cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic radiology resident perspectives on fellowship training and career interest in emergency radiology.

(1) Evaluate radiology resident perception of emergency radiology (ER). (2) Identify potential barriers to pursuing fellowship training or a career in ER among radiology residents. A 9-question digital survey was designed using Qualtrics Experience Management software (Qualtrics Inc., Provo, UT) and distributed to all US radiology residents via a multi-pronged distribution approach. Four hundred fifty-one residents responded out of an estimated national total of 4432 residents (10.2%). Gender proportion was nationally representative (female = 24.5%; p = 0.57), with a slight R1 predominance (p = 0.034). Of the residents, 88.8% were aware that an ER subspecialty exists, 82.0% were aware that ER fellowships exist, but only 51.7% were aware that the American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) exists. Nearly a quarter reported no ER division or ER resident rotation. Residents in a program without an ER division or rotation were nearly twice as likely to be unaware of the existence of ER subspecialty, ER fellowships, and ASER compared to others (p = 0.017). The presence of an ER division and rotation significantly increases the knowledge of ASER (65.5% vs. 40.7%, p < 0.001) and increases residents’ ratings of their ER training (p < 0.001). The following factors were ranked as the most important for fellowship choice: (1) personal interest, (2) intellectually stimulating, and (3) work hours. When asked if ER had an appealing work schedule, the mean response was 56 out of 100 (0 = disagree, 100 = agree). US radiology residents with the greatest exposure to ER during residency are more familiar with ER training, ER career opportunities, and ASER and had a more favorable perception of the field. Subspecialty leaders should focus on ER’s inherent intellectual appeal and reframe its nontraditional schedule as positive (flexible).
Objective Measures to Characterize the Physiological Effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Neuropathic Pain: A Literature Review

Objective The physiological mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) are only partially understood. Our aim was to perform a literature review of studies that used objective measures to characterize mechanisms of action of SCS in neuropathic pain patients. Materials and methods We searched the PubMed data base to identify clinical studies that used objective measures to assess the effects of SCS in neuropathic pain. We extracted the study factors (e.g., type of measure, diagnoses, painful area[s], and SCS parameters) and outcomes from the included studies. Results We included 67 studies. Of these, 24 studies used neurophysiological measures, 14 studies used functional neuroimaging techniques, three studies used a combination of neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging techniques, 14 studies used quantitative sensory testing, and 12 studies used proteomic, vascular, and/or pedometric measures. Our findings suggest that SCS largely inhibits somatosensory processing and/or spinal nociceptive activity. Our findings also suggest that SCS modulates activity across specific regions of the central nervous system that play a prominent role in the sensory and emotional functions of pain. Conclusions SCS appears to modulate pain via spinal and/or supraspinal mechanisms of action (e.g., pain gating, descending pain inhibition). However, to better understand the mechanisms of action of SCS, we believe that it is necessary to carry out systematic, controlled, and well-powered studies using objective patient measures. To optimize the clinical effectiveness of SCS for neuropathic pain, we also believe that it is necessary to develop and implement patient-specific approaches.
Characterization and development of SAPP as a specific peptidic inhibitor that targets Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a keystone bacterium in the oral microbial communities that elicits a dysbiosis between the microbiota and the host. Therefore, inhibition of this organism in dental plaques has been one of strategies for preventing and treating chronic periodontitis. We previously identified a Streptococcal ArcA derived Anti-P. gingivalils Peptide (SAPP) that in vitro, is capable of repressing the expression of several virulence genes in the organism. This leads to a significant reduction in P. gingivalis virulence potential, including its ability to colonize on the surface of Streptococcus gordonii, to invade human oral epithelial cells, and to produce gingipains. In this study, we showed that SAPP had minimal cytotoxicity to human oral keratinocytes and gingival fibroblasts. We observed that SAPP directly bound to the cell surface of P. gingivalis, and that alterations in the sequence at the N-terminus of SAPP diminished its abilities to interact with P. gingivalis cells and repressed the expression of virulence genes. Most strikingly, we demonstrated using an ex-vivo assay that besides its inhibitory activity against P. gingivalis colonization, SAPP could also reduce the levels of several other oral Gram-negative bacteria strongly associated with periodontitis in multispecies biofilms. Our results provide a platform for the development of SAPP-targeted therapeutics against chronic periodontitis.
The Affordable Care Act and Trends in Insurance Coverage and Disease Awareness Among Non-elderly Individuals with Kidney Disease.

Kidney disease afflicts approximately 10% of the United States (US) population and is its’ ninth leading cause death.1 Though US individuals with kidney disease can receive Medicare if they qualify by age or require maintenance dialysis, younger individuals with earlier-stage disease are not afforded this coverage. Uninsured US individuals with kidney disease are more likely to be low-income and non-white,2 less likely to receive preventative care,2 and more likely to die or become dialysis dependent.3 Since 2010, minorities and low-income US individuals experienced substantial gains in insurance coverage under Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) policies, particularly Medicaid expansion.4 The goal of this study was to examine whether similar trends were evident in insurance coverage and disease awareness among non-elderly US individuals with kidney disease.
An analysis of potential predictors of tunneled hemodialysis catheter infection or dysfunction

Purpose:To assess the ability of various clinical factors to predict infection or dysfunction of tunneled hemodialysis catheters.Methods:A retrospective review of all adult patients who had a tunne...
Does converting abandoned railways to greenways impact neighboring housing prices

Abstract This research examines the housing market before and after abandoned railways are converted into greenways. Two different hedonic pricing models are employed to analyze changes in the impact and trend of the change—spatial regressions for before and after the conversion and the Adjusted Interrupted Time Series-Difference in Differences (AITS-DID) model. Analyzing 2005–2012 single-family home sale transactions in the City of Whittier, California the results show that converting the abandoned railway into a greenway increases property values. Upon the completion of the greenway, the positive association with the greenway proximity increased in both models. The premium also exists in the pre-conversion period. The sellers’ and buyers’ expectation of the greenway being an amenity factored into the housing market even during the construction of the greenway. After the conversion, properties near the greenway experienced a negative trend in their value.
Metabolic signatures of cancer cells and stem cells

In contrast to terminally differentiated cells, cancer cells and stem cells retain the ability to re-enter the cell cycle and proliferate. In order to proliferate, cells must increase the uptake and catabolism of nutrients to support anabolic cell growth. Intermediates of central metabolic pathways have emerged as key players that can influence cell differentiation 'decisions', processes relevant for both oncogenesis and normal development. Consequently, how cells rewire metabolic pathways to support proliferation may have profound consequences for cellular identity. Here, we discuss the metabolic programs that support proliferation and explore how metabolic states are intimately entwined with the cell fate decisions that characterize stem cells and cancer cells. By comparing the metabolism of pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells, we hope to illuminate common metabolic strategies as well as distinct metabolic features that may represent specialized adaptations to unique cellular demands.
Visual network alterations in brain functional connectivity in chronic low back pain: A resting state functional connectivity and machine learning study.

Abstract Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is associated with widespread functional and structural changes in the brain. This study aims to investigate the resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) changes of visual networks in cLBP patients and the feasibility of distinguishing cLBP patients from healthy controls using machine learning methods. cLBP (n = 90) and control individuals (n = 74) were enrolled and underwent resting-state BOLD fMRI scans. Primary, dorsal, and ventral visual networks derived from independent component analysis were used as regions of interest to compare resting state functional connectivity changes between the cLBP patients and healthy controls. We then applied a support vector machine classifier to distinguish the cLBP patients and control individuals. These results were further verified in a new cohort of subjects. We found that the functional connectivity between the primary visual network and the somatosensory/motor areas were significantly enhanced in cLBP patients. The rsFC between the primary visual network and S1 was negatively associated with duration of cLBP. In addition, we found that the rsFC of the visual network could achieve a classification accuracy of 79.3% in distinguishing cLBP patients from HCs, and these results were further validated in an independent cohort of subjects (accuracy = 66.7%). Our results demonstrate significant changes in the rsFC of the visual networks in cLBP patients. We speculate these alterations may represent an adaptation/self-adjustment mechanism and cross-model interaction between the visual, somatosensory, motor, attention, and salient networks in response to cLBP. Elucidating the role of the visual networks in cLBP may shed light on the pathophysiology and development of the disorder.
Exploring gaps in monitoring and evaluation of male engagement in family planning.

Background: Male engagement is becoming more common in family planning (FP) strategies and interventions, yet effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of this approach lags. This review sought to understand how male engagement in FP is defined, identify gaps in M&E of male engagement and make recommendations. Methods: We conducted key informant interviews and a desk review of peer-reviewed articles and gray literature, including national FP strategies and policies. We then facilitated an online forum with experts in the field of male engagement in FP to provide feedback on our proposed indicators for male engagement in FP to reach consensus on and validate key indicators. Results: Although there is no universal definition of male engagement in FP, the most common definition is the inclusion of men in FP programming as FP clients, supportive partners, and agents of change. The most common approach was engaging men as clients exclusively, followed by engaging men as partners. Few papers reported on programs that engaged men across the full spectrum of the definition. There’s significant variation in the degree to which male engagement in FP is included in M&E, planning, and approaches. Few programs reported findings disaggregated by sex and by contraceptive method, making it difficult to determine the effect of programming on male use of methods. There is a dearth of indicators for measuring male engagement in FP in national strategies and policies. Other gaps are a lack of core indicators for male engagement, qualitative indicators, and indicator reference sheets for many commonly used indicators. Among over 100 indicators being used to monitor and evaluate male engagement in FP, 15 key indicators were identified and validated, with accompanying guidance. Conclusions: As programming for male engagement in FP increases, coordinated efforts should be made to improve the systems that collect, analyze, and use data.
Confidentiality and Consent in the Care of the Adolescent Patient.

1. Sofya Maslyanskaya, MD* 2. Elizabeth M. Alderman, MD* 1. *Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital at Montefiore, and Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY * Abbreviations: CDC: : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention EHR: : electronic health record EOB: : explanation of benefits HIPAA: : Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act HIV: : human immunodeficiency virus SAHM: : Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine STD: : sexually transmitted disease Confidentiality protections are critical in the provision of comprehensive primary care of adolescent patients. The protections differ based on state laws and are limited by electronic health record documentation and billing operations of individual physician practices. Physicians need to strive to increase their knowledge regarding confidentiality protections for their adolescent patients. Moreover, physicians should understand their role in preventing possible confidentiality breaches. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Define confidentiality, its limitations, and reasons for developmentally appropriate confidentiality protections for adolescents. 2. Recognize confidentiality protections for adolescents provided by state and federal laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Privacy Act privacy rule. 3. Explain minor consent laws. 4. Describe the limitations and advantages of the electronic health record in providing confidentiality protections. 5. Identify concerns and solutions related to billing for confidential services. A 16-year-old girl who has been your patient since birth presents to an appointment alone and requests testing for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). She also does not want her parents to find out about this visit. How would you proceed? ### Confidentiality and Autonomy The provision of confidentiality and the ability of adolescents to consent for certain health concerns are the cornerstone of optimal adolescent health-care. (1) According to this tenet, information about an adolescent’s health-care is not disclosed without his or her permission. Assurance of confidentiality is important to protect the adolescent’s health and to safeguard public health. The major causes of morbidity and mortality in adolescents are due to risky behaviors such as sexual activity and alcohol and substance use, as well as unmet mental health needs. During the past 3 decades, research has supported the importance of the …
A fast multi-resolution lattice Green's function method for elliptic difference equations

Abstract We propose a mesh refinement technique for solving elliptic difference equations on unbounded domains based on the fast lattice Green's function (FLGF) method. The FLGF method exploits the regularity of the Cartesian mesh and uses the fast multipole method in conjunction with fast Fourier transforms to yield linear complexity and decrease time-to-solution. We extend this method to a multi-resolution scheme and allow for locally refined Cartesian blocks embedded in the computational domain. Appropriately chosen interpolation and regularization operators retain consistency between the discrete Laplace operator and its inverse on the unbounded domain. Second-order accuracy and linear complexity are maintained, while significantly reducing the number of degrees of freedom and hence the computational cost.
Evaluating household residential preferences for walkability and accessibility across three U.S. regions

Abstract Accessibility has been established as a major planning goal in recent years. However, little knowledge exists regarding how individuals value walkability, transit accessibility, and auto accessibility differently when deciding where to live. To fill this knowledge gap, this study conducts residential location choice modeling across three U.S. regions—Atlanta, Puget Sound, and Southeast Michigan. I find that, overall, all three types of accessibility are important determinants of residential location choice. Transit accessibility has a statistically significant positive influence on residential location choice across all three regions. On auto accessibility, results show that commute time by auto has the greatest influence on residential location choice among all independent variables, but auto accessibility to nonwork destinations appears to be inconsequential. Moreover, walkability is found to be a key determinant of residential location choice in the Puget Sound region but not the other two regions. I argue that these regional differences result from a lack of choice among Atlanta and Southeast Michigan residents, that is, a undersupply of walkable neighborhoods inhibits households in the two regions from living in such neighborhoods. This finding suggests the need for cities and regions to promote pedestrian-oriented development in order to broaden residential choice. The results further imply that, due to housing-supply constraints, households often have to live in a neighborhood with a level of accessibility lower than what they prefer. Transportation and land-use planners should address this “residential dissonance” when applying residential location choice models to predict land-use growth patterns.
MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE | Polar Vortex

The polar vortex refers to a region of the winter polar stratosphere characterized by high nearly zonal westerly winds and isolation from the rest of stratosphere. It is the isolation from the rest of the stratosphere and the extreme cold temperatures within the vortex that allows for cloud formation and the complex chemistry of rapid ozone loss to occur in late winter and early spring. The polar vortex extends from the tropopause, (8–11 km in altitude), to the stratopause (50–60 km in altitude). Above the stratopause the zonal winds reverse. The Southern Hemisphere (SH) polar vortex is much stronger than the Northern Hemisphere (NH) vortex due to the absence of large-scale waves – planetary waves – in the SH. Planetary waves disrupt the vortex producing a short period circulation reversal known as a Major Stratospheric Sudden Warming. Major sudden warmings occur about every other year during the NH winter, but, due to the lack of planetary wave activity, they are very rare in the SH winter. The only observed SH sudden warming occurred in 2002. The polar vortex forms in fall and persists through winter into spring at which point it breaks up giving rise to the easterly summer circulation. The breakup of the polar vortex in the spring is called the final warming. The final warming occurs near the spring equinox in the NH, but occurs 1–2 months later in the SH. There is good evidence that the Antarctic ozone depletion has produced to a more persistent SH polar vortex. The spring vortex breakup date is now late November rather than late October as was observed in the 1970–80s.
Minuscule doppelgängers, the coincidental down-degree expectations property, and rowmotion

We relate Reiner, Tenner, and Yong’s coincidental down-degree expectations (CDE) property of posets to the minuscule doppelganger pairs studied by Hamaker, Patrias, Pechenik, and Williams. Via this...
Electronic: Switching circuits

We read with much interest the article in the May 1938 issue of Electrical Engineering entitled “Some Electronic Switching Circuits,” by C. C. Shumard. We should like very much to discuss one feature of this paper. We developed an impulse-voltage generator somewhat similar in principle to that described in figure 6 of Mr. Shumard's article. We arranged the circuit as indicated in figure 1 of this letter. By supporting the type-34 linearity tube on porcelain insulators, together with its filament and screen-biasing batteries, we were able to reduce the capacitance until we could get a voltage impulse lasting one microsecond. We were not able to reduce the time of the impulse below this minimum figure. Mr. Shumard states that with the assumed values of resistance and capacitance the minimum impulse interval should be &1/4; microsecond. We attempted to use a circuit like that described in figure 6a of his article, but found that the capacitance between ground and the anode side of the type-885 tube was too great to obtain the impulse duration mentioned. We should like very much to know if Mr. Shumard was successful in obtaining an impulse of &1/4; microfarad duration. If he obtained this low time interval, we should like to know what special provisions, if any, he made in the design of the sweep circuit.
Cultural Brokers in Special Education

Culturally and linguistically diverse families face substantial barriers in the special education system and seek support from cultural brokers to help them navigate it. We used a qualitative desig...
Probabilistic Near-Field Tsunami Source and Tsunami Run-up Distribution Inferred From Tsunami Run-up Records in Northern Chile

Understanding a tsunami source and its impact is vital to assess a tsunami hazard. Thanks to the efforts of the tsunami survey teams, high-quality tsunami run-up data exists for contemporary events. Still, it has not been widely used to infer a tsunami source and its impact mainly due to the computational burden of the tsunami forward model. In this study, we propose a TRRF-INV (Tsunami Run-up Response Function-based INVersion) model that can provide probabilistic estimates of a near-field tsunami source and tsunami run-up distribution from a small number of run-up records. We tested the TRRF-INV model with synthetic tsunami scenarios in northern Chile and applied it to the 2014 Iquique, Chile, tsunami event as a case study. The results demonstrated that the TRRF-INV model can provide a reasonable tsunami source estimate to first order and estimate tsunami run-up distribution well. Moreover, the case study results agree well with the United States Geological Survey report and the global Centroid Moment Tensor solution. We also analyzed the performance of the TRRF-INV model depending on the number and the uncertainty of run-up records. We believe that the TRRF-INV model has the potential for supporting accurate hazard assessment by (1) providing new insights from tsunami run-up records into the tsunami source and its impact, (2) using the TRRF-INV model as a tool to support existing tsunami inversion models, and (3) estimating a tsunami source and its impact for ancient events where no data other than estimated run-up from sediment deposit data exists.
Russia’s Response to COVID-19: Leveraging Pre-Pandemic Data to Theorize about Public Approval

Why have Russians largely approved of the government’s pandemic response despite having one of the highest excess death rates in the world? The explanation is not that the government has done a good job, that citizens have come to expect little from the state in general, nor entirely because of a pro-government media. Drawing on pre-pandemic survey data, I argue that Russians’ opinions about state-provided healthcare shape their evaluation of the government’s response to COVID-19, and help explain approval of the government's pandemic reaction. Future research on Russian pandemic politics should account for the importance of prior assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Problems of Post-Communism is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Management of Complicated Acute Type A Aortic Dissection: The Stanford Approach

Acute Stanford type A dissection complicated by neurologic injury, mesenteric ischemia, limb malperfusion, or aortic rupture represents an especially challenging clinical scenario. This entity represents a true surgical emergency, requiring rapid determination of operative candidacy and technical strategy. Much debate remains about optimal surgical and interventional management, in particular whether central aortic repair or fenestration/peripheral reperfusion should take precedence. This chapter highlights important clinical features of complicated aortic dissection management. Technical details encompassing aortic arch replacement and elephant trunk techniques as well as visceral, renal and lower extremity reperfusion are discussed. Finally, the requirement for multidisciplinary involvement within the “aortic team” and capacity for both open surgical and endovascular techniques within major aortic centers is discussed.
Culturally Competent Clinical Care

Not only has cultural psychiatry made progress advocating for cultural sensitivity and awareness, but it has also come to the point of challenging the way in which culturally relevant and competent care by various professional disciplines should be carried out. This chapter explains the cultural aspects of clinical care in various clinical services, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, emergency services, liaison–consultation services, psychiatric nursing care, mental health social work, and forensic psychiatric service. The chapter examines general issues regarding clinical care, including therapist–patient relations, communication, and clinical assessment, and discusses issues relating to particular clinical services or settings. The design of the physical environment for inpatient care needs to consider not only the perspective of medical treatment, socioeconomic factors, and environmental issues, but also the cultural system. In addition, both, the design of the treatment structure and the facilities and services provided within it are important.
Transcription from varicella-zoster virus gene 67 (glycoprotein IV).

Abstract Three transcripts map to the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) open reading frame (ORF) 67, which encodes glycoprotein IV (gpIV). All of these transcripts are polyadenylated and are transcribed from left to right towards the genomic terminal short repeats. Previous Northern (RNA) blot analyses suggested that the most abundant of these transcripts (1.65 kb) might code for gpIV. We performed S1 nuclease protection and primer extension assays and determined that the 5' terminus of the 1.65-kb transcript maps 91 bp upstream from the gpIV initiation codon. An AT-rich region (ATAAA), -28 bp from the cap site, is a potential TATA box, and at -71 bp there is a consensus CCAAT box motif. The 3' end of the 1.65-kb transcript is 20 bp downstream of two overlapping polyadenylation signals, AATAAA and ATTAAA, and just downstream of the 3' terminus is a GU-rich sequence. These results are reminiscent of data from our analysis of the VZV gpV gene, confirming that VZV appears able to use unusual TATA box motifs. Many canonical TATA sequences are present upstream from these VZV transcriptional start sites but, apparently, are not used. We tested sequences upstream from the gpIV cap site for promoter activity in transient expression experiments by cloning a DNA fragment (+63 to -343 bp) into pCAT3M, which contains a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. This clone showed little constitutive promoter activity but was activated more than 200-fold by infection with VZV and 5-fold with herpes simplex virus. The two known VZV transactivating genes (those for ORF 4 and ORF 62) were tested for their abilities to activate expression from the gpIV promoter by using their cognate promoters. The ORF 4 gene was minimally active, whereas the ORF 62 gene gave twofold induction; both genes, acting together, gave fivefold induction. However, replacement of the IE62 promoter with the immediate-early cytomegalovirus promoter in the ORF 62 construct gave over 40-fold induction of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity under the gpIV promoter in the same assay.
Testing for Hypothetical Bias in Contingent Valuation Using a Latent Choice Multinomial Logit Model

The most persistently troubling empirical result in the contingent valuation method literature is the tendency for hypothetical willingness to pay to overestimate real willingness to pay. We suggest a new approach to test and correct for hypothetical bias using a latent choice multinomial logit (LCMNL) model. To develop this model, we extend Dempster, Laird, and Rubin’s (1977) work on the EM algorithm to the estimation of a multinomial logit model with missing information on categorical membership. Using data on both the quality of water in the Catawba River in North Carolina and the preservation of Saginaw wetlands in Michigan, we find two types of “yes” responders in both data sets. We suggest that one set of yes responses are yea-sayers who suffer from hypothetical bias and answer yes to the hypothetical question but would not pay the bid amount if it were real. The second group does not suffer from hypothetical bias and would pay the bid amount if it were real.
Capacity of wireless CDMA networks supporting integrated voice/video services

The desire to extend the existing cellular voice communication networks into a wireless multimedia network have made personal communication systems (PCS) attract a lot of attention. There has been significant growth of interest in integrating multimedia services in a wireless CDMA network. This paper investigates the effect of the variable bit rates of traffic sources on the network capacity. Two access control schemes are considered: the bursty scheme and the smooth scheme. The former specifies the same spreading ratio for all users, which makes a low-rate source have a shorter duty cycle of transmission. The smooth scheme requires low-rate sources to use a higher spreading ratio to keep their duty cycles full. An analytical model is developed to compare the performance of both schemes and the results shows a trade-off. Though the bursty scheme can easily accommodate services of different bit rates, its burstiness is found to have a negative effect on the system capacity. Whereas the smooth scheme improves the system capacity at the cost of extra complexity in managing different spreading ratios. The numerical results for the capacity of an integrated voice/video CDMA networks are presented. It is found that the smooth scheme improves the capacity over the bursty scheme by 6% to 15% with a positive association with the percentage of low-rate sources in the traffic mix.
Retinoblastoma protein reverses DNA bending by transcription factor E2F.

E2F is a mammalian transcription factor involved in cell cycle regulation. The retinoblastoma gene product, pRB, binds to E2F in a cell cycle-dependent manner and appears to turn E2F from a transcriptional activator into a repressor. We show here that in vitro binding of pRB has three major effects on the DNA binding properties of E2F affinity-purified from HeLa cells; pRB binding increases the half-life of E2F.DNA complexes 10-15-fold, it reduces E2F specific DNA binding in the presence of nonspecific DNA by sequestering E2F, and it partially reverses the DNA bending induced by E2F. Upon specific DNA binding, E2F induces a DNA bend with a flexure angle of 125 degrees. Both full-length pRB105 and the N-terminally truncated pRB60 bind to the E2F.DNA complex with a Kd,app of 150 pM and reduce the apparent DNA bending to less than 80 degrees. DNA footprinting analysis indicates that the nonspecific DNA binding activity of pRB is not involved in this effect. Our biochemical data suggest that transcriptional activation by E2F may involve DNA bending and that the reversal of bending upon binding of pRB may turn E2F into a repressor.
Play, Collaborate, Break, Build, Share: “Screwing Around” in Digital Pedagogy

Digital Humanities has become a “hot” topic in academia over the last few years, primarily in research and scholarship. While many push forward into new realms of using technology to articulate cool findings, others at non-research intensive universities are moving forward with engaging their undergraduate students in various forms of Digital Pedagogy, a facet of Digital Humanities. Single-day bloom-and-fade projects, individual assignments, and larger scaffolded projects all comprise Digital Humanities curriculum. Here, I provide examples of all three types of projects and include a discussion about risk, play, and productive failure to situate my type of pedagogy in a non-research intensive university setting.
Tracking of Dietary Intake Patterns Is Associated with Baseline Characteristics of Urban Low-Income African-American Adolescents

Young peoples' dietary habits may persist over time. However, few studies have examined the dynamic patterns in urban low-income African-American adolescents' intakes. This study examined these dynamic patterns and their predictors and explored the association between the patterns and BMI over time. Dietary data were collected from 181 low-income African-American adolescents using a 152-item FFQ at baseline and 1-y follow-up. High intakes and high BMI were defined as the top quartile and high-fat intake as >35% of energy from fat. Multinomial logistic regression models were fit to study the association between study variables. Correlation coefficients (0.4 30%) and k-values (>0.2) also indicated tracking. Adjustment for tracking of energy changed little the observed tracking for other micronutrients and food groups. Factor analysis showed moderate tracking in a Western diet pattern (r = 0.47; P < 0.001) but was weaker in 2 healthier diet patterns (r = 0.31-0.36; P < 0.001). Age, gender, physical activity, and BMI predicted dietary changes (P < 0.05). Adolescents who tracked high intakes of energy, fiber, fried food, and snacks were less likely to track high BMI. Decreased energy and snack intakes were negatively related to tracking of high BMI. Overall, urban low-income African-American adolescents tracked their dietary patterns over time. The tracking was affected by baseline characteristics.
Quantum transport and memory effects in mesoscopic structures

Abstract A modern theory of electronic transport in mesoscopic structures needs to non-perturbatively treat the active region of the device as an open subsystem of a larger, interacting closed system, and be able to successfully capture transient processes, as well as a far-from-equilibrium steady state. We present a basis for generalization of the powerful non-equilibrium Green's functions formalism for treatment of open systems. During transient processes and far from equilibrium, we analyze the magnitude and importance of the memory terms, which appear in the two-time correlation functions and are the signatures of the system's openness.
Rapid bushy join-order optimization with Cartesian products

Query optimizers often limit the search space for join orderings, for example by excluding Cartesian products in subplans or by restricting plan trees to left-deep vines. Such exclusions are widely assumed to reduce optimization effort while minimally affecting plan quality. However, we show that searching the complete space of plans is more affordable than has been previously recognized, and that the common exclusions may be of little benefit.We start by presenting a Cartesian product optimizer that requires at most a few seconds of workstation time to search the space of bushy plans for products of up to 15 relations. Building on this result, we present a join-order optimizer that achieves a similar level of performance, and retains the ability to include Cartesian products in subplans wherever appropriate. The main contribution of the paper is in fully separating join-order enumeration from predicate analysis, and in showing that the former problem in particular can be solved swiftly by novel implementation techniques. A secondary contribution is to initiate a systematic approach to the benchmarking of join-order optimization, which we apply to the evaluation of our method.
Some unsymmetrical azo compounds as initiators in radical polymerization

Abstract 2-Propylazodiphenylmethane (PAD), cyclohexylazodiphenylmethane (CAD), benzylazodiphenylmethane (BAD) and 1-phenylethylazodiphenylmethane (PEAD) were prepared. These materials decomposed through first order reactions. The ease of decomposition increased in the order: CAD
Whither existence theory

Abstract It is sugested that in certain cases the Fredholm alernativ theorem can be-used to simplify existence proofs in time-independent linear transport theory. Existing results in abstract kinetic equations theory are generalized as to encompass polarized light transfer as well as certain inhomogeneous finite slab media.
Effects of rough interfaces on a converging laser beam propagating in a skin tissue phantom

Light propagation in a turbid medium such as the skin tissue depends on both the bulk optical properties and the profiles of the interfaces where mismatch in the refractive index occurs. In this paper we present recent results of investigations on the light distribution inside a human skin tissue phantom for an incident converging laser beam and its dependence on the roughness of the interfaces. The human skin tissue is modeled by a two-layer structure with a thin layer of epidermis on top of the dermal layer. Within each layer, the tissue is considered macroscopically homogeneous and the two interfaces, between ambient medium, epidermis and dermis, are treated as random rough surfaces. The distribution of laser light with wavelength near 1 micrometers in the tissue phantom is considered using a recently developed method of Monte Carlo simulation. The dependence of the light distribution on the surface roughness and index mismatch are presented, and their relevance to the possible laser surgery under skin surface and the measurements of optical properties of the skin tissues is discussed.
Absolute refractive indices and thermal coefficients of fused silica and calcium fluoride near 193 nm

The refractive indices of several fused silica and calcium fluoride samples from different suppliers were measured with the minimum deviation method in the deep UV between 191 and 196 nm with a standard uncertainty of 7 ppm. For both materials the dispersion dn/dλ near 193 nm and 20 °C was determined. In addition, we measured the thermal coefficients of the refractive index near 193 nm and between 15 and 25 °C.
Risk factors and outcomes of postoperative ischemic colitis in contemporary open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Objective Postoperative ischemic colitis (IC) can be a serious complication following infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. We sought to identify risk factors and outcomes in patients developing IC after open AAA repair and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to examine clinical data of patients undergoing AAA repair from 2011 to 2012 who developed postoperative IC. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors and outcomes. Results We evaluated a cohort of 3486 patients who underwent AAA repair (11.6% open repair and 88.4% EVAR). The incidence of postoperative IC was 2.2% (5.2% for open repair and 1.8% for EVAR). Surgical treatment was needed in 49.3% of patients who developed IC. The mortality of patients with IC was higher than that of patients without IC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 4.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.26-7.92; P P P = .01) were mortality predictors of IC patients. Predictive factors of IC included need for intraoperative or postoperative transfusion (AOR, 6; 95% CI, 3.08-11.72; P P P = .02), proximal extension of the aneurysm (AOR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.04-4.59; P = .03), diabetes (AOR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.01-3.46; P = .04), and female gender (AOR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.01-3.02; P = .04). Although open AAA repair had three times higher rate of postoperative IC compared with endovascular repair, in multivariate analysis we did not find any statistically significant difference between open repair and EVAR in the development of IC (5.2% vs 1.8%; AOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.70-2.25; P = .43). Conclusions Postoperative IC has a rate of 2.2% after AAA repair. However, it is associated with 38.7% mortality rate. Rupture of the aneurysm before surgery, need for transfusion, proximal extension of the aneurysm, renal failure requiring dialysis, diabetes, and female gender were significant predictors of postoperative IC. AAA patients who develop IC have four times higher mortality compared with those without IC. Surgical treatment is needed in nearly 50% of IC patients and is a predictor of higher mortality.
SU‐GG‐I‐40: The Effects of Patient Size on Organ Doses in Adaptive Tube Current Modulated CT

Purpose: To quantify the effect of patient size on organ doses in tube‐current modulated CT. Adaptive tube‐current modulation technologies adjust tube output in response to patient attenuation based on user inputted image quality settings. As such, organ doses can vary widely depending on patient size for the same scanner techniques. This project aims to quantify these changes in dose for a variety of exams. Method and Materials: An adipose tissue‐equivalent add‐on was developed for an existing anthropomorphic adult phantom, allowing for average organ doses to be measured in both a 50th and 90th percentile by weight patient. The doses were measured using a fiber‐optic dosimetry system during routine clinical CT exams of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. Exams were performed using the same quality reference mAs for both phantoms on a Siemens 16 slice scanner and the resulting organ doses were catalogued for comparison. Results: Overall, organ doses were seen to increase in the larger phantom for similar exam techniques. These differences were greater in areas where the additional adipose tissue was thicker, resulting in increased tube output in order to maintain image quality. The average organ dose increase seen in the chest, abdominal, and pelvic exams was found to be 10.5%, 22.2%, and 37.34% respectively, with individual organ dose increases as high as 78%. Additionally, due to increased patient medium and scatter, noise in images from the larger phantom exams was found to be 10–15% higher as compared to the smaller patient. Conclusion: Individual organ doses were seen to increase up to 78% in a larger patient for the same exam techniques as a result of adaptive tube‐current modulation. These increases were coupled with reduced image quality due to scatter. The effects of patient size on doses in tube‐current modulated CT exams should be noted when setting patient protocols.
Creativity, Social Justice and Human Rights within Adult Education

In this paper, the author describes philosophical concepts of adult learning and their application as integrated with creative problem solving within the context of social justice and human rights. The context is framed by the work of the United Nations 1992 which emphasizes importance of women's roles and creativity in the process of forming a global community. Foundational theories Gardner, 1999; Greene, 1995; Knowles, 1975; Lawrence, 2005; & Vygotsky, 1978 are connected to support this philosophical approach to adult learning. Creative application examples are shared featuring changes in women's education and subsequently their lives such as, a project guided by artist, Vic Muniz Walker, Jardim, Harley, & Muniz, 2010 and an arts-based education program that changed the lives of incarcerated women in one female correctional facility Mullen, 1999. The goal of this paper is to provide examples of how creativity and arts-based learning can be integrated within adult education promoting social justice and human rights.
Nonesterified fatty acids in normal and diabetic rat sciatic nerve.

Alloxan-induced diabetes in rats results in elevated levels of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in whole sciatic nerve and its endoneurium. Increases in NEFA levels are more pronounced in whole diabetic nerve (40% over control) than in its endoneurial portion (20–30%). Alterations in the composition of phospholipid fatty acids are observed as well, including an increase in linoleate (18∶2n−6) in endoneurial phosphatidylethanolamine and a decrease in arachidonate (20∶4n−6) in both phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol of diabetic nerve.
Maximum imaging depth improvement with third-harmonic generation microscopy in turbid tissues

We represent an ex-vivo study to investigate maximum imaging depth improvement of third-harmonic generation (THG) microscopy. We observed 2.5 times improvement with THG microscopy at 1552 nm wavelength compared to two-photon microscopy at 776 nm.
RRM2 Regulates Bcl-2 in Head and Neck and Lung Cancers: A Potential Target for Cancer Therapy

Purpose: Ribonucleotide reductase subunit M2 (RRM2) plays an active role in tumor progression. Recently, we reported that depletion of RRM2 by systemic delivery of a nanoparticle carrying RRM2-specific siRNA suppresses head and neck tumor growth. The aim of this study is to clarify the underlying mechanism by which RRM2 depletion inhibits tumor growth. Experimental Design: siRNA-mediated gene silencing was carried out to downregulate RRM2. Immunoblotting, reverse-transcriptase PCR, confocal microscopy, tissue fractionation, gene overexpression and knockdown were employed to analyze critical apoptosis signaling. Conventional immunohistochemistry and quantum dot-based immunofluorescence were applied to detect RRM2 and Bcl2 expression and localization in tissue samples from patients and mice. Results: Knockdown of RRM2 led to apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. We showed that Bcl-2 is a key determinant controlling apoptosis, both in vitro and in vivo , and that RRM2 depletion significantly reduces Bcl-2 protein expression. We observed that RRM2 regulates Bcl-2 protein stability, with RRM2 suppression leading to increased Bcl-2 degradation, and identified their colocalization in HNSCC and NSCLC cells. In a total of 50 specimens each from patients with HNSCC and NSCLC, we identified the colocalization of Bcl-2 and RRM2 and found a significant positive correlation between their expression in HNSCC ( R = 0.98; P R = 0.92; P Conclusions: Our novel findings add to the knowledge of RRM2 in regulating expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and reveal a critical link between RRM2 and Bcl-2 in apoptosis signaling. Clin Cancer Res; 19(13); 3416–28. ©2013 AACR .
Application of chemical transformation induced fracture for cutting of superhard materials

Abstract A hybrid CO2 laser/waterjet machining system is used to cut superhard materials – polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (pCBN) through a “score and snap” mechanism – laser heating leads to localized damage and chemical transformation of surface layers, and subsequently, stress fields developed due to constrained expansion of transformed material and waterjet quenching act on the laser-made “score” to propagate crack through the thickness. During the localized laser heating and subsequent waterjet quenching, PCD and pCBN materials near the top surface underwent chemical transitions. Build up of tensile stresses in the surrounding material resulted due to (i) volumetric expansion of transformed material creating an asperity/wedge effect and (ii) thermal gradients associated with rapid quenching. These tensile stresses in the surface layers lead to crack formation and caused separation of PCD and pCBN wafers along the laser path.