cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Dynamics of Diabetes Among Birth Cohorts in the U.S.

OBJECTIVE Using a nationally representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population, we estimated trends in diabetes prevalence across cohorts born 1910-1989 and provide the first estimates of age-specific diabetes incidence using nationally representative, measured data. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Data were from 40,130 nonpregnant individuals aged 20-79 years who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988-1994, and the continuous 1999-2010 NHANES. We defined diabetes as HbA1c ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or taking diabetes medication. We estimated age-specific diabetes prevalence for the 5-year age-groups 20-24 through 75-79 for cohorts born 1910-1919 through 1980-1989 and calendar periods 1988-1994, 1999-2002, 2003-2006, and 2007-2010. We modeled diabetes prevalence as a function of age, calendar year, and birth cohort, and used our cohort model to estimate age-specific diabetes incidence. RESULTS Age-adjusted diabetes prevalence rose by a factor of 4.9 between the birth cohorts of 1910-1919 and 1980-1989. Diabetes prevalence rose with age within each birth cohort. Models based on birth cohorts show a steeper age pattern of diabetes prevalence than those based on calendar years. Diabetes incidence peaks at 55-64 years of age. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes prevalence has risen across cohorts born through the 20th century. Changes across birth cohorts explain the majority of observed increases in prevalence over time. Incidence peaks between 55 and 64 years of age and then declines at older ages.
Reply to Drummond

Drawing creatively on the resources of transcendental philosophy, John Drummond makes a persuasive case for the importance of the first-person perspective in philosophical explanations of consciousness.
Use of Adjuvant Cisplatin-Based Versus Carboplatin-Based Chemotherapy in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Findings From the Florida Initiative for Quality Cancer Care

In this study, academic practice status and treatment year predicted use of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Quantifying Sources of Mortality and Wintering Ranges of Golden Eagles from Interior Alaska Using Banding and Satellite Tracking

Abstract Documenting the year-round movements and factors affecting the survival of wide-ranging birds is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. This is especially true for long-distance migratory species that spend much of their lives away from their breeding areas. Encounters of banded birds have provided information on the movements and survival of many bird species. More recently, telemetry studies provided new information on movements and survival of migratory birds. Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) raised in the higher latitudes of northwestern North America are usually migratory, but little is known about their year-round movements or survival. From 1988 to 2009, I banded 307 Golden Eagle nestlings in and near Denali National Park and Preserve in interior Alaska. From 1997 to 1999, I also deployed 90-g satellite transmitters on 48 of these eagles just before they fledged. Ten of the 307 banded eagles (3%) were encountered after the banding event, including five within 1 yr of ...
Toward construction of a transcript profile database predictive of chemical toxicity.

The article highlighted in this issue is Toxicogenomics-Based Discrimination of Toxic Mechanism in HepG2 Human Hepatoma Cells by Michael E. Burczynski, Michael McMillian, Joe Ciervo, Li Li, James B. Parker, Robert Y. Dunn II, Sam Hicken, Spencer Farr, and Mark D. Johnson (pp. 399-415).
Astronomy for the Non-Astronomer

Kinematical observations of the solar system have attained an accuracy reached in few other areas of measurement. The adequate description of these observations requires an elaborate and accurate terminology. This paper defines and discusses most of the important terms, coordinate systems, and methods of time reckoning which are used by astronomers in describing the motion of the solar system. No previous background in astronomy on the part of the reader is required. Warning is also given concerning terms whose meanings look obvious, but which in fact do not mean what they seem to.
Lead, Cadmium, Smoking, and Increased Risk of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Background— Lead and cadmium exposure may promote atherosclerosis, although the cardiovascular effects of chronic low-dose exposure are largely unknown. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association between blood levels of lead and cadmium and peripheral arterial disease. Methods and Results— We analyzed data from 2125 participants who were ≥40 years of age in the 1999 to 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Peripheral arterial disease was defined as an ankle brachial index <0.9 in at least 1 leg. Lead and cadmium levels were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. After adjustment for demographic and cardiovascular risk factors, the ORs of peripheral arterial disease comparing quartiles 2 to 4 of lead with the lowest quartile were 1.63 (95% CI, 0.51 to 5.15), 1.92 (95% CI, 0.62 to 9.47), and 2.88 (95% CI, 0.87 to 9.47), respectively (P for trend=0.02). The corresponding ORs for cadmium were 1.07 (95% CI, 0.44 to 2.60), 1.30 (95% CI, 0.69 to 2.44), and 2...
The significance of macrophage polarization subtypes for animal models of tissue fibrosis and human fibrotic diseases

The systemic and organ-specific human fibrotic disorders collectively represent one of the most serious health problems world-wide causing a large proportion of the total world population mortality. The molecular pathways involved in their pathogenesis are complex and despite intensive investigations have not been fully elucidated. Whereas chronic inflammatory cell infiltration is universally present in fibrotic lesions, the central role of monocytes and macrophages as regulators of inflammation and fibrosis has only recently become apparent. However, the precise mechanisms involved in the contribution of monocytes/macrophages to the initiation, establishment, or progression of the fibrotic process remain largely unknown. Several monocyte and macrophage subpopulations have been identified, with certain phenotypes promoting inflammation whereas others display profibrotic effects. Given the unmet need for effective treatments for fibroproliferative diseases and the crucial regulatory role of monocyte/macrophage subpopulations in fibrogenesis, the development of therapeutic strategies that target specific monocyte/macrophage subpopulations has become increasingly attractive. We will provide here an overview of the current understanding of the role of monocyte/macrophage phenotype subpopulations in animal models of tissue fibrosis and in various systemic and organ-specific human fibrotic diseases. Furthermore, we will discuss recent approaches to the design of effective anti-fibrotic therapeutic interventions by targeting the phenotypic differences identified between the various monocyte and macrophage subpopulations.
Analysis of packet loss for compressed video: does burst-length matter?

Video communication is often afflicted by various forms of losses, such as packet loss over the Internet. The paper examines the question of whether the packet loss pattern, and in particular the burst length, is important for accurately estimating the expected mean-squared error distortion. Specifically, we (1) verify that the loss pattern does have a significant effect on the resulting distortion, (2) explain why a loss pattern, for example a burst loss, generally produces a larger distortion than an equal number of isolated losses, and (3) propose a model that accurately estimates the expected distortion by explicitly accounting for the loss pattern, inter-frame error propagation, and the correlation between error frames. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated with JVT/H.26L coded video and previous frame concealment, where for most sequences the total distortion is predicted to within /spl plusmn/0.3 dB for burst loss of length two packets, as compared to prior models which underestimate the distortion by about 1.5 dB. Furthermore, as the burst length increases, our prediction is within /spl plusmn/0.7 dB, while prior models degrade and underestimate the distortion by over 3 dB.
Negative conductance model for short-channel SOI MOSFET

A short-channel SOI (silicon on insulator) n-channel MOSFET when source/drain junctions bottom out to the buried oxide may display a negative conductance in the output characteristics when the body tie is connected to the source. This phenomenon has been recently attributed to a temperature effect. However, the temperature effect is too small to account for the observation. Based on the theory of charge particle interaction in an electric field (between the channel electron flow and hole flow generated by impact ionization), a physical model is derived to account for the observation of the negative conductance. The model is implemented in a modified SPICE program to facilitate the verification. The model fits to a short-channel SOI n-channel MOSFET made on a thin low-defect SIMOX material at V/sub GS/=5.0 V. >
Meta-analytic evidence for the role of the anterior cingulate cortex in social pain

Since at least the 1930s, when the American physician James Papez highlighted the importance of the cingulate gyrus for emotional processes (Papez, 1937), researchers have been interested in the functions of this region. One issue that has been challenging to disentangle, though, is how specific psychological processes map onto the various subdivisions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Whereas early lesion studies focused on the role of the dorsal ACC (dACC) in pain experience (Foltz and White, 1962) and affective processes (Tow and Whitty, 1953), later studies from cognitive neuroscientists in the late 1990s and early 2000s focused on the role of the dACC in cognitive processes such as conflict monitoring and error detection, processes that signal the need for cognitive control (Botvinick et al., 2004). Indeed, an influential review at that time suggested that the dACC was primarily involved in cognitive processes whereas the ventral ACC (vACC) was primarily involved in affective processes (Bush et al., 2000). This synthesis was later overturned by a comprehensive meta-analysis showing that cognitive, affective and painful tasks all activate the dACC (Shackman et al., 2011) as well as a review showing that the dACC is involved in emotional appraisal and expression, whereas the vACC is involved in emotional regulation (Etkin et al., 2011). Hence, the specific role of the dACC and vACC in cognitive and emotional processing has been debated, with major pendulum shifts across decades (reviewed in Eisenberger, in press).
Imipenem pharmacokinetics in patients with burns

The pharmacokinetics of imipenem were studied in 11 adult patients with severe burns who were receiving a therapeutic regimen of imipenem-cilastatin 500 mg intravenously every 6 hours. Serial blood samples for measuring imipenem and 24-hour urine collections for creatinine clearance (CrCl) were obtained after the initial dose and after multiple dosing. Plasma was assayed for imipenem by use of HPLC. A two-compartment model provided a superior fit to the data compared with a one-compartment model in 9 of the 11 patients. There was no significant difference in any pharmacokinetic parameter between the initial dose and after multiple dosing (p greater than 0.05). Combined mean (+/- SD) parameter estimates for the two dosing periods were as follows: VC, 0.11 +/- 0.06 L/kg; Vss, 0.22 +/- 0.06 L/kg; CL, 12.5 +/- 3.6 L/hr/1.73 m2; t1/2 alpha, 0.18 +/- 0.13 hr; t1/2 beta, 1.12 +/- 0.44 hr. Mean clearance in two patients with creatinine clearance values greater than 150 ml/min/1.73 m2 was 17.7 L/hr/1.73 m2. Mean clearance in two patients with creatinine clearance values less than 50 ml/min/1.73 m2 was 8.5 L/hr/1.73 m2. No pharmacokinetic parameter was significantly different from previously reported parameters in normal volunteers (p greater than 0.05). Creatinine clearance ranged from 17 to 218 ml/min/1.73 m2. Imipenem clearance was significantly related to creatinine clearance (CL = 63 + 0.059 CLCR; r2 = 0.60, p = 0.001). No significant association was found between total body surface area burns and imipenem clearance (p greater than 0.05). Our data suggest imipenem pharmacokinetics in patients with burns are comparable to those in normal volunteers although substantial intersubject variability exists.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Preservation of Red Blood Cells in the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) over Time and in Two Different Anticoagulants

Abstract Lesions associated with storage of red blood cells (RBC) in different anticoagulants have been well described in mammals, but not in reptiles to date. The objectives of this study were to document biochemical changes of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) packed RBC stored in citrate–phosphate–dextrose–adenine (CPDA-1) and acid–citrate–dextrose (ACD) anticoagulants over the course of 35 days and to describe qualitative and quantitative morphologic changes over 295 days. Blood samples were collected via the occipital sinus from 6 captive-born American alligators of mixed sex (1 male, 5 females). Spun packed cell volume (PCV), total solids, and blood lead levels were analyzed with the use of heparinized blood on Day 0. Samples in CPDA-1 and ACD were stored at 4°C (39.2°F) and the following parameters serially evaluated at varying time points until Day 35: blood culture, blood gas analysis, PCV, methemoglobin, osmotic fragility, and morphologic evaluation by light and transmission electr...
A Multidimensional Approach to Protein Characterization

When mass spectrometry (MS) is used to study protein primary structure, it is used in a "static" mode. That is, the information is derived from a single MS or MS-MS spectrum. Information about more complex protein structure or protein interactions can also be gained via MS. If a series of mass spectra is collected as something else in the experiment is changing, we increase the "dimensionality" of the MS data. For example, measuring mass spectra as a function of time after exposure of a protein to deuterated solvents can provide information about protein structure. Likewise, by measuring mass spectra of a protein as the concentration of a binding ligand is changed, one can infer the stoichiometry of the complex. Another important, but fundamentally different way of increasing the dimensionality of mass spectral data is by coupling the mass spectrometer to a one- or two-dimensional separation technique.
Quantitative Analysis of RNA Modifications

RNA modifications impact numerous cellular processes such as pre-mRNA splicing and protein synthesis. The elucidation of the mechanisms by which these modifications impact cellular processes necessitates the ability to both detect and quantify the presence of these modifications within RNA molecules. Here, we present a detailed procedure that allows the detection and quantification of RNA base modifications. This procedure involves a number of techniques, including oligonucleotide-affinity selection, site-specific cleavage and radiolabeling, nuclease digestion, and thin layer chromatography.
Air Traffic Control and Systems Issues

In this essay, the focus is on systems issues as they relate to air-traffic control (ATC). The first issue concerns the extent to which automation should be applied in ATC. The second issue refers to the ability of the present ATC information system to provide efficient and effective control in a rapidly expanding, complex air space environment. How can our present capability in obtaining information be extended to satisfy the need for greater human cognitive competence demanded by the environment? The third issue is to determine how best we can reap advantage from our knowledge of ATC failures in designing future ATC systems.
Foreign Language Requirements in Ph.D. Programs in Agricultural Economics

Evidence suggests that the foreign language requirement, while consuming a large block of student time, has not functioned well in providing needed professional skills. The low skill levels resulting from these programs have declined to nonfunctional levels in a majority of cases, have concentrated on less important reading skills rather than verbal skills, and have been predominantly in languages which are not needed by the professional worker whose primary needs are now—and will be in the future—for work in foreign areas outside of Western Europe. Evidence suggests the desirability of concentrating on verbal skills (fluency) in one language in instances where language needs can be anticipated and substituting proficiency in collateral fields when specific linguistic needs cannot be anticipated.
Justice Brandeis and Substantive Due Process

This brief essay, prepared for the Touro Law Center and Jewish Law Institute conference, “Louis D. Brandeis: An Interdisciplinary Retrospective,” examines the substantive due process jurisprudence of Justice Brandeis.
The effectiveness of a web-based homework and testing software for operations management

Online students' enrolments have been increasing, but not as much lately. The cost of education and student loan debt is having an impact on the enrolments. Many look to technology to bring down costs, but some academics that teach quantitative courses such as operations management (OM) are very reluctant to offer courses online. OM can be challenging course to many students because of its quantitative content. Regularly scheduled homework and quizzes become important to prepare students for the tests, but the time it takes to grade is prohibitive. Web-based homework and testing software such as MyOMLab® or Connect® can come to the rescue and it can enhance student learning as well. This paper focuses on such software, examines the features in detail and their usefulness to students, and if the software actually improves student learning. A survey is also used to assess the student perceptions on the effectiveness of the software. The effectiveness of the software is measured by the correlation of pre-test homework assignment grades and test grades. The results of this study would be useful to the instructors of operations management in deciding whether to use a web-based homework and testing software in their classes.
Analysis of Confined Random Walkers with Applications to Processes Occurring in Molecular Aggregates and Immunological Systems

Explicit solutions are presented in the Laplace and time domains for a one-variable Fokker-Planck equation governing the probability density of a random walker moving in a confining potential. Illustrative applications are discussed in two unrelated physical contexts: quantum yields in a doped molecular crystal or photosynthetic system, and the motion of signal receptor clusters on the surface of a cell encountered in a problem in immunology. An interesting counterintuitive effect concerning the consequences of confinement is found in the former, and some insights into the driving force for microcluster centralization are gathered in the latter application.
Growth Hormone Release in Chickens After Oral Administration of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone

Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) was administered directly into the crops of male broiler chickens. Significant increases in plasma growth hormone (GH) levels were attained within 30 min after administration of saline solutions containing from 10 to 200 micrograms of TRH. Growth hormone levels remained elevated for 120 min when TRH solutions were introduced into crops of ad libitum-fed birds but for a shorter period in fasted birds. Repeated introduction of 200 micrograms of TRH at 30-min intervals failed to sustain elevated plasma GH levels. Introduction of 50 or 200 micrograms of TRH into the crop in a corn meal vehicle caused a marked elevation in plasma GH levels within 30 min. Levels remained significantly elevated up to 90 min after the introduction of the higher dose, but by 120 min posttreatment GH levels were not significantly different than controls. Thyrotropin releasing hormone that had been stored in solution for 24 or 48 hr was nearly as effective in releasing GH as was a freshly prepared solution.
Eccrine Porocarcinoma presenting as an abdominal wall mass in a patient with ulcerative colitis—A rare case report

Introduction Eccrine porocarcinoma (EPC) is a rare malignancy of eccrine sweat glands. It is often seen during the sixth to eighth decades of life. We report the first case of eccrine porocarcinoma arising on the abdomen of a 21-year-old patient with ulcerative colitis.
Visually evoked slow negativity in rabbit cortex.

SummaryVisual cortex responses to optic nerve and retinal stimulation were studied by D.C. recording upon slow time line. A prominent slow negative wave (250 to 400 msec. duration), slow negativity, occurred in the wake of primary visual response. Evidence indicates that when activated by nerve stimulation it has a threshold somewhat lower than that of primary response. Under moderately deep Nembutal anesthesia, slow negativity (evoked by optic nerve or light flash stimuli) disappears and is replaced by a longer lasting positive after-effect. The slow negativity described under these conditions is believed to have an origin in the cortex identical with corresponding slow negative waves evoked by direct surface and midline thalamic stimulation. In Fig. 3 it is placed schematically with relation to other components of visual cortical response previously described elsewhere.
Lack of transcriptional repression by max homodimers

Max, a basic-helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLH-ZIP) protein, plays a central role in the transcriptional regulation of myc oncoprotein-responsive genes. Myc-max heterodimers bind to consensus E-box motifs near or within the promoters of these genes and activate gene expression, whereas heterodimers between max and members of the mad family of bHLH-ZIP proteins promote transcriptional repression. In contrast to all other members of the myc network, max readily homodimerizes and binds to identical E-box sites in vitro. However, the role for max homodimers in transcriptional repression in vivo is unclear. Upstream stimulatory factor (USF) is a bHLH-ZIP protein which does not interact with members of the myc-max-mad family. By replacing the HLH-ZIP domain of max with that from USF, we created a chimeric protein, max(USF), which was indistinguishable from max with respect to its ability to homodimerize and bind DNA. As expected, however, max(USF) was unable to heterodimerize with any of the tested max partner proteins and was incapable of suppressing c-myc target genes. Thus, transcriptional repression is an exclusive property of max-mad heterodimers and cannot be achieved by max homodimers alone.
A Characterization of Inner Product Spaces

The object of this note is to show that if a lIall is a Euclidean norm, then it is the norm arising from an inner product on A. (The converse is obvious.) It follows that a Euclidean norm does satisfy the triangle inequality, although this was not assumed in the definition. (We remark that in Euclid, the triangle inequality is deduced, not assumed; see [7, Book I, Proposition 20].) Note that E2 may be regarded as asserting that the side-angle-side rule of congruence for triangles holds in the very special case where the two corresponding angles are not merely congruent but actually coincide. See Figure 1. The restriction t > 1 is included in E2 only to make this geometric interpretation as clear as possible. It follows trivially from El and E2 that if hlall = llbil, then IIua + vbII = IlIva + ubiI for each u, v E St. Ficken [5] showed that if the latter condition holds in a normed linear space, then the norm arises from an inner product. Our result improves on his in that we do not assume the triangle inequality. In addition, the proof we present is shorter than his. We wish to thank the referees for suggesting improvements in the presentation.
Interactions in man of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; II. Cannabinol and cannabidiol

Oral doses of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 20 mg, combined with placebo or with 40 mg dses of cannabinol (CBN) and cannabidiol (CBD), were given to volunteers. The combination of THC with CBN produced no detectable changes in the quality, intensity, or duration of the effects of THC alone. The THC-CBD combination tended to delay onset and prolong effects of THC, while making them somewhat more intense. Even this interactive effect was slight, providing no reason to abandon the current practice of basing doses of marihuana for clinical studies solely on THC content.
Six Items on Profound Meaning of Ancient Chinese Characters

Ancient Chinese characters not only present superiorly and visually expressive force,but also imply profound content,underlaying simple outlook of society and nature of ancestry predominated by Han Chinese,as can be found in the characters of "step forward,step backward;benefit;autumn, anxious;science,imperial examination;poor,rich;thinking".
Application of a lipL32-PCR method for detection of Leptospira interrogans

Objective To discuss the feasibility of lipL32-PCR for detecting Leptospira interrogans. Methods The specificity and sensitivity of primers based on the lipL32 gene were compared with the recommended standard G1/G2 primers. Using these gene-based primers, a PCR assay was conducted for detection of L. interrogans in kidney samples from frogs and rats in Changshan county. PCR identification was performed on isolates taken from Zhejiang in 2008. Results The lipL32-PCR was specific and sensitive to L. interrogans. The PCR identification result for 2008 isolates was consistent with serological testing. A consistency of 95.0% was noted between lipL32-PCR and the assay based on the standard G1/G2 primer. The positive rate was 10.0% for lipL32-PCR and 5.0% for G1/G2-PCR. No significant difference between the two positive rates was shown by Fisher's exact probability test (P=0.25). Conclusion The lipL32-PCR was specific and sensitive in the detection of L. interrogans and can effectively reflect the carrier rate in animals, thus, providing evidence for the control of leptospirosis.
Influenza outbreaks in Yongxing,Hunan in 2009 and 2010

Objective To analyze the characteristics of influenza outbreaks in Yongxing,Hunan from 2009 to 2010,so as to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of influenza.Methods On-the-spot investigation data of influenza outbreaks and laboratory test results were collected and chi-square test was used to analyze the data.Results Twenty-four influenza outbreaks occurred and 804 cases were found with the average incidence rate of 3.13%.The outbreaks mainly occurred in schools,and the peak of influenza epidemics in summer and winter.The viruses causing the outbreaks were influenza virus type A and B,and the main one was influenza A virus subtype H1N1.Conclusions It is of great importance to improve school sanitation,report epidemic situation earlier and vaccinate against influenza for the prevention and control of influenza.It is suggested that sentinel hospitals should be set up and the monitoring of the epidemic situations strengthened in Yongxing,Hunan.
Economic Sanctions and Demand for Protection

How do the distributional consequences of economic sanctions impact future trade policy? Regardless of whether sanctions are effective in achieving concessions, sanctions restrict international tra...
Microearthquakes at Flathead Lake, Montana: A study using automatic earthquake processing

abstract A nine-station portable seismic net, 50 km in diameter, was operated for 50 days in late 1971 near Flathead Lake, Montana at the juncture of the southern extension of the Rocky Mountain trench and the northern section of the Intermountain Seismic Belt. During the time the net was in operation, 259 locatable earthquakes ranging in coda magnitude from 0.1 to 3.3 were recorded. The earthquakes fall in two source regions approximately 15 km apart. In the northern region, the focal depths average 5 km, while those in the southern region range from 5 to 12 km. During part of the recording period, the activity in the southern region defined a planar zone striking north-northwest with a dip of 70° to the east-northeast. The better-defined fault-plane solutions in the region suggest northsouth compression. A procedure for automatically picking the first arrivals with a computer was used in analyzing the data.
Early Modern Europe, 1450–1789: Politics and power, 1450–1600

Ousted from his official position in the early sixteenth century, when a rival faction came to power, the Florentine diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) had time to contemplate the politics in which he had been so thoroughly enmeshed. “A prince [by which he meant any ruler], should therefore have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study, but war and its organization and discipline,” he wrote. “When princes think more of luxury than of arms, they lose their state.” Several decades later, the English scholar and historian Polydore Vergil (1470?–1555) agreed with Machiavelli that too great a concern with wealth was destructive for rulers. In his Anglia historia , written about 1540, Vergil described King Henry VII (ruled 1485–1509), the father of the current monarch, in largely glowing terms, as “distinguished, wise and prudent … brave and resolute.” He ended on a sour note, however: “All these virtues were obscured by avarice … [which] is surely a bad enough vice in a private individual, whom it forever torments; in a monarch indeed it may be considered the worst vice, since it is harmful to everyone, and distorts those qualities of trustfulness, justice, and integrity by which the state must be governed.”
Redesigning a SAD Course to Promote Problem-Based Learning

This chapter reports on the design, development, and implementation of a hybrid introductory systems analysis and design (SAD) semester long course taught at the junior/senior level. Five online instructional modules that focus on student-centered, problem-based learning (PBL) were developed. Each module parallels and reinforces the classroom session content. The classroom “seat-time” saved by having students study and complete online materials provides the instructor and students with additional time for face-to-face and electronic discussions. To further encourage PBL throughout the semester, students use an iterative approach to the SAD life cycle to analyze, design, and implement a prototypic solution to a real world problem presented by the authentic client. The use of a learning management system allows the client to participate in the course throughout the semester regardless of the physical distance between the students and the client. Instructor experiences, hybrid module development strategies, and a summary of student and client feedback are included.
Molecular Mechanisms of STIM1-Mediated Orai-1 Channel Activation

Immune response mechanisms at a cellular level are mostly triggered by a decrease in the concentration of Ca2+ within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), followed by the opening of the calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channels that leads to increased intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. Recently, the stromal interaction molecule (STIM) was determined to be the ER Ca2+ sensor that activates the channel in response to the depletion of intracellular calcium content. However, the molecular details of STIM interaction with Orai that causes the channel opening are not yet known. Understanding these molecular processes would shed light on this signal transduction pathway and opens up new doors for tapping into such a mechanism with profound biological and clinical implications.CRAC channels in the plasma membrane are integral membrane proteins that play a central role in cellular signaling by generating the calcium influx. Orai protein is a pore subunit of the channel, which has 3 homologs (Orai-1, Orai-2, and Orai-3).We develop all-atomic molecular dynamics models of the STIM1/Orai-1 complex with the aim to demonstrate how the binding of STIM1 to C-terminus of Orai-1 will result in a conformational change in Orai-1 protein complex leading to the activation of CRAC channels. Different mutations of Orai-1 C-terminus are considered and the influence of factors such as ER tension on the enhancement of this conformational change is explored in accordance with experimental evidences.
Effect of Exercise and Antidepressants on Skeletal Outcomes in Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa.

Abstract Purpose We examined the relationships between malnutrition, lifestyle factors, and bone health in anorexia nervosa (AN) via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Methods Seventy adolescent girls with AN and 132 normal-weighted controls underwent pQCT tibial measures including trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), cortical vBMD, and cortical thickness. Participants with AN underwent DXA measures of the axial skeleton. We assessed the association of DXA and pQCT measures with clinical and lifestyle variables. Results Body mass index Z-score and ideal body weight percentage were positively correlated with trabecular vBMD, cortical CSA, and section modulus ( p p Conclusions Antidepressants may negatively, and exercise positively, influence BMD in adolescents with eating disorders. These findings offer a provocative look at two longstanding questions.
Biofilm mitigation by drug (gentamicin)-loaded liposomes promoted by pulsed ultrasound.

The gentamicin-loaded nano-sized liposomes are shown to penetrate into alginate-based Ralstonia insidiosa bacterial biofilms by acoustic streaming generated by moderate pulsed ultrasound (frequency = 2.25 MHz, 10% duty cycle and spatially and temporally averaged intensity, ISATA ≈ 4.4 W/cm2). The liposomes are then burst by the scanned relatively high intensity ultrasound (frequency = 1.1 MHz, 10% duty cycle, the spatially and temporally averaged intensity ISATA ≈ 90 W/cm2) in situ, and the gentamicin solution is released from the liposomes resulting in 72% of Ralstonia insidiosa killing.
Predictive and Diagnostic Capabilities of Noninvasive MR Technology in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients.

Abstract 2701 Because of the wealth of information obtained using MR technology, this technique promises to be one of the best imaging methods in cancer. In addition, MR technology is fairly noninvasive and does not require ionizing radiation or radioactivity, making it one of the safest imaging modalities available. This study aims to evaluate the predictive and diagnostic capabilities of a multimodality MR exam to study non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. Experimental Design: Under ethical review board approval, a pretreatment MR exam was obtained in NHL patients, which included clinical MRI, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), 1 H MR spectroscopy (MRS) and/or 31 P MRS. Using 3D-localized, 1 H-irradiated 31 P MRS the phosphomonoester (PME) levels normalized to nucleoside triphosphates (PME/NTP) were measured. Using single voxel 1 H MRS the tumor total choline to water (tCho/H 2 O) ratio was determined. DWI was acquired using echo-planar imaging with fat suppression and b-values of 0 and 1000 s/mm 2 to obtain the apparent diffusion constant (ADC) of water in the tumor. In regard to clinical information, treatment response was assessed six-months after treatment and the patients grouped as those with a complete response (CR) and those without a complete response (NCR). Time to treatment failure (TTF), was measured as the time between the end of one treatment and the start of a new one. Results: Pretreatment PME/NTP values were measured in 59 newly diagnosed NHL patients. Twenty-seven of these patients were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. From these patients, 20 were treated with CHOP or equivalent therapy. The significantly different mean pretreatment PME/NTP values (SD, n) for CR and NCR were 1.42 (0.41, 13) and 2.46 (0.40, 7), respectively (p vs. NCR, 3.18 (0.41,3), (p vs. NCR, 2.11 (0.16, 27), p 31 P MRS vs. the tCho/H 2 O values determined by 1 H MRS prior to receive treatment showed a statistically significant linear regression (y = 0.16× – 0.77, r2 = 0.7, p Discussion: Our data validate the capabilities of a multimodality MR exam to study NHL patients by demonstrating that: 1) the pretreatment tumor PME/NTP levels predict both responses to treatment and TTF in different histological subtypes of NHL patients; 2) the correlation of PME/NTP with tCho/H 2 O that suggests that prediction of treatment outcome may also be possible using the ratio determined by 1 H MRS, which will allow to use the increased sensitivity of 1 H MRS; 3) the potential additional information provided by the simultaneous determination of 31 P and 1 H MRS; and 4) our preliminary DWI results suggesting that for newly diagnosed and refractory NHL patients, the quantitative ADC evaluation can aid assessing malignant masses and differentiate them from normal lymph nodes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Dynamics of recombination via conical intersection in a semiconductor nanocrystal

Conical intersections are well known to introduce nonradiative decay pathways in molecules, but have only recently been implicated in nonradiative recombination processes in materials. Here we apply excited state ab initio molecular dynamics simulations based on a multireference description of the electronic structure to defective silicon nanocrystals up to 1.7 nm in diameter to search for accessible nonradiative recombination pathways. Dangling bond defects are found to induce conical intersections between the ground and first excited electronic states of five systems of various sizes. These defect-induced conical intersections are accessible at energies that are in the visible range (2.4–2.7 eV) and very weakly dependent on particle size. The dynamic simulations suggest that these intersections are accessed 40–60 fs after creation of a defect-localized excitation. This ultrafast recombination is attributed to the fact that Jahn–Teller distortion on the first excited state drives the defect directly towards a conical intersection with the ground electronic state.
Effects of pH, Charybdotoxin, and PC12 cells on Jurkat T-cell proliferation

Neuroimmunological diseases involve T-cell attacking neurons. We showed previously that acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) and voltage-gated channels (Kv) from different cells can interact leading to inhibition of Kv. We hypothesized that this interaction may exist between Kv of Jurkat T-cells (JTL) and ASICs of PC12 cells (neuronal model), and that this interaction is pH- and Charybdotoxin (ChTX)-dependent. JTL were seeded on top of confluent PC12, or without PC12. The effects of 200 nm ChTX and pH 7.2 on JTL doubling time (DT) were tested. Without PC12, DT was 12.2±0.5h at pH 7.4, 25.6±1.1h with ChTX, and 17.0±1.0h at pH 7.2; in ChTX at pH 7.2, DT was 40.8±5.0h. With PC12, JTL DT was 34.1±2.9h at pH 7.4, 30.1±2.3h with ChTX, and 20.7±1.8h at pH 7.2; in ChTX at pH 7.2, DT was 32.2±1.8h. Paired comparisons without PC12 show that DT was significantly longer at pH 7.2 vs pH 7.4 and in ChTX at pH 7.4; pH 7.2 and ChTX synergistically increased DT vs pH 7.2 and vs ChTX at pH 7.4. With PC12, all corresponding DTs were significantly longer. Paired comparisons showed that at pH 7.2 DT was significantly shorter than at pH 7.4, opposite to without PC12. This can be potentially explained by lower pH relieving inhibition of Kv on JTL by the ASICs on PC12. At pH 7.4, ChTX did not have any effect possibility due to JTL’s Kv already blocked by PC12’s ASICs, and at pH 7.2 ChTX inhibited the free Kv. Thus, both acidic pH and ChTX independently slow down JTL proliferation, and in the presence of PC12, effects of low pH and ChTX are consistent with ASIC-Kv interaction. We speculate that ASICs expressed in APCs and Kv in lymphocytes may be a new unrecognized interaction in the immunological synapse, and disruption of neuronal ASIC-lymphocytic Kv interaction may play a role in autoimmune disease.
Islam and the Spirits of Capitalism: Competing Articulations of the Islamic Economy:

Why has the Islamic economy, as a model of socioeconomic development, gained traction as a viable option? The existing literature suggests that the Islamic economy has been popularized by a combina...
Gastrointestinale Blutungen beim kardiologischen Patienten

Gastrointestinale Blutungen unter neuen oralen Antikoagulanzien (NOAK) und/oder Thrombozytenaggregationshemmern (TAH) nehmen in ihrer Haufigkeit zu. Gastrointestinale Blutungen verlaufen unter dieser Medikation schwerer als ohne, wobei dies insbesondere bei der unteren gastrointestinalen Blutung der Fall zu sein scheint. Mit Einfuhrung der NOAK entstand eine Unsicherheit im Umgang mit Blutungskomplikationen. Der Beitrag soll helfen, einen Algorithmus fur den Umgang mit schweren gastrointestinalen Blutungen unter Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban und TAH zu etablieren. Fur Blutungen unter Phenprocoumon per os stehen mit Phytomenandion und Prothrombinkonzentrat (PPSB) etablierte Therapieansatze zur Verfugung. Betont werden soll die Abhangigkeit der Halbwertszeit von Dabigatran von der Nierenfunktion. Bei der Festlegung der weiteren Vorgehensweise erscheinen Spiegelbestimmungen von Dabigatran und Rivaroxaban sinnvoll. Eine Messung der Thrombozytenfunktion sollte bei Blutungen unter TAH durchgefuhrt werden. Trotz geringer Evidenz wird aktuell bei Blutungen unter Dabigatran und Rivaroxaban eine hochdosierte PPSB-Gabe empfohlen. Bei schweren Blutungen unter TAH kann trotz normaler Thrombozytenzahl die Gabe von Thrombozytenkonzentraten erforderlich sein. Bei Blutungen unter Azetylsalizylsaure (ASS) soll die ASS-Gabe rasch fortgesetzt werden.
Computer Simulation of a Hardness Indent Test into Nickel Nano Thin Films

Current experiments suggest that mechanical properties of thin films are different at thicknesses less than 100 nm.In this study, embedded atom method computer simulations are used to examine the differences in strengthening mechanisms at the nano scale.The simulation shows the mechanisms responsible for the differences in hardness with varying sample thicknesses from 12.8, 8, 6, and 4 nm.The simulation results show that as film thickness decreases the hardness of the film increases.Simulations were performed in single crystal films as well as model tricristals in order to study the effects of the grain boundaries.Tricrystalline films emitted dislocations at a lower pressure than single crystals.
Inventing Narratives in Ethical Reasoning in an Administrative Ethics Course

Unlike ethics courses in some fields, professional programs characteristically expect their graduates to demonstrate relatively sophisticated and, at the same time, highly practical moral reasoning...
How does acculturation influence smoking behavior among Latinos? The role of education and national background.

Introduction: As Latinos acculturate, they are assumed to smoke at higher rates. This study investigated the relationship between acculturation level, educational attain­ment, and cigarette smoking by gender and national background among Latinos. Methods: Data from the 2009-2012 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed and participants included 1,111 Cubans, 813 Dominicans, 13,281 Mexi­cans, and 2,197 Puerto Ricans. Multivari­able logistic regression was used to model acculturation and educational predictors of current smoking, stratified by gender and national background. Acculturation level was categorized into less acculturated, bicultural, and more acculturated by com­bining birthplace and language preference. Current cigarette smoking was defined by self-reported use every day or some days among those who ever smoked at least 100 cigarettes. Results: Most respondents were inter­viewed in English (62%) and had a high school education or less (60%), but only 39% were US-born. Overall, 17.8% of men and 9.6% of women reported current smoking. By national background, smok­ing prevalence was highest among Puerto Ricans (16% of women and 23% of men) and lowest among Dominicans (6% of wom­en and 10% of men). More acculturated Mexican women and men had significantly higher odds of current smoking (OR=2.94; 95% CI=2.01, 4.31 and OR=1.88; 95% CI=1.39, 2.55; respectively). Mexican men who were more acculturated and had greater levels of educational attainment had lower odds of smoking (OR=.84; 95% CI=.74, .96). Conclusions: The relationship between acculturation and health behaviors among Latinos is influenced by education and should be considered by public health and clinician stakeholders when developing or adapting tobacco control strategies. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(2):227-238. doi:10.18865/ ed.29.2.227
β-Methylamino-L-alanine substitution of serine in SOD1 suggests a direct role in ALS etiology

Exposure to the environmental toxin β-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but its disease-promoting mechanism remains unknown. We propose that incorporation of BMAA into the ALS-linked protein Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) upon translation promotes protein misfolding and aggregation, which has been linked to ALS onset and progression. Using molecular simulation and predictive energetic computation, we demonstrate that substituting any serine with BMAA in SOD1 results in structural destabilization and aberrant dynamics, promoting neurotoxic SOD1 aggregation. We propose that translational incorporation of BMAA into SOD1 is directly responsible for its toxicity in neurodegeneration, and BMAA modification of SOD1 may serve as a biomarker of ALS.
Mapping the journey.

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive . —Robert Louis Stevenson ([1][1]) The paper by Cleland et al. ([2][2]) for the Carvedilol or Metoprolol European Trial (COMET) investigators, in this issue of the Journal , portrays how the dynamic area of patient well-being extends around
Effects of Priming on Campaign Volunteer Canvasing Performance: Exploratory Analysis of Four Field Experiments

Volunteers are one of the most valuable resources for a political campaign. Little scholarly attention, however, has been dedicated to understanding ways to motivate a campaign volunteer. With limi...