cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of chronic pain patients and controls on traumatic events in childhood.

Purpose : The purpose was to examine the incidence of traumatic events in childhood, such as sexual and physical abuse, in a chronic pain group and a control group of hospital employees without chronic pain. Method : Ninety two patients with chronic pain, age range 20-62, were consecutively recruited from the outpatient clinics of a rehabilitation hospital and a general hospital. Ninety eight hospital employees, age range 20-62, were consecutively recruited from the employee health office of a rehabilitation hospital. All participants responded to nine questions related to sexual, physical and verbal abuse in childhood and completed the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale. A logistic regression with age, gender, sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, death of a family member, childhood illness, major upheaval before age 17, as independent variables were used to predict membership in the pain group contrasted with the control group. Results : Child abuse was reported in the childhood history by 54.4% of the chro...
Determination of RNA structure and thermodynamics

PHYLOGENETIC AND MUTATIONAL ANALYSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258 Natural Sequence Variability 258 Artificial Phylogeny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Random Mutations and Specific Selection . .... . . . . . . ... . .. . . . . . . . . 260 Functional Group Mutations .. . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . .. . .... . . . . 260 OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Absorbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Circular Dichroism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Fluorescence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Increased Thymosin Levels Associated with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has elicited great concern in its progression to epidemic proportions worldwide (Fig. 1). Initially identified in young male homosexuals, AIDS has recently appeared in other groups including hemophiliacs, transfusion recipients, Haitian immigrants, black Africans, and drug addicts in the USA, as well as Europe, Canada, and Haiti (CDC, 1982a,b; West, 1983).
Intake, Growth, and Weaning Age of Calves fed a Preweaning Supplement via Bucket or Bottle

Abstract Effects of a preweaning supplement on intake, growth, and age at weaning were evaluated using 45 Holstein calves. Calves began the study at 6 d (SE = .3) of age and were fed for 56 d. A commercially prepared grain-based preweaning supplement was offered in a plastic bucket or in a bottle designed to allow feed particles to pass through the nipple. Calves were also offered a commercial calf starter for ad libitum consumption throughout the study. Calves were weaned when starter plus supplement intake was at least .7 kg/d for 2 consecutive days. Preweaning supplement was not offered after weaning. Calves fed preweaning supplement were weaned 4.3 d earlier than control calves, without effect of method of feeding preweaning supplement. However, calves fed preweaning supplement from bottles began consuming dry matter at an earlier age. Intake of starter prior to weaning tended to be lower when calves were fed supplement, although total dry matter intake did not differ. Daily gain postweaning tended to be higher in calves fed control, probably because calves tended to be older and were heavier at weaning.
Sexual Behavior And Isolation In Drosophila. Ii. The Interspecific Mating Behavior Of Species Of The Willistoni Group

Divers mechanisms reproductively isolate animals of a bisexual species from those of all other species. These may operate at various times in the life of the organism. Some are of greater potency than others, but usually complete isolation is dependent upon the sum total of the effects of several mechanisms. Within the Diptera, sexual isolation seems to be one of the most dynamic and efficient isolating barriers. Because many species of Drosophila can be maintained conveniently for study, they can serve as material for investigations of the manner in which sexual isolation operates and the effectiveness thereof utider laboratory conditions. There are three major methods (Patterson et al., -1947) by which this type of isolation can be studied, i.e., by multiplechoice experiments, by non-choice experiments (pair matings), afid by direct observations of the sexual behavior of the specimens. The last method is laborious and ill suited for obtaining sufficient data for statistical analysis; however, it yields qualitative data that are unavailable by the other two methods. The multiple-choice and ion-choice methods have been used extensively (see Patterson et al., 1947). Direct observation of interspecific crosses, however, has been infrequent. Stalker (1942) watched the interspecific mating behavior of D. virilis and D. americana; Mayr (1946) observed that of D. pseudoobscura and D. persimilis; Wallace and Dobzhansky (1946) watched that of D. subobscurai, D. persimilis, and D. pseudoobscura. Previously the intraspecific or "normal" mating behavior of the willistoni group had been explored by the same method (Spieth, 1947). The present paper is concerned with the interspecific behavior of the zvillistoni group, and its primary aim has been to identify, if possible, some of the s5exual isolating mecha'nisms that operate within the group. Th'e data were obtained by Idirect observations. Of the seven species described for this group (fumipennis Duda, nebulosa Sturt., sucinea Patt. and Main., capricorni Dobz. and Pavan, willistoni Sturt., equinoxialis Dobz. and paulista Dobz. and Pavan), all were available for study except paulista.
A COMPARISON OF HYDROLOGY AND VEGETATION BETWEEN A CHANNELIZED STREAM AND A NONCHANNELIZED STREAM IN WESTERN TENNESSEE

The purpose of this study was to provide baseline data on floodplain forest structure, composition, and function that would be needed to predict and monitor the consequences of a proposed stream restoration project. This project would involve the “dechannelization” of Stokes Creek, a stream in western Tennessee that was channelized and leveed in the first half of the 1900s. To this end, we collected data on surface hydrology, soil redox potential (Eh), and the structure and composition of the floodplain vegetation of Stokes Creek. To place our findings into a regional context, we also collected comparable vegetation data from plots located along a nonchannelized stream reach of the Wolf River near Moscow, Tennessee. While hydrologic fluctuations of floodplain sites were synchronous with river dynamics for the Wolf River, the hydrology of floodplain sites at Stokes Creek was constrained by the influence of beaver dams, backflooding, and ponding of overland flow behind levees. Consequently, composition of t...
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in fine needle aspirates containing inflammatory breast cancer cells.

Abstract #3084 BACKGROUND: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive manifestation of primary breast cancer and its clinical presentation and the peculiar geographic distribution have suggested a possible viral etiology. Mouse Mammary Tumor, Human Herpes Virus 8 or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) may play significant roles in the pathogenesis of the disease and account for the peculiar lymphangiogenic mechanism of growth and disease progression. In particular, EBV late membrane protein (LMP)-1 plays a critical role in tumor invasion lymphangiogenesis. In this study, EBV DNA was measured in each FNA sample from patients with IBC and locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) using real time PCR directed against 5 different targets within the EBV genome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-eight fine needle aspirates (FNA) of breast cancer from patients with newly diagnosed IBC (n=18) and LABC (n=50) were examined. The FNA specimens were collected for the pharmacogenomic research program before any systemic therapy started. Median age of subjects was 53 yrs (range: 26-83 yrs). Total DNA was extracted from the FNA using the QIAmp Kit. EBV DNA were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) directed at five different targets within the EBV genome (BamH1W, LMP1, EBNA1, LMP2, and BZLF1) that encode products that are highly conserved across all EBV strains and important for viral pathogenesis. DNA extracted from Namalwa cells were used to construct the standard (R2 = 0.993); HL60 cells were used as EBV-negative controls. Data were collected and analyzed by Sequence Detection System software (Applied Biosystems Incorporated, ABI, Foster City, CA). RESULTS: EBV DNA was detected in freshly obtained breast cancer FNA samples using Q-PCR. The Q-PCR assays were sensitive to as low as 1 copy of EBV DNA per reaction. Of 68 breast tumor FNA specimens, EBV genes were detected in FNA from 4/18 (22%) IBC patients (range, 1-4 genes) and 5/50 (10%) LABC patients (range, 1-3 genes). Among the 9 positive specimens, BamH1W was detected in 6; EBNA1 in 5; LMP1 in 4; BZLF1 in 2; and LMP2 in 1, respectively. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Q-PCR is an effective method for detecting EBV DNA in FNA of breast cancer patients. The two most frequently detected EBV DNA sequences were BamH1W (6 of 9) and EBNA1 (5 of 9). BamH1W is a sequence that is frequently replicated throughout the EBV genome and EBNA1 is a reliable latent gene responsible for maintaining infection for life of the host. LMP-1 is a potential viral oncogene and was detected in 4/9 patients. The detection of these EBV sequences suggest latent EBV infections in IBC and LABC patients. The clinical significance of these findings warrants further investigation. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 3084.
CONSEQUENCES OF INBREEDING ON INVERTEBRATE HOST SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PARASITIC INFECTION.

BIGLER, F 1994. Quality control in Trichogramma production. Pp. 93-110 in E. Wajnberg and S. A. Hassan, eds. Biological control with egg parasitoids. Cab International, Wallinford. CHARLESWORTH, B. 1990. Optimization models, quantitative genetics, and mutation. Evolution 44:520-538. FELSENSTEIN, J. 1988. Phylogenies and quantitative characters. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19:445-471. FRY, J. D. 1996. The evolution of host specialization: are tradeoffs overrated? Am. Nat. 148:S84-S107. FUTUYMA, D. J. AND G. MORENO. 1988. The evolution of ecological specialization. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19:207-233. GILCHRIST, G. W. 1995. Specialist and generalist in changing environments. I. Fitness landscapes of thermal sensitivity. Am. Nat. 146:252-270. 1996. A quantitative genetic analysis of thermal sensitivity in the locomotor performance curve of Aphidius ervi. Evolution 50:1560-1572. GRAFEN, A. 1989. The phylogenetic regression. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 326:119-157. . 1991. The uniqueness of the phylogenetic regression. J. Theor. Biol. 156:405-423. HAYES J. P., AND T GARLAND JR. 1995. The evolution of endothermy: testing the aerobic capacity model. Evolution 49:836-847. HEINRICH, B. 1981. Insect thermoregulation. Wiley, New York. HOTCHACHKA, P. W., AND G. N. SOMERO. 1984. Biochemical adaptation. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, NJ. HUEY, R. B., AND P. E. HERTZ. 1984. Is a jack-of-all-temperatures a master of none? Evolution 38:441-444. HUEY, R. B., AND J. G. KINGSOLVER. 1989. Evolution of thermal sensitivity of ectotherm performance. Trends Ecol. Evol. 4:131135. HUEY R. B., L. PARTRIDGE, AND K. FOWLER. 1991. Thermal sensitivity of Drosophila melanogaster responds rapidly to laboratory natural selection. Evolution 45:751-756. LANDE, R. 1979. Quantitative genetics analysis of multivariate evolution applied to brain: body size allometry. Evolution 33:402416. PARTRIDGE, L., B. BARRIER, N. H. BARTON, K. FOWLER, AND V. FRENCH. 1995. Rapid laboratory evolution of adult life-history traits in Drosophila melanogaster in response to temperature. Evolution 49:538-544. PINTO J. D., AND R. STOUTHAMER. 1994. Systematics of the Trichogrammatidae with emphasis on Trichogramma. Pp.1-35 in E. Wajnberg and S. A. Hassan, eds. Biological control with egg parasitoids. Cab International, Wallinford. SCHLUTER, D. 1996. Adaptive radiation along genetic lines of least resistance. Evolution 50:1766-1774. SOKAL, R. R., AND F J. ROHLF. 1981. Biometry. Freeman, New York. VAN BERGEIJK, K. E. E BIGLER, N. K. KAASHOEK, AND G. A. PAK. 1989. Changes in host acceptance and host suitability as an effect of rearing Trichogramma maidis on a factitious host. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 52:229-238.
The Role of Ritual Variability in Social Negotiations of Early Communities: Great Kiva Homogeneity and Heterogeneity in the Mogollon Region of the North American Southwest

Religion and religious buildings play critical roles in the social negotiations that surround early village formation. Although religion and the buildings or spaces that house concomitant ceremonies may certainly serve to bring people together under a unified creed, ritual activities also provide settings that people can manipulate to their own ends. Great Kivas appear to have been a major locus of supra-family rituals in the Mogollon area from A.D.1 to 1000. We examine Great Kiva architecture and feature variability across three major areas and three time periods to understand the degree to which there was similarity in ritual practice across the region. The patterns of variation suggest that people took opportunities to make such buildings more individual and more responsive to a family’s or small group’s particular purposes.
Inaccuracy of Affordance Judgments for Firefighters Wearing Personal Protective Equipment

ABSTRACTIn order to safely negotiate cluttered and dangerous environments, firefighters must efficiently and effectively make affordance judgments. Failure to do so could put them at risk for slips, trips, and falls, which are major causes of injuries for firefighters. We examined how well firefighters were able to perceive their obstacle crossing abilities while wearing firefighting protective equipment. Firefighters were asked to judge whether they could cross over, under, and through different obstacles that simulated idealized fireground situations. Perceptual judgment errors were found for each obstacle type, the largest occurring with an overestimation of ability to pass under an obstacle. Years of experience had a moderate positive correlation with absolute judgment error in the “over” and “under” obstacles. Overall, a general lack of awareness of their personal protective equipment for obstacle crossing ability was observed. A better understanding of how to reduce judgment error while wearing fire...
Labor Supply Impacts of the Affordable Care Act

This study leverages geographic variation in health insurance premiums to estimate the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the US labor market. We link data from the Current Population Survey from 2010 to 2015 with geographic-specific premiums from the health insurance marketplaces. Our findings indicate that the Affordable Care Act resulted in a reduction in hours worked concentrated among households with earnings near 400% of the Federal Poverty Level, which is the eligibility cutoff for subsidies. There is also evidence that low income individuals in states that did not expand Medicaid were incentivized to increase their labor supply.
Transcendental Logic and the Problem of Judgement

In making the transition from a discussion of the Transcendental Aesthetic to a discussion of the Transcendental Logic, Heidegger must deal with the questions of what is meant by ‘transcendental logic’, and of what is dealt with under that chapter heading. This again brings up the question of the role of logic in philosophy, and in particular highights the problem of judgement. Heidegger here is concerned with sifting out of Kant’s presentation that which is owed merely to traditional theories of judgement, and leaving the genuine phenomenological analysis of transcendence.
For Satellites, Think Small, Dream Big: A review of recent antenna developments for CubeSats.

Advances in modern technology have aided the development of a class of miniaturized satellites called SmallSats that typically weigh less than 500 kg. Key members of this family are CubeSats. CubeSats can weigh as little as 1.33 kg, with a typical volume of 10 ? 10 ? 10 cm3. Their potential has motivated the scientific community to revisit existing spacecraft technologies to make them suitable for CubeSats.
FLT3 mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).

6597 Background: FLT3 mutations occur in one third of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients (pts) and predict poor outcome. The incidence and impact of FLT3 in MDS/ CMML is unknown. Methods: We con...
Luxury Consumption Behavior: A Value-Based Segmentation of the US Consumers

The USA is the largest consumer of luxury goods (Deloitte, 2014). However, very little is known about ways to market luxury brands (Vigneron & Johnson, 2004). This is especially true in the context of the USA luxury market. To date, few studies have addressed issue of luxury market consumer segmentation within the context of the USA. Therefore, in the present study, attempt is made to segment the USA luxury market based on the Luxury Value Perception (LVP) model proposed by Wiedmann, Hennigs, and Siebels (2009). To our knowledge, this is the first study to exclusively focus on the USA luxury market segmentation based on the LVP model. It is posited that the present study has some theoretical and practical implications.
Theoretical investigation of rotationally inelastic collisions of CH(X2Π) with hydrogen atoms

We report calculations of state-to-state cross sections for collision-induced rotational transitions of CH(X2Π) with atomic hydrogen. These calculations employed the four adiabatic potential energy surfaces correlating CH(X2Π) + H(2S), computed in this work through the multi-reference configuration interaction method [MRCISD + Q(Davidson)]. Because of the presence of deep wells on three of the potential energy surfaces, the scattering calculations were carried out using the quantum statistical method of Manolopoulos and co-workers [Chem. Phys. Lett. 343, 356 (2001)]. The computed cross sections included contributions from only direct scattering since the CH2 collision complex is expected to decay predominantly to C + H2. Rotationally energy transfer rate constants were computed for this system since these are required for astrophysical modeling.
A guide to the morphology of bioluminescent signaling Cypridinid Ostracods from the Caribbean Sea, and a tabular key to the genera

This guide is a convenient graphic description of all the salient features of the bioluminescent ostracods in the family Cypridinidae from the Caribbean Sea that are useful, and essential, for their accurate identification upon microscopic examination of dissected specimens. Over 70 species of courtship-signaling ostracods [with 22 of these formally described] have been discovered in the Caribbean, but nowhere else, and many more await discovery. The guide is also helpful for providing comparative information on the morphology of all myodocopid ostracods in the family Cypridinidae from around the globe. We also include a tabular key to males of the six known genera (3 described) of signaling cypridinid ostracods and one commonly collected non-luminescent congener.
Periods of Piecewise-Linear Recurrences

Let R be a commutative ring with 1. In this note the term linear recurrence of degree d is used for a difference equation of the form $$ {a_{{n\;}}} = L\left( {{a_{{n - 1}}},\;{a_{{n - 2}}},...,\;{a_{{n - d}}}} \right) = \sum\limits_{{i = 1}}^d {{c_i}{a_{{n - i}}} + {c_0}} $$ (1) where the coefficients c i are in R. If c 0 = 0, the recurrence is called homogeneous; otherwise it is inhomogeneous. A solution (a o, a 1,…) with terms a n ∈ R is called a linear recurrent sequence; such a sequence is uniquely determined by the initial values a o, a 1,…, a d− 1. A classical example is the Fibonacci sequence {F n } = {1, 1, 2, 3, 5,…} with F n = F n− 1 + F n− 2; this has degree 2.
Identification of Novel Allosteric Modulators of Glutamate Transporter EAAT2.

Dysfunction of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders, such as stroke, brain trauma, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases, among others. EAAT2 is the main subtype responsible for glutamate clearance in the brain, having a key role in regulating transmission and preventing excitotoxicity. Therefore, compounds that increase the expression or activity of EAAT2 have therapeutic potential for neuroprotection. Previous studies identified molecular determinants for EAAT2 transport stimulation in a structural domain that lies at the interface of the rigid trimerization domain and the central substrate binding transport domain. In this work, a hybrid structure based approach was applied, based on this molecular domain, to create a high-resolution pharmacophore. Subsequently, virtual screening of a library of small molecules was performed, identifying 10 hit molecules that interact at the proposed domain. Among these, three compounds ...
Use of Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy on Malignant Wounds

The use of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is traditionally contraindicated in malignant wounds due to concerns that it may promote tumorigenesis and expedite metastasis. However this belief is largely derived from studies on normal tissue and no literature directly supports the hypothesis that NPWT modulates oncological progression. Several studies reported the use of this technology in malignancy for palliative purposes with satisfactory outcome. Most recently, our own experience demonstrated successful closure of malignant wounds with the assistance of NPWT and no overt tumor progression on follow-up. These cases, as well as others in the literature, demonstrated that use of NPWT should not be considered an absolute contraindication in malignancy. Individualized approaches taking into account the patient’s clinical scenario, the available evidence, as well as the risks and benefits of this technology are recommended.
Managing the Impact of Customer Support Disruptions on New Product Development Projects

Knowledge-worker development projects are often performed where multiple projects are always in progress, and where preemption often occurs for solving time-critical customer service projects. The ...
Do Corticosteroids Attenuate the Peri-Operative Acute Phase Response After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Abstract Background Following tissue injury, the acute phase response (APR) functions to survive and then repair injured tissue. An exuberant APR, which can be evoked by total knee arthroplasty (TKA), results in a hyper-inflammatory state, leading to pain, nausea, venous thromboembolism, or potentially life-threatening complications. Here, we observed the effects of peri-operative dexamethasone on the APR following TKA by trending C-reactive protein (CRP, mg/L) and fibrinogen (mg/dL). We hypothesize that the anti-inflammatory effects of dexamethasone can attenuate the APR after TKA and will be associated with decreased post-operative pain and nausea. Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed on 188 unilateral TKA procedures. The patients were divided into a group receiving dexamethasone (10 mg intra-operatively and on post-operative day [POD] 1) and a group receiving no corticosteroids. Post-operative CRP, fibrinogen, morphine equivalents, and anti-emetic doses were recorded. Results Compared to the non-steroid group, patients receiving dexamethasone yielded a significantly decreased CRP on POD0 (5.5 vs 8.3), POD1 (11.8 vs 22.0), and POD2 (85.5 vs 148.9). A significant decrease in fibrinogen in patients receiving dexamethasone was seen on POD2 (460.0 vs 530.2). There was an increase in fibrinogen within the dexamethasone cohort at the 2-week visit (535.4 vs 488.9). Post-operative morphine equivalents administered were significantly decreased in patients receiving dexamethasone, but no difference in anti-emetic use was appreciated. Conclusion These data support the hypothesis that the APR following TKA can be attenuated pharmacologically by corticosteroids. Further studies are needed to determine whether the attenuation of the APR with the use of corticosteroids prevents complications following TKA.
Engineering Escherichia coli as a platform for the in vivo synthesis of prenylated aromatics.

Prenylated aromatics (PAs) are an important class of natural products with valuable pharmaceutical applications. To address current limitations of their sourcing from plants, here, we present a microbial platform for the in vivo synthesis of PAs based on the aromatic prenyltransferase NphB from Streptomyces sp. strain CL190. As proof of concept, we targeted the prenylation of phenolic/phenolcarboxylic acids, including orsellinic (OSA), divarinolic (DVA), and olivetolic (OLA) acids, whose prenylated products have important biopharmaceutical applications. Although the ability of wild-type NphB to catalyze the prenylation reaction with each acid was validated by in vitro characterization, improvement of product titers in vivo required protein modeling and rational design to engineer NphB variants with increased activity and product selectivity. When a designed NphB variant with eightfold improved catalytic efficiency toward OSA was expressed in an Escherichia coli host engineered to generate geranyl pyrophosphate at high flux through the mevalonate pathway, we observed up to 300 mg/L prenylated products by exogenously supplying OSA. The improved properties of engineered NphB were also utilized to demonstrate the diversification of this in vivo platform by using both different aromatic acceptors and different prenyl donors to generate various PA compounds, including medicinally important compounds such as cannabigerovarinic, cannabigerolic, and grifolic acids.
Physiological Mechanisms Underlying Motion Sickness

In this chapter, I shall try to provide an overview of the changes that have taken place during the last fifty years in terms of identifying the physiological mechanisms underlying the motion sickness response. Despite the fact that much effort has gone into this search, we still do not have a definitive explanation for this syndrome. I suggest that we may well find that there is no single explanation and that perhaps a number of these current concepts are relevant. Fortunately, this lack of a clear model for the aetiology of motion sickness has not prevented us from making progress in terms of dealing with the condition.
Modulators of Immune Responses to Fungi

Fungi are ubiquitous in the environment and survive as saprophytes in the soil, with a few, such as Candida albicans, finding a niche in the normal flora of the gut, skin, and oral cavity of humans. Despite constant exposure to these organisms, only a very limited number of them cause disease. Most are opportunists that can only find a foothold in individuals that are immunocompromised. The strong resistance to fungal infections is mediated by natural barriers and innate immune mechanisms, which can completely eliminate the entry of fungi or contain the invading organism at the early stages so that no apparent disease is detected. The phagocytes, particularly neutrophils, form the first line of defense against most pathogens, including fungi.1–3 Monocytes and macrophages also play an important role in phagocytosis of fungi and have an added key role in processing of antigens for presentation to T cells and activation of B cells to generate specific immunity.4–6 These specific T and B cells cannot serve as the end effector cells but participate in the destruction of fungi by the production of cytokines and antibodies, respectively. Antibodies facilitate ingestion of the opsonized microbes by phagocytes, while the cytokines act to simulate their microbicidal pathways. Elimination of the ingested fungi is via both oxidative and nonoxi-dative mechanisms. 2–4,7–9 Highly reactive oxygen radicals are released either into the phagosome containing the ingested yeasts or externally at the site of contact with larger fungal hyphae that cannot be phagocytized. In addition, degranulation of lytic enzymes can take place, again into the phagosome or externally into the environment, to digest the pathogens.
Portable Radar Circuits and Systems for Wireless Sensing and Localization

Wireless sensors with beamforming capability, embedded control and communication links have the potential to improve the quality of service in healthcare, infrastructure maintenance, and energy conservation. This paper provides an overview of the team's recent research activities on smart radio frequency (RF) sensors aided with advanced technologies such as beamforming, inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), and flexible electronics. The scope of applications extends to sleep study, fall detection, indoor localization, and civil engineering.
TNF-Alpha Priming Enhances CD4(+) FoxP3(+) Regulatory T Cell Suppressive Function in GvHD Prevention and Treatment

Abstract CD4+ CD25+ FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) have been shown to effectively prevent graft versus host disease (GvHD) when adoptively transferred in murine models of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and phase I/II clinical trials. Critical limitations to the clinical application of Treg are the paucity of cells and limited knowledge of the mechanism(s) of in vivo function. In physiologic conditions Treg regulate immune responses during inflammation. We hypothesized that inflammatory conditions in GvHD modify Treg characteristics and function. To test this hypothesis, we primed Treg with irradiated (3000 cGy) peripheral blood from acute GvHD (aGvHD) affected mice for 20-24 hours and then transferred these cells in a mouse model of GvHD where allogeneic T cell depleted bone marrow (TCD BM) from C57BL/6 mice was transplanted into lethally irradiated (8 Gy) BALB/c recipients together with 7.5x105 to 1x106 /animal donor derived conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Tcon). C57BL/6 Treg primed with irradiated aGvHD peripheral blood were injected at day 0 after HCT for preventing GvHD or at day +7 or +8 as GvHD treatment. Their adoptive transfer resulted in improved survival in comparison to unprimed natural occurring Treg when used for both GvHD prevention (p=0.01) and treatment (p=0.04). Moreover treatment with irradiated aGvHD peripheral blood-primed Treg did not impact graft versus tumor effects in a mouse model of T cell mediated tumor killing. BLI demonstrated that injected allogeneic Tcon completely cleared previously infused luc+ A20 tumor cells even in the presence of primed Treg (primed Treg + Tcon + A20 vs A20 alone p 0.05) demonstrating that serum from aGvHD animals is required for Treg priming and function. We further tested the ability of several inflammatory cytokines that are normally secreted during GvHD such as IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-12 and TNFα to induce similar in vitro Treg activation. We found that TNFɑ selectively activated Treg without impacting CD4+ FoxP3- T cells. TNFɑ-primed Treg have increased expression of activation markers such as CD69 (p In summary, our study demonstrates that Treg respond to TNFɑ acquiring an activated status resulting in increased function. As TNFɑ is produced by several immune cells during inflammation, our work elucidates aspects of the physiologic mechanisms of Treg function. Furthermore TNFɑ priming of Treg in vitro provides a new tool to optimize Treg cellular therapies also allowing for the use of a reduced cell number for GvHD prevention and treatment. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Testing invasion filters for the alpine: the roles of temperature, nitrogen deposition and soil

Alpine areas will likely experience an increase in non-native plant species invasions. Increased human activity and environmental changes are expected to lower the environmental constraints for their establishment and spread. To understand and prepare for high elevation plant invasions it is necessary to evaluate the changes in environmental factors that make alpine regions susceptible to potential invaders. The alpine of the Rocky Mountains has very few occurrences of non-native species to date, but anthropogenic environmental changes may facilitate invasion. We tested whether Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass or downy brome) invasion in the Rocky Mountain alpine could be facilitated by increases in mean and minimum growing season temperatures. We also tested whether nitrogen (N) deposition and alpine soil may modify B. tectorum’s responses to climate warming. Our findings suggest that alpine soils inhibited growth of B. tectorum regardless of temperature or simulated N deposition. These results indicate that local alpine invasion by B. tectorum is unlikely in the near future. However, higher minimum growing temperatures and increased N addition did enhance B. tectorum growth for plants grown in upper montane soils. Such changes may promote population growth of B. tectorum within montane elevations.
Bilateral versus unilateral hip arthroscopy for femoroacetabular impingement: a systematic review

One in four patients presenting with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has bilateral symptoms, and despite excellent outcomes reported after arthroscopic treatment of FAI, there remains a paucity of data on the outcomes following bilateral hip arthroscopy. This systematic review aims to examine the outcomes following bilateral (either 'simultaneous' or 'staged') versus unilateral hip arthroscopy for FAI. A systematic review of multiple electronic databases was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and checklist. All studies comparing simultaneous, staged and/or unilateral hip arthroscopy for FAI were eligible for inclusion. Case series, case reports and reviews were excluded. All study, patient and hip-specific data were extracted and analyzed. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess study quality. A meta-analysis was not performed due to heterogeneity among outcome measures. A total of six studies, including 722 patients (42.8% male) and 933 hips were eligible for inclusion. The mean age across patients was 35.5. The average time between staged procedures was 7.7 months. Four of the six studies were retrospective cohort studies, while the remaining two were prospective in nature. The overall quality of the eligible studies was found to be good. No significant difference was noted among patient-reported outcomes (modified Harris hip score, hip outcome score and non-arthritic hip score), visual analog scale, return to sport, traction time and complications between those undergoing bilateral (simultaneous or staged) versus unilateral hip arthroscopy. Based on the current available evidence, bilateral hip arthroscopy (whether simultaneous or staged) exhibits similar efficacy and safety when compared with unilateral hip arthroscopy. However, further prospective study is required to confirm this finding.
International Students and Faculty across the Disciplines: A Language Socialization Perspective

The number of international students in U.S. higher education has increased in recent years. Many of these students face English language challenges, but we know little about what faculty across th...
Can Social Media Anti-abuse Policies Work? A Quasi-experimental Study of Online Sexist and Racist Slurs:

The authors use the timing of a change in Twitter’s rules regarding abusive content to test the effectiveness of organizational policies aimed at stemming online harassment. Institutionalist theori...
Transurethral fragmentation of bladder stone in children: Our experience

Background: This study is performed to find the outcome of transurethral fragmentation and clearance of bladder stones in children as well as assessment of stone recurrence after the procedure. Methods: It was a retrospective analysis of the medical record of 365 patients with bladder stones, treated with transurethral fragmentation at the Department of Pediatric Urology, The Children’s Hospital and the Institute of Child Health, Lahore, over a period of 5 years. Bladder stones were fragmented by using ureterorenoscope (URS) and pneumatic Lithotripsy under general anesthesia. Patients were asked to void next day for spontaneous passage of stone fragments. Duration of procedure, hospital stay, peroperative, and postoperative complications were recorded on a self-structured proforma. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS, version 22. Results: The mean age of the patients was 4.7 ±2.31 years, and male to female ratio was 6:1. Clinical presentation was painful micturition with milking of penis (55%), followed by straining during micturition (17.5%), urinary retention (10%), increased frequency of urine (8%), febrile UTI (7.5%), and hematuria (2%). The mean stone size on ultrasound was 17.2 ±3.8 mm (Range 7-25 mm). The average operating time was 18 minutes (Range: 12-35 minutes). The transurethral fragmentation was successfully done in all (100%) patients. Average hospital stay was 24 hours. Most patients (98.5%) passed all stone fragments in urine & were stone free at one week, confirmed by ultrasound and X-Ray Kidney, Ureter, and Bladder (KUB). Postoperative minor complications were found in (6%) patients including hematuria (3%), dysuria (2%), febrile UTI (1%), failure to void (0.5%). Stone recurrence was 0.27% and no urethral stricture was noted up to one year follow up. Conclusion: Endoscopic treatment of bladder stone in children appears effective and safe by fragmenting the stone into multiple small pieces, which passed out spontaneously without any need for extraction of stone. The associated complications and recurrence rate are very negligible.
Colloquium 1 The Place of Pleasure and Knowledge in the Fourfold Ontological Model of Plato’s Philebus

Plato’s Philebus develops an ontological model in four terms to account for “all the things that are now in the all” (23c4). The fourfold model consists of Limit, the Unlimited, the Mixture of these two, and the Cause of the mixture. Traditional interpretations place pleasure in the class of the Unlimited and knowledge either in that of Limit or, sometimes, in that of the Cause of mixtures. The aim of my paper is twofold: (a) it challenges the received interpretation and defends instead the view that pleasures, insofar as they are true, are placed in the class of Mixtures, while knowledge and its cognates are among Causes of mixtures, and (b) it explores some of the major implications of the right placement of pleasure and knowledge on the metaphysical map. In particular, I argue that Socrates’ identification of pleasure as a Mixture and of knowledge as Cause of mixtures accounts for the fact that we witness throughout the dialogue a gradual progression from the initial absolutely unbridgeable distance between pleasure and knowledge to an intimate collaboration between them. I suggest that this shift reflects a transition from the Phileban conception of pleasure as thoughtless thrill or sensation to the Platonic understanding of pleasure as cognitively structured experience that depends on our beliefs not only about factual situations, but also about the meaning and value of such situations for life generally.
Ultrastructural Features of Human Urinary Calculi

In the past, a variety of techniques have been utilized to identify the constituents of urinary calculi. Chemical,1–2 optical,1 X-ray powder diffraction,1,3 and infrared spectrometry,3–4 procedures have been used for the routine analysis of stones. However, these studies have provided little insight into the ultrastructure of calculi. Heretofore, only a few electron microscopy studies of uroliths have been performed.5–7 A description of calculi constituents at the ultrastructural level is important for a number of reasons. The apatite constituent of calculi is present in the form of minute crystallites which are below the limit of resolution of optical techniques. In addition, potentially important morphogenic phenomena such as epitaxy 8–9 can best be revealed by ultrastructural studies.
Trade and Procurement Reform in Poland and China: Responding to the Next Globalization Wave of Interdependent Economies

During the recent decades, China has achieved phenomenal economic growth - truly an unprecedented “development miracle”, as it is at times called. Since the initiation of its reforms and an open door policy in 1978, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been consistently growing at an average annual rate ranging from 7-11 percent. In 2010, it has surpassed Japan and has become the world’s second-largest economy. China's impressive sustainable economic growth coupled with pragmatic development policies and increasing integration into a global market make her a key player in the international trade arena. China has an overall trade surplus not only with Poland and the US but also with many advanced and emerging economies of the world. Over the period of the last decade, China’s exports and imports have been growing at a faster rate than the rate of world trade. While China’s trade with the rest of the world has deepened, the structural and geographical patterns of its trade have also dramatically changed. Most importantly, the share of imports by industrial countries accounted for by China has not only diversified but also has become more sophisticated. Analysts and policy observers contend that the process of globalization will continue to accelerate and will in fact benefit China more than many other economies that are less export-oriented and less competitive. Poland is still in the process of building a mature competitive and entrepreneurial market system, which China is in the process of perfecting. Poland’s huge and growing trade imbalance with China is now posing an enormous challenge to the economic performance of the country buying more goods than it is capable to sell. Sovereign debt of Poland, which also grows rapidly, poses a threat to its economy, while limited innovative solutions, such as creation of Special Economic Zones, (SEZ) are occurring at a rather slow pace in Poland in recent years.
Electronic whiteboard-style instructional videos on the cheap (720.4)

Instructional videos are an increasingly popular format for delivering content to students. Although there are a variety of medical subjects available, we found that few existing videos were releva...
Pretask speed training and movement complexity as factors in rotary pursuit skill acquisition.

Abstract The effects of 4 gradual build-up pretask speed training programs were observed for rotary pursuit transfer scores using 216 men and women physical education majors. Ss were exposed to 3 days of pretask speed training and 3 transfer days where all Ss were tested at the same speed. A complexity dimension was added utilizing a circle, square, or triangle top plate. A 4 × 2 × 3 × 3 ANOVA was computed with repeated measures on the 3 transfer days. The other factors were 4 training conditions, sex, and 3 complexity levels. No significant differences were observed for sex, yet the other 3 main effects showed significant differences at the .05 level. The group exposed to the slowest speed training program was the only group of Ss which had significantly lower time-on-target scores from the control group who trained at the criterion speed. The complexity groups produced significantly different scores with the circle greater than the square, and the square greater than the triangle. The analysis for the d...
The impact of 5-hydroxytryptamine-receptor antagonists on chemotherapy treatment adherence, treatment delay, and nausea and vomiting.

Purpose To determine the incidence of chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting (CINV) and chemotherapy treatment delay and adherence among patients receiving palonosetron versus other 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonist (5-HT3 RA) antiemetics.
Electronic Commerce Fundamentals

This chapter defines value-chain analysis and also explains the role of e-commerce in the value-chain process. One way to look at e-commerce and its role in the business world is through value-chain analysis, which consists of a series of activities designed to satisfy a business need by adding value (or cost) in each phase of the process. A typical business organization (or a division within a business organization) designs, produces, markets, delivers, and supports its product(s) or service(s). Each of these activities adds cost and value to the product or service that is eventually delivered to the customer. For example, in a furniture-manufacturing firm, the firm buys raw materials (wood) from a logging company and then converts these raw materials (wood) into finished product (chair); chairs are shipped to retailers, distributors, or customers. E-commerce models are either an extension or revision of traditional business models, such as advertising and auction models, or a new type of business model that is suitable for the Web implementation, such as informediary, selling information collected over the Web about individuals and businesses to other businesses.
Teacher identity and agency in an era of accountability

The current zeitgeist in education in the USA emphasizes accountability for schools, students, and teachers, based on performance that can be easily quantified. Within this, current debates involving who should be teaching, what a good teacher looks like, and how best to evaluate and reward teachers are actually debates about the teaching profession. Inside such social and policy debates, however, lie real teachers with complex professional selves. The qualitative study reported here investigated how primary school teachers constructed self-understandings of what it means to be a professional inside the current educational reform context in the USA. Drawing from social-practice theories of identity construction and conceiving of the current educational reform discourses as sets of diffuse force relations that shape the social contexts and conditions of possibility in which American teachers work, this study sought to understand how nine California teachers made sense of their own professional selves amid ...
The Floer homotopy type of height functions on complex Grassmann manifolds

A family of Floer functions on the infinite dimensional complex Grassmann manifold is defined by taking direct limits of height functions on adjoint orbits of unitary groups. The Floer cohomology of a generic function in the family is computed using the Schubert calculus. The Floer homotopy type of this function is computed and the Floer cohomology which was computed al- gebraically is recovered from the Floer homotopy type. Certain non-generic elements of this family of Floer functions were shown to be related to the symplectic action functional on the universal cover of the loop space of a finite dimensional complex Grassmann manifold in the author's preprint The Floer homotopy type of com- plex Grassmann manifolds.