cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Caribbean and Central American women’s feminist inquiry through theater-based action research

Feminist action research interrogates gendered dynamics in the development of a collective consciousness. A group of immigrant Latina women (Latinas) from the Caribbean and Central America employed community-based theater as an instrument to mobilize diverse audiences against discriminatory practices and policies. Based on their theater work, I present two interrelated arguments. First, Latinas’ knowledge construction in multiple arenas counteracts gendered and racialized immigration discourses while leading to fundamental sociocultural transformations. Second, deeper epistemological rigor is needed in feminist action research to uphold Latin American women’s agency while countering pervasive discrimination.
Commuting, Congestion, and Urban Transport Sustainability

Dispersed urban growth following from rising affluence and mobility presents serious challenges to the future operation of urban transport systems. Indeed, recent demographic and social trends in the United States and other industrialized countries seem counter to the sustainability of urban transport. First, already large metropolitan populations grew substantially during past decades, particularly in the United States, where they expanded by 13.9 percent from 1990 to 2000. As of 2000, metropolitan persons accounted for roughly 80 percent of the total U.S. population (Perry and Mackun 2001). Second, quarterly U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew at robust rates (2 to 8 percent annualized) during the boom period of the last decade (1996 to 2000) (Bureau of Economic Analysis 2001). This prosperity has facilitated an ability to obtain material goods, particularly automobiles, thereby adding to levels of personal mobility. Today, increased numbers of automobiles are appearing on highways; evidence from the 2000 U.S. census shows that automobile ownership is approaching almost 2 cars (1.7) per household (Pisarski 2002). Third, homeownership has reached unprecedented levels, with about two-thirds of households owning their own home (Pisarski 2002; U.S. Census 2002).
Clostridium thermocellum DSM 1313 transcriptional responses to redox perturbation.

Clostridium thermocellum is a promising consolidated bioprocessing candidate organism capable of directly converting lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol. Current ethanol yields, productivities, and growth inhibitions are industrial deployment impediments for commodity fuel production by this bacterium. Redox imbalance under certain conditions and in engineered strains may contribute to incomplete substrate utilization and may direct fermentation products to undesirable overflow metabolites. Towards a better understanding of redox metabolism in C. thermocellum, we established continuous growth conditions and analyzed global gene expression during addition of two stress chemicals (methyl viologen and hydrogen peroxide) which changed the fermentation redox potential. The addition of methyl viologen to C. thermocellum DSM 1313 chemostat cultures caused an increase in ethanol and lactate yields. A lower fermenter redox potential was observed in response to methyl viologen exposure, which correlated with a decrease in cell yield and significant differential expression of 123 genes (log2 > 1.5 or log2 < −1.5, with a 5 % false discovery rate). Expression levels decreased in four main redox-active systems during methyl viologen exposure; the [NiFe] hydrogenase, sulfate transport and metabolism, ammonia assimilation (GS-GOGAT), and porphyrin/siroheme biosynthesis. Genes encoding sulfate transport and reduction and porphyrin/siroheme biosynthesis are co-located immediately downstream of a putative iscR regulatory gene, which may be a cis-regulatory element controlling expression of these genes. Other genes showing differential expression during methyl viologen exposure included transporters and transposases. The differential expression results from this study support a role for C. thermocellum genes for sulfate transport/reduction, glutamate synthase-glutamine synthetase (the GS-GOGAT system), and porphyrin biosynthesis being involved in redox metabolism and homeostasis. This global profiling study provides gene targets for future studies to elucidate the relative contributions of prospective pathways for co-factor pool re-oxidation and C. thermocellum redox homeostasis.
The Concept of Direct and Indirect Neurotoxicity and the Concept of Toxic Metal/Essential Element Interactions as a Common Biomechanism Underlying Metal Toxicity

The toxicities of many metals have been well defined. Many of these metals, such as mercury, lead, cadmium, manganese, aluminum, and alkyltin, have demonstrated a special target affinity towards the nervous system.
Footprints of Urban Micro-Pollution in Protected Areas: Investigating the Longitudinal Distribution of Perfluoroalkyl Acids in Wildlife Preserves

Current approaches to protect biodiversity by establishing protected areas usually gloss over water pollution as a threat. Our objective was to determine the longitudinal and seasonal distribution of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in water column and sediments from a wastewater dominated stream that enters preservation areas. Water samples were collected along the longitudinal section (six sites, 1000 m away from each other) of the stream during the dry and wet seasons. Sediments were collected from three sites along the stream from three depths. Water and sediments were analyzed for PFAAs using high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Eleven PFAAs with 5 to 14 carbon atoms were detected in the water column at all sampling points, with a minor reduction at the last point suggesting a dilution effect. The most detected PFAAs was PFOS, followed by perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). Seasonal differences in PFAAs concentrations suggested contribution of stormwater runoff during the wet season. All analyzed PFAAs in sediments were under the limit of quantification, likely due to the high proportion of sand and low organic matter. However, high concentrations of PFAAs were detected in the water column inside the protected areas, which includes PFOS in concentrations considered not safe for avian wildlife. Water samples appear to be more relevant than sediments to determine PFAAs micro-pollution in water bodies with sandy sediments. Inclusion of a management plans on micro-pollution research, monitoring, and mitigation is recommended for protected areas.
Satellite evidence of archaeological site looting in Egypt: 2002–2013

Analysis of satellite imagery covering Egypt between 2002 and 2013 indicates a significant increase in looting and other damage to archaeological sites. Looting escalated dramatically from 2009 with the onset of the global economic crisis, and intensified still further with the Arab Spring in 2011. This was mirrored by an increased volume of Egyptian artefacts sold at auction, suggesting that looting is driven by external demand as well as by internal economic pressures. Satellite analysis can be used to predict the type and period of antiquities entering the market, thereby providing valuable intelligence for international policing of the illicit antiquities trade.
The impact of frailty on outcomes of paraesophageal hernia repair.

Abstract Background Frailty is a measure of physiological reserve that has been used to predict outcomes after surgical procedures in the elderly. We hypothesized that frailty would be associated with outcomes after paraesophageal hernia (PEH) repair. Methods The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2011-2013) was queried for International Classification of Diseases, Version 9 and Current Procedural Terminology codes associated with PEH repair in patients aged ≥ 60 y. A previously described modified frailty index (mFI), based on 11 clinical variables in National Surgical Quality Improvement Program was used to quantify frailty. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between frailty, complications, and mortality. Results Of the 4434 PEH repairs that met inclusion criteria, 885 records were included in the final analysis (20%). Excluded patients were missing one or more variables in the mFI. The rate of complications that were Clavien–Dindo Grade ≥ 3 was 6.1%. Mortality was 0.9%. The readmission rate was 8.2%, and 10.9% of patients were discharged to a facility other than home. Relative to mFI scores of 0, 1, 2, and ≥3, the respective occurrence percentages were as follows; Grade ≥3 complication: 3.2%, 4.7%, 9.8%, and 23.3% ( P P = 0.0974); discharge to facility other than home: 4.4%, 10.9%, 15.7%, and 31.7% ( P P = 0.1703; OR 1.01; CI 0.36-2.84). Complications and discharge destination were significantly correlated with the mFI. Conclusions Frailty, as assessed by the mFI, is correlated with postoperative complications and discharge to a facility other than home after PEH repair.
Self-organized instability in graded-index multimode fibres

Multimode fibres (MMFs) are attracting interest in the study of spatiotemporal dynamics as well as in the context of ultrafast fibre sources, imaging and telecommunications. This interest stems from three differences compared with single-mode fibre structures: their spatiotemporal complexity (information capacity), the role of disorder, and their complex intermodal interactions. To date, MMFs have been studied in limiting cases in which one or more of these properties can be neglected. Here, we study a regime in which all these elements are integral. We observe a spatial beam-cleaning phenomenon that precedes spatiotemporal modulation instability. We provide evidence that the origin of these processes is a universal unstable attractor in graded-index MMFs. The self-organization and instability of the attractor are both caused by intermodal interactions characterized by cooperating disorder, nonlinearity and dissipation. Disorder-enhanced nonlinear processes in MMFs have important implications for future telecommunications, and the multifaceted nature of the considered dynamics showcases MMFs as potential laboratories for a variety of topics in complexity science. Spatial beam clean-up and spatiotemporal modulation instability in graded-index multimode fibres are studied in a regime characterized by disorder, nonlinearity and dissipation.
Identification of nonadherent mononuclear cells in human cord blood that differentiate into macrophages.

cultivation, develop into monocyte-macrophages. These cells initially are negative for nonspecific esterase cytoplasmic activity, lack the monocyte marker MO.2, fall into smaller, nonmonocytic cell size areas, as determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)-assisted size analysis, and differentiate into macrophages under nonstimulatory culture conditions (in the absence of exogenous colony stimulating factors, <0.1 ng/ml endotoxin, and growth in suspension). In contrast to the adherent, committed macrophage precursors in cord blood, which differentiate into macrophages after 23 days of culture, the nonadherent precursor does not acquire monocyte-macrophage characteristics until day i4 of culture. Earlier induction is achieved by adding the monocyte-activating agents lipopolysaccharide or i ,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 to cultures.
The Other Side of Housing: Oppression and Liberation

(1987). The Other Side of Housing: Oppression and Liberation. Scandinavian Housing and Planning Research: Vol. 4, Between State and Market: Housing in the Post-Industrial Era, pp. 232-270.
Lipotropic activity of various compounds under standardized conditions.

SummaryA representative group of substances, previously reported to be lipotropically active, have been tested. under standardized condtitions. Under the present experimental conditions and in the amounts fed, S-ethylcysteine did not decrease the level of the liver lipids, cystine betaine and S-methylcysteine exhibited a slight activity of questionable significance, inositol, dimethyl sulfide and S-methylisothiourea sulfate were of intermediate activity, and betaine and triethylcholine had approximately the activity of choline. Lipociac, at the 1% dietary level, was highly active lipotropically and stimulated growth to a greater degree than any of the other compounds tested. S-methylisothiourea sulfate depressed the growth rate.
Culture filtrate of Bacillus atrophaeus induced abnormalities in Ascosphaera apis

The antifungal activity of broth filtrate of Bacillus atrophaeus isolate #35 was studied on Ascosphaera apis (Ascosphaeraceae—Ascomycota), a pathogen of honeybee larvae. Inhibition of hyphal growth...
Knowledge Transfer in Information Security Capacity Building for Community-Based Organizations

Community-based organizations CBOs in the health and human services sector handle very sensitive client information, such as psychiatric, HIV testing, criminal justice, and financial records. With annual revenue often in the range of $1 to $10 million, these organizations typically lack the financial, labor, and technical resources to identify and manage information security risks within their environment. Therefore, information security risk assessments were conducted at CBOs as part of a university service learning course intended to ultimately improve security within participating CBOs. Knowledge transfer between trainees and trainers is essential in order for security improvements to be realized. Therefore, this paper constructs a theoretical model of knowledge transfer that is used as a lens through which to examine initial study results of the CBO interventions as part of an exploratory study.
Limits and Design Control of Radio Interference for 1000 kV AC Transmission Lines

Radio interference is the important environmental effect factor for high voltage transmission lines. But due to measurement statistical characteristic and easily affected by surrounding environment,it is attracted more attention whether the radio interference is appropriate to be characteristic factor of electromagnetic environment in the environmental impact assessment and final acceptance of construction for power transmission and transfer engineering. From the perspective of basic radio interference characteristics and the relative standards on limits,the paper combines with simulation forecasting methods and corresponding requirements on environmental protection,and more systematically analyzes measurement statistical characteristic and the degree of environmental impacts of radio interference. The radio interference limit of 58 dB which satisfies the principle for the 80%/80% rule has become the criteria for the design control of 1000 kV UHV AC transmission lines. It is suggested that the radio interference needs to be considered as the factor of environmental impact assessment.
Ontogenic expression of two α-1 adrenergic receptor subtypes in the rat brain

α-1A/D and α-1B adrenergic receptor subtype mRNA expression was studied during pre-and postnatal rat brain development. Oligonucleotide probes were generated to distinguish these two homologous subtypes byin situ histochemical analysis in E14, E16, E19, P0, P8, P14, P21, and adult animals. α-1B adrenergic receptor mRNA expression was noted as early as the E14 animal and demonstrated specific regional and temporal expression. α-1A/D adrenergic receptor mRNA expression was limited in the E19 and P0 animal but increased in intensity with aging. Specific regional and temporal expression differed between the two subtypes. The regional localization for both subtypes appeared to be stable after P21 but the intensity of expression for both subtypes decreased between P21 and adulthood, which is a finding that correlates with previous ligand-binding data. Different subtypes of homologous receptors have very different ontogenic patterns of distribution and may account for previous discrepancies in ligand-binding data and differential tissue responses to various ligands during development.
Experimental arthroplasty of the canine hip. Extracellular matrix composition in cup arthroplasty.

1. The results of several types of arthroplasty utilizing a Vitallium cup in the canine hip are described. 2. A cup inserted between the denuded femoral head and the acetabulum did not result in a uniform fibrocartilaginous surface. There was loss of granulations at the superior weight-bearing portion of the head in all instances. 3. Metaplasia of surviving granulations into fibrocartilage was not uniform. 4. A specially designed cup which maintained a space free of pressure under the superior portion of the head was used in several animals. In these hips, granulations flourished as well in the superior portion of the head as in other locations. 5. The curve of concentration of collagen of the arthroplasty tissue as a function of time postoperatively is described. It is very similar to the curves seen in a previous series of non-interpositional arthroplasties. The collagen concentration resembled that of normal cartilage at three months postoperatively. 6. Total hexosamine concentration in arthroplasty tissue as a function of time is described. Considerable variation was seen from group to group in this parameter, presumably because of the inconsistency of the degree of metaplasia. 7. Acid mucopolysaccharide components of the arthroplasty surface were found to consist of chondroitin-4 and 6-sulphate and keratosulphate and were indistinguishable qualitatively from chondroitin-4 and 6-sulphate and keratosulphate from normal articular cartilage of the dog hip. 8. The concentration of acid mucopolysaccharides one year after surgery was less than half that found in normal articular cartilage. 9. Several factors may influence the survival of granulation tissue and the degree of metaplasia. Some of these factors may be mechanical, such as pressure, motion, and surface contour.
Long‐term follow‐up and management of small and medium‐sized CD4+ T cell lymphoma and CD8+ lymphoid proliferations of acral sites: a multicenter experience

Background Primary cutaneous CD4+ small–medium pleomorphic T cell lymphoma (SMPTCL) is a low-grade cutaneous T cell lymphoma. Its clinical and histopathologic features are comparable with those of CD8+ lymphoid proliferations (LPs) of the ear and acral sites. Objectives We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with CD4+ SMPTCL or CD8+ LP to elucidate the clinical course, prognosis, and outcomes. Methods Demographic, clinical, and treatment data were reviewed. Histopathologic data based on architectural, cytomorphologic, and immunohistochemical features were assessed. Immunohistochemical staining for T and B cell markers was evaluated. Results A total of 25 patients including 22 with CD4+ SMPTCL and three with CD8+ LP were identified. All patients presented with a single lesion, predominantly on the head, neck, or upper trunk (84%). No patients showed extracutaneous disease at any evaluation. The most common histopathologic changes showed a dense nodular infiltrate of small cells with hyperchromatic nuclei without significant follicular or adnexal involvement. Patients were treated with excision (48%), local radiation (28%), or topical or intralesional steroids (24%). All patients achieved complete resolution of disease. Five patients demonstrated cutaneous relapse at new sites. Conclusions The CD4+ SMPTCL/CD8+ LP subgroup usually presents with solitary lesions and demonstrates an indolent clinical course. Typical presentation, classic histopathology, widespread expression of follicular T helper cell markers, and loss of a T cell antigen are diagnostic features of CD4+ SMPTCL, whereas monomorphous CD8+ infiltrate without follicular T helper cell markers is consistent with CD8+ LP. Local skin-directed therapy is appropriate in these patients.
Technical Report of Successful Deployment of Tandem Visual Tracking During Live Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Between Novice and Expert Surgeon.

With the recent advances in eye tracking technology, it is now possible to track surgeons’ eye movements while engaged in a surgical task or when surgical residents practice their surgical skills. Several studies have compared eye movements of surgical experts and novices and developed techniques to assess surgical skill on the basis of eye movement utilizing simulators and live surgery. None have evaluated simultaneous visual tracking between an expert and a novice during live surgery. Here, we describe a successful simultaneous deployment of visual tracking of an expert and a novice during live laparoscopic cholecystectomy. One expert surgeon and one chief surgical resident at an accredited surgical program in Lubbock, TX, USA performed a live laparoscopic cholecystectomy while simultaneously wearing the visual tracking devices. Their visual attitudes and movements were monitored via video recordings. The recordings were then analyzed for correlation between the expert and the novice. The visual attitudes and movements correlated approximately 85% between an expert surgeon and a chief surgical resident. The surgery was carried out uneventfully, and the data was abstracted with ease. We conclude that simultaneous deployment of visual tracking during live laparoscopic surgery is a possibility. More studies and subjects are needed to verify the success of our results and obtain data analysis.
Fracture mechanics studies of adhesion in biological systems

A fracture mechanics based methodology for quantifying adhesive interactions between soft solids, or between a soft solid and a rigid substrate, is reviewed. An emphasis is placed on the application of these techniques to the characterization of adhesive interactions in biological systems. Results from experiments involving the adhesion of gelatin hydrogels to hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates are described as an illustration of the application of these methods. In these experiments a hemispherical gelatin cap is brought into contact with a flat surface. Separation of the two materials is described in terms of crack propagation along the gelatin/substrate interface. Simultaneous measurements of the applied load, the resulting displacement, and the contact area between the two materials enable us to determine the elastic modulus of the cap, in addition to the crack driving force, or energy release rate. The adhesive behavior of the interface is quantified by the relationship between the energy release rate and the crack velocity. Analogies are made to information obtained from contact angle measurements, and from measurements made with the Israelachvili surface forces apparatus.
The Effects of Months, Holidays, and the Birthdays of Presidents on Choice of Baby Names

The propensity to name babies after US presidents is well known. Less well known is the magnitude of the increased propensity to name babies after presidents when those babies are born on the president’s birthday. In this article that propensity is evaluated and, in addition, the increased propensity to name children after various holidays and months is also assessed. The analysis makes use of the Social Security Death Index, which contains records of over 90 million deaths occurring between 1935 and 2014. Tens of thousands of individuals have been named after George Washington and also after some months of the year; smaller estimates of the number of babies named after selected other presidents on their birthday, as well as those named after several different holidays and months, are also provided.
The Influence of Unrestricted Information Exchange on Willingness to Share Information With Outsiders

This study addressed how engaging in different forms of information exchange within a group is related to group members' willingness to share risk information with outsiders. Drawing from social exchange theories, we focused on 3 unrestricted forms of information exchange: pure-generalized, group-generalized, and productive. We hypothesized that individuals' intentions to share information with outsiders would be associated positively with engagement in pure or group-generalized exchanges and negatively with productive exchange. The hypotheses were supported with data from a national survey of U.S. growers (N = 452) that examined their information-sharing behaviors with other parties inside and outside their local region. The findings have broad implications for understanding information sharing within and across groups.
Foundations of Education Research: Understanding Theoretical Components-A Book Review

The volume of researchers interested in pursuing qualitative methods of research continues to grow. However, the foundational components of qualitative research in education are often confusing and overwhelming for the novice researcher and can often pose challenges for more experienced researchers. Egbert and Sanden (2014) offer an easy to follow format in explaining the foundations and theoretical components of research for all levels of learners.
Reasoning about truthfulness of agents using answer set programming

We propose a declarative framework for representing and reasoning about truthfulness of agents using answer set programming. We show how statements by agents can be evaluated against a set of observations over time equipped with our knowledge about the actions of the agents and the normal behavior of agents. We illustrate the framework using examples and discuss possible extensions that need to be considered.
Code3: A System for End-to-End Programming of Mobile Manipulator Robots for Novices and Experts

This paper introduces Code3, a system for user-friendly, rapid programming of mobile manipulator robots. The system is designed to let non-roboticists and roboticists alike program end-to-end manipulation tasks. To accomplish this, Code3 provides three integrated components for perception, manipulation, and high-level programming. The perception component helps users define a library of object and scene parts that the robot can later detect. The manipulation component lets users define actions for manipulating objects or scene parts through programming by demonstration. Finally, the high-level programming component provides a drag-and-drop interface with which users can program the logic and control flow to accomplish a task using their previously specified perception and manipulation capabilities. We present findings from an observational user study with non-roboticist programmers (N=10) that demonstrate their ability to quickly learn Code3 and program a PR2 robot to do manipulation tasks. We also demonstrate how the system is expressive enough for an expert to rapidly program highly complex manipulation tasks like playing tic-tac-toe and reconfiguring an object to be graspable.
Spatiotemporally Controlled Mechanical Cues Drive Progenitor Mesenchymal-to-Epithelial Transition Enabling Proper Heart Formation and Function.

During early cardiogenesis, bilateral fields of mesenchymal heart progenitor cells (HPCs) move from the anterior lateral plate mesoderm to the ventral midline, undergoing a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) en route to forming a single epithelial sheet. Through tracking of tissue-level deformations in the heart-forming region (HFR) as well as movement trajectories and traction generation of individual HPCs, we find that the onset of MET correlates with a peak in mechanical stress within the HFR and changes in HPC migratory behaviors. Small-molecule inhibitors targeting actomyosin contractility reveal a temporally specific requirement of bulk tissue compliance to regulate heart development and MET. Targeting mutant constructs to modulate contractility and compliance in the underlying endoderm, we find that MET in HPCs can be accelerated in response to microenvironmental stiffening and can be inhibited by softening. To test whether MET in HPCs was responsive to purely physical mechanical cues, we mimicked a high-stress state by injecting an inert oil droplet to generate high strain in the HFR, demonstrating that exogenously applied stress was sufficient to drive MET. MET-induced defects in anatomy result in defined functional lesions in the larval heart, implicating mechanical signaling and MET in the etiology of congenital heart defects. From this integrated analysis of HPC polarity and mechanics, we propose that normal heart development requires bilateral HPCs to undergo a critical behavioral and phenotypic transition on their way to the ventral midline, and that this transition is driven in response to the changing mechanical properties of their endoderm substrate.
Does Parental Monitoring Moderate the Impact of Community Violence Exposure on Probation Youth’s Substance Use and Sexual Risk Behavior?

The present study examined whether parental monitoring buffers the negative effects of communtity violence exposure on probation youth's substance use and sexual risk behaviors. Among a sample of 347 Chicago youth on probation, ages 13-17 years, parental monitoring did not moderate the relationship between community violence exposure and probation youth's sexual risk and substance use. However, parental monitoring was independently associated with less engagement in sexual risk and substance use, and community violence exposure was independently associated with more risk behavior among probation youth. The present study contributes to the growing literature on the impact of community violence exposure and parenting on adjudicated youth risk.
Response to Editas and Intellia: Unexpected mutations after CRISPR-Cas9 editing in vivo

Here we provide additional confirmatory data and clarifying discussion, including sequencing data showing extensive regions with heterozygosity and in some cases greater than 2 alleles in CRISPR treated mice throughout the genome, which are all progeny of inbred mice purchased from a commercial vendor (JAX). Furthermore, the heterozygous mutations were mostly within 7-10bp adjacent to NGG or NGA nucleotide sequences, the preferred Protospacer Adjacent Motif (PAM) for the SpCas9. The multiple alleles in these cases cannot simply be explained by parental inheritance. The summary statements in our Correspondence reflect observations of a secondary outcome following successful achievement of the primary outcome using CRISPR to treat blindness in Pde6b/rd1 mice. As the scientific community considers the role of WGS in off-target analysis, future in vivo studies are needed where the design and primary outcome focuses on CRISPR off-targeting. We agree that a range of WGS controls are needed that include parents, different gRNAs, different versions of Cas9, and different in vivo protocols. We look forward to the publication of such studies. Combined, these results will be essential to fully understand off-targeting and can be used to create better algorithms for off-target prediction. Overall, we are optimistic that some form of CRISPR therapy will be successfully engineered to treat blindness.
NF-κB and Prox1 directly regulate expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-3

5850 Introduction: New lymphatic vessel formation, i.e., lymphangiogenesis, is frequently induced by chronically inflamed malignancies and correlates with increased lymphatic metastasis. Lymphangiogenesis is mediated primarily by VEGFR-3 expressed in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). The mechanisms underlying VEGFR-3 expression and its regulation of lymphangiogenesis are currently poorly understood. In this study, we investigated regulation of VEGFR-3 expression in cultured LECs by two transcription factors, NF-κB and Prox1, which regulate inflammatory response and lymphangiogenesis, respectively. Methods: The human VEGFR-3 promoter encompassing -849 to +55bp (VEGFR-3-849/+55) was subcloned into the pGL4 luciferase vector. The VEGFR-3-849/+55 promoter was co-transfected with Prox1, NF-κB proteins p50 or p65, or empty vector. Promoter activity was measured by a dual luciferase assay. VEGFR-3 ChIP analysis was performed using Prox1, p50 or p65 antibodies and primers flanking transcription factor binding sites. LECs were stained with anti-VEGFR-3, Prox1, p50 or p65 antibodies. In some experiments, prior to analysis of VEGFR-3 transcription or immunostaining, cells were treated with the NF-κB inhibitor, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). Results: Activation of VEGFR-3-849/+55 as well as VEGFR-3 mRNA and protein expression were highest in LECs and lowest in non-endothelial cells. Sequence analysis of the VEGFR-3 promoter identified multiple putative Prox1 and NF-κB binding sites. VEGFR-3-849/+55 was activated by co-transfection with Prox1 (3.4 fold), p50 (7.8 fold), p65 (2.8 fold) or p50 and p65 (7.3 fold) expression plasmids. PDTC blocked NF-κB activation and inhibited constitutive VEGFR-3 expression in unstimulated LECs. Additionally, PDTC inhibited VEGFR-3-849/+55 activation induced by ectopic expression of p50 and p65 by 38% and 22%, respectively. Immunostaining of LECs showed constitutive Prox1 signaling. PDTC treatment inhibited Prox1 mRNA and its nuclear localization, which preceded down-regulation of VEGFR-3. ChIP analysis showed direct binding of Prox1, p50 and p65 transcription factors to VEGFR-3 promoter. Conclusions: We propose that VEGFR-3 is an NF-κB target gene because (1) VEGFR-3-849/+55 contains consensus NF-κB binding sites, (2) both p50 and p65 NF-κB proteins directly bind VEGFR-3 promoter as demonstrated by ChIP assay; (3) NF-κB expression plasmids activate VEGFR-3-849/+55; and (4) the NF-κB inhibitor, PDTC, blocks VEGFR-3expression. We also discovered that Prox1 directly activates VEGFR-3 promoter and is susceptible to PDTC inhibition. This suggests that Prox1 might mediate NF-κB dependent regulation of VEGFR-3 expression under inflamed conditions. Collectively, our data suggest a central mechanism underlying tumor-induced inflammation, lymphangiogenesis and metastasis, and present new targets for anti-metastatic therapy.
Nutritional Assessment and Dietary Interventions in Older Patients with Heart Failure

Older patients with heart failure (HF) are challenging to manage due to the high prevalence of frailty, polypharmacy, cognitive impairment, and other geriatric conditions. Malnutrition and poor dietary habits are also common and strongly predict adverse outcomes in older patients with HF. Current dietary recommendations for HF primarily advise reducing sodium intake, but randomized studies suggest that excess restriction can lead to adverse outcomes. The optimal dietary pattern, caloric intake, advice for weight management, and strategies for self-care in this population have not been determined. Screening tools for malnutrition, including the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and Mini Nutritional Assessment, can be used to assess nutritional risk and predict mortality, hospitalization, and functional decline in older patients with HF. The ideal dietary pattern for patients with HF has not been determined, though epidemiologic and observational cohort studies suggest that the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and Mediterranean dietary patterns are reasonable to recommend to many patients. Recent dietary intervention studies highlight the importance of individualized nutritional counseling interventions, maintaining adequate nutritional intake during sodium restriction, and the potential for caloric restriction to improve outcomes in some patients. Nutritional status and dietary intake are prognostically important and potentially modifiable in older patients with HF. Ongoing interventional and translational studies may help define the ideal sodium intake, dietary regimen, and recommendations for weight loss, but more research is needed in this important domain.
Reevaluating the Evidence for Blood Pressure Targets in Type 2 Diabetes.

There is general consensus that treating adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension to a target blood pressure (BP) of <140/90 mmHg helps prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD). Whether more intensive BP control should be routinely targeted remains a matter of debate. While the American Diabetes Association (ADA) BP guidelines recommend an individualized assessment to consider different treatment goals, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association BP guidelines recommend a BP target of <130/80 mmHg for most individuals with hypertension, including those with T2DM (1–3). In large part, these discrepant recommendations reflect the divergent results of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes-BP trial (ACCORD-BP) among people with T2DM and the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which excluded people with diabetes (4,5). Both trials evaluated the effect of intensive compared with standard BP treatment targets (<120 vs. <140 mmHg systolic) on a composite CVD end point of nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke or death from cardiovascular causes. SPRINT also included unstable angina and acute heart failure in its composite end point. While ACCORD-BP did not show a significant benefit from the intervention (hazard ratio [HR] 0.88; 95% CI 0.73–1.06), SPRINT found a significant 25% relative risk reduction on the primary end point favoring intensive therapy (0.75; 0.64–0.89). Why did ACCORD-BP and SPRINT arrive at divergent conclusions? Recent secondary analyses provide new insights into potential reasons, including differences in trial design, populations studied, approach to BP lowering, trial end points, and statistical power or chance findings. While SPRINT used a parallel group study design, ACCORD-BP used …
Acidic Amino Acids as Excitatory Transmitters

Some of the most important and exciting discoveries over these last few years have come from the identification and study of neurotransmitters. There are many new candidates, new regulatory mechanisms and new findings on the pathways which employ known transmitters. Curiously, though, most of the clearly identified neurotransmitters are inhibitory. Little is known about the excitatory pathways except that glutamate and aspartate are the major transmitter candidates for most excitatory pathways. The possibility that these amino acids might be transmitters was raised almost twenty five years ago.
Document Clustering and Visualization with Latent Dirichlet Allocation and Self-Organizing Maps

Clustering and visualization of large text document collections aids in browsing, navigation, and information retrieval. We present a document clustering and visualization method based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation and self-organizing maps (LDA-SOM). LDA-SOM clusters documents based on topical content and renders clusters in an intuitive twodimensional format. Document topics are inferred using a probabilistic topic model. Then, due to the topology preserving properties of self-organizing maps, document clusters with similar topic distributions are placed near one another in the visualization. This provides the user an intuitive means of browsing from one cluster to another based on topics held in common. The effectiveness of LDA-SOM is evaluated on the 20 Newsgroups and NIPS data sets.
Sexuality: Encuentro En El Ambiente De La Teoria: Latina Lesbians and Ruthann Robson's Lesbian Legal Theory

These are, inter alia: forget that it ever happened, if you discover it, suppress it, first by rule, then by turning the oppression into penalty (sinfulness), then by metamorphosis - the oppression is transformed from rule into tradition, convention, the truth and finally transform the desire for self-acceptance and community into fulfillment of the convention, i.e., the Big Lie Becomes the Big and Only Truth: there are no lesbians, there never have been lesbians, even the indigenous hated lesbianism, lesbians exemplify the worst of what a woman is or could be, lesbians are make-believe men and what decent Latina would want to be like a man? Piecing together a mestiza consciousness that can include not only the stories of oppression, but also the stories of liberation from the internal attitudes of Christianizing domination in the lives of proud and gutsy Latina lesbians. As she was being publicly mourned by institutions that are a living legacy of her ideas, I was rereading both writers and thinking about the theoretical power of these two lesbian theorists - Robson, the white lesbian separatist thinker and writer, and Anzaldua, the Chicana lesbian poet and essayist whose life and genius defied the derogatory stereotypes held by Anglos about the Tejana/os (Texans of Mexican descent) who grow up in the impoverished region of South Texas known as the Valley. That new perspective would see the ways in which our lives reflect the historic warring of cultures - la India y el Conquistador, the dark brown and the white, acceptance and rejection of powerful, en-slaving Christians who rejected the nakedness of Indian identity, who replaced any hint of shame-free sexuality with rigid gender norms rooted in heterosexist patriarchy and Christian hatred for non-procreative pleasurable sex and/or variant sexuality. If Latina/o culture, so proud of its commitment to family unity and strength, would have anything to say here about what Elisa has done to Emily's children, it would judge her harshly for walking away from the kids, for not asking for help from the family to help the children she had mothered with Emily.
Hinterland Dreams: The Political Economy of a Midwestern City

Review of: "Hinterland Dreams: The Political Economy of a Midwestern City," by Eric J. Morser.
Colonial circulations: Japan's classroom songbooks in Korea, 1910–1945

ABSTRACTThe rise of Japan as a regional empire and a model of Asian modernity in the late nineteenth century set in motion the diffusion of particular forms of vocal music across East Asia. In this article, I examine one important material channel within this intra-regional circulation of music: classroom songbooks published by the Japanese colonial government in Korea for use in its elementary schools throughout Korea. I analyse the contents and sourcing patterns of authorised songbooks that represent the three distinct phases of the colonial rule (1910–1945), exploring how they crystallised the colonial government's shifting stance on Korean assimilation and difference. I also situate these textbooks within a broader ecosystem of published songbooks in Japan and Korea, which I argue constituted a multifaceted nexus between the metropole and the colony, one that demonstrates the interrelationship of coloniality and modernity in early twentieth-century East Asia.
Biology and Sexual Minority Status

The purpose of this chapter is to provide clinicians with an overview of current knowledge pertaining to the biology of sexual minority status. Under the umbrella of sexual minority are included homosexuals, bisexuals, transgenders and intersexes. The most developed biologic theory pertaining to sexual minority status is the prenatal hormonal hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, prenatal hormones act (primarily during embryonic and fetal development) to mediate the sexual differentiation not only of the internal and external genitalia but also of the brain. The sexually differentiated state of the brain then influences the subsequent expression of gender identity and sexual orientation. Intersexuality results from variation in the normative course of somatic sexual differentiation, and homosexuality and bisexuality have been proposed to reflect variant sexual differentiation of hypothetical neural substrates that mediate sexual orientation. Similarly, transgenderism has been conjectured to reflect variant differentiation of hypothetical neural substrates that mediate gender identity. Some of the same hormones and hormonal receptors mediate the sexual differentiation of both the brain and the genitalia. Thus, the brains, as well as the genitalia, of intersexes may exhibit sexual differentiation that is intermediate between that of normatively developed males and females.
Abstract A32: Prognostic stratification of stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients by HOXA9 promoter methylation ddPCR and blood vessel invasion analysis in FFPE tissues

Surgery with curative intent is the standard of care for stage I lung adenocarcinoma. However, disease recurrence eventually occurs in about a third of the patients. Consequently, prognostic biomarkers are urgently needed to predict recurrence following surgery and potentially guide the decision to administer adjuvant chemotherapy for high-risk patients. The type of biospecimens and the choice of assay platform are key issues in the process of cancer biomarker clinical development. Here, we demonstrate the application of a droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based assay to analyze DNA methylation in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biospecimens. In recent years, ddPCR has become increasingly used clinically due to its ability to reliably detect and quantitate rare alleles, as well as its technical simplicity, rapidity, and cost-effectiveness. In addition, FFPE tissues are generated during routine pathologic assessment of resected patients, and are generally available for testing molecular markers. We developed a ddPCR assay to quantify HOXA9 promoter methylation in FFPE samples, with high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. High HOXA9 promoter methylation has been associated with worse outcome of resected stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients in multiple studies. Here, the prognostic value of HOXA9 promoter methylation alone or in combination with blood vessel invasion (BVI), another well-described prognostic biomarker for patients with early stage lung adenocarcinoma, was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analyses and Cox regression modeling, using 188 FFPE biospecimens, in two independent sets. We replicated previous observations that HOXA9 promoter is methylated de novo in stage I tumors (P Citation Format: Delphine Lissa, Teruhide Ishigame, Rintaro Noro, Marguerite J. Tucker, Elise D. Bowman, Curtis C. Harris, Ana I. Robles. Prognostic stratification of stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients by HOXA9 promoter methylation ddPCR and blood vessel invasion analysis in FFPE tissues [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR-IASLC International Joint Conference: Lung Cancer Translational Science from the Bench to the Clinic; Jan 8-11, 2018; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(17_Suppl):Abstract nr A32.
Slightly deformable Darcy drop in linear flows

When a poroelastic spherical drop is under a uniaxial extension flow or a shear flow, the elastic network deforms in response to the external fluid viscous stress. A small-deformation analysis is conducted to investigate effects of interfacial slip and permeability on flow around the drop.
Regression Clustering for Improved Accuracy and Training Costs with Molecular-Orbital-Based Machine Learning.

Machine learning (ML) in the representation of molecular-orbital-based (MOB) features has been shown to be an accurate and transferable approach to the prediction of post-Hartree–Fock correlation e...
Claire Fraser, RN, MD, OMG: history of medicine in the Outlander novels and series.

This article discusses how Claire Randall, RN, MD, the fictional protagonist of Diana Gabaldon’s widely popular Outlander series, uses her knowledge of twentieth century medicine in her adventures in eighteenth century Scotland, France, and America.
A CVaR Estimation Model Based on Stable Distribution in SPAN System

Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk (SPAN) now is widely accepted and used as margin calculation and management system in markets worldwide. Estimating Price Scan Range which is a crucial parameter is urgently needed to be solved in the application of SPAN system. This thesis uses a CVaR estimation model based on stable distribution which is found in empirical analysis that it is a better way of estimation with the benefit of controlling risk efficiently and lower the margin reasonably.
Examining preservice teachers’ TPACK, attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceptions of teamwork in a stand-alone educational technology course using flipped classroom or flipped team-based learning pedagogies

The study’s purpose was to investigate whether two different pedagogical strategies, flipped classroom and flipped team-based learning (FTBL), had different impacts on preservice teachers’ TPACK, a...