cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Osmotherapy in neurocritical care

Osmotherapy is the mainstay in the medical management of cerebral edema with or without elevations in intracranial pressure. Several osmotic agents have been utilized in clinical practice over the past five decades in a variety of brain injury paradigms. The over-riding premise for their beneficial effects has been via egress of water from the brain into the vascular compartment. In addition, many of these agents have beneficial extraosmotic properties that portend their use in cerebral resuscitation and treatment of cerebral edema. Although there is a paucity of large, randomized clinical trials that compare various osmotic agents, data are emerging from prospective clinical case series. This article provides a historical perspective of osmotherapy, examines characteristics of osmotic agents, and discusses caveats in their use in the clinical setting. Furthermore, this review highlights the utility of osmotic agents as tools to understand emerging mechanistic concepts in the evolution of brain edema, which are yielding important data of translational significance from laboratory-based research.
The role of spinodal region in the kinetics of lattice phase transitions

We consider a one-dimensional chain of phase-transforming springs with harmonic long-range interactions. The nearest-neighbor interactions are assumed to be trilinear, with a spinodal region separating two material phases. We derive the traveling wave solutions governing the motion of an isolated phase boundary through the chain and obtain the functional relation between the driving force and the velocity of a phase boundary which can be used as the closing kinetic relation for the classical continuum theory. We show that a sufficiently wide spinodal region substantially alters the phase boundary kinetics at low velocities and results in a richer solution structure, with phase boundaries emitting short-length lattice waves in both direction. Numerical simulations suggest that solutions of the Riemann problem for the discrete system converge to the obtained traveling waves near the phase boundary.
Text Comprehension and Discourse Processing

This chapter examines text comprehension and discourse processing from a cognitive standpoint, exploring research evidence that forms the basis for what is known about how individuals learn from text and discourse. First, the history of text comprehension and discourse analysis is discussed. Next, basic processes of memory are discussed, focusing on the influence of short- and long-term memory on comprehension. The chapter then examines how aspects of the learning situation can influence comprehension outcomes, discussing factors internal to the learner (e.g., prior knowledge) as well as factors external to the individual (e.g., characteristics of the text). We explore differences between traditional, printed materials and new, online informational resources that have become increasingly common and widely used for learning. Finally, we consider several existing models of comprehension and knowledge representations, discussing the implications to our overall understanding of what comprehension means and how it can be promoted. Although there remains no exact recipe for creating comprehension in a learner, research has uncovered many of the key ingredients necessary for successful learning outcomes. Continued research in comprehension has led us to an increasingly clear understanding of how individuals learn from text, and technology-based materials are poised to create personalized learning opportunities that structure learning opportunities for individual comprehenders. Keywords: text comprehension; discourse processes; comprehension theory; inference; learning
Endorsing Empowerment? A Critical Comparative Study of Peace Education in Jamaica and Peru.

Is empowering peace education primarily about providing individuals with skills to respond to violence they experience and capabilities to enhance their own lives? Or is inspiring social transformation to alter forms of injustice that contribute to violence an equally valid and important dimension of an empowering peace education program? This article draws upon the authors’ experiences researching peace education programs implemented by local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in two different contexts: Jamaica and Peru. The basis for comparison is grounded in the discourse key actors in these NGOs utilized in reference to their respective educational initiatives, explicitly emphasizing empowerment for marginalized groups. Using critical qualitative techniques and troubling the idea of ‘empowerment,’ the authors analyze the discourse of empowerment to look beyond explicit truth claims and unveil tacit assumptions regarding the purpose and desired outcomes for the beneficiaries of their respective progr...
Regioselective ion-molecule reactions for the mass spectrometric differentiation of protonated isomeric aromatic diamines.

A mass spectrometric method utilizing regioselective ion–molecule reactions has been developed for the differentiation of protonatedisomericaromatic diamines in FT-ICR, linear quadrupole ion trap and triple quadrupole mass spectrometers.
A microscopic simulation-based decision support system to develop changeable message sign alternatives

This paper introduces the development of a web-based decision support system, to facilitate human factor studies regarding the use of changeable message signs (CMS). A microscopic traffic simulator VISSIM was used to generate realistic simulation scenarios with various CMS alternatives implemented. A case study for truck mounted changeable message sign on an urban multilane highway for “right lane closure” condition was discussed in detail to illustrate the use of the proposed system.
5-HT₄ receptor stimulation leads to soluble AβPPα production through MMP-9 upregulation.

Serotonin 4 (5-HT4) receptor signaling does not only have the physiological function of improving cognition, but might also be helpful in the therapy of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through regulation of the production of soluble amyloid- protein precursor alpha (sAPP). To analyze the relationship between 5-HT4 receptor signaling and sAPP production, we stably transfected H4 cells with APP and 5-HT4 receptor (H4/APP/5-HT4 cells). We found that 24-h incubation with the 5-HT4 receptor agonist RS-67333 upregulates matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Furthermore, MMP-9 overexpression enhanced sAPP levels, whereas knockdown with MMP-9 siRNA decreased sAPP levels. When RS-67333 was injected for 10 days in Tg2576 mice, a model of amyloid- peptide (A) deposition, there was an increase in hippocampal levels of sAPP, C-terminal fragment , and MMP-9, as well as a decrease in hippocampal senile plaque number and levels of the 40 amino acid peptide, A40. Taken all together, these experiments demonstrate that 5-HT4 receptor stimulation induces expression of MMP-9 which cleaves APP through -secretase-like activity, leading to an increase of sAPP levels and a reduction of A load. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Clinical Use of Immunosuppressive Drugs to Control the Immune Response

It is increasingly clear that, regardless of etiology, inflammatory and immunological mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of virtually all hepatobiliary diseases and hepatic fibrogenesis. Studies of immunopathogenetic mechanisms have identified multiple therapeutic targets in both the innate and adaptive immune responses that portend the future ability to prevent hepatic allograft rejection and control progression of chronic viral hepatitis, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, drug-induced hepatotoxicity, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and autoimmune and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) of the liver. The current availability of multiple immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory drugs with distinct, complementary sites of action provides the opportunity and impetus to study their therapeutic potentials in both transplant and nontransplant settings. Concurrent immunosuppression of several specific sites involved in immunopathogenesis may ultimately enhance efficacy, while minimizing the dosedependent toxicities of individual drugs. Thus, the goals of this chapter are to review the mechanism(s) of action of established and new immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents and to discuss their current and future therapeutic potentials in the prevention of hepatic allograft rejection and nontransplant hepatobiliary diseases.
Deflated and Augmented Krylov Subspace Techniques

We present a general framework for a number of techniques based on projection methods on ‘augmented Krylov subspaces’. These methods include the deflated GMRES algorithm, an inner–outer FGMRES iteration algorithm, and the class of block Krylov methods. Augmented Krylov subspace methods often show a significant improvement in convergence rate when compared with their standard counterparts using the subspaces of the same dimension. The methods can all be implemented with a variant of the FGMRES algorithm. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Max-norm projections for factored MDPs

Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) provide a coherent mathematical framework for planning under uncertainty. However, exact MDP solution algorithms require the manipulation of a value function, which specifies a value for each state in the system. Most real-world MDPs are too large for such a representation to be feasible, preventing the use of exact MDP algorithms. Various approximate solution algorithms have been proposed, many of which use a linear combination of basis functions as a compact approximation to the value function. Almost all of these algorithms use an approximation based on the (weighted) L2-norm (Euclidean distance); this approach prevents the application of standard convergence results for MDP algorithms, all of which are based on max-norm. This paper makes two contributions. First, it presents the first approximate MDP solution algorithms - both value and policy iteration - that use max-norm projection, thereby directly optimizing the quantity required to obtain the best error bounds. Second, it shows how these algorithms can be applied efficiently in the context of factored MDPs, where the transition model is specified using a dynamic Bayesian network.
Protein Adsorption on Surfaces with Grafted Polymers: A Theoretical Approach

A general theoretical framework for studying the adsorption of protein molecules on surfaces with grafted polymers is presented. The approach is a generalization of the single-chain mean-field theory, in which the grafted polymer-protein-solvent layer is assumed to be inhomogeneous in the direction perpendicular to the grafting surface. The theory enables the calculation of the adsorption isotherms of the protein as a function of the surface coverage of grafted polymers, concentration of protein in bulk, and type of solvent molecules. The potentials of mean force of the protein with the surface are calculated as a function of polymer surface coverage and amount of protein adsorbed. The theory is applied to model lysozyme on surfaces with grafted polyethylene oxide. The protein is modeled as spherical in solution, and it is assumed that the protein-polymer, protein-solvent, and polymer-solvent attractive interactions are all equal. Therefore, the interactions determining the structure of the layer (beyond the bare polymer-surface and protein-surface interactions) are purely repulsive. The bare surface-protein interaction is taken from atomistic calculations by Lee and Park. For surfaces that do not have preferential attractions with the grafted polymer segments, the adsorption isotherms of lysozyme are independent of the polymer length for chains with more than 50 ethylene oxide units. However, the potentials of mean force show strong variations with grafted polymer molecular weight. The competition between different conformations of the adsorbed protein is studied in detail. The adsorption isotherms change qualitatively for surfaces with attractive interactions with ethylene oxide monomers. The protein adsorption is a function of chain length—the longer the polymer the more effective it is in preventing protein adsorption. The structure of the layer and its deformation upon protein adsorption are very important in determining the adsorption isotherms and the potentials of mean force.
The Mechanization of Reaping and Mowing in American Agriculture, 1833–1870

The successful demonstration of reaping machines by Obed Hussey and Cyrus McCormick in 1833 and 1834 inaugurated long series of events that eventually revolutionized the harvesting of small grains and grasses, drastically altering the lives and productivity of grain farmers. Given the ultimate success and widespread impact of the reaping machine, historians have long pondered why almost twenty years elapsed between the date when Obed Hussey sold his first machine in 1833 and the first wave of popular acceptance in the mid-1850's. Why did it take twenty years for a significant number of farmers to begin to exchange their cradles and scythes for reapers and mowers? What important economic and technological factors governed the initial diffusion of this invention? These are important historical questions, the answers to which can significantly influence our broader perceptions of the problem of technological diffusion.
Reproductive biology of seals

The reproductive biology of seals is fascinating in many aspects. As in most mammals, the time of onset of puberty in seals is variable. Once sexually mature, most but not all seals are seasonally mono-oestrous, with highly synchronized breeding seasons. They have evolved as either terrestrial or aquatic copulators, although a few species mate in a variety of habitats. Their mating strategies are diverse, ranging from serial monogamy to extreme polygyny. Gestation in seals is characterized by an embryonic diapause, which is obligate in most species. Reactivation of the blastocyst is followed by a placental gestation. All species of seal require a terrestrial (including ice floes) habitat for parturition. Lactation differs between the two seal families: phocid seals have an intense period of maternal investment, during which the mothers fast; otariid seals have a prolonged lactation during which intense bouts of suckling are interspersed by days of separation from their pups while the mother forages at sea. Although the anatomy and functional morphology of seals has been well described, less is known of the endocrinology of reproduction. This is due mainly to the logistical difficulties that researchers experience in collecting serial samples from a species that is relatively difficult to handle. This article reviews the basic anatomy and physiology, and our current understanding of the comparative aspects of reproduction in seals. Reproductive behaviours as well as the influences of environmental factors, such as photoperiod, nutrition and xenobiotics, are also discussed.
Choroidal folds associated with increased intracranial pressure

Abstract PURPOSE: To determine whether a relationship exists between increased intracranial pressure and the presence of idiopathic choroidal folds. METHODS: A prospective study in which 12 consecutive patients presenting with choroidal folds were evaluated by imaging studies (ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or computed tomography) to rule out known causes of choroidal folds, such as orbital disease, choroidal tumor, posterior scleritis, hypotony, and choroidal neovascular membrane. A lumbar puncture was performed on each of these patients, and measurement of opening pressure of cerebrospinal fluid was obtained. RESULTS: Twelve patients with choroidal folds included nine men and three women. Six patients (50%) presented with papilledema in the eye with choroidal folds. The other six patients (50%) presented with only choroidal folds. In this study, 10 (83%) of 12 patients had an opening pressure greater than 230 mm H 2 O. In patients presenting with only choroidal folds, five (83%) of six patients had an opening pressure greater than 230 mm H 2 O, with an average opening pressure of 290 mm H 2 O. CONCLUSION: Depending on the timing of the evaluation, papilledema may or may not be present, and only choroidal folds may be seen as a reflection of increased intracranial pressure. We believe that increased intracranial pressure from any source (that is, pseudotumor cerebri, sinus thrombosis, or intracranial mass) can present with only choroidal folds; therefore, these patients should have an appropriate work-up that should probably include a lumbar puncture before the title of "idiopathic" is given to their finding.
Health Beliefs and Social Influence in Home Safety Practices of Mothers with Preschool Children

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships among health beliefs, social influence, and home injury proofing-behavior in 140 low-income mothers with preschool children. Data were collected through structured interviews and observations of safety hazards in subjects' homes. Regression analysis showed that the combination of health beliefs, social influence, demographic, and experiential variables accounted for 51% of the variance in hazard accessibility and 44% in hazard frequency. Self efficacy, previous injury experience, knowledge, age, and birth position of the children were significant predictors of home safety practices. Recommendations are offered for practice, research, and health policy. Language: en
MMP-13 is induced during chondrocyte hypertrophy

During development, mRNA for matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) is found associated with cartilage undergoing hypertrophy, suggesting that this collagenase plays a role in cell enlargement and/or cartilage calcification. Using chondrocytes from prehypertrophic cartilage of chick embryo sternae, we have examined the relationship between MMP-13 expression and the transition to hypertrophy. When hypertrophy was induced by serum-free culture with ascorbate and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), MMP-13 mRNA levels paralleled those for type X collagen. Chondrocytes from the caudal, nonhypertrophying portion of chick sternae expressed neither type X collagen nor MMP-13, confirming that MMP-13 mRNA is a marker for hypertrophy. Zymography with conditioned medium yielded a proteinase band at 59 kDa, which was absent in nonhypertrophic chondrocytes. A polyclonal antibody raised against chick MMP-13 reacted with the 59-kDa protein, confirming that it is MMP-13. Although mRNA for MMP-13 peaked at days 4–5 of culture, only low levels of MMP-13 activity were present, and the activity increased gradually in parallel with later increases in MMP-2. These results suggest that MMP-13 is activated by MMP-2 during chondrocyte maturation, and that the combination of both proteinases is required to prepare cartilage matrix for subsequent calcification, before endochondral ossification. J. Cell. Biochem. 77:678–693, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA): a multisite study of adolescent development and substance use

OBJECTIVE: During adolescence, neurobiological maturation occurs concurrently with social and interpersonal changes, including the initiation of alcohol and other substance use. The National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) is designed to disentangle the complex relationships between onset, escalation, and desistance of alcohol use and changes in neurocognitive functioning and neuromaturation. METHOD: A sample of 831 youth, ages 12-21 years, was recruited at five sites across the United States, oversampling those at risk for alcohol use problems. Most (83%) had limited or no history of alcohol or other drug use, and a smaller portion (17%) exceeded drinking thresholds. A comprehensive assessment of biological development, family background, psychiatric symptomatology, and neuropsychological functioning-in addition to anatomical, diffusion, and functional brain magnetic resonance imaging-was completed at baseline. RESULTS: The NCANDA sample of youth is nationally representative of sex and racial/ethnic groups. More than 50% have at least one risk characteristic for subsequent heavy drinking (e.g., family history, internalizing or externalizing symptoms). As expected, those who exceeded drinking thresholds (n = 139) differ from those who did not (n = 692) on identified factors associated with early alcohol use and problems. CONCLUSIONS: NCANDA successfully recruited a large sample of adolescents and comprehensively assessed psychosocial functioning across multiple domains. Based on the sample's risk profile, NCANDA is well positioned to capture the transition into drinking and alcohol problems in a large portion of the cohort, as well as to help disentangle the associations between alcohol use, neurobiological maturation, and neurocognitive development and functioning. Language: en
Miniaturized two stage aerosol impactor with chip-scale stages for airborne particulate size separation

This work presents integration of two chip-scale real-time aerosol impactor stages within a miniaturized cascade assembly for airborne particulate size segregation and mass concentration measurement. Impaction stages, each comprised of a MEMS resonant microbalance, an impaction micro-chamber and a number of micro-nozzles, all integrated on a single chip, are fabricated using a three mask micromachining process on SOI substrates. Tests were performed in different environments with different particle mass concentrations ranging from 0.012 to 0.13 μg/m3 (particles larger than ∼ 9 nm) show a clear correlation between the resonator response and the expected particle concentrations. SEM images of the deposited particles clearly show a size difference between particles collected in the two stages.
Factor VNew Brunswick: Ala221-to-Val substitution results in reduced cofactor activity.

We have characterized the factor V protein and cDNA of a patient displaying factor V deficiency (parahemophilia) and correlated the reduced activity with a missense mutation of Ala221-to-Val. Plasma from the subject individual (C1) presented reduced factor V antigen (39% of normal) that displayed reduced activity (approximately 26% of normal). Factor V purified from this individual by standard techniques shows normal migration on sodium dodecyl sulfate gels and a normal pattern of activation by thrombin. Purified antigen from sibling C2 gives a much reduced specific activity of 263 U/mg (17% of normal). Sibling C3, the mother, and the father have antigen within the normal range (57% to 200%) that has approximately normal specific activity. The cDNA encoding the factor Va heavy and light chains of the subject individual was polymerase chain reaction-amplified and sequenced and revealed an A- to-G substitution at position 3 of codon 51 (silent mutation), a C-to-T substitution in position 2 of codon 221 (Ala221-Val), a T-to-C substitution at position 3 of codon 708 (silent mutation), and a G-to-A substitution at position 1 of codon 2185 (Thr2185-Ala). The latter mutation was also observed in control individuals and is proposed to be a possible polymorphism. Restriction analyses demonstrated the presence of one mutant and one normal allele in the father. The subject individual (C1) and sibling C2 carry only the mutant allele. The mother and sibling C3 carry only the normal allele. The inheritance pattern suggests the presence of a missing or nonexpressed allele in the mother that is passed on to all the siblings. Expression of only the mutant allele by the subject individual (C1) and sibling C2 is consistent with reduced factor V antigen and activity in these patients. We have designated this mutant as Factor VNew Brunswick.
Inventory Control in the MRP and JIT Environment

Abstract The Economic Order Quantity System (EOQ) has been promoted in the past as the most efficient mechanism for maintaining the most efficient level of material inventories. In recent years, two very similar techniques of inventory management have been developed. These techniques, Material Resource Planning (MRP) and Just-in-Time (JIT) take a much different approach to the inventory control situalion. MRP and JIT systems will help in the reduction of capital requirements for inventory while at the same time improving operating efficiency and control.
Amplification of surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization of 5-(perfluoro-n-alkyl)norbornenes by macroinitiation.

This article reports the enhanced rate of the surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) of 5-(perfluoro-n-alkyl)norbornenes (NBFn) by combining two SIP techniques, namely surface-initiated atom-transfer polymerization (SI-ATRP) to grow a macroinitiator and surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization (SI-ROMP) to produce the final coating. This polymerization approach promotes the rapid growth of dense partially fluorinated coatings that are highly hydrophobic and oleophobic and yield thicknesses from 4–12 μm. Specifically, the growth rate and the limiting thickness of pNBFn with different side chain lengths (n = 4, 6, 8, and 10) at various monomer concentrations and temperatures are evaluated through two approaches: growing the polymer from an initiator-terminated monolayer (control) or from a modified poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) macroinitiator. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis shows that 38% of the hydroxyl termini in the macroinitiator react with a norbornenyl diac...
Dose-response relationships for erythropoietin given in serum or in saline.

SummaryDose-response curves for sheep erythropoietin given subcutaneously to polycythemic mice are presented comparing saline to serum as a vehicle. The response observed in radioiron incorporation into red cells is greater for a particular dose of erythropoietin when that dose is given in serum. However, if erythropoietin dissolved in saline is given in fractionated doses over a period of time, the response of a given dose of erythropoietin will increase to that observed with the same dose given in serum. It is suggested that the plasma protein may slow down the absorption of erythropoietin from the subcutaneous site, resulting in a more continuous exposure of erythropoietin sensitive cells to erythropoietin.
DNA-Directed Polymerase Subunits Play a Vital Role in Human Telomeric Overhang Processing

Telomeres consist of TTAGGG repeats bound by the shelterin complex and end with a 3′ overhang. In humans, telomeres shorten at each cell division, unless telomerase (TERT) is expressed and able to add telomeric repeats. For effective telomere maintenance, the DNA strand complementary to that made by telomerase must be synthesized. Recent studies have discovered a link between different activities necessary to process telomeres in the S phase of the cell cycle to reform a proper overhang. Notably, the human CST complex (CTC1/STN1/TEN1), known to interact functionally with the polymerase complex (POLA/primase), was shown to be important for telomere processing. Here, focus was paid to the catalytic (POLA1/p180) and accessory (POLA2/p68) subunits of the polymerase, and their mechanistic roles at telomeres. We were able to detect p68 and p180 at telomeres in S-phase using chromatin immunoprecipitation. We could also show that the CST, shelterin, and polymerase complexes interact, revealing contacts occurring at telomeres. We found that the polymerase complex could associate with telomerase activity. Finally, depletion of p180 by siRNA led to increased overhang amounts at telomeres. These data support a model in which the polymerase complex is important for proper telomeric overhang processing through fill-in synthesis, during S phase. These results shed light on important events necessary for efficient telomere maintenance and protection. Implications: This study describes the interplay between DNA replication components with proteins that associate with chromosome ends, and telomerase. These interactions are proposed to be important for the processing and protection of chromosome ends. Mol Cancer Res; 13(3); 402–10. ©2014 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 391][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/13/391?iss=3
Diabetes and Pregnancy

The incidence of diabetes increases with age and with parity. Since the disease alters most of the endocrine and metabolic changes of normal pregnancy, complete prenatal care with rigid control of the diabetes and timely delivery are most important in managing the diabetic pregnant patient. It is considered to be good policy to give the infant glucose for at least the first four or five days.
Study on wide spectrum characteristics of TiO_2 film with ellipsometry

In order to obtain optical constants of Ti O2 thin film,single-layer Ti O2 film deposited on K9 glass with an optical automatic vacuum coating machine was measured and analyzed with a SE850 broadband ellipsometer produced by SENTECH,Germany,and the optical constant curve and thickness of Ti O2 thin film in 300 nm ~ 2500 nm spectrum were obtained. Based on the film characteristics and film forming characteristics of Ti O2 film,taking the influence of the intermix layer and rough surface layer into account,models were set up with Cauchy index model and Tauc-Lorentz model and the measurement data were analyzed and compared. The smallest mean square error of 0. 5544 was obtained with a so called model of"substrate / Tauc-Lorentz model /rough surface layer". The measured Ti O2 thickness was closest to calculation value of TFCalc software. The results have certain reference value for the design and preparation of Ti O2 thin multilayer film.
Program and results of a camp for obese adolescent girls.

(1960). Program and Results of a Camp for Obese Adolescent Girls. Postgraduate Medicine: Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 527-533.
FGF21 Is Not a Major Mediator for Bone Homeostasis or Metabolic Actions of PPARα and PPARγ Agonists

Results of prior studies suggest that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) may be involved in bone turnover and in the actions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α and γ in mice. We have conducted independent studies to examine the effects of FGF21 on bone homeostasis and the role of FGF21 in PPARα and γ actions. High-fat-diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice were administered vehicle or recombinant human FGF21 (rhFGF21) intraperitoneally at 0 (vehicle), 0.1, 1, and 3 mg/kg daily for 2 weeks. Additional groups of DIO mice received water or 10 mg/kg rosiglitazone daily. Mice treated with rhFGF21 or rosiglitazone showed expected metabolic improvements in glucose, insulin, and lipid levels. However, bone loss was not detected in rhFGF21-treated mice by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), micro-CT, and histomorphometric analyses. Mineral apposition rate, a key bone formation parameter, was unchanged by rhFGF21, while significantly decreased by rosiglitazone in DIO mice. Bone resorption markers, OPG/RANKL mRNA expression, and histological bone resorption indices were unchanged by rhFGF21 or rosiglitazone. Bone marrow fat was unchanged by rhFGF21, while increased by rosiglitazone. Furthermore, FGF21 knockout mice did not show high bone mass phenotype. Treatment with PPARα or PPARγ agonists caused similar metabolic effects in FGF21 knockout and wild-type mice. These results contrast with previous findings and suggest that FGF21 is not critical for bone homeostasis or actions of PPARα and PPARγ. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Abstract 4523: Decreased H2B monoubiquitination is associated with enhanced proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in human lung cancer

Monoubiquitination of histone H2B (H2Bub1) is an important chromatin modification that plays multiple roles in transcription, mRNA processing, DNA repair, cell differentiation, and maintenance of stemness. Recent studies have indicated that dysregulation of H2Bub1 and the resulting alterations of global gene expression are key contributors in cellular transformation and metastasis. However, the importance of H2B ubiquitination in lung cancer is unknown. Here, by using immunohistochemical analysis (IHC), we have demonstrated that the protein level of H2Bub1 is frequently decreased in a cohort of human lung cancer tissues in comparison to paired adjacent normal tissues. We also found that decrease in H2Bub1 is associated with increased cellular proliferation, as measured by Ki67, and is associated with decreased overall survival. Furthermore, using RNA-seq and transcriptional profiling analysis, we identified that reduction of H2Bub1 via attenuating the expression of histone H2B E3 ubiquitin ligase ring finger protein 20 (RNF20) leads to significant changes of global gene expression, modulating multiple malignancy-promoting genes, including c-Met, E2F2, and BMF. Signaling pathways including p53, DNA replication, DNA repair, and cellular proliferation, and regulation of apoptosis in lung cancer cells are also altered. Additionally, we have further shown that decrease of H2Bub1 by RNF20 knockdown significantly promotes growth, migration/invasion, and strongly enhances resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Our findings suggest that dysregulation of H2Bub1 signaling may play an important role in growth and drug resistance of lung cancers, and may potentially serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for lung cancer patients. Citation Format: Keqiang Zhang, Jinhui Wang, Xiwei Wu, Theresa A. Reno, Tommy R. Tong, Jae Kim, Dan Raz. Decreased H2B monoubiquitination is associated with enhanced proliferation and resistance to apoptosis in human lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4523.
Variation, errors, and quality in the clinical laboratory

A comprehensive program of quality management in clinical laboratories is essential to provide reliable results and clinically useful information for optimal patient care. An understanding of the sources of variability in laboratory results is fundamental for designing a practical quality program because analytical variability cannot be completely abolished and inherent biological variability must be taken into consideration when assessing quantitative changes in laboratory values. Analytical and biological variability can be summarized in the concept of changing reference when evaluating changes between two laboratory results. In the laboratory, errors, or quality failures, can be classified in several ways, including the phase of the testing cycle (pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical), the cognitive involvement (mistakes vs. slips or lapses), active versus latent or system errors, external versus internal to the institution, by root cause (human factors vs. software vs. physical factors), target (patient, others), actual outcome, and worst outcome likelihood if not intercepted. In this chapter, various forms of quality management are discussed, as well as the concept of total analytical acceptable error and its components, bias and imprecision.
p53 and the Carcinogenicity of Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a major cancer predisposition factor. Constitutive activation of the inflammation-driving NF-κB pathway commonly observed in cancer or developed in normal tissues because of persistent infections or endogenous tissue irritating factors, including products of secretion by senescent cells accumulating with age, markedly represses p53 functions. In its turn, p53 acts as a suppressor of inflammation helping to keep it within safe limits. The antagonistic relationship between p53 and NF-κB is controlled by multiple mechanisms and reflects cardinal differences in organismal responses to intrinsic and extrinsic cell stresses driven by these two transcription factors, respectively. This provides an opportunity for developing drugs to treat diseases associated with inappropriate activity of either p53 or NF-κB through targeting the opposing pathway. Several drug candidates of this kind are currently in clinical testing. These include anticancer small molecules capable of simultaneous suppression of p53 and activation of NF-κB and NF-κB-activating biologics that counteract p53-mediated pathologies associated with systemic genotoxic stresses such as acute radiation syndrome and side effects of cancer treatment.
Flush-mountable Vivaldi array antenna

A Vivaldi antenna array integrated with a metallic lossless cavity for flush-mounting is proposed. A novel approach based on connecting the array's edge elements in E-plane to the cavity walls is utilized to eliminate the deleterious impact of cavity resonances. The designed ultra-wideband antenna exhibits resonant-free behavior with gain better than 5dBi, VSWR <2, and high-quality radiation patterns with side lobe levels (SLLs) <−20dB over more than 5:1 bandwidth. The designed array is fabricated and excellent agreement with simulations validates the theory behind this novel radiator.
Multi-Assay-Based Compound Prioritization via Assistance Utilization: A Machine Learning Framework

Effective prioritization of chemical compounds that show promising bioactivities from compound screenings represents a first critical step toward identifying successful drug candidates. Current development on computational approaches for compound prioritization is largely focused on devising advanced ranking algorithms that better learn the ordering among compounds. However, such methodologies are fundamentally limited by the scarcity of available data, particularly when the screenings are conducted at a relatively small scale over known promising compounds. Instead, in this work, we explore the structures of bioassay space and leverage such structures to improve ranking performance of an existing strong ranking algorithm. This is done by identifying assistance bioassays and assistance compounds intelligently and leveraging such assistance within the existing ranking algorithm. By leveraging the assistance bioassays and assistance compounds, the data scarcity can be properly compromised. Along this line, ...
Pathology, imaging, and treatment of cardiac tumours

Cardiac tumours are a rare, but often devastating, clinical diagnosis. They encompass a broad set of lesions that include both neoplastic and non-neoplastic conditions. Cardiac tumours are often diagnosed incidentally during work-up for other conditions, or during ultrasound, CT, or MRI scans for unusual or nonspecific symptoms. In the past decade, important changes have been made in the nomenclature and the recommendations for diagnosis of cardiac tumours, as highlighted by the WHO's 2015 revision of the classification of cardiac tumours. Moreover, important advances in molecular genetics and therapeutics offer new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of affected patients. In this Review, we provide an overview of the clinical, pathological, and imaging characteristics of all types of cardiac masses, including both benign and malignant primary cardiac neoplasms.
The Hubble Space Telescope - Scientific Problems and Laboratory Data Needs

This review concentrates on observations that will be performed with the new generation of space ultraviolet spectrographs, especially the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope. The broad astrophysical problems are outlined and the needs for specific laboratory data are placed in context. The existing laboratory data will need to be improved significantly to provide both wavelengths accurate to λ/Δλ ≥ 106 for resonance transitions and oscillator strengths accurate to better than 10%. In addition, weak lines of ions of rare heavy elements can now be studied with S/N ratios better than 100, and the existing databases for these species will need expansion. Molecular data will also be needed for a wide range of applications.
Experimental results for low overhead frequency offset estimation in MANETs with concurrent transmission

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANET) are of particular importance in military communications. With the trend towards higher throughput requirements and spectrum congestion, researchers have looked at using multi-antenna techniques to enable concurrent transmissions within a one-hop MANET. However, the acquisition overhead has been shown to be a problem when dealing with concurrent transmission in MANET systems. Recently a novel time/resource efficient algorithm for frequency acquisition in concurrent MANETs has been proposed which uses simultaneous transmissions of Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence pairs. In this paper, we have prototyped this algorithm in hardware and have focused on validating its theoretically based claims and finding its performance limitations. We have been able to identify a series of hardware non idealities that affect the performance of the algorithm in practical schemes. We have performed indoor and outdoor experiments for Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) estimation and shown that the algorithm is able to achieve reliable CFO estimation using off the shelf hardware, all while attaining better (smaller) acquisition overhead. Our results show that by choosing a proper length for the ZC sequences, we are able to estimate the CFO within ten Hertz of its real value. We have also identified scenarios under which the algorithm would be suboptimal.
Surgery Becomes a Specialty: Professional Boundaries and Surgery

This chapter summarizes the history and historiography of surgery as a specialty in the UK, France, Germany, and the USA. The development of surgery as a specialty can be seen (following Andrew Abbot) as one of the continuous defining and redefining of professional boundaries. In the eighteenth century, surgeons distinguished themselves from competing Early Modern occupational groups. In the nineteenth century, they attempted to define the surgeon and the boundaries of their specialty—specialization in surgery. In the twentieth century, this process has been repeated within surgery itself—specialization within surgery. Although surgeons in the four countries faced roughly similar challenges, national responses were shaped by pre-existing structures (or their absence) and by local contingencies.
Ruptures and Thickening: Optical Coherence Tomography as the Arbiter of the Fibrous Cap.

![Figure][1] Coronary artery disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, primarily through acute events mediated by progression and disruption of thrombosis-provoking atheroma. The necrotic core of advanced atheroma harbors highly prothrombotic material, including components of
The Coming World Welfare State Which Hegel Could Not See

Hegel’s defense of the welfare state retains appeal when grounded in dialogical human rights ethics defended as true normative ethical theory. His dialectic of trade passes through budding consumer desires in the once sovereign family and trade between households risking market-induced poverty, ending in market regulation by an external welfare state. The dialectic recurs on a higher level as we in domestic civil society turn to foreign products. Market-induced poverty generates an external global welfare state gradually visible in today’s international financial institutions Hegel did not see. The US has fallen subject to the dialectic of trade, with relative economic decline and a more dialogical relation with the outside world. Yet a welfare state does not replace the market, but protects it against from itself. Entrepreneurship remains key to fighting world poverty. Beside mini-loans, “mini competitive economic colonialism”—neither classical political colonialism nor monopolistic economic neocolonialism—creates new consumer markets in the poorest nations for the products of developed nations, and vice versa: developing nations are not made dependent on a single foreign power or international financial organization, nor forced to generate investment capital domestically by an authoritarian suppression of consumption and democracy, nor forced to sacrifice economic development.
Placental Abnormalities in Fetal Conditions

Hydrops fetalis is defined as severe, diffuse edema of the fetus. It has an overall incidence of 0.02–0.07% and is usually divided into immune and nonimmune hydrops. The majority of cases are nonimmune hydrops, the etiology of which is extremely varied. Nonimmune hydrops may be separated into the general categories of congenital anomalies, infections, genetic disorders, hematologic disorders, fetomaternal hemorrhage, trauma, and miscellaneous. Cardiac abnormalities are the most common, comprising approximately 40% of cases of nonimmune hydrops. About 35% of cases can be ascribed to genetic diseases; chromosomal anomalies make up 10–15%, hematologic disorders about 10%, and miscellaneous causes make up the remaining cases (Table 20.1).
Effects of lumbar tissue viscoelastic changes on lumbar-pelvic motion pattern:

Lumbar passive tissue elongation is a potential risk factor for the development of low back pain. In this study, we explored the effect of lumbar passive tissue elongation on lumbar-pelvic coordina...
Perceptions of Pubertal Timing and Discrimination Among African American and Caribbean Black Girls

This study used a nationally representative sample of African American and Caribbean Black adolescent females to examine the relation between perceived pubertal timing relative to peers and discriminatory experiences. Participants included the 607 girls who participated in the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent (NSAL-A), and ranged in age from 13 to 17. Most African American girls perceived their development as on-time relative to their same-aged peers; whereas the majority of Caribbean Black girls perceived their development as earlier than their same-aged peers. The results indicated that girls who perceived that their pubertal development was earlier than their same-aged peers reported more general and racial discrimination experiences.
Concurrent Mitral Valve Repair during Placement of Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Device

Purpose Pre-existing mitral valve pathology is common in patients undergoing continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Best management of pre-existingmitral valve disease remains controversial. Methods Between March 2004 and December 2017, a total of 594 patients received a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device. Of these, a total of 93 patients (16%) underwent a concurrent mitral valve repair, either with an Alfieri stitch via the left ventricular (LV) apex coring site (n =30, 32%) or with an annuloplasty ring via a left atriotomy (n = 63, 68%). Outcomes were compared between patients who received an Alfieri stitch and those who received an annuloplasty ring repair. Results All patients had moderate or greater mitral regurgitation at the time of LVAD implantation. Median age was 54 years (interquartile range [IQR], 43-74) in the annuloplasty cohort, and 56 years (interquartile range [IQR], 44-79) in the Alfieri stitch group. A proportionately greater number of women underwent Alfieri stitch repair (n = 6, 20%) compared to ring annuloplasty (n = 5, 8%; p = 0.01). Additionally, a greater number of patients in the Alfieri group underwent a concomitant valve intervention such as a Park stitch or tricuspid repair (n = 15, or 50%) compared to those patients undergoing a ring annuloplasty (n = 28, 44%; p = 0.04). Cardiopulmonary bypass times were shorter on average in the Alfieri patients, independent of concomitant valve procedure (111 minutes versus 134 minutes, p = .02). Thirty-day survival in the Alfieri group (n = 27, 90%) was similar to that of the ring annuloplasty group (n = 57, 91%); p > 0.05. However, in the 84 patients for whom data was available, 1-year survival was higher in the Alfieri group compared to the ring annuloplasty group (26.3% versus 18.6%, p = 0.032). Conclusion Concomitant mitral valve intervention is fairly common in patients undergoing continuous-flow LVAD placement. Our findings suggest that short-term outcomes are not impacted by type of mitral valve repair technique, but mitral valve repair via the LV apex coring site may be a favorable approach.