cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 4970: Phosphorylation of the intrinsically disordered cancer/testis antigen PAGE4 by HIPK1 and CLK2 in prostate cancer

Prostate-associated gene 4 (PAGE4) is an intrinsically disordered cancer/testis antigen that is typically restricted to the normal testis but is aberrantly expressed in prostate cancer (PCa). Furthermore, PAGE4 is developmentally regulated with dynamic expression patterns in the fetal prostate and is also a stress-response protein that is up-regulated in response to cellular stress. PAGE4 interacts with c-Jun and plays an important role in the development and pathology of the prostate gland. HIPK1, a component of the stress-response pathway, and CLK2, a dual specificity kinase are kinases that phosphorylate PAGE4 at predominantly at T51 and at multiple S/T residues, respectively. While phosphorylation at T51 is critical in potentiating c-Jun, the functional significance of the multisite phosphorylation by CLK2 is not known. The aim of this study was to determine the expression levels of HIPK1 and CLK2 in PCa cell lines, and in a set of 80 paired cases of PCa and benign adjacent tissue. Protein levels of HIPK1 and CLK2 were evaluated in cell lines and tissue samples by Western Blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. WB was performed with whole cell lysates from BPH1, DU145, LNCAP and PC3 cells using a fluorescence approach. IHC was performed with TMAs containing paired tumor and benign samples and after scanning (Aperio ScanScope), data were quantified using the ImageScope software. WB showed that HIPK1 is expressed in all cell lines selected with no significant changes in expression levels, while CLK2 was expressed only in BPH1 and LNCAP, suggesting this protein is expressed in cells displaying a less aggressive phenotype. Protein expression analysis by IHC in PCa and benign samples showed that CLK2 is more commonly expressed in PCa than HIPK1 when compared to non-cancer cases. CLK2 expression was positive in 81.7% of the cancer cases and HIPK1 was expressed in 72.2%. When compared to benign cases these differences are significant with p Citation Format: Luciane T. Kagohara, Steven Mooney, Yihong Chen, John Orban, Prakash Kulkarni, Robert W. Veltri. Phosphorylation of the intrinsically disordered cancer/testis antigen PAGE4 by HIPK1 and CLK2 in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4970.
Abstract 2024: BP1 homeoprotein induces tumor cell growth and estrogen-independent tumorigenesis in mice

BACKGROUND. BP1 is a member of the homeobox gene family of transcription factors. Our recent studies have shown that BP1 overexpression increases cell survival, aggressiveness and metastasis in breast cancer cells. BP1 protein is expressed in 80% of invasive ductal breast tumors, including 100% of ER negative (ER-) tumors and 73% of ER positive (ER+) tumors. Therefore we hypothesize that BP1 may regulate ER in breast cancer. A mouse model was developed to test the regulatory effects of BP1 in ER expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS. MCF-7 breast cancer cells transfected with BP1 or vector control were njected into the fat pads of nude mice. Regulation of ER by BP1 was studied using ChIP assays; EMSA assays were used to test binding of BP1 to ER DNA. Tamoxifen assays were used to evaluate the effects of BP1 overexpression on tamoxifen resistance. RESULTS. MCF-7 cells overexpressing BP1 or control cells containing an empty vector were injected into nude mice. Approximately half of the estrogen-supplemented mice developed tumors. Although MCF-7 cells require exogenous estrogen to form tumors in nude mice, approximately 20% of the mice implanted with cells overexpressing BP1 were able to form tumors in the absence of added estrogen. To understand the molecular mechanisms of this observation, we carried out in vitro experiments. Our data suggest that BP1 regulates ER both directly and indirectly: (1) Direct: ChIP assays and EMSA assays showed that BP1 binds to the first intron of the ER alpha gene and transcriptionally activates it, leading to increased ER protein. (2) Indirect: regulation of ER also occurs indirectly by BP1 upregulation of p300, an activator of ER, and also by repression of BRCA1 by BP1; BRCA1 destabilizes ER protein. Furthermore, MCF-7 cells overexpressing BP1 are more resistant to growth in 3uM tamoxifen compared with empty vector containing cells. CONCLUSIONS. BP1 overexpression in MCF-7 cells injected into mice not only increases tumor size but also promotes estrogen-independent tumorigenesis, and leads to resistance to tamoxifen. Therefore, BP1 could serve as a novel therapeutic target for ER+ breast cancer. Citation Format: Sidney W. Fu, Saurabh Kirolikar, Erika Ginsburg, Arnold Schwartz, Samuel Simmens, Patricia E. Berg. BP1 homeoprotein induces tumor cell growth and estrogen-independent tumorigenesis in mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 2024.
An Agenda for Longitudinal Research on Substance Use and Abuse with Hispanics in the U.S. And with Latin American Populations

As a result of the fast growing Hispanic population and the overrepresentation of substance use, including the social, political, and economic risk factors they experience, there is an urgent need for more research to be conducted to better understand the etiology of substance use across developmental stages among the large diversity that exist among Hispanic populations. The main goal of this chapter is to provide a convincing argument to encourage more longitudinal research with Hispanic youth and their families to develop a more comprehensive body of knowledge about substance use among these populations, knowledge that, we argue, can better inform the field of prevention and treatment with these populations.
Decreased Brain FDG Uptake in Patients with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (cold brain) Is Associated with High Risk Disease and Predicts Poor Response to R-CHOP Chemotherapy

Abstract 1593 Background: Decreased 2-deoxy-2-(18F)fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake by brain tissue, (henceforth “cold brain”) has been occasionally described in the literature in patients with bulky solid tumors. There is currently no data describing brain FDG uptake on positron emission tomography (PET) scan in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and its association with clinical characteristics as well as prognosis. Method: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 110 patients with histologically confirmed DLBCL diagnosed between November 1, 2004 and December 31, 2011. Initial staging PET scans prior to treatment were reviewed. Brain FDG uptake on PET scan was analyzed by an expert nuclear radiologist. Qualitative determination of cold versus normal brain activity was made relative to usual distribution and metabolism. Secondarily, a region of interest cursor was placed on the right basal ganglia for a quantitative standard uptake value (SUV) measurement. In cases where measurement of the right basal ganglia was not possible, the cerebellum was used. Patient characteristics were compared using Fisher9s exact test. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and compared using log-rank test. Cox proportional regression model was used for multivariate analyses. Results: We included 110 patients in the study. Twenty patients (18%) had cold brain by initial PET scan. The cold brain subgroup had a median age of 72.5 years (range, 46 to 85) and 55.0% were males. Cold brain was associated with higher rates of stage III/IV disease (80.0% vs 52.2%; P = 0.026), International Prognostic Index (IPI) score of ≥3 (85.2% vs. 36.7%; P = 0.0001), and > 1 extranodal sites of involvement (50.0% vs. 26.7%; P = 0.059) compared to the non-cold brain subgroup. Among patients who received rituximab/cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisone chemotherapy (R-CHOP), those with cold brain had a lower complete response rate (44.0% vs. 86.0%; P = 0.030), shorter progression-free-survival (PFS) (4.5 months vs. 9.1 months; P = 0.06), but similar overall survival (OS) (47.9 months vs. 58.4 months; P = 0.26). After adjusting for IPI, patients with cold brain seemed to have a shorter PFS compared to those without cold brain, although this was not statistically significant (hazard ratio: 3.13; 95% CI: 8.20-1.22; P = 0.096). Conclusion: In our study, cold brain was a phenomenon frequently observed among patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. It was associated with higher risk disease, lower complete response rate to R-CHOP chemotherapy, and potentially shorter PFS. Further studies in larger patient population are needed to determine its true prognostic significance. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Controlling Data Flow with a Policy-Based Programming Language for the Web

It has become increasingly easy to write Web applications and other distributed programs by orchestrating invocations to remote third-party services. Increasingly, these third-party services themselves invoke other services and so on, making it difficult for the original application developer to anticipate where his/her data will end up. This may lead to privacy breaches or contractual violations. In this paper, we explore a simple distributed programming language that allows a web service provider to infer automatically where user data will travel to, and the developer to impose statically-checkable constraints on acceptable routes. For example, this may provide confidence that company data will not flow to a competitor, or that privacy-sensitive data goes through an anonymizer before being sent further out.
Block copolymer compatibilized polymer: fullerene blend morphology and properties

Abstract Recent studies have shown the role of block copolymer as compatibilizer in tuning the phase separated morphology of the active layer so as to improve the overall photovoltaic efficiency of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices. Here, we substantiate this observation by investigating the role of a rod-coil block copolymer poly-(3-hexylthiophene)-b-polystyrene (P3HT-b-PS) as compatibilizer in influencing the blend morphology and device performance of several polymer:fullerene blend systems. Fullerene derivatives N-(3-methoxypropyl)-2-(carboxyethyl)-5-(4-cyanophenyl) fulleropyrrolidine (NCPF) and N-(3-methoxypropyl)-2-(carboxyethyl)-5-(5, 5-difluorobenzo-dioxole) fulleropyrrolidine (FFNCPF) were synthesized using Prato reaction, while P3HT-b-PS copolymer was synthesized using the combination of Grignard metathesis, ATRP, and click chemistry. The addition of P3HT-b-PS in P3HT:PCBM blend led to the formation of more homogenous structure compared to the pure P3HT:PCBM blend. Also, a reduction in domain size was observed in P3HT: FFNCPF system upon P3HT-b-PS addition which can be attributed to the compatibilization effect of BCP. Incorporation of P3HT-b-PS block copolymer was found to effectively alter the thin film nanostructure of polymer/fullerene derivative blends and polymer crystalline structure. Maximum enhancement in power conversion efficiency (PCE) of compatabilized P3HT:PCBM blend system was noticed followed by P3HT:FFNCPF and P3HT:NCPF. The moderate improvement in photovoltaic properties can be correlated with face-on orientation of P3HT crystallites and the segregation of the fullerene domains at the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) cathode interface which facilitates the efficient charge collection as respective electrodes.
Leadership Roles of Administration under the Common Core Reform.

This qualitative study focuses on school administrators’ understandings and actions as leaders of the Common Core reform. In interviews with eight school and district leaders from five diverse districts in Pennsylvania, several aspects of Common Core, or PA Core, implementation were consistent across regardless of student population demographics and urbanicity. The findings show that (a) administrators view themselves as leaders of buildings or districts but not of reform implementations; (b) while it may not require them to make drastic changes, the PA Core is considered an opportunity to address aspects of the district or school that are in need of improvement; and (c) administrators are aware of their school context and their diverse students’ needs, but the PA Core is not yet adapted to address these diversity issues. These findings suggest that the Common Core pushes administrators to focus on certain areas of school improvement, such as curricula, assessments, and professional development that atten...
Convergence analysis of multifidelity Monte Carlo estimation

The multifidelity Monte Carlo method provides a general framework for combining cheap low-fidelity approximations of an expensive high-fidelity model to accelerate the Monte Carlo estimation of statistics of the high-fidelity model output. In this work, we investigate the properties of multifidelity Monte Carlo estimation in the setting where a hierarchy of approximations can be constructed with known error and cost bounds. Our main result is a convergence analysis of multifidelity Monte Carlo estimation, for which we prove a bound on the costs of the multifidelity Monte Carlo estimator under assumptions on the error and cost bounds of the low-fidelity approximations. The assumptions that we make are typical in the setting of similar Monte Carlo techniques. Numerical experiments illustrate the derived bounds.
Factors associated with physical activity in African Americans with hypertension.

BACKGROUND Pharmacological management only controls 58% of those with hypertension. Combining pharmacological therapy with physical activity is important in controlling hypertension. AIM To examine factors associated with physical activity (PA) adherence in African Americans (AAs) with hypertension and antihypertensive medication adherence. METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive correlational design was used to examine if systolic BP, co-morbidities, serum creatinine and potassium, education, depression, locus of control, and social support explained PA adherence in a convenience sample of AAs (N = 77) aged 55 to 84. All completed: demographic data, PA visual analog scale (VAS-PA); Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale; Patient Health Question-9 Depression Instrument. Physiological data and co-morbidities were also collected. RESULTS A third (n = 26) had systolic BP over 140 mm/Hg. The model explained 26% variance in adherence to PA (F = 3.378 [8, 68]; p = .003) with creatinine (p < .05), depression (p < .01), and social support (p < .05) as significant. Differences in VAS-PA scores between levels of depression were significant (F = 4.707 [269], p = .012; Eta2 = 0.12). Those with no depression had significantly higher PA adherence (M = 88.26, SD = 18.97) compared to mildly depressed (M = 70.24, SD 27.71) and moderately depressed (M = 66.83, SD = 23.31). CONCLUSIONS Clinicians should promote PA as an adjunct to medications for effective control of hypertension in AAs. Screening and intervening for depression are important when examining adherence to PA in AAs with hypertension.
Toward Controlled Flight of the Ionocraft: A Flying Microrobot Using Electrohydrodynamic Thrust With Onboard Sensing and No Moving Parts

This letter presents an insect-scale microrobot that flies silently and with no mechanical moving parts, using a mechanism with no analogue in the natural world: electrohydrodynamic thrust produced by ions generated via corona discharge. For the first time, attitude and acceleration data are continuously collected from takeoff and sustained flight of a 2 cm $\times$ 2 cm, 30 mg “ionocraft” carrying a 37 mg 9-axis commercial IMU on FlexPCB payload, with external tethers for power and data transfer. The ionocraft's steady-state thrust versus voltage profile, dynamic response to a time-varying signal around a high voltage dc bias point, and aerodynamic drag at incident angles around 90 $^\circ$ are measured. These experimental measurements, as well as measured IMU sensor noise, are inserted into a MATLAB Simulink simulation environment. Simulation shows controlled hovering and planned flight in arbitrary straight trajectories in the XY plane.
Optimizing donor scheduling before recruitment: An effective approach to increasing apheresis platelet collections.

Background/Aims Typical approach for increasing apheresis platelet collections is to recruit new donors. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of an alternative strategy: optimizing donor scheduling, prior to recruitment, at a hospital-based blood donor center. Methods Analysis of collections, during the 89 consecutive months since opening of donor center, was performed. Linear regression and segmented time-series analyses were performed to calculate growth rates of collections and to test for statistical differences, respectively. Results Pre-intervention donor scheduling capacity was 39/month. In the absence of active donor recruitment, during the first 29 months, the number of collections rose gradually to 24/month (growth-rate of 0.70/month). However, between month-30 and -55, collections exhibited a plateau at 25.6 ± 3.0 (growth-rate of -0.09/month) (p<0.0001). This plateau-phase coincided with donor schedule approaching saturation (65.6 ± 7.6% schedule booked). Scheduling capacity was increased by following two interventions: adding an apheresis instrument (month-56) and adding two more collection days/week (month-72). Consequently, the scheduling capacity increased to 130/month. Post-interventions, apheresis platelet collections between month-56 and -81 exhibited a spontaneous renewed growth at a rate of 0.62/month (p<0.0001), in absence of active donor recruitment. Active donor recruitment in month-82 and -86, when the donor schedule had been optimized to accommodate further growth, resulted in a dramatic but transient surge in collections. Conclusion Apheresis platelet collections plateau at nearly 2/3rd of the scheduling capacity. Optimizing the scheduling capacity prior to active donor recruitment is an effective strategy to increase platelet collections at a hospital-based donor center.
Impact of Maternal Support and Involvement on Coping in Adolescent Males of Color

The current study examined maternal support and maternal involvement as moderators of the association between exposure to community violence (ECV) and both violence-related and non-violence related stressors in adolescent males of color. The current study included 250 African American (61%) and Latino (39%) male adolescents from the Chicago Youth Development Study to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between community violence exposure, maternal support and involvement, and youth coping strategies. Neither maternal support nor maternal involvement were moderators of the association between ECV and coping, cross-sectionally or longitudinally. However, higher levels of both maternal support and involvement predicted lower levels of maladaptive coping with non-violence related stressors both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Maternal support and involvement were unrelated to coping with violence-related stressors. It was expected that these parenting variables would show a protective effect on the relationship with violence exposure and coping, but the results suggest that these parenting attributes have direct ameliorative effect on coping with non-violence-related stressors. However, this finding did not extend to coping with violence-related stressors, underscoring the traumatic nature of violence exposure and importance of specificity frameworks for conducting research on the impact of violence exposure.
Large Scale Evaluation of Corpus-based Synthesizers: Results and Lessons from the Blizzard Challenge 2005

The Blizzard Challenge 2005 was a large scale international evaluation of various corpus-based speech synthesis systems using common datasets. Six sites from around the world, both academic and industrial, participated in this evaluation, the first ever to compare voices built by different systems using the same data. Here we describe results of the evaluation and many of the observations and lessons discovered in carrying it out.
Disease Lesion Mimic Mutations

Local lesion formation on plant leaves can result from physiological stress, wounding or disease. The lesions are often diagnostic for the factor which promoted lesion formation. For example, the lesion size, shape and pattern of spread on particular genotypes are used as identification criteria for many plant diseases. In this paper we will discuss a class of mutations of maize called disease lesion mimics. These mutations promote the production of discrete leaf lesions in the absence of obvious stress, wounding or disease on the plant. As found in authentic disease and stress responses, lesion mimic expression depends on the plant genotype and environmental conditions. We propose that the disease lesion mimic mutations of maize provide a simplified system for the study of plant response to disease and stress. Using the disease lesion mimics it is possible to study the plant response and lesion formation without the causative agent present.
Automated data-adaptive analytics for electronic healthcare data to study causal treatment effects

Background Decision makers in health care increasingly rely on nonrandomized database analyses to assess the effectiveness, safety, and value of medical products. Health care data scientists use data-adaptive approaches that automatically optimize confounding control to study causal treatment effects. This article summarizes relevant experiences and extensions. Methods The literature was reviewed on the uses of high-dimensional propensity score (HDPS) and related approaches for health care database analyses, including methodological articles on their performance and improvement. Articles were grouped into applications, comparative performance studies, and statistical simulation experiments. Results The HDPS algorithm has been referenced frequently with a variety of clinical applications and data sources from around the world. The appeal of HDPS for database research rests in 1) its superior performance in situations of unobserved confounding through proxy adjustment, 2) its predictable efficiency in extracting confounding information from a given data source, 3) its ability to automate estimation of causal treatment effects to the extent achievable in a given data source, and 4) its independence of data source and coding system. Extensions of the HDPS approach have focused on improving variable selection when exposure is sparse, using free text information and time-varying confounding adjustment. Conclusion Semiautomated and optimized confounding adjustment in health care database analyses has proven successful across a wide range of settings. Machine-learning extensions further automate its use in estimating causal treatment effects across a range of data scenarios.
Proliferative Nodules in Congenital Nevi

One or more large nodules may occasionally appear in a congenital nevus. As a rule, the nevus is of the “large” or “giant” type and the patient is very young. However, similar nodules can be rarely found in smaller congenital nevi and analogues can even appear in adulthood. The nodules may protrude above the surface of the congenital nevus or can be situated deeply within the lesion. The common denominator of the nevi in which proliferative nodules occur seems to be their depth rather than their diameter. In most cases, the deep reticular dermis and subcutaneous septa contain cords and strands of small, round melanocytes.
Die Deutschen als Patrioten und Soldaten Während des Unabhängigkeitskrieges

Der Krieg mit den Franzosen und Indianern gewahrte die Schulung fur den Unabhangigkeitskrieg. Der ausgedehnte Dienst des Koniglich Amerikanischen Regiments, der im vorigen Kapitel besprochen worden ist, legte den Grund zu der militarischen Tuchtigkeit der deutschen Ansiedler Pennsylvaniens. Im Mohawk-Tal scharte Herkimer das Volk um sich, und im Virginischen Tal bildeten sich im Umsehen deutsche Kompagnien. Es gab in den Kolonien eine grose Anzahl deutscher Sektierer, Mennoniten, Quaker, Tunker, Sabbatherianer und andere, denen ihre Religion das Waffentragen verbot. Gleich den englischen Quakern waren sie jedem bewaffneten Widerstand abgeneigt, und dies hatte wahrend des Krieges mit den Franzosen und Indianern schweres Unheil auf die Grenzansiedler herabbeschworen. Die Zeitung Saurs lieh dieser friedfertigen Richtung, die man jedoch nicht mit dem Torytum verwechseln darf, Ausdruck. Wenn indessen die Mennoniten und andere religiose Gemeinschaften keine Waffen trugen, so leisteten sie doch durch Lieferung von Vorraten und durch besondere Abgaben einen Ersatz fur geubte Augen und gestahlte Arme. Nie hatten sie gezaudert, fur ihr Vaterland ihr Leben hinzugeben. Die Brudergemeinde Nord-Carolinas nahm eine dreifache Besteuerung, die ihnen die Provinz statt militarischer Dienstleistungen auferlegte, willig auf sich.
Host and Viral Factors Influencing Interplay between the Macrophage and HIV-1

HIV-1 persists in cellular reservoirs that cannot be eliminated by antiretroviral therapy (ART). The major reservoir in infected individuals on effective ART is composed of resting memory CD4+ T cells that harbor proviral cDNA, and undergo a state of latency in which viral gene expression is minimal to absent. The CD4+ T cell reservoir has been extensively characterized. However, other HIV-1-permissive cells may contribute to HIV-1 persistence. Lentiviruses have a long recognized association with macrophages. However, the role, if any, played by macrophages in HIV-1 persistence is not well understood. Macrophages are resistant to cell death upon HIV-1 infection, and can survive for long periods of time, making them ideal host cells in which the virus might persist. Studying macrophages is challenging, as these cells reside in nearly all tissues. Moreover, detecting viral DNA or RNA in macrophages does not necessarily indicate that these cells will produce replication-competent viral particles. Currently, the gold standard assay to detect cellular reservoirs is the ex vivo quantitative viral outgrowth assay (QVOA), which requires a patient blood draw. However, macrophages reside deep within tissues that are inaccessible in living subjects, such as the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, tools other than QVOA must be developed to identify cellular reservoirs that reside in the tissues. In this review, we will focus on the main aspects involved in HIV-1 persistence, including the molecular mechanisms of viral evasion, the main cell types responsible for harboring persistent HIV-1 and the tissue compartments that are likely to be reservoirs for HIV-1.
Randomized phase II study of cisplatin and etoposide versus temozolomide and capecitabine in patients (pts) with advanced G3 non-small cell gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (GEPNEC): A trial of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (EA2142).

TPS4149Background: Poorly differentiated (G3) GEPNECs are rare tumors for which little prospective data are available. Historically these tumors have been treated akin to small cell lung cancer wit...
Interrogating Myths Surrounding Sex Education in Zimbabwean Schools: Lessons to be Learned from Ndebele Traditional Literature/Oral Traditions

Sex education is one of the most divisive aspects of the school curriculum in Zimbabwe. It is shrouded in myths and controversiesâ€”with some parents, culturists and religious groups asserting that it can contribute to immorality among learners. Others even go to an extent of claiming that sex education in primary and secondary schools should not be allowed as culturally it is a taboo to discuss issues of sex with teenagers. However, an analysis of traditional Ndebele literature seems to tell a different story. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to deliberate on these so-called taboos and claims, and to establish where the Ndebele culture stands with regards to sex education. The article critiques the Ndebele traditional literature/oral traditions, which boasts riddles, folktales, proverbs and wise sayings and even praise poetry, which are so rich in sex education.
Enrichment of Autophagy and Proteosome Pathways in Breast Muscle of Feed Efficient Pedigree Male Broilers

Background: Feed efficiency (FE) is an important genetic trait in poultry and livestock. Autophagy (self-eating) and proteosomes are cellular processes that remove damaged cell components (e.g., proteins, organelles). As evidence of extensive protein oxidation was observed in Pedigree Male (PedM) broilers exhibiting a low FE (LFE) phenotype compared to a high FE (HFE) phenotype, the main goal of this study was to assess gene and protein expression of the autophagy and proteosome pathways in breast muscle obtained in PedM broilers exhibiting HFE and LFE phenotypes. Methods: Feed efficiency was calculated as weight gain divided by feed intake gain in individual PedM broilers that were measured between 6 and 7 weeks of age. Targeted gene expression was conducted on breast muscle using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to determine mRNA expression of genes associated with the autophagy pathway; AMP-activated protein kinase alpha 1 (AMPKα1), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), Beclin 1, and autophagy genes (Atg) 3, Atg7, and Atg16L1. Binomial distribution analysis was conducted on transcriptomic and data obtained by RNAseq and shotgun proteomics, respectively on the same set of tissues for genes associated with autophagy, vacuole formation, and proteosome expression. Results: Greater efficiency was attained in the HFE PedM broilers by greater weight gain on the same amount of feed consumed resulting in FEs of 0.65 ± 0.01 and 0.46 ± 0.01 in the HFE and LFE phenotypes, respectively. Targeted mRNA expression analysis revealed significant (P < 0.05) elevations in AMPKa1, mTOR, Atg16L1, and Atg7 and a marginal (P = 0.07) elevation in Beclin1. Binomial distribution analysis transcriptomic and proteomic data revealed significant skews favoring autophagy-, vacuole-, and proteosome-related genes in the HFE phenotype. These results indicate that the autophagy and proteosome expression is enhanced in the HFE compared to the LFE pedigree male broiler phenotype suggesting that protein and organelle quality control may be enhanced in high feed efficiency.
THE ABERRANT INTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY: A RARE AND IMPORTANT ANATOMIC VARIANT

Background An aberrant internal carotid artery (ICA) is defined as a collateral pathway resulting from agenesis of the first embryonic segment of the ICA. Misdiagnosis can lead to unnecessary surgery and fatal complications.1 Clinically, they can present as pulsatile tinnitus, hearing loss, or a feeling of aural fullness, or they can be completely asymptomatic.2 We present the case of a 14-year-old female seen by her orthodontist for evaluation of malocclusion and popping of the right temporomandibular jaw (TMJ). Clinical and Radiographic Findings A cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) volume from the frontal bone to the level of C4 for orthodontic evaluation was sent to our department for interpretation. Upon review, we observed a high-attenuation, noncorticated, soft tissue entity appearing to arise from the left carotid canal and traversing through the middle ear. No gross abnormalities were noted in the osseous components of the TMJ complexes. Differential Interpretation The differential diagnoses for soft tissue entities in the middle ear include an ICA aneurysm, glomus tumors, and cholesteatomas.3 Correlation with clinical findings and advanced imaging are needed for the differential diagnosis. Discussion/Conclusions The 4 hallmark radiographic findings for an aberrant ICA are an enlarged inferior tympanic canaliculus (ITC), an enhancing hypotympanic mass, an absent vertical segment of the ICA, and dehiscence of the cortex covering the tympanic portion of the ICA.4 Because of the lack of soft tissue/vascular contrast on a CBCT image, only an enlarged ITC and dehiscence of the cortex were seen in this study. Aberrant ICAs are known to cause tinnitus, which can mimic symptoms of a temporomandibular disorder (TMD).5 Because the patient was lost to follow-up, these findings could not be correlated clinically. However, it is important to note that a normal variant, as in this case, could contribute to the differential diagnosis and surgical intervention for TMDs or other incidental pathologies typically seen on CBCT.
Afirma Gene Sequencing Classifier Compared with Gene Expression Classifier in Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules.

Background: The Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) has been used to further characterize cytologically indeterminate (cyto-I) thyroid nodules into either benign or suspicious categories. Howev...
A Queuing Approach to Parking: Modeling, Verification, and Prediction.

We present a queuing model of parking dynamics and a model-based prediction method to provide real-time probabilistic forecasts of future parking occupancy. The queuing model has a non-homogeneous arrival rate and time-varying service time distribution. All statistical assumptions of the model are verified using data from 29 truck parking locations, each with between 55 and 299 parking spots. For each location and each spot the data specifies the arrival and departure times of a truck, for 16 months of operation. The modeling framework presented in this paper provides empirical support for queuing models adopted in many theoretical studies and policy designs. We discuss how our framework can be used to study parking problems in different environments. Based on the queuing model, we propose two prediction methods, a microscopic method and a macroscopic method, that provide a real-time probabilistic forecast of parking occupancy for an arbitrary forecast horizon. These model-based methods convert a probabilistic forecast problem into a parameter estimation problem that can be tackled using classical estimation methods such as regressions or pure machine learning algorithms. We characterize a lower bound for an arbitrary real-time prediction algorithm. We evaluate the performance of these methods using the truck data comparing the outcomes of their implementations with other model-based and model-free methods proposed in the literature.
Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes After Curative Resection of Familial Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma

Long-term outcomes after curative resection in patients with germline RET mutations and medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) are highly variable and mutation-specific oncologic outcomes are not well-described. Sixty-six patients identified from 1986 to 2017 from a single-institution cancer database were assessed for recurrence and survival using Kaplan–Meier estimates, and correlated with clinicopathologic features using log-rank or Cox proportional hazards. Median follow-up was 9.3 years (range 0.3–31.5), median tumor diameter was 1.5 cm (range 0.1–7.5), and preoperative calcitonin was known in 41 patients [median 636 (range 0–9600)]. Overall survival (OS) of the cohort was 94% at 10 years, the cumulative incidence of locoregional recurrence was 38% at 10 years, and 19/24 (79%) patients underwent repeat neck operation. The cumulative incidence of distant recurrence was 27% at 10 years. Predictors of distant recurrence were tumor size, positive lymph nodes, and pre- and postoperative carcinoembryonic antigen, but not calcitonin. M918T mutation-bearing patients had 10-year distant recurrence-free survival of 0%, compared with 83% in all other patients (p < 0.001), and equivalent 10-year OS (100% vs. 92%; p = 0.49). Structural and metastatic recurrence is common in patients with germline RET mutations, and MTC and can occur 20 years after initial treatment, however survival remains high. Management should focus on optimal surveillance strategies and long-term control of structural disease.
Our babies[’] count[er story]: A narrative ethnography of a baby loss remembrance walk ritual

The non-profit organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS) hosts annual remembrance walks that gather bereaved families to honor babies who have died. Grounded in narrative theory and researc...
Cumulative Dis/Advantage and Health Pattern in Late Life: A Comparison between Genders and Welfare State Regimes.

This study provides a cross-national perspective to apply Cumulative Dis/Advantage (CDA) in explaining health inequality between developing and developed countries in the context of Welfare State T...
House of Shields: Defensive Imagery at Defensive Sites in Tsegi Canyon

The archaeological record of the Late Pueblo III (C.E.1250–1300) period in the Tsegi Canyon drainage reveals Kayenta communities shifted from locales favoring access to water and arable land to can...
Geospatial Hotspots Need Point-of-Care Strategies to Stop Highly Infectious Outbreaks: Ebola and Coronavirus.

Context. Point-of-care testing (POCT), diagnostic testing at or near the site of patient care, is inherently spatial, that is, performed at points of need, and also intrinsically temporal, because ...
Expanding the research terrain: Teach For America and the problem with one-dimensional research

Abstract This paper situates Teach For America (TFA) within the larger landscape of teacher education research. After discussing the widely publicized research on TFA and outlining the methods of this review, I overview theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative studies that are not highlighted by TFA in its internal review of literature. Next, I discuss how TFA’s emphasis on a limited base of research provides a partial picture of the organization’s practical materiality. To conclude, I theorize a multi-dimensional education research landscape that transcends existing conceptions of teacher/student/school success, which are largely based on the data that we attach to students and teachers.
Liquid vaporization under thermodynamic phase non-equilibrium condition at the gas-liquid interface

Liquid vaporization under thermodynamic phase non-equilibrium condition at the gas-liquid interface is investigated over a wide range of fluid state typical of many liquid-fueled energy conversion systems. The validity of the phase-equilibrium assumption commonly used in the existing study of liquid vaporization is examined using molecular dynamics theories. The interfacial mass flow rates on both sides of the liquid surface are compared to the net vaporization rate through an order-of-magnitude analysis Results indicated that the phase-equilibrium assumption holds valid at relatively high pressures and low temperatures, and for droplets with relatively large initial diameters (for example, larger than 10 µm for vaporizing oxygen droplets in gaseous hydrogen in the pressure range from 10 atm to the oxygen critical state). Droplet vaporization under superheated conditions is also explored using classical binary homogeneous nucleation theory, in conjunction with a real-fluid equation of state. It is found that the bubble nucleation rate is very sensitive to changes in saturation ratio and pressure; it increases by several orders of magnitude when either the saturation ratio or the pressure is slightly increased. The kinetic limit of saturation ratio decreases with increasing pressure, leading to reduced difference between saturation and superheat conditions. As a result, the influence of non-equilibrium conditions on droplet vaporization is lower at a higher pressure.
Advances in secondary ion mass spectrometry for N-doped niobium

Accurate secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurement of nitrogen in niobium relies on the use of closely equivalent standards, made by ion implantation, to convert nitrogen signal intensity to nitrogen content by determination of relative sensitivity factors (RSFs). Accurate RSF values for ppm-range nitrogen contents are increasingly critical, as more precision is sought in processes for next-generation superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) accelerator cavities. Factors influencing RSF value measurements were investigated with the aim of reliably attaining better than 10% accuracy in nitrogen concentrations at various depths into the bulk. This has been accomplished for materials typical of SRF cavities at the cost of increased attention to all aspects.
The Compounded Burden of Poverty on Mental Health for People with Disabilities.

Using 2008–2017 National Health Interview Survey data (N = 127,973), we investigated the relationship between income and psychological distress, measured by the Kessler 6 (K6) Scale (range 0–24), n...
The Fetal-to-Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transition and its Role in Childhood Hematopoietic Malignancies

As with most organ systems that undergo continuous generation and maturation during the transition from fetal to adult life, the hematopoietic and immune systems also experience dynamic changes. Such changes lead to many unique features in blood cell function and immune responses in early childhood. The blood cells and immune cells in neonates are a mixture of fetal and adult origin due to the co-existence of both fetal and adult types of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor cells (HPCs). Fetal blood and immune cells gradually diminish during maturation of the infant and are almost completely replaced by adult types of cells by 3 to 4 weeks after birth in mice. Such features in early childhood are associated with unique features of hematopoietic and immune diseases, such as leukemia, at these developmental stages. Therefore, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which hematopoietic and immune changes occur throughout ontogeny will provide useful information for the study and treatment of pediatric blood and immune diseases. In this review, we summarize the most recent studies on hematopoietic initiation during early embryonic development, the expansion of both fetal and adult types of HSCs and HPCs in the fetal liver and fetal bone marrow stages, and the shift from fetal to adult hematopoiesis/immunity during neonatal/infant development. We also discuss the contributions of fetal types of HSCs/HPCs to childhood leukemias.
Effects of a Multimedia Performance Principle Training Program on Correct Analysis and Diagnosis of Throwlike Movements

Physical educators are confronted with a large variety of sport skills and movements to analyze, diagnose and intervene upon. As class time to teach skill analysis is limited, the ability for students to work independently using a multimedia approach may enhance their acquisition of diagnostic and analytic abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a multimedia training protocol on subjects' ability to analyze and diagnose throwlike sport skill movements. The design used for this study was a multiple baseline design across four performance principles: magnitude of force, point of application of force, horizontal direction of force, and vertical direction of force. Results indicate that subjects' ability to discriminate between correct and incorrect performances was high and improved after intervention, whereas ability to analyze and diagnose performance errors varied across subjects. Implications of multimedia applications for teacher educators in physical education are discussed.
Improving patient access and scanner utilization in a busy PET/CT practice

2535 Objectives The Mayo Clinic Positron Emission Tomography (PET) practice conducts over 50 clinical and research studies per day, including whole-body and brain exams using FDG, choline and PIB. As such, establishing a schedule is complicated as these exams have different scan ranges, acquisition durations and uptake times. The goal of this project was to construct a schedule to maximize patient access and scanner utilization, minimize patient wait time and maintain consistent uptake times and regular end-of-day (EOD) operation. Methods We utilized system engineering methodology to model the patient flow through the PET imaging area. A predictive model was developed to compute the scan duration based on the patient height, scan range prescribed by the physician and time per bed for our BMI-based whole-body protocols. Injection timings, restroom utilization, in-room setup time and a no-show rate of 5% were incorporated in the model. Our three clinical scanners were modeled as ‘first come, first serve’ and it was assumed patients were not scanned prior to their scheduled time. The existing schedule and regularly scheduled time slots of 20 - 40 min duration were modeled to determine the best schedule. Results A preliminary analysis of 4700 patient studies showed the mean duration of an exam was 25 min and 9% of exams had duration greater than 35 min. The table below summarizes the results of the modeling. It shows that by adopting the 35 minute time slot, scanner utilization increases and patient wait time and EOD will decrease. The simulation also shows that the wait time is relatively constant throughout the day. In addition, a resultant earlier EOD suggests additional time slots can be added. Conclusions A model was developed to simulate patient flow in the PET imaging area; based on this model a schedule was constructed that maximizes scanner utilization and patient access while decreasing patient wait time.
Discrete Mathematics For Computer Scientists And Mathematicians, 2Nd Ed.

This book considers such algorithms as the least mean-square (LMS) algorithm, different versions of the Kalman algorithm, the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm, the fast transversal filters (FTF) algorithm, the exact least squares lattice (LSL) algorithm, and the recursive-QR decomposition-LS algorithm; offers thorough discussion of the Wiener and Kalman filter theories and considers the structures of transversal filter, lattice predictor, and systolic array; and explores such applications as adaptive prediction, adaptive equalization, system identification, analysis of superimposed sinusoids in noise, adaptive detection, and adaptive beam forming.
Early response of lungs to low levels of nitrogen dioxide. Light and electron microscopy.

Significant changes in the lungs of rats exposed to nitrogen dioxide occur during the first 72 hours in animals exposed to 17 ppm. These changes appear in focal areas at the level of the terminal bronchiole: loss of cilia; thickening of tissue; injury to the epithelium lining the adveoli adjacent to the terminal bronchioles, when whole type 1 cells slough away leaving the basement membrane exposed to the air; between 24 and 48 hours of continuous exposure, these areas are repaired with a low cuboidal cell type that tolerates NO2 and thickens the air-blood barrier; and eventual formation of crystalloids and interruption of ciliogenesis. Changes at 2 ppm include loss of cilia, hypertrophy and focal hyperplasia in the epithelium of the terminal bronchiole, and “apparent” return to normal after 21 days of continuous exposure.
The Median is the Message: A Good Enough Measure of Material Wellbeing and Shared Development Progress

We argue that survey-based median household consumption expenditure (or income) per capita be incorporated into standard development indicators, as a simple, robust and durable indicator of typical individual material wellbeing in a country. Using household survey data available for low and middle-income countries from the World Bank's PovcalNet tool, we show that as a measure of income-related wellbeing, it is far superior to the commonly used GDP per capita as well as survey-based measures at the mean. We also argue that survey-based median measures are ‘distribution-aware’, i.e. when used as the denominator of various widely available indicators such as mean consumption expenditure per capita they provide a ‘good enough’ indicator of consumption (or income) inequality. Finally, as a post-2015 indicator of progress at the country-level in promoting shared development and reducing inequality, we propose that the rate of increase in median consumption per capita after taxes and transfers exceeds the rate of increase in average consumption in the same period.