cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1489: The role of bone marrow adipocyte-induced HO-1 expression in prostate tumor survival in bone

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. Obesity, adipocyte-derived signals, and adipose tissue inflammation are major contributors to development of aggressive PCa, with higher recurrence and higher mortality rates. Bone is a primary site of metastasis of PCa and obese and overweight men have a three-fold higher risk of progression to metastatic disease compared to normal-weight men receiving the same treatment. Experimental and clinical evidence indicate that bone marrow adipocyte numbers increase with age and obesity and their increased presence affects homeostasis in the bone microenvironment. It is not, however, currently known how adipocyte-derived factors influence tumor growth and survival in bone. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) is a stress-responsive protein induced by hypoxia and inflammation, and it has been shown to play a role in prostate carcinogenesis and cell survival. Its role in tumor cell aggressiveness and survival in response to adipocyte-derived signals has not been previously explored. Here, we investigated the effects of bone marrow adipocyte-derived factors on HO-1/IL-1α pathway in PCa cells. Our study was driven by hypothesis that adipocytes increase invasiveness and survival of PCa cells via upregulation of HO-1. We utilized Taqman RT PCR analyses and western blotting approaches to demonstrate that levels of HO-1 and its inducer IL-1α increase in PC3, DU145 and C42B prostate cancer cell lines in response to treatment with adipocyte conditioned media (Adipo CM). Immunofluorescence analyses and subcellular fractionation methods were used to demonstrate a translocation of HO-1 from the cytoplasm to nucleus upon exposure to Adipo CM. Invasiveness of PCa cells in response to adipocyte-derived factors in the absence and presence of IL-1α neutralizing antibody and HO-1 inhibitor Zinc protoporphyrin IX was assessed using Boyden chamber assays. Studies are currently underway to determine the significance of HO-1/IL-1α upregulation in tumor cells survival and response to chemotherapy. Collectively, the results of our studies demonstrate that adipocyte-induced upregulation of HO-1/IL-1α pathways may be playing a significant role in promoting prostate tumor aggressiveness and survival. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1489. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1489
Multireference coupled cluster theory in Fock space: with an application tos-tetrazine

A Fock space multireference coupled cluster method based on incomplete model spaces is described. Some of the essential computational aspects of the theory are discussed with the aid of the diagrammatic representation of the equations. An application to the calculation of ionization potentials and excitation energies ofs-tetrazine is presented along with comparisons with conventionalab initio calculations and experimental results.
Milk, Moo, or Man Made?

The production of food has progressed rapidly within the last several decades, due in part, to the advancements in the field of science. One branch that continues to evolve is the cloning of livestock. Cloning has been a significant part of the scientific world for many years and it remains a controversial issue today. Since the early 1990’s, animals have been cloned mainly for breeding purposes and mass production of milk. Livestock cloning has been given the seal of approval by the FDA. In fact, by FDA standards, human consumption of cloned milk and meat products is safe. The FDA is so positive that eating cloned animal products poses no risk to people that it does not even require that these food products to be labeled. Therein lies the controversy. There is not enough long term data to determine the health risks to those who eat cloned animal foods. Since the FDA does not regulate clear and truthful labeling on cloned meat or milk, consumers have no way of knowing if they are eating cloned or conventionally bred animal products. This paper will examine the issues of using cloned animal products in the food supply and the necessity of labeling these products for consumers.
Rewiring of Developing Spinal Nociceptive Circuits by Neonatal Injury and Its Implications for Pediatric Chronic Pain

Significant evidence now suggests that neonatal tissue damage can evoke long-lasting changes in pain sensitivity, but the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This review highlights recent advances in our understanding of how injuries during a critical period of early life modulate the functional organization of synaptic networks in the superficial dorsal horn (SDH) of the spinal cord in a manner that favors the excessive amplification of ascending nociceptive signaling to the brain, which likely contributes to the generation and/or maintenance of pediatric chronic pain. These persistent alterations in synaptic function within the SDH may also contribute to the well-documented “priming” of developing pain pathways by neonatal tissue injury.
Parameter estimation using the impulse response function for high affinity neuroreceptor ligands in PET

A tool for the complex task of multiparameter estimates from positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) data, based on models of high affinity neuroreceptors ligands is presented. A simplified kinetic model of high affinity ligands and the mathematical background for the estimation of an impulse response function (IRF) from measured time activity curves are discussed. The advantages of this approach are that there is a straightforward relationship between the rate constants and the shape of the theoretical IRF, allowing a simplified parameter estimation process that in some cases will only yield one solution. Additionally, the estimated IRF allows a qualitative assessment of reliability of the estimates for each parameter and also an intuitive method of selectively weighting the data. Results based on simulated and measured N-methy-spiperone (NMSP) studies show that the IRF method is robust and also is a useful tool in conjunction with a standard three-parameter estimation algorithm. >
Automatic phase aberration compensation for digital holographic microscopy based on deep learning background detection

We propose a fully automatic technique to obtain aberration free quantitative phase imaging in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) based on deep learning. The traditional DHM solves the phase aberration compensation problem by manually detecting the background for quantitative measurement. This would be a drawback in real time implementation and for dynamic processes such as cell migration phenomena. A recent automatic aberration compensation approach using principle component analysis (PCA) in DHM avoids human intervention regardless of the cells' motion. However, it corrects spherical/elliptical aberration only and disregards the higher order aberrations. Traditional image segmentation techniques can be employed to spatially detect cell locations. Ideally, automatic image segmentation techniques make real time measurement possible. However, existing automatic unsupervised segmentation techniques have poor performance when applied to DHM phase images because of aberrations and speckle noise. In this paper, we propose a novel method that combines a supervised deep learning technique with convolutional neural network (CNN) and Zernike polynomial fitting (ZPF). The deep learning CNN is implemented to perform automatic background region detection that allows for ZPF to compute the self-conjugated phase to compensate for most aberrations.
Methotrexate for the treatment of pediatric alopecia areata

AbstractPurpose: Alopecia areata is a form of nonscarring hair loss that occurs in pediatric and adult patients, with presentation varying from round or ovoid patches of alopecia to alopecia totalis or universalis. While frustrating for patients, it can also be frustrating for clinicians to treat, as there is no definitive treatment. Dermatologists are very familiar with the use of methotrexate for psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases, and this medication is generally well tolerated in children.Materials/Methods: This study presents a case series reviewing the efficacy of methotrexate in our pediatric patients with alopecia areata, making use of a retrospective chart review design from 2011 to 2016.Results: In this data set, 8/14 subjects (57%) experienced good regrowth with methotrexate, while 3/14 (21%) had a response that could not be assessed due to loss to follow-up or premature discontinuation of the medication. No cases discontinued the medication due to recognized methotrexate side effec...
Haspin inhibition reveals functional differences of interchromatid axis-localized AURKB and AURKC

Aneuploidy is the leading genetic abnormality contributing to infertility, and chromosome segregation errors are common during female mammalian meiosis I (MI). Previous results indicate that haspin kinase regulates resumption of meiosis from prophase arrest, chromosome condensation, and kinetochore-microtubule attachments during early prometaphase of MI. Here we report that haspin inhibition in late prometaphase I causes acceleration of MI, bypass of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC), and loss of interchromatid axis-localized Aurora kinase C. Meiotic cells contain a second chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) population, with Aurora kinase B (AURKB) bound to INCENP. Haspin inhibition in oocytes from Aurkc-/- mice, where AURKB is the sole CPC kinase, does not alter MI completion timing, and no change in localization of the SAC protein, MAD2, is observed. These data suggest that AURKB on the interchromatid axis is not needed for SAC activation and illustrate a key difference between the functional capacities of the two AURK homologues.
Rapamycin sensitizes cancer cells to growth inhibition by the PARP inhibitor olaparib

// Atsushi Osoegawa 1 , Joell J. Gills 1 , Shigeru Kawabata 1 and Phillip A. Dennis 1 1 Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA Correspondence to: Phillip A. Dennis, email: pdennis@jhmi.edu Keywords: BRCA mutation, synthetic lethality, DNA damage response, SRB assay, cell cycle Received: December 31, 2016 Accepted: May 12, 2017 Published: July 28, 2017 ABSTRACT Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) have been developed and tested in a context of combining it with double-stranded (ds) DNA repair defects or inhibitors, as PARP inhibitor impairs single-stranded (ss) DNA break repair, resulting in the activation of the dsDNA break repair machinery. Rapamycin has been widely prescribed for more than a decade and recent studies have revealed that it may inhibit dsDNA break repair. The combination of the PARP inhibitor olaparib and rapamycin synergistically inhibited cell proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, and even in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells with BRCA1 mutations. Rad51, which forms a polymer on ssDNA upon dsDNA breaks, plays an essential role in homologous recombination. Olaparib induced Rad51 focus formation, while rapamycin successfully inhibited it both in vivo and in vitro , suggesting that this combination worked through the blocking of both ssDNA break repair and dsDNA break repair; hence the cells cannot go through the G2/M checkpoint. The protein level of PARP was a predictive marker for both PAR activity and Rad51 focus formation in this combination. Collectively, these data suggest that this combination could have therapeutic potential in the treatment of cancer with high PARP expression, or in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Molecular diversity of IgG responses to Epstein-Barr virus proteins in asymptomatic Epstein-Barr virus carriers.

The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous pathogen that infects over 90 % of adults. EBV is the primary etiological agent of infectious mononucleosis and is closely associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. Clinical serological assays for EBV diagnosis only survey a small portion of the viral proteome, which does not represent the total antigenic breadth presented to the immune system during viral infection. In this study, we have generated an expression library containing the majority of EBV ORFs, and have systematically evaluated IgG responses to those EBV proteins in sera from EBV carriers. In addition to confirming previously recognized dominant EBV antigens, this study has identified additional immunodominant antigens, and has revealed a more expansive antigenic profile of the humoral responses to EBV in asymptomatic carriers. This EBV expression library will be deposited in a public repository with the goal of disseminating this new research tool for the application of identifying potential new biomarkers for EBV-associated diseases.
Prescriptions for atopic dermatitis: oral corticosteroids remain commonplace.

AbstractIntroduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by pruritic, often lichenified, patches and plaques.Methods: Data were obtained from the Humana database, a large claim-based database encompassing more than 20 million patients under a commercial healthcare insurance plan. Our cohort included 39,526 subjects who saw a dermatologist for a primary ICD-9 diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (691.8) between the years of 2010 and 2015. Subjects were stratified according to gender, age and race. Prescribed medication lists were obtained and sorted based on potential indication for atopic dermatitis.Results: The most common medications prescribed for atopic dermatitis in descending order were topical corticosteroids (60.2% of patients), oral antibiotics (17.3% of patients), antifungals (6.7% of patients), antihistamines (6.4% of patients), oral corticosteroids (5.9% of patients), calcineurin inhibitors (2.3% of patients) and emollients (1.2% of patients). Males a...
Second Best: Non-Specific Speech Deficits in Logopenic Progressive Aphasia (S18.001)

OBJECTIVE: To distinguish the speech and discourse deficits of logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) patients from those of other primary progressive aphasia (PPA) patients. BACKGROUND: Efforts to characterize lvPPA as distinct from other forms of PPA based on language-based clinical characteristics have met with difficulty. lvPPA patients exhibit speech production deficits in phonology, grammar, semantics, and discourse. However, the identification of a single feature that is diagnostic of lvPPA in connected speech has proved elusive. DESIGN/METHODS: We studied 43 patients with variants of PPA, including17 lvPPA; 9 semantic variant PPA (svPPA); 17 nonfluent/agrammatic PPA (naPPA); as well as 22 patients with Alzheimer9s disease (AD); and 12 healthy seniors. A semi-structured speech sample was elicited by asking subjects to narrate a story from a children9s wordless picture book. The speech samples were analyzed for features of fluency, phonology, grammar, semantics, and discourse. Voxel-based morphometry was used to relate gray matter atrophy to measures of performance. RESULTS: lvPPA patients are second to naPPA in impairments of fluency as measured by such features as speech rate, speech errors, and false starts. They are also second to naPPA in grammatical measures such as proportion of sentences that are grammatical. They are second to svPPA patients in impairments of semantics such as open class word production, pronoun use, and absence of noun antecedents. They are second to AD in impairment on memory-based discourse measures such as global connectedness and maintenance of the theme of the story. Their speech production deficits are related to atrophy in left superior temporal cortex, angular gyrus, and insula. CONCLUSIONS: lvPPA patients are difficult to distinguish from other PPA patients because their impairments cover a range of language production features and exhibit considerable variability. Supported by: NIH Grants AG17586, NS44266, AG15116, AG32953, NS53488 and the Wyncote Foundation. Disclosure: Dr. Ash has nothing to disclose. Dr. Weinberg has nothing to disclose. Dr. Haley has nothing to disclose. Dr. Boller has nothing to disclose. Dr. Powers has nothing to disclose. Dr. McMillan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Grossman has nothing to disclose.
The Response of Simulated Arctic Mixed-Phase Stratocumulus to Sea Ice Cover Variability in the Absence of Large-Scale Advection

This study examines the responses of Arctic Mixed-Phase Stratocumulus (AMPS) boundary layer to sea ice cover variability near the sea ice margins using large eddy simulations. The simulations are conducted for two different atmospheric conditions, based on observations from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean Experiment (SHEBA) (100% sea ice-covered) and the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) (open ocean). The effect of sea ice cover variability is investigated for both atmospheric conditions by conducting a series of simulations prescribed with varying amounts of sea ice cover and no large-scale advection. As sea ice cover amount decreases, the SHEBA boundary layer deepens and becomes decoupled. The relative strength of turbulence driven by surface heating to that driven by cloud top radiative cooling increases. Cloud ice and snow grow more efficiently than cloud liquid with moisture transported from the lower boundary layer. On the other hand, as sea ice cover amount increases, the M-PACE boundary layer becomes shallower and more coupled with the surface as turbulence mainly driven by cloud top radiative cooling. Moisture supply from the surface is reduced while cloud droplets are generated from turbulence at cloud top with little ice formation. In both atmospheric conditions, the boundary layer turbulence structure is modified according to change in the relative strength of boundary-layer turbulent sources as sea ice amount changes, resulting in the growth/decay of the cloud layer. Simulations with smaller sea ice cover amounts are associated with more cloud ice but not necessarily more cloud liquid.
A geometric formulation of Lax integrability for nonlinear equationsin two independent variables

A geometric formulation of Lax integrability is introduced which makes use of a Pfaffianformulation of Lax integrability. The Frobenius theorem gives a necessary and sufficient conditionfor the complete integrability of a distribution, andprovides a powerful way to study nonlinear evolution equations. This permits an examination of the relationbetween complete integrability and Lax integrability. The prolongation method is formulated in this contextand gauge transformations can be examined in terms ofdifferential forms as well as the Frobenius theorem.
Signatures of Pseudo-Dirac Dark Matter at High-Intensity Neutrino Experiments

We (re)consider the sensitivity of past (LSND) and future (${\mathrm{JSNS}}^{2}$) beam dump neutrino experiments to two models of MeV-scale pseudo-Dirac dark matter. Both LSND and ${\mathrm{JSNS}}^{2}$ are close (24--30 m) to intense sources of light neutral mesons which may decay to dark matter via interactions involving a light mediator or dipole operators. The dark matter can then scatter or decay inside of the nearby detector. We show that the higher beam energy of ${\mathrm{JSNS}}^{2}$ and resulting $\ensuremath{\eta}$ production can improve on the reach of LSND for light-mediator models with dark matter masses greater than ${m}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}/2$. Further, we find that both existing LSND and future ${\mathrm{JSNS}}^{2}$ measurements can severely constrain the viable parameter space for a recently proposed model of dipole dark matter which could explain the 3.5 keV excess reported in observations of stacked galaxy clusters and the Galactic center.
A Qualitative Exploration of Mobile Money in Ghana

Access to formal financial services, or being financially included, allows individuals the opportunity to plan, save, and stabilize their financial lives. Financial inclusion has recently received higher priority due to its promise to improve financial well-being and, in turn, assist in the reduction of poverty on larger scales. The simultaneous success of M-Pesa, bolstered by the proliferation of mobile phone access, convinced many that mobile money would enable financial inclusion. However, with nuanced characteristics in each country and distinct financial systems and economy, mobile money adoption and usage is varied. In this paper, we evaluate the mobile money's viability as a vehicle for financial inclusion in the Southern region of Ghana. We report on qualitative interviews and observations from five different cities and surrounding small towns and evaluate individual financial practices, existing and projected needs for financial services, and the potential role of mobile money in fulfilling these goals.
Social Networking Considerations for Law Librarians

As social networking sites become more widely used by law students and legal professionals, there are many issues that law librarians needs to be aware of.
A Trusted Computing Architecture for Secure Substation Automation

Most critical infrastructure systems can be modeled as cyber-physical systems whose cyber components control underlying physical processes so as to optimize specified system objectives based on physical properties, physical constraints, and the current and estimated state of the system. Such systems usually require support for security and performance guarantees: wrongly received or missed commands can render the entire system unstable. Yet, securing cyber-physical systems with heterogeneous components is still an open and challenging problem. In this paper, we propose techniques for resilient substation automation of power utility systems with security based on the trusted computing paradigm. By using trusted platform module (TPM)-enabled components and a novel access control structure that enforces need-to-get-now (availability) policies, we show how to develop IEC/TR 61850-90-5 compliant substation automation systems that are resilient. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach by analyzing and experimenting with an open source IEC/TR 61850-90-5 implementation.
Training emotion regulation strategies during computerized learning: a method for improving learner self-regulation

A host of negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration, and boredom inevitably occur during computerized learning. These emotions can have serious negative consequences on students' metacognitive and cognitive processes and learning outcomes. Thus, students should be equipped with the ability to regulate these negative emotions in order to achieve positive learning outcomes. Building on previous research on learning-centered emotions, I (first author) propose a series of investigations into the ways in which emotion regulation strategies can be effectively implemented in an intelligent tutoring system. This paper discusses ongoing experiments, future plans, and the implications of the findings for the development of ITSs that aid in the regulation of students' emotions.
Resonance Ionization Processes in Small Molecules

Resonance ionization spectroscopy has been proven to be a valuable tool in the study of the structure and dynamics of molecules1. In addition, the resonance ionization process provides insight into the interaction between intense coherent light fields and either isolated molecules or molecules in the process of undergoing a collision. Here we would like to explore what can be learned about molecules with this technique and how nonlinear effects in the intense laser fields affect the molecules and their spectra.
Robust simultaneous inference for the mean function of functional data

A robust framework is proposed, based on polynomial spline estimation technique, for the estimation of the mean function of dense functional data, together with a simultaneous confidence band for the mean function. The robust simultaneous confidence band is also extended to the difference of mean functions of two populations. The performance of the proposed robust methods is evaluated with the simulation study and real data examples.
Large-Field-of-View Visualization Utilizing Multiple Miniaturized Cameras for Laparoscopic Surgery

The quality and the extent of intra-abdominal visualization are critical to a laparoscopic procedure. Currently, a single laparoscope is inserted into one of the laparoscopic ports to provide intra-abdominal visualization. The extent of this field of view (FoV) is rather restricted and may limit efficiency and the range of operations. Here we report a trocar-camera assembly (TCA) that promises a large FoV, and improved efficiency and range of operations. A video stitching program processes video data from multiple miniature cameras and combines these videos in real-time. This stitched video is then displayed on an operating monitor with a much larger FoV than that of a single camera. In addition, we successfully performed a standard and a modified bean drop task, without any distortion, in a simulator box by using the TCA and taking advantage of its FoV which is larger than that of the current laparoscopic cameras. We successfully demonstrated its improved efficiency and range of operations. The TCA frees up a surgical port and potentially eliminates the need of physical maneuvering of the laparoscopic camera, operated by an assistant.
A Universal Stress Protein That Controls Bacterial Stress Survival in Micrococcus luteus.

ABSTRACT Bacteria have remarkable mechanisms to survive severe external stresses, and one of the most enigmatic is the nonreplicative persistent (NRP) state. Practically, NRP bacteria are difficult to treat, and so inhibiting the proteins underlying this survival state may render such bacteria more susceptible to external stresses, including antibiotics. Unfortunately, we know little about the proteins and mechanisms conferring survival through the NRP state. Here, we report that a universal stress protein (Usp) is a primary regulator of bacterial survival through the NRP state in Micrococcus luteus NCTC 2665, a biosafety level 1 (BSL1) mycobacterial relative. Usps are widely conserved, and bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Escherichia coli, have multiple paralogs with overlapping functions that have obscured their functional roles. A kanamycin resistance cassette inserted into the M. luteus universal stress protein A 616 gene (ΔuspA616::kanM. luteus) ablates the UspA616 protein and drastically impairs M. luteus survival under even short-term starvation (survival, 83% wild type versus 32% ΔuspA616::kanM. luteus) and hypoxia (survival, 96% wild type versus 48% ΔuspA616::kanM. luteus). We observed no detrimental UspA616 knockout phenotype in logarithmic growth. Proteomics demonstrated statistically significant log-phase upregulation of glyoxylate pathway enzymes isocitrate lyase and malate synthase in ΔuspA616::kanM. luteus. We note that these enzymes and the M. tuberculosis UspA616 homolog (Rv2623) are important in M. tuberculosis virulence and chronic infection, suggesting that Usps are important stress proteins across diverse bacterial species. We propose that UspA616 is a metabolic switch that controls survival by regulating the glyoxylate shunt. IMPORTANCE Bacteria tolerate severe external stresses, including antibiotics, through a nonreplicative persistent (NRP) survival state, yet the proteins regulating this survival state are largely unknown. We show a specific universal stress protein (UspA616) controls the NRP state in Micrococcus luteus. Usps are widely conserved across bacteria, but their biological function(s) has remained elusive. UspA616 inactivation renders M. luteus susceptible to stress: bacteria die instead of adapting through the NRP state. UspA616 regulates malate synthase and isocitrate lyase, glyoxylate pathway enzymes important for chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. These data show that UspA616 regulates NRP stress survival in M. luteus and suggest a function for homologous proteins in other bacteria. Importantly, inhibitors of UspA616 and homologs may render NRP bacteria more susceptible to stresses, including current antibiotics.
Redox mechanisms in pulmonary disease: Emphasis on pulmonary fibrosis

Abstract Lung fibrosis is a disease associated with changes in the redox environment. Diminished survival and altered plasticity of lung alveolar epithelial cells are accompanied by an overpopulation of lung alveolar regions with fibroblasts and extracellular matrix. Disruptions in redox processes within the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria or activation of NADPH oxidases within epithelial cells and/or fibroblasts is believed to contribute to disease pathogenesis. This chapter reviews the recent literature, emphasizing alterations of glutathione biochemistry. We place a spotlight on glutathione-dependent protein oxidation, known as S-glutathionylation, based upon recent studies demonstrating that S-glutathionylation chemistry is a strong contributing factor to lung fibrosis.
Second Life in the Classroom: Interacting with the Modern College Student

How do we engage our students to actively learn? That is a question that educators are asking more and more often. New techniques and philosophies are constantly being developed and tried in the classroom yet we still come back to the same observations. Students are generally unprepared for college level studies and often seem unwilling to put in the required effort needed to succeed. Perhaps one reason students seem disengaged is because they may not see the value of what they are learning. The connections between their studies and how they will benefit them later in life may not be clear. To this end I explore the use of Second Life in the classroom and how it can be used to clarify the links between what students learn and how these lessons can help them in their future. In this paper I explore the nature of education in Second Life and how it might best be employed based on lessons learned from using it in the classroom over the past six years.
Risk Factors for Blood Transfusion in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty for Mechanical Failure

Revision total hip arthroplasty (rTHA) is associated with significant intraoperative blood loss requiring transfusion. Given that blood transfusions increase the risk of numerous complications, efforts should be made to determine which patients are at high risk of transfusion and optimize them appropriately. This study aimed to identify independent risk factors associated with blood transfusion in patients undergoing rTHA for mechanical failure. A multi-institutional surgical registry was queried for all patients who underwent rTHA for mechanical failure from 2005 to 2016. Patients were divided into transfused and nontransfused cohorts and underwent univariate analysis for differences in demographic features, preoperative comorbidities, and operative variables. Multivariate regression models were generated to elucidate independent risk factors associated with perioperative blood transfusions. A total of 8,469 rTHA patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria, of which 1,863 (22.0%) received blood transfusions within 72 hours postoperatively. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, age ≥ 65 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.313; p
Student loan debt and visa status influence on career choices for hematology and medical oncology fellows in the United States.

11024Background: There are multiple factors influencing future career plans for US hematology/oncology fellows. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of student loan debt and visa ...
Transformation mixture modeling for skewed data groups with heavy tails and scatter

For decades, Gaussian mixture models have been the most popular mixtures in literature. However, the adequacy of the fit provided by Gaussian components is often in question. Various distributions capable of modeling skewness or heavy tails have been considered in this context recently. In this paper, we propose a novel contaminated transformation mixture model that is constructed based on the idea of transformation to symmetry and can account for skewness, heavy tails, and automatically assign scatter to secondary components.
Neuroeffector Mechanisms During Focal and Global Cerebral Ischemia

The circle of willis and its tributaries are innervated by sympathetic, parasympathetic and sensory nerve fibers. Over the past 4 years, we have investigated the importance of the latter two pathways, and our findings will be reviewed briefly. The data suggest that parasympathetic projections become activated during focal ischemia whereupon these fibers may contribute to the development of collateral blood flow. Destroying parasympathetic fibers is associated with a 30% increase in the size of focal infarcts, an observation which was made in 3 different species and under different anesthetic conditions. By contrast, sensory fibers become activated during global but not focal ischemia and contribute to the hyperemia during the reperfusion phase. Readers are referred to references (1-4,6,24) for more detailed descriptions) .
Investigation of cracking mechanisms in rubber-modified asphalt through fracture testing of mastic specimens

Rubber modification of asphalt leads to improvement in certain asphalt mixture properties in lab studies, and extension of service life has been reported in a number of field studies. However, mode...
Profiling transcription factor sub-networks in type I interferon signaling and in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Type I interferons (IFN /{beta}) play a central role in innate immunity to respiratory viruses, including coronaviruses. Genetic defects in type I interferon signaling were reported in a significant proportion of critically ill CoOVID-19 patients. Extensive studies on interferon-induced intracellular signal transduction pathways led to the elucidation of the Jak-Stat pathway. Furthermore, advances in gene expression profiling by microarrays have revealed that type I interferon rapidly induced multiple transcription factor mRNA levels. In this study, transcription factor profiling in the transcriptome was used to gain novel insights into the role of inducible transcription factors in response to type I interferon signaling in immune cells and in lung epithelial cells after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Modeling the interferon-inducible transcription factor mRNA data in terms of distinct sub-networks based on biological functions such as antiviral response, immune modulation, and cell growth revealed enrichment of specific transcription factors in mouse and human immune cells. The evolutionarily conserved core type I interferon gene expression consists of the inducible transcriptional factor mRNA of the antiviral response sub-network and enriched in granulocytes. Analysis of the type I interferon-inducible transcription factor sub-networks as distinct protein-protein interaction pathways revealed insights into the role of critical hubs in signaling. Interrogation of multiple microarray datasets revealed that SARS-CoV-2 induced high levels of IFN-beta and interferon-inducible transcription factor mRNA in human lung epithelial cells. Transcription factor mRNA of the three major sub-networks regulating antiviral, immune modulation, and cell growth were differentially regulated in human lung epithelial cell lines after SARS-CoV-2 infection and in the tissue samples of COVID-19 patients. A subset of type I interferon-inducible transcription factors and inflammatory mediators were specifically enriched in the lungs and neutrophils of Covid-19 patients. The emerging complex picture of type I IFN transcriptional regulation consists of a rapid transcriptional switch mediated by the Jak-Stat cascade and a graded output of the inducible transcription factor activation that enables temporal regulation of gene expression.
Ethics and Total Worker Health ®: Constructs for Ethical Decision-Making and Competencies for Professional Practice

Work has become increasingly technologically driven and fast paced, with long work hours, new/emerging hazards, and rising health care costs. Threats to worker safety, health, and well-being including non-traditional work arrangements and practices, precarious work, uncertain hazardous exposures, and work organization issues, such as heavy workloads, design of work, uneven work hours, and difficult interpersonal relationships among workers and managers are apparent. Furthermore, the relationship between personal health risk factors and workplace risks and exposures has drawn increased attention and concern. As employer economic pressures continue to build, it is anticipated that ethical dilemmas for practitioners will become increasingly complex. A review of relevant Total Worker Health® (TWH) literature, related ethical constructs and competencies, an examination of codes of ethics for occupational safety and health and health promotion/education disciplines was conducted. A case study for TWH utilizing an ethical decision-making model for the analysis of key ethical issues and solutions was completed. TWH approaches to protecting safety, promoting health, and advancing well-being are increasingly being adopted. These approaches can reveal ethical dilemmas, and ethical constructs are needed to guide decision-making. A core set of proposed ethical competencies for TWH professionals are identified as a transdisciplinary framework to support workplace ethical culture.
Increase in Epinephrine Administration for Food-Induced Anaphylaxis in Pediatric Emergency Departments from 2007 to 2015

Background Epinephrine is underused in the treatment of anaphylaxis, despite being the first-line treatment, which reflects the challenges in diagnosing anaphylaxis and understanding the appropriate therapy. Objective To describe trends in epinephrine administration for patients visiting the pediatric emergency department (ED) with food-induced anaphylaxis (FIA) from 2007 to 2015. Methods This retrospective cohort study included children 0 to 17 years of age with FIA from 46 children's hospitals in the United States between 2007 and 2015. Multivariable regression was used to identify factors associated with epinephrine administration. Results A total of 15,318 cases of FIA cases were seen in the pediatric EDs from 2007 to 2015. Among these ED visits, 7,600 (49.6%) had at least 1 dose of epinephrine administered in the ED. Administration of epinephrine for anaphylaxis in the pediatric ED increased by 4% each year (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; 95% CI 1.03–1.05; P Conclusions Epinephrine administration for FIA in the pediatric ED has increased over time, reflecting the need for continued advocacy for the optimal management of FIA. Further research is warranted to identify optimal strategies for proper recognition and early administration of epinephrine for anaphylaxis.
Approval plan profile assessment in two large ARL libraries: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Pennsylvania State University

Two Association of Research Libraries member libraries, the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC) and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), evaluated their monograph acquisition approval plan profiles to answer basic questions concerning use, cost effectiveness, and coverage. Data were collected in tandem from vendors and local online systems to track book receipt, item circulation, and overlap between plans. The study period was fiscal year 2005 (July 1, 2004–June 30, 2005) for the approval plan purchasing data, and circulation use data were collected from July 1, 2004, through March 31, 2007, for both UIUC and Penn State. Multiple data points were collected for each title, including author, title, ISBN, publisher, Library of Congress classification number, purchase price, and circulation data. Results of the study measured the cost-effectiveness of each plan by subject and publisher, analyzed similarities and differences in use, and examined the overlap between the two approval plans. The goals were to establish a benchmark for consistently evaluating approval plan profile effectiveness and to provide a reproducible method with baseline data that will allow other libraries to collect comparable data and conduct their own studies.
Effects of Extended-duration Row Covers on Muskmelons

Row covers have traditionally been used to increase crop earliness, leading to earlier harvest dates and higher market prices. However, row covers can also provide added benefits in protecting against damage by certain insects. Cucurbit crops, especially muskmelon and cucumber, attract cucumber beetles, which vector bacterial wilt, causing significant crop losses.
Leveraging State Information for Automated Attack Discovery in Transport Protocol Implementations

We present a new method for finding attacks in unmodified transport protocol implementations using the specification of the protocol state machine to reduce the search space of possible attacks. Such reduction is obtained by appling malicious actions to all packets of the same type observed in the same state instead of applying them to individual packets. Our method requires knowledge of the packet formats and protocol state machine. We demonstrate our approach by developing SNAKE, a tool that automatically finds performance and resource exhaustion attacks on unmodified transport protocol implementations. SNAKE utilizes virtualization to run unmodified implementations in their intended environments and network emulation to create the network topology. SNAKE was able to find 9 attacks on 2 transport protocols, 5 of which we believe to be unknown in the literature.
Segmentation and recovery of SHGCs from a real intensity image

We address the problem of scene segmentation and shape recovery from a single real intensity image. Solving this problem is central to obtaining 3-D scene descriptions in realistic applications where perfect data cannot be obtained and only one image is available. The method we propose addresses a large class of generic shapes, namely straight homogeneous generalized cylinders (SHGCs). It consists of the derivation and use of their geometric projective properties in a multi-level grouping approach. We describe an implemented and working system that detects and recovers full SHGC descriptions in the presence of image imperfections such as broken contours, surface markings, shadows and occlusion. We demonstrate our method on complex real images.
Identification of Gq as one of the G-proteins which copurify with human platelet thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 receptors.

Abstract The present study employed ligand affinity and immunoaffinity chromatography to isolate human platelet thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 (TXA2/PGH2) receptor-coupled G-proteins. Purification of TXA2/PGH2 receptors by ligand (SQ31,491)-affinity chromatography resulted in the elution of receptor binding and GTPase activity in the same fraction. GTPase activity of this fraction was enriched (6-fold) relative to solubilized platelet membranes, was stimulated (65%) by 500 nM U46619, and was blocked (74%) by 250 nM SQ29,548. Furthermore, GTP (100 microM) increased [3H]SQ29,548 receptor binding by 48%. Immunoblotting of this fraction against QL antiserum identified a 42-kDa protein as a member of the Gq family. In separate experiments, TXA2/PGH2 receptors were purified by immunoaffinity chromatography using P1Ab, P2Ab, and TxAb affinity columns. QL-immunoreactive proteins at 42 kDa were found in all three column eluates. Studies using G alpha,common antiserum (GA/1) demonstrated immunoblotting of two proteins of approximately 42 and 85 kDa in both the ligand and P2Ab affinity column fractions. On the other hand, the P1Ab and TxAb affinity column eluates contained GA/1 immunoreactivity only in the 42 kDa region. Collectively, these data identify Gq as a TXA2/PGH2 receptor-coupled G-protein and suggest the association of this receptor with additional G alpha subunits.
Nonsmooth sequential analysis in Asplund spaces

We develop a generalized differentiation theory for nonsmooth functions and sets with nonsmooth boundaries defined in Asplund spaces. This broad subclass of Banach spaces provides a convenient framework for many important applications to optimization, sensitivity, variational inequalities, etc. Our basic normal and subdifferential constructions are related to sequential weak-star limits of Frechet normals and subdifferentials. Using a variational approach, we establish a rich calculus for these nonconvex limiting objects which turn out to be minimal among other set-valued di erential constructions with natural properties. The results obtained provide new developments in infinite dimensional nonsmooth analysis and have useful applications to optimization and the geometry of Banach spaces.
Self-induction of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 metabolism limits receptor occupancy and target tissue responsiveness.

Abstract Whole cell 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) receptor (VDR) binding assays, which measure VDR in the presence of the metabolic machinery of the cell, were used in conjunction with a cytosol binding assay for VDR to determine if self-induced metabolism of 1,25-(OH)2D3 limits VDR occupancy, total VDR levels, and target cell responsiveness. Treatment of cells with 0.5 nM 1,25-(OH)2[3H]D3 for 16 h results in up-regulation of total cell VDR from 82 to 170 fmol/mg protein as measured in a cytosol binding assay. Conversely, whole cell binding assays of VDR showed a 1,25-(OH)2D3-mediated apparent down-regulation of VDR from 90 to 40 fmol/mg protein. Scatchard analysis using the cytosol binding assay demonstrated that 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment increased total cell VDR from 93 to 154 fmol/mg protein. In contrast, Scatchard analysis with the whole cell binding assay demonstrated that 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment resulted in reduction in total cell VDR from 100 to 64 fmol/mg protein. Initial Kd estimates with the whole cell binding assay suggested that 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment resulted in a reduction in VDR Kd from 0.6 to 6.2 nM. This apparent reduction in the affinity of VDR for 1,25-(OH)2D3 was due to degradation of free 1,25-(OH)2[3H]D3 which occurred during whole cell saturation assay. Competitive inhibitors of 1,25-(OH)2D3 metabolism were found to reverse the apparent receptor down-regulation observed in whole cell binding assays of treated cells. In addition, the presence of competitive inhibitors amplified responses of cells to 1,25-(OH)2[3H]D3 treatment as measured by an increased occupancy of VDR by 1,25-(OH)2[3H]D3 and increased up-regulation of VDR over that observed without metabolism inhibitors. These data demonstrate that self-induced target tissue deactivation of 1,25-(OH)2D3 regulates 1,25-(OH)2D3 occupancy of VDR and ultimately the biopotency of 1,25-(OH)2D3 in target cells.