cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arsenite induces cell transformation by reactive oxygen species, AKT, ERK1/2, and p70S6K1

Arsenic is naturally occurring element that exists in both organic and inorganic formulations. The inorganic form arsenite has a positive association with development of multiple cancer types. There are significant populations throughout the world with high exposure to arsenite via drinking water. Thus, human exposure to arsenic has become a significant public health problem. Recent evidence suggests that reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate multiple changes to cell behavior after acute arsenic exposure, including activation of proliferative signaling and angiogenesis. However, the role of ROS in mediating cell transformation by chronic arsenic exposure is unknown. We found that cells chronically exposed to sodium arsenite increased proliferation and gained anchorage-independent growth. This cell transformation phenotype required constitutive activation of AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR, and p70S6K1. We also observed these cells constitutively produce ROS, which was required for the constitutive activation of AKT, ERK1/2, mTOR, and p70S6K1. Suppression of ROS levels by forced expression of catalase also reduced cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. These results indicate cell transformation induced by chronic arsenic exposure is mediated by increased cellular levels of ROS, which mediates activation of AKT, ERK1/2, and p70S6K1.
When Your Boss Wants It the Old Way

This article offers reasons lawyers continue to use outdated language and formats and gives suggestions for handling it when you try to modernize your writing and face resistance.
Compliance, Repeat Offenses, and Strategic Enforcement

The literature on the optimal enforcement of law considers a regulator determining both the sanction placed on a caught offender as well as a selection of a probability of apprehension. This approach originated by Becker (1968) leads to two results that do not match observation. First, since the marginal cost to the sanction is zero while there is a substantial cost to enforcement one should expect full compliance with a law using maximal sanctions and minimal enforcement. Second, both sanctions and the probability of apprehension increase with repeated violations. The inverse relationship between the two predicted from Becker's analysis contradicts this observation. Here I present both a rationale for the lack of full compliance as well as the relationship between increasing sanctions and increasing apprehension with repeat offenses. The literature on optimal enforcement considers only the population's response to the enforcement. By considering the enforcement official's response to the frequency of violations the strategic interactions of the players in a game is considered. In such a game the probability of apprehension arises from the mixed strategies in the game. I show that full compliance is not an equilibrium regardless of the magnitude of the sanction. If no individual violates the law then it would no longer be best for the enforcement official to expend the resources to induce full compliance. Furthermore, in a dynamic game the rate of apprehension is greater for a second offense than a first time conviction. If the population differs in its gain from breaking the law then those with a greater benefit to the violation are ex ante more likely to break it. As a result, the enforcement official must target them more so that in equilibrium they offend at the same rate as the others. As a consequence, disproportionately more of those caught breaking the law are those targeted in the enforcement. Therefore, a greater proportion of one-time violators will be caught with a second offense than those with no convictions are caught for a first offense. This result holds for any magnitude of the sanction and even holds for schedules that increase in severity with the number of prior convictions.
Are You at Risk? Profiling Organizations and Individuals Subject to Targeted Attacks

Targeted attacks consist of sophisticated malware developed by attackers having the resources and motivation to research targets in depth. Although rare, such attacks are particularly difficult to defend against and can be extremely harmful. We show in this work that data relating to the profiles of organisations and individuals subject to targeted attacks is amenable to study using epidemiological techniques. Considering the taxonomy of Standard Industry Classification (SIC) codes, the organization sizes and the public profiles of individuals as potential risk factors, we design case-control studies to calculate odds ratios reflecting the degree of association between the identified risk factors and the receipt of targeted attack. We perform an experimental validation with a large corpus of targeted attacks blocked by a large security company’s mail scanning service during 2013–2014, revealing that certain industry sectors and larger organizations –as well as specific individual profiles – are statistically at elevated risk compared with others. Considering targeted attacks as akin to a public health issue and adapting techniques from epidemiology may allow the proactive identification of those at increased risk of attack. Our approach is a first step towards developing a predictive framework for the analysis of targeted threats, and may be leveraged for the development of cyber insurance schemes based on accurate risk assessments.
Proton therapy for paediatric medulloblastoma

Radiation oncology has changed greatly in recent decades, driven mainly by technical advances in treatment planning and delivery. Proton radiation therapy is a further advance; however, it is more expensive than traditional photon therapy and its critics argue that its costs are not justifi ed. Proton therapy is distinct from traditional photon or x-ray-based therapy since the physical properties of charged particles such as protons enable radiation oncologists to control more precisely the radiation dose, and thus spare healthy tissues outside the target volume. A visual comparison of photon treatment and proton treatment plans will nearly always show that the spread of low-dose radiation is less with proton therapy. This is pertinent for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant paediatric brain tumour, for which the entire brain and spine must be irradiated to minimise the risk of recurrence, and for which late adverse eff ects can severely aff ect quality of life. Although visual comparisons of proton and photon radiotherapy are compelling, debate within the radiation oncology community continues as to the clinical benefi ts of this low-dose, tissue-sparing technique. Proton therapy has been in clinical use for decades; however, until recently, few centres have had access to it. This lack of availability is largely responsible for the paucity of clinical data supporting the routine use of protons for cancer treatment. In The Lancet Oncology, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the institutions that pioneered proton therapy, present outcomes from a prospective study of proton therapy for childhood medulloblastoma. 1 Given the rarity
Food cravings, food addiction, and a dopamine-resistant (DRD2 A1) receptor polymorphism in Asian American college students

Background/Objectives: In an era where obesity remains an important public health concern, food addiction has emerged as a possible contributor to obesity. The DRD2 gene is the most studied polymorphism. The aim of this study was to investigate a relationship between food addiction questionnaires, body composition measurements, and a dopamine-resistant receptor polymorphism (DRD2 A1) among Asian Americans. Subjects/Methods: A total of 84 Asian American college students were recruited. Participants underwent body composition measurement via bioelectrical impedance, answered questionnaires (Food Craving Inventory and Power of Food Scale), and had blood drawn for genotyping (PCR). Results: There was no difference in body composition (BMI, percent body fat) between the A1 (A1A1 or A1A2) and A2 (A2A2) groups. There were statistically significant differences in food cravings of carbohydrates and fast food on the Food Craving Inventory between the A1 and A2 groups (p=0.03), but not for sugar or fat. Among female Asian college students, there was also a difference on the Power of Food questionnaire (p=0.04), which was not seen among males. 13 out of 55 females also had ＞30% body fat at a BMI of 21.4 to 28.5 kg/m^2. Conclusion: Greater carbohydrate and fast food craving was associated with the DRD2 A1 versus A2 allele among Asian Americans. Further studies examining the ability of dopamine agonists to affect food craving and to reduce body fat in Asian American are warranted. More studies in food addiction among obese Asian Americans are needed with careful definition of obesity, specifically for Asian women.
Hydrologic Engineering of the Tiwanaku

The city of Tiwanaku, located at the southern edge of the Lake Titicaca Basin at an altitude of 3,800–3,900 m, has been the subject of archaeological research since the late nineteenth century. Excavations revealed extensive monumental complexes and residential districts (Janusek, 2004; Kolata, 2003; Ponce Sangines, 1961, 1972; Vranich, 2009), indicating the urban core covered an area of 4–6.5 ha. While previous research demonstrated Tiwanaku agricultural hydrological technology (Kolata and Ortloff, 1996; Ortloff, 1996, 2009), aspects of this technology applied to the city’s urban water systems were not investigated. Amassive ditch surrounds Tiwanaku’s northwest monumental complex. Several researchers have characterized this feature as a water-retaining, defensive moat that separated Tiwanaku’s central monumental complexes and elite residences from surrounding urban peripheries (Kolata, 1993; Posnansky, 1945). Drawing on data that incorporates ground survey, newly discovered aerial photographs, and Google Earth imagery, the moat, renamed the “perimeter canal,” served several purposes as a hydrological regulator, controlling aquifer drainage and surface runoff to limit rainy season flooding while promoting rapid soil dry-out after the end of the rainy season. The present reporting of the perimeter canal’s hydrological function demonstrates that water management interwove practical and ritual roles for the city of Tiwanaku.
Report of the ASFA apheresis registry on muscle specific kinase antibody positive myasthenia gravis

Background Anti-muscle specific kinase antibody positive (MuSK Ab) myasthenia gravis (MG) patients are known to have different clinical course compared to anti-acetylcholine receptor Ab positive MG patients. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been reported to be effective; however, little is known of the response and of TPE procedural information. An ASFA Apheresis Registry was developed to analyze those data. Methods The study collected detailed de-identified patient data, TPE procedures, and treatment outcome/complications. Collected data was described in aggregate. Results A total of 15 MuSK Ab MG patients with exacerbation of MG symptoms, 13 females/2 males, median age 44, were investigated. Thirty TPE courses (median 5 procedures/course, total 145 procedures) were evaluated. All TPE procedures were performed with citrate anticoagulation, 1 - 1.25 plasma volume exchange in 100% fluid balance, and 90% of courses used only albumin as replacement. Calcium was added to albumin or given orally as needed. TPE was performed every other day in 55% of courses. Adverse events occurred in 3.4% of procedures. Ten patients (67%) experienced relapses within a median of 7 weeks. Objective symptoms were resolved in more than 75% of courses. Overall subjective improvement rates were 94.1%/93.3% after 3/4 TPE procedures, respectively. Thirty-one percent of patients responded poorly with minimal recovery. Conclusion Overall subjective improvement was seen up to 94% of patients after one course of TPE. Some patients were poor-responders. Five TPE may be adequate for initial course with additional TPE as needed. Based upon this preliminary data, we will modify our future data collection. J. Clin. Apheresis 32:5-11, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rapid increase in nuclear hydrolase following partial hepatectomy in the rat.

Summaryβ-Glucuronidase, acid phosphatase, RNAase, and neutral esterase were measured in the cytoplasm and nuclei following partial (30% and 70%) hepatectomy in rats. A significant increase in the free to bound hydrolase level in the cytoplasm was shown for β-glucuronidase, acid phosphatase, and neutral esterase by 2 hr in the 70% hepatectomized but not in 30% hepatectomized or sham operated controls. RNAase increased significantly at 8 hr. In the nucleus, all 4 enzymes increased significantly within one hour and peaked at 2 hr following 70% hepatectomy.The author appreciates the technical assistance of Mr. Norman Dininger and Mr. Charles Hillman, Jr.
High Temperature Decomposition of Cerium Precursors To Form Ceria Nanocrystal Libraries for Biological Applications

Nanocrystalline ceria is an interesting inorganic material for biological application that can exhibit antioxidant properties due to facile electron transfer between cerium(III) and cerium(IV). In this work, ceria nanocrystals with uniform and tunable size, surface chemistry, and variable cerium(III) content were formed via the high temperature thermal decomposition of ceria precursors including cerium acetylacetonate hydrate, cerium oleylamine, and cerium nitrate hexahydrate. When combined with organic acid and amine surfactants at temperatures between 260 and 320 °C, these cerium precursors decomposed to yield near-spherical cerium oxide nanocrystals with diameters ranging from 3 to 10 nm. For all shapes of nanocrystals, the smallest primary particle sizes had the most cerium(III) content. Both poly(acrylic acid)–octyl amine as well as oleic acid could be used to transfer the hydrophobic nanocrystals into water; acute in vitro toxicology studies revealed that even at high concentrations (e.g., 10 ppm) 3...
Direct Serogrouping of Group B Streptococci from Urogenital and Gastric Swabs with Nitrous Acid Extraction and the Phadebact Streptococcus Test

The micro-nitrous acid extraction-Phadebact® coagglutination method was demonstrated to be a highly sensitive means to identify group B streptococci directly from cervical, uterine, and placental swab specimens, as well as from gastric and amniotic fluids. The swabs used for the standard culture method were used successfully for the direct extraction method. Accordingly, the direct swab extraction method yielded an identification of 92.0% of the group B streptococci identified by a standard culture procedure. Identification of the group B streptococci by the direct method was obtainable within 25 minutes of receipt of the clinical specimen in the laboratory. At this time, this highly rapid and sensitive method appears to be most applicable for the identification of group B streptococci from infants and colonized parturient women with associated risk factors before delivery, and therefore could provide a better opportunity for infant survival.
CH···π Interactions Do Not Contribute to Hydrogen Transfer Catalysis by Glycerol Dehydratase

The role of the nonbonded CH···π interaction in the hydrogen abstraction from glycerol by the coenzyme B(12)-independent glycerol dehydratase (GDH) was examined using the QM/MM (ONIOM), MP2, and CCSD(T) methods. The studied CH···π interaction included the hydrogen atom of the -C(2)H(OH)- group of the glycerol substrate and the tyrosine-339 residue of the dehydratase. A contribution of this interaction to the stabilization of the transition state for the transfer of a hydrogen atom from the adjacent terminal C(1)H(2)(OH) group to cysteine 433 was determined by ab initio HF, MP2, and CCSD(T) calculations with the aug-cc-pvDZ basis set for the corresponding methane/benzene, methanol/phenol, and glycerol radical/phenol subsystems. The calculated CH···π distance, defined as the distance between the H atom and the center of the phenol ring, shortened from 2.62 to 2.52 A upon going from the ground- to the transition-state of the GDH-catalyzed reaction. However, this shortening was not accompanied by the expected lowering of the CH···π interaction free energy. Instead, this interaction remained weak (about -1 kcal/mol) along the entire reaction coordinate. Additionally, the mutual orientation of the CH group and the phenol ring did not change significantly during the reaction. These results suggest that the phenol group of the tyrosine-339 does not contribute to lowering the activation barrier in the enzyme, but do not exclude the possibility that tyrosine 339 facilitates proper orientation of glycerol for the electrostatic catalysis, or inhibits side-reactions of the reactive glycerol radical intermediate.
Monitoring Results of Water Quality of Swimming Pools in Dalian City during 2009-2010

[Objective]To learn the sanitary quality of swimming pool water of Dalian,ensure the health of swimmers,and provide the scientific evidence for hygienic management of swimming pool. [Methods]The Rules of health monitoring for public places(GB/T 17220-1998) was applied to randomly select the water samples of swimming pool,the Standard testing methods in public places(GB/T 18204-2000) was applied to test the swimming pool water,and the Hygienic standard for swimming place(GB 9677-1996) was applied to evaluate the water quality. [Results]A total of 172 water samples were detected in 2009,and 10 were qualified with the total qualified rate of 58.70%.147 water samples were detected in 2010,and 94 were qualified with the total qualified rate of 63.90%.There was no significant difference in the total qualified rate of water samples between 2009 and 2010.In 2009 and 2010,the qualified rates of free residual chlorine of swimming pool water were the lowest(68.0% and 70.9%),followed by total bacteria count(87.80% and 89.10%).The qualified rates of urea(94.20% and 96.60%),turbidity(98.80% and 100%) and coliform bacteria(100% and 100%) were high.There were significant differences in qualified rates of urea and total bacteria count among four types of swimming pool(fitness centers,four or five star hotels,schools and hot spring bathing places).The qualified rate of urea in fitness centers and that of total bacteria count in hot spring bathing places was low. [Conclusion]There are some problems in sanitary quality of swimming pool water in Dalian area.The hygiene supervision of swimming places should be strengthened.The disinfection of swimming pool water should be improved,and it is important to change the water regularly and prevent the feces pollution.
Monitoring of Hospital Disinfection in Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2004

Objective To determine the quality of disinfection work in hospitals in Guangdong Province. Method Hospitals disinfection records between 2000 and 2004 were collected and analyzed. Result A total of 104352 (in 2000),151176 (in 2001),140171 (in 2002),138138 (in 2003) and 132135 (in 2004) records were analyzed. The overall eligible rates in 2000～2004 were 87.44%,86.42%, 88.91%, 91.23% and 89.91%. The overall passing rates of hospital in city, hospital in county, and hospital in township were 94.10%, 93.13% and 84.99% respectively. The hospital with a highest eligible rate used disinfectants for disinfection. Conclusion There was a variation in eligible rates among hospitals. The process of air disinfection should be improved. Hospitals in township should be closely monitored in the future.
Tamm and Horsfall Glycoprotein Does Not Promote Spontaneous Precipitation and Crystal Growth Of Calcium Oxalate in Vitro

Abstract Tamm and Horsfall glycoprotein was isolated from urine of patients with renal stones and fromnormal control subjects, and tested for its effect on the crystallization of calcium oxalate in vitro. Preparations from both groups (10-100/¼g./ml.) caused slight inhibition of spontaneous precipitationand crystal growth of calcium oxalate. No promotion was found.
Construct Validation of the Dietary Inflammatory Index among African Americans.

Objective Chronic inflammation is linked to many chronic conditions. One of the strongest modulators of chronic inflammation is diet. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) measures dietary inflammatory potential and has been validated previously, but not among African Americans (AAs).
Alienated Vision and the Will to Intimacy, or Virginia Woolf and “the Human Spectacle”

Throughout Woolf’s fiction and creative essays we find two seemingly incompatible ways of being modern. Most readers are familiar with the allegedly anti-materialist Woolf of Romantic inwardness, the novelist of psychological privacy par excellence. But Woolf also writes eccentrically, playfully exploring the materiality of everyday life and the spectacular public spaces of capitalist modernity.1 It would seem that we could categorize her work either according to its experimental forays into “the myriad impressions” of private consciousness, as she writes in her essay “Modern Fiction,” or for its detached vision that seeks to reconstitute the terms of material and social realism.2 While such categorical terms are useful, they are also too simplistic. I would like to sound an appeal for a more properly dialectical Woolf, one whose work shows a will to construct new kinds of intimacy in the face of the alienating conditions of market society—private property, laissez-faire economic accumulation, and the self-indulgence of leisured consumption. Ultimately, Woolf’s failure to imagine viable new forms of modern intimacy reveals startling insights into the market’s spectacular and contradictory constructions of selfhood and public being, and those contradictions lie at the heart of the dialectical and experimental force in Woolf’s writing.
Distanciation and Epoché: The Influence of Husserl on Ricoeur’s Hermeneutics

Ricoeur’s concept of distanciation is central to his critical hermeneutics. This paper argues that this concept gets its critical potential from its relationship to Husserl’s notion of the epoche. The epoche entails a bracketing of the natural attitude that inaugurates the phenomenological attitude. From this vantage point one can see that the sense of reality is given through a synthesis of the actual and the possible. Thus, the epoche opens up the dimension of the possible in the real, and this in turn opens up the space for the imagination to engage in eidetic variation. These elements of the epoche are echoed in Ricoeur’s treatment of distanciation as opening up a second order reference through which a text proposes a world. The text exposes the reader not only to other possible worlds, but other possible ways of being, thus affording a perspective from which one can question current ways of being.
Artistic Utopias: Michio Ito and the Trope of the International

Michio Ito is often referred to as both an ‘international artist’ and ‘the forgotten pioneer’ in the canon of US modern dance. The coupling of these titles speaks to the multi-faceted contradictions found in the narration of his career by dance critics and historians. This chapter analyzes the political tensions of ‘forgetting’ Ito by revisiting narrations of his career in relationship to racialized understandings of the category — ‘international artist’ — in order to understand why Ito the ‘international’ must remain remembered as ‘forgotten’ within canonical narratives of early modern dance in the United States. Ito’s status as an ‘international artist’ — a carefully honed, racially ambiguous, subjectivity — is disrupted upon the bombing of Pearl Harbor and US entry into World War II when subject to legal discourse (Executive Order 9066). His racially marked Japanese body becomes irreconcilable with an American modern dance history dependent upon narratives of US nationalism as a formative and productive means to achieve recognition for modern dance.
Microglial activation in a mouse model of α-synuclein overexpression

Publisher Summary This chapter examines microglial activation in a mouse model of α-synuclein overexpression. The chapter reviews evidence supporting a role for SYN, microglia, proinflammatory molecules, and the attendant oxidative stress in PD focusing on early proinflamatory events in a transgenic mouse model of PD with tyrosine hydroxylase promoter-directed overexpression of human α-synuclein (SYN WT +/+). The studies demonstrate that the SYN WT +/+ mice represent a novel model to further dissect important pathogenic epochs of disease with regard to microglial activation. The finding that microglia are activated at 1 month of age suggests that early anti-inflammatory intervention may preclude later pathology. The in vitro work demonstrating a direct effect of SYN on microglia advocates for prevention of SYN release. The observation that CD36 is involved in SYN-directed microglial activation portends the usefulness for small molecule inhibitors of CD36 as anti-inflammatory agents in this model. The studies confirm that SYN WT+/+ mice represents an important model for testing novel therapeutic agents to prevent aberrant microglial activation and for dissecting critical stages of disease progression.
The New Member States of the European Union: Constructed and Historical Traditions and Reform Trajectories

The 10 new member states of the European Union from Central and Eastern Europe provide an interesting test case for the study of administrative values and transformation. In the initial phase of transition, administrative systems in the Central and Eastern Europe countries (CEECS) were often seen by outsiders as a tabula rasa, although in reality approaches to public management have been heavily influenced by the legacy of 45 years (or more) of totalitarian rule. The communist legacy, had, with few exceptions, all but eliminated many of the historically accepted notions of merit, professionalism and political impartiality (for additional discussion see Chapter 15).1
Acoustic methods of invasive species detection in agriculture shipments

Stevens Institute of Technology in cooperation with the DHS Science and Technology Directorate and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been investigating engineering solutions to augment the current inspection process at ports of entry in an effort to minimize the threat posed by invasive species. This paper presents the initial results of acoustic sensors application detection of rodents and small insects in grains with the goal of improving the accuracy and effectiveness of current manual inspection methods.
Long-Distance Tunneling Nanotubules Shuttle Viral Immunoglobulin Class Switch-Suppressing Factors from HIV-Infected Macrophages to B Cells.

Abstract Class switching from immunoglobulin M (IgM) to IgG, IgA or IgE is central to immunity against viruses and requires activation of B cells by CD4+ T cells through CD40 ligand (CD40L). Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evades protective T cell-dependent IgG and IgA responses against viral proteins and vaccines through mechanisms that remain unknown. Recent findings from our lab suggested the involvement of negative factor (Nef), an HIV accessory protein that suppresses CD40 signaling in B cells. The present work addressed the mechanism by which Nef invades B cells. Fluorescence microscopy-based studies showed that accumulation of Nef in infected lymphoid follicles was associated with severe loss of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a Nef-targeted DNA-editing enzyme essential for class switching. Loss of follicular AID correlated with in vivo inactivation of CD40 signaling and formation of long-distance membrane tethers connecting Nef-positive B cells with HIV-infected macrophages. By combining confocal microscopy, videomicroscopy and electron microscopy with standard molecular biology techniques, we demonstrated that macrophages harboring HIV or expressing a chimeric Nef-green-fluorescent protein were capable of transferring Nef-containing cargos to B cells via long-distance, actin-propelled and energy-dependent membrane channels, including tunneling nanotubules. Transfer of Nef to B cells involved a clathrin-dependent pathway that required the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav as well as downstream Rho, Rac and Ccd42 small GTPases. This pathway led to Nef-mediated inhibition of CD40-induced AID expression and IgG and IgA class switching. In summary, our findings indicate that HIV evades T cell-dependent IgG and IgA responses by shuttling virus-encoded Ig class switch-suppressing factors from infected macrophages to non-infected B cells via long-range membrane tethers, including tunneling nanotubules.
Abstract WP81: Headache-clinical Symptom as a Contributor of Intravenous Thrombolysis Decision Making in “Stroke Alert”

Introduction: Headache (HA) is more commonly associated with stroke mimics than with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Acute neurological deficit associated with HA at presentation during “Stroke Alert” may adversely affect decision to undertake intravenous (IV) thrombolysis. Advocacy of rapid and early IV thrombolysis for AIS may lead to inappropriate use of such therapy for stroke mimics rather than for AIS. Hypothesis: Headache associated with acute neurological deficit during “Stroke Alert” is less likely to receive thrombolytic therapy as compared to those without headache. Methods: We performed chart review of all adult patients presenting with “Stroke Alert” at our comprehensive stroke center in 2013. During this period our imaging protocol for IV tissue plasminogen activator administration (tPA) included non-contrast head CT. We compared the IV tPA administration rate in patients with and without HA and also evaluated patients receiving and missing IV tPA for respective diagnoses. Results: At our institution, 331 patients presented as “Stroke Alert” in 2013. Ninety (28%) patients reported HA at presentation. IV tPA was administered to 51 “Stroke Alert” patients (15.4%). Only 5/90 patients (5.55%) who presented with HA received IV tPA compared to 46/241 patients (19.1%) who did not present with HA (p =0.018). None of the patients with HA who received IV tPA had AIS on subsequent imaging as compared to 6/85 in patients with HA who did not receive IV tPA (Odd ratio 1.11, CI; 0.055 to 22.411, p=0.94). The median NIHSS was 5 in the HA and IV tPA group compared to 2.5 in the HA and no-IV tPA group. The discharge diagnosis in the HA and no- IV tPA group was migraine in 51 (60.7%), intracranial hemorrhage in 11 (13.1%), AIS in 6 (7.05%) and toxic metabolic encephalopathy in 4 (4.7%) patients. None of the stroke mimic patients who received IV tPA had hemorrhagic complications. The probability of “Stroke Alert” patient with HA being correctly diagnosed with AIS was 6.67% and receiving IV tPA was 5.56%. Conclusion: Likelihood of “Stroke Alert” patients with headache and acute neurological deficits being treated with IV thrombolysis is low. Incidence of AIS in patients with HA and acute neurological deficits not treated with thrombolysis was equally low which is reassuring.
Extension of Kelvin's minimum energy theorem to incompressible fluid domains with open regions

Kelvin’s minimum energy theorem predicts that the irrotational motion of a homogeneously incompressible fluid in a simply connected region will carry less kinetic energy than any other profile that shares the same normal velocity conditions on the domain’s boundary. In this work, Kelvin’s analysis is extended to regions with boundaries on which the normal velocity requirements are relaxed. Given the ubiquity of practical configurations in which such boundaries exist, the question of whether Kelvin’s theorem continues to hold is one of significant interest. In reconstructing Kelvin’s proof, we find it useful to define a net rotational velocity as the difference between the generally rotational flow and the corresponding potential motion. In Kelvin’s classic theorem, the normal component of the net rotational velocity at all domain boundaries is zero. In contrast, the present analysis derives a sufficient condition for ensuring the validity of Kelvin’s theorem in a domain where the normal component of net rotational velocity at some or all of the boundaries is not zero. The corresponding criterion requires the evaluation of a simple surface integral over the boundary.
The 'how' and 'where' of plant microRNAs.

Contents 1002 I. 1002 II. 1007 III. 1010 IV. 1013 1013 References 1013 SUMMARY: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, of typically 20-24 nt, that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally through sequence complementarity. Since the identification of the first miRNA, lin-4, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in 1993, thousands of miRNAs have been discovered in animals and plants, and their regulatory roles in numerous biological processes have been uncovered. In plants, research efforts have established the major molecular framework of miRNA biogenesis and modes of action, and are beginning to elucidate the mechanisms of miRNA degradation. Studies have implicated restricted and surprising subcellular locations in which miRNA biogenesis or activity takes place. In this article, we summarize the current knowledge on how plant miRNAs are made and degraded, and how they repress target gene expression. We discuss not only the players involved in these processes, but also the subcellular sites in which these processes are known or implicated to take place. We hope to raise awareness that the cell biology of miRNAs holds the key to a full understanding of these enigmatic molecules.
Russell’s Paradox, Gödel’s Theorem

Smullyan has closely examined Godel’s proof of arithmetic incompleteness both abstractly, for a mathematically sophisticated audience, and via the medium of puzzles, for a general audience. In this essentially pedagogical paper I take an intermediate position, and show that Godel’s ideas fit naturally into the context of the elementary set theory that any mathematics student would know near the beginning of studies. Godel once wrote, about his incompleteness proof, “The analogy of this argument with the Richard antinomy leaps to the eye. It is closely related to the ‘Liar’ too.” And further, “Any epistemological antinomy could be used for a similar proof of the existence of undecidable propositions.” Here, combining the spirit of both Smullyan’s formal and his popular work, I show how Russell’s paradox can be used in a direct and natural way to obtain Godel’s incompleteness results.
Multilevel Small-Area Estimation of Colorectal Cancer Screening in the United States

Background: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends routine screening for colorectal cancer for adults ages 50 to 75 years. We generated small-area estimates for being current with colorectal cancer screening to examine sociogeographic differences among states and counties. To our knowledge, nationwide county-level estimates for colorectal cancer screening are rarely presented.Methods: We used county data from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS; n = 251,360 adults), linked it to the American Community Survey poverty data, and fitted multilevel logistic regression models. We post-stratified the data with the U.S. Census population data to run Monte Carlo simulations. We generated county-level screening prevalence estimates nationally and by race/ethnicity, mapped the estimates, and aggregated them into state and national estimates. We evaluated internal consistency of our modeled state-specific estimates with BRFSS direct state estimates using Spearman correlation coefficients.Results: Correlation coefficients were ≥0.95, indicating high internal consistency. We observed substantial variations in current colorectal cancer screening estimates among the states and counties within states. State mean estimates ranged from 58.92% in Wyoming to 75.03% in Massachusetts. County mean estimates ranged from 40.11% in Alaska to 79.76% in Florida. Larger county variations were observed in various race/ethnicity groups.Conclusions: State estimates mask county variations. However, both state and county estimates indicate that the country is far behind the "80% by 2018" target.Impact: County-modeled estimates help identify variation in colorectal cancer screening prevalence in the United States and guide education and enhanced screening efforts in areas of need, including areas without BRFSS direct-estimates. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(3); 245-53. ©2018 AACR.
“Since when does the Midwest have an accent?”: The role of regional U.S. accents and reported speaker origin in speaker evaluations

Folk ideologies about regional variation often depend on the consideration of certain varieties in contrast with the idea of a linguistically unmarked, standard way of speaking ( Preston 1996 ; Lippi-Green 2012 ). This study analyzes the relationship between those abstract ideologies and in-the-moment reactions to linguistic input. Examining this question with respect to American English, a listening task manipulated where speakers were said to be from and whether the speakers used regional speech varieties linked to those places. Listeners were asked to make social judgments about speakers with varying degrees of local accentedness said to be from Southern, Northeastern, and Midwestern locales in the U.S.; these locations were selected to target highly enregistered nonstandard dialect areas versus more linguistically “unmarked” regions. Results indicate that while pre-existing sociolinguistic stereotypes about these three locations in some cases trumped the actual linguistic input that listeners encountered, effects of accentedness also varied in place-specific ways related to expectations for each locale.
A study of soot formation in a rapid compression machine at conditions representative of cold-fast-idle in spark ignition engines

The soot yield, defined as the ratio of the soot mass to the carbon mass in the fuel, for the homogeneous combustion of a rich fuel-air mixture has been measured in a rapid compression machine usin...
Epidemiology of hospitalization for acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES To obtain epidemiological data on hospitalization for acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (AUGIH) in a demographically defined population. METHODS Adults hospitalized in 1991 with AUGIH [from a San Diego health maintenance organization (270,699 adult members)] were identified from discharge codes in the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modifications, and their records were reviewed. RESULTS There were 276 hospitalizations among 258 patients, an annual incidence rate of 102.0 hospitalizations per 100,000. Patient analysis, including the first admission of 15 patients with multiple hospitalizations, revealed rates of 128.3 in males and 65.8 in females. The rate increased with age in males (p = 0.008) and females (p = 0.001) more than 30-fold between the 3rd and 9th decades of life. AUGIH started before admission in 242 (93.8%) patients and after admission for other disorders in 16 (6.2%) patients. Endoscopy was performed in 241 (93.4%) patients. Diagnoses were: peptic ulcer, 159 (61.6%); mucosal erosive disease, 37 (14.3%); varices, 16 (6.2%); miscellaneous, 25 (9.7%); and unknown, 21 (8.1%). Peptic ulcer patients were similar to other patients (mean +/- SE) in age [60.6 +/- 1.2 vs. 60.7 +/- 1.5 yr] and gender [104 (65.4%) vs. 60 (60.6%) males], but were more often nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-users [87 (54.7%) vs. 34 (34.3%) (p = 0.002)]. Older age, female gender, and NSAID use independently predicted gastric ulcer (p < or = 0.03). The severity of bleeding was similar in patients with peptic ulcers and in those with mucosal erosive disease and was not related to NSAID use in peptic ulcer patients. Patients whose AUGIH started after admission were older than those whose AUGIH began before admission [70.4 +/- 2.9 vs. 60.0 +/- 1.0 yr (p = 0.002)], and they had a higher mortality rate [4 (25%) vs. 9 (3.7%) (p = 0.005)]. CONCLUSIONS 1) The annual incidence of hospitalization for AUGIH was 102.0 per 100,000, increased markedly with age, and was twice as high in males as in females. 2) Peptic ulcer was the most common cause. 3) Gastric ulcer was associated with older age, female gender, and NSAID use. 4) Mortality rates were high when AUGIH started after hospitalization for another disorder.
Physical and Biological Dose Distribution Due to Primary Protons and Secondary Particles from Nuclear Interactions

Protons offer dose-shaping advantages over photons by virtue of their Bragg peak dose distributions. The challenge for physics is to develop proton treatment planning and delivery that takes frill advantage of the physical superiority of protons over photons.
Scanning Probes for the Life Sciences

Scanning probe based patterning techniques have the unique ability to deposit biological material into specific architectures on substrates and read and analyze the patterns using an atomic force microscope. Such devices are able to make much smaller biomolecule patterns, on the order of nanometers, than conventional techniques such as microcontact printing and optical lithography. A reduction in patterned feature size allows for greater sensitivity in biological studies and in life sciences applications such as drug screening and immunoassays. A variety of tools for the fabrication of nanoarrays are discussed. These include open- and closed-channel devices and pipette-based devices. Their potential for the integration of active components or augmentation to large-scale arrays for high-throughput deposition are examined. The mechanisms for deposition and biomolecule transport are also explained.
Performance of an Optical Packet Switch with Limited Wavelength Converter

In this paper, a novel optical packet switch is proposed, which uses limited wavelength converters and recirculation fiber delay lines to resolve optical packet contentions. A control algorithm is proposed to schedule the optical packets. Performance of the proposed switch is evaluated by means of simulation experiments. Packet loss rate and mean delay time of the proposed switch are analyzed in detailed.
Field Trials with Cryopreserved Bovine Embryos

There has been a dramatic increase in the use of embryo transfer technology in the cattle industry (Seidel 1981b). It is estimated that more than 60000 bovine embryos will be transferred in North America alone in 1982, with thousands more in other areas of the world. There are more than 30 published reports on cryopreservation of bovine embryos, the first having appeared in 1973 (Wilmut and Rowson 1973). Pregnancy rates with cryopreserved bovine embryos seem to be equivalent to those in other species, such as mice, even though fewer bovine embryos have been frozen. That good success rates have been obtained with cattle embryos is in great part due to extrapolation of results from other species, particularly mice and sheep (Whittingham et al. 1972; Wilmut 1972; Willadsen et al. 1976). Thus, it seems reasonable to believe that methods of freezing human embryos can similarly be derived from methods used in other species, especially cattle, because human embryos are similar in size and developmental characteristics during the first 6 days after fertilization.
Addressing Medical Students’ Negative Bias Toward Patients With Obesity Through Ethics Education

Background: Negative bias toward patients with obesity is an ethical challenge in patient care. Several interventions to mitigate medical students’ negative weight bias have been tried but none with an explicit focus on ethics. Here we describe first-year medical students’ attitudes toward obesity and our effort to improve their attitudes through an innovative ethics session embedded within the required course
Assessing Equivalency of PSC-17 Ratings: Does It Matter if Mixed or Grouped Item Format Is Used?:

This study investigated the effect of item position on descriptive statistics, psychometric information, and factor structure of the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist 17-item social-emotional screening ...
Pre-Transplant Hemoglobin and Creatinine Clearance Correlate with Progression Free Survival in Patients with Myeloma Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

Introduction Melphalan 200 mg/m2 (Mel200) and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) prolongs progression free survival (PFS) in multiple myeloma (MM). Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies report a 5-fold interpatient variability in melphalan exposure with increased exposure leading to increased toxicity yet superior survival. Clinical factors including renal impairment, low hematocrit and low fat free mass (FFM) are associated with decreased melphalan clearance. However, these variables have not been directly correlated with clinical outcomes. Objective We hypothesized that these clinical variables associated with increased melphalan exposure may predict for improved survival yet increased treatment toxicity. Methods We analyzed 133 MM patients who received Mel200. The average hemoglobin (Hb) from Day -2 and -1, creatinine clearance (CrCl) on day -2 and FFM on day -2 were obtained. PFS and toxicities were compared between patients with Hb and FFM above and below the median (10.65 g/dL and 52.9 kg respectively) and those with and without renal impairment (CrCl Results FFM did not predict PFS. By contrast, PFS was significantly longer in patients with a Hb below the median (35 vs. 16 months, p=0.02). Additionally, a low CrCl suggested a trend towards better PFS (31 vs. 23 months, p=0.25). When these 2 factors were combined, patients with both a low Hb and CrCl experienced longer PFS compared to those with a high Hb and CrCl (35 vs. 13 months, p=0.03, Figure 1). In a multivariate analysis, low Hb (HR 0.52, p=0.034), low CrCl (HR 0.37, p=0.023), and a combined low Hb and CrCl (HR 0.15, p=0.003) were strongly associated with improved PFS. We then evaluated whether renal function and Hb level impacted the severity and incidence of common toxicities related to ASCT. Patients with a low Hb experienced more infections (33.3 vs. 14.1%; p=0.01) and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) use (17.2 vs. 4.9% p=0.045. Patients with a low CrCl experienced longer time to platelet engraftment (12 vs. 11 days; p=0.0035), longer duration of hospitalization (17 vs. 15 days; p=0.01), increased TPN use (22.5 vs. 6.7%; p=0.02), increased use of anti-motility agents (84.6 vs. 63.8%; p=0.02), and longer duration of diarrhea (7 vs. 4 days; p Conclusion Consistent with PK studies showing increased melphalan exposure, we show that hemoglobin and creatinine clearance, individually and when combined, represent important determinants of clinical outcomes after ASCT. Because melphalan binds to proteins in the red blood cell membrane, higher plasma concentrations are observed in patients with low hemoglobin. Likewise, renal impairment leads to delayed melphalan clearance and higher concentrations. Consideration of these clinical factors that affect melphalan exposure and implementation of PK-directed dosing may be beneficial in achieving optimal outcomes.