cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RESPONSE SURFACE BASED OPTIMIZATION WITH A CARTESIAN CFD METHOD

Cartesian-based CFD methods are quite powerful in preliminary aerodynamic design. Very complex geometries can be quickly analyzed since grid generation is practically automatic and rapid. This capability makes this CFD method extremely applicable to aerodynamic design optimization. This paper presents a response surface based optimization scheme using a Cartesian CFD method. The method is applied to several different design optimization problems on a sample aircraft configuration. The results are presented and discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of the optimization method are also debated. List of Symbols C D cruise drag coefficient C L cruise lift coefficient n number of design variables N p number of sample function evaluations required to define response surface
Presence of Cofactor for the Vascular Permeability Factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Purification of the vascular permeability factor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa resulted in loss of activity and qualitative changes in skin lesions in rabbits. Addition to the purified vascular permeability factor of a macromolecular fraction with no vascular permeability factor activity restored the original characteristics of the skin reaction.
Multi-ampere metal ion source

A new embodiment of the MEVVA (metal vapor vacuum arc) ion source has been constructed with which pulsed metal ion beams of current in the range 1-10 A can be produced. The source efficiency (ratio of beam current to arc current) has been increased and the ion beam current raised by an order of magnitude, by allowing the plasma to expand to a large diameter and forming the beam with a set of large-area extractor grids. Preliminary test results are presented. In a simplified configuration, the source can provide a beam at over 90 kV and with a pulsed beam current of 2 A. >
O-GlcNAc Signaling in the Cardiovascular System

Cardiovascular function is regulated at multiple levels. Some of the most important aspects of such regulation involve alterations in an ever-growing list of posttranslational modifications. One such modification orchestrates input from numerous metabolic cues to modify proteins and alter their localization and/or function. Known as the beta-O-linkage of N-acetylglucosamine (ie, O-GlcNAc) to cellular proteins, this unique monosaccharide is involved in a diverse array of physiological and pathological functions. This review introduces readers to the general concepts related to O-GlcNAc, the regulation of this modification, and its role in primary pathophysiology. Much of the existing literature regarding the role of O-GlcNAcylation in disease addresses the protracted elevations in O-GlcNAcylation observed during diabetes. In this review, we focus on the emerging evidence of its involvement in the cardiovascular system. In particular, we highlight evidence of protein O-GlcNAcylation as an autoprotective alarm or stress response. We discuss recent literature supporting the idea that promoting O-GlcNAcylation improves cell survival during acute stress (eg, hypoxia, ischemia, oxidative stress), whereas limiting O-GlcNAcylation exacerbates cell damage in similar models. In addition to addressing the potential mechanisms of O-GlcNAc-mediated cardioprotection, we discuss technical issues related to studying protein O-GlcNAcylation in biological systems. The reader should gain an understanding of what protein O-GlcNAcylation is and that its roles in the acute and chronic disease settings appear distinct.
RGD peptide-assisted vitrectomy to facilitate induction of a posterior vitreous detachment: a new principle in pharmacological vitreolysis.

Purpose. To evaluate a new concept in pharmacological vitreolysis by studying the efficacy of intravitreal RGD peptideassisted vitrectomy in facilitating the separation of the posterior cortical vitreous from the retinal surface in an animal model. Methods. Eight rabbits (16 eyes) received an intravitreal injection of 1 or 5 mg of RGD peptide in one eye and either RGE peptide (inactive control) or phosphate buffered saline in the fellow eye. After 24 hours, a pars plana vitrectomy with low aspiration (=30mmHg) was performed in an attempt to create a detachment of the posterior cortical vitreous. A masked observer performed pre- and postoperative indirect ophthalmoscopy and B-scan ultrasonography. Postoperative scanning electron microscopy evaluated the vitreoretinal surface in selected eyes. Two additional rabbits received intravitreal injections of RGD peptide in one eye (1mg and 5mg) and 1 mg of RGE peptide in the fellow eye to examine apoptosis of the retinal cells by TUNEL assay. Results. Based on pos...
The Eagle’s View, or How to Use This Journal

Circulation has always held a special place in my continuing education. For me and for many of us, it is the venue to which we turn for the most cutting-edge observations to inform our clinical practice and guide our research efforts. As the practice of cardiology has grown more fragmented and its research underpinnings grown more complex, however, the breadth of information has expanded to overwhelm the capacity of most of us. In addition, with this expanding universe of cardiovascular knowledge, Circulation has adapted to an ever-wider audience. These changes have been challenging to address for a journal that prides itself on being all things to everyone in cardiovascular medicine and research. When I began my career, cardiology was a specialty that one could understand broadly, and cardiologists were often, if not always, excellent generalists in both internal medicine and the subspecialty. Moreover, cardiovascular investigators were also broadly competent in, or at least understood, the essential techniques and experimental approaches of cardiovascular research. Like eagles, cardiologists and cardiovascular investigators soared above the …
Polycystic echinococcosis in tropical America: Echinococcus vogeli and E. oligarthrus

The paper reports available data on 72 known human cases of polycystic echinococcosis (PE) caused by Echinococcus vogeli (Ev) or E. oligarthrus (Eo). The patients' ages ranged from 6 to 78 years (median 44); one third were younger than 22 years and had severe lesions, demonstrating the aggressiveness of PE. There were no differences in occurrence between sexes. In 80% of the cases the lesions were in the liver alone or in combination with other organs; the rest were located in the lung or other single sites. The diagnosis of PE was based on the demonstration of polycystic larval cestode lesions by radiological imaging (X-ray, US, CT scan) in patients born in tropical sylvatic areas of America where wild carnivores (canids, felids) and rodents (pacas and other species) were present. Serologic tests often, but not always, supported the diagnosis. Species identification of Ev or Eo were based on morphological characteristics of rostellar hooks from protoscoleces. The most common clinical presentation was abdominal; hard, round masses in or connected with the liver, hepatomegaly, increased abdominal size, pain, marked weight-loss and fever. Signs of portal hypertension were also present in 25% of cases, all of whom died of the disease or surgical complications following biliary drainage or partial hepatectomy. Ten percent were in asymptomatic persons. Albendazole treatment resulted in clinical improvement and disappearance or reduction of the size of lesions in some patients observed up to 24 months. The author believes that albendazole treatment should be tried before any other treatment is implemented. Human PE was reported from 11 countries, from Nicaragua to Argentina, 31 case were due to E. vogeli, three to E. oligarthrus (two orbital from Venezuela and Surinam and one cardiac from Brazil) and 38 were due to Echinococcus sp. (no rostellar hooks were available). PE reported from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, countries outside the geographical range of the bush dog (only natural host of Ev) may have been due to Eo rather than to Ev. Several felids are known to serve as final host of Eo, and they are present in those areas. Epidemiological field studies of autochthonous human populations in tropical areas may contribute to early detection and make possible greater success in treatment of polycystic echinococcosis.
A study of the volumetric and phase behavior of binary systems. Part I. Critical properties of propane‐perfluorocyclobutane mixtures

The volumetric and phase behavior of propane-perfluorocyclobutane mixtures has been determined in the critical region. This system exhibits a minimum temperature point in its critical locus curve and forms a positive critical azeotrope. The measured critical points in this system and their correlation using an extended corresponding states principle are reported in this paper.
Quantitative proteomic approaches in mouse: stable isotope incorporation by metabolic (SILAC) or chemical labeling (reductive dimethylation) combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry–based quantitative proteomics is a powerful method for in-depth exploration of protein expression, allowing researchers to probe its regulation and study signal-transduction networks, protein turnover, secretion, and spatial distribution, as well as post-translational modification and protein-protein interaction, on a large scale. Precise protein quantitation may be achieved by incorporation of stable isotopes, which introduce a mass shift detectable by mass spectrometry, allowing multiplexing of several samples and therefore relative quantification. Stable isotope incorporation into proteins or peptides can be attained either by metabolic labeling (e.g., SILAC) or by chemical labeling (e.g., reductive dimethylation). Both labeling approaches are presented here. They are straightforward and robust and can be applied to murine samples. While both SILAC and reductive dimethylation offer similar multiplexing capabilities and quantitative accuracy, reductive dimethylation is more versatile and can be used with any sample type. © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: SILAC; reductive dimethylation; mass spectrometry; quantitative proteomics; tissue; mouse
Seasonal Variations of the 40-50 Day Oscillation in the Tropics

Abstract Daily rawinsonde data from 19 near-equatorial stations are examined to learn more about annual variations of the 40–50 day oscillations. Lengths of the available time series range from 5 to 28 years. A technique is devised to isolate spectral and cross-spectral quantities as a function of season. It is determined that a variance of the zonal wind in a relatively broad band centered on 47-day periods generally exceeds that in adjacent lower and higher frequency bands by the largest amount during December January and February (DJF) and at stations in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans during all seasons. The coherence between lower-and upper-tropospheric zonal winds tends to be largest in the summer hemisphere for stations in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Upper tropospheric zonal and meridional winds are coherent and out of (in) phase at several stations there during DJF [June, July and August (JJA) These results. coupled with composited wind and outgoing longwave radiation data, lead u...
A study of possible causes of artifactual decreases in the left ventricular apex with SPECT cardiac perfusion imaging

The objectives of this investigation were to determine the impact on apparent localization of perfusion agents in the apex of the left ventricle (LV) of cardiac and respiratory motion, extra-cardiac uptake, the anisotropic spatial resolution associated with imaging, and thinning of the LV wall at the apex. The ability of attenuation compensation (AC), and of combined attenuation and spatial resolution correction (ARC) to alter the impact of these factors on apparent apex counts was also investigated. The MCAT phantom was used to simulate cardiac gated radionuclide perfusion imaging both with and without apical thinning of the LV wall. Simple respiratory motion of the heart was included in the simulation. After reconstruction using filtered backprojection (FBP) with no correction for physical degradation (NC) and using the maximum likelihood ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm with AC, and with ARC, polar maps were generated. Results show that cardiac motion had no impact on apex counts other than an increase in counts with myocardial thickening. Respiratory motion of a magnitude similar to that observed clinically does not influence the apex, but does have some effect on adjacent regions. A small decrease in apical counts was observed with body-contouring as opposed to imaging with a circular camera orbit. Counts in the apex varied greatly with extent of the thinning. AC increased the visibility of the apparent decrease in apical counts over NC with apical thinning, as did ARC over AC.
Corticosteroids in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody–Associated Vasculitis

Glucocorticoids (GCs) have been the cornerstone of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) therapy since their advent in the 1950s. There is considerable variation in their use, both with respect to dose and duration. Given considerable treatment-related morbidity and mortality, refining the role of GCs is becoming increasingly important. This article discusses the current role of GCs in various phases of AAV treatment, including remission induction, maintenance therapy, treatment of relapses, and the use of local GCs. It discusses current controversies relating to GC use as well as research efforts that seek to reduce GC toxicity in AAV.
Cross-Domain Scruffy Inference

Reasoning about Commonsense knowledge poses many problems that traditional logical inference doesn’t handle well. Among these is cross-domain inference: how to draw on multiple independently produced knowledge bases. Since knowledge bases may not have the same vocabulary, level of detail, or accuracy, that inference should be “scruffy.” The AnalogySpace technique showed that a factored inference approach is useful for approximate reasoning over noisy knowledge bases like ConceptNet. A straightforward extension of factored inference to multiple datasets, called Blending, has seen productive use for commonsense reasoning. We show that Blending is a kind of Collective Matrix Factorization (CMF): the factorization spreads out the prediction loss between each dataset. We then show that blending additional data causes the singular vectors to rotate between the two domains, which enables cross-domain inference. We show, in a simplified example, that the maximum interaction occurs when the magnitudes (as defined by the largest singular values) of the two matrices are equal, confirming previous empirical conclusions. Finally, we describe and mathematically justify Bridge Blending, which facilitates inference between datasets by specifically adding knowledge that “bridges” between the two, in terms of CMF.
The Influence of Retweeting Robots During Brazilian Protests

Online Social Networks have been adopted by political groups in order to improve the reachability of protest movements. As such, these networks give us a rich data source for estimating the impact and participation on these events. In some situations, though, the organizers employ the use of bots to inflate the real impact of the event. These bots promote ideas while being disconnected from the political group social network. In this paper we investigate the dynamics of message sharing on the Twitter network during two contrastive protests that took place in Brazil in March of 2015. During the data collection, it was observed that some of the messages were massively shared by bots. The dynamics of message sharing, with and without the use of bots, were contrasted by means of different methodologies from the network science literature. It is observed that the use of bots indeed impacted on the network metrics, thus making it easier to detect such cases.
A simple, inexpensive test to monitor cholinesterase level in the blood of persons routinely exposed to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides.

Early detection of exposure to pesticides that affect cholinesterase has been possible with the use of a simple test to determine the level of cholinesterase in the blood. Blood from a finger stick was reacted with acetylcholine and bromthymol blue. Use of the test increased awareness of the need for caution in the use of such pesticides and improved procedures for handling them.
Considerations for clinical trial design with obesity-related devices

AbstractDiet and exercise as a first line therapy do not appear to adequately address the epidemic of obesity seen worldwide. In the US there have only been two devices legally marketed in the last 10 years intended to treat obesity, with many more under clinical investigation. New drugs have recently been approved and, although they appear to provide some benefit, the use of these is associated with many side-effects and with an uncertain sustained weight loss. Using the benefit–risk paradigm as a basis for future study design, this editorial discusses the significant issues associated with the clinical trials intended to provide data to support the safety and effectiveness of new devices for obesity. Some of these issues include the choice of the appropriate study end-points, duration of the study, the need for sham comparators, and patient preference. Ideas are then proposed for future studies to aid in getting new devices to market.
Adversity in preschool-aged children: Effects on salivary interleukin-1β

Exposure to early life adversity is linked to impaired affective, cognitive, and behavioral functioning and increases risk for various psychiatric and medical conditions. Stress-induced increases in pro-inflammatory cytokines may be a biological mechanism of these effects. Few studies have examined cytokine levels in children experiencing early life adversity, and very little research has investigated cytokines or other markers of inflammation in saliva. In the present study, we examined salivary interleukin (IL)-1β and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in relation to stress exposure in 40 children aged 3 to 5 years who were enrolled in a larger study of early life adversity. Childhood maltreatment status was assessed via review of child welfare records. Contextual stress exposure, traumatic life event history, and symptoms of psychopathology were assessed via caregiver interviews at a home visit. In a subsequent visit, salivary IL-1β and CRP were obtained before and after participation in four emotion-eliciting tasks. The number of past-month contextual stressors, lifetime contextual stressors, and traumatic life events each demonstrated a significant main effect on IL-1β. Baseline IL-1β was positively associated with each of the significant main-effect adversities. Postchallenge IL-1β displayed positive associations with each adversity variable, but these were not significant. CRP was not significantly associated with any of the adversity variables. Given the evidence suggesting the involvement of IL-1β in the neuropathology of psychiatric conditions, these results may have important implications for developmental outcomes.
Removal of oral biofilm by sonic phenomena.

Purpose To investigate the role of sonic acoustic waves and related phenomena in removing a model plaque from a surface, and to determine if there was an optimal frequency for sonic-type toothbrushes. Methods A mechanical system was built in which submerged biofilms of Streptococcus mutans were exposed to sonic energy in the range from 80 to 1,000 Hz. The system was calibrated by an accelerometer and pressure transducer, and biofilm removal was measured by optical techniques. Results The results showed that the removal was a strong function of the acoustic intensity, but there was no significant dependence upon frequency. Biofilm was removed in very small amounts (up to 2% in 10 minutes) due to acoustic energy in the absence of convective fluid flow, even at high acoustic intensities. When the acoustic action was coupled with convective fluid flow, caused by the piston and well geometry, up to 80% of a biofilm was removed at a calculated acoustic intensity of 27 W/cm2 in 2 minutes. When gas bubbles were entrained in the fluid, the removal approached 100% under intense sonic conditions. With respect to removal of plaque on teeth, the vigorous action of flowing fluid and bubbles is expected to remove plaque, and a maximum fluid velocity is recommended rather than a particular frequency.
Elucidating Ligand-Modulated Conformational Landscape of GPCRs Using Cloud-Computing Approaches

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a versatile family of membrane-bound signaling proteins. Despite the recent successes in obtaining crystal structures of GPCRs, much needs to be learned about the conformational changes associated with their activation. Furthermore, the mechanism by which ligands modulate the activation of GPCRs has remained elusive. Molecular simulations provide a way of obtaining detailed an atomistic description of GPCR activation dynamics. However, simulating GPCR activation is challenging due to the long timescales involved and the associated challenge of gaining insights from the "Big" simulation datasets. Here, we demonstrate how cloud-computing approaches have been used to tackle these challenges and obtain insights into the activation mechanism of GPCRs. In particular, we review the use of Markov state model (MSM)-based sampling algorithms for sampling milliseconds of dynamics of a major drug target, the G-protein-coupled receptor β2-AR. MSMs of agonist and inverse agonist-bound β2-AR reveal multiple activation pathways and how ligands function via modulation of the ensemble of activation pathways. We target this ensemble of conformations with computer-aided drug design approaches, with the goal of designing drugs that interact more closely with diverse receptor states, for overall increased efficacy and specificity. We conclude by discussing how cloud-based approaches present a powerful and broadly available tool for studying the complex biological systems routinely.
The Soviet Model in Eastern Europe

In the years since World War Two, the Soviet system has spread to a large number of other countries — the countries of Eastern Europe, China and North Korea, and later to North Vietnam and Cuba. The process is still continuing, with Chile as a possible second case in the Western Hemisphere. Many of these countries have experienced considerable growth success under the institutions of the Soviet command-economy model and the Soviet strategy of development. But one of the most remarkable aspects of this diffusion process is that even when the system was borrowed originally in its Stalinist form, experience soon led to some disillusionment with it, and a process of adaptation to local conditions has taken place. The result has been a process of reform and adaptation of the original model which, together with the Russians’ own modifications, has led to extensive differentiation. There are now numerous versions of socialist planning and socialist development strategy in operation in the world. This process of differentiation has been interesting as a possible harbinger of what the Russians themselves may do, but it has also been instructive as a demonstration that the Soviet model as it originally developed in the USSR is not a universally applicable approach to the problem of economic development.
Abstract 4621: Rapamycin inhibits the phosphorylation of mSin1 by targeting a new mTOR complex

Current knowledge indicates that mTOR functions as two complexes, mTORC1 and mTORC2, in mammalian cells. mTORC1 comprises mTOR, mLST8 and raptor, and is sensitive to acute rapamycin treatment, whereas mTORC2 consists of mTOR, mLST8, rictor, mSin1 and Protor, and is sensitive to chronic rapamycin treatment in some cases. It is well known that mTORC1 phosphorylates 4E-BP1 and S6K1, while mTORC2 phosphorylates Akt and SGK1. Recently, we and others have observed that rapamycin inhibits the phosphorylation of mSin1. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism by which rapamycin inhibits mSin1 phosphorylation. Here we show that rapamycin inhibits mSin1 phosphorylation in mTOR kinase dependent manner. This is strongly supported by the findings that expression of rapamycin-resistant mTOR (mTOR-T), but not rapamycin-resistant and kinase dead mTOR (mTOR-TE) prevented rapamycin from inhibiting mSin1 phosphorylation; Knockdown of mTOR inhibited mSin1 phosphorylation. However, surprisingly, disruption of either mTORC1 or mTORC2 (by silencing raptor and rictor, respectively) failed to inhibit the phosphorylation of mSin1 as rapamycin did. Similarly, downregulation of S6K1 or Akt did not inhibit mSin1 phosphorylation as rapamycin did either. Of interest, knockdown of mLST8, a component shared by mTORC1/2, inhibited mSin1 phosphorylation. Furthermore, rapamycin treatment reduced the physical interaction of mSin1 with mLST8 and mTOR, but not with rictor. The results suggest that rapamycin inhibits mSin1 phosphorylation, which is not by inhibiting mTORC1 or mTORC2, but via inhibiting a new mTOR complex, which contains at least mTOR and mLST8. (Supported by the FWCC, LSU Health Sciences Center) Citation Format: Shile Huang, Yan Luo, Lei Liu. Rapamycin inhibits the phosphorylation of mSin1 by targeting a new mTOR complex. [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 4621.
Leukocyte Beta-Catenin Expression Is Disturbed in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Wnt/β-catenin signaling is relatively understudied in immunity and autoimmunity. β-catenin blocks inflammatory mediators and favors tolerogenic dendritic cell (DC) phenotypes. We show here that leukocytes from lupus-prone mice and SLE patients express diminished β-catenin transcriptional activity, particularly in myeloid cells, although other leukocytes revealed similar trends. Serum levels of DKK-1, an inhibitor under transcriptional control of Wnt/β-catenin, were also decreased in lupus-prone mice. Surprisingly, however, preemptive deletion of β-catenin from macrophages appears to have no effect on lupus development, even in mice with varying genetic loads for lupus. Although myeloid-specific loss of β-catenin does not seem to be important for lupus development, the potential role of this transcription factor in other leukocytes and renal cells remain to be elucidated.
The evolution of Rhine river governance: historical lessons for modern transboundary water management

Transboundary rivers pose significant governing challenges to state actors, as riparian stakeholders struggle to balance their own interests in a critical resource against those of their neighbors. To that end, a case study of Europe’s Rhine River is illustrative, as it provides a strong historical example of shared water management. Indeed, the Rhine experience suggests at least two universal lessons that modern riparian actors the world over would do well to consider when balancing shared riverine interests. First, that transboundary water cooperation is supported by a shared historical legacy of water governance, suggesting that, if a governing regime does not yet exist, riparian actors should purposefully create one in anticipation of future coordination issues. Second, the case of the Rhine demonstrates that an acute environmental crisis is not a necessary condition for intensive shared riverine governance, and instead, it is extant historical collaboration that leads to later effective crisis coordination.
Courting Controversy: How I Became an Opportunistic Improvisationalist

This essay examines the ways in which responding in the college classroom to events of social injustice may lead to a richer learning experience for students.
A Preliminary Study of the Opioid System and Personality Traits Using Positron Emission Tomography.

Background: Personality traits, such as Neuroticism and Extraversion, have been implicated in the processing of emotion. The neural correlates most often associat
The Internet of Microgrids: A Cloud-Based Framework for Wide Area Networked Microgrids

This paper presents a cloud-based and hybrid wireless mesh communication framework for bilevel, nested, distributed optimization of networked clusters of microgrids. The proposed optimization framework implements a diffusion-based, fully distributed algorithm on local wireless network and a quasi-distributed approach on wide-area internet-based cloud. The lower level of the bilevel optimization implements a distributed optimal economic dispatch solution for intramicrogrid among distributed energy resources, and the upper level implements a global optimal dispatch for intermicrogrid energy exchange. To demonstrate industrial applicability of the proposed framework, the IEC 61850 interoperability protocol is adopted to achieve a certain delay performance so that the distributed optimization convergence is guaranteed. First, hardware-based prototype intelligent electronic devices are developed using embedded systems. Then, the bilevel nested optimization algorithm is implemented for integration of networked microgrids. Finally, experimental results are demonstrated from a real-time smart grid testbed featuring realistic microgrids. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework meets communication requirements for distributed optimization of networked microgrids.
Building Student Ownership and Responsibility: Examining Student Outcomes from a Research-Practice Partnership

AbstractThis article is situated at the intersection of two trends in education research: a growing emphasis on the importance of co-cognitive traits and the emergence of research-practice partners...
Calgranulin C (S100A12) Is Differentially Expressed in Subtypes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Background Calgranulin C (S100A12) is an innate immune peptide at the air-mucosal interface associated with neutrophil involvement, which when overexpressed has been implicated as a biomarker of inflammatory diseases. Decreased epithelial expression of certain innate immune peptides has been reported in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). We hypothesized that S100A12 is differentially expressed in the sinonasal mucosa of patients with CRS compared to controls and that S100A12 is a potential biomarker of CRS-specific quality of life (QOL) and disease severity. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted which included 70 patients: 17 controls, 28 having CRS without (CRSsNP), and 25 with (CRSwNP) nasal polyps. The expression of S100A12 and human neutrophil elastase (HNE) was assessed in the anterior ethmoid tissues from all patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses. Disease-specific QOL (Rhinosinusitis Disability Index) and disease severity (computed tomography [CT] and endoscopy) were evaluated and correlated to the expression levels of S100A12. Results S100A12 and HNE were significantly elevated in patients with CRSsNP compared to normal controls ( P < .05 and P < .001, respectively) and patients with CRSwNP ( P < .05 and P < .001, respectively), as measured by ELISA and IHC analyses. Patients with CRS exhibited worse CRS-specific disease severity compared to normal controls ( P < .05), and the increased protein levels of S100A12 were significantly correlated to disease severity, represented by CT scores ( P < .05). Conclusions S100A12 is differentially expressed in CRS subtypes and is significantly elevated in patients with CRSsNP and associated with CRS-specific disease severity.
Symptomatic Cholelithiasis of a Remnant Gallbladder after Open Cholecystectomy

Abstract Background Recurrent abdominal pain, particularly in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) in a patient with a history of cholecystectomy, known as postcholecystectomy syndrome, requires a broad differential diagnosis. Pathology of a retained gallbladder remnant is an exceedingly rare etiology of this pain. Case Report A 49-year-old woman who had previously undergone an open cholecystectomy presented to the emergency department with several hours of postprandial RUQ pain and emesis. Liver function tests and lipase were not significantly elevated. RUQ ultrasonography revealed a cystic structure containing a stone with mild prominence of the common bile duct at 7 mm, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed the presence of a remnant gallbladder without common bile duct obstruction. Her pain subsided, she tolerated a diet, and was discharged with a referral for an elective cholecystectomy. Why Should An Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Abdominal pain is the most common chief complaint of patients presenting to the emergency department in the United States, and emergency physicians routinely encounter patients with postcholecystectomy syndrome. Emergency physicians should not exclude the possibility of remnant gallbladder pathology, such as symptomatic cholelithiasis or cholecystitis, in patients presenting with symptoms concerning for biliary colic, even if the patient has undergone previous cholecystectomy.
Emerging issues in Integrated Pest Management Implementation and Adoption in the North Central USA

There is a long tradition of integrated pest management (IPM) in the North Central region of the USA. IPM is difficult to define precisely, and it means different things to different people. But in general it is a philosophy based on multiple tactics to prevent a population from building up to unacceptable damaging levels. If preventive tactics are determined or projected to be inadequate, then a rescue tactic is applied. There are a number of constraints on adoption of IPM by growers. The growth in farm size has put a premium on efficiency, whereas IPM can demand extra effort and time on the part of the grower. The introduction of Bt corn and glyphosate-resistant crops have fit right in with a grower’s desire to be more efficient, and in many respects these transgenic tools are highly compatible with IPM strategies. For example, Bt corn is often looked upon as a glorified form of host plant resistance, which is true in many respects. But there are also some differences when looked at in an IPM implementation context. The big issue confronting many North Central growers is that overuse of transgenic products has led to problems with weed and insect resistance in some key pests. To illustrate many of the issues involved, two contrasting case studies of insect pests of corn are presented. Area-wide suppression of the European corn borer by lepidopteran active Bt corn has been a spectacular success story, and so far resistance has not developed despite continuing high selection pressure. In contrast, the other major insect pest of corn, the western corn rootworm, has developed field resistance to Cry3Bb1 Bt corn. Though not yet present in all areas of the North Central states, the problem seems to be spreading geographically. In response, many entomologists are calling for a return to IPM in an effort to manage the fallout, slow the spread, and prevent resistance developing in other traits or pyramids containing Cry3Bb1. But a common reaction so far has been to layer multiple chemical insecticide tactics on top of Bt‑traited corn. This “kitchen sink” approach is going to be a challenge to curtail, given the current high commodity price of corn and growers’ heightened desire to protect yield.
Accuracy of High-Frequency Endoluminal Ultrasonography for Clinical Staging of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Abstract Introduction: Staging of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains a dilemma due to imaging and biopsy limitations leading to understaging. We seek to determine the accuracy of endol...
Long-lived coherence between ground and Rydberg levels in a magic-wavelength lattice

By confining atoms in a state-insensitive optical lattice, the lifetime of the ground-state--Rydberg coherence is increased to $\ensuremath{\ge}20\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$, an order of magnitude improvement over previous experiments using freely diffusing atoms. Using these enhanced lifetimes, we measure the so-called magic lattice wavelengths for Rb and use them to extract the $6{p}_{3/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}n{s}_{1/2}$ reduced electric dipole matrix elements. Good agreement is found with values obtained using an effective one-electron potential for principal quantum numbers $n$ between $n=30$ and $n=70$. We develop a theoretical model based on quantized motion to map out the ground-state--Rydberg coherence as a function of time that is in good agreement with the experimental results. The availability of long coherence times may present new opportunities for high-resolution spectroscopy and quantum information science.
Clothing and Landscape in Victorian England: working-class dress and rural life

Clothing and Landscape in Victorian England is not so much an account of what country people in Victorian England wore, although it certainly performs that function, but a study of how the clothing...
Why Teaching Theory Matters

Theory is systematically organized knowledge. Its form may vary: a set of assumptions, explanatory statements, or abstract reasoning, or perhaps a set of principles for the study or practice of the discipline. In public administration, practice converges with theory in direct ways. In the world of public administrative action, practitioners are experts; in the world of meaning-making, theorists are the experts. If good theory is practical, meaningful action is possible but first it must pass muster among the potential skeptics in everyday public administration. Some MPA students, perhaps having exhausted their patience for what appears to be intellectualism masquerading as explanation and wisdom, are among the skeptics.
Transport-exclusion pharmacology to localize lactate dehydrogenase activity within cells

Recent in vitro and in vivo work has shown that lactate provides an important source of carbon for metabolic reactions in cancer cell mitochondria. An interesting question is whether lactate is oxidized by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cytosol and/or in mitochondria. Since metabolic processes in the cytosol and mitochondria are affected by redox balance, the location of LDH may have important regulatory implications in cancer metabolism. Within most mammalian cells, metabolic processes are physically separated by membrane-bound compartments. Our general understanding of this spatial organization and its role in cellular function, however, suffers from the limited number of techniques to localize enzymatic activities within a cell. Here, we describe an approach to assess metabolic compartmentalization by monitoring the activity of pharmacological inhibitors that cannot be transported into specific cellular compartments. Oxamate, which chemically resembles pyruvate, is transported into mitochondria and inhibits LDH activity in purified mitochondria. GSK-2837808A, in contrast, is a competitive inhibitor of NAD, which cannot cross the inner mitochondrial membrane. GSK-2837808A did not inhibit the LDH activity of intact mitochondria, but GSK-2837808A did inhibit LDH activity after the inner mitochondrial membrane was disrupted. Our results are consistent with some mitochondrial LDH that is accessible to oxamate, but inaccessible to GSK-2837808A until mitochondria are homogenized. This strategy of using inhibitors with selective access to subcellular compartments, which we refer to as transport-exclusion pharmacology, is broadly applicable to localize other metabolic reactions within cells.
Safety of robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery and early hospital discharge in elderly patients

Background A minimally invasive surgical approach has proven to decrease peri- and postoperative complications and shorten duration of hospital stay; however, there are limited data evaluating the safety of robotic-assisted surgery and early hospital discharge in the elderly population. Because age is a well-known, independent risk factor for perioperative morbidity and gynecologists treat many elderly patients, this is an important area of study. Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate discharge timing and surgical outcomes in elderly compared with younger patients undergoing robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort study of all patients who underwent robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery at a high-volume, single institution from January 2013 through May 2016. Demographic information, discharge timing, and peri- and postoperative outcomes were compared for patients Results There were 2757 patients included, with 2521 23 hours (13% vs 3%, P Conclusion Despite having more preoperative risk factors and more surgically complex procedures, elderly patients undergoing robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery had similar postoperative complication rates, and almost half of elderly patients were safely discharged the day of surgery. Our data suggest that robotic-assisted gynecologic surgery and early hospital discharge are safe in elderly patients.
Household Food Insecurity and Parent-to-Child Aggression.

Nearly 13 million children in the United States live in households struggling with food insecurity. Although biosocial theories suggest a strong link between the lack of food and child maltreatment...
Interprofessional Work in Serious Illness Communication in Primary Care: A Qualitative Study

Background: Evidence demonstrates that discussion between clinicians and seriously ill patients about their goals and preferences, or serious illness communication, is a high-value intervention, resulting in growing demand for improvement in this area. Promising efforts address this demand utilizing interprofessional teams; yet, we lack insight into how different professions work together to deliver better serious illness communication. Objective: To explore the perceptions of primary care clinicians about interprofessional work in serious illness communication. Design: Qualitative analysis of semistructured key informant interviews. Settings/Subjects: Primary care clinicians (physicians, care coordination nurses, and social workers) who have experience implementing a structured primary palliative care program, the Serious Illness Care Program, at a large academic medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. Results: We derived primary themes and subthemes from participant descriptions of program implementation: the importance and value of interprofessional teams, nurses, and individual initiative; the role of preparation and structure in enabling high-quality communication; and the ways in which attempts to improve serious illness communication reveal other problems that can limit program effectiveness or be perceived as program failures. We derived a conceptual model that illustrates the relationships between interprofessional team interactions, workflows, and perceived program outcomes. Conclusions: This study suggests three key areas of focus for design and implementation of programs aimed at improving serious illness conversations by interprofessional primary care teams: establishing clear professional roles and responsibilities, paying special attention to interprofessional and clinician-patient relationships, and clearly structuring interventions aiming to change the way our system drives serious illness communication.
Elizabeth Ashbridge and Spiritual Autobiography: The Old Awakened in the New

Elizabeth Ashbridge, always an outsider in search of a spiritual home, recorded a quite unconventional spiritual autobiography for eighteenth-century Friends. Untrained by the Quakers’ codes of Quietism, she bypassed cultural conditioning and revived the primitive Christianity of earliest Friends. Her syncretic religious experience—reaching back to seventeenth-century practices in order to infuse Light and enthusiasm into eighteenth-century ministry—awakens the old in the new. As a Spiritual Mother and a Public Friend, she inscribes her autobiography of suffering and omits her narrative of affluence, ultimately leaving her literary legacy of spiritual reform and mystical renewal for succeeding generations.
Salivary cortisol levels by tandem mass spectrometry during high dose ACTH stimulation test for adrenal insufficiency in children

Serum cortisol measurements after ACTH stimulation are currently used to evaluate for adrenal insufficiency in children. We aim to determine if salivary cortisol measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) can confirm or replace serum cortisol during high dose ACTH stimulation test to improve test compliance and interpretation. We also aim to gain preliminary understanding of normal ranges of salivary cortisol in normal children at am, bedtime, and midnight. Children aged 6–17 years meeting study criteria and tested for adrenal insufficiency were recruited to concomitantly collect saliva and serum samples during high dose ACTH stimulation test. Normal children aged 3–18 years were recruited to collect morning, bedtime, and midnight saliva samples. Salivary cortisol was measured using LC–MS/MS while serum cortisol was determined by an immunoassay. Salivary cortisol in normal children were higher at am and lower at bedtime and midnight (p value <0.0002 and <0.007, respectively). The midnight and bedtime levels were not sufficiently different (p value 0.36). Salivary cortisol during ACTH stimulation test positively and closely correlated with serum cortisol with 100% specificity and sensitivity when 18 µg/dL for serum and 500 ng/dL for salivary cortisol were used as cutoff values respectively for adrenal sufficiency. Measurement of salivary cortisol by LC–MS/MS is less invasive, more convenient and better time controlled in busy pediatric clinic, therefore is better suited for young children to be used during high dose ACTH stimulation test to evaluate for adrenal insufficiency and to assist interpretation of test results by serum cortisol.
Imaging of Acute Stroke: Current State.

This article reviews the current state of imaging for acute ischemic stroke. Protocolized imaging acquisition using computed tomography in conjunction with coordinated stroke care allows for rapid diagnosis and prompt revascularization. Following the initial evidence to support endovascular therapy for large-vessel occlusion, published between 2014 and 2015, there are now guidelines supporting treatment up to 24 hours after time of onset of symptoms. Neuroimaging remains a central component in diagnosing acute stroke and potentially excluding patients from stroke treatment, as outlined in this article.
Theory of permanents 1978–1981

This is a sequel to the author's monograph Permanents a survey of developments in the theory of permanents in the years which followed the publication of the monograph. In particular, it contains Egoryĉev's proof of the van der Waerden conjecture, and a description of the current status of other conjectures. A comprehensive list of papers and books, either published during the period 1978–1981 or awaiting publication, is appended, together with an addenda to the bibliography in the monograph for the years preceding 1978.