cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anemia in liver transplant recipients undergoing antiviral treatment for recurrent hepatitis C.

Adherence to antiviral therapy is essential to achieve sustained virological responses in patients treated for hepatitis C. An important limitation to use of appropriate doses of ribavirin is development of anemia. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors associated with anemia in liver transplant recipients undergoing treatment for recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV). Retrospective analysis was performed on 115 adult liver transplantation (LT) recipients who received antiviral treatment. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin of <10 gm/dL or the use of erythropoietin replacement therapy. Variables found to be significant in univariate analysis were further studied in multivariate analysis. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) age of our cohort was 52.1 (± 8.8) yr. Anemia developed in 44 patients (38.3%). Mean (± SD) onset of anemia was 8.9 (± 6.8) weeks after initiation of antiviral therapy. A total of 30 patients (26%) required erythropoietin replacement, at a mean (± SD) of 7.9 (± 6.0) weeks after start of antiviral treatment. A total of 27 patients (24%) required ribavirin dose reduction, at a mean (± SD) time to dose reduction of 8.1 (± 6.3) weeks. In univariate analysis, body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.01), mycophenolate mofetil use (P = 0.05), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (P = 0.02), and age (P = 0.02) were statistically significant. In conclusion, in multivariate analysis, BMI (P < 0.01) and age (P = 0.02) were found to be independent predictors of anemia. Anemia is common in liver transplant recipients treated for recurrent HCV. Special vigilance is required for older patients and patients with a low BMI. Liver Transpt 13:1032–1038, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.
Community of Solution for the U.S. Health Care System: Lessons from the U.S. Educational System

The Folsom Group asserts that radical changes are needed to fix the health care system in the United States. The U.S. education system is one potential model to emulate. Could a future health care system-level community of solution be modeled after the U.S. education system? Could community health care services be planned, organized, and delivered at the neighborhood level by district, similar to the structure for delivering public education? Could community health centers, governed by community boards, serve every neighborhood? This essay imagines how U.S. health care system reforms could be designed using our public school system as a roadmap. Our intention is to challenge readers to recognize the urgent need for radical reform in the U.S. health care system, to introduce one potential model for reform, and to encourage creative thinking about other system-level communities of solution that could lead to profound change and improvements in the U.S. health care system.
Learning diagnostic models using speech and language measures

We describe results that show the effectiveness of machine learning in the automatic diagnosis of certain neurodegenerative diseases, several of which alter speech and language production. We analyzed audio from 9 control subjects and 30 patients diagnosed with one of three subtypes of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. From this data, we extracted features of the audio signal and the words the patient used, which were obtained using our automated transcription technologies. We then automatically learned models that predict the diagnosis of the patient using these features. Our results show that learned models over these features predict diagnosis with accuracy significantly better than random. Future studies using higher quality recordings will likely improve these results.
Injection-Site Nodules Associated With the Use of Exenatide Extended-Release Reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are safe and effective U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug products for use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. To date, the FDA has approved five GLP-1 receptor agonist parenteral formulations: exenatide, liraglutide, exenatide extended-release, and, most recently, albiglutide and dulaglutide. All of these formulations are administered subcutaneously. Exenatide and liraglutide are administered twice daily and once daily, respectively. Until recent approvals of albiglutide and dulaglutide, exenatide extended-release was the only formulation approved for once-weekly use. Relative to other antidiabetic pharmacotherapies, such as metformin or sulfonylureas, GLP-1 receptor agonists are not widely used drugs. A recent study of the usage patterns of antidiabetic drugs estimate that, of 16,316,580 patients prescribed a noninsulin antidiabetic drug in 2012, GLP-1 receptor agonists were dispensed to 673,367 (4.1%) (1). Exenatide extended-release is formulated to encapsulate exenatide in poly-(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (also known as PLG matrix) microspheres, which release the active drug over a sustained time interval (2). PLG is a biodegradable and biocompatible medical polymer with an established safety profile used as a controlled release excipient in a variety of drug products (3). PLG undergoes hydrolysis into lactic and glycolic acids, which are eventually eliminated as carbon dioxide and water. In 2012, the introduction of exenatide extended-release into the U.S. market offered GLP-1 receptor agonist users the advantage of fewer injections per week. At the time of approval, the FDA was aware of small, largely asymptomatic injection-site nodules that were associated with exenatide extended-release use. Based on the microsphere excipient, injection-site nodules could be expected with exenatide extended-release administration. However, these reactions were considered nonserious and believed to resolve quickly. Based on controlled data provided in the U.S. approved prescribing information, injection-site reactions were observed more frequently in exenatide extended-release users (17.1%) than in those using exenatide (12.7%) …
Probing substrate binding to the metal binding sites in metallo-β-lactamase L1 during catalysis.

Metal ions in metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) play a major role in catalysis. In this study we investigated the role of the metal ions in the Zn1 and Zn2 sites of MBL L1 during catalysis. A ZnCo (with Zn(II) in the invariant Zn1 site and Co(II) in the Zn2 site) analog of MBL L1 was prepared by using a biological incorporation method. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic studies were used to confirm that the ZnCo analog was prepared. To study the roles of the Zn(II) and Co(II) ions during catalysis, rapid freeze quench (RFQ)-EXAFS studies were used to probe the reaction of the ZnCo-L1 analog with chromacef when quenched at 10 ms, 50 ms, and 100 ms. The L1-product complex was also analyzed with EXAFS spectroscopy. The data show that the Zn-Co distance is 3.49 A in the resting enzyme and that this distance increases by 0.3 A in the sample that was quenched at 10 ms. The average Zn-Co distance decreases at the other time points until reaching a distance of 3.58 A in the L1-product complex. The data also show that a Co-S interaction is present in the 100 ms quenched sample and in the L1-product complex, which suggests that there is a significant rearrangement of product in the active site.
Central neural respiratory response to carotid sinus nerve stimulation in newborns.

During exposure to hypoxia newborns hypoventilate following a brief period of hyperventilation. Failure of integration of the afferent signals from peripheral O2 chemoreceptors due to immaturity of the central respiratory centers could explain this paradoxical respiratory response. To test this hypothesis we have utilized anesthetized, paralyzed, mechanically ventilated newborn piglets and lambs (less than 11 days) and old piglets (19–35 days). The vagus nerves were cut in each animal. Respiratory activity was quantified by integration of phrenic neural activity. A carotid sinus nerve (CSN) was isolated and electrically stimulated for periods of 1–6 min. In all three groups of animals respiratory activity was continuously elevated throughout the period of CSN stimulation. After CSN stimulation respiratory activity immediately declined about 25% from the stimulated value. Thereafter respiratory activity declined in an exponential fashion toward the initial control level of respiratory activity. The time constant of this latter decay was 84.2 s in the young piglets, 83.2 s in the old piglets, and 63.0 s in the lambs. These results indicate that the respiratory centers of newborn piglets and lambs can maintain integration of continuous afferent CSN activity. Further, the respiratory afterdischarge that follows CSN stimulus cessation is similar to that of adults. These studies indicate that, during periods of O2 sufficiency, the central respiratory centers of newborns respond in a qualitatively similar manner to CSN stimulation as do adult cats.
Impaired erythrocyte phosphoribosylpyrophosphate formation in hemolytic anemia due to pyruvate kinase deficiency.

RBCs from patients with hemolytic anemia due to pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency are characterized by a decreased total adenine and pyridine nucleotide content. Because phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) is a precursor of both adenine and pyridine nucleotides, we investigated the ability of intact PK-deficient RBCs to accumulate PRPP. The rate of PRPP formation in normal RBCs (n = 11) was 2.89 +/- 0.80 nmol/min.mL RBCs. In contrast, the rate of PRPP formation in PK-deficient RBCs (n = 4) was markedly impaired at 1.03 +/- 0.39 nmol/min.mL RBCs. Impaired PRPP formation in these cells was not due to the higher proportion of reticulocytes. To study the mechanism of impaired PRPP formation, PK deficiency was simulated by incubating normal RBCs with fluoride. In normal RBCs, fluoride inhibited PRPP formation, caused adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion, prevented 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) depletion, and inhibited pentose phosphate shunt (PPS) activity. These results together with other data suggest that impaired PRPP formation is mediated by changes in ATP and DPG concentration, which lead to decreased PPS and perhaps decreased hexokinase and PRPP synthetase activities. Impaired PRPP formation may be a mechanism for the decreased adenine and pyridine nucleotide content in PK-deficient RBCs.
Cultural Marginality Among Asian Students in the U.S.: An Empirical Assessment

This paper assesses the extent of cultural marginality and ambivalence among Asian students in the U.S. This paper also identifies strategies for assisting Asian students in adjusting to their new environments and for preparing them for the eventual return to their countries.
Hybrid Machine Learning Approaches: A Method to Improve Expected Output of Semi-structured Sequential Data

This paper proposes an intuitive yet simple machine learning (ML) approach that consist of two generic algorithms augmenting one another to solve problems they are not designed to solve. Since most machine learning algorithms are designed for a particular dataset or task, combining multiple ML algorithms can greatly improve the overall result by either helping tune one another, generalize, or adapt to unknown tasks. In this paper, we attempt to augment the architecture of traditional Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with a state machine acting as a form of short term memory in addition to help divide the work amongst multiple modular ANNs through transitioning from state to state. The result is a larger non-stochastic network that is able to self adjust as it is fed input. We train and test the work on data that is outside either an Artificial Neural Network or a state-machine's normal capability with simplified music notation extracted from midi files. The extracted data are used to simulate inherently sequential data to test the principle. Finally, while we find many large improvements in the augmentation of the ANN's architecture, but discuss further approaches to the system to improve generalization for new data.
Report on a South Carolina Conference: Approaches to the Teaching of International Relations

On April 28, 1966, the International Studies Association-Southern Region and the Institute of International Studies of the University of South Carolina co-sponsored on the South Carolina campus a one-day conference on the teaching of international relations. The purpose of the conference was to contact teachers at some of the smaller institutions in South Carolina who, in many respects, are isolated from regular professional exchanges either through their physical location or because the teaching of international relations is only a part of an individual's teaching load in political science or history. In planning the conference, the organizers took into account many considerations. A brief discussion of the background of the meeting and of the proceedings might interest a wider audience in view of the commonness of some of the problems raised.
Scope and Mechanistic Studies of Catalytic Hydrosilylation with a High-Valent Nitridoruthenium(VI)

Hydrosilylation catalyzed by a high-valent nitridoruthenium(VI) compound, [RuN(saldach)(CH3OH)]+[ClO4]− (1, where saldach is the dianion of racemic N,N′-cyclohexan-diyl-bis(salicylideneimine)) is described. Using phenylsilane as reductant, a variety of unsaturated organic substrates, including aldehydes, ketones, and imines, are effectively reduced to alcohols and amines, respectively, accompanied by the redistribution of PhSiH3 at silicon. Mechanistic studies indicate that the catalysis proceeds via silane activation rather than carbonyl activation, and the silane is likely activated via multiple pathways, including a radical-based pathway.
Evidence for direct utilization of fructose in working muscle in man.

Summary1. Observations were made upon the effect of infused fructose on work capacity of a young male subject with an unusual metabolic deficiency of striated muscle in which there was a failure to form lactic acid under anaerobic conditions. The defect was tentatively ascribed to inability to utilize glycogen and was manifested clinically by limited exercise tolerance. 2. Duration of work was greatly improved by infusion of glucose or fructose. Fructose was effective at much lower plasma concentration than glucose. Therefore, fructose can traverse the muscle cell membrane and contribute significantly toward the fuel for muscular work in this patient.
No Pain like My Own: Guilt in the Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Antjie Krog

Within political theory, it is Jean-Jacques Rousseau who is often associated with the idea that humans have an intrinsic response to the pain of others. Yet, this article argues that he should also...
Space for Transformation: Relational, Dialogic Pedagogy

Given the current and historical trends favoring the view of teachers as passive followers of “expert” directives, teachers are in need of continuing education that encourages them to be active change agents in educational reform. Teachers need professional education that helps them critique trends which question the legitimacy of their knowledge and experience as vital to critical conversations about school improvement. In this article, we elucidate the epistemic stance and the dialogic, relational approach to pedagogy that we adopt during the 3-week Summer Cohort experience. Second, we describe and analyze one of these activities—autobiographical writing which sets the framework for the course in terms of the relational and dialogic processes of our pedagogy and suggest ways in which such writing provides spaces for transformation in our students. We hope to demonstrate the ways in which a relational epistemology and dialogic, relationally oriented pedagogy provides one way to invite teachers to persona...
Positional frequency and versatility of bigrams for two- through nine-letter English words

A comprehensive count of bigram frequencies and versatilities by position was tabulated for two- through nine-letter words recorded by Kucera and Francis (1967). A total of 577 bigrams were found variously distributed throughout words. Such counts should prove useful to workers who wish to determine the orthographic regularity of specific words.
Crystal structure of methyl N-ferro-cenyl-carbamate.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C7H8NO2)], contains two independent mol­ecules consisting of a ferrocenyl moiety and a nitro­gen-bound methyl carbamate. These units are almost perpendicular to each other, making dihedral angles of 87.74 (9) and 87.32 (8)°. In each independent mol­ecule, the cyclo­penta­dienyl rings deviate slightly from an eclipsed conformation and lie virtually parallel [dihedral angles = 1.42 (15) and 0.49 (13)°]. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains along the a-axis direction.
Diff-index: Differentiated index in distributed log-structured data stores

Log-Structured-Merge (LSM) Tree gains much attention recently because of its superior performance in write-intensive workloads. LSM Tree uses an append-only structure in memory to achieve low write latency; at memory capacity, in-memory data are flushed to other storage media (e.g. disk). Consequently, read access is slower comparing to write. These specific features of LSM, including no in-place update and asymmetric read/write performance raise unique challenges in index maintenance for LSM. The structural difference between LSM and B-Tree also prevents mature B-Tree based approaches from being directly applied. To address the issues of index maintenance for LSM, we propose Diff-Index to support a spectrum of index maintenance schemes to suit different objectives in index consistency and performance. The schemes consist of sync-full, sync-insert, async-simple and async-session. Experiments on our HBase implementation quantitatively demonstrate that Diff-Index offers various performance/consistency balance and satisfactory scalability while avoiding global coordination. Syncinsert and async-simple can reduce 60%-80% of the overall index update latency when compared to the baseline syncfull ; async-simple can achieve superior index update performance with an acceptable inconsistency. Diff-Index exploits LSM features such as versioning and the flush-compact process to achieve goals of concurrency control and failure ∗Work done while author was at IBM Almaden Research Center. †Work done while author was an intern at IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. (c) 2014, Copyright is with the authors. Published in Proc. EDBT on OpenProceedings.org. Distribution of this paper is permitted under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC-by-nc-nd 4.0. recovery with low complexity and overhead. Diff-Index is included in IBM InfoSphere BigInsights, an IBM big data offering.
Site-specific hydrogen diffusion rates during clinopyroxene dehydration

The rate of hydrogen diffusion in clinopyroxene is relevant to interpreting hydrogen (“water”) concentrations in xenoliths, phenocrysts, and clinopyroxene-hosted melt inclusions to provide insight into the deep-earth water cycle and volcanic explosivity. Here, we determine bulk and site-specific hydrogen diffusivities in two diopsides and an augite by heating initially homogeneous water-bearing samples in a 1-atm CO/CO2 gas-mixing furnace at 800–1000 °C and oxygen fugacity at the quartz–fayalite–magnetite buffer and observing H-loss profiles. The O–H stretching range between wavenumbers 3000 and 4000 cm−1 in FTIR spectra is resolved into 4–6 peaks, each of which is assumed to represent a distinct defect site for the hydrogen, to determine peak-specific diffusivities using our previously published whole-block method. For the diopside from the Kunlun Mts. in China, Arrhenius relations are reported for peaks at 3645, 3617, 3540, 3443, and 3355 cm−1 based on measurements at 816, 904, and 1000 °C. Bulk and site-specific diffusivities are determined for the same set of peaks at 904 °C for the second diopside (Jaipur). The augite (PMR-53) was a triangular thin slab, and hydrogen diffusivities were determined for bulk hydrogen and peaks at 3620, 3550, 3460, and 3355 cm−1 in the thickness direction at 800 °C. Bulk hydrogen diffusivity in the Jaipur diopside is consistent with previous work, and hydrogen diffusivity in augite PMR-53 is slightly lower than the fast direction diffusivities measured || [100] and [001]* in Jaipur diopside. Both diopsides show 1–2 orders of magnitude differences in the peaks-specific diffusivities, with the fastest diffusivities at 3450 cm−1 and the slowest at 3645 cm−1. However, the hydrogen diffusivities in Jaipur diopside are 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than those in Kunlun diopside for bulk hydrogen and all peaks. Thus, peak-specific differences cannot by themselves adequately explain the 5 orders of magnitude range in hydrogen diffusivities observed experimentally in different diopsides. The results are broadly consistent with a previously proposed increase in hydrogen diffusivity in diopside with Fe up to 0.6–0.8 a.p.f.u., although there may be an opposing relationship with Al(IV). The results of this study and others predict high water diffusivities in Fe-bearing mantle xenolith clinopyroxene, on the order of ~10−9 to 10−11 m2/s at 1000 °C. The common observation of hydrogen zonation in mantle xenolith olivine, but not in clinopyroxene implies that hydrogen diffusion is much faster in olivine than in pyroxene, which then requires the operation of the fastest diffusion mechanism quantified in olivine and diffusivities in clinopyroxene at the lower end of this 2 orders of magnitude range. Such high diffusivities strongly suggest that water in mantle xenoliths has at least partially equilibrated with the host magma, and that the diffusion profiles observed in mantle xenolith olivine reflect only the final stage of ascent after water begins to exsolve.
Mastery motivation in children with complex communication needs: longitudinal data analysis

This study compared longitudinal changes in mastery motivation during parent-child free play for 37 children with complex communication needs. Mastery motivation manifests as a willingness to work hard at tasks that are challenging, which is an important quality to overcoming the challenges involved in successful expressive communication using AAC. Unprompted parent-child play episodes were identified in three assessment sessions over an 18-month period and coded for nine categories of mastery motivation in social and object play. All of the object-oriented mastery motivation categories and one social mastery motivation category showed an influence of motor skills after controlling for receptive language. Object play elicited significantly more of all of the object-focused mastery motivation categories than social play, and social play elicited more of one type of social-focused mastery motivation behavior than object play. Mastery motivation variables did not differ significantly over time for children. Potential physical and interpersonal influences on mastery motivation for parents and children with complex communication needs are discussed, including broadening the procedures and definitions of mastery motivation beyond object-oriented measurements for children with complex communication needs.
Advanced Agile Project Management

If you have worked long enough as a software developer, you have definitely wished that you could start a project totally from scratch. Throw away all the messy code and build it from scratch with all the knowledge you have now. But why is it that code becomes messy? We even have specific terms to describe it—code rot, big ball of mud, spaghetti code.
Inhibition of hemoglobin expression by heterologous production of nitric oxide synthase in the K562 erythroleukemic cell line.

Recent studies have indicated that nitric oxide may affect iron metabolism through disruption of the iron-sulfur complex of iron regulatory protein-1, a translational regulator. In the present study, we report that heterologous expression of murine macrophage nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2) in the human erythroleukemic K562 cell line results in constitutive production of nitric oxide associated with inhibition of hemoglobin expression. K562 cells were transfected with an episomally-maintained, hygromycin-selectable expression vector bearing the coding region of NOS-2. Constitutive NOS expression was detected by Western blotting of cell lysates and by the accumulation of nitrite in the culture media. Although NOS-transfected cells grew more slowly than control cells, they were able to maintain constitutive expression of NOS and production of nitric oxide for more than 1 month following transfection. The hemoglobin content of NOS-transfected K562 cells was less than one-fifth that of control cells, but increased markedly if NOS inhibitor was included in the culture media. The nitric oxide-mediated inhibition of hemoglobin expression was reversed by supplementing the culture media with 20 mumol/L hemin or 0.5 mmol/L 5- amino-levulinate, indicating that nitric oxide did not directly inhibit hemoglobin synthesis, but likely acted on a step in heme synthesis. mRNA levels for globin and erythroid aminolevulinic acid synthase (eALAS) were the same in both NOS-transfected and control cells. Our observations indicate that hemoglobin expression is inhibited by nitric oxide in NOS-transfected K562 cells by posttranscriptional repression of eALAS, the first enzyme of the heme biosynthetic pathway. The most likely mechanism is a nitric oxide-mediated translational repression of eALAS, as was recently demonstrated for ferritin synthesis. These observations further illustrate the potential for endogenously produced nitric oxide to regulate cellular posttranscriptional events. In particular, our observations may be relevant to the role of nitric oxide in anemia and lowered blood hemoglobin concentrations that are associated with chronic infections, such as tuberculosis or parasitic disease.
Abstract 851: Analysis of cancer-initiating mosaic mutation in germline samples of pediatric cancer patients by next generation sequencing

A cancer predisposition mutation can occur during post-zygotic stages resulting in a mosaic mutation pattern across tissues. Mosaic germline mutations such as those affecting RB1, TP53 and AKT1 are important for clinical testing. However, it is challenging to detect mosaic mutation by genome-wide sequencing approaches as a mutant allele present at a low fraction in a germline sample can be caused by either tumor-in-normal contamination or mosaicism. Here we propose a two-step analytical approach to distinguish between these two possibilities. The first involves assessing the level of tumor-in-normal contamination using all clonal somatic mutations identified through the analysis of tumor purity and chromosome ploidy. The second step determines the probability of mosaicism for a candidate variant by calculating the binomial probability of its mutant allele fraction (MAF) under the contamination hypothesis. We applied this process to 1,172 paired tumor-normal pediatric cancer samples analyzed by whole-genome or whole-exome sequencing. Six mosaic variants were identified, including three pathogenic TP53 mutations with a mutant allele fractions (MAF) ranging from 0.2 to 0.3, one RB1 mutation in a retinoblastoma case with a MAF of 0.08, one IDH1 p.R132H mutation in an acute myeloid leukemiaý case with a MAF of 0.21, and one mosaic RYR2 p.E1690D mutation in an osteosarcoma case with a MAF of 0.11. At the same time, we were able to reject three candidate TP53 variants caused by contamination with MAFs ranging from 0.06 to 0.33. All predicted mosaic mutations were verified by ultra deep sequencing at 10,000X coverage. This experience demonstrates the feasibility of detecting germline mosaicism from whole-genome or whole-exome sequencing of paired tumor-normal samples and would caution accurate analysis of tumor-in-normal contamination when evaluating candidate germline mosaicism. Citation Format: Xiaotu Ma, Donald Yergeau, Bhavin Vadodaria, Joy Nakitandwe, John Easton, Sheila Shurtleff, Jinghui Zhang. Analysis of cancer-initiating mosaic mutation in germline samples of pediatric cancer patients by next generation sequencing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 851.
Marina : “Living to live in a world of time beyond me”: Recognizing, Perceiving, and Understanding

Marina is a readers’ favorite, owing in part at least to its being seen as positive. The relatively extensive commentary on the poem proves to be a mixed bag, with speculations concerning the applicability to Eliot’s own life and generally running from the sanguine to the joyous. As a dramatic monologue, the poem is complex, the speaker—Pericles— not quite all that he seems to be. His daughter has returned from a shipwreck that, it had been presumed, took her life—she is now, for many, a Christ-figure. She does not speak, and her father focuses on “images” of her. His tone and his words begin to suggest guilt for having constructed a faulty ship, in which his daughter very nearly lost her life.
Increasing Students’ Empathy and Counseling Self-Efficacy Through a Mindfulness Experiential Small Group

This study used the Solomon 4-group design to examine the relationship between a mindfulness experiential small group (MESG) and mindfulness skills, empathy, counseling self-efficacy, and perceived stress for counselors in training (CITs). Understanding how the MESG affects these characteristics provides essential information to inform the development of targeted interventions and programs in counselor education. Twenty-two 1st-semester 1st-year CITs participated and were randomly assigned to one of 4 groups. The findings suggest the MESG may influence the capacity for students to stay present and empathize with a client with higher counseling self-efficacy.
Don’t Count Me!

Early death of homeless people is discussed by introducing a “street memorial” and the annual reading of the names of homeless dead. The lives of the homeless is explored through students participation in Project Homeless Connect, service at soup kitchens, street retreats, the biannual homeless count, and just walking the streets. Students discover that the homeless are not that different from everyone else. If anything, “They’re nicer than people who aren’t homeless.” Implementation of the requirement in the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Grant that there be a biannual “Point-In-Time” count is discussed, as is the controversy surrounding outcomes of several homeless counts that students participated in. Progress in reducing the numbers of homeless in San Francisco has stalled.
Drainage Water Reuse: Concepts, Practices and Potential Crops

Reuse of drainage water for irrigation is recognized as a viable means of reducing the amount of saline-sodic spent water that will ultimately require treatment or disposal in the western San Joaquin Valley (SJVDP 1990). This practice is not a long-term solution in itself, but rather an integral component to drainage water management in the San Joaquin Valley. For reuse to be successful, soil salinity and boron (B) cannot accumulate to levels damaging to crop growth; soil physical conditions conducive to water infiltration must be sustained; and trace element accumulation in crops and forages must remain low enough not to threaten the health of humans or livestock (Oster and Grattan 2002).
“Even Things That Are True Can Be Proved”: Oscar Wilde on Argument

This essay reconstructs Wilde’s view of the role of argument in human life. The distinction in rhetorical theory between agonistic argument and cooperative argument explains Wilde’s apparently complete dismissal of argument in his aversion to “all argumentative books.” Wilde dislikes agonistic arguments that suppress an individual’s effort to realize his or her unique identity. He does, however, recognize two forms of argument as beneficial to that effort: cooperative argument stated through paradox and agonistic argument that leads to self-transcendence. Comparisons with philosophers Henry Johnstone and Richard Rorty explicate Wilde’s remarks on argument and show that his subordination of argument to personal growth is compatible with philosophical thinking.
Monte Carlo estimation of sparse grid interpolation residual for stochastic collocation of high-order systems with uncertainties

In fast sampling-based stochastic numerical techniques, Smolyak-based sparse grids are used to construct interpolation of the system output in random domain. The accuracy and convergence of sparse grid interpolations are evaluated by calculating the residual of the interpolation outputs compared with actual output values at grid nodes of higher levels. The residual is used as a criteria for adaptive refinement, as well as local refinement of sparse grids. In this paper, we propose a Monte Carlo sampling-based method to estimate the residual of sparse grid interpolations.
Novel nomogram combining depth of invasion and size can accurately predict the risk for regional nodal metastases for appendiceal neuroendocrine tumors (A-NET).

Introduction The need for regional lymphadenectomy for treating appendiceal neuroendocrine tumors (A-NET) is determined by the risk of nodal metastasis. Current guidelines for A-NET are solely based on tumor size. Methods Patients with A-NET from 1988 to 2012 were identified from the SEER registry. The depth of invasion was defined as limited to the lamina propria (LP), invading the muscularis propria (MP), and through the serosa (TS). Results A total of 418 patients were included; the majority were female, white, and node-negative. On univariate and multivariable, the risk of nodal metastasis was associated with age, size, depth of invasion, and extent of surgery. The model predicted the likelihood of nodal metastasis, with an area under the curve of 0.89. On survival analysis, age and tumor size predicted the survival in A-NET. In a Cox regression model, they continued to predict survival. These data were utilized to create a nomogram to predict the risk of nodal metastases. Conclusion This nomogram, accurately predicts the risk of regional nodal metastases in A-NET. In addition to providing valuable information on risk for regional nodal metastases, the depth of invasion is also predictive of survival for A-NET.
Chapter 9 Magnesium Acetate Treatment of Glass Roller Bottles to Facilitate Cell Attachment

Publisher Summary The need for increasing quantities of tissue culture cells, viruses, and antigens has lead to the widespread use of cylindrical roller bottles for the growth of certain cell cultures. There are advantages to growing such cultures in suspension, and there is now a wealth of experience and equipment available for this purpose. In some situations, it is actually an advantage to grow cells attached to a solid substrate, such as a roller bottle. For example, when cell cycle synchronization studies are being carried out in which frequent changes of the medium are required, when cell life span or contact inhibition studies are being carried out, or when it is desired to grow normal diploid cells that are anchorage dependent. In these situations, a large-scale preparation of cells usually either involves growing cells either in suspension culture containing glass beads, on multisurface glass plates, in gas-permeable plastic bags, in roller bottles, or in bottles containing a spiral plastic sheet. New roller bottles used for the first time often provide more uniform cell cultures with a higher yield than old extensively washed bottles. The reason for this is unclear, although it almost undoubtedly involves processes that affect the glass surface. By leaving the glass surface in contact with 1 mM magnesium acetate for a few hours followed by removal of excess magnesium acetate and autoclaving, it is possible to obtain a glass surface that is very effective in binding cell suspension to roller bottles.
A SUMMARY OF RESULTS CONCERNING DEPENDENCE PROPERTIES PRESERVED UNDER MULTIPLE INTEGRATIONS

Notions off positive dependence have arisen from the consideration of a TP 2 property of multiple integration kernels. Results of this type have been considered in the bivariate case by Shaked (1977) and multivariate case by Lee (1983a). Using a negative dependence concept of Karlin and Rinott (1980) as a counterpart for TP 2 in pairs, a negative dependences analogue was considered by Lee (1983b). In this paper these paper results are reviewed and summarized.
Abstract WP119: Effects of Indirect Revascularization with Synangiosis in New Vessel Formation in an Animal Model of Cerebral Ischemia.

Objective: In order to study the mechanisms associated with neovascularization after indirect bypass (EDAS), we have developed a mice model of synangiosis and cerebral ischemia. Method: Healthy 12-24 week old male C57/BL6J mice were used. The temporalis muscle served as donor for the external carotid artery vessels through a window in the temporalis bone. The distal MCA was ligated after opening the dura. The temporalis muscle was reattached in direct apposition to the ischemic brain surface. Animals were sacrificed at one month and their heads were prepared in block. Brain slices were stained with CD31 (endothelial cell marker), Ki67 (proliferation maker), and DAPI (nuclear marker) antibodies. Confocal laser microscopy was used for immunofluorescent imaging. Standardized relative quantification of immunofluorescence staining was performed using ImageJ following the Arques protocol. Inferential comparisons among groups were performed with a generalized linear model. Data was nested in the model by animal to account for intrasubject correlation. Results: A total of 12 mice were operated. One subject died after surgery (attrition rate 8%). All other subjects displayed no deficits. The number of DAPI+ cells/image was no different between the synangiosis and the control side. The index CD31/DAPI was significantly higher in the synangiosis side (mean 0.90 ± 1.13 vs. controls: 0.60 ± 0.65, p Conclusions: Our model of synangiosis in mice was well tolerated and produced quantifiable neovascularization in the brain as indicated by the neovascularization indexes observed in confocal microscopy. This model of synangiosis is a promising tool for future studies of neovascularization and collateral formation in individuals with ischemia.
Tissue-type plasminogen activator modulates macrophage M2 to M1 phenotypic change through annexin A2-mediated NF-κB pathway.

// Ling Lin 1 and Kebin Hu 1, 2 1 Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA 2 Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA Correspondence to: Kebin Hu, email: kebinhu@pennstatehealth.psu.edu Keywords: serine protease, tissue-type plasminogen activator, M1 macrophages, M2 macrophages, polarity shift Received: May 10, 2017 Accepted: August 31, 2017 Published: October 04, 2017 ABSTRACT Macrophage accumulation is one of the hallmarks of progressive kidney disease. In response to injury, macrophages undergo a phenotypic polarization to become two functionally distinct subsets: M1 and M2 macrophages. Macrophage polarization is a dynamic process, and recent work indicates that macrophages, in response to kidney injury, can shift their polarity. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), a protease up-regulated in the chronically injured kidneys, has been shown to preferably promote M1 macrophage accumulation and renal inflammation. We hypothesized that tPA may be an endogenous factor that modulates macrophage M2 to M1 phenotypic change contributing to the accumulation of M1 macrophages in the injured kidneys. It was found that obstruction-induced renal M1 chemokine expression was alleviated in tPA knockout mice, and these knockout mice displayed increased M2 markers. In vitro , resting J774 macrophages were treated with IL-4 to induce M2 phenotype as indicated by de novo expression of arginase 1, Ym1, and IL-10, as well as suppression of iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Intriguingly, these IL-4-induced M2 macrophages, after tPA treatment, not only lost their M2 markers such as arginase 1, Ym1, and IL-10, but also displayed increased M1 chemokines including iNOS, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Possible endotoxin contamination was also excluded as heat-inactivated tPA lost its effect. Additionally, tPA-mediated macrophage M2 to M1 phenotypic change required its receptor annexin A2, and SN50, a specific NF-κB inhibitor, abolished tPA’s effect. Thus, it’s clear that tPA promotes macrophage M2 to M1 phenotypic change through annexin A2-mediated NF-κB pathway.
Secondary School Students' Reasoning about Conditional Probability, Samples, and Sampling Procedures

In the Australian mathematics curriculum, Year 12 students (aged 16-17) are asked to solve conditional probability problems that involve the representation of the problem situation with two-way tables or three-dimensional diagrams and consider sampling procedures that result in different correct answers. In a small exploratory study, we investigate three Year 12 students’ conceptions and reasoning about conditional probability, samples, and sampling procedures. Through interviews with the students, supported by analysis of their work investigating probabilities using tabular representations, we investigate the ways in which these students perceive, express, and answer conditional probability questions from statistics, and also how they reason about the importance of taking into account what is being sampled and how it is being sampled. We report on insights gained about these students’ reasoning with different conditional probability problems, including how they interpret, analyse, solve, and communicate problems of conditional probability. First published November 2016 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives
Systems: Comparison Techniques

In this and the next three chapters, we explore the possibility of extending to systems of reaction-diffusion equations some of the methods encountered in the previous chapter for the scalar equation. At the same time, certain other methods will be described, which were not discussed in that chapter. Our emphasis will be on the problem of obtaining existence of solutions of the types spoken of in Section 3.2, and of analyzing their stability characteristics.
Molecular Biological Aspects of the Human Androgen Receptor Relating to Disease

The androgen receptor (AR) is required for normal male sexual development. It acts as a transcriptional regulatory protein subsequent to binding either of the two biologically active forms of androgen, testosterone or dihydrotestosterone. Although knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which this ligand activated transcription factor induces target gene expression remains incomplete, recent advances in understanding the molecular events in androgen regulation have stemmed from the use of recombinant DNA techniques in studies of this complex protein.
The New Non-Territorial U.S. International Tax System, Part 1

This paper, published in Tax Notes on July 2, 2018, is the first half of a two-part paper examining and analyzing the three main international provisions in the 2017 tax act. Part 1, contained herein, discusses normative frameworks for international tax policy. Part 2 will focus on the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (the BEAT), global intangible low-taxed income (GILTI), and foreign-derived intangible income (FDII).
Impact of DCSB and dynamical diquark correlations on proton GPDs

We calculate the leading-twist, helicity-independent generalized parton distributions (GPDs) of the proton, at finite skewness, in the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). The NJL model reproduces low-energy characteristics of QCD, including dynamical chiral symmetry breaking (DCSB). The proton bound-state amplitude is solved for using the Faddeev equation in a quark-diquark approximation, including both dynamical scalar and axial vector diquarks. GPDs are calculated using a dressed nonlocal correlator, consistent with DCSB, which is obtained by solving a Bethe-Salpeter equation. The model and approximations used observe Lorentz covariance, and as a consequence the GPDs obey polynomiality sum rules. The electromagnetic and gravitational form factors are obtained from the GPDs. We find a $D$ term of $\ensuremath{-}1.08$ when the nonlocal correlator is properly dressed, and $0.85$ when the bare correlator is used instead, suggesting that within this framework proton stability requires the constituent quarks to be dressed consistently with DCSB. We also find that the anomalous gravitomagnetic moment vanishes, as required by Poincar\'e symmetry.
Stop! You’re Killing Me: Food Addiction and Comedy

Jim Gaffigan is a middle-aged white comedian known for his everyman approach to humor—an iconic American male. Gaffigan has developed a unique and enormously popular approach to observational humor (mostly about himself) about his inability to stop eating unhealthy foods that connects in a significant way to his mainstream American audience. In his comedy, he is at once talking about his own food addiction and America’s addiction to food. One of his most famous routines, “McDonald’s” is explored in this chapter using McGraw and Warren’s Benign Violation Theory. Using this theory, we explain what deadly assumptions about food addictions and obesity Gaffigan relies on in his audiences and the American public at large. Gaffigan’s skit links to prominent, dangerous discourses regarding obesity in the United States.
Deployable, liquid crystal elastomer-based intracortical probes

Abstract Intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) are currently limited in their chronic functionality due partially to the foreign body response (FBR) that develops in regions immediately surrounding the implant (typically within 50–100 µm). Mechanically flexible, polymer-based substrates have recently been explored for MEAs as a way of minimizing the FBR caused by the chronic implantation. Nonetheless, the FBR degrades the ability of the device to record neural activity. We are motivated to develop approaches to deploy multiple recording sites away from the initial site of implantation into regions of tissue outside the FBR zone. Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) are responsive materials capable of programmable and reversible shape change. These hydrophobic materials are also non-cytotoxic and compatible with photolithography. As such, these responsive materials may be well suited to serve as substrates for smart, implantable electronics. This study explores the feasibility of LCE-based deployable intracortical MEAs. LCE intracortical probes are fabricated on a planar substrate and adopt a 3D shape after being released from the substrate. The LCE probes are then fixed in a planar configuration using polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEG layer dissolves in physiological conditions, allowing the LCE probe to deploy post-implantation. Critically, we show that LCE intracortical probes will deploy within a brain-like agarose tissue phantom. We also show that deployment distance increases with MEA width. A finite element model was then developed to predict the deformed shape of the deployed probe when embedded in an elastic medium. Finally, LCE-based deployable intracortical MEAs were capable of maintaining electrochemical stability, recording extracellular signals from cortical neurons in vivo, and deploying recording sites greater than 100 µm from the insertion site in vivo. Taken together, these results suggest the feasibility of using LCEs to develop deployable intracortical MEAs. Statement of Significance Deployable MEAs are a recently developed class of neural interfaces that aim to shift the recording sites away from the region of insertion to minimize the negative effects of FBR on the recording performance of MEAs. In this study, we explore LCEs as a potential substrate for deployable MEAs. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic and programmable deployment offered by LCE-based intracortical MEAs. These results illustrate the feasibility and potential application of LCEs as a substrate for deployable intracortical MEAs.