synthesis involving folic acid. Stekol (1958) postulated the following stepwise sequence for choline biosynthesis: The de novo synthesis of methyl groups was supported by studies of Nyc (1956) in a mutant strain of Neurospora crassa where formate-C14 was incorporated far in excess than C14H3 of methionine into methylaminoethanol. Young el al. (1955) found that choline requirement of chickens was decreased by dietary folic acid. Also, choline could be replaced by an equimolar quantity of monomethylaminoethanol plus betaine, either in presence or absence of folic acid. Vitamin B12 spared choline requirements …
A 3-D numerical study of the thermal evolution of the Moon after cumulate mantle overturn: The importance of rheology and core solidification

[1] Models in which the mantle of the Moon evolves from an initially stratified state following magma ocean solidification and overturn have been applied to address important features of long-term thermal evolution of the Moon, including convective instability of overturned ilmenite-bearing cumulates (IBC) at the lunar core-mantle boundary, generation of mare basalts, core sulfur content and inner core radius, paleomagnetism, and the present-day mantle structure. Whether a dense overturned IBC-rich layer at the bottom of the mantle can become thermally unstable to generate a single upwelling is controlled largely by the temperature-dependence of viscosity (the activation energy). Convective instability of the IBC-rich layer controls the heat flux out the core and the presence of an internally generated magnetic field. A long period of (~700 Ma) high positive core-mantle-boundary (CMB) heat flux after the instability of the IBC-rich layer is expected from our models. Present-day deep mantle temperatures inferred from seismic and gravitational inversion constrain the magnitude of mantle viscosity from 5 × 1019 to 1 × 1021 Pa s. The CMB temperature and solidified inner core radius inferred from seismic reflection constrain the core sulfur content. Our evolution models with 5–10 wt % sulfur content can produce the observed 240 km radius inner core at the present day. The asymmetrical distribution of the deep moonquakes only in the nearside mantle could be explained as the remnant structure of the single chemical upwelling generated from IBC-rich layer. Our evolution model after the overturn results in an early ~0.55 km expansion in radius for ~1000 Ma due to the radiogenic heating associated with IBC in the deep mantle and may provide a simple explanation for the early expansion inferred from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Misdiagnosed as Asthma

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a rare disorder that is progressive and often leads to right heart failure if left untreated. Because of the vague nature of symptoms at presentation, IPAH may take several months to diagnose. The most common presenting complaint in patients with IPAH is dyspnea with exertion, which is also commonly seen with asthma. This report describes an adult female with refractory exertional dyspnea who was diagnosed with asthma 2 years earlier but was ultimately diagnosed with IPAH. Exclusion of other etiologies is a necessity for refractory dyspnea in the setting of asthma.
The Seasons of a Ceo's Tenure

This article proposes a model of the dynamics of the CEO's tenure in office. The central argument is that there are discernible phases, or seasons, within an executive's tenure in a position, and that these seasons give rise to distinct patterns of executive attention, behavior, and, ultimately, organizational performance. The five delineated seasons are (a) response to mandate, (b) experimentation, (c) selection of an enduring theme, (d) convergence, and (e) dysfunction. The theoretical and practical implications of the model are discussed.
Insurgent Citizenship in an Era of Global Urban Peripheries

The extraordinary urbanization of the 20th century has produced urban peripheries of devastating poverty and inequality in cities worldwide. At the same time, the struggles of their residents for the basic resources of daily life and shelter have also generated new movements of insurgent citizenship based on their claims to have a right to the city and a right to rights. The resulting contemporary metropolis is a site of collision between forces of exploitation and dispossession and increasingly coherent, yet still fragile and contradictory movements for new kinds of citizen power and social justice. This essay examines the entanglements of these insurgent urban citizenships both with entrenched systems of inequality and with new forms of destabilization and violence. Using the case of Brazil, it argues that these clashes entail conflicts of alternative formulations of citizenship and that sites of metropolitan innovation often emerge at the very sites of metropolitan degradation.
Temporal and spatial mRNA expression patterns of TGF-β1, 2, 3 and TβRI, II, III in skeletal muscles of mdx mice

To address potential regulatory roles of TGF-beta1 in muscle inflammation and fibrosis associated with dystrophin deficiency, we performed quantitative RT-PCR and in situ hybridization to characterize the temporal and spatial mRNA expression patterns of TGF-beta1 and other TGF-beta subfamily members, TGF-beta2 and TGF-beta3, as well as their receptors, in quadriceps and diaphragm muscles of mdx mice. TGF-beta1 mRNA was markedly upregulated in the endomysial inflammatory cells and regenerating fibers of mdx quadriceps and diaphragm, with the mRNA levels correlated with the degree of endomysial inflammation. Upregulation of TGF-beta2, beta3, and their receptors was also appreciated but to a much lesser degree. While high levels of TGF-beta1 mRNA remained in the aging mdx quadriceps but not the diaphragm, progressive fibrosis only occurred in the diaphragm. Our data support a regulatory role for TGF-beta1 in muscle inflammation in mdx mice. It also suggests different susceptibility of quadriceps and diaphragm muscles to fibrosis induced by TGF-beta1 signaling pathway.
Reliability and Internal Consistency of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale

ABSTRACTThe Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) was developed to assess balance confidence. While several researchers have used the ABC to measure balance confidence, its psychometric properties are reported by only a few studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ABC's test–retest reliability and internal consistency among a sample of community dwelling older adults. Forty-four subjects aged 65 and older who lived independently in a senior living community participated in the study. Each participant completed the ABC on two separate test days, 6 months apart. Test–retest reliability revealed an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.879 (95% CI, 0.779–0.934). Internal consistency measured by cronbach's α was 0.973 for both baseline and six-month data. The ABC demonstrated good test–retest reliability and strong internal consistency among a sample of community dwelling older adults; however, internal consistency may be exceedingly high, indicating item redundancy.
Toward Simultaneous 2D ACAR and 2D DBAR: Sub-Pixel Spatial Characterization of a Segmented HPGe Detector Using Transient Charges

Sub-pixel spatial characterization of an Ortec HPGe double-sided strip detector was measured in preparation for its planned use in a positron annihilation spectrometer (PAS) to simultaneously measure the two-dimensional Angular Correlation (2D ACAR) and Doppler Broadening (2D DBAR) of Annihilation Radiation. Sr-85 514-keV photons were finely collimated onto the center of 25, equally spaced sub-pixels within a single 5-mm by 5-mm intrinsic pixel, using a collimator with an aperture diameter of 0.15 ± 0.05 mm. The location of each full-energy recorded event was determined by analyzing the relative sizes of coincident transient charges on charge collection strips adjacent to the strip recording full-energy events. Interpolation, using ratios of the coincident transient charge sizes, was used to determine two-dimensional locations of full-energy events. Radial location data was fit to a function which describes a Gaussian point spread function uniformly distributed over a circular aperture. The standard deviation of the point spread function, 0.22 mm, is a measure of the spatial resolution of this detector system. The relative efficiency for detection of 514-keV photons across the intrinsic pixel was also measured.
Specific Inhibition of MicroRNA Processing Using L-RNA Aptamers.

In vitro selection was used to obtain l-RNA aptamers that bind the distal stem-loop of various precursor microRNAs (pre-miRs). These l-aptamers, termed “aptamiRs”, bind their corresponding pre-miR target through highly specific tertiary interactions rather than Watson–Crick pairing. Formation of a pre-miR–aptamiR complex inhibits Dicer-mediated processing of the pre-miR, which is required to form the mature functional microRNA. One of the aptamiRs, which was selected to bind oncogenic pre-miR-155, inhibits Dicer processing under simulated physiological conditions, with an IC50 of 87 nM. Given that l-RNAs are intrinsically resistant to nuclease degradation, these results suggest that aptamiRs might be pursued as a new class of miR inhibitors.
Vascular Dysfunction in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) is the fastest growing form of HF and is nearly exclusively found in older persons, particularly women, in whom 90% of new HF cases are HFPEF. Although these patients often have frequent episodes of acute decompensation, even when stable and compensated, the primary symptom in chronic HFPEF is severe exercise intolerance, which can be measured objectively as decreased pulmonary oxygen uptake during peak aerobic exercise (peak VO2), and is associated with their severely reduced quality of life. In accordance with the Fick principle (VO2 = cardiac output [CO] × arterial venous oxygen content difference [a-vO2diff]), the reduced peak VO2 in HFPEF patients may be due to impairments in cardiac, vascular, and/ or skeletal muscle function that result in decreased oxygen delivery to and/or utilization by the active skeletal muscles. Understanding the relative contributions of these factors to reduced exercise capacity requires their measurement during exercise along with VO2. Using upright exercise with expired gas analysis and simultaneous echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular volumes, our group reported that the lower peak VO2 in older HFPEF patients vs age-matched healthy subjects was due not only to reduced exercise cardiac output, but also to an equal contribution of reduced systemic a-vO2diff. Moreover, the rest to peak exercise change in a-vO2diff was the strongest independent predictor of peak VO2
The training of New Jersey emergency service first responders in autism awareness

This study investigated the extent and adequacy of training among New Jersey first responders (e.g., police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians) specifically as relates to a 2008 state law mandating that autism and hidden disability recognition and response training be conducted. The results show that a significant percentage of emergency service personnel have not completed the state mandated training. Recommendations for improving the training, such as by involving parents, advocates, and field and training personnel as a part of the training process, are discussed.
The business of noncitizenship

Private actors play an increasing role in mediating the relationship between States and noncitizens and even in creating or perpetuating exclusions associated with noncitizenship. This paper offers a way to analyse the forms of engagement of the for-profit private sector in migration control and asks what it means for how noncitizenship is constructed. It presents the private sector as acting like a buffer, altering whether and how individuals may engage with a State constructing what noncitizenship means within a State’s territory, and removing so-constructed individuals from a relationship with that State. It shows how this may occur directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly. The paper addresses two main concerns: the impact on the State-noncitizen relationship and whether there are some areas of the relationship between the State and the noncitizen that should not be so-delegated. It argues that privatised migration control raises problems for standard justifications of migration control and noncitizenship construction.
Sodomy Politics in Lawrence v. Texas

This essay - originally published before the Supreme Court issued its decision in Lawrence v. Texas - examines the gay rights litigation strategy pursued in the case, and questions its sexual politics from a sex equality perspective.
Comparison study of ring current simulations with and without bubble injections

For many years, stand-alone ring current models have been successfully producing storm time ring current enhancements without specifying explicit localized transient injections along their outer boundaries. However, both observations and simulations have suggested that the frequent burst flows or bubble injections can contribute substantially to the storm time ring current energy. In this paper, we investigate the difference in the spatial and temporal development of the ring current distribution with and without bubble injections using the Rice Convection Model-Equilibrium. The comparison study indicates that the simulation with bubble effects smoothed out along geosynchronous orbit can predict approximately the same large-scale ring current pressure distribution and electric potential pattern as the simulation with bubble effects included. Our results suggest that the increase of the hot plasma population along geosynchronous orbit can be envisaged as an integrated effect of bubble injections from the near-Earth plasma sheet. However, the observed fluctuations in the plasma population and electric field can only be captured when the mesoscale injections are included in the simulation. We also confirmed again that adiabatic convection of fully populated flux tubes cannot inject the ring current from the middle plasma sheet. The paper provides a justification for using stand-alone ring current models in the inner magnetosphere to simulate magnetic storms, without explicit consideration of bubbles and magnetic buoyancy effects inside geosynchronous orbit.
Rearing the tarnished plant bug (Heteroptera : Miridae) using a tissue paper oviposition site

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), was found to prefer to oviposit in moist tissue paper wrapped around a green bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., rather than in the green bean. This preference was used to rear tarnished plant bugs using eggs that were extracted from tissue paper and green beans or broccoli, Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis L., (or both) for food. The method used for extracting eggs from tissue paper is described along with other rearing methods and equipment. Egg hatch and hatched eggs that developed to the adult stage averaged 84.9 and 71.1%, respectively, for insects reared at 25.6 ± 1°C, 65 ± 10% RH, and a photoperiod of 14:1O(L:D). Egg production averaged 97 per female. Green beans, broccoli, or green beans in combination with broccoli were found to be equally effective in rearing nymphs, with no significant differences found in numbers of adults produced, egg production in females, or in female longevity. Extracted eggs can be held in cold storage at 10°C for 15 d and then allowed to hatch, with no reduction in egg hatch or in adult production. The use of extracted eggs provides exact numbers of eggs for tests and greater flexibility in monitoring, expanding, and maintaining a colony. Cold storage of part of the eggs produced each week also helps ensure colony survival should the adults and nymphs that are being reared be lost because of contaminated food or a malfunction in the rearing equipment.
Using the NEO-PI-R to Teach Assessment Concepts in a Graduate-Level Psychological Assessment Course:

The purpose of this brief report is to describe the use of a hands-on project designed to enhance graduate students' understanding of assessment-related concepts. The project involves students taki...
Girl Talk: A Qualitative Study of Girls Talking About the Meaning of Their Lives in an Urban Single-Sex Elementary School

The suburban–urban achievement gap (diminishing until the 1980s) has stopped its narrowing trend, and single-sex schools are proliferating as a reform model, especially in urban areas. In this study researchers interviewed eight elementary school girls (in an all-girls school) three times over 2 years, and the resulting 23 transcripts were analyzed with focused and axial coding. Themes were constructed from these girls' meaning-making, including the challenge of gender stereotypes, an enthusiasm about math, a vision of unlimited futures, a sense of justice and personal ethics in relationships, presence of uncertainties in their lives, their reflections on the “good” teacher, and the strong influence of family belonging. The authors draw implications from the meanings these girls make of their lived experiences to teachers' understanding and classroom practice; and they also connect the themes to contemporary culture, including the field of girls' studies.
Current Status of Interventions for Congenital Heart Disease in China-Preliminary Analysis

Objective:To analyze the current status of interventionas for of congenital heart disease in China.Material and methods:According to seven lager cardiac centers date, 4397 patents with various congenital heart disease were treated by interventional procedure during the period from 1980s to May 2001. The patient distribution included pulmonary stenosis 1739, patent ductus arteriosus 1480 atrial septal defect 790, ventricular septal defect 12, aortic coarctation 47, pulmonary A-V fistula 40, coronary artery fistula 33, systemic-pulmonary collateral vessels 46, aortic stenosis 40, atrial septostomy 80 and, others 40 cases. Internventional procedues included: balloon valvuloplasty, balloon angioplasty, occlusion, embolization and theraputic septostomy.Results:Among the 4397 patients , the technical successful rate was 98.1% (4393/4397), complication rate 1.9% (80/4397), mortality 0.09% (4/4397). Conclusion:0.15 million newborn with congenital heart disease were born in China every year. According to the experience of the seven medical centers , interventional procedure is a nonsurgical, effective and safe method for treating congenital heart disease with minimal morbidity or mortality. In 21 century, Interventional therapy for congenital heart disease will become better developed. More patients will benefit from this new and effective treatment. There is still much work to be done in this field of pediatric interventional cardiology such as ①a law about the interventional medicine should be established and enforced; ②training more young specialists; ③improving interventional equipment in catheterirazation laboratory; ④developing homemade interventional devices and technique.
Chest pain of esophageal origin

Pain of esophageal origin includes heartburn, odynophagia, and spontaneous chest pain. The etiologic causes of esophageal chest pain are varied and include gastroesophageal reflux, esophagitis from radiation, infection, accidental ingestion, medication, and systemic disorders, and motility disorders. Useful tools in the evaluation of patients with suspected esophageal disease include endoscopy, manometry with provocative agents, and prolonged pH and pressure studies.
Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome: Candidate Therapies for a Potentially Lethal Disease

Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS) is a potentially lethal disease that presents with rapidly progressive multiple organ thromboses. Anticoagulation, corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasma exchange are the most commonly used treatments for CAPS patients. However, the high mortality despite these medications necessitates new treatment strategies. Following a brief review of current diagnostic and management strategies, we discuss the candidate therapies, i.e., hydroxychloroquine, rituximab, eculizumab, sirolimus, and defibrotide, that can be considered in CAPS patients refractory to traditional treatment.
Abelardo Díaz Alfaro’s Tales: The Tragicomedy of the Dawn of US Intervention in Puerto Rico

Abelardo Diaz Alfaro’s work conceptualizes US interventionism as a cultural war and responds with the act of writing to unveil the “nonsenses” of colonial ambiguity and uncertainty. This chapter explores the employment of the folk tale metanarrative by Diaz Alfaro to illustrate power relations in Puerto Rico in the twentieth century. In identifying the influence of folk tale traditions of the Atlantic world, the chapter simultaneously elucidates the function of tragic and comedic tones in the development of reactionary discourses to occupation and colonization. It also examines the transcendence of Diaz Alfaro’s short stories in Puerto Rican intellectual, political, and cultural history and surveys how his folk tales construct culture, race, slavery, violence, and the morality of colonial resistance.
4E-Binding Protein 1 (4E-BP1) in CD34+ Cells as Measured by Quantitative Flow Cytometry Is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Abstract The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine kinase involved in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation. Once activated, mTOR can phosphorylate its downstream targets. One of these targets is the 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), which is phosphorylated and inactivated by mTOR in response to a growth signal. Phospho-4E-BP1 dissociates from the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E), a translation initiation factor that subsequently binds the cap structure of 5′ mRNAs and initiates the translation of transcripts encoding genes involved in cell cycle control. Rapamycin and its analogs are immunosuppressant drugs that exert their activity by specific inhibition of mTOR. mTOR inhibition induces cell cycle arrest not only in normal lymphocytes but also in malignant cells. Using flow cytometry, we quantified the levels of 4E-BP1 and phosopho-4E-BP1 in CD34+ and CD3+ cells from bone marrow samples collected from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). We then measured the antibody binding capacity of 100 CD34+ or CD3+ cells using QuantiBRITE and PE (phycoerythrin)-labeled antibodies in a 1:1 ratio. We demonstrated that CD34+ cells express significantly higher levels of 4E-BP1 (P=0.005) and phosphor-4E-BP1 (P=0.0001) as compared with CD3+ cells in patients with AML (n=49). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the levels of 4E-BP1 or phospho-4E-BP1 between CD34+ and CD3+ cells in patients with MDS (n=15). More importantly, in patients with AML, high expression of 4E-BP1 in CD34+ cells was associated with shorter survival (P=0.003) as well as shorter complete remission duration (CRD) (P=0.03). This association between survival and levels of 4E-BP1 was independent of cytogenetic abnormalities in this group of patients. This data not only suggests that the 4E-BP1 level, as measured in the CD34+ cells, can be an important prognostic indicator in AML but also suggests that 4E-BP1 plays a role in the biology of AML. Furthermore, targeting 4E-BP1 by mTOR inhibitors, or other means of down modulating 4E-BP1 levels, is a rational therapeutic approach in AML. Download : Download high-res image (89KB) Download : Download full-size image
Charge asymmetry dependence of anisotropic flow in pPb and PbPb collisions with the CMS experiment

Abstract In nucleus-nucleus collisions, the linear dependence found for the elliptic flow harmonic of both positive or negative charged particles as a function of event charge asymmetry is predicted by the phenomenon known as the Chiral Magnetic Wave (CMW) due to its induced electric quadrupole moment. Here, the event charge asymmetry A ch is defined as N + − N − N + + N − , where N + and N − are the number of positive and negative charged particles, respectively. However, other scenarios are also possible and may provide alternative explanations for the experimental results. New measurements of elliptic ( v 2 ) and triangular ( v 3 ) flow for positive and negative charged particles as a function of A ch in pPb and PbPb collisions at s N N = 5.02 TeV are presented, using data collected by the CMS experiment during the LHC runs 1 and 2. The slopes and intercepts of the charged-dependent v n harmonics vs. A ch are directly compared for pPb and PbPb collisions with similar charged-particle multiplicities, where a strong CMW effect is not expected in very high multiplicity pPb events. Moreover, a comparison is made of the slope parameters between v 2 and v 3 harmonics normalized by the inclusive charge particle v n in PbPb collisions as a function of centrality. These results provide a means to discriminate between the CMW and other scenarios such as local charge conservation as possible explanations for the observed charge dependent behavior.
PET/MR Imaging in Gynecologic Oncology

MR imaging and PET using 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoroglucose (FDG) are both useful in the evaluation of gynecologic malignancies. MR imaging is superior for local staging of disease whereas fludeoxyglucose FDG PET is superior for detecting distant metastases. Integrated PET/MR imaging scanners have great promise for gynecologic malignancies by combining the advantages of each modality into a single scan. This article reviews the technology behind PET/MR imaging acquisitions and technical challenges relevant to imaging the pelvis. A dedicated PET/MR imaging protocol; the roles of PET and MR imaging in cervical, endometrial, and ovarian cancers; and future directions for PET/MR imaging are discussed.
Voluntary exposure to a toxin: the genetic influence on ethanol consumption.

Ethyl alcohol is a toxin that, when consumed at high levels, produces organ damage and death. One way to prevent or ameliorate this damage in humans is to reduce the exposure of organs to alcohol by reducing alcohol ingestion. Both the propensity to consume large volumes of alcohol and the susceptibility of human organs to alcohol-induced damage exhibit a strong genetic influence. We have developed an integrative genetic/genomic approach to identify transcriptional networks that predispose complex traits, including propensity for alcohol consumption and propensity for alcohol-induced organ damage. In our approach, the phenotype is assessed in a panel of recombinant inbred (RI) rat strains, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis is performed. Transcriptome data from tissues/organs of naive RI rat strains are used to identify transcriptional networks using Weighted Gene Coexpression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Correlation of the first principal component of transcriptional coexpression modules with the phenotype across the rat strains, and overlap of QTLs for the phenotype and the QTLs for the coexpression modules (module eigengene QTL) provide the criteria for identification of the functionally related groups of genes that contribute to the phenotype (candidate modules). While we previously identified a brain transcriptional module whose QTL overlapped with a QTL for levels of alcohol consumption in HXB/BXH RI rat strains and 12 selected rat lines, this module did not account for all of the genetic variation in alcohol consumption. Our search for QTL overlap and correlation of coexpression modules with phenotype can, however, be applied to any organ in which the transcriptome has been measured, and this represents a holistic approach in the search for genetic contributors to complex traits. Previous work has implicated liver/brain interactions, particularly involving inflammatory/immune processes, as influencing alcohol consumption levels. We have now analyzed the liver transcriptome of the HXB/BXH RI rat panel in relation to the behavioral trait of alcohol consumption. We used RNA-Seq and microarray data to construct liver transcriptional networks, and identified a liver candidate transcriptional coexpression module that explained 24% of the genetic variance in voluntary alcohol consumption. The transcripts in this module focus attention on liver secretory products that influence inflammatory and immune signaling pathways. We propose that these liver secretory products can interact with brain mechanisms that affect alcohol consumption, and targeting these pathways provides a potential approach to reducing high levels of alcohol intake and also protecting the integrity of the liver and other organs.
Iterative learning-based waypoint optimization for repetitive path planning, with application to airborne wind energy systems

This paper presents an iterative learning approach for optimizing waypoints in repetitive path following applications. Our proposed algorithm consists of two key features: First, a recursive least squares fit is used to construct an estimate of the behavior of the performance index. Secondly, an iteration-to-iteration waypoint adaptation law is used to update waypoints in the direction of optimal performance. This waypoint update law parallels the mathematical structure of a traditional iterative learning control (ILC) update but replaces the tracking error term with an error between the present and estimated optimal waypoint sequences. The proposed methodology is applied to the crosswind path optimization of an airborne wind energy (AWE) system, where the goal is to maximize the average power output over a figure-8 path. In validating the tools from this work, we introduce a simplified 2-dimensional analog to the more complex 3-dimensional AWE system, which distills the problem to its core elements. Using this model, we demonstrate that the proposed waypoint adaptation strategy successfully achieves convergence to near-optimal figure-8 paths for a variety of initial conditions.
Revealing Fictions: Neo-liberalism, Domestic Servants, and Thrity Umrigar’s "The Space Between Us"

This article focuses on the diasporic Indian writer Thrity Umrigar’s notable novel The Space Between Us (2007), situating the text in the literary context of the post-colonial Anglophone novel, India’s regional tradition of social realism, as well as its liberalized economy and growing class divides. I argue that the novel is exemplary of a growing body of contemporary Anglophone writing from the Global South that centers the figure of the domestic servant in order to problematize the cultural and economic structures that subjugate her. In focusing on these marginalized and dispossessed individuals, texts like The Space Between Us reveal the fictional nature of the discourses of capitalist ‘development’ that neo-liberal globalization is based on. The novel illuminates the oppression of the domestic worker by highlighting how these modern discourses enable the sale of her entire body to the employer so that it can be directed to sit, stand, and embody subjugation and difference in culturally specific ways. I then argue that the novel recuperates an alternative ethics of being by conceptualizing the body as a vehicle between, rather than a mode of segregating, ‘self’ and ‘other.’ In the process, the text teaches the middle class Indian reader to see herself differently – as an agent of exploitation – in a way that leads her to see the servant ‘other’ differently – as someone akin to, rather than different from, her ‘self.’ Umrigar’s cultural work aims to destabilize capitalist modes of evaluating laborers and labor and to shift readers’ ways of seeing, thereby inciting ethical action in specific post-colonial contexts.
Quality and Efficiency in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Units

Both quality and efficiency have had varied definitions over the years. At its core, quality is defined as a measure of excellence or a state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations. On the other hand, efficiency is defined as the use of resources in such a way as to maximize the production of goods and services. While both have been the cornerstone of many industries, it has not been until recently that they have been at the forefront for driving improvements in care within gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy units. This focus on improving both quality and efficiency in GI has been spurred by the dramatic rise in the demand for endoscopic procedures as well as the rising number of insured patients in the United States (USA) requiring GI care. Moreover, as reimbursements in the USA become more intertwined with performance and quality indicators, both for procedures and endoscopy units, gastroenterologists, governing organizations, payers, and patients are demanding improvements in these two areas.
Appeal and Use of Customizable E-cigarette Product Features in Adolescents.

Objectives We evaluated the appeal and use of e-cigarette product features in a sample of high school students in Connecticut. Methods In 2015, we conducted school-wide surveys in 8 high schools and analyzed data from 1765 students (877 susceptible tobacco-naive never-e-cigarette users, 315 susceptible tobacco-exposed never-e-cigarette users, and 656 current e-cigarette users). Students were asked: "What is cool about e-cigarettes?" Response options included e-liquid ingredients (eg, flavors, nicotine content, propylene glycol/vegetable glycerin ratio [ie, PG/VG), the heating source (eg, battery), and physical design (eg, color, shape, appearance). Students were asked: "How do you customize your e-cigarette?" (Change flavors, voltage, PG/VG levels, temperature, skin/tank color, other) and use of nicotine in the e-liquid (yes/no). Multivariable regression assessed associations between current e-cigarette users' customization and e-cigarette use frequency (#days/month). Results Flavors were the most appealing product feature among all groups. Among current users, using nicotine e-liquid was more prevalent than changing flavors (44.2% vs 29.6%). Using nicotine e-liquids and changing PG/vG ratios were associated with more frequent e-cigarette use among current users. Conclusions These findings can inform tobacco regulatory actions that put forth evidence-based recommendations to manufacture e-liquid flavors, nicotine concentrations and PG/VG ratios that prevent e-cigarette initiation and escalation of use.
Abstract 13424: Prospective Trial of Adenosine on Atrioventricular Nodal Conduction in the Pediatric Transplanted Heart

Introduction: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is common after heart transplant. Adenosine is the standard of care for SVT treatment in children and adults, but is relatively contraindicated post-transplant due to presumed risk of prolonged atrioventricular (AV) block in denervated hearts. This is the first trial of adenosine use in pediatric and young adult heart transplant patients. Hypothesis: Adenosine use after heart transplant does not cause prolonged asystole and is effective in blocking AV nodal conduction. Methods: This was a single center prospective clinical trial including healthy heart transplant recipients ages 6 months - 25 years presenting for routine cardiac catheterization from July 2015 to April 2016. After catheterization, a pacing catheter was placed in the right ventricle and adenosine was given according to a stepwise protocol (12.5mcg/kg, 25mcg/kg, 50mcg/kg, 100mcg/kg and 200mcg/kg, with maximum doses of 0.8mg, 1.5mg, 3mg, 6mg and 12mg for patients ≥ 60kg) until AV block was achieved. The primary outcome was clinically significant asystole ≥ 12 seconds following adenosine that required rescue ventricular pacing. The effects of patient characteristics on adenosine dose and total adenosine effect were tested. Results: Eighty patients completed adenosine testing. No patient (0%, 95% CI 0-3%) required rescue ventricular pacing. AV block was observed in 77 patients (96%, 95% CI 89-99%) at different doses (Figure 1). The median longest AV block was 1.9 seconds (IQR 1.4-3.2) and the mean total adenosine effect was 4.3 seconds (±2.0). No patient characteristics were significant predictors of adenosine dose and total adenosine effect. Results were similar when patients were stratified by weight ≥60kg. Conclusion: Adenosine is a safe medical therapy for the induction of AV block in pediatric and young adult heart transplant patients when using low initial doses (25mcg/kg; 1.5mg if ≥60kg) and gradually escalating therapy.
Evidence for a physiologic role of erythropoietin in fetal erythropoiesis.

Administration of antibody prepared in rabbits against human urinary Ep to fetal sheep during the last third of the gestation period resulted in a suppression of erythropoiesis in the fetus. This was evidenced by a sharp decrease in the numbers of circulating reticulocytes and a reduced rate of 59Fe incorporation into RBC, spleen, and bone marrow, effects ascribable to a neutralization of endogenous Ep. In addition, there was a significant decrease in the numbers of nucleated erythroid cells in the bone marrows of these fetuses. These results point to a physiologic role for Ep in fetal erythropoiesis.
Treatment of Kaposis Sarcoma

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is the most common malignancy associated with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) infection.’ During the early years of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, KS was the presenting manifestation of AIDS in 10%-15% of HIV-infected homosexual men and 1%-2% of HIV-infected individuals from other risk categories.2Over the past decade, the proportion of individuals presenting with KS as their AID S-defining illness has declined. Data from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), an observational study of homosexual and bisexual men, demonstrate an increase in the incidence of KS as an AIDS-defining event in the early 1990s followed by a decline in incidence in 1996-1997.3KS as a secondary AIDS diagnosis rose from 23% in the mid-1980s, to 42% in the early 1990s, to 50% in 1996-1997.3In recent years, the overall incidence of KS has decreased. A population based cancer surveillance study in Washington state observed a decrease in the average number of KS cases from 118 between 1990 and 1995 to 76 in 1996 and 21 in 1997.4
Membrane Fusion, Formation and Flow

A membrane’s composition undergoes constant change due to the insertion and removal of its components. For example, bacteria alter their membranes’ fatty acyl composition in response to temperature shifts. Another example of membrane restructuring is the turnover of membrane proteins as they become worn out. Changes in membrane composition are achieved by the direct insertion of a new component into a membrane or a fusion event between two membranes. This chapter will begin by considering simple fusion events in vitro. We will then discuss direct membrane insertion and a few complex fusion events observed in vivo.
Steroid hormone regulations of uterine peroxidase activity.

Uterine peroxidase enzyme activity has been studied as a marker for estrogen action in the uterus to help clarify the mechanism of estrogen action and its modulation by antiestrogens and progestins. Estrogen-induced increases in peroxidase were found to closely parallel increases in uterine weight and DNA content in the castrate rat. In the cycling female rat, uterine peroxidase levels were highest during proestrus and estrus and the lower levels of metestrous and diestrous uteri could be raised to estrous levels by administration of estrogen. However, the estrous levels were not further increased by estrogen treatment.
The use of hemodynamics to predict mortality in patients undergoing primary PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Introduction: Challenges remain in predicting mortality and severe myocardial dysfunction in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) for ST elevation myocardial infarc...
The Role of p53 in Cancer

The product of the p53 tumor suppressor gene was first identified as a tumor antigen that bound to simian virus 40 (SV40) T antigen and adenovirus E1B oncoproteins.1–3 The p53 protein originally was believed to have an oncogenic rather than a tumor suppressor function, since it could immortalize cells in culture4 and cooperate with the activated ras oncogene to transform cells in culture.5’6 Overexpression of p53 also enhanced the transformed phenotype of tumor cells.7
Evaluating hydrogels for implantable probes using SERS

Now that a fully-implantable, continuous glucose monitor has received FDA approval, optical techniques other than fluorescence will seek to overcome the limited lifetimes resulting from photobleaching. Using plasmonic nanoparticles, we present the potential of reversible SERS-active sensing assays to function as long-term implantable sensors. The assays offer high selectivity and specificity of analyte detection and concentration without loss of emission intensity over time due to photodestruction. These assays are encapsulated in microdomains bounded by polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs), permeable to the target but impermeable to proteins. The microdomains are stabilized in hydrogels for biocompatibility and longevity. This study characterizes the performance of pH-sensitive Raman probes in three different hydrogels in a simulated in vivo environment with changing pH over time.
Radio Science at Jupiter: Past Investigations, Current Results, and Future Prospects

Over the last 40 years, several missions of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA) have explored the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. Radio Science has been a key component of each mission to the planet, where radio signals between the spacecraft and the Earth-based observing antennas have been utilized to determine the physical properties of Jupiter and its moons, their atmospheres, ionospheres, and gravity fields. As a spacecraft passes through or around the Jovian system, small changes in phase, frequency, and amplitude of the radio signal are induced by the surrounding environment. These changes are detectable and form the basis for determining gravitational fields, planetary motion, and reconstruction of atmospheric and ionospheric profiles. The era of outer-planet exploration began in 1973 and 1974 with the Pioneer 10 and 11 flybys of Jupiter. Several missions have used Jupiter's massive gravitational well to perform a gravity assist to reach farther in the solar system, starting with Pioneer 11 in 1974 and Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in 1979 with subsequent flybys from Ulysses in 1992, Cassini-Huygens in 2000, and New Horizons in 2007. Jupiter has hosted two dedicated orbiting spacecraft thus far: Galileo from 1995-2003 and Juno from 2016 to present. Throughout this time, instrumentation advances in both spacecraft technology and technology developed for ground stations have improved the precision and accuracy of the radiometric measurements, leading to improved results from radio science investigations. The latest mission to Jupiter, Juno, includes the most advanced radio science instrumentation to date. With Juno's unique polar orbit and dual frequency radio links, it is able to probe the planet's deep interior structure and zonal wind profile with measurements of the gravitational field and probe the electron densities in the Io plasma torus, a doughnut-shaped ring around Jupiter charged with particles emitted by the volcanic activity on Io. Upcoming missions, such as the planned NASA's Europa Clipper multiple flyby mission in 2022, potential follow-on Europa Lander, and the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission in 2022, may make further strides in the study of the planet and its moons utilizing radio science.