cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study on Mechanism of Land Subsidence in Xi'an

By analyzing evolution principles and features of lands' deformation in vertical direction and monitoring data about underground water and layerwise marks,mechanism of land subsidence in Xi'an is studied in this paper. As confined water over- exploitation and tectonic activity are the main cause of land subsidence,the paper puts forward four precautionary measures——strengthen research development on urban geology and mechanism of geological disasters,pay attention to the comprehensive effects of nature and mankind,make city development plan with the consideration of local geology and development of disaster,and finally take proper utilization of groundwater.
HUMAN ACETYL-COENZYME A : ALPHA -GLUCOSAMINIDE N-ACETYLTRANSFERASE : KINETIC CHARACTERIZATION AND MECHANISTIC INTERPRETATION

Acetyl-CoA: alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (N-acetyltransferase) is an integral lysosomal membrane protein which catalyses the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA on to the terminal glucosamine in heparin and heparan sulphate chains within the lysosome. In vitro, the enzyme is capable of acetylating a number of mono- and oligo-saccharides derived from heparin, provided that a non-reducing terminal glucosamine is present. We have prepared highly enriched lysosomal membrane fractions from human placenta by a combination of differential centrifugation and density-gradient centrifugation in Percoll. This preparation was used to investigate the kinetics of the enzyme with three acetyl-acceptor substrates, i.e. glucosamine and a disaccharide and a tetrasaccharide derived from heparin, each containing a terminal glucosamine residue. The enzyme showed a pH optimum at 6.5, extending to 8.0 for the mono- and di-saccharide substrates but falling off sharply above pH 6.5 for the tetrasaccharide substrate. We identified two distinct Km values for the glucosamine substrate at both pH 7.0 and pH 5.0, whereas the tetrasaccharide substrate displayed only a single Km value at each pH. The Km values were found to be highly pH-dependent, and at pH 5.0 the values for the acetyl-acceptor substrates showed a decreasing trend as the size of the substrate increased, suggesting that the enzyme recognizes an extended region of the non-reducing terminus of the heparin or heparan sulphate polysaccharides. Double-reciprocal analysis, isotope exchange between N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine, and inhibition studies with desulpho-CoA indicate that the enzyme operates by a random-order ternary-complex mechanism. Product inhibition studies display a complex pattern of dead-end inhibition. Taken in context with what is known about lysosomal utilization and physiological levels of acetyl-CoA, these results suggest that in vivo the enzyme operates via a random-order ternary-complex mechanism which involves the utilization of cytosolic acetyl-CoA to transfer acetyl groups on to the terminal glucosamine residues of heparin within the lysosome.
Ornithine decarboxylase induction in mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes is related to the specific activation of type I adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase.

The induction of ornithine decarboxylase was studied following the stimulation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes with concanavalin A (ConA) (10 µg/ml). Following treatment with ConA, ornithine decarboxylase activity increased 4-5-fold between 6 and 12 hr of incubation and reached a peak level 10-12-fold above control (unstimulated) values by 48 hr. Increases in incorporation of [3H]uridine into acid-insoluble material followed a similar time course after the addition of ConA to lymphocytes. The rate of incorporation of [3H]thymidine into acid-insoluble material was maximal at 72 hr. The degree of activation of soluble cyclic 39,59-AMP-dependent protein kinase(s) was determined at various times following ConA stimulation. Between 1 and 2 hr after mitogen administration, the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratio increased markedly and was 0.23 unit above control values by 4 hr. The activity ratio decreased between 4 and 8 hr and returned to higher values after incubation with the mitogen for 12, 24, and 48 hr. Separation of the free catalytic subunit from type I and type II protein kinase holoenzyme isozymes via C6-aminoalkyl agarose chromatography revealed that only type I protein kinase was activated 4 hr following incubation of lymphocytes with a mitogenic concentration of ConA (10 µg/ml). The addition of dibutyryl cyclic AMP at the same time as ConA (10 µg/ml) resulted in nearly total activation of both type I and type II protein kinases at 4 hr but was inhibitory to the later induction of ornithine decarboxylase and to increased synthesis of RNA and DNA. A high concentration of ConA (100 µg/ml), which also activated both isozyme forms of the kinase at 4 hr, produced only a small increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity and RNA synthesis at later times and no elevation in DNA synthesis. The data suggest that while the early activation of type I cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase may mediate in a positive manner the induction of ornithine decarboxylase and the mitogenic response of lymphocytes to ConA, concomitant activation of type II protein kinase may inhibit this process.
Whole cell and single-channel properties of a unique voltage-activated sustained calcium current identified in teleost retinal horizontal cells

1. A voltage-activated, sustained calcium current in white bass retinal cone horizontal cells was characterized on the basis of electrophysiological and pharmacological criteria. Studies were perfo...
Faculty perceptions of accommodations, strategies, and psychiatric advance directives for university students with mental illnesses.

OBJECTIVE Universities across the country struggle with the legal and ethical dilemmas of how to respond when a student shows symptoms of serious mental illness. This mixed-method study provides information on faculty knowledge of mental health problems in students, their use of available accommodations and strategies, and their willingness to accept psychiatric advance directives (PADs) as helpful interventions for managing student crises. METHOD Participants were 168 faculty members at a large, public, Southern university. A web-based survey was used to collect quantitative self-report data as well as qualitative data in the form of open-ended questions. Quantitative data are presented with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS The majority of faculty surveyed have an overall supportive stance and are willing to provide accommodations to students with a mental illness. The most common advantage faculty see in a PAD is support of student autonomy and choice, and the primary concern voiced about PADs is that students with mental illness will have poor judgment regarding the contents of the PADs they create. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE PADs may be effective recovery tools to help university students with mental illnesses manage crises and attain stability and academic success. For PADs to be effective, university faculty and administration will need to understand mental illnesses, the strategies students need to manage mental health crises, and how PADs can play a role in supporting students.
Cloning, sequencing, and expression of Na(+)-H+ antiporter cDNAs from human tissues.

Two types of Na(+)-H+ antiporter with different sensitivities to amiloride analogues have been identified in mammalian plasma membranes. A human Na(+)-H+ antiporter cDNA was obtained by Sardet and co-workers (C. Sardet, L. Counillon, A. Franchi, and J. Pouyssegur. Cell 56: 271-280, 1989) using mutant mouse fibroblasts lacking Na(+)-H+ antiporter transformed with human genomic DNA. However, the amiloride sensitivity of this cloned Na(+)-H+ antiporter was not precisely determined. Furthermore, the reported cDNA sequence may be a chimera of human and mouse genes. Hence we isolated a Na(+)-H+ antiporter cDNA actually expressed in human tissues and characterized its amiloride sensitivity. Our 4 kb cDNA obtained from human kidney cortex contained the identical open reading frame to that previously reported and the entire 3' terminus, which was quite different from that reported. This discrepancy was not due to differences in tissue-specific expression because cDNAs from different human tissues were identical, and single bands were observed under high stringency on Northern blots of various human tissues. Na(+)-H+ antiporter activity of mutant mouse fibroblasts deficient in Na(+)-H+ antiporter activity transfected with the cloned cDNA was very sensitive to amiloride and 5-N substituted analogues of amiloride. Thus the cloned cDNA represents the NHE-1 isoform of the Na(+)-H+ antiporter.
Quitobaquito: A Sand Papago Cemetery

AbstractIn 1980. the National Park Service stabilized 34 Sand Papago graves at Quitobaquito in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Prior to this, data were collected on those interred there by interviewing their relatives and surviving Sand Papagos. This information and the physical evidence at the cemetery was used to determine the age of the cemetery (a.d. 1900-1945) and social variables associated with mortuary activities. Limitations to such inferences have implications for the general study of mortuary remains.
Advancements in the management of uveitis

Uveitis may exist as a clinical manifestation of an underlying systemic disease or may represent an idiopathic entity, sometimes with a very characteristic pattern. Different forms of uveitis have been defined on the basis of three important variables: chronicity, anatomic location, and underlying etiology. The evolving understanding of the immune system has resulted in a more targeted approach to manage patients with different forms of uveitis, although clearly this approach is at a very early stage. Altered patterns of cellular processing and different cytokine expression, including TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, and IL17, have been defined in uveitis, and this has laid the pathway for targeted therapy. Furthermore, approved biologic therapies for some of the more common autoimmune illnesses have now been tested in uveitis. Adalimumab and infliximab have been the best studied anti-TNF agents and indeed have now been recommended by an expert panel as the first line of treatment for ocular manifestations of Behcet's disease and the second line of treatment for other forms of uveitis. Adalimumab has been recently approved for intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, and panuveitis. Other biologic agents have been tested, including daclizumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against IL-2, anti-IL1, and anti-IL-6 receptor agents and therapies that block antigen-presenting cell and T-cell interaction, such as abatacept. In small case series, other biologics such as interferon and rituximab have also been evaluated. Although these biologic therapies have provided a larger armamentarium to treat uveitis, challenges remain. Uveitis is not a disease, but a manifestation of many potential systemic diseases that may have specific individual therapeutic targets. Identification and characterization of these underlying diseases are not always possible and, more importantly, the most effective therapies for each entity have not been defined. In this study, an approach to manage patients with uveitis is presented and current therapy is reviewed.
Stimulation of the human medial temporal lobe between learning and recall selectively enhances forgetting.

Abstract Background Direct electrical stimulation applied to the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) typically disrupts performance on memory tasks, however, the mechanism underlying this effect is not known. Objective To study the effects of MTL stimulation on memory performance. Methods We studied the effects of MTL stimulation on memory in five patients undergoing invasive electrocorticographic monitoring during various phases of a memory task (encoding, distractor, recall). Results We found that MTL stimulation disrupted memory performance in a timing-dependent manner; we observed greater forgetting when applying stimulation during the delay between encoding and recall, compared to when it was applied during encoding or recall. Conclusions The results suggest that recall is most dependent on the MTL between learning and retrieval.
Metformin Modulation of Dichloroacetate-Induced Oxidative Stress and its Impact on Mitochondrial Integrity in VM-M3 Glioblastoma Cells

There is accumulating evidence that altered mitochondrial function in cancer contributes to a metabolic phenotype that confers a survival advantage towards cancer cells. A hallmark of this phenotyp...
Improving highbush blueberries by breeding and selection

The author reviews the development of the highbush blueberry industry in the United States from the first hybridizations by F. V. Coville in 1911 to the present. Sections are included on the techniques of breeding and selection, the present breeding objectives, the value of interspecific hybridization in blueberry breeding, and the inheritance of characters in the blueberry. One section is devoted to breeding for specific characters, including fruit size, color, scar, firmness, dessert quality, productivity, and season of ripening. The author discusses some unexplored aspects of blueberry breeding which might be of potential value in developing varieties of blueberries for new areas.
Managing Chaparral Resources on Public Lands

Southern California supports some of the highest biodiversity in the United States, but it also suffers from very heavy visitor use, a large influx of non-native species, high levels of air pollution, steep and erosive slopes, and the most unpredictable precipitation regime in the nation. Wildland vegetation in southern California is dominated by highly flammable shrublands like chaparral. As a result, public lands in southern California are exceptionally fire-prone. Annually they experience more economic and environmental damage from wildfire than any other part of the US. Management in southern California shrubland ecosystems has traditionally focused heavily on fire and fuels, but degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and hundreds of rare, threatened, and endangered species require a more holistic approach, especially with growing human populations and their needs for ecosystem services, and the developing threat of climate change. In this chapter we categorize the major management priorities on public lands in southern California and explore their inter-relationships. We also identify a suite of ecosystem services provided by chaparral landscapes, and we assess how current management priorities interact with and impact these services. Major tensions exist between certain management focus areas, especially recreation and fuel management, and other management priorities and the ecosystem services we assessed. We show how an ecosystem service-based approach to chaparral management can help to better elucidate and resolve conflicts in chaparral management.
Agreement, the F-Measure, and Reliability in Information Retrieval

Information retrieval studies that involve searching the Internet or marking phrases usually lack a well-defined number of negative cases. This prevents the use of traditional interrater reliability metrics like the κ statistic to assess the quality of expert-generated gold standards. Such studies often quantify system performance as precision, recall, and F-measure, or as agreement. It can be shown that the average F-measure among pairs of experts is numerically identical to the average positive specific agreement among experts and that κ approaches these measures as the number of negative cases grows large. Positive specific agreement—or the equivalent F-measure—may be an appropriate way to quantify interrater reliability and therefore to assess the reliability of a gold standard in these studies.
A Business Ecosystem Perspective on Open Platforms and Outsourcing Relationships: A Software Industry Case Study

In this paper we introduce the business ecosystem concept as a lens to explore how the introduction of an open platform may affect outsourcing relationships in a software industry. The case of a recent military initiative to introduce the F.A.C.E.TM (Future Airborne Capability Environment) open platform as a mechanism to control avionics software costs by increasing the re-use of software is used to illustrate changes to the software outsourcing ecosystem. As a consequence this work then lays the foundation for a detailed investigation of the predicted implications both in general and for the specific context studied, as well as illustrating the value of an ecosystem perspective for evaluating the impact of an open platform on outsourcing relationships in other industries.
Strategies for Waste Management and Decontamination

Caring for patients with highly hazardous communicable diseases (HHCDs) presents unique challenges in clinical as well as nonclinical activities, including the safe management of waste contaminated with infectious pathogens and appropriate decontamination of patient care areas. Medical waste generated during the care of a patient with a HHCD pose an increased risk to healthcare, environmental service, and waste-handling workers due to characteristics of HHCDs which may include high morbidity and mortality, high communicability, and low infectious dose. While all medical waste is potentially hazardous and should be handled with safety processes that limit the risk of contact and aerosol exposures, there is no margin of error for waste that is contaminated with highly infectious lethal pathogens. Medical waste contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with a HHCD pathogen should be collected, packaged, stored, and disposed of in a manner that utilizes optimal infection control practices. The development of protocols for both ongoing and terminal decontamination of patient care areas is also an essential part of the management of the care environment for patients with HHCD.
Multiplying with synapses and neurons

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the multiplication of synapse and neuron in reference with polynomial algorithms and biophysical mechanisms. Polynomial algorithms are an approximation schemes based on multivariate polynomials, and Boolean functions and circuits of various neural network architectures. This also includes relation with smooth functions and experimental evidence for multiplicative-like interaction. Cortical circuits in brain show sigma–pi networking which shows the way the brain is working. Multidimensional neural response selectivity can be synthesized. Algorithms can be synthesized by the set of multipliers. There are also some set of other multipliers that plays role in multiplication. The study also highlights biophysical mechanisms of multiplication that includes nonlinear synoptic interaction, silent disinhibition, NMDA receptors, product of firing rates, and noisy linear threshold neurons.
Socioeconomic, Historical, and Cultural Context of Israel and Impact on the Families

This chapter presents the socioeconomic, historical, and cultural contexts of the State of Israel and their impact on its families. As a young, culturally and ethnically diverse country, Israel faces major challenges that are affecting its family life-related services and programs as well as family life education. The ecological theory and the international family strengths model are used to examine issues such as parenting, couple relationships, poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, and immigration. The chapter presents several examples of policies, government-funded programs and services, and family education programs.
Making smart windows smarter (Conference Presentation)

Heating, cooling, and lighting for buildings represent 40 percent of our nation’s energy consumption. Smart windows can reduce energy needs by up to 40 percent by regulating the transmission of visible and near-infrared light. This talk will highlight a self-powered smart-window technology that uses UV-harvesting organic solar cells for onboard power. Highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, implementation of such smart windows can simultaneously provide energy savings and increase occupant comfort.
Iron metabolism under conditions of ineffective erythropoiesis in β-thalassemia

β-Thalassemia (BT) is an inherited genetic disorder that is characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis (IE), leading to anemia and abnormal iron metabolism. IE is an abnormal expansion of the number of erythroid progenitor cells with unproductive synthesis of enucleated erythrocytes, leading to anemia and hypoxia. Anemic patients affected by BT suffer from iron overload, even in the absence of chronic blood transfusion, suggesting the presence of ≥1 erythroid factor with the ability to modulate iron metabolism and dietary iron absorption. Recent studies suggest that decreased erythroid cell differentiation and survival also contribute to IE, aggravating the anemia in BT. Furthermore, hypoxia can also affect and increase iron absorption. Understanding the relationship between iron metabolism and IE could provide important insights into the BT condition and help to develop novel treatments. In fact, genetic or pharmacological manipulations of iron metabolism or erythroid cell differentiation and survival have been shown to improve IE, iron overload, and anemia in animal models of BT. Based on those findings, new therapeutic approaches and drugs have been proposed; clinical trials are underway that have the potential to improve erythrocyte production, as well as to reduce the iron overload and organ toxicity in BT and in other disorders characterized by IE.
Continuing to build knowledge: Undergraduate nonprofit programs in institutions of higher learning

As student demand for nonprofit management education (NME) grows, new program offerings proliferate. While longitudinal data track the development of graduate NME programs, their curricula and loca...
Zinc-mediated chain extension of beta-keto phosphonates

A variety of β-keto phosphonates can be converted to γ-keto phosphonates through reaction with ethyl(iodomethyl)zinc. The presence of α-alkyl substituents, Lewis basic functionality, and modestly acidic NH-protons are accommodated in substrates of this reaction. Chain extension of β-keto phosphonates that contained olefinic functionality proceeded more quickly than cyclopropanation; however, it was not possible to effect the chain extension to the exclusion of cyclopropane formation. A primary reason for this imperfect chemoselectivity appears to be the slow chain extension of β-keto phosphonates. Nevertheless, the simplicity, the scope, and efficiency of this method serve to make it an attractive alternative to the established methods for γ-keto phosphonate formation.
Contribution of DNA methylation to the expression of FCGRT in human liver and myocardium

FcRn mediates recycling and transcytosis of IgG and albumin in various cell types. The MHC-class-I-like protein of the FcRn heterodimer is encoded by FCGRT. Few determinants of variable FCGRT expression in humans have been identified so far. In this study, we investigated the presence of DNA methylation in regulatory regions of FCGRT in samples of human liver and myocardium tissue, and we examined the impact of FCGRT methylation on FcRn expression in model cell lines. Quantitative DNA methylation analysis of the FCGRT locus revealed differentially methylated regions in DNA from liver and myocardium. Methylation status in individual CpG sites correlated with FCGRT mRNA expression. Data from model cell lines suggest that differential methylation in the −1058 to −587 bp regulatory region of FCGRT contributes to FcRn expression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicate that CpG site methylation impacts the binding of the methylation sensitive transcription factors Zbtb7a and Sp1. This study provides a foundation to further define the contribution of epigenetic factors during the control of FcRn expression and IgG traffic in human tissues.
Stochastic Multi-Fidelity Scheduling of Flexibility Reserve for Energy Storage

This paper proposes a continuous-time two-stage stochastic optimization model for multi-fidelity co-optimization of energy and flexibility reserve provided by generating units and energy storage (ES) devices in day-ahead operation. The flexibility reserve, defined as a single continuous-time trajectory that combines the balancing and ramping reserves, not only supplies the energy deviation but also the ramping requirements of load and renewable generation in power systems operation. The proposed model co-optimizes decision variables with different modeling fidelity, where the energy and flexibility reserve schedules are modeled and optimized by Bernstein polynomials of different degrees to match the flexibility requirements of load and renewable generation in day-ahead and real-time operation stages. Numerical studies, conducted on the IEEE reliability test system with the load and solar data of California ISO, highlight the benefits of the proposed stochastic multi-fidelity model over traditional discrete-time models in efficient utilization of ES flexibility to supply the energy and ramping requirements of the net-load and avoid scarcity events.
A Learning Vector Quantization Based Geospatial Modeling Approach for Inland WQ Remote Prediction

Quick and accurate quantification of lake water quality (WQ) is essential for its management and improvement. Use of geotechnology (remote sensing, GIS, and GPS) applications is a step forward in improving our ability to effectively quantify and manage the WQ of ungauged lakes. Beaver Reservoir, a drinking water source for over 280,000 people in northwest Arkansas, is facing increased chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) and suspended matter (SM) content in the lake. This study is designed to qualitatively predict the Chl-a and SM content in the lake on a spatial basis from Landsat-TM image digital information. A Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) classification neural model was used to predict the qualitative (oligotrophic, moderately oligotrophic, and mildly trophic) classes for several spatial positions in the lake. The geostatistical tool in ArcGIS was used to spatially map the Chl-a and SM extent around the lake. The LVQ classification model predicted the Chl-a extent with more than 90% accuracy having only one point misclassified out of 14 testing points. The LVQ model prediction for SM resulted in four misclassified points out of 14 testing points with prediction accuracy of 72%. The final spatial zoning maps for Chl-a and SM extent in the entire lake could be used to help water use managers and end users design management strategies, and also demonstrates a relatively low cost WQ prediction mechanism that can be applied in developing countries and elsewhere when detailed in-situ monitoring is not feasible.
Impacts of low concentration surfactant on red blood cell dielectrophoretic responses.

Cell dielectrophoretic responses have been extensively studied for biomarker expression, blood typing, sepsis, circulating tumor cell separations, and others. Surfactants are often added to the analytical buffer in electrokinetic cellular microfluidic systems to lower surface/interfacial tensions. In nonelectrokinetic systems, surfactants influence cell size, shape, and agglomeration; this has not been systematically documented in electrokinetic systems. In the present work, the impacts of the Triton X-100 surfactant on human red blood cells (RBCs) were explored via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and dielectrophoresis (DEP) to compare nonelectrokinetic and electrokinetic responses, respectively. The UV-Vis spectra of Triton X-100 treated RBCs were dramatically different from that of native RBCs. DEP responses of RBCs were compared to RBCs treated with low concentrations of Triton X-100 (0.07–0.17 mM) to ascertain surfactant effects on dielectric properties. A star-shaped electrode design was used to quantify RBC dielectric properties by fitting a single-shell oblate cell model to experimentally-derived DEP spectra. The presence of 0.07 and 0.11 mM of Triton X-100 shifted the RBC’s DEP spectra yielding lower crossover frequencies (fCO). The single-shell oblate model revealed that cell radius and membrane permittivity are the dominant influencers of DEP spectral shifts. The trends observed were similar for 0.11 mM and 0.07 mM Triton X-100 treated cells. However, a further increase of Triton X-100 to 0.17 mM caused cells to only exhibit negative DEP. The magnitude of the DEP force increased with Triton X-100 concentration. This work indicates that dynamic surfactant interactions with cell membranes alter cell dielectric responses and properties.Cell dielectrophoretic responses have been extensively studied for biomarker expression, blood typing, sepsis, circulating tumor cell separations, and others. Surfactants are often added to the analytical buffer in electrokinetic cellular microfluidic systems to lower surface/interfacial tensions. In nonelectrokinetic systems, surfactants influence cell size, shape, and agglomeration; this has not been systematically documented in electrokinetic systems. In the present work, the impacts of the Triton X-100 surfactant on human red blood cells (RBCs) were explored via ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and dielectrophoresis (DEP) to compare nonelectrokinetic and electrokinetic responses, respectively. The UV-Vis spectra of Triton X-100 treated RBCs were dramatically different from that of native RBCs. DEP responses of RBCs were compared to RBCs treated with low concentrations of Triton X-100 (0.07–0.17 mM) to ascertain surfactant effects on dielectric properties. A star-shaped electrode design was us...
Electric dipole power emission near an ENZ medium

ABSTRACTPower emission by an electric dipole near an interface is considered. We derive explicit expressions for the emitted power for any state of oscillation of the dipole, without making use of ...
Participation in Clinical Trials as a Clinical Trialist for the Community Surgeon

The definition of a community hospital has been highly variable based on teaching versus non-teaching, proximity to a major metropolitan area, number of hospital beds, governance structure, partnered or not partnered with a larger center, or simply its role as a care hub for the local population. For the purpose of this chapter, the term community hospital will refer to the American Hospital Associations definition as a non-federal, short-term, general, and/or specialty hospitals. This excludes university centers, but includes university affiliates and can be teaching or non-teaching. In 1980, 16% of outpatient surgeries took place at community hospitals. In 2015, this number increased to 66% (National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control, 2017). Similar trends are being seen in cancer care. Since clinical trials (inclusive of pharmaceutical trials, device trials, quality of life trials, and others) are the means by which the medical and surgical community evaluate and improve care for patients, it is imperative that the population of patients who receive their care at community centers have the opportunity to enroll in clinical trials. Similarly, surgeons in these settings must be armed with the tools needed to participate in clinical trials. This chapter outlines the community surgeon’s involvement in clinical trials. Discussed are the historic perspective (including community participation in practice changing trials), the logistic challenges and barriers in the community hospital, and the unique elements of trials in the community setting compared to the university-based academic settings.
Abstract IA21: Metabolic phenotypes and liabilities in human cancer

Metabolic reprogramming in cancer arises from a complex, incompletely-defined combination of factors intrinsic and extrinsic to malignant cells. In some cases, reprogrammed pathways contribute to the process of transformation, and in many others they enable cancer progression by supporting cell survival and excessive growth. The clinical relevance of cancer metabolism is emphasized by the fact that numerous imaging modalities and therapeutic strategies in cancer capitalize on the altered metabolic states present in tumors. Recent work has emphasized that metabolic phenotypes and liabilities evolve as cancer progresses, such that pathways required for cancer initiation may be dispensable in more advanced stages, and vice versa. A key challenge is to define metabolic properties that support key aspects of cancer progression, particularly metastasis and acquired therapy resistance, which account for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Because these processes are difficult to model in culture, we have developed clinical approaches to study cancer metabolism in vivo, in patients, and to uses these approaches to identify features that drive cancer progression. I will discuss approaches using metabolomics and intra-operative infusions with 13C-labeled nutrients to assess metabolic pathway utilization in human tumors. We use this approach to characterize metabolic heterogeneity among tumors arising in different organs, to identify areas of regional metabolic heterogeneity within solid tumors and to predict which activities support cancer progression. Our work to this point demonstrates marked diversity of fuel preferences in primary tumors and unexpected roles of particular pathways in cancer cell biology. Citation Format: Ralph J. DeBerardinis. Metabolic phenotypes and liabilities in human cancer [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Special Virtual Conference on Epigenetics and Metabolism; October 15-16, 2020; 2020 Oct 15-16. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(23 Suppl):Abstract nr IA21.
Critical Infrastructure Network Evaluation

Network performance evaluation is an increasingly important component of critical infrastructure analysis. With the recent interest in assessing the safety, security, integrity and robustness of cr...
Monetary Policy and Bank Concentration

Examining how monetary policy affects bank concentration, we find that when the policy rate rises, banks operating in more competitive markets are more likely to be acquired or fail. The effect is more pronounced among banks with less market power, causing the banking sector to be dominated by fewer large banks over time. Consistent with the market power channel, the effect is driven by banks’ inability to pass the rate hikes to the asset side and being forced to pass to the liability side. We show that banks respond to rate hikes by seeking consolidation to gain market power.
Tribal Ecological Knowledge and the Transition to Ecological Law

“When the sciences became divided, our knowledge of the world became badly fragmented.” - Vine Deloria, Jr. Proposals for an “ecological law” system are premised upon a need to protect and restore ecological systems using a holistic approach, and one that is fundamentally representative and just. Although the definition of ecological law is still being debated, and constructed, support for such a system of law is growing in various nations. In the United States, ecological law has been slow to gain traction except amongst isolated local governments and academic communities, and yet its practical potential could be an important means of responding to the challenges that the United States will face in addressing social injustice and ecological degradation. In Indian Country, which is the legal term describing indigenous lands of the United States, ecological law principles are reflected in tribal laws governing natural resource use and management, as well as ecological protection. Outside Indian Country, the Supreme Court’s legal and jurisdictional boundaries limit the extent to which indigenous ecological law principles are used to protect ecosystems, species, and the broader global climate. Yet, the members of the Bears Ears Inter-tribal Coalition have found a way to work around these barriers using unique natural resource collaborative management agreements, which have provided a means of returning indigenous knowledge of ecosystems and ecological history to the Bears Ears region. Despite the Trump Administration’s reduction of the Bears Ears National Monument, this potential remains, and the Bears Ears model can serve as a roadmap for other tribes seeking to build collaborative and cooperative management structures with federal and state agencies and entities.
Introduction: nation-building in the Baltic states: thirty years of independence

The recovery of national independence by Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania is one of the signal achievements of the late twentieth century. The three Baltic states played a leading role in triggering ...
Extracellular Vesicles in Pharmacology: Novel Approaches in Diagnostics and Therapy

Abstract Exosomes are nano-sized lipid vesicles that are produced by all eukaryotic cells, and they typically range in size from 30-150 nm. Exosomes were discovered almost 40 years ago; however, the last two decades have attracted considerable attention due to exosomes’ inherent abilities to shuttle nucleic acids, lipids and proteins between cells, along with their natural affinity to exosome target cells. From a pharmaceutical perspective, exosomes are regarded as naturally produced nanoparticle drug delivery vehicles. The application of exosomes as a means of drug delivery offers critical advantages compared to other nanoparticulate drug delivery systems, such as liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles. These advantages are due to the exosomes’ intrinsic features, such as low immunogenicity, biocompatibility, stability, and their ability to overcome biological barriers. Herein, we outline the structure and origin of exosomes, as well as their biological functions. We also touch upon recent advances in exosome labeling, imaging and drug loading. Finally, we discuss exosomes in targeted drug delivery and clinical trial development.
Using Step Activity Monitoring to Characterize Ambulatory Activity in Community‐Dwelling Older Adults

OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential of using step activity monitoring to detect differences in ambulatory activity associated with advancing age and declining function in community-dwelling seniors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional pilot study. SETTING: General communities of Seattle, Washington; Catonsville, Maryland; and Durham, North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty healthy younger adults, 28 healthy older adults, and 12 older adults reporting functional limitations. MEASUREMENTS: Ambulatory activity data were collected over 6 days with the StepWatch 3. Average daily values were calculated for number of steps, number of minutes of activity, number of activity bouts, variability of minute-to-minute activity, and randomness of minute-to-minute activity fluctuations. RESULTS: Healthy older adults engaged in fewer bouts of activity (P=.03) and displayed less-variable activity (P=.02) than younger adults. Older adults reporting functional limitations not only engaged in fewer bouts of activity (P=.009) and less variable activity (P<.001) than younger adults, but also accumulated fewer total steps (P=.003) and minutes of activity (P=.008) and had less-random minute-to-minute activity fluctuations (P=.02). CONCLUSION: Step activity monitoring data were useful for detecting differences in ambulatory activity according to age and functional limitation. Monitor-based measures reflecting patterns of ambulatory activity show promise for use in studies of physical functioning.
A School Desegregation Tool that Backfired: Magnet Schools and Classroom Segregation

This Note argues that courts assessing the desegregation effectiveness of magnet schools should evaluate the desegregation of classrooms as well as buildings. Part I, after describing magnet schools and their role in the segregation of school systems, presents support for the claim that many magnet schools are rife with racially segregated classrooms. Part II explains how the methods developed by academics to evaluate desegregation plans have made it possible for magnet schools to operate separate classrooms for minority and white students, yet still be considered desegregated schools. Part III describes constitutional prohibitions against racial segregation within magnet schools, but notes that federal funding programs for desegregation-oriented magnet schools do not explicitly require the Department of Education to consider how the magnet program will affect classroom racial composition. Part IV discusses the declining number of school desegregation cases in which the court explicitly considers within-school racial segregation. The Article concludes that courts should pay particular attention to classroom racial composition as they fashion equitable remedies to school segregation.
microRNA-21 mediates hydrogen sulfide-induced protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury in diabetic heart (1080.6)

Background: Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and inflammatory injury in mice via induction of microRNA (miR)-21. Since the diabetic heart is non-compliant with most known cardioprotective strategies, we tested whether H2S would also induce miR-21 in the diabetic heart and protect against I/R injury. Methods and Results: Adult db/db mice were treated with vehicle (saline) or the H2S donor, Na2S, (100 µg/kg, iv) at the end of 30 min. of regional ischemia prior to reperfusion for 24 h. After reperfusion, left ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography and infarct size (IS) was measured by TTC staining. Mir-21 expression was assessed by qPCR. Na2S increased miR-21 in db/db mice (5.3-Fold, P<0.005 vs. control) and reduced IS (34±2%) as compared to control db/db mice (68±3%). To test the role of miR-21 in infarct reduction, adult C57BL or miR-21 KO mice were challenged with streptozotocin (STZ; 150 mg/kg, ip) to induce diabetes 4 weeks prior to subjecting ...
Slavery, Economic Freedom & Income Levels in the Former Slave-Exporting States of Africa

This paper investigates the relationships among slavery, economic freedom and economic development across former slave-exporting states in Africa, using country-level slave export data from Nunn (2008a), the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World index, and per capita real GDP from the Maddison Project database. Recent studies document a negative link between slavery and present-day income. This study takes an additional step, aiming to connect slavery, institutions, and economic performance by testing whether the early institutions of slavery work through current institutions to affect modern incomes. I attempt to support this relationship using slave exports as an instrument for institutions in 2SLS income regressions. Results demonstrate a strong, positive relationship between economic freedom and present-day income. Further, based on tests of over-identifying restrictions, I cannot safely reject instrument validity. These findings, taken together, suggest that institutions likely serve as a conduit for the influence of slavery on incomes today.
Similar Solutions for Boundary Layers in Constant-Temperature Magneto-Gasdynamic Channel Flow

One of the problems that must be faced in the development of plasma accelerators is the growth of boundary layers upon the accelerator walls. The boundary-layer effects may be important not only from a heat-transfer standpoint, but because of the displacement effect on the main flow. For the steady-flow accelerator utilizing crossed electric and magnetic fields, such as that discussed by Resler and Sears, a very interesting situation may develop upon the walls that are perpendicular to the current flow. Since the wall must generally be cool, there is a tendency for the plasma conductivity near the wall to be lower than that in the relatively hot free stream. Consequently, the Joule heating associated with the continuous current will be highest in the neighborhood of the wall. This increased heating may produce an abnormal thermal boundary layer and, quite possibly, a severe heat-transfer condition.
Maintaining a COTS integrated solution-are traditional static analysis techniques sufficient for this new programming methodology?

As integrating commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products into new homogeneous systems replaces "traditional" software development approaches, software maintenance problems persist. This approach builds new solutions via "glue code" using visual languages, which tie together client-based office products, server-based "BackOffice" products and web-based services/applications. The resulting collection of distributed object-oriented components are glued together by attaching code snippets written in a visual language to other components and controls, such as a command button on a form. A majority of the code in such an application is pre-generated and self-contained in the individual components being reused and, as a result, is typically difficult to understand and maintain. Our experience shows that, while these approaches actually exacerbate some maintenance problems, such as the introduction of dead code, traditional static analysis techniques may still facilitate common maintenance activities. This work reports on the use of data flow techniques on several medium-sized COTS integrated solutions that have become difficult to maintain. We found that by exploiting semantic information, traditional techniques can be augmented to handle some of the unique maintenance issues of component-based software.
Avoiding Implementation Errors in Cancer Survivorship Care Plan Effectiveness Studies

Although survivorship care plans (SCPs) have been recommended for the last decade, implementation and dissemination has been slow, low, and sporadic. In the accompanying article, Nicolaije et al report on the longitudinal effectiveness of SCPs. This is the fourth publication from the Registrationsystem Oncological Gynecology (ROGY) program, which electronically generates an SCP for women with gynecologic malignancies in the Netherlands. Previously, Nicolaije et al documented the degree of dissatisfaction of information provided for women with endometrial cancer, concluding that SCPs could address many of these unmet needs. They conducted a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial in 12 institutions in which half used the ROGY system to create and deliver an individualized SCP and half received usual care for patients ending treatment between 2011 and 2012. This study contributes to a growing number of randomized controlled trials of SCP effectiveness. These and other studies have primarily assessed the effects of SCPs on distal outcomes, such as patient satisfaction with care. They tend not to address the more proximal, process-related outcomes that we might expect SCPs to influence (eg, knowledge, communication, and care coordination) or how SCPs are implemented. In this sense, the standards to which we hold studies of SCP effectiveness diverge from standards for other innovations in cancer care. For example, studies of the effectiveness of a cancer drug report on its indications, mode of administration, dose, frequency, adverse effects, and response rates; we take these into account when evaluating their results. In contrast, SCP effectiveness studies rarely define the information that SCPs contain, how they are developed and delivered, whether survivors or primary care providers (PCPs) receive and use them, whether and how frequently they are updated, and whether SCPs have any negative effects. Without this information, SCP effectiveness studies cannot be compared or contrasted, and they cannot inform future implementation and dissemination efforts. Moreover, omitting this information exposes SCP effectiveness studies to the possibility that outcomes are the result not of the inherent (in)effectiveness of SCPs but rather of poor or inconsistent SCP implementation (type III error).