cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of homotypic and heterotypic interaction in 3D on the E-selectin mediated adhesive properties of breast cancer cell lines

Hematogenous metastasis involves a glycoprotein mediated adhesion cascade of tumor cells with E-selectin on the endothelial layer of the blood vessels. Cell-cell interactions play a major role in cancer metastasis and invasiveness. Intercellular communication between two cancer cells or between a cancer cell with a stromal cell in the microenvironment such as fibroblasts or inflammatory cells play an important role in metastatic invasion. Culturing tumor cells as 3D spheroids can recapitulate these physiologically relevant cell-cell interactions. The heterogeneity in primary tumors is attributed to cell subpopulations with varying degree of invasiveness. Co-culturing cancer cells with different phenotypes as 3D spheroids can mimic this heterogeneity. Here we report the effect of homotypic and heterotypic interactions in breast cancer cells cultured as 3D spheroids on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) on the adhesion phenotype to E-selectin. We show that breast cancer cell lines (BT20 and MCF7) propagating as 3D spheroids on PDMS exhibit a stronger interaction with human recombinant E-selectin when compared to their respective monolayer grown counterparts on tissue culture plate (TCP). Matrigel invasion assay also indicated that BT20 and MCF7 spheroids were more invasive than BT20 and MCF7 cells grown as monolayers. To mimic tumor heterogeneity in vitro, a co-culture model included tumorigenic cell lines BT20, MCF7 and a non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cell line MCF10A. These cell lines were cultured together in equal seeding ratio on PDMS to generate co-culture spheroids. The heterotypic interactions in the co-culture model resulted in enhancement of the adhesion of the most invasive BT20 cell line to E-selectin. BT20 cells in co-culture bound to the greatest degree to soluble E-selectin compared to MCF7 and MCF10A cells in co-culture. Co-invasion assay with co-culture spheroids indicated that BT20 cells in co-culture were more invasive than MCF7 and MCF10A cells. The results presented here indicate that homotypic and heterotypic interaction of cancer cells favor adhesion to E-selectin thus representing a complexity beyond planar cell culture. Also, when cells of different phenotypes are mixed, the heterogeneity enhances the adhesive phenotype and invasiveness of the most invasive cell population. The results challenge the classic use of planar cell culture for evaluating the adhesion of cancer cells to E-selectin and establish our co-culture technique as a model that can help investigative studies in metastasis and invasiveness of breast and other types of cancers.
A bayesian framework for estimating properties of network diffusions

The analysis of network connections, diffusion processes and cascades requires evaluating properties of the diffusion network. Properties of interest often involve variables that are not explicitly observed in real world diffusions. Connection strengths in the network and diffusion paths of infections over the network are examples of such hidden variables. These hidden variables therefore need to be estimated for these properties to be evaluated. In this paper, we propose and study this novel problem in a Bayesian framework by capturing the posterior distribution of these hidden variables given the observed cascades, and computing the expectation of these properties under this posterior distribution. We identify and characterize interesting network diffusion properties whose expectations can be computed exactly and efficiently, either wholly or in part. For properties that are not `nice' in this sense, we propose a Gibbs Sampling framework for Monte Carlo integration. In detailed experiments using various network diffusion properties over multiple synthetic and real datasets, we demonstrate that the proposed approach is significantly more accurate than a frequentist plug-in baseline. We also propose a map-reduce implementation of our framework and demonstrate that this can analyze cascades with millions of infections in minutes.
Thermal conductivity of zirconia–alumina composites

Abstract Ten mole percent of yttria-stabilized zirconia (10YSZ)–alumina composites containing 0–30 mol% alumina were fabricated by hot pressing at 1500 °C in vacuum. Thermal conductivity of the composites, determined at various temperatures using a steady-state laser heat flux technique, increased with increase in alumina content. Composites containing 0, 5, and 10 mol% alumina did not show any change in thermal conductivity with temperature. However, those containing 20 and 30 mol% alumina showed a decrease in thermal conductivity with increase in temperature. The measured values of thermal conductivity were in good agreement with those calculated from the Maxwell–Eucken model where one phase is uniformly dispersed within a second major continuous phase.
Opioid activity of a benzomorphan lacking an oxygen atom

Abstract A benzomorphan without an oxygen atom had typical opiate activity in the guinea pig myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation and in the opiate receptor binding assay. This activity was shown not to be due to an impurity or to hydroxylation during the assay procedures. Although phenolic oxygen enhances potency, an oxygen atom is not essential for interaction of an opioid agonist with the opiate receptors.
Care of the child with a gastrostomy tube: common and practical concerns.

This article presents the most common pediatric conditions that require gastrostomy tubes to maintain the child's nutritional status. It discusses the care of the child with a gastrostomy tube, including the feeding, changing, and maintenance techniques. The growth and developmental needs of these children, as well as the teaching and emotional support provided to the parents, is also presented. The use of gastrostomy tubes in the care of children with complex problems is common; however, nursing care of the child with a gastrostomy tube is not complex. Proper knowledge of tube maintenance and care is important in preventing complications that can have serious consequences.
Telecommunications and Regional Development: Evidence from the U.S. States

During the past 20 years, advancements in telecommunications technologies have had a direct impact on firms, particularly in the service-related sectors, and the telecommunications infrastructure has become important to their production processes. These developments also have had an indirect effect on the overall economy of regions because of the externalities they generate. This article is an examination of the impact of telecommunications infrastructure on the service sectors’ output growth among the 48 contiguous U.S. states. The findings suggest that not every state receives the full benefits of its own telecommunications infrastructure. A state-by-state regression analysis shows the variation in returns on telecommunications investments across states. This variation may be due to the inefficient utilization of telecommunications infrastructure as a factor of production. Data envelopment analysis confirms that the states accruing significantly positive benefits are those in which businesses use the te...
Thermo-magnetic metal flexure actuators

Deep X-ray lithography and metal plating when coupled with a sacrificial layer, SLIGA, lends itself to the fabrication of very high aspect ratio metal structures which are mechanically stiff in the substrate direction and can be very flexible in the direction parallel to the substrate. These properties can be exploited by producing a family of new flexure actuators which can produce very significant motion via thermal expansion and magnetic forces. The magnitude of thermal effects and magnetic forces are dependent on actuator geometry. An understanding of each effect allows the design of an actuator which is dominated by one or both effects. The end result is devices intended for large motion actuators in microswitch and positioning applications. They are also useful for material constant measurements of electroplated metals. >
A spherical encoder for real-time measurements of three-DOF wrist orientations

The need for simultaneous measurement of more-than-one degrees-of-freedom (DOF) motions of an object can be found in numerous applications such as robotic assembly, precision machining, optical tracking, wrist actuators, and active joysticks. Conventional single-axis encoders, though capable of providing high-resolution linear or angular measurements, require additional mechanical linkages that often introduce frictions, backlashes, and singularities. In this paper, a non-contact optical sensor for three-DOF orientation measurement is present. Unlike other contemporary designs, which often require a specific pattern to be drawn on a surface, this optical sensor presented here relies only on microscope features on natural surfaces to detect incremental motions. Here we offer a detailed description of the design and the development of a dual-sensor system capable of measuring three-DOF motions in real time. The analysis that is essential for optimizing the sensor design has been validated experimentally.
Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation Without Hematopoietic Support for the Treatment of Hematologic Malignancies in Jehovah's Witnesses

Purpose Autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) has shown to provide curative benefit in patients with relapsed lymphoma and multiple myeloma (MM), often requiring hematopoietic support until marrow engraftment. Because of Jehovah's Witnesses' (JW) refusal of blood products, treatment challenges arise. This study represents 125 JWs with lymphoma (n = 55), MM (n = 68), or amyloidosis (n = 2), treated with high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and ASCT without transfusions. Patients and Methods Priming with intravenous iron and erythropoietin occurred to increase hemoglobin (Hb) pretransplantation. Cytokine mobilization of stem-cells was used. Delay to HDC was done to allow Hb and platelets to approach 11 g/dL and 100 × 103/μL, respectively. Patients with MM received a standard dose of melphalan 200 mg/m2, with dose reduction for severe kidney dysfunction. Patients with lymphoma received carmustine 300 mg/m2, cyclophosphamide 1,500 mg/m2 on days 2 through 5 (total 6 g/m2), and etoposide 700 mg/m2 per day on days...
Money and State Legislative Elections: The Conditional Impact of Political Context:

This study builds on existing literature demonstrating the conditional effects of contextual and conversion factors on the relationship between money and votes in state legislative elections. A conditional theory of the impact of spending in state legislative campaigns is developed, emphasizing that the effectiveness of expenditures should vary according to the number of “up for grabs” voters in a district, candidate quality, and strategic decisions about when to enter a race. Using an original data set of elections to state legislatures in nine states, the analysis provides evidence that the political and institutional context of a race has a significant impact on the effectiveness of campaign spending. Specifically, the percentage of registered independents in a district, the presence or absence of term limits on legislators, and the level of professionalism of a legislature each significantly condition the impact of money.
Association of parathyroid pathology with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Summary Objective The objective was to evaluate the association of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and parathyroid pathology. Methods The medical records of 14 patients with concomitant pathologies were retrospectively reviewed. Results Parathyroidectomies (1.3%) and thyroidectomies (3.5%) performed for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma resulted in the diagnosis of concomitant pathologies. Five patients had a primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and nine were operated for thyroidectomy with intraoperative finding of an enlarged parathyroid gland. Patients (64%) were normocalcemic preoperatively. Thirteen had papillary carcinoma. Fifty percent of patients had multiple foci of papillary microcarcinoma. Twenty-nine percent of patients had parathyroid hyperplasia. All patients with preoperative hypercalcemia normalized their serum calcium. During follow-up, thyroglobuline, calcium serum values and cervical ultrasound showed no evidence of recurrence of the diseases. Conclusions These observations stress the importance of pre and intraoperative evaluation to detect overt thyroid and parathyroid pathology before performing a parathyroidectomy for hyperparathyroidism or a thyroidectomy for a well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma.
Bipedal Walking Robot Driven by Elastic Cables

This paper presents a design concept and analysis of a bipedal walking robot with a novel type of actuation using elastic cables. Each leg has 6-dof, the trunk has 3-dof, and each arm has 1-shoulder-dof. Conventional walking robots consist of joint-attached drives at revolute joints. This yields relatively heavy legs and arms with high moments of inertia, which makes balancing robot dynamic walking difficult due to the high inertial forces of distal segments. The cable-based actuation system is designed for the most kinetically-active biped segments, such as lower legs. These consist of DC motors located on the trunk, elastic cables (with serially-connected springs) and cable routing with specially-designed pulleys. Since the trunk segment accelerations are significantly lower than the leg segments accelerations, it is expected that the overall energy required by the cable-actuated robot is significantly lower than the energy input to a directly-actuated biped. Another novelty in the biped actuation system design is the use of elastic rather than non-elastic cables, for two reasons: smoothing out the sharp impulses due to the foot-ground collision and reduction of the number of motors to actuate each joint. Non-elastic cable-based drives require each cable to be pulled by a separate motor, which would double the number of motors and increase the weight. This problem can be solved using elastic cables and specially-shaped pulleys to reduce the number of motors with a slight increase in controller complexity. The bipedal walking robot architecture with cable drives mimics the human body architecture, where the hip joint is a 3-dof spherical joint, 1-dof knee joint, and 2-dof ankle joint. The architecture is more compact compared to the conventional joint attached drive architecture, wherein all revolute joints are separated. Based on the kinematic and dynamic analysis of the robot, a controller is designed and the perturbation robustness tested. A feedback linearization controller design is used, requiring system dynamics knowledge. Steps toward hardware implementation have been made, since we have implemented an elastic cable actuation system on a robotic cat prior to the concept design for the bipedal robot. The difficulties are discussed, including future plans for improvements and hardware testing.
Permissive human cytomegalovirus infection of a first trimester extravillous cytotrophoblast cell line

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading cause of congenital viral infection in the United States and Europe. Despite the significant morbidity associated with prenatal HCMV infection, little is known about how the virus infects the fetus during pregnancy. To date, primary human cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) have been utilized to study placental HCMV infection and replication; however, the minimal mitotic potential of these cells restricts experimentation to a few days, which may be problematic for mechanistic studies of the slow-replicating virus. The aim of this study was to determine whether the human first trimester CTB cell line SGHPL-4 was permissive for HCMV infection and therefore could overcome such limitations. HCMV immediate early (IE) protein expression was detected as early as 3 hours post-infection in SGHPL-4 cells and progressively increased as a function of time. HCMV growth assays revealed the presence of infectious virus in both cell lysates and culture supernatants, indicating that viral replication and the release of progeny virus occurred. Compared to human fibroblasts, viral replication was delayed in CTBs, consistent with previous studies reporting delayed viral kinetics in HCMV-infected primary CTBs. These results indicate that SGHPL-4 cells are fully permissive for the complete HCMV replicative cycle. Our findings suggest that these cells may serve as useful tools for future mechanistic studies of HCMV pathogenesis during early pregnancy.
The Teacher as Software Developer

The Teacher as Software Developer is the name of a program integrating technology instruction, curriculum, and field experiences in teacher preparation. In an introductory education course for all undergraduate education students, a required technology lab links to a one-day-a-week prepracticum. Preservice students produce a Web site or "software" for their supervising teacher, who is their "client," and the supervising classroom teacher directs them to authentic curriculum objectives. Preservice teachers learn about software while learning about teaching, lesson planning, curriculum, and technology. Supervising classroom teachers' gain an opportunity to experience designing and using software with their own students and curriculum and access to the preservice student produced Web sites after the student has completed the lab. Evidence of the program's success comes from student survey data and student reflections. Despite the program's productivity, it remains an island of instructional technology.
Expanded RAS: Refining the Patient Population

The era of precision medicine has changed the treatment paradigm for some cancers, but for others, the term precision is a stretch. New targets and therapies have broadened choices for patients with lung cancer or melanoma; however, in colorectal cancer (CRC), for example, the evolution of biomarkers has been primarily to inform whom not to treat rather than to identify the patients who will benefit from treatment. The refinements in CRC have been limiting rather than expansive; by broadening the definition of RAS mutations, fewer patients have multiple targeted options.
Effect of small random disorders and imperfections on the performance of arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles

In this paper, we formulate an analytical theory that quantifies the first-order effect of a small random uncontrollable disorder that is due to limitations in the realization of periodic arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles. In particular, we show how the effect of a small disorder may be quantitatively taken into account when evaluating the guidance properties of these otherwise periodic chains, and how the main effect of the small disorder consists of additional radiation losses for the guided mode. Similar quantitative analyses may be extended to the general class of periodic metamaterials, providing an idea of how disorder affects their electromagnetic response, and which types of disorder have the most effect.
Production and Characterization of Ehrlichia risticii, the Agent of Potomac Horse Fever, from Snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) in Aquarium Culture and Genetic Comparison to Equine Strains

We report on the production and characterization of Ehrlichia risticii, the agent of Potomac horse fever (PHF), from snails (Pleuroceridae: Juga spp.) maintained in aquarium culture and compare it genetically to equine strains. Snails were collected from stream waters on a pasture in Siskiyou County, Calif., where PHF is enzootic and were maintained for several weeks in freshwater aquaria in the laboratory. Upon exposure to temperatures above 22°C the snails released trematode cercariae tentatively identified as virgulate cercariae. Fragments of three different genes (genes for 16S rRNA, the groESL heat shock operon, and the 51-kDa major antigen) were amplified from cercaria lysates by PCR and sequenced. Genetic information was also obtained from E. risticii strains from horses with PHF. The PCR positivity of snail secretions was associated with the presence of trematode cercariae. Sequence analysis of the three genes indicated that the source organism closely resembled E. risticii, and the sequences of all three genes were virtually identical to those of the genes of an equine E. risticii strain from a property near the snail collection site. Phylogenetic analyses of the three genes indicated the presence of geographical E. risticii strain clusters.
Middle-aged and older adults who had serious suicidal thoughts: who made suicide plans and nonfatal suicide attempts?

Background: High suicide rates in late middle-aged and older adults are significant public health problems. Although suicide risk and protective factors are well established, more research is needed about suicide planners and attempters. Using multi-year, national epidemiologic survey data, this study identified correlates of making suicide plans and nonfatal suicide attempts among U.S. adults aged 50+ years. Methods: Data are from the 2008 to 2012 U.S. National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Descriptive statistics were used to examine sample characteristics by past-year serious suicidal thoughts, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine potential correlates (sociodemographic factors, health status, religiosity, psychiatric and substance use disorders (SUDs), and mental health and substance abuse treatment use) of suicide plans and suicide attempts among those who reported serious suicidal thoughts. Results: Of the 2.5% of the study population that had serious suicidal thoughts (n = 804), 28% made suicide plans and 11.5% attempted suicide. Although 42% of those with serious suicidal thoughts had major depressive episode (MDE), MDE was not significantly associated with suicide plans or attempts in multivariate models. Being employed decreased the odds of making suicide plans, while mental health service use was associated with increased odds of suicide plans. SUDs increased the odds of suicide attempts. Conclusions: It is important to screen middle-aged and older adults for severe mental and SUDs and suicidal thoughts and to target interventions for likely planners and attempters.
The classification of affective disorders--a reassessment of the bipolar-unipolar dichotomy. A clinical, laboratory, and family study.

Abstract We studied a sample of 26 unipolar and 134 bipolar probands for a selection of familial, demographic, clinical and laboratory variables. We found a high proportion of unipolar illness in the relatives of bipolar probands and bipolar illness in the relatives of unipolar probands, inconsistent with the present dichotomous classification of affective disorders. The two groups were also similar on a number of clinical and demographic variables, and displayed equal amounts of cortical dysfunction as measured by electroencephalographic and neuropsychological techniques. The groups differed significantly on only 2 variables, with unipolars having a greater proportion of females and a later onset age than bipolars. We interpret these findings to be suggestive of homogeneity rather than heterogeneity for the more severe forms of affective disorder and offer several alternatives to the present unipolar/bipolar dichotomy which require further testing.
Improvement of Enzyme Activity and Stability for Reverse Micellar-Encapsulated Lipases in the Presence of Short-Chain and Polar Alcohols

In this report, we demonstrate that the initial activity of lipases from Rhizopus delemar and Candida rugosa encapsulated in Water /AOT/isooctane reverse micelles is greatly enhanced when short-chain n-alkanols (<C5) are present in the medium prior to lipase encapsulation and reduced when long-chain alcohols are present. In addition, enzyme stability for micellar encapsulated lipase was significantly increased when the medium contained both fatty acid and glycerol substrates (esterification reaction). For these cases, the substitution of tetradecane for isooctane as solvent further increased the lipase's half-life from ca. 1 to ca. 3 weeks. An explanation for these results is given which is based on the enhancement of intermicellar attractive interactions and micellar clustering by short-chain and polar alcohols and long-chain oils. Accompanying these changes is a disordering of the structure for the micellar interface and a reduction of the interfacial tension, both of which would reduce enzyme-surfactan...
Effect of fruit and vegetable concentrates on endothelial function in metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

Background and Objective: Dehydrated fruit and vegetable concentrates provide an accessible form of phytonutrient supplementation that may offer cardioprotective effects. This study assessed the effects of two blends of encapsulated juice powder concentrates (with and without added berry powders) on endothelial function in persons with metabolic syndrome, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Methods: Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled crossover clinical trial with three treatment arms. 64 adults with metabolic syndrome were enrolled and received 8-week sequences of each blend of the concentrates and placebo. The primary outcome measure was change in endothelial function (assessed as flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery) 2 hr after consuming a 75 g glucose load, after 8-weeks of daily consumption (sustained) or 2 hr after consumption of a single dose (acute). Secondary outcome measures included plasma glucose, serum insulin, serum lipids, and body weight. Results: No significant between-group differences in endothelial function with daily treatment for 8 weeks were seen. No other significant treatment effects were discerned in glucose, insulin, lipids, and weight. Conclusion: Encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrates did not alter insulin or glucose measures in this sample of adults with metabolic syndrome. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov NCT01224743
Hierarchical Linear Modeling Meta-Analysis of Single-Subject Design Research

The identification of evidence-based practices continues to provoke issues of disagreement across multiple fields. One area of contention is the role of single-subject design (SSD) research in providing scientific evidence. The debate about SSD’s utility centers on three issues: sample size, effect size, and serial dependence. One potential method for addressing all three issues is hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) meta-analysis. This study explored the utility of HLM meta-analysis of SSD. A total of 206 functional behavior assessment–based intervention outcome graphs were aggregated to assess whether HLM meta-analysis could identify (a) an overall effect size and statistical significance for mean shift, slope, and variability; (b) how the results mapped to two additional effect size calculations; and (c) whether the procedure met SSD synthesis criteria outlined by Wolery, Busick, Reichow, and Barton.
The importance of cytogenetic studies in adult acute lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract purpose: The prognostic importance of pretreatment bone marrow cytogenetic studies in adults with acute lymphocytic leukemia treated at a single institution, with an identical treatment program, is described. patients and methods: A total of 105 patients with a documented morphologic diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia were reviewed for the purpose of this analysis. All patients had an extensive workup at presentation, and cytogenetic analysis was performed in 103 patients, using the Giemsa banding technique with trypsin pretreatment on 24-hour cultured cells. results: The specific cytogenetic classification in the 103 patients who had the karyotypic analysis was as follows: diploid 27%; Philadelphia chromosome-positive 13%; hyperdiploid 12%; B-cell karyotype 6%; 6q− and 14q+ abnormalities 4%; pseudodiploid 8%; hypodiploid 2%; and insufficient metaphases 28%. B-cell, 6q− or 14q+, and Philadelphia chromosome-positive karyotypes tended to correlate with other known negative prognostic factors. Patients with diploid, hyperdiploid, pseudodiploid, and hypodiploid karyotypes or with insufficient metaphases could be combined into one group with a favorable prognosis. In this group, the remission rate with induction chemotherapy was 89%, the median complete remission duration was 26 months, and the median survival was 25 months, with a 3-year survival rate of 45%. Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive, B-cell, and 6q− or 14q+ abnormalities collectively had an unfavorable prognosis. Their response rate to induction chemotherapy was 65%, the median response duration was 7 months, and the median survival was 8 months, with a 3-year survival rate of less than 10%. conclusion: We conclude that the pretreatment bone marrow karyotype in an important part of the evaluation of adults with acute lymphocytic leukemia and provides significant prognostic information.
Phylogenetic relationships within and between Epichloë and Neotyphodium endophytes as estimated by AFLP markers and rDNA sequences

Analysis of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP) in a sample population of Epichloe and Neotyphodium was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of this technique in estimating phylogenetic relationships among these fungi. A total of 963 unique restriction fragments were identified with 13 selective primer combinations. Neighbour-joining and parsimony analysis produced phylogenetic trees with high bootstrap support. All Epichloe festucae isolates were monophyletic, and clades of E. festucae were identified that correspond to the host species from which they were isolated. These groups may indicate the importance of coevolution in the development of the fine fescue- E. festucae symbiosis. The grouping of E. festucae isolates from hard fescue and Chewings fescue into one clade conflicts with the current taxonomy of these host grasses. Sequencing of ribosomal DNA spacer regions ITS1 and ITS2 was conducted for comparisons to the phylogenetic relationships estimated by AFLP. Using the maximum likelihood test, a significant difference was detected between AFLP and rDNA trees due to discrepancies in the association of anamorphs ( Neotyphodium ) and teleomorphs ( Epichloe ). This discrepancy may be due to some mechanism of genetic recombination, such as hybridization or parasexual recombination, that occurs in Neotyphodium populations. It is concluded that AFLP markers are useful for producing meaningful phylogenies among a diverse group of fungi and for identifying groups of closely related individuals that are genetically and biologically similar. Further investigation is needed to determine how AFLP markers change over short periods of time in populations and over evolutionary time.
Heritable colon cancer: Influence of increased calcium concentration on increased in vitro tetraploidy (IVT)

Abstract Increased cellular calcium concentration is biologically relevant in heritable colon cancer through influencing the mucosal expression of gene/s for predisposition for colon cancer.
Precipitation evolution in Al–0.1Sc, Al–0.1Zr and Al–0.1Sc–0.1Zr (at.%) alloys during isochronal aging

Abstract Precipitation strengthening is investigated in binary Al–0.1Sc, Al–0.1Zr and ternary Al–0.1Sc–0.1Zr (at.%) alloys aged isochronally between 200 and 600 °C. Precipitation of Al 3 Sc (L1 2 ) commences between 200 and 250 °C in Al–0.1Sc, reaching a 670 MPa peak microhardness at 325 °C. For Al–0.1Zr, precipitation of Al 3 Zr (L1 2 ) initiates between 350 and 375 °C, resulting in a 420 MPa peak microhardness at 425–450 °C. A pronounced synergistic effect is observed when both Sc and Zr are present. Above 325 °C, Zr additions provide a secondary strength increase from the precipitation of Zr-enriched outer shells onto the Al 3 Sc precipitates, leading to a peak microhardness of 780 MPa at 400 °C for Al–0.1Sc–0.1Zr. Compositions, radii, volume fractions and number densities of the Al 3 (Sc 1− x Zr x ) precipitates are measured directly using atom-probe tomography. This information is used to quantify the observed strengthening increments, attributed to dislocation shearing of the Al 3 (Sc 1− x Zr x ) precipitates.
Use of myoelectric signals to recognize speech

It has been determined that the myoelectric signals (MES) from muscles associated with speech that are obtained using surface electrodes can be used to recognize speech at approximately five times a priori. The results of ten experiments have been evaluated using a maximum-likelihood recognition scheme and have consistently yielded similar recognition accuracy among several subjects. Individual word recognition from a ten-word set has approached 60%. Parameters studied have included energy, magnitude, and trial deviation. The results suggest that accuracies at a level suitable for use in a vocal prosthesis will require the development of a hybrid recognition algorithm utilizing either statistical and heuristic word separation or neural nets. >
Dissemination of C. neoformans to the central nervous system: role of chemokines, Th1 immunity and leukocyte recruitment.

Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungus that possesses two properties unique for yeast: (1) production of a polysaccharide capsule and (2) neurotropism. The natural route of infection by C. neoformans ...
Lung Cancer Induction by Silica in Rats, but not in Mice and Hamsters: Species Differences in Epithelial and Granulomatous Reactions

The possible pathogenetic relationship between pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer needs to be investigated. A new animal model appears singularly appropriate for such studies, namely pulmonary carcinogenesis in rats by crystalline silica [hereafter simply referred to as “silica”]. This model is based on the induction, by a single intratracheal instillation of silica in rats, of a marked proliferative reaction of the alveolar epithelium adjacent to fibrogenic granulomatous areas, leading to high incidences of peripheral lung carcinomas, many of which have the characteristic features of “scar cancer” . The advantage of using a single instillation is that the cellular reaction can be followed from a “zero time” . We have conducted extensive histogenetic and long-term studies on the development of cellular reactions to silica in rats, mice and hamsters (1, 2) and found fundamental differences among these three species both in their level of granulomatous fibrogenic response and in their epithelial proliferative and carcinogenic response. These results are summarized and discussed below.
The History of Property Tax Capitalizationin Real Estate

This study examines the capitalization of property taxes in real property. Capitalization theory would suggest that property values depend on the level of public services and taxes within a communi...
Factors influencing compensatory feeding during parenteral nutrition in rats

During parenteral nutrition (PN) there is an incomplete compensatory decrease in oral caloric intake. The effects of two factors influencing nutrient utilization, diurnal timing of PN infusion and composition of available diet, on compensatory feeding were investigated in male rats receiving 100% of daily caloric need as PN (PN-100). Compensation for infused calories increased from 70 to 80% (P < 0.05) when the timing of infused kilocalories more closely matched diurnal pattern of oral kilocalories intake (e.g., 75% kcal daily during the dark phase, 25% during the light phase). There was a similar degree of compensation when the diet and PN-100 had the same caloric distribution (50% kcal from carbohydrate, 30% from fat, and 20% from protein). Adjusting the diurnal timing of infused calories and diet composition concurrently further increased compensation for infused calories from 70 to 90% (P < 0.05). In the rat PN-100 model, compensation for infused calories is improved by adjusting the temporal pattern of infusions and diet composition.
High Temperature Effects on Bituminous Mixes

Temperature effects on stability characteristics were studied for four asphalt and aggregate temperatures to ascertain temperature at which detrimental characteristics are exhibited; in evaluation, Marshall method and Hveem stabilometer were used; eight pages of numerical tables show data of Marshall stability tests and of Hveem stabilometer readings.
Survey of Leucocytozoon in South Carolina

An extensive survey of birds for Leucocytozoon in South Carolina during the summer of 1972 revealed that Blue Jays, Purple Grackles and domestic chickens were commonly infected. No alternate hosts were found for Leucocytozoon smithi of turkeys.
Identifying Phases of Flight in General Aviation Operations

Identifying phases of flight in General Aviation can help in identifying safety events, which are events which may result in the aircraft being in a hazardous state. Unlike commercial operations that have well-defined phases of flight such as taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, approach, and landing, GA missions have more hard-to-identify phases of flight. For example, pilot training missions can involve multiple “touch-and-go” maneuvers, which makes it difficult to define a distinct cruise phase during the patterns. Here, we present initial work on automatically identifying phases of flight in GA. We demonstrate our approach on 16 different flight samples from a Cirrus SR20 aircraft equipped with a Garmin G1000 avionics system.
Abstract PR03: Prmt1 and Prmt1-dependent translation initiation are critical vulnerabilities of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) remains a challenging clinical entity for which targeted therapy is lacking. The frequent mutations of p53 and Rb in OS would be anticipated to create a genetic context in which specific vulnerabilities might exist. To discover genetic vulnerabilities in OS, we conducted high throughput shRNA-based screens in vitro and in vivo using p53/Rb-null OS cells and identified Prmt1, a protein arginine methyltransferase, among other factors as critical to growth/survival of OS cells from genetically engineered mice or human tumors. Indeed, depletion of Prmt1 in OS cells using shRNAs and a Prmt1-specific inhibitor leads to growth arrest and death in vitro . In vivo , Prmt1 inhibition impairs xenograft engraftment and proliferation. Moreover, deletion of Prmt1 in p53/Rb-null osteoblast progenitors using Cre/Lox-based technology significantly inhibits OS initiation and progression in mice, while normal bone development is largely unaffected. In rescue experiments, we find that enzymatically inactive Prmt1 cannot restore proliferation of Prmt1-depleted cells, indicating that the enzymatic activity of Prmt1 is essential for tumorigenicity. To gain mechanistic insights into the molecular functions of Prmt1, we characterized the Prmt1-associated arginine-methylome and downstream targets of Prmt1 using a SILAC-based quantitative proteomics approach. This innovative technique identified many candidate Prmt1-methylated substrates representing various molecular pathways including RNA processing, transcription and translation. In particular, we have shown that loss of Prmt1 leads to a decrease in arginine methylation of members of the eIF4F translation initiation complex, thereby disrupting their physical association and inhibiting translation. Consistent with these findings, we observed that OS cells are sensitive to inhibition of eIF4G, a major component of the eIF4F translation initiation complex, further exposing an additional OS vulnerability to translation inhibition that could be exploited therapeutically. Taken together, our findings implicate a role of Prmt1 in initiation and maintenance of OS and suggest that Prmt1-mediated effects on translation initiation are responsible for tumor proliferation and survival. Based on our findings, we propose that targeted therapy directed to inhibition of Prmt1 and its associated pathways represents a novel and promising therapeutic strategy for OS. This abstract is also presented as Poster A17. Citation Format: Jessie Hao-Ru Hsu, Benjamin Hubbell-Engler, Guillaume Adelmant, Jennifer Perry, Glenn Cowley, Jarrod Marto, Stuart H. Orkin. Prmt1 and Prmt1-dependent translation initiation are critical vulnerabilities of osteosarcoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research: From Mechanisms and Models to Treatment and Survivorship; 2015 Nov 9-12; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(5 Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.
Storage Workload Identification

Storage workload identification is the task of characterizing a workload in a storage system (more specifically, network storage system—NAS or SAN) and matching it with the previously known workloads. We refer to storage workload identification as “workload identification” in the rest of this article. Workload identification is an important problem for cloud providers to solve because (1) providers can leverage this information to colocate similar workloads to make the system more predictable and (2) providers can identify workloads and subsequently give guidance to the subscribers as to associated best practices (with respect to configuration) for provisioning those workloads. Historically, people have identified workloads by looking at their read/write ratios, random/sequential ratios, block size, and interarrival frequency. Researchers are well aware that workload characteristics change over time and that one cannot just take a point in time view of a workload, as that will incorrectly characterize workload behavior. Increasingly, manual detection of workload signature is becoming harder because (1) it is difficult for a human to detect a pattern and (2) representing a workload signature by a tuple consisting of average values for each of the signature components leads to a large error. In this article, we present workload signature detection and a matching algorithm that is able to correctly identify workload signatures and match them with other similar workload signatures. We have tested our algorithm on nine different workloads generated using publicly available traces and on real customer workloads running in the field to show the robustness of our approach.
Sex differences in the early life correlates of natural antibody concentrations

Innate-like B1a lymphocytes arise from long-lived progenitors produced exclusively by fetal stem cells. Any insults coinciding with this early lymphopoietic wave could have a permanent impact on the B1a population and its unique protein products, the natural antibodies (NAb). We investigated early life nutritional influences on NAb concentrations of pre-adolescent children (n=290) in rural Nepal for whom we had extensive information on exposures from pregnancy and early infancy. Infant size and growth were strongly associated with NAb concentrations at 9-13 years of age among males (e.g., for neonatal weight: βBOYS=0.43; P<0.001), but not females (e.g., for neonatal weight: βGIRLS=-0.16; P=0.26). In females, season of birth was associated with NAb concentrations, with marked reductions among girls born during the pre-monsoon (March-May; βGIRLS=-0.39; P=0.01) and pre-harvest (September-November; βGIRLS=-0.35; P=0.03) seasons. Our findings suggest that nutritional or other environmental influences on immune development may vary by sex, with potential consequences for immune function during infancy and long-term risk of immune-mediated disease.
A virus behind the mask of prions

The prion notion, that a host-encoded protein reacts with itself to become an infectious entity, has become highly favoured as the causal agent in transmissible encephalopathies (TSEs) such as endemic scrapie of sheep, epidemic bovine encephalopathy (BSE), and rare forms of human Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). Much of the claimed "wealth of data" supporting the notion of prions, however, has been irreproducible as well as contradicted by many experimental observations. By 1989, for example, it was already shown that the "infectious prion conformation" could be eliminated without altering either infectivity or agent strain characteristics. Efforts to make the prion protein infectious also continue to fail. All the biological features of TSEs fit better with a conventional viral particle. Furthermore, structural data point to a spherical infectious particle of approximately 25 nm that contains a genome of 1-4 kb in length and probably encodes its own protective nucleocapsid. These viral features can account for the observed host recognition of TSE agents as foreign. Although recognised, TSE agents, like many conventional viruses, can hide in a latent state for many years in lymphoreticular tissues. Previous predictions made by this parsimonious viral interpretation have been accurate, whereas the prion hypothesis has been confounded by several inexplicable realities that have emerged. Recently developed TSE tissue culture models offer a way of identifying rapidly the intrinsic and strain-specific agent molecules so needed for diagnosis and prevention.
Support vector machine model of developmental brain gene expression data for prioritization of Autism risk gene candidates

Motivation Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders with clinical heterogeneity and a substantial polygenic component. High-throughput methods for ASD risk gene identification produce numerous candidate genes that are time-consuming and expensive to validate. Prioritization methods can identify high-confidence candidates. Previous ASD gene prioritization methods have focused on a priori knowledge, which excludes genes with little functional annotation or no protein product such as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Results We have developed a support vector machine (SVM) model, trained using brain developmental gene expression data, for the classification and prioritization of ASD risk genes. The selected feature model had a mean accuracy of 76.7%, mean specificity of 77.2% and mean sensitivity of 74.4%. Gene lists comprised of an ASD risk gene and adjacent genes were ranked using the model's decision function output. The known ASD risk genes were ranked on average in the 77.4th, 78.4th and 80.7th percentile for sets of 101, 201 and 401 genes respectively. Of 10,840 lncRNA genes, 63 were classified as ASD-associated candidates with a confidence greater than 0.95. Genes previously associated with brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders were prioritized highly within the lncRNA gene list. Contact liangjw@clemson.eduSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Preoperative Femoral Nerve Block Did Not Reduce Oral Opioid Consumption at 24 Hours and Increased Risk of Noninjurious Falls After Hip Arthroscopy

Xing JG, Abdallah FW, Brull R, Oldfield S, Dold A, Murnaghan ML, Whelan DB. Preoperative femoral nerve block for hip arthroscopy: a randomized, triple-masked controlled trial. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(11):2680-7. ### Question: In adults having hip arthroscopy, what is the analgesic effect of preoperative femoral nerve block (FNB)? ### Design: Randomized (allocation concealed), blinded (patients, clinicians performing the block, intraoperative anesthesiologists, surgeons and surgical staff, data collectors, and nurses), controlled trial with 7 days of follow-up. ### Setting: Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ### Patients: 52 patients 18 to 65 years of age (mean age, 32 years; 70% men) had hip arthroscopy by 1 of 2 fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeons, spoke English as a first language, had American Society of Anesthesiologists classifications I to III, and had a body mass index of <38 kg/m2. 96% of patients completed follow-up. ### Intervention: Ultrasound-guided preoperative FNB with …
The Anticipation of Beating the Fool

This chapter describes Jesus’ own anticipation of the messianic sufferings of Christ and his beatings. The section “A fool’s beating predicted” focuses on the conflict between wisdom and foolishness, which is apparent throughout Jesus’ interaction with his Jewish opponents. The section “A fool’s beating parabolized” focuses on Jesus’ description of his then future messianic sufferings. Jesus identifies himself in the pattern of beatings and deaths that the prophets in Israel suffered.