cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from bovine heart and rat liver mitochondria.

Abstract 3-Hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase is a lipid-requiring enzyme with an absolute requirement of phosphatidylcholine for enzymatic activity. Purification of the enzyme to homogeneity from bovine heart mitochondria was described more than a decade ago [ H. G. Bock and S. Fleischer (1975) J. Biol. Chem. 250 , 5774–5781 ]. We have modified the purification procedure so that it is faster, the yield has been improved, and the specific acitivity is greater by ~50%. The updated procedure has also been applied to isolate the enzyme from rat liver mitochondria. Characteristics of the enzyme from bovine heart and rat liver mitochondria have been compared and found to be similar with respect to: (1) purification characteristics; (2) amino acid composition; (3) pH optimum for enzymatic activity; (4) kinetic characteristics; (5) Molecular weight as determined by sedimentation equilibrium in guanidine hydrochloride; (6) peptide maps; (7) immunological cross-reactivity. These studies show that 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase from bovine heart and rat liver mitochondria, though similar, are not identical.
Comprehension monitoring and the error detection paradigm

The purpose of this study was to examine the conditions which were likely to facilitate error detection. It was hypothesized that poor readers' comprehension monitoring abilities would improve if they were given assistance in selecting the ap- propriate schema for understanding a passage. In order to test the hypothesis, we used a standard paradigm: the error detection task. No evidence was found to support the no- tion that schema activation would significantly improve poor readers' error detection abilities. However, results did indicate that, while good readers were significantly better at this task than were poor readers, a surprising number of children failed to report some very blatant errors. Although these results are in agreement with earlier studies us- ing the same task, we felt uneasy in drawing the conclusion that sixth graders are lacking in metacognitive abilities. Instead, we have expanded the discussion to include our thoughts on the limitations and difficulties in the use of the error detection paradigm itself. Five major concerns were identified and suggestions for improving future com- prehension monitoring studies were made. Some alternative methodologies were also considered.
Emergent Complications and Management of Children With End-Stage Renal Disease

End-stage renal disease is the result of complete or near-complete renal failure. Once renal function is lost, patients have difficulty eliminating excess fluids and waste from the body. Most pediatric patients rely on peritoneal dialysis for renal replacement, although a small population will undergo hemodialysis. A common complication of renal failure is electrolyte abnormalities, especially hyperkalemia. These patients are also at risk for catheter site infections as well as intraperitoneal infections. This article will review common disease complications and emergency care needs for children with end-stage renal disease.
The use of ADINA-F for large model fluid-flow analyses

Abstract This paper presents some performance improvements introduced in ADINA-F for the IBM 3090 vector-multiprocessor, to run large model fluid-flow analyses. These improvements have been achieved by means of a new skyline solver, the vectorization and parallelization of the assembly and the optimization of the I/O through the usage of data sets allocated on virtual storage instead of disks. The skyline solver is based on the blocked approach proposed by the level 3 BLAS (Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms). This solver achieves high performance due to vectorization, parallelization and optimized access of data stored in high speed memories. The maximum speed-up measured in this phase is about 25. The assembly has been vectorized and parallelized with a local speed-up of about 11. The optimization of the I/O appears a crucial point in order to achieve a very satisfactory overall reduction in the computational time. The use of the virtual input/output facility leads to a local speed-up of up to 18. The exploitation of some of the features of the IBM 3090 allows one to very efficiently run complex industrial problems. The time scale passes from several hours to a few minutes, the global job speed-up being up to 19.
Synthesis of SPICE-compatible broadband electrical models for pins and vias

A systematic methodology is presented for the synthesis of SPICE-compatible broadband electrical models for pins and vias. Starting with a set of frequency-dependent data that quantify the electromagnetic properties of single or coupled interconnect discontinuities, a vector curve fitting algorithm is used to generate closed-form rational function representations of the frequency-dependent responses. Subsequently, a systematic approach is introduced for the direct synthesis of lumped circuit representations of the rational functions, containing standard circuit elements. The synthesized circuits are compatible with SPICE-based circuit simulators. The proposed methodology is demonstrated through specific numerical experiments.
Cycle stratigraphy as a paleogeographic tool: Point Lookout Sandstone, southeastern San Juan basin, New Mexico

The Point Lookout Sandstone in the southeastern part of the San Juan basin was deposited as a moderate- to low-energy mainland or barrier beach which separated an extensive tidal creek and tidal distributary system from open-marine environments. Fluvial processes dominated locally along this northeastward-prograding coastline, resulting in development of dip-aligned, deltaic sandstone bodies. This regressive sheet sandstone is composed of numerous small-scale, asymmetric transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycles, three to five of which are intersected in a typical vertical section. Recognition and correlation of individual T-R cycles (<100,000 yr in duration) facilitate division of the Point Lookout Sandstone into genetic “shoreline blocks” and allow construction of detailed paleogeographic maps of shoreline position. Using this technique, shoreline irregularities and subtle differences between wave- and fluvial-dominated portions of the strandline are recognizable. Variability in strandline orientation and energy regime strongly influenced the accumulation of potential reservoir sandstone bodies. This technique is thus a useful predictive tool in energy exploration.
Phosphorescent Nanoscale Coordination Polymers as Contrast Agents for Optical Imaging

Optical imaging, which uses neither ionizing radiation (as in X-ray computed tomography) nor radioactive materials (as in positron emission tomography or single photon emission computed tomography),[1] has emerged as a powerful imaging modality during the last two decades.[2] Optical imaging has been widely employed for oncological and other applications due to its ability to noninvasively differentiate between diseased (e.g., tumor) and healthy tissues based on differential dye accumulations.[3] The need for relatively high (up to ~µM) concentrations of dyes in optical imaging, however, limits its application in many areas, such as detecting low concentrations of biological targets. For example, many biomarkers are overexpressed in the nM concentrations in diseased tissues,[4] and cannot be readily visualized by optical imaging. Dye-loaded nanoparticles represent a logical solution to lowering the detection limit due to their ability to carry a large payload of dye molecules as well as to target certain cell types by conjugation to affinity molecules. Luminescent quantum dots have indeed been extensively explored as bright and stable contrast agents for optical imaging.[5] The non-degradable nature of and the use of toxic elements in many quantum dot formulations however limit their applications in many areas. Most of fluorescent dye molecules, on the other hand, have small Stokes shifts and tend to have a significant overlap between absorption and fluorescent emission spectra. As a result, these fluorescence dyes will suffer from severe self-quenching if they are brought into close proximity with each other, as in nanoparticles with high dye loadings.
Observation of Fermi Polarons in a Tunable Fermi Liquid of Ultracold Atoms

We have observed Fermi polarons, dressed spin-down impurities in a spin-up Fermi sea of ultracold atoms. The polaron manifests itself as a narrow peak in the impurities' rf spectrum that emerges from a broad incoherent background. We determine the polaron energy and the quasiparticle residue for various interaction strengths around a Feshbach resonance. At a critical interaction, we observe the transition from polaronic to molecular binding. Here, the imbalanced Fermi liquid undergoes a phase transition into a Bose liquid, coexisting with a Fermi sea.
Antigen-based heteropolymers. A potential therapy for binding and clearing autoantibodies via erythrocyte CR1.

Objective. To determine if complexes containing monoclonal antibodies to CR1 cross-linked with antigen (antigen-based heteropolymers [AHP]) can bind the corresponding autoantibody to primate erythrocyte CR1 and promote autoantibody clearance from the circulation. Methods. AHP were constructed by cross-linking double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to monoclonal antibodies to CR1. The ability of AHP to facilitate binding of human anti-dsDNA antibodies to primate erythrocytes was studied in vitro using a variety of radioimmunoassays (including Farr assays), enzyme immunoassays, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. In addition, we used a monkey model to study in vivo the AHP-mediated clearance of passively infused human anti-dsDNA antibodies. Results. Large amounts of lupus IgG anti-dsDNA antibodies can be specifically bound to human erythrocytes via the complexes, and studies in 2 rhesus monkeys indicate that the erythrocyte-bound antibodies are rapidly cleared from the circulation. Conclusion. This methodology may allow for development of a new therapy to facilitate autoantibody clearance in autoimmune disease.
Obesity, Weight Gain, and Risk of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

To date, little is known about the risk factors for the development of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Obesity, measured as body mass index, has been identified as a possible risk factor for several solid tumors as well as some adult hematopoietic malignancies. This case-control study (N = 253 cases and 270 controls), conducted at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, investigated the role of obesity and adulthood weight gain in CML risk. Cases and controls were similar with respect to smoking, alcohol consumption, and occupational solvent and ionizing radiation exposure. Cases were significantly more likely to have a history of occupational exposure to agricultural chemicals (11% cases versus 3% controls, P = 0.001). Cases were more likely to be obese during adulthood compared with controls at age 25 [odds ratios (OR) = 4.29; 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), 1.63-11.3], at age 40 (OR = 5.12; 95% CI, 1.92-13.6), and at diagnosis (OR = 3.09; 95% CI, 1.56-6.13). Obesity at all ages was found to be an independent risk factor, with a significant dose-response effect. Among participants > or =45 years, cases gained significantly more weight each year between ages 25 and 40 compared with controls (0.78 versus 0.44 kg/y, P 1 kg/y between 25 and 40 years of age (OR, 3.63; 95% CI, 1.46-9.04). Our results suggest that obesity and adulthood weight gain play important roles in CML risk. Several plausible biological mechanisms have been proposed and warrant further investigation. In the future, cancer prevention interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of CML could be developed.
Culture, Culture Everywhere: The Swell of Globalization Theory

Bandied about in the media with the ease of fax messages, “globalization” is poised to become a slogan. There hardly exists a public topic, ranging from Patrick Buchanan’s campaign in the 1996 prim...
Development of a communication skills based workshop for Shared Decision-Making (SDM)

Rationale, aims and objectives: Shared Decision-Making (SDM) is increasingly recommended to improve patient-centered care. Implementation of SDM in routine practice has been challenging. Our aim was t o develop and evaluate a brief SDM workshop based on a communication skills approach for primary care physicians (PCPs). The clinical problem chosen was one in which over-treatment is a concern: screening and treatment options in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) following a mildly abnormal stress test. Method: Essential training tasks were identified from existing communication skills and shared decision-making skills. A 90-minute workshop was developed for use with a patient decision aid. Didactic content and role plays featuring 3 case scenarios with interactive feedback formed the approach. Participants were academic internal and family medicine PCPs. Retrospective pre-post surveys evaluated self-reported effectiveness in actual clinic encounters. Results: Seventy-two percent (21/29) of PCPs in the 2 clinics participated in the Communication-Shared Decision Making (COMM-SDM) Training Program. Providers reported increased confidence in doing shared decision-making with CAD patients. Decreases in confidence occurred in the specific task of “setting the stage for the encounter”. Some PCPs were uncomfortable with counseling patients making decisions about optimal medical therapy or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), preferring the cardiologist to discuss the options. Conclusions: SDM as an extension of a communication approach appears logistically feasible. The essential tasks of this training approach may be applicable to other clinical decisions where shared decision-making is appropriate, either because the decisions are preference sensitive or because testing and treatment patterns are frequently inconsistent with scientific evidence.
Chinese marine cartography: Sea charts of pre‐modern China

(1988). Chinese marine cartography: Sea charts of pre‐modern China. Imago Mundi: Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 96-112.
Between Politics and Science: Challenges to the Social Contract for Science

Despite much debate, and much apprehension and cries of alarm from the scientific community, it appears to me that the basis [sic] outlines of the ‘social contract’ between science and government proposed in Bush's famous report to President Roosevelt, Science the Endless Frontier , have remained more or less intact, and are still broadly accepted by public and politicians. Reality has changed much less than rhetoric. True, there has been some intrusion of government into the management of the extramural scientific enterprise, but after many threatening draft regulations and bursts of threatening rhetoric in the Congress, the end result has not been much real change, certainly not as great as the alarmists feared. – Harvey Brooks (in Brooks and Schmitt 1985: 17) Introduction In Chapter 2, I located the social contract for science in the broad consensus among Vannevar Bush, his political allies, and his political opponents that although funding science was a public responsibility, maintaining the integrity and the productivity of the enterprise was to be left to the scientists alone. Contrary to the epigraph from physicist and science policy scholar Harvey Brooks, the outline of the social contract for science was not limited to Bush's report. Neither were all the major tenets of Science: The Endless Frontier part of that outline. But the social contract for science can serve, as Brooks suggests, as the basis for assessing change in the relationship between the political and scientific communities over time.
Electroantennograms and Field Attraction of the Gypsy Moth Sex Attractant Disparlure and Related Compounds

Elcctroantennogram recordings made with disparlure, the sex attractant of Porthetria dispar (L.), and 55 related compounds were compared with data on the attraction of the compounds in the field for male gypsy moths. With most compounds, intensity of EAG responses correlated well with attraction of male moths in the field. Those analogues eliciting good EAG responses without being attractive in the field may have another type of activity, e.g. inhibition or synergism of attraction.
Combined schlieren and OH PLIF imaging study of ram accelerator flowfields

OH PLIF and schlieren imaging were applied to investigate shock-induced combustion phenomena on a 40° wedge in an expansion tube. OH PLIF was utilized to determine the regions of combustion in the flow field, while schlieren imaging provided complementary shock wave visualization. Stoichiometric H2/O2 gas mixtures, at three different levels of nitrogen dilution (75 %, 80%, and 85 %) were tested at two different test flow conditions in these experiments. A pressure transducer was mounted in the wedge to obtain a record of the surface pressure history on the model. Three test cases yielded shockinduced combustion behind an attached shock at the tip of the wedge. Depending on the sensitivity of the mixture employed, the flame front either rapidly converged with the shock, or slowly diverged away from it. The measured wave angles and surface pressures in these tests were, in general, well-modeled by shock-polar theory using frozen thermochemistry. Two other test cases, using the most sensitive gas mixtures, produced a closely-coupled flame front behind a detached shock wave near the wedge tip. The measured surface pressure in this latter case was better modeled by a shock polar using equilibrium chemistry. Simple finite-rate chemistry modeling of the ignition zone agrees well with the experimental results in all cases.
Differences in Percentages of Fatty Acids in Triglycerides and Phospholipids of Larvae of the Bollworm and the Tobacco Budworm as Possible Factors in Their Tolerance to Insecticides

Fatty acids in the triglycerides and phospholipids from early (about 3rd-stage) and late (about 5th-stage) larvae of Heliothis zea (Boddie), and H. virescens (F.) susceptible to insecticides were analyzed by gas chromatography and compared. The triglycerides of early larvae of H. zea contained a higher percentage of stearic acid than the triglycerides of H. virescens of the same age. Also, the triglycerides of both early and late larvae of H. zea had more oleic and less linoleic acid than the triglycerides of H. virescens of the same ages. The phospholipids of both instars of H. zea contained higher percentages of stearic acid and lower percentages of linoleic and linolenic acids than the phospholipids of H. virescens of the same ages. Since the differences in fatty acids could not be explained entirely by larval growth, they may have a role in the greater natural tolerance of H. virescens to insecticides because they could affect the solubility of insecticides in lipids or the characteristics of the cell membrane.
Early e-consultation face-to-face conversions

IntroductionE-consultations are asynchronous, text-based consultations. The specialist e-consultant answers clinical questions in a similar way to a standard consultation but the questions and answers are sent electronically. The e-consultant has access to some or all of the medical record but does not have contact with the patient. Although e-consultations are meant to substitute for face-to-face (F2F) consultations, a significant proportion of e-consultations are converted to F2F consultations.MethodsWe examined e-consultation content from a sample of e-consultations that had subsequent F2F visits in the same specialty as the e-consultation within 28 days of the e-consultation.ResultsOut of 5115 e-consultations, there were a total of 547 (10.7%) early F2F conversions. One hundred and fifty-one e-consultations with subsequent early F2F conversions were reviewed in eight specialties. In 64% of the F2F conversions, specialists recommended the F2F consultations. In 75% there were complex diagnostic or treat...
Context and Media Frames: The Case of Liberia

There is a growing body of work examining gender stereotypes in media representations of female candidates, but much of this literature is based on analysis of media sources in developed countries, including the United States (Braden 1996; Jalalzai 2006; Kahn 1994, 1996; Smith 1997), Australia (Kittilson and Fridkin 2008), Canada (Kittilson and Fridkin 2008), France (Murray 2010b), and Germany (Wiliarty 2010). The increase in female presidential candidates and presidents in Latin America has encouraged research on media portrayals of women in Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela (Franceschet and Thomas 2010; Hinojosa 2010; Piscopo 2010; Thomas and Adams 2010). To date, however, there has been little research exploring media representations of female politicians in Africa. (Exceptions include Adams 2010; Anderson, Diabah, and hMensah 2011). A question that emerges is whether the gender stereotypes common in coverage in the United States, Europe, and Latin America are also prevalent in Africa.
The Resistance of Dilute Alloys of Magnesium and Gadolinium or Neodymium

In the search for anomalous resistance behavior in dilute paramagnetic alloys, attempts have been made to investigate dilute alloys of magnesium with gadolinium or neodvmium as solutes.
Domestic Roles and Occupational Choice

Married women entering the labour force today face a challenge their ancestors seldom encountered: how to reconcile the conflicting demands of family and career. Either set of demands can be enormously time-consuming, energy-depleting, and emotion-draining; and when women take on both assignments they soon discover that there simply are not enough hours in the day, not enough resiliency in the body, not enough flexibility of the mind to do both jobs properly. Superwomen, perhaps, can juggle successfully the demands of family and careeer, of employers who require complete commitment to the job, of husbands who insist on the services of a wife, of children who want total attention to their needs, without wrenching physical and emotional costs. No doubt such women exist, but ordinary women, torn by conflicting demands and desires, often end up exhausted, nerve-wracked, and guilt-ridden.
A Novel Method For 3-D Segmentation And Volume Estimation Of Brain Compartments From MRI

D segmentation and volume estimation of the brain compartments is difficult because of the convoluted and unpredictable nature of the border between white matter and grey matter. A 3-D, multiple intensity, region growing technique was developed to segment the voxels into regions corresponding to purely white or gray matter. These voxel intensities are used to characterize the pure white and gray matter. There remains a shell of voxels between the white and gray regions. Each voxel in this shell contains a mixture of white and gray matter. A least-squares vector estimator is then used to determine the fraction of white and gray matter in each of these voxels.
Pediatric Asthma Health Disparities: Race, Hardship, Housing, and Asthma in a National Survey.

Abstract Objective We sought to determine if racial disparities in pediatric asthma are explained by material hardship and home ownership. Methods We performed a secondary analysis of the 2011 American Housing Survey. A total of 33,201 households with children age 6 to 17 years were surveyed regarding childhood asthma diagnosis and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma (for the youngest child with asthma in the household). Material hardship included poor housing quality, housing crowding, lack of amenities, and no vehicle access. We used logistic regression to determine the association between race, material hardship, and asthma diagnosis or ED visits, adjusting for potential confounders. Results Non-Hispanic black heads of household had a higher odds of having a child diagnosed with asthma in the home compared with non-Hispanic white heads of household (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–1.96), and a higher odds of ED visits for asthma (odds ratio, 3.02; 95% CI, 2.29–3.99). The race–asthma association was decreased but not eliminated after adjusting for material hardship and home ownership (ED visit adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.07; 95% CI, 1.50–2.86). Poor housing quality was independently associated with asthma diagnosis (AOR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.28–1.66) and ED visits (AOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.21–2.10). Home ownership was associated with a lower odds of asthma-related ED visits (AOR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46–0.84). Conclusions Observed racial disparities in pediatric asthma are lessened after controlling for material hardship. Poor housing quality in particular is strongly associated with asthma morbidity. Policy makers could target improving housing quality as a means of potentially reducing asthma disparities.
Investigating an Intervention Program Linking Writing and Vocabulary Development for Homeless Children

The presented study investigated the effects of a four-week academic and activity – enriched summer program on vocabulary development and writing achievement of homeless children residing in traditional shelter facilities. When compared to controls the experimental students did not reveal gains in vocabulary and spelling as measured by two norm referenced tests. They did however demonstrate highly significant gains in writing ability based on the New York State standards criteria, reflecting five qualities of writing. On two project-developed instruments designed to measure improvement in book vocabulary and tennis skills, they showed significant increases based on analyses of their pre- and posttest scores. The program closed achievement gaps, fulfilled standards criteria, and may be the first of its kind in the homeless literature whereby students’ writing development was compared to matched controls as vocabulary development occurred based on literary readings.
Cord Blood Acute Phase Reactants Predict Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis in Preterm Infants.

Background Early onset sepsis (EOS) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants, yet diagnosis remains inadequate resulting in missed cases or prolonged empiric antibiotics with adverse consequences. Evaluation of acute phase reactant (APR) biomarkers in umbilical cord blood at birth may improve EOS detection in preterm infants with intrauterine infection. Methods In this nested case-control study, infants (29.7 weeks gestation, IQR: 27.7–32.2) were identified from a longitudinal cohort with archived cord blood and placental histopathology. Patients were categorized using culture, laboratory, clinical, and antibiotic treatment data into sepsis groups: confirmed sepsis (cEOS, n = 12); presumed sepsis (PS, n = 30); and no sepsis (controls, n = 30). Nine APRs were measured in duplicate from cord blood using commercially available multiplex immunoassays (Bio-Plex Pro™). In addition, placental histopathologic data were linked to biomarker results. Results cEOS organisms were Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Proteus mirabilis, Haemophilus influenzae and Listeria monocytogenes. C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), serum amyloid P and ferritin were significantly elevated in cEOS compared to controls (p<0.01). SAA, CRP, and Hp were elevated in cEOS but not in PS (p<0.01) and had AUCs of 99%, 96%, and 95% respectively in predicting cEOS. Regression analysis revealed robust associations of SAA, CRP, and Hp with EOS after adjustment for covariates. Procalcitonin, fibrinogen, α-2-macroglobulin and tissue plasminogen activator were not significantly different across groups. Placental acute inflammation was associated with APR elevation and was present in all cEOS, 9 PS, and 17 control infants. Conclusion This study shows that certain APRs are elevated in cord blood of premature infants with EOS of intrauterine origin. SAA, CRP, and Hp at birth have potential diagnostic utility for risk stratification and identification of infants with EOS.
Pre-clinical evaluation of the potential benefit of histone deacetylase inhibitor therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma in transgenic mice model

3838 Despite recent advances in the treatment of high-risk category neuroblastoma (NB) patient with 13-cis retinoic acid therapy, the survival rate of these patients remains low, at less than 30%, due to the emergence multi-drug resistant minimal residual NB cells. Resistance to chemo and retinoid therapy in NB has been linked to a number of factors including high expression and amplification of the poor prognostic marker mycN gene, high level of Bcl-2, non-functional p53 and p21. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have shown remarkable anti-cancer activities against several types of cancer. In this study, we aim to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) in the mycN transgenic mouse model of human NB and its ability to enhance the efficacy of retinoid and interferons (IFNs) therapy, and in addition, to identify factors that may mediate resistance to HDAC inhibitor. TSA reduces NB tumor growth by over 50% in mycN transgenic mice at dosages that have no clinically observable toxicity. Furthermore, our data showed that resistance to TSA-induced apoptosis correlates with high level of intrinsic expression of p21 protein but is independent of expression level of Bcl-2, p53 status, mycN gene expression or amplification. Multi-drug resistance protein (MRP) phenotypes do not increase resistance to TSA-induced apoptosis in NB cell lines. TSA, at a lower concentration, significantly enhances the anti-cancer effect of retinoid against NB cell lines; however, the combination of TSA and IFN-alpha showed the strongest effect and synergy. Taken together, our pre-clinical data showed that hydroxamic acid-based HDAC inhibitor has high therapeutic efficacy and selectivity against aggressive NB both in vitro and in vivo models. Furthermore, combining HDAC inhibitor therapy with IFN-alpha may significantly increase the therapeutic benefit of this new class of anti-cancer agent. These findings provides a rational basis for the inclusion of HDAC inhibitor and IFN-alpha as part of the treatment for high-risk NB patients.
Hemophilia treatment. Factor VIII inhibitors with recombinant products: prospective clinical trials.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: During the late 1980s, short-term hepatitis safety trials with certain new high purity, virally attenuated plasma derived factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates showed a higher than anticipated percentage of inhibitors in previously untreated patients (PUPs). Thus, the design of prelicensure dinical trials with each of the recombinant (r) FVIII products included prospective evaluations for inhibitors at well-defined time points, to see whether treatment with rFVIII resulted in a higher incidence of inhibitors. DESIGN AND METHODS: Each of several prospective clinical trials with rFVIII preparations is described and analyzed in terms of inhibitor development, patient demographics, and current prevalence of inhibitors in the cohort. RESULTS: In prospective trials with rFVIII preparations (both full length and B domain deleted rFVIII), the percentage of PUPs with severe hemophilia A who developed FVIII inhibitors has varied between 28.3 and 30.6%. Many of the inhibitors have been transient, disappearing while the patient was receiving episodic (on demand) treatment with rFVIII, while others have responded to immune tolerance induction regimens with rFVIII alone. However, many other have persisted. Genetic influences (underlying gene defect and race) were shown to play a role in inhibitor development. In contrast to the experience in the PUPs, in trials with rFVIII preparations in previously treated patients (PTPs), only 0-1 subject per trial developed an inhibitor. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: While the percentage of PUPs developing inhibitors in each of the prospective clinical trials with rFVIII preparations appears high, published data from similarly conducted studies with plasma-derived FVIII products show very similar results. Additionally, only an occasional PTP on rFVIII developed an inhibitor. Thus, none of the rFVIII preparations studied to date appears to be more immunogenic than plasma-derived FVIII.
Decortication in thoracic empyema: Indications and surgical technique

Decortication for empyema is a well-established procedure and is based on sound surgical principles. When applied in properly selected patients, rapid recovery with a good functional result is to be expected. Best results are obtained when the optimal time for surgical intervention is chosen, usually relatively early in the course of the process for which it is employed. Although modern supportive care and antibiotic therapy are important, a properly performed operation, employed at the proper time, is a major determinant of a successful outcome.
Population Policies, Politics of

This article analyzes population policy as the outcome of political conflict over demographic issues that touch on some of the most basic values in society. Demographers and population scientists have generally approached population policy as a scientific question. However, as this article argues, population policy is determined as much by politics and ideology as it is by demographic data. Politics may be regarded as the lens through which demographic data is viewed. Evidence for this contention is based upon a review of both fertility limitation policies in developing countries and in pro-natalist policies that have appeared at different times in industrial countries. The article also considers the international population conferences sponsored by the United Nations (UN) and finds that as participation in these conferences has broadened to include non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and interest groups from civil societies, their focus has changed to reflect the views of participants. Conferences have been significant as a forum for developmental change, but they have had less significance in terms of their effect on births, deaths, and migration, the core issues of demography.
Ethics in oncology: modern concerns for an age-old disease.

The journal editor introduces a theme issue that explores ethical issues that arise in the care of cancer patients and cancer research. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
AN INVESTIGATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PROCEDURES TO MEASURE AND PROCESS WIND ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEM PERFORMANCE DATA

ABSTRACT The overall performance of a wind energy conversion system (WECS) can be described by measurement of its power output versus wind-speed characteristic. The curve so obtained is usually called a performance or power curve. This curve represents the steady state power output of a wind turbine for constant wind speed input over a specified range of steady wind speeds. It tells us nothing about the dynamic performance of a wind turbine in a fluctuating wind. A performance data analyst must accurately extract the steady state performance curve of a WECS from time series data obtained from a WECS operating in the real (fluctuating) wind. The methods used to do this are quite varied and may or may not produce identical results. This paper will evaluate the Method of Bins technique used to extract a performance curve from data obtained from a WECS operating in the real wind environment, to elucidate some of the potential difficulties associated with use of this method, and to establish guidelines for the data analyst to use when designing a performance measurement experiment or when reducing the data obtained.
Interaction between TRPV1-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) is expressed in the hypothalamus, and TRPV1-dependent regulation of preautonomic neurons is decreased in hyperglycemic conditions. Our study de...
Trained murine mesenchymal stem cells have anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages, but defective regulation on T-cell proliferation

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated immunomodulation affects both innate and adaptive immune systems. These responses to environmental cues, such as pathogen-associated molecular patterns, damage-associated molecular patterns, or proinflammatory cytokines, are crucial for resolution of inflammation, as well as successful tissue healing and regeneration. We observed that intermittent, repeated exposure of MSCs to LPS induced stronger NF-κB activation than singular stimulation. A similar phenomenon, named innate immune memory or trained immunity, has been reported with macrophages. However, the potential regulation of "immune memory" in nonclassic immune cells, such as MSCs, has not been reported. In the current study, we chose IFN-γ plus TNF-α restimulation-induced iNOS expression as a model of MSC activation, because IFN-γ and TNF-α play crucial roles in MSC-mediated immunomodulation. The iNOS expression was enhanced in LPS-trained MSCs, 3 d after a washout period following primary stimulation. LPS-trained MSCs enhanced the anti-inflammatory (arginase 1 and CD206) marker expression, but decreased the proinflammatory marker (TNF-α, IL-1β, iNOS, and IL-6) expression using an MSC-macrophage coculture model. In contrast, LPS-trained MSCs demonstrated a defective regulation on CD4 T-cell proliferation. Mechanistic studies suggested that histone methylation and the JNK pathway are involved in LPS-trained immunomodulation in MSCs. Our results demonstrate differential immunomodulatory effects of trained MSCs on macrophages and T cells. These immunomodulatory consequences are critical, because they will have a major impact on current MSC-based cell therapies.-Lin, T., Pajarinen, J., Kohno, Y., Huang, J.-F., Maruyama, M., Romero-Lopez, M., Nathan, K., Yao, Z., Goodman, S. B. Trained murine mesenchymal stem cells have anti-inflammatory effect on macrophages, but defective regulation on T-cell proliferation.
Reflection(s) In/On Digital Writing’s Hybrid Pedagogy, 2010–2017

Abstract Composition and Computers and Writing scholarship often provide theoretical and practical articulations of how we could or should teach students to use the technologies necessary to engage in digital writing. Sometimes those theoretical and practical articulations differ. For example, syllabi and scholarship diverge in their representation of reflective pedagogy. I identified this divergence upon assembling a set of 150 publicly available digital writing syllabi and applying descriptive, identifying, and analytical tags to those syllabi related to how each represents to its students how they will learn how to use digital technologies in that course. I found that, aside from the divergence vis a vis reflective pedagogy, digital writing syllabi represent the use of practices (direct instruction, experimentation, critical analysis) that align with those promoted by pedagogical scholarship.
Six spectra and two dimensions of an abelian category

Recall that the Krull dimension of a topological space is the maximal length of strictly decreasing chains of its irreducible closed subsets. The Krull dimension of a scheme is defined as the Krull dimension of its underlying topological space. We define the spectral dimension of an abelian category A as the dimension of the topological space (Spec A, τ).
“Splitting Things in Half Is So White!”: Conceptions of Family Life and Friendship and the Formation of Ethnic Identity among Second Generation Vietnamese Americans

(1999). “Splitting Things in Half Is So White!”: Conceptions of Family Life and Friendship and the Formation of Ethnic Identity among Second Generation Vietnamese Americans. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 53-88.
RTX Toxins Ambush Immunity's First Cellular Responders.

The repeats-in-toxin (RTX) family represents a unique class of bacterial exoproteins. The first family members described were toxins from Gram-negative bacterial pathogens; however, additional members included exoproteins with diverse functions. Our review focuses on well-characterized RTX family toxins from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (LtxA), Mannheimia haemolytica (LktA), Bordetella pertussis (CyaA), uropathogenic Escherichia coli (HlyA), and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (ApxIIIA), as well as the studies that have honed in on a single host cell receptor for RTX toxin interactions, the β2 integrins. The β2 integrin family is composed of heterodimeric members with four unique alpha subunits and a single beta subunit. β2 integrins are only found on leukocytes, including neutrophils and monocytes, the first responders to inflammation following bacterial infection. The LtxA, LktA, HlyA, and ApxIIIA toxins target the shared beta subunit, thereby targeting all types of leukocytes. Specific β2 integrin family domains are required for the RTX toxin’s cytotoxic activity and are summarized here. Research examining the domains of the RTX toxins required for cytotoxic and hemolytic activity is also summarized. RTX toxins attack and kill phagocytic immune cells expressing a single integrin family, providing an obvious advantage to the pathogen. The critical question that remains, can the specificity of the RTX-β2 integrin interaction be therapeutically targeted?
Duplication of leucyl-tRNA synthetase in an archaeal extremophile may play a role in adaptation to variable environmental conditions.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are ancient enzymes that play a fundamental role in protein synthesis. They catalyze the esterification of specific amino acids to the 3′-end of their cognate tRNAs and therefore play a pivotal role in protein synthesis. Although previous studies suggest that aaRS-dependent errors in protein synthesis can be beneficial to some microbial species, evidence that reduced aaRS fidelity can be adaptive is limited. Using bioinformatics analyses, we identified two distinct leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS) genes within all genomes of the archaeal family Sulfolobaceae. Remarkably, one copy, designated LeuRS-I, had key amino acid substitutions within its editing domain that would be expected to disrupt hydrolytic editing of mischarged tRNALeu and to result in variation within the proteome of these extremophiles. We found that another copy, LeuRS-F, contains canonical active sites for aminoacylation and editing. Biochemical and genetic analyses of the paralogs within Sulfolobus islandicus supported the hypothesis that LeuRS-F, but not LeuRS-I, functions as an essential tRNA synthetase that accurately charges leucine to tRNALeu for protein translation. Although LeuRS-I was not essential, its expression clearly supported optimal S. islandicus growth. We conclude that LeuRS-I may have evolved to confer a selective advantage under the extreme and fluctuating environmental conditions characteristic of the volcanic hot springs in which these archaeal extremophiles reside.
A quantitative measure of functional redundancy in microbial ecosystems

Abstract Although functional redundancy has received increased attention in the microbial ecology literature, no quantitative functional redundancy measurement is currently available which compares multiple communities and integrates of ‘omics data rather than phenotypic traits. Here, we propose an approach for quantifying functional redundancy that use ‘omics data. This approach, termed trait contribution evenness (TCE), is based on traditional measures of community diversity. We measure functional redundancy of a trait within a community as the evenness in relative contribution of that trait among taxa within the community. This definition has several appealing properties including: TCE is an extension of established diversity theory, functional redundancy measurements from communities with different richness and relative trait contribution by taxa are easily comparable, and any quantifiable trait data (genes copies, protein abundance, transcript copies, respiration rates, etc.) is suitable for analysis. Resilience of a trait to taxa extinctions is often viewed as an ecological consequence of traits with high functional redundancy. We demonstrate that TCE functional redundancy is closely and monotonically related to the resilience of a trait to extinctions of trait-bearing taxa. Finally, to illustrate the applicability of TCE, we analyzed the functional redundancy of eight nitrogen-transforming pathways using 2,631 metagenome-assembled genomes from 47 TARA Oceans sites. We found that the NH4+ assimilation pathway was the most functionally redundant (0.6 to 0.7) while nitrification had the lowest functional redundancy (0 to 0.1). Here, TCE functional redundancy addresses shortfalls of other functional redundancy measurements by providing a generalizable, quantitative, and comparable functional redundancy measurement. Importance The broad application of ‘omics technologies in microbiological studies highlights the necessity of integrating traditional ecological theory with omics data when quantifying community functional redundancy. Such an approach should allow for comparisons in functional redundancy between different samples, sites, and studies. Here, we propose measuring functional redundancy based on an expansion of already existing diversity theory. This approach measures how evenly different members in a community contribute to the overall level of a trait within a community. The utility in the approach proposed here will allow for broad evaluation of traits.
Perinatal depression screening practices in a large health system: identifying current state and assessing opportunities to provide more equitable care

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of prenatal and postpartum depression screening in a large health system and to identify covariates for screening, with a specific focus in understanding disparities in practice. A retrospective cohort of women with deliveries in 2016 was created using electronic health records. Primary outcomes were depression screening during pregnancy and the first 3 months postpartum. Generalized linear mixed models with women nested within clinic were used to determine the effect of maternal and clinical characteristics on depression screening. The sample included 7548 women who received prenatal care at 35 clinics and delivered at 10 hospitals. The postpartum sample included 7059 women who returned within 3 months for a postpartum visit. Of those, 65.1% were screened for depression during pregnancy, and 64.4% were screened postpartum. Clinic site was the strongest predictor of screening, accounting for 23–30% of the variability in screening prevalence. There were no disparities identified with regard to prenatal screening. However, several disparities were identified for postpartum screening. After adjusting for clinic, women who were African American, Asian, and otherwise non-white (Native American, multi-racial) were less likely to be screened postpartum than white women (AOR (CI)’s 0.81 (0.65, 1.01), 0.64 (0.53, 0.77), and 0.44 (0.21, 0.96), respectively). Women insured by Medicaid/Medicare, a proxy for low-income, were less likely to be screened postpartum than women who were privately insured (AOR (CI) 0.78 (0.68, 0.89)). National guidelines support universal depression screening of pregnant and postpartum women. The current study found opportunities for improvement in order to achieve universal screening and to deliver equitable care.