cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Viral Etiology of Glioblastoma—a Unifying Hypothesis

Growing body of evidence implicates human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in the etiology of glioblastoma (GBM). Although HCMV is a ubiquitous herpesvirus, only a minority of those infected develop GBM, suggesting the involvement of host genetic factors in susceptibility to HCMV-induced/spurred GBM. HCMV has evolved a large repertoire of strategies for decreasing the efficacy of the host immune response and interfering with viral clearance. One strategy involves the generation of proteins that have functional properties of the Fcgamma receptor (FcγR), which may enable the virus to evade host immunosurveillance by avoiding the effector consequences of antibody binding, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Results of binding studies involving HCMV-encoded FcγR and genetically different immunoglobulin G proteins suggest that GM genes—genetic determinants of immunoglobulin γ chains—could modulate this viral strategy and thus serve as functional risk factors for the development of GBM, potentially unifying its seemingly disparate infectious, immune, and genetic etiologies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(6); 1–3. ©2011 AACR.
EBIC and XTEM Analysis of High Voltage SMOS Reliability Failures

Microscopists are faced with many challenges in locating and examining failure sites in the ever-shrinking semiconductor device. The site must be located using electrical characterization techniques like electron beam induced current (EBIC), photo emission microscopy (PEM) or liquid crystal (LC) and then cross-sectioned with a focused ion beam (FIB). Both PEM and LC require the semiconductor circuit to be running near operating conditions which has been observed to locally melt the area of interest, frequently destroying evidence of the failure mechanism. In contrast, EBIC typically can be accomplished at low or no applied voltage eliminating further damage to the circuit. EBIC has been applied to locate leakage sites in high voltage metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) electro static discharge (ESD) reliability failures. In addition to a brief revisit of the basic principles of EBIC and describing a technique to successfully cross section ‘hot spots’ for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, focus will be placed on a case study of the reliability testing failure analysis of ESD power transistors using EBIC, SEM, focused ion beam (FIB), and XTEM.
Extensive Horizontal Transfer and Homologous Recombination Generate Highly Chimeric Mitochondrial Genomes in Yeast

The frequency of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in mitochondrial DNA varies substantially. In plants, HGT is relatively common, whereas in animals it appears to be quite rare. It is of considerable importance to understand mitochondrial HGT across the major groups of eukaryotes at a genome-wide level, but so far this has been well studied only in plants. In this study, we generated ten new mitochondrial genome sequences and analyzed 40 mitochondrial genomes from the Saccharomycetaceae to assess the magnitude and nature of mitochondrial HGT in yeasts. We provide evidence for extensive, homologous-recombination-mediated, mitochondrial-to-mitochondrial HGT occurring throughout yeast mitochondrial genomes, leading to genomes that are highly chimeric evolutionarily. This HGT has led to substantial intraspecific polymorphism in both sequence content and sequence divergence, which to our knowledge has not been previously documented in any mitochondrial genome. The unexpectedly high frequency of mitochondrial HGT in yeast may be driven by frequent mitochondrial fusion, relatively low mitochondrial substitution rates and pseudohyphal fusion to produce heterokaryons. These findings suggest that mitochondrial HGT may play an important role in genome evolution of a much broader spectrum of eukaryotes than previously appreciated and that there is a critical need to systematically study the frequency, extent, and importance of mitochondrial HGT across eukaryotes.
Effects of Modafinil and R-Modafinil on Brain Stimulation Reward Thresholds: Implications for Their Use in the Treatment of Psychostimulant Dependence

Background Modafinil and its enantiomer R-modafinil are approved for the treatment of various sleep disorders, and may also be efficacious in the treatment of psychostimulant abuse. However, the ability of modafinil and R-modafinil to alter brain reward function has not yet been assessed.
Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence and Correlates in a Worksite Wellness Program

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among faculty and staff who participated in a university wellness program. In addition, this study identified common correlates of metabolic syndrome in the participating employee population. Knowledge of behaviors and characteristics of individuals with metabolic syndrome is essential when developing health promotion strategies for them. Metabolic syndrome is unique in that it results from a clustering of risk factors that are difficult to address, and each additional risk factor increasingly affects health and well-being. A targeted, comprehensive approach is needed to counteract individual's predisposition to metabolic syndrome. This research identified the association between employees' metabolic risks and their demographic, physical, and psychosocial characteristics in an effort to determine metabolic syndrome prevalence, develop population-specific interventions, and decrease the risk of metabolic syndrome among workers.
Nasal carriage of Methicillin- and Mupirocin-resistant S. aureus among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital.

Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ranks top among the nosocomial pathogens. Nasal formulation of mupirocin is found to eradicate MRSA from colonized individuals, but the emergence of resistant strains is a matter of concern. Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from 200 health care workers (HCWs) who were screened for MRSA. Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method was used to perform antibiotic susceptibility test. MRSA detection was done using a cefoxitin 30 µg disc and interpreted according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Determination of mupirocin resistance was performed using Epsilometer test (E-test). Findings: About 14% of HCWs showed nasal carriage of MRSA. Nursing orderlies were the predominant carriers. E-test showed four mupirocin resistant isolates. The antibiogram of the MRSA isolates revealed the higher resistance to antibiotics as compared to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus . All the MRSA isolates were sensitive to linezolid. Conclusion: HCWs in our hospital showed high nasal carriage rate of MRSA, particularly the nursing orderlies which is statistically significant. It is advisable to detect mupirocin resistance among the isolates obtained from the HCWs so that in case of resistance, alternative treatment should be sought.
Impedance sensing device for monitoring ulcer healing in human patients

Chronic skin wounds affect millions of people each year and take billions of dollars to treat. Ulcers are a type of chronic skin wound that can be especially painful for patients and are tricky to treat because current monitoring solutions are subjective. We have developed an impedance sensing tool to objectively monitor the progression of healing in ulcers, and have begun a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and feasibility of our device to map damaged regions of skin. Impedance data has been collected on five patients with ulcers, and impedance was found to correlate with tissue health. A damage threshold was applied to effectively identify certain regions of skin as “damaged tissue”.
Strategic Investment in Technology Standards

Developing a technology standard requires significant upfront investment. The value of a new technology depends on how it is deployed (whether proprietary use or licensing) and is uncertain at the time of investment. Hence, the rules governing investments in technology development must be conditioned on the eventual deployment strategy (such as through licensing) and the nature of uncertainty. The model developed here considers a single firm that has an initial monopoly over an investment opportunity. By committing the investment, the firm establishes a technology standard that can be licensed to a potential competitor. The competitor can either adopt this standard or develop its own incompatible standard. The model predicts a unique optimal royalty rate that results in a single standard. Surprisingly, if technologies create network effects, the optimal royalty rate may even be lower than the level needed to deter the competitor from developing its own standard. Finally, we solve for the investment threshold as the expected future size of the market where the firm is indifferent between investing immediately and postponing the investment. The investment threshold is found to decline monotonically with both the intensity of network effects and the level of uncertainty.
Soviet incentives for brinkmanship

An analysis of the origins of brinkmanship suggests that deterrence may be an unsatisfactory strategy If aggression is more a function of need rather than opportunity.
Preparation of Oil Shrinkage Cavity-resisting Cathodic Electrodeposition Coating

Objective The preparation of oil shrinkage cavity-resisting cathodic electrodeposition coating was introduced. Methods A blocked polyisocyanate with low deblocking temperature was prepared. It was quantitatively added as crosslinking agent for cathodic electrodeposition coatings. Then the oil shrinkage cavity-resisting performance,corrosion performance,and the appearance of coating film were investigated. Results The results showed that the suitable addition amount was 1. 0% ~ 1. 5% of the total cationic resin weight. The coating film had good appearance. The oil shrinkage cavity-resisting performance was excellent,and even no oil shrinkage cavity appeared when the addition amount was 1. 5%. The salt spray resistance reached up to 1032 h and the sharp edge corrosion resistance achieved up to level 1. Conclusion Adding the appropriate low-temperature crosslinking agent can significantly improve the oil shrinkage cavity-resisting performance of electrophoretic paint film.
Property Analysis of Power-frequency Electromagnetic Field Intensity in 220 kV and above Sectors in Substation

In connection with the conditions that in 500 kV substation,power-frequency electric field intensity in 500 kV distribution sectors are generally superior to that of both 220 kV and 35 kV distribution sectors,and the out-of-limits points are mainly in 500 kV and 220 kV distribution sectors etc,six different types of 500 kV substations are chosen to detect electromagnetic field intensity in 500 kV and 220 kV distribution sectors and distribution characteristics of power-frequency electromagnetic field intensity of three typical electrical equipment layouts are analyzed and summerized.The analysis results show that power-frequency electric field intensity of open-type layout and hybrid gas insulated metal enclosed switchgear(HGIS) layout is apparently higher than that of gas insulated metal enclosed swithgear and controlgear(GIS) layout,which means the indoor GIS layout can reduce power-frequency electric field intensity more effectively.There shows neither apparent sharp differences among the three power-frequency magnetic field intensity nor out-of-limits.
Effects of Dipole and Quadrupole Modes on the Switchable Total Transmission and Reflection in an Array of Rectangular Silver Prisms

Using an array of rectangular silver prisms, we numerically demonstrated that close to 100% transmission and reflection of the electromagnetic wave can be switched by slightly changing the incident wavelengths of less than 10 nm. The calculations showed that the resonance wavelengths are associated with the coherent dipole coupling among nanoparticles, and similar phenomena can also be achieved when the quadrupole mode of the metal nanoparticles is excited. While the change from total transmission to total reflection can be obtained relatively easier when the dipole mode is excited, the difference of the resonance wavelengths between the total transmission and reflection is larger. At the resonance wavelength of quadrupole excitation, the change between the total transmission and the reflection is very sharp and shows a Fano-shaped spectral profile; however, achieving close to 100% transmission and reflection is challenging. We studied the effects of prism width, height, and interparticle distance on the ...
SU-F-T-406: Verification of Total Body Irradiation Commissioned MU Lookup Table Accuracy Using Treatment Planning System for Wide Range of Patient Sizes

Purpose: To verify the accuracy of total body irradiation (TBI) measurement commissioning data using the treatment planning system (TPS) for a wide range of patient separations. Methods: Our institution conducts TBI treatments with an 18MV photon beam at 380cm extended SSD using an AP/PA technique. Currently, the monitor units (MU) per field for patient treatments are determined using a lookup table generated from TMR measurements in a water phantom (75 × 41 × 30.5 cm3). The dose prescribed to an umbilicus midline point at spine level is determined based on patient separation, dose/ field and dose rate/MU. One-dimensional heterogeneous dose calculations from Pinnacle TPS were validated with thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) placed in an average adult anthropomorphic phantom and also in-vivo on four patients with large separations. Subsequently, twelve patients with various separations (17–47cm) were retrospectively analyzed. Computed tomography (CT) scans were acquired in the left and right decubitus positions from vertex to knee. A treatment plan for each patient was generated. The ratio of the lookup table MU to the heterogeneous TPS MU was compared. Results: TLD Measurements in the anthropomorphic phantom and large TBI patients agreed with Pinnacle calculated dose within 2.8% and 2%, respectively. The heterogeneous calculation compared to the lookup table agreed within 8.1% (ratio range: 1.014–1.081). A trend of reduced accuracy was observed when patient separation increases. Conclusion: The TPS dose calculation accuracy was confirmed by TLD measurements, showing that Pinnacle can model the extended SSD dose without commissioning a special beam model for the extended SSD geometry. The difference between the lookup table and TPS calculation potentially comes from lack of scatter during commissioning when compared to extreme patient sizes. The observed trend suggests the need for development of a correction factor between the lookup table and TPS dose calculations.
Evolution of R1 and R2 in the rDNA units of the genus Drosophila

R1 and R2 are non-long terminal repeat (non-LTR) retrotransposable elements that specifically insert in the 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes of insects. Using the Drosophila genus, which includes some of the best characterized insect taxa, we have conducted a number of studies on the evolution of these elements. We find that R1 and R2 are subject to the same recombinational forces that give rise to the concerted evolution of the rDNA units. the turnover of R1 and R2 elements can be readily documented in different strains of D. melanogaster using 5′ truncated elements as restriction-length polymorphisms. This turnover leads to uniform populations of elements with nucleotide sequence divergence of different copies averaging only 0.23% for the R2 and 0.47% for the R1 elements. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of elements from 16 different species of Drosophila suggests that these elements have been stable components of the rDNA locus for the 50-70 million year history of the Drosophila genus. Using changes at synonymous positions within the protein-encoding regions as estimates of the baseline substitution rate, it could be shown that R1 and R2 are evolving at rates similar to that of typical protein encoding genes provided corrections are made for the low codon bias of the elements. R1 and R2 are clearly well-adapted for their existence in the rDNA units of their host.
Effect of warm mix additives on the interfacial bonding characteristics of asphalt binders

AbstractThe quality of the interfacial bonding between asphalt binder and aggregates plays a significant role in determining the durability of asphalt mixtures. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) modifiers have been used extensively in the last decade primarily to reduce production and compaction temperatures as well as to improve workability of asphalt mixtures. This study aimed to provide better understanding of the effects of these WMA modifiers on the interfacial bonding between asphalt binders and aggregates. The evaluation focused on measuring surface energy of binders in unaged and aged states and aggregates and then calculating energy parameters that describe the potential of a given asphalt-aggregate combination to resist fatigue cracking and moisture damage. Results show that the combination of asphalt-WMA additive, as well as the content applied of WMA additive has a significant impact on the fatigue cracking and moisture damage resistance. The results suggest that it is poor practice to use a given type a...
Targeting the Mnk Pathway Enhances Chemotherapy-Induced Antileukemic Responses.

Abstract Mnk kinases (mitogen-activated protein kinase [MAPK]-interacting kinases) are downstream effectors of Map kinase pathways, including the MEK/Erk and the p38 Map kinase signaling cascades. We have previously shown that Mnk kinases and the p38 Map kinase pathway are activated in a negative feedback regulatory manner during treatment of cells with arsenic trioxide, and that molecular or pharmacological inhibition of their activation enhances arsenic trioxide-dependent apoptosis and antileukemic responses (J Biol Chem . 283:12034–42, 2008, and Cancer Res . 66:6763–71, 2006). We examined the activation status of Mnk kinases in response to treatment of AML cells with chemotherapy and the function of these kinases in the generation of antileukemic responses. The human AML cell lines U937, K562, or MM6 were treated with cytarabine, in the presence or absence of a commercially available pharmacological Mnk-1 inhibitor (Calbiochem); and the phosphorylation of Mnk and its downstream effector, eIF4E, were assessed. Treatment with cytarabine increased phosphorylation of Mnk and eIF4E. The cytarabine-dependent eIF4E phosphorylation was blocked when human leukemia cell lines were treated with the pharmacologic Mnk inhibitor, indicating that Mnk regulates eIF4E activity. Such phosphorylation was also found to be defective in Mnk1/Mnk2 double knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells, as compared to wild-type MEFs. Importantly, cytarabine-induced apoptosis was strongly enhanced in Mnk1−/− Mnk2−/− MEFs, as compared to Mnk1+/+Mnk2+/+ MEFs. To define the role of Mnk kinases in the generation of chemotherapy-induced antileukemic responses, human leukemia cell lines and bone marrow or peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with AML were used in clonogenic assays in methylcelluose to determine the effects of Mnk inhibition in the cytarabine-mediated leukemic progenitor (CFU-L) growth. The Mnk inhibitor potentiated the inhibitory effects of cytarabine on U937-derived CFU-L colonies and bone marrow or peripheral blood-derived CFU-L from 3 patients with AML. Interestingly, combinations of the Mnk inhibitor with the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, also resulted in more pronounced inhibitory effects on CFU-L colony formation than each agent alone. Altogether, these findings demonstrate that the Mnk pathway is activated during treatment of AML cells with cytarabine and that such activation occurs in a negative feedback regulatory manner to counteract the antileukemic effects of cytarabine. They also raise the possibility that targeting Mnk kinases may provide a novel approach to enhance the effects of chemotherapy on AML cells in vitro and possibly in vivo.
Perspectives on the Phenomenology and Modeling of Boundary Layer Transition

This article is a perspective review of boundary layer transition. Both orderly and bypass transition are discussed, but with a decided emphasis on bypass routes. The focus is on transition in a natural, perturbed environment. Then orderly transition occurs through Λ vortices, that develop locally on instability waves. The precursors to bypass transition are boundary layer ‘streaks’. Transition proceeds through inner and outer mode secondary instability, leading to patches of turbulence: in zero pressure gradient, bypass transition develops through local, undulatory, outer mode breakdown; in sufficiently adverse pressure gradient, bypass transition proceeds through inner mode instability, which may be of varicose or of helical form. Phenomenology of the creation, growth and breakdown of streaks is surveyed. Theories of shear sheltering, transient and optimal growth, and Orr-Sommerfeld continuous mode resonance are summarized. Recent developments in predictive modeling are summarized. These include laminar fluctuation, and intermittency models. Some open questions are discussed, as are needs for further research.
Latent extinction as a function of number of training trials

Three groups of 10 rats were given 210, 77, and 28 trials respectively in a straight runway. They were then divided into experimental and control groups for the purpose of latent extinction placements. The experimental Ss were given five placements of 60 sec. duration in the unbaited goal box. The control Ss were placed into a neutral box. Sixty seconds after the last placement, each S was given the first of 10 regular extinction trials (test 1). Twenty-three hours later, the Ss were given again the direct placement experience and one regular extinction test trial (test 2). Speed of entering the goal box on the first regular extinction trial after placement was used as the index of the effects of goal box placement. The data indicated a significant change in performance from training to test 1 and test 2 for each of the experimental groups but not for the control groups. Analysis of variance indicated a significant difference between experimental and control groups. It is thus concluded that a significant latent extinction effect was demonstrated. The effect of number of training trials on resistance to extinction was in the positive direction for both latent and regular extinction, i.e., the more trials in training the more resistant were the Ss to the effects of goal box placements and non-rewarded running.
Generalized minimum variance unbiased joint input-state estimation and its unscented scheme for dynamic systems with direct feedthrough

Abstract This paper proposes a joint input-state estimation technique that can estimate unknown inputs, states and parameters of dynamic systems with direct feedthrough. The estimation is performed in a minimum variance unbiased manner, based on measurements from the dynamic system. This paper also presents a novel unscented minimum variance unbiased (UMVU) estimation scheme to realize the proposed estimator via unscented transform. Five UMVU variants are implemented and applied in the numerical study. The results have shown successful estimation of unknown inputs and states, and accurate identification of unknown system parameters. The characteristics and performance of the five UMVU variants are also demonstrated through the comparison of the results.
Androgen Receptor-Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer

Emerging evidence has identified the androgen receptor (AR) pathway as a potential driver for breast cancer (BC) carcinogenesis. The prevalence of AR expression differs across breast cancer subtypes, and its prognostic role in BC is not clear. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneously diverse disease, which includes a subset that may be androgen driven. This review will discuss the role of AR across the differing subtypes of BC and summarize the most recent clinical trial data for the use of androgen-directed therapy in the treatment of AR+ breast cancer, with a particular emphasis on TNBC. Preclinical and clinical data support the activity of the anti-androgen bicalutamide and more recent, next-generation, AR-targeted agents such as enzalutamide in targeting the AR in TNBC. In addition, novel agents which reduce androgen production such as abiraterone acetate and seviteronel are now being tested in BC. As our understanding of the interplay between AR and signaling pathways involving ER and HER2 grows, dual pathway inhibition may prove to be beneficial through informative, combinatorial approaches such as AR antagonism with CDK4/6 pathway inhibitors or PI3K inhibitors. Over the recent years, there is accumulating evidence that AR signaling is a relevant driver for some subsets of breast cancer. Several agents have now consistently demonstrated a signal of activity when targeting the androgen receptor in TNBC in particular. We need to better define which patients are most likely to benefit from an AR-directed approach. Ongoing and future trials aim to clarify the role of targeting AR with single agent and combinatorial therapies in both the metastatic and adjuvant setting. It is hoped that these trials, which incorporate informative correlative components, will further our understanding of the biology of AR+ BC and will show the way to an increased number of treatment options and improved outcomes for our patients.
Local Melting Attracts Grain Boundaries in Colloidal Polycrystals

A new technique allows researchers complete control over the shapes of individual subcrystals within a larger crystal, which could lead to new ways to modify material properties.
Monitoring global tropospheric OH concentrations using satellite observations of atmospheric methane

Abstract. The hydroxyl radical (OH) is the main tropospheric oxidant and the main sink for atmospheric methane. The global abundance of OH has been monitored for the past decades using atmospheric methyl chloroform ( CH3CCl3 ) as a proxy. This method is becoming ineffective as atmospheric CH3CCl3 concentrations decline. Here we propose that satellite observations of atmospheric methane in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) can provide an alternative method for monitoring global OH concentrations. The premise is that the atmospheric signature of the methane sink from oxidation by OH is distinct from that of methane emissions. We evaluate this method in an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework using synthetic SWIR and TIR satellite observations representative of the TROPOMI and CrIS instruments, respectively. The synthetic observations are interpreted with a Bayesian inverse analysis, optimizing both gridded methane emissions and global OH concentrations. The optimization is done analytically to provide complete error accounting, including error correlations between posterior emissions and OH concentrations. The potential bias caused by prior errors in the 3-D seasonal OH distribution is examined using OH fields from 12 different models in the ACCMIP archive. We find that the satellite observations of methane have the potential to constrain the global tropospheric OH concentration with a precision better than 1 % and an accuracy of about 3 % for SWIR and 7 % for TIR. The inversion can successfully separate the effects of perturbations to methane emissions and to OH concentrations. Interhemispheric differences in OH concentrations can also be successfully retrieved. Error estimates may be overoptimistic because we assume in this OSSE that errors are strictly random and have no systematic component. The availability of TROPOMI and CrIS data will soon provide an opportunity to test the method with actual observations.
84 : Extensive collaboration of immune master regulators IRF3 and NFκB in RNA Pol II recruitment and pause-release in human innate antiviral transcription

The eukaryotic transcription factors, IRF3 and NF κ B, regulate immunity and inflammatory responsive genes. Both factors are activated by external stimuli that evoke strong immune and/or inflammatory responses, including virus infection, to translocate to the nucleus and bind their genomic target sites. These two proteins are critical regulators of immunity and inflammatory responses, control diverse normal cellular functions, and aberrations in their activity contribute to pathologies including inflammatory diseases and cancer. Despite the wealth of information regarding the ability of IRF3 and NF κ B to regulate the expression of IFNB1 and other individual target genes, their relative contributions to overall virus-activated transcription, their degree of overlap within the antiviral gene regulation network, and their breadth of target sites throughout the genome are under-investigated. The mechanisms used in regulating antiviral Pol II recruitment, initiation, and elongation at specific targets, as well as their abilities to regulate non-coding and protein-coding genes remain poorly understood. To investigate the mechanisms used to mediate RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) recruitment, initiation, and elongation that contribute to the human antiviral gene regulatory network, a comprehensive genome-wide ChIP-seq analysis was conducted during the initial phase of virus infection to provide a detailed and quantitative genome-wide analysis of transcriptional regulation of the cellular antiviral response. Results reveal extensive integration of IRF3 and NF κ B with Pol II and its associated machinery, and implicate new transcriptional partners for antiviral gene regulation. In addition to mRNA-encoding loci, a majority of IRF3 and NF κ B target sites stimulate RNA production at novel genomic regions not previously associated with antiviral transcription through a combination of de novo polymerase recruitment and release of paused Pol II. These factors work together to tightly regulate gene activation essential to cellular innate immunity.
Assessment in Low-Incidence Disabilities: The Day-to-Day Realities:

This article addresses issues in assessment of students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired in rural school districts, where specially trained personnel may be in short supp...
Hypertension in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease

Hypertension is common in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The presence of elevated blood pressure is associated with progression of CKD, left ventricular hypertrophy, increased carotid intimal thickness, and some subtle neurocognitive defects. Although widely acknowledged that hypertension should be aggressively treated, the optimal target for blood pressure control in children with CKD has not been clearly defined. In most cases, pharmacologic treatment should be initiated with a drug that inhibits the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and individualized to the patient.
Growth and surface structure of silicon nanowires observed in real time in the electron microscope

We describe the surface structure and growth kinetics of silicon nanowires formed by the vapour-liquid-solid process. Observations were made in situ in a transmission electron microscope during growth, and show that at high growth temperatures the wire sidewalls are faceted and the Au-Si eutectic droplet at the wire tip decreases in volume during growth. We account for these observations with a model based on Au diffusion, which involves migration of Au down the wire surface and consequent Au-induced surface faceting.
27-P: FLOW CYTOMETRY CROSSMATCH STANDARDIZATION IN LUNG TRANSPLANTATION: RESULTS FROM THE HLA ANTIBODIES AFTER LUNG TRANSPLANTATION (HALT) STUDY GROUP

Aim HLA compatibility is assessed by crossmatching (XM) and donor specific antibody (DSA) testing. Flow cytometric XM (FXM) results vary among centers due to variation in reagents and sample preparation. We evaluated FXM variability and effects of test standardization in 6 US centers participating in the HALT study. Methods 6 labs performed FXM using 3 exchanges (Exch) including sera with weak DSA and either frozen (1) or fresh (2) cells. All samples were sent from 1 lab, which screened sera by single antigen beads and typed cells for HLA-A,B,C,DRB1/3/4/5,DQB1. HLA typing and DSA results were not revealed to the other labs until study completion. FXM data assessed included cell viability, pronase and anti-hIgG concentrations, instrument and channel settings, and fluorescence (FL) values. Four different cytometer types were used by the labs. Labs used their own methods for Exch 1 and 2. In Exch 3, sample preparation and reagents were standardized: pronase (2 mg/ml); anti-hIgG dilution (1:500). Results Each Exch had 10-24 T/B FXM comparisons. Exch 2 (S1 vs C1) was a negative control. Table 1 shows range of variation in FL values. Table 2 shows expected vs observed interpretations. Conclusions The discrepant results produced by varying FXM methods raise concerns about the assessment of HLA compatibility results from multicenter clinical trials. Standardization of reagents and sample preparation improved FXM result concordance among centers demonstrating that standardization can reduce the variation of results often seen in a multicenter clinical trial. Partially funded by the NIH, NHLBI grant R34 HL10541.
Traumatic aniridia after implantable phakic intraocular lens placement.

A 24-year-old man was involved in a high-velocity motor vehicle accident with polytrauma 2 years after implantation of a copolymer phakic IOL (pIOL) (Visian ICL). After being released from the intensive care unit, he reported decreased vision, pain, glare, and photophobia and was treated for hyphema without globe rupture. He was found to be aniridic during anterior chamber washout of the hyphema. In the first reported case, to our knowledge, of aniridia after pIOL placement, blunt trauma likely caused expulsion of the iris through dehiscence of the previously placed wound for pIOL implantation.
Catalase Deficiency Compromises Survival in Extracellular Matrix-Detached SKOV3 Ovarian Cancer Cells

For epithelial ovarian cancer cells to survive during the metastatic cascade, cells must be able to evade anoikis, a caspase-dependent cell death mechanism initiated by extracellular matrix (ECM) detachment. However, many of the details behind this phenomenon have yet to be unveiled. Here, we examined the role of the antioxidant enzyme, catalase, in the survival and proliferation of anchorage-independent SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. Catalase deficiency severely compromises cell viability and anchorage-independent growth in ECM-detached SKOV3 cells. Notably, cellviability and proliferation were unaffected in ECM-attached catalase-deficient SKOV3 cells. In aggregate, we discovered that catalase plays a prominent role in protection from ECM-detachment-induced cell death in SKOV3 cells. Furthermore, these findings imply that catalase may be an effective therapeutic target for epithelial ovarian cancer cells that survive the ECM-bereft metastatic cascade.
DUET: Data-Driven Approach Based on Latent Dirichlet Allocation Topic Modeling

AbstractSocial networking platforms have been widely employed to detect and track physical events in population-dense urban areas. They can be effective tools to understand what happens and when an...
Early intervention: should we conduct therapeutic trials for mild pulmonary hypertension before onset of symptoms?:

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease that carries a poor prognosis. For 45 years, the definition of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP)...
The Effects of Annealing on Doped P3HT Thin Films for Potential Electronic Applications

Polymeric conjugated materials are convenient for developing future soft-material-based semiconductors, conductors, electronic and optoelectronic devices due to their inherent features. Similar to their inorganic counterparts, the addition of certain minority molecules, or dopants, to polymeric conjugated materials can significantly alter the electronic and optoelectronic properties of the host conjugated polymers or composites. This allows for tunability of a variety of electronic and optoelectronic applications. One way to improve device performance is through the process of thermal annealing. Annealing allows for a polymer matrix to self-assemble into a lower energy state, which leads to an increase in crystallinity and higher charge mobility. Previous research does not explicitly define how dopants can affect this process. This study involves an evaluation of the effects of annealing with doped P3HT films to demonstrate changes in optoelectronic and electronic properties.
The Role of Set for Variability in Irregular Word Reading: Word and Child Predictors in Typically Developing Readers and Students At-Risk for Reading Disabilities

In a quasiregular orthography like English, children inevitably encounter irregular words during reading. Previous research suggests successful reading of an irregular word depends at least partial...
Colloidal quantum dots for infrared detection beyond silicon

This perspective describes the advantages of infrared colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) for photodetection beyond silicon and provides a brief review of the development of CQD photodetection. The standard specifications for photodetectors are listed with particular emphasis on the detectivity. High gain improves the responsivity but does not improve the detectivity, while nonradiative losses do not prevent high responsivity but limit the detectivity. Performances of CQD detectors and HgTe CQDs, in particular, are compared with the maximum possible detectivity based on detailed balance from the device temperature and nonradiative losses.
Is survival improving in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer?

6577 Background: Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents the number one cause of cancer mortality in the United States. Over several decades clinical research has focused on the development o...
Analysis of iodized salt monitoring results in Chongqing Municipality from 2001 to 2009

Objective To monitor the quality changes of iodized salt and analyze its impact factor in Chongqing between 2001 and 2009. Methods Salt samples were collected according to the east, west, south,north and center locations in iodized salt production, wholesale and household sectors. Two units in iodized salt production and wholesale segment were sampled from north, south, east and west places and only 1 unit was sampled from the central place. Nine samples were collected every month in each place. If the place had less than 9 units, and then taken all the units. About resident household, 2 townships were sampled from north, south, east and west places, and 1 township was sampled from the central place, then 20 samples were collected from each township. Iodine content was detected by oxidation-reduction assay. The index of mean iodine, qualified rate from factories and wholesale, coverage rate and taking rate of qualified iodized salt in residents were calculated.Significance was analyzed by trend test, analysis of variance and X2 test. Results The qualified rate of iodized salt from the manufacturers was 92.9%(13/14) in 2001 and the rate was 100.0% each year from 2002 to 2009. The qualified rates of iodized salt from the wholesale were 88.7%(282/318) - 99.8%(431/432). The rates of 2001 and 2002 were lower than that of other years(X2 = 4.98 - 45.69, all P 90% kept increasing. The mean iodine from the manufacturers and wholesale were 29.71 - 36.25, and 31.26 - 36.13 mg/kg, respectively. The iodine level showed a descending trend(F = 35.45, 140.59, all P 0.05 ). The iodine level from manufacturers, wholesale to inhabitants showed an descending trend(F = 38.46 - 671.23, all P < 0.01 ). Conclusions The surveillance results of iodized salt shows an increasing tendency in quality of iodized salt, eoverage rate and taking rate of qualified iodized salt. Factors that affect the quality of iodized salt is that the enterprise does not add iodine to salt strictly by the standard. Key words: Iodine; Salts; Data collection
Ophthalmology Education in COVID-19: A Remote Elective for Medical Students

Background The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created obstacles for medical student education, as clinical rotations were temporarily halted. Recent literature shows online electives may provide an alternative learning platform. We developed a teleophthalmology student elective for rising third-year medical student (MS3) and fourth-year medical student (MS4) to continue teaching and exposure to the field. Methods A 4-week remote elective was approved by Emory University School of Medicine and offered between April 18, 2020, and May 15, 2020, for rising MS3s and MS4s. The curriculum consisted of online self-study materials, student presentations, chart review assignments, case-based discussions with faculty, and telehealth experiences. All students were surveyed and tested with questions from United States Medical Licensing Examination World (UWorld) test bank at the end of the course. Results A total of 18 students were enrolled, with 66.7% MS3 and 33.3% MS4 participants. The mean rating of fulfillment of course learning objectives was 8.1/10 (range, 6.7–8.8), with mean ratings of 8.2 for MS3s and 7.7 for MS4s. There was a significant increase in self-reported knowledge in ophthalmology, with an increase from 4.6 to 8.1 for MS3s (p = 0.002) and 6.7 to 8.0 for MS4s (p = 0.04). Students also reported higher interest in the field, with an increase from 4.9 to 7.8 for MS3s (p = 0.01) and 7.5 to 8.7 for MS4s (p = 0.1). The students performed significantly higher on the postcourse test (94.8%) than UWorld question bank users (74.1%) (p Conclusion Our novel ophthalmology elective significantly enhanced self-reported medical student knowledge and interest in the field during a crisis that required transition to remote learning. Further study of student telehealth experience and objective assessment is needed to improve online learning in ophthalmology.
Reengineering European Payment Law

With FinTech entrepreneurs threatening to disrupt retail payment services in Europe and around the world, the European Union is using the harmonization of payments law as an opportunity to try to increase innovation and competition in European payment systems. In recent years, the EU has enacted the Payment Systems Directive II (PSD2), E-Money Directive II, the Payment Account Directive, and the Interchange Fee Regulation as well as various regulatory technical standards to insure harmonized implementation of those laws. This comprehensive package of law reforms might appear to provide a solid foundation for the transformation of payment services in Europe, but a quick review of the history of the Single Euro Payment Area (SEPA) project highlights the risks of such a top-down strategy. Whenever the political requirements of the Single Market collided with the need for economic incentives to drive voluntary adoption of SEPA, the logic of commerce was forced to take a back seat to the politics European integration with predicable results for innovation and competition. Like SEPA, the open banking mandate found in the PSD2 has the potential to transform European retail payment markets, but it is unclear when, or whether, that potential may be realized.
Recurrence and survival after curative-intent treatment for colorectal liver metastases: Implications for adjuvant liver-directed regional chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND This study investigates tumor recurrence patterns and their effect on postrecurrence survival following curative-intent treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) to identify those who stand to benefit the most from adjuvant liver-directed therapy. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of all patients that underwent liver resection and/or ablation for CRLM between 2007 and 2019. Postrecurrence survival was compared between recurrence locations. Risk factors for liver recurrence were sought. RESULTS The study included 227 patients. Majority were treated with resection (71.0%) while combination resection/ablation (18.9%) and ablation alone (11.0%), were less common. At a median follow-up of 3.0 years, recurrence was observed in 151 (66.5%) patients. Of those, liver, lung, and peritoneal recurrence were most common at 66.9%, 49.6%, and 9.2%, respectively. Median postrecurrence survival after liver, lung, and multisite recurrence was 39.6-, 68.4-, and 33.6 months, respectively. High tumor grade (p < 0.014), perineural invasion (p = 0.002), and N0 node status (p = 0.017) of primary tumor correlated with liver recurrence on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Tumor grade, perineural invasion, and N0 node status of the primary tumor are associated with increased risk of liver recurrence after CRLM resection and represent a target population that may benefit the most from adjuvant liver-directed regional chemotherapy.
Activation of the Organum Vasculosum of the Lamina Terminalis Produces a Sympathetically Mediated Hypertension.

Neurons in the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) sense extracellular NaCl and angiotensin II concentrations to regulate body fluid homeostasis and arterial blood pressure. Lesion o...
Nanopatterned Human iPSC-Based Model of a Dystrophin-Null Cardiomyopathic Phenotype

Human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) offer unprecedented opportunities to study inherited heart conditions in vitro, but are phenotypically immature, limiting their ability to effectively model adult-onset diseases. Cardiomyopathy is becoming the leading cause of death in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), but the pathogenesis of this disease phenotype is not fully understood. Therefore, we aimed to test whether biomimetic nanotopography could further stratify the disease phenotype of DMD hiPSC-CMs to create more translationally relevant cardiomyocytes for disease modeling applications. We found that anisotropic nanotopography was necessary to distinguish structural differences between normal and DMD hiPSC-CMs, as these differences were masked on conventional flat substrates. DMD hiPSC-CMs exhibited a diminished structural and functional response to the underlying nanotopography compared to normal cardiomyocytes at both the macroscopic and subcellular levels. This blunted response may be due to a lower level of actin cytoskeleton turnover as measured by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Taken together these data suggest that DMD hiPSC-CMs are less adaptable to changes in their extracellular environment, and highlight the utility of nanotopographic substrates for effectively stratifying normal and structural cardiac disease phenotypes in vitro.
Nuclear RNA in sea urchin embryos. II. Absence of "cRNA".

Abstract Using published procedures for the isolation of “chromosomal RNA”, a small RNA with many of the reported characteristics of cRNA can be isolated from the chromatin of sea urchin embryos. This RNA is not a degradation product of tRNA as claimed by some workers nor is it likely to be derived from ribosomal RNA (rRNA). However, we provide evidence that this RNA is in fact a degradation product of larger nuclear RNA.
After MAP: Next Generation CMB

We discuss several opportunities involving cosmic microwave background (CMB) observations during the post-MAP era. The curl-modes of CMB polarization allow a direct detection of inflationary gravitational waves and a measurement of the energy scale of inflation. While a significant source of confusion is expected from cosmic shear conversion of polarization related to density perturbations, higher resolution observations of CMB anisotropies can be used for a lensing reconstruction and to separate gravitational-wave polarization signature from that of lensing. With perfect all-sky maps, separations based on current lensing reconstruction techniques allow the possibility to probe inflationary energy scales down to 10^15 GeV, well below that of grand unified theories. Another aspect of future CMB studies will be related to large scale structure, such as wide-field imaging of Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in galaxy clusters. Here, we comment on a potentially interesting and unique application of the SZ effect involving a measurement of the absolute temperature of CMB at high redshifts. Finally, we address cluster polarization signals and the possibility to directly measure some aspect of the temperature quadrupole associated with time evolving potentials.