cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ME-07INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL MICROENVIROMENT AND ASTROCYTE HETEROGENEITY ON ASTROCYTOMA DEVELOPMENT

The role of the local microenvironment during early astrocytoma development remains elusive. We previously showed that Rb and Pten inactivation and Kras activation (TRP) transforms Gfap+ astrocytes and induces low-grade astrocytoma tumorigenesis throughout the adult brain. To confirm that astrocytes are the cell of origin, we targeted them using an alternative astrocyte-specific promoter, Glast. In the absence of oncogenic mutations, genetic lineage tracing with Glast-CreER; floxed TdTomato mice produced recombination in 8-38% of Gfap/Blbp+ astrocytes in the cortex, diencephalon, brainstem, and olfactory bulb. EdU labeling showed 0.05). Both CreER driver and brain region significantly affected astrocyte growth rate (ANOVA P < 0.0003). In both models, transformed astrocytes maintained Gfap/Blbp expression, gained expression of the stem cell marker Nestin, and formed increasingly dense perineuronal satellites over time. Ki-67 labeling showed clonal expansion, as hypercellular foci with 11-fold higher proliferation relative to less-cellular areas of tumor developed by 16 weeks. Glast-, but not hGFAP-driven tumors contained dividing, but untransformed (TdTomato;T121−) BLBP+ astrocytes, IBA1+ microglia, and PDGFRα+ oligodendrocyte progenitors (OPC). Proliferating microglia (6-0%) and OPC (18-5%) decreased over time, while dividing, untransformed astrocytes increased (57-85%). These findings support the notion that regional microenvironment and astrocyte heterogeneity contribute to astrocytoma development. The Glast-TRP model may be useful in dissecting the role of regional microenvironment during astrocytoma tumorigenesis.
Intracardiac surgery performed with cardiopulmonary bypass.

The conduct of cardiopulmonary bypass and the apparatus in use at The Johns Hopkins Hospital are described, including some recent improvements in technic. Some 450 operations in which the pump-oxygenator has been used are summarized briefly, with reference to the types of lesion treated, the indications for operation, fundamentals of treatment, and survival rates.
Endoscopic ultrasonography guided drainage: Summary of consortium meeting, May 21, 2012, San Diego, California

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the preferred procedure for biliary and pancreatic drainage. While ERCP is successful in about 95% of cases, a small subset of cases are unsuccessful due to altered anatomy, peri-ampullary pathology, or malignant obstruction. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage is a promising technique for biliary, pancreatic and recently gallbladder decompression, which provides multiple advantages over percutaneous or surgical biliary drainage. Multiple retrospective and some prospective studies have shown endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage to be safe and effective. Based on the currently reported literature, regardless of the approach, the cumulative success rate is 84%-93% with an overall complication rate of 16%-35%. endoscopic ultrasound-guided drainage seems a viable therapeutic modality for failed conventional drainage when performed by highly skilled advanced endoscopists at tertiary centers with expertise in both echo-endoscopy and therapeutic endoscopy
Re-treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer with cisplatin-based chemotherapy

Nineteen patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer who had responded to initial cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy were re-treated with cisplatin-based therapy. The median disease-free interval, as measured from the last cycle of primary chemotherapy to the diagnosis of relapse, was 26.3 months (range 5-81 months). Eighteen of the 19 patients had measurable disease at the time of relapse. Nine patients had a clinical complete response to the cisplatin-based re-treatment, and nine patients had a partial response (surgically documented in one case). The overall response rate to secondary cisplatin-based chemotherapy was therefore 100% in patients with measurable disease. Toxicity of re-treatment was acceptable. The median progression-free survival, as measured from the diagnosis of relapse to the time of disease progression, was 10.6 months (range 4-24 months). The median survival from diagnosis of relapse was 19.3 months (range 5-39 months). At the time of analysis, three patients were alive without evidence of disease, four were alive with tumor, and 12 were dead of cancer. These data suggest that re-induction with cisplatin-based chemotherapy should be considered for patients who develop recurrent disease after favorable responses to primary cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Understanding Alzheimer's disease and the aging brain: An Interview with Dr. Christopher van Dyck.

Dr. Christopher van Dyck is Professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neuroscience, and Director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit (ADRU) at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. van Dyck is a graduate of Yale College and, after attending Northwestern University Medical School, returned to Yale for residency and fellowship training in both geriatric psychiatry and neuroimaging. In addition to heading the ADRU, a unit he founded in 1991, he is also Director of the Division of Aging and Geriatric Psychiatry. Since 1991, Dr. van Dyck has served as lead investigator in several clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and participated as a site investigator in countless others. Using neuroimaging techniques to better understand the AD brain, Dr. van Dyck is recognized as a leader in clinical AD research. He sat down recently to discuss how he became interested in AD, what his research group is studying, and where he sees the field heading in the future.
Promoting Positive Affect through Smartphone Photography.

With the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, taking photos has become ubiquitous. This paper investigates how smartphone photography can be leveraged to help individuals increase their positive affect. Applying findings from positive psychology, we designed and conducted a 4-week study with 41 participants. Participants were instructed to take one photo every day in one of the following three conditions: a selfie photo with a smiling expression, a photo of something that would make oneself happy and a photo of something that would make another person happy. After 3 weeks, participants’ positive affect in all conditions increased. Those who took photos to make others happy became much less aroused. Qualitative results showed that those in the selfie group observed changes in their smile over time; the group taking photos to improve their own affect became more reflective and those taking photos for others found that connecting with family members and friends helped to relieve stress. The findings can offer insights for designers to create systems that enhance emotional well-being.
Anomalously Fast Diffusion of Targeted Carbon Nanotubes in Cellular Spheroids

Understanding transport of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and other nanocarriers within tissues is essential for biomedical imaging and drug delivery using these carriers. Compared to traditional cell cultures in animal studies, three-dimensional tissue replicas approach the complexity of the actual organs and enable high temporal and spatial resolution of the carrier permeation. We investigated diffusional transport of CNTs in highly uniform spheroids of hepatocellular carcinoma and found that apparent diffusion coefficients of CNTs in these tissue replicas are anomalously high and comparable to diffusion rates of similarly charged molecules with molecular weights 10000× lower. Moreover, diffusivity of CNTs in tissues is enhanced after functionalization with transforming growth factor β1. This unexpected trend contradicts predictions of the Stokes−Einstein equation and previously obtained empirical dependences of diffusivity on molecular mass for permeants in gas, liquid, solid or gel. It is attributed to the p...
Biomaterials-Based Vaccination Strategies for the Induction of CD8+T Cell Responses

Natural and synthetic biomaterials are increasingly being used for the development of vaccines and immunotherapies as alternatives to traditional live-attenuated formulations due to their improved safety profiles and no risk of reversion to virulence. Polymeric materials in particular enjoy attention due to the ease of fabrication, control over physicochemical properties, and their wide range of immunogenicity. While the majority of studies focus on inducing protective antibody responses, in recent years, materials-based strategies for the delivery of antigens and immunomodulators to improve CD8+T cell immunity against infectious and non-infectious diseases have gained momentum. Notably, platforms based on polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, virus-like particles, self-assembling peptides and peptidomimetics, and multilayer thin films show considerable promise in preclinical studies. In this Review, we first introduce the concepts of CD8+T cell activation, effector and memory functions, and cytot...
Analysis control and design of a hybrid renewable power generation system

With a focus on reducing the emission caused by fossil fuel generated power sources, inclination of industry and researchers have turned towards renewable energy sources. Power generation via photovoltaic and wind energy system gained immense importance over the past decade. The major challenge is posed by the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources. These challenges have made researchers to come up with interconnection of different renewable energy sources for power production. In this paper a wind energy conversion system supported by PV is analyzed. The design methodologies along with the control architecture are presented in this paper.
Clinical Study of Orthogonal-View Phase-Matched Digital Tomosynthesis for Lung Tumor Localization.

Background and Purpose:Compared to cone-beam computed tomography, digital tomosynthesis imaging has the benefits of shorter scanning time, less imaging dose, and better mechanical clearance for tumor localization in radiation therapy. However, for lung tumors, the localization accuracy of the conventional digital tomosynthesis technique is affected by the lack of depth information and the existence of lung tumor motion. This study investigates the clinical feasibility of using an orthogonal-view phase-matched digital tomosynthesis technique to improve the accuracy of lung tumor localization.Materials and Methods:The proposed orthogonal-view phase-matched digital tomosynthesis technique benefits from 2 major features: (1) it acquires orthogonal-view projections to improve the depth information in reconstructed digital tomosynthesis images and (2) it applies respiratory phase-matching to incorporate patient motion information into the synthesized reference digital tomosynthesis sets, which helps to improve ...
Ultrasonographic features and clinical characteristics of children primary intestinal lymphoma

Objective To evaluate the value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of primary intestinal lymphoma (PIL) in children. Methods Twelve children with PIL confirmed by clinical manifestations, surgery, pathological examination in Shenzhen Childrenʹs Hospital from January 2011 to June 2016 were enrolled. Preoperative ultrasonic image manifestations of PIL were analyzed and compared with clinical manifestations and results of pathological examinations. Results In 12 cases of the PIL, lesions were located at the ileocecum in 5 cases, at the ileum in 2 cases, at the jejunum in 3 cases, at the transverse colon in 1 case and at the ascending colon in 1 case. There were two types of preoperative ultrasonic features of PIL including massive type (8 cases) and infiltrative type (4 cases) intestinal tomour. Sonography of massive type cases manifested as hypoechogenicity or extremely hypoechogenicity, indistinct boundary and rich blood flow signals, and infiltrative type cases showed diffuse thickening of the bowel wall with a central echogenic region caused by air, hypoechogenicity or extremely hypoechogenicity, inhomogenous echogenicity in some cases, indistinct boundary, intestinal peristalsis weaken or vanish and rich blood flow signals. Effusion and calcification were not found in all cases. All the cases were diagnosed as non-Hodgkinʹs lymphoma by the pathological examinations including 8 cases of Burkitt lymphoma, 2 cases of follicular lymphoid tumor, 1 case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and 1 case of B lymphoblastic lymphoma. Conclusions The clinical manifestation of most children with PIL is acute abdomen. Ultrasonic image is helpful to identify the primary intestinal lesion and is important for the early diagnosis and improving the prognosis of children with PIL. Key words: Ultrasonography; Children; Intestinal; Lymphoma
Variation in reproductive isolation across a species range

Reproductive isolation is often variable within species, a phenomenon that while largely ignored by speciation studies, can be leveraged to gain insight into the potential mechanisms driving the evolution of genetic incompatibilities. We used experimental greenhouse crosses to characterize patterns of reproductive isolation among three divergent genetic lineages of Campanulastrum americanum that occur in close geographic proximity in the Appalachian Mountains. Substantial, asymmetrical reproductive isolation for survival due to cytonuclear incompatibility was found among the lineages (up to 94% reduction). Moderate reductions in pollen viability, as well as cytoplasmic male sterility, were also found between some Mountain populations. We then compared these results to previously established patterns of reproductive isolation between these Mountain lineages and a fourth, widespread Western lineage to fully characterize reproductive isolation across the complete geographic and genetic range of C. americanum. Reproductive isolation for survival and pollen viability was consistent across studies, indicating the evolution of the underlying genetic incompatibilities is primarily determined by intrinsic factors. In contrast, reproductive isolation for germination was only found when crossing Mountain populations with the Western lineage, suggesting the underlying genetic incompatibility is likely influenced by environmental or demographic differences between the two lineages. Cytoplasmic male sterility was also limited in occurrence, being restricted to a handful of Mountain populations in a narrow geographic range. These findings illustrate the complexity of speciation by demonstrating multiple, independent genetic incompatibilities that lead to a mosaic of genetic divergence and reproductive isolation across a species range.
Implications of an extended dark energy cosmology with massive neutrinos for cosmological tensions

We perform a comprehensive analysis of the most common early- and late-universe solutions to the ${H}_{0}$, $\mathrm{Ly}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\alpha}$, and ${S}_{8}$ discrepancies. When considered on their own, massive neutrinos provide a natural solution to the ${S}_{8}$ discrepancy at the expense of increasing the ${H}_{0}$ tension. If all extensions are considered simultaneously, the best-fit solution has a neutrino mass sum of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.4\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{eV}$, a dark energy equation of state close to that of a cosmological constant, and no additional relativistic degrees of freedom (d.o.f). However, the ${H}_{0}$ tension, while weakened, remains unresolved. Motivated by this result, we perform a nonparametric reconstruction of the evolution of the dark energy fluid density (allowing for negative energy densities), together with massive neutrinos. When all data sets are included, there exists a residual $\ensuremath{\sim}1.9\ensuremath{\sigma}$ tension with ${H}_{0}$. If this residual tension remains in the future, it will indicate that it is not possible to solve the ${H}_{0}$ tension solely with a modification of the late-universe dynamics within standard general relativity. However, we do find that it is possible to resolve the tension if either galaxy baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) or joint light-curve analysis supernovae data are omitted. We find that negative dark energy densities are favored near redshift $z\ensuremath{\sim}2.35$ when including the $\mathrm{Ly}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ BAO measurement (at $\ensuremath{\sim}2\ensuremath{\sigma}$). This behavior may point to a negative curvature, but it is most likely indicative of systematics or at least an underestimated covariance matrix. Quite remarkably, we find that in the extended cosmologies considered in this work, the neutrino mass sum is always close to 0.4 eV regardless of the choice of external data sets, as long as the ${H}_{0}$ tension is solved or significantly decreased.
Twenty-year-old African American woman with prion disease associated with the G114V PRNP variant

The c.341G>T (p.G114V) variant of the prion protein gene ( PRNP ) has been reported in a Uruguayan and a Chinese family to cause an inheritable prion disease, albeit with incomplete penetrance. The condition is characterized by early-onset, relatively prolonged course, early neuropsychiatric symptoms, followed by pyramidal and extrapyramidal symptoms. We present a 20-year-old African American woman, with no family history of neurodegenerative disease, who presented with rapidly progressive cognitive decline and subsequent movement disorders who was found to have the PRNP variant.
Stability and Erosion of Melt Layers Formed During Plasma Disruptions

Melting and vaporization of metallic reactor components such as the first wall and the limiter/divertor may be expected in fusion reactors due to the high energy deposition resulting from plasma in...
Purified Human Cytotrophoblasts: Surrogates for The Blastocyst in In Vitro Models of Implantation?

Although extensive studies on implantation have been performed with laboratory and domestic animals, it is difficult to extrapolate from these observations to the process of nidation in the human, because there are marked interspecies differences. Schlafke and Enders (1975), in an attempt to put some order in the diverse and oftentimes conflicting reports, proposed three possible modes for trophoblast implantation: fusion implantation, which is thought to take place in the rabbit, in which trophoblasts fuse with endometrial epithelial cells as the initial step in embryo-maternal interaction; displacement implantation which takes place in rodents, involves destruction of the uterine epithelium allowing the embryo to come into contact with the basal lamina prior to initiation of frank stromal invasion. The epithelial destruction is independent of die presence of the embryo and appears to be controlled by specific signals arising from the endometrial stoma. The third mode of implantation, intrusive implantation, appears to be operative in species with hemochoreal placentation, in which trophoblastic cells are markedly invasive. Intrusive implantation has been extensively examined in the ferret, where trophoblasts insinuate between endometrial epithelial cells prior to invading the basal lamina and endometrial stroma (Enders and Schlafke, 1972; Gulamhusein and Beck, 1973). Based on existing morphological observations, intrusive implantation has been proposed to be the mode of nidation in the human. However, lack of in vitro models for human embryo implantation has hindered our ability to study this process at the cellular and molecular level.
Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Chorizos

Mexican-style raw meat sausages (chorizos) are not regulated in California when they are produced in small ethnic food markets. These sausages are sold uncooked, but their formulation imparts a color that may lead the consumer to assume that they are already cooked, and thus the chorizos may sometimes be eaten without proper cooking. If pathogens are present in such cases, illness may result. Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in chorizos was evaluated under different storage conditions selected based on an initial survey of uninspected chorizos in California. Chorizos were formulated with five different initial water activity (aw) values (0.85, 0.90, 0.93, 0.95, and 0.97), stored under four conditions (refrigeration at 6 to 8°C, room temperature at 24 to 26°C, under a hood at 24 to 26°C with forced air circulation, and incubation at 30 to 31°C with convective air circulation), and sampled after 1, 2, 4, and 7 days. The initial pH was 4.8 and remained near 5.0 from day 1 of the sampling p...
An Academic Question of Jacques-Louis Lions

Having graduated from Ecole Polytechnique in 1967, I should have spent the following year doing some kind of military activity,1 but DE GAULLE,2 who was re-elected President de la Republique in 1965, decided on a national effort toward research, and since I chose to do research in mathematics with Jacques-Louis LIONS as advisor,3 my only duty for the year 1967–1968 was to obtain a DEA in “numerical analysis,” following courses by Jacques-Louis LIONS and by Rene DE POSSEL.4 My advisor asked me to follow the Lions-Schwartz seminar at IHP (where I also followed on my own a course by Salah BAOUENDI),5 and he also asked me to follow some courses and seminars at IRIA, in Rocquencourt,6 where a group of researchers worked under his direction, and it was in a room reserved for visitors that I first met Francois MURAT, who studied at Ecole Polytechnique a year after me. In 1969, some new buildings were finished at a place first known as Halle aux Vins,7 and then called Jussieu like the nearest metro station,8 which enlarged the Faculte des Sciences, and Jacques-Louis LIONS took possession of a part for a laboratory jointly funded by CNRS and the university,9 of functional analysis and numerical analysis,10 housing a group of researchers from Institut Blaise Pascal, and a few other people, like Francois MURAT and myself, and we shared our first office.
Lifestyle Medicine-Focused Shared Medical Appointments to Improve Risk Factors for Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Abstract Objectives: Poor lifestyle choices play a significant role in the development and progression of preventable chronic diseases, including cancer. In this study, we evaluate the effectivenes...
Dynamic Bayesian Networks in Educational Measurement: Reviewing and Advancing the State of the Field

As the popularity of rich assessment scenarios increases so must the availability of psychometric models capable of handling the resulting data. Dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs) offer a fast, flexi...
Empire of Difference: Becoming an Empire: Imperial Institutions and Control

A young man of 26 [actually he was between 19 and 21], well complexioned, large in body rather than middling in height, noble in arms, of an aspect inspiring fear rather than reverence, sparing of laughter, a pursuer of knowledge, gifted with princely liberality, stubborn in purpose, bold in all things, as avid of fame as Alexander of Macedon. Everyday he has Roman and other histories read to him…chronicles of the popes, the emperors, the kings of France, the Lombards; he speaks three languages, Turkish, Greek, and Slavonic. Diligently he seeks information on the position of Italy…the seat of the Pope, of the Emperor, and how many kingdoms there are in Europe, of which he has a map showing the states and the provinces. Nothing gives him greater satisfaction and pleasure than to study the state of the world and the science of war. A shrewd explorer of affairs, he burns with desire to rule. Giacomo de' Languschi (Langusto), a Venetian visitor who met Mehmed II (1451–1481) right after the conquest of Constantinople, described the conqueror as a bold man, an avid learner, and an heir to the Romans and the Byzantines, whose personal inner strength and might was matched by his open-minded vision and his curiosity about other peoples and cultures.
Classical Linear Control Systems—PID Control Systems

The main topic of this chapter is concentrated on the PID control system design and analysis. Three popular methods, root locus, Bode plot, and state space, are introduced and discussed in details with quite a few example projects. Starting from Sect. 5.2, the root locus strategy is discussed with some special properties used in this method. The effects of poles and zeros on time-domain specifications are discussed. Then the sketching of root locus by manually is introduced. Two typical compensators, phase lead (PD) and phase lag (PI), are introduced and analyzed with some examples. Some popular and powerful computer-aided design and analysis tools with root locus method, such as MATLAB root locus design functions and SISOTool, are discussed in details. The PID controller design with Bode plot frequency response method is introduced and analyzed in Sect. 5.3. Three popular computer-aided design tools, SISOTool, PIDTuner, and MATLAB Simulink, are discussed with some actual example systems. The Nyquist stability criterion is also introduced and discussed with some useful MATLAB functions. The PID controller design with state-space method is introduced in Sect. 5.4. Some important and related properties and features are discussed in detail in this part. An actual PID closed-loop controller for a real DC motor system is discussed as a case study in Sect. 5.5. A real DC motor, Mitsumi 448 PPR Motor, is utilized as a target plant for this closed-loop control system to help users to build a real control system with TM4C123GH6PM MCU system. The detailed control programming codes are provided with detailed discussions.
Oxylipins mediate cell-to-cell communication in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Oxygenated unsaturated fatty acids, known as oxylipins, are signaling molecules commonly used for cell-to-cell communication in eukaryotes. However, a role for oxylipins in mediating communication in prokaryotes has not previously been described. Bacteria mainly communicate via quorum sensing, which involves the production and detection of diverse small molecules termed autoinducers. Here we show that oleic acid-derived oxylipins produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa function as autoinducers of a novel quorum sensing system. We found that this system controls the cell density-dependent expression of a gene subset independently of the quorum sensing systems thus far described in this bacterium. We identified a LysR-type transcriptional regulator as the primary receptor of the oxylipin signal. The discovery of this oxylipin-dependent quorum sensing system reveals that prokaryote-derived oxylipins also mediate cell-to-cell communication in bacteria. Eriel Martinez et al. report that the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa can convert oleic acids into oxylipins for use in cell-cell communication. This quorum sensing system is regulated by the bacterial protein called oxylipin-dependent diol synthase regulator OdsR.
Avoiding Alzheimer’s disease: The important causative role of divalent copper ingestion:

In this review, we point out that developed countries are undergoing an epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease, not shared by undeveloped countries. We also point out that this epidemic is new, developing...
Abstract 4237: CC chemokines are differentially expressed in breast cancer and are associated with racial disparity

Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment Breast cancer (BrCa) still impacts women’s lives and this impact is disproportional in African Americans (AA) compared to European Americans (EA). Addressing socioeconomic and behavioral status has not reduced the race-specific gap in BrCa outcome, suggesting contribution of biological differences in BrCa disparity. We have previously shown involvement of chemokines in the pathogenesis of BrCa. In this study, we have determined the expression of CC chemokines in BrCa tissues and normal tissues utilizing the ONCOMINE database. Further, we determined clinical parameters associated with the CC chemokines overexpressed in BrCa tissues using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Additionally, using Bc-GenExMiner and KMplotter we determined the effects of CC chemokines on reoccurrence, overall and relapse-free survival. Our analysis shows overexpression of CCL5, CCL7, CCL11, CCL17, CCL20, CCL22 and CCL25 mRNA in BrCa tissues compared to normal. Overexpression of CCL21 and CCL22 were significantly correlated with metastatic recurrence. High mRNA levels of CCL7, CCL8, CCL17, CCL20 and CCL25 predicted a decrease in overall survival and CCL7 and CCL8 expression showed a trend in decreased relapse-free survival. Furthermore, overexpression of CCL17 and CCL25 was associated with decreased overall survival in AA whereas in EA, CCL8 was associated with a decrease in overall survival. Interestingly, expression of CCL5, CCL8, CCL17, CCL20 and CCL25 were highest in TNBC tissues. Expression of CCL11 and CCL22 were associated with HER2. In addition to these, there was an association with CC chemokines expression with age in BrCa. Higher CCL11 expression was noted in younger women and CCL8, CCL20, CCL22 and CCL25 expression was higher in older women. Furthermore, CCL25 was significantly elevated and CCL8 was nearly significant in AA tissues when compared to EA. Expression of CCL7, CCL8, and CCL25 were associated with stage. In conclusion, our analysis suggests an association of CC chemokines in BrCa progression, overall survival and observed disparity in disease outcome between AA and EA patients. Citation Format: Jeronay K. Thomas, Hina Mir, Neeraj Kapur, Shailesh Singh. CC chemokines are differentially expressed in breast cancer and are associated with racial disparity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4237.
The changing ecology of the curriculum marketplace in the era of the Common Core State Standards

This manuscript explores how the changing policy context of common standards may have influenced the provision of curriculum materials in the United States. Many educational reforms do little to change the nature of classroom instruction, and prior research has argued that this constancy is, at least in part, due to the common use of instructional materials from a small set of large publishing companies (Rowan in J Educ Change 3(3–4):283–314, 2002). However, common standards have been in place in many states since 2010, creating the potential for states to create and share curricular materials with each other, as well as for new organizations to enter the curriculum marketplace. Instructional materials provide a direct link to the instructional core, and recent research demonstrates that individual teachers, schools, and districts are increasingly selecting instructional materials from a variety of online sources, including databases of open educational resources and open-access, yearlong curricula. These materials are created, curated, and/or disseminated by state education agencies, nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and education employees. In this essay, we describe this new context and provide several cases of the shifting landscape of supply and demand related to curriculum materials. Various configurations of organizations are taking innovative approaches to providing curriculum materials in the context of the Common Core State Standards, as well as to influencing the materials school systems adopt. Finally, we discuss the implications of this backdrop for curriculum policy and practice.
A Multidisciplinary Team-Based Approach to Improve Communication With Surrogates of Patients With Chronic Critical Illness.

Background:Clinicians need to deliver prognostic information to surrogates of nondecisional, critically ill patients so that surrogates can make informed medical decisions that reflect the patient’...
Performance Analysis of Chaotic Symbol Dynamics Decision-Based 8-APSK with Enhanced Security for Broadcasting Applications

This paper is on the analysis of BER performance of 8-ary amplitude phase shift keying (8-APSK) using a decision rule called chaotic symbol dynamics that can adjust the Euclidean distance of signal constellation towards optimum BER and enhanced level of security for the transmitted multimedia data. To this regard, an iterative chaotic map is utilized to partition the decision regions of 8-APSK. With a control parameter p, it is possible to dynamically adjust the minimum Euclidean distance between two adjacent symbols in the same region. Along with the analytically calculated BER using the proposed decision rule, simulation results confirm that this decision rule based chaotic 8-APSK can yield almost identical error performance of 8-APSK (both coded and uncoded cases) under AWGN with negligible degradation. Simultaneously it can effectively prevent unauthorized demodulation without prior knowledge of the chaotic map and value of parameter p, hence thus maximizes the information security.
On the Pitfalls of Estimating and Using Standardized Reliability Coefficients

The population discrepancy between unstandardized and standardized reliability of homogeneous multicomponent measuring instruments is examined. Within a latent variable modeling framework, it is sh...
Representing a “Better Germany”: Competing Images of State and Society in the Early Cultural Diplomacy of the FRG and GDR

In the early years of the FRG and GDR, cultural diplomacy was largely defined by each country's need to establish a role for itself within its respective Cold War bloc. In the sphere of foreign policy, competition between East and West Germany to achieve recognition both from Western states and the so-called Third World was heightened by the FRG's Hallstein Doctrine (1955–1970). Cultural diplomacy offered a route outside traditional channels of diplomacy to convince foreign politicians to support or at least have favorable views of either German state. The cultural diplomatic media of this early period focused on each state's rebuilding and adherence to international treaties as well as on countering the legacy of the Second World War. As division continued into the 1950s, cultural diplomacy on each side of the iron curtain worked to cultivate an image of a peaceful, friendly state superior both to its Nazi predecessor and to its rival across the German-German border, setting the terms for an image-building contest that would continue throughout the Cold War.
Chronic pain and psychedelics: proceeding with caution

Dear Editor We read with great interest the article by Castellanos et al [1][1] in a recent issue of the journal. The authors performed a review on the use of psychedelics in pain medicine and concluded that there may be benefit in exploring psychadelics as a medicinal treatment modality for
MRI-guided fusion biopsy of the prostate resection bed among post-radical prostatectomy patients with rising PSA.

208Background: Following treatment of prostate cancer with radical prostatectomy (RP), biochemical recurrence (BCR) can be detected with elevated PSA. This may be attributed to either cancer recurr...
Intraprostatic calcification and biochemical recurrence in men treated with cesium-131 prostate brachytherapy.

ABSTRACT PURPOSE Baseline intraprostatic calcification (IC) has been shown to be associated with a higher rate of biochemical recurrence (BCR) in men treated with iodine-125 prostate brachytherapy (PB). We evaluated this association in a cohort of men treated with cesium-131 PB. METHODS AND MATERIALS We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients treated with cesium-131 PB +/- external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) at our institution from 2/2011 to 7/2018. Patients with RESULTS Two hundred and sixteen low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients treated with cesium-131 PB +/- EBRT were included. Median follow up was 56.9 months (range 24.1–111.4). Overall, 76 (35.2%) patients had baseline IC and 140 (64.8%) did not. Baseline disease characteristics did not differ significantly between groups. On univariate Cox analysis, only risk group (p = 0.047) and initial PSA (p = 0.016) were significant predictors of BCR, whereas baseline IC was not (p = 0.11). The 5-year BCR-free survival in patients with versus without baseline IC was 97.7% versus 93.8% (p = 0.405), respectively. CONCLUSIONS In a cohort of low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients treated with cesium-131 PB, the rate of BCR in men with baseline IC was low and baseline IC was not associated with a higher risk of BCR.
Diet and Food Insecurity Among Residents of a Rural County

Objectives Rural residents are more likely to experience food insecurity and the related risks for obesity than urban residents. The objective of this study was to explore the association between dietary intake and food insecurity in a sample of residents of a rural county in Tennessee.
Impact of COVID-19 on post graduate medical education and training

Purpose The novel Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) has had a significant impact worldwide that led to changes in healthcare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on trainee's mental health and educational preparedness. Methods Trainees at the Indiana University School of Medicine were surveyed regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their training. Using a Likert scale, participants were asked questions pertaining to educational preparedness, mental health, and clinical work during the pandemic. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 27. The study was approved as exempt by the Institutional review Board (IRB). Results 324 of the 1204 trainees responded to the survey. The respondents were 76% white with an equal distribution of males and females. A majority of the respondents were first year residents with an equal distribution of second, third, and fourth year residents. Twenty-three percent of respondents were in a procedural residency or fellowship program. Better perceived educational preparedness was associated with an improved home-work balance during COVID-19 (β = 0.506, p Conclusion COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the training experience of residents and fellows. Departmental support increased mental well-being and perceived education preparedness in trainees. Trainees that felt they had a better home-work life balance had better educational preparedness compared to their peers. Also, trainees in procedural programs had less educational preparedness compared to their peers in non-procedural programs. This study highlights the importance for programs to find avenues to increase educational preparedness in their trainees while being attuned to the mental health of their trainees.
Rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury following multiple bee stings in a child: A case report

Multiple bee stings commonly cause allergic and anaphylactic reactions, but it can also cause serious complications such as intravascular hemolysis, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury (AKI), and even death. Mortality related to AKI following multiple bee stings can be as high as 25%. Hence, patients should be monitored for rhabdomyolysis and AKI during the first few days following the stings. We report the case of a 3-year-old boy who developed AKI due to rhabdomyolysis following multiple bee stings. He required pediatric intensive care support including mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy in the form of multiple sessions of hemodialysis. His renal function improved gradually. He was discharged after 3 weeks with normal renal function and he remained well on 6 months follow up. The treatment of multiple bee stings should be considered as a medical emergency, and these cases should be admitted in a pediatric intensive care unit and monitored for at least 48 h for the occurrence of rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and AKI.
Chromosome Transfer from F-lac+ Strains of Escherichia coli K-12 Mutant at recA, recB, or recC

The frequency of chromosome transfer from various recombination-deficient F-lac(+) donor strains was estimated by standardizing the yield of conjugants receiving a male chromosomal marker against the level of episome transfer in the mating mixture. The efficiency of chromosome transfer from newly formed F-lac(+) cells carrying recB21 or recC22 was more than 50% of the wild-type value, although it was about 10 and 20%, respectively, if the male cell lines had become established. In contrast, recA13 donors transmitted the chromosome with less than 10(-4) of the normal frequency. If chromosome transfer from F-lac(+) strains reflects the cutting and subsequent joining of homologous single strands of episomal and chromosomal deoxyribonucleic acid by recombination, these results imply that the completed unions are not made in recA cells, but can be effected with more than 50% of normal efficiency in newly formed partial diploids mutant at either recB or recC. Thus, the defective stage in recA mutants may precede strand joining, whereas the deficiency in recB or recC cells may involve a later step in recombinant formation.
Modeling the Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes by Combined High Pressure and Temperature Using Weibull Model

Inactivation curves of Listeria monocytogenes by high pressure were obtained at three pressure levels (400, 500 and 600 MPa) and three temperature levels (27, 43 and 60C) in ultra-high temperature (UHT) whole milk. The milk samples after treatment were plated on both nonselective and selective media to determine the log reduction value and to obtain the inactivation curve. The inactivation curves were fitted to the widely used two-parameter Weibull model with parameters α (characteristic time) and β (shape factor) and a reduced one-parameter Weibull model where the α value with the correct physical interpretation was predetermined. The log reduction value at the characteristic time from the regressed two-parameter Weibull model and the experimental data must both be 0.434; however, in the literature, there is evidence that the regressed model and the experimental values do not match always. Accordingly, this study focuses on the two-parameter and one-parameter Weibull models to bring out this inconsistency. Although there was loss in goodness of fit by adapting the one-parameter model, yet the model represented the correct physical interpretation of parameter α. Development of such mathematically consistent models may help industry to design, develop and optimize safe processing conditions that are based on reliable model parameters. Practical Application In previous studies, inactivation curves of microorganisms have been modeled using the widely used two-parameter Weibull model. However, it was not verified or investigated whether the parameters obtained by nonlinear regression represent the correct experimental value, especially the scale factor/characteristic time. The log reduction value obtained at a treatment time equals 5 to the regressed scale characteristic time should be 1/0.434 depending on the form of Weibull model used. However, in the literature, there is evidence that the regressed model and the experimental values do not match always. In this study, it was shown that predetermining the scale factor/characteristic time from the experimental data addresses this self-consistency issue. Development of such mathematically consistent models would help industry to design reliable and optimum safe processing conditions.
Some Exact Solutions of the Flow Through Annular Cascade Actuator Discs

Exact solutions are presented for two types of flow of an incompressible inviscid fluid through an annular passage with a discontinuity in tangential velocity at one section, as would occur a t a cascade of airfoil blades of negligible chord. When stagnation conditions are constant throughout the flow region, it is shown that the product of the tangential vorticity component (77) and the radius (r) is constant along a stream line. The particular case when this product is a linear multiple of the stream function (^) is solved by dividing \p into persistent and perturbation components and separating the variables. A second exact solution is obtained when the product far) is a function of radius alone and when the stagnation conditions are allowed to vary. Two solutions of either of the above kinds can be exactly matched a t the discontinuity section, thus determining the complete flow pattern for arbitrarily selected conditions at infinity. The axial velocity at this section is almost exactly the mean of upstream and downstream values at the same radius. The family of exact solutions may be of use in estimating the accuracy of approximate solutions and, as shown in a numerical example, may match some desired flow conditions sufficiently closely to be of interest in design.
Diversity in National Legislatures Around the World

Men from majority racial, ethnic, and religious groups continue to dominate electoral politics in most countries. At the same time, national legislatures are becoming more diverse. Cross-national research on inequality in national politics focuses most often on women, but occasionally addresses the political representation of other marginalized groups. This review brings together these distinct areas of research – cross-national studies on the representation of women and minority groups in national legislatures – to think about diversity in politics in a broader way. Such an approach suggests future studies should: (i) acknowledge important differences among women; (ii) focus on more than one type of minority group at a time; and (iii) explicitly examine variation in the overrepresentation of majority men as political elites.
Contouring curved quadratic elements

We show how to extract a contour line (or isosurface) from quadratic elements---specifically from quadratic triangles and tetrahedra. We also devise how to transform the resulting contour line (or surface) into a quartic curve (or surface) based on a curved-triangle (curved-tetrahedron) mapping. A contour in a bivariate quadratic function defined over a triangle in parameter space is a conic section and can be represented by a rational-quadratic function, while in physical space it is a rational quartic. An isosurface in the trivariate case is represented as a rational-quadratic patch in parameter space and a rational-quartic patch in physical space. The resulting contour surfaces can be rendered efficiently in hardware.
Global patterns of root turnover for terrestrial ecosystems

Root turnover is a critical component of ecosystem nutrient dynamics and carbon sequestration and is also an important sink for plant primary productivity. We tested global controls on root turnover across climatic gradients and for plant functional groups by using a database of 190 published studies. Root turnover rates increased exponentially with mean annual temperature for fine roots of grasslands (r2 = 0.48) and forests (r2 = 0.17) and for total root biomass in shrublands (r2 = 0.55). On the basis of the best-fit exponential model, the Q10 for root turnover was 1.4 for forest small diameter roots (5 mm or less), 1.6 for grassland fine roots, and 1.9 for shrublands. Surprisingly, after accounting for temperature, there was no such global relationship between precipitation and root turnover. The slowest average turnover rates were observed for entire tree root systems (10% annually), followed by 34% for shrubland total roots, 53% for grassland fine roots, 55% for wetland fine roots, and 56% for forest fine roots. Root turnover decreased from tropical to high-latitude systems for all plant functional groups. To test whether global relationships can be used to predict interannual variability in root turnover, we evaluated 14 yr of published root turnover data from a shortgrass steppe site in northeastern Colorado, USA. At this site there was no correlation between interannual variability in mean annual temperature and root turnover. Rather, turnover was positively correlated with the ratio of growing season precipitation and maximum monthly temperature (r2 = 0.61). We conclude that there are global patterns in rates of root turnover between plant groups and across climatic gradients but that these patterns cannot always be used for the successful prediction of the relationship of root turnover to climate change at a particular site.