cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Near-lossless compression of medical images through entropy-coded DPCM

The near-lossless, i.e., lossy but high-fidelity, compression of medical Images using the entropy-coded DPCM method is investigated. A source model with multiple contexts and arithmetic coding are used to enhance the compression performance of the method. In implementing the method, two different quantizers each with a large number of quantization levels are considered. Experiments involving several MR (magnetic resonance) and US (ultrasound) images show that the entropy-coded DPCM method can provide compression in the range from 4 to 10 with a peak SNR of about 50 dB for 8-bit medical images. The use of multiple contexts is found to improve the compression performance by about 25% to 30% for MR images and 30% to 35% for US images. A comparison with the JPEG standard reveals that the entropy-coded DPCM method can provide about 7 to 8 dB higher SNR for the same compression performance. >
Clinical Features of Childhood Multiple Sclerosis

The clinical and paraclinical features of multiple sclerosis (MS) were reviewed in a study of 36 of 890 (4%) MS patients whose symptoms began before 16 years of age and who were followed at Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey.
A performance-conserving approach for reducing peak power consumption in server systems

The combination of increasing component power consumption, a desire for denser systems, and the required performance growth in the face of technology-scaling issues are posing enormous challenges for powering and cooling of server systems. The challenges are directly linked to the peak power consumption of servers.Our solution, Power Shifting, reduces the peak power consumption of servers minimizing the impact on performance. We reduce peak power consumption by using workload-guided dynamic allocation of power among components incorporating real-time performance feedback, activity-related power estimation techniques, and performance-sensitive activity-regulation mechanisms to enforce power budgets.We apply our techniques to a computer system with a single processor and memory. Power shifting adds a system power manager with a dynamic, global view of the system's power consumption to continuously re-budget the available power amongst the two components. Our contributions include:• Demonstration of the greater effectiveness of dynamic power allocation over static budgeting,• Evaluation of different power shifting policies,• Analysis of system and workload factors critical to successful power shifting, and• Proposal of performance-sensitive power budget enforcement mechanisms that ensure system reliability.
Socialization Influences on Early Adolescents' Cognitive Susceptibility and Transition to Sexual Intercourse

This study examined the relationship between perceived socialization from parents, school, peers, and media and adolescents' cognitive susceptibility to initiating sexual intercourse and transition to intercourse 2 years later. Baseline and follow-up in-home Audio-Computer Assisted Self Interview surveys were completed by 854 Black and White male and female adolescents who, at baseline, were 12–14 years old and had not engaged in sexual intercourse. Results showed that stronger connections to parents and schools and less exposure to permissive sexual norms from peers and media were associated with less susceptibility and sexual behavior, especially among White adolescents. Susceptibility mediated 38–64% of the relations between parent and school socialization and sexual intercourse behavior, and mediated 28–53% of the peer and media socialization links to behavior. Findings provide support for social cognitive models of adolescents' behavior and suggest potential strategies for successful interventions to delay initiation of sexual intercourse.
Elevated CO2 enhances leaf senescence during extreme drought in a temperate forest

In 2007, an extreme drought and acute heat wave damaged ecosystems across the southeastern US, including a 19-year-old Liquidambar styraciflua L. (sweetgum) tree plantation exposed to long-term elevated CO2 treatments. Stem sap velocities in trees exposed to ambient (A) or elevated (E) CO2 were analyzed to assess potential interactions between CO2 and these weather extremes. Leaf temperature (Tleaf) and net carbon uptake (GPP) were modeled based on patterns of sap velocity to estimate indirect impacts of CO2-reduced transpiration on premature leaf senescence. Elevated CO2 reduced sap flow by 28% during early summer, and by up to 45% late in the drought during record-setting high air temperatures. Canopy transpiration and conductance declined more rapidly in ECO2 plots, resulting in ECO2 Tleaf up to 45 C, which was 1-2 C greater than ACO2 Tleaf. Pre-drought GPP was ~7% greater in ECO2 plots, then declined to 30% less than ACO2 GPP as the drought progressed. Leaf abscission peaked during this period, and was 30% greater for ECO2 trees. While ECO2 can reduce leaf-level water use under droughty conditions, acute drought or heat conditions may induce excessive stomatal closure that could offset benefits of ECO2 to temperate forest species during extreme weather events.
The American Hospital Association Responds to the Nursing Shortage

In his February 13, 2001, testimony for the American Hospital Association (AHA) before the Aging Subcommittee of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Brandon Melton spoke of the immediate and long-term shortage of health care personnel. AHA notes that hospitals’ ability to respond is limited by the competing pressures between forces increasing costs and decreasing resources. Hospitals contend that “the current nursing shortage is creating an environment with the potential to jeopardize hospitals’ ability to provide timely access to non-emergency, as well as emergency, services.” AHA’s current work-force initiatives include a recently established Commission on Workforce for Hospitals and Health Providers. This commission is charged with a yearlong study of the workforce shortage, including the development of goals and recommendations. The interim recommendations of this commission along with other AHA responses to the nursing shortage are discussed.
Cyclooxygenases: structural and functional insights

Cyclooxygenase (COX; prostaglandin G/H synthase, EC 1.14.99.1) catalyzes the first two steps in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins (PGs). The two COX isoforms COX-1 and COX-2 are the targets of the widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, indicating a role for these enzymes in pain, fever, inflammation, and tumorigenesis. The ubiquitous constitutive expression of COX-1 and inducible expression of COX-2 have led to the widely held belief that COX-1 produces homeostatic PGs, while PGs produced by COX-2 are primarily pathophysiological. However, recent discoveries call this paradigm into question and reveal as yet underappreciated functions for both enzymes. This review focuses on some of these new insights.
Interleukin 21: a cytokine/cytokine receptor system that has come of age

Interleukin-21 (IL-21) and its receptor represent the sixth cytokine system whose actions were recognized to require the common cytokine receptor gamma chain. IL-21 is produced by activated CD4+ T cells, natural killer T cells, and follicular T helper cells and has actions on a range of lymphohematopoietic lineages. Among its many effects, IL-21 serves a critical role for immunoglobulin production and terminal B cell differentiation, acts as a T cell comitogen and can drive the expansion of CD8+ T cells, can negatively regulate dendritic cell function and plays an essential role in the differentiation of Th17 cells. Importantly, IL-21 is implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity and exhibits potent actions as an antitumor agent. The ability to regulate and manipulate the actions of IL-21, therefore, has important implications for immunoregulation and the therapy of human disease.
Half-Duplex Estimate-and-Forward Relaying: Bounds and Code Design

We propose a practical coding scheme for half-duplex estimate-and-forward relaying. The proposed construction is guided by the information theoretic coding scheme for the estimate-and-forward relay protocol. Our construction incorporates several design features to reduce receiver complexity without compromising performance. Observing that the relaying gain is significant only at low SNRs, we use binary LDPC codes in the source broadcast phase of relaying. Estimation is performed by entropy constrained scalar quantization of the received signal at the relay. Finally, a procedure similar to maximal ratio combining is used to aggregate direct and relayed signals at the destination. An important practical advantage of our scheme is that it does not require source-relay symbol synchronization. The codes outperform direct and two-hop channel capacities, as well as decode-and-forward relaying when the relay-destination link is strong.
The Transcription Factor Network Associated With the Amino Acid Response in Mammalian Cells

Mammals exhibit multiple adaptive mechanisms that sense and respond to fluctuations in dietary nutrients. Consumption of reduced total dietary protein or a protein diet that is deficient in 1 or more of the essential amino acids triggers wide-ranging changes in feeding behavior and gene expression. At the level of individual cells, dietary protein deficiency is manifested as amino acid (AA) deprivation, which activates the AA response (AAR). The AAR is composed of a collection of signal transduction pathways that terminate in specific transcriptional programs designed to catalyze adaptation to the nutrient stress or, ultimately, undergo apoptosis. Independently of the AAR, endoplasmic reticulum stress activates 3 signaling pathways, collectively referred to as the unfolded protein response. The transcription factor activating transcription factor 4 is one of the terminal transcriptional mediators for both the AAR and the unfolded protein response, leading to a significant degree of overlap with regard to the target genes for these stress pathways. Over the past 5 y, research has revealed that the basic leucine zipper superfamily of transcription factors plays the central role in the AAR. Formation of both homo- and heterodimers among the activating transcription factor, CCAAT enhancer-binding protein, and FOS/JUN families of basic leucine zipper proteins forms the nucleus of a highly integrated transcription factor network that determines the initiation, magnitude, and duration of the cellular response to dietary protein or AA limitation.
Climate change and animal diseases: making the case for adaptation.

The exponential expansion of the human population has led to overexploitation of resources and overproduction of items that have caused a series of potentially devastating effects, including ocean acidification, ozone depletion, biodiversity loss, the spread of invasive flora and fauna and climatic changes – along with the emergence of new diseases in animals and humans. Climate change occurs as a result of imbalances between incoming and outgoing radiation in the atmosphere. This process generates heat. As concentrations of atmospheric gases reach record levels, global temperatures are expected to increase significantly. The hydrologic cycle will be altered, since warmer air can retain more moisture than cooler air. This means that some geographic areas will have more rainfall, whereas others have more drought and severe weather. The potential consequences of significant and permanent climatic changes are altered patterns of diseases in animal and human populations, including the emergence of new disease syndromes and changes in the prevalence of existing diseases. A wider geographic distribution of known vectors and the recruitment of new strains to the vector pool could result in infections spreading to more and potentially new species of hosts. If these predictions turn out to be accurate, there will be a need for policymakers to consider alternatives, such as adaptation. This review explores the linkages between climate change and animal diseases, and examines interrelated issues that arise from altered biological dynamics. Its aim is to consider various risks and vulnerabilities and to make the case for policies favoring adaptation.
Flourishing through Leisure: An Ecological Extension of the Leisure and Well-Being Model in Therapeutic Recreation Strengths-Based Practice

This article describes a model for strengths-based therapeutic recreation practice called Flourishing Through Leisure: An Ecological Extension of the Leisure and Well-Being Model (Anderson & Heyne, 2012), which is founded on the theories presented in the companion article in this issue, “Theories That Support Strengths-Based Practice in Therapeutic Recreation.” The new model is an extension of the Leisure and Well-Being Model developed by Carruthers and Hood (2007) and Hood and Carruthers (2007), broadened to embrace the ways in which environmental or contextual factors contribute to well-being and to include the domain of spirituality as an area of focus for therapeutic recreation. Grounded strongly in the ecological approach and the social model of disability, the Flourishing Through Leisure Model situates the person in the environment and outlines the scope of therapeutic recreation practice to include services directed not only toward helping the person but also toward changing social and physical environments.
The effects of surface layers on third harmonic generation from solutions of a nematogenic polymer

Third harmonic generation (THG) is used to study the third-order nonlinear optical properties of nematic and isotropic solutions of poly(1,4-phenylene-2,6-benzobisthiazole) and related small-molecule model compounds. Maker fringe patterns (MFP) obtained using both plane slab and wedge-shaped cells for fundamental wavelengths of 1.542 and 1.907 μm are analyzed in terms of postulated surface layers in the isotropic preparations. The layers are postulated to comprise regions with concentration smaller than for the bulk sample, in which the rod-like chains tend to have their axes parallel to the plane of the surface, creating a negatively birefringent uniaxial nematic layer. The THG with the nematic solution exhibits intensity with polarization components unexpected for the uniaxial nematic symmetry attributed from linear optical properties, along with other unexpected features in the MFP. This behavior is attributed to the effects of surface layers, postulated to exhibit biaxial nematic symmetry, in which the uniaxial nematic symmetry is broken in regions on the scale of a wavelength. This provides for averaging that does not cause departure from the linear optical behavior expected for a uniaxial nematic, but does produce effects on nonlinear optical properties.
Jefferson Laboratory IR Demo project

The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (formerly known as CEBAF) has embarked on the construction of a 1 kW free-electron laser operating initially at 5 microns that is designed for laser-material interaction experiments and to explore the feasibility of scaling the system in power for Navy defense and industrial applications. The accelerator system for this IR demo includes a 10 MeV photocathode-based injector, a 32 MeV CEBAF-style superconducting radio-frequency linac, and single-pass transport that accelerates the beam from injector to wiggler, followed by energy-recovery deceleration to a dump. The initial optical configuration is a conventional near-concentric resonator with transmissive outcoupling. Following commissioning, the laser output will be extended to an operating range of 3-to-6.6 microns, and distributed to six labs in a user facility built with funds from the Commonwealth of Virginia. A description of the machine and facility and the project status are presented.
A phase I study of ABT 510 and concurrent temozolamide and radiotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme

2023 Background: ABT-510 (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL, USA) is a Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) mimetic drug with anti-angiogenic properties. This phase I dose escalation trial was designed to study the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of ABT 510 when used concurrently with temozolomide (TMZ) and radiotherapy (RT) in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Methods: A total of 23 patients with newly diagnosed, histologically verified GBM were enrolled between April 2005 and January 2007, after obtaining written consent. The study was approved by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Institutional Review Board. Four cohorts with three patients in each, receiving subcutaneous ABT 510 injection at doses of 20, 50, 100, and 200 mg/day were studied. The starting dose was primarily based on preclinical findings from animal studies and phase I studies on healthy subjects and cancer patients. Treatment plan included 10 weeks of induction phase (TMZ and RT with ABT 510) followed by a mai...
Genome-wide functional genetic screen with the anticancer agent AMPI-109 identifies PRL-3 as an oncogenic driver in triple-negative breast cancers

// Hamid H. Gari 1 , Christy M. Gearheart 2 , Susan Fosmire 2 , Gregory D. DeGala 1 , Zeying Fan 1 , Kathleen C. Torkko 1 , Susan M. Edgerton 1 , M. Scott Lucia 1 , Rahul Ray 3 , Ann D. Thor 1 , Christopher C. Porter 2 and James R. Lambert 1 1 Department of Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA 2 Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA 3 Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA Correspondence to: James R. Lambert, email: // Keywords : AMPI-109, PRL-3, triple-negative breast cancer, phosphatase, functional genomics Received : December 22, 2015 Accepted : February 09, 2016 Published : February 17, 2016 Abstract Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) are among the most aggressive and heterogeneous cancers with a high propensity to invade, metastasize and relapse. Here, we demonstrate that the anticancer compound, AMPI-109, is selectively efficacious in inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of multiple TNBC subtype cell lines as assessed by activation of pro-apoptotic caspases-3 and 7, PARP cleavage and nucleosomal DNA fragmentation. AMPI-109 had little to no effect on growth in the majority of non-TNBC cell lines examined. We therefore utilized AMPI-109 in a genome-wide shRNA screen in the TNBC cell line, BT-20, to investigate the utility of AMPI-109 as a tool in helping to identify molecular alterations unique to TNBC. Our screen identified the oncogenic phosphatase, PRL-3, as a potentially important driver of TNBC growth, migration and invasion. Through stable lentiviral knock downs and transfection with catalytically impaired PRL-3 in TNBC cells, loss of PRL-3 expression, or functionality, led to substantial growth inhibition. Moreover, AMPI-109 treatment, downregulation of PRL-3 expression or impairment of PRL-3 activity reduced TNBC cell migration and invasion. Histological evaluation of human breast cancers revealed PRL-3 was significantly, though not exclusively, associated with the TNBC subtype and correlated positively with regional and distant metastases, as well as 1 and 3 year relapse free survival. Collectively, our study is proof-of-concept that AMPI-109, a selectively active agent against TNBC cell lines, can be used as a molecular tool to uncover unique drivers of disease progression, such as PRL-3, which we show promotes oncogenic phenotypes in TNBC cells.
Can we prevent long term cardiac damage in Kawasaki disease? Lessons from Lactobacillus casei cell wall-induced arteritis in mice.

A single intraperitoneal injection of sonicated cell walls from group B Lactobacillus casei (LC) produces an acule inflammatory coronary arteritis in mice that closely resembles the coronary arteritis found in children with Kawasaki Disease (KD) (1). The coronary arteritis is accompanied in its early stages by pancarditis and valvulitis, and in its later stages by coronary artery aneurysms, stenoses, and myocardial infarctions. The importance of this model is two-fold. First, it provides the opportunity to study the natural history of coronary artery disease over a relatively short hife span
Subarachnoid-pleural fistula: Unusual complication of thoracotomy

A case of subarachnoid-pleural fistula caused by a traction injury of the intercostal neurovascular bundle during thoracotomy is presented. Headaches, air within the ventricles of the brain, and clear drainage from the chest catheter should alert the surgeon to the presence of a subarachnoid-pleural fistula. If spontaneous closure of the fistula does not occur after a brief trial of chest catheter drainage, early operative intervention is advised.
Endoscopic versus microscopic microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia: equivalent pain outcomes with possibly decreased postoperative headache after endoscopic surgery

OBJECTIVE Endoscopic surgery has revolutionized surgery of the ventral skull base but has not yet been widely adopted for use in the cerebellopontine angle. Given the relatively normal anatomy of the cerebellopontine angle in patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN), the authors hypothesized that a fully endoscopic microvascular decompression (E-MVD) might provide pain outcomes equivalent to those of microscopic MVD (M-MVD) but with fewer complications. METHODS The authors conducted a single-institution, single-surgeon retrospective study with patients treated in the period of 2006-2013. Before surgery, all patients completed a questionnaire that included a validated multidimensional pain-outcome tool, the Penn Facial Pain Scale (PFPS, formerly known as Brief Pain Inventory-Facial), an 11-point scale that measures pain intensity, interference with general activities of daily living (ADLs), and facial-specific ADLs. Using a standardized script, independent research assistants conducted follow-up telephone interviews. RESULTS In total, 167 patients were available for follow-ups (66.5% female; 93 patients underwent M-MVD and 74 underwent E-MVD). Preoperative characteristics (i.e., TN classification, PFPS components, and medication use) were similar for the 2 surgical groups except for 2 variables. Patients in the M-MVD group had slightly higher incidence of V3 pain, and the 2 groups differed in the date of surgery and hence in the length of follow-up (2.4 years for the M-MVD group and 1.3 years for the E-MVD group, p < 0.05). There was a trend toward not finding neurovascular conflict at the time of surgery more frequently in the M-MVD than in the E-MVD group (11% vs 7%, p = 0.052). Internal neurolysis was more often performed in the E-MVD group (26% vs 7%, p = 0.001). The 2 groups did not significantly differ in the length of the MVD procedure (approximately 2 hours). Self-reported headaches at 1 month postoperatively were present in 21% of the patients in the M-MVD group versus 7% in the E-MVD group (p = 0.01). Pain outcomes at the most recent followup were equivalent, with patients reporting a 5- to 6-point (70%-80%) improvement in pain intensity, a 5-point (85%) improvement in pain interference with ADLs, and a 6-point (85%) improvement in interference with facial-specific ADLs. Actuarial freedom from pain recurrence was equivalent in the 2 groups, with 80% pain control at 3 years. CONCLUSIONS Both the fully endoscopic MVD and the conventional M-MVD appear to provide patients with equivalent pain outcomes. Complication rates were also similar between the groups, with the exception of the rate of headaches, which was significantly lower in the E-MVD group 1 month postoperatively.
Current Heavy Alcohol Consumption is Associated with Greater Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults.

Background The acute consumption of excessive quantities of alcohol causes well-recognized neurophysiological and cognitive alterations. As people reach advanced age, they are more prone to cognitive decline. To date, the interaction of current heavy alcohol (ethanol [EtOH]) consumption and aging remains unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that negative consequences of current heavy alcohol consumption on neurocognitive function are worse with advanced age. Further, we evaluated the relations between lifetime history of alcohol dependence and neurocognitive function Methods Sixty-six participants underwent a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. Current heavy EtOH drinkers were classified using National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism criteria (EtOH heavy, n = 21) based on the Timeline follow-back and a structured clinical interview and compared to nondrinkers, and moderate drinkers (EtOH low, n = 45). Of the total population, 53.3% had a lifetime history of alcohol dependence. Neurocognitive data were grouped and analyzed relative to global and domain scores assessing: global cognitive function, attention/executive function, learning, memory, motor function, verbal function, and speed of processing. Results Heavy current EtOH consumption in older adults was associated with poorer global cognitive function, learning, memory, and motor function (ps < 0.05). Furthermore, lifetime history of alcohol dependence was associated with poorer function in the same neurocognitive domains, in addition to the attention/executive domain, irrespective of age (ps < 0.05). Conclusions These data suggest that while heavy current alcohol consumption is associated with significant impairment in a number of neurocognitive domains, history of alcohol dependence, even in the absence of heavy current alcohol use, is associated with lasting negative consequences for neurocognitive function.
Self-Determination and the Enrollment in and Completion of Postsecondary Education for Students With Disabilities:

This study conducted a secondary analysis using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2 (NLTS-2) to examine the degree to which three of the four essential characteristics of self-de...
Increased Toughness and Excellent Electronic Properties in Regioregular Random Copolymers of 3-Alkylthiophenes and Thiophene

Lightweight, flexible, low-cost, and disposable electronics have transformed modern life and promise to continue to drive a diversity of applications from defense to medicine. For flexible and stretchable devices, the mechanical demands are actually quite great, requiring a material to maintain its ability to undergo elastic deformation, in both tension and compression, through many cycles of deformation. Traditional electronics are fabricated using organic semiconductors, which offer excellent electronic performance, but are often stiff and brittle. Conductive polymers offer potential for electronic materials with high toughness and an ability to deform elastically, making inexpensive, flexible electronics possible in a way no other material can. This paper reports the bulk thermal, electronic, and mechanical properties of a series of conductive polymers based on regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophenes) (P3ATs) with randomly incorporated polythiophene (PT) in 3:1 (P3AT3-ran-PT1) and 1:1 (P3AT1-ran-PT1) ratios. These random copolymers are synthesized with no added synthetic complexity with respect to the homopolymer, and reproducibly give polymers with dramatically different mechanical and electronic properties. It is shown that random incorporation of the unsubstituted thiophene results in conductive polymers with excellent electronic properties (conductivities up to 500 S/cm, mobilities up to 0.11 cm2 V−1 s−1) and enhanced toughness (up to 760% improvement).
Compressive Acquisition and Least-Squares Reconstruction of Correlated Signals

This letter presents a framework for the compressive acquisition of correlated signals. We propose an implementable sampling architecture for the acquisition of ensembles of correlated (lying in an a priori unknown subspace) signals at a sub-Nyquist rate. The sampling architecture acquires structured compressive samples of the signals after preprocessing them with easy-to-implement components. Quantitatively, we show that an ensemble of $M$ correlated signals each of which is bandlimited to $W/2$ and can be decomposed as the linear combination of $R$ underlying signals can be acquired at roughly $RW$ (assuming without loss of generality $M ) samples per second. In the case, when $M \gg R$ , this results in significant reduction in the sampling rate compared to $MW$ samples per second dictated by the Shannon–Nyquist sampling theorem. The signal reconstruction is achieved by solving only a least-squares program, which is in stark contrast to the prohibitively computationally expensive semidefinite programming techniques suggested in the earlier literature. We also provide rigorous analytical results to support our claims.
Automated virtual network functions onboarding

Network functions virtualization (NFV) opens up a new ability of network enablement through agile network DevOps to design, develop, and test new services and to provide ongoing updates of existing services. This paper proposes a tool and methodology to aid the NFV designer to rapidly design and onboard new services and applications. Although the main focus is on the service design and onboarding, we provide the relation with other aspects such as management and orchestration, and service assurance of a complete lifecycle for network service. The proposed tool and methodology is called VNF Onboarding Automation Tool (VOAT). The prototype implementation is discussed as well as various use cases where VOAT has been used. With VOAT, an automated service design and onboarding can be efficiently achieved, hence reducing significantly the timeframe for deploying new services in telco cloud-based environment.
Nicking of single chain Clostridiumbotulinum type A neurotoxin by an endogenous protease

Abstract Botulinum neurotoxin (NT) serotype A isolated from cells from young cultures (∼8 h) of Clostridium botulinum type A is a ∼150 kDa single chain protein. Supernatant from older cultures (96 h) yields ∼150 kDa dichain NT composed ∼50 and ∼100 kDa subunits, that remain associated by disulfide and noncovalent bonds. This had led to the assumption that an endogenous protease cleaves a peptide bond at 1 3rd the distance from the N- or C-terminals of the single chain protein. An endogenous protease that causes such a cleavage (nicking) has now been purified >1,000-fold from C . botulinum type A (Hall strain) culture; this culture also produces the single chain NT and eventually yields the dichain NT. The purified protease nicked the pure preparation of single chain type A NT, in vitro at pH 5.6, into a dichain form that was indistinguishable from the dichain NT normally isolated from 96 h cultures. The protease appears specific for nicking serotype A NT because it did not nick single chain serotype B and E NT nor did it enhance toxicity of serotype A, B and E NT.
Cognitive Context-Aware Distributed Storage Optimization in Mobile Cloud Computing: A Stable Matching Based Approach

Mobile cloud storage (MCS) is being extensively used nowadays toprovide data access services to various mobile platforms such assmart phones and tablets. For cross-platform mobile apps, MCS is afoundation for sharing and accessing user data as well as supportingseamless user experience in a mobile cloud computing environment. However, the mobile usage of smart phones or tablets is quite differentfrom legacy desktop computers, in the sense that each user hashis/her own mobile usage pattern. Therefore, it is challenging todesign an efficient MCS that is optimized for individual users. Inthis paper, we investigate a distributed MCS system whoseperformance is optimized by exploiting the fine-grained contextinformation of every mobile user. In this distributed system,lightweight storage servers are deployed pervasively, such that datacan be stored closer to its user. We systematically optimize thedata access efficiency of such a distributed MCS by exploiting threetypes of user context information: mobility pattern, networkcondition, and data access pattern. We propose two optimizationformulations: a centralized one based on mixed-integer linearprogramming (MILP), and a distributed one based on stable matching. We then develop solutions to both formulations. Comprehensivesimulations are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of theproposed solutions by comparing them against their counterpartsunder various network and context conditions.
Metabolic Syndrome Induces Over Expression of the Human AT1R: A Haplotype-Dependent Effect With Implications on Cardio-Renal Function.

Background The transcriptional regulation of the human angiotensin receptor subtype 1 (AT1R) gene in pathophysiologies, like the metabolic syndrome, is poorly understood. The human AT1R gene has polymorphisms in its promoter that can be arranged in 2 haplotypes. Variants -810T, -713T, -214A, and -153A always occur together (Hap-I) and variants -810A, -713G, -214C, and -153G form Hap-II. We have hypothesized that high fat diet will alter cellular transcriptional milieu and increase hAT1R gene expression in a haplotype-dependent manner. This will set up an AT1R-mediated feed-forward loop promoting inflammation, oxidative stress, and hypertension in Hap-I mice. Method Since Hap-I of the human AT1R gene is associated with hypertension in Caucasians, we generated transgenic (TG) mice with Hap-I and Hap-II and studied the physiological significance of high fat diet (HFD) on haplotype specific gene expression. Animals were fed with HFD for 20 weeks followed by blood pressure (BP) analysis and collection of their tissues for molecular and biochemical studies. Results After HFD treatment, as compared to Hap-II, TG mice with Hap-I show increased expression of hAT1R gene and higher BP; suppression of antioxidant defenses (HO1, SOD1) and increased expression of IL-6, TNFα, IL-1β, NOX1. In vivo ChIP assay has shown that transcription factors CEBPβ, STAT3, and USF bind more strongly to the chromatin obtained from Hap-I TG mice. Conclusions Taken together, our results suggest, that after HFD treatment, as compared to Hap-II, the TG mice with Hap-I overexpress the AT1R gene due to the stronger transcriptional activity, thus resulting in an increase in their BP.
Real-time activity recognition for energy efficiency in buildings

Abstract More than half of the electricity in residential and commercial buildings is consumed by lighting systems and appliances. Consumption by these service systems is directly associated with occupant activities. By recognizing activities and identifying the associated possible energy savings, more effective strategies can be developed to design better buildings and automation systems. In line with this motivation, using inductive and deductive reasoning, we introduce a framework to detect occupant activities and potential wasted energy consumption and peak-hour usage that could be shifted to non-peak hours in real-time. Our framework consists of three sub-algorithms for action detection, activity recognition and waste estimation. As the real-time input, the action detection algorithm receives the data from the sensing system, consisting of plug meters and sensors, to detect the occurred actions (e.g., turning on an appliance) via our unsupervised clustering models. Detected actions are then used by the activity recognition algorithm to recognize the activities (e.g., preparing food) through semantic reasoning on our constructed ontology. Based on the recognized activities, the waste estimation algorithm identifies the potential waste and estimates the potential savings. To evaluate the performance of our framework, an experimental study was carried out in an office with five occupants and in two single-occupancy apartments for two weeks. Following the experiment, the performance of the action detection and activity recognition algorithms was evaluated using the ground truth labels for actions and activities. Average accuracy was 97.6% for action detection using Gaussian Mixture Model with Principal Components Analysis and 96.7% for activity recognition. In addition, 35.5% of the consumption of an appliance or lighting system in average was identified as potential savings.
Black Curriculum in Social Studies: A Textual Reading of When Truth Gets a Hearing

This chapter will consider the crucial impact of pageants, which presented two broad themes of the alternative black curriculum to the larger public. First, pageants were experimental sites because ideas central to the development of the alternative black curriculum were tested. Second, pageants were considered written expressions of the alternative black curriculum. This chapter will explore pageants written by W.E.B. Du Bois, Nannie H. Burroughs, Dorothy C. Guinn, Inez Burke, and Frances Gunner. The chapter ends with a consideration of black women citizenship.
Detection of Protein-Protein Interactions by Far-Western Blotting

Far-western blotting is a convenient method to characterize protein-protein interactions, in which protein samples of interest are immobilized on a membrane and then probed with a nonantibody protein. In contrast to western blotting, which uses specific antibodies to detect target proteins, far-western blotting detects proteins on the basis of the presence or the absence of binding sites for the protein probe. When specific modular protein binding domains are used as probes, this approach allows characterization of protein-protein interactions involved in biological processes such as signal transduction, including interactions regulated by posttranslational modification. We here describe a rapid and simple protocol for far-western blotting, in which GST-tagged Src homology 2 (SH2) domains are used to probe cellular proteins in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.
Discovering the Past, Uncovering Diversity

Museums and heritage parks serve as significant sources of nonformal education, for everyone from children and teachers attending field trip visits to adult hobbyists to tourists of all ages. Many new types of museums also offer alternative visions of history, ethnic identity, and cultural knowledge, whether through consultation with Indigenous communities or complete tribal control.
The current capabilities of health information technology to support care transitions

To determine whether HIT currently supports care transitions we interviewed clinicians from several healthcare settings. We learned about HIT tools to help nurses facilitate transitions, but discovered that there are few tools to promote high quality, safe transitions of care. We also found that HIT is rarely employed for patient-centered care coordination mechanisms. In conclusion, HIT tools are typically used within one healthcare setting to prepare for a transition, rather than across healthcare settings.
SchÄffer’s Determinant Argument

Let ‖...‖ denote distance from the nearest integer. Various versions of the following problem in simultaneous Diophantine approximation have been studied since 1957, beginning with Danicic [5]. Given an integer h ≥ 2. we seek a number θ having the following property, for every ∈ > 0 and every pair α = (α1, ... αh), β = (β1,..., βh) in ℝh: For N > C(h, ∈, there is an integer n, 1 ≤ n ≤ N, satisfying $$ \left\| {n^2 \alpha j + n\beta j} \right\| < N^{ - \theta + \in } \left( {j = 1, \ldots ,h} \right). $$
Atypical manifestations of pneumonia in the elderly.

Abstract This article focuses on the features of common lower respiratory-tract infections in the elderly, specifically those age-associated physiologic and immunologic changes that alter the classic clinical picture of infection. Attention is directed at the epidemiology and clinical features of pneumonia in community, institutionalized, and hospitalized individuals. Those treatment factors unique to an elderly patient are discussed.
Abstract 5446: Serotonin modulates AKT-mTOR and Notch signaling pathways, promotes liver cancer cell steatosis and cell survival

The hormone serotonin is known as 5-hydroxytryptamine. It is a precursor of melatonin, derived from the amino acid tryptophan. Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter and modulates several key functions in the human body, such as appetite, mood and sleep. Apart from its important roles in the central nervous system (CNS), serotonin regulates various extra-neuronal pathophysiological functions. Serotonin is synthesized by Enterochromaffin cells of the gut, mostly stored in platelets and about 2% of free serotonin released in the blood. The role of peripheral serotonin in adipocytes, pancreatic cells, macrophages and liver cells is not fully understood. In the current study, we investigated the role of serotonin in liver cancer cell signaling and liver cancer cell growth. Treatment of serotonin in liver cancer cells HepG2 and SK-Hep1 induced autophagy markers and effectors such as LC3 I/II, phospho-4EBP1, ATG3 and Beclin1, and, increased cell proliferation and cell survival. AKT/mTOR pathway controls cellular autophagy and our results demonstrated that exposure of serotonin to liver cancer cells inactivates AKT/mTOR signaling and induced autophagy. Also, we demonstrate that serotonin also activates Notch signaling pathway as evident by induction of Notch target gene Hes1. Notch inhibitors Avagacestat 2 and FLI-06 inhibited serotonin-mediated Notch signaling and cellular autophagy. Furthermore, by the activation of Notch signaling, serotonin-induced oleic acid-mediated cell steatosis in both HepG2 and SK-Hep1 liver cancer cells. In addition, treatment of serotonin also induced autophagy modulator proteins such as SIRT1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Inducing Protein 8 (TNFAIP8) which participate in the modulation of cellular autophagy and cell survival. Taken together our data suggested that peripheral serotonin regulates liver cancer cell steatosis, cells survival and may promote liver carcinogenesis by the modulation of AKT/mTOR and Notch signaling pathways. Citation Format: Suresh Niture, Deepak Kumar. Serotonin modulates AKT-mTOR and Notch signaling pathways, promotes liver cancer cell steatosis and cell survival [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5446.
Newborn with Neck Lesion

A 2-day-old term male infant presents with a lesion located on the ventral surface of the neck. ### Prenatal and Birth Histories ### Presentation The infant developed respiratory distress at 2 hours of age with tachypnea and retractions. He was initially treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and heated humidified high-flow nasal cannula. He was noted to have a lesion located on the ventral surface of the neck. He was transported to our facility at 2 days of age for further management. Vital signs included the following. ### Physical Examination
Active Power Device Selection in High- and Very-High-Frequency Power Converters

This paper aims to provide a road map for selecting power devices in soft-switched, megahertz (MHz) frequency power converters. Minimizing ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ losses, which occur when charging and discharging the parasitic output capacitor of power semiconductors, is critical to efficient operation. These losses are excluded from manufacturer-provided information, and measurements are either sparse or not reported at all in the existing literature. We report the first high-frequency ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ loss data from silicon carbide (SiC) power mosfet s, with a range of devices tested from 1 to 35 MHz and up to 800 V. In contrast to GaN HEMTs, ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ losses in SiC mosfet s do not increase with ${dV/dt}$ at these frequencies. A total of 3%–10% of the stored energy is dissipated in the measured SiC mosfet s. We report new ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ loss measurements for vertical silicon mosfet s and expand on existing measurements for superjunctions, finding high variance in ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ losses between devices for both constructions. High ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ losses preclude the tested silicon mosfet s from efficient operation at MHz frequencies. Lastly, we compare devices in soft-switched applications using a loss calculation that includes these ${C_{\text{OSS}}}$ losses, and demonstrate a 100 W, 17 MHz dc-RF inverter using a custom-packaged SiC mosfet .
A Perovskite Solar Cell with Enhanced Light Stability and High Photovoltaic Conversion Efficiencies

Owing to the remarkable advantages of the perovskite solar cell (PSC), people regard the PSC as an auspicious candidate for photovoltaic devices in the near future, but light instability of the PSC, caused by TiO2 being a photo catalyst to decompose perovskite films under UV radiation, limits its practical applications. To improve light stability, removing the TiO2 layer from PSC devices is the best solution, but the photovoltaic conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the reported TiO2-layer-free PSCs are much lower than TiO2-layer-containing PSCs. As such, via applying a chemical engineering technique of inserting a layer of bathophenanthroline (Bphen) between the ITO substrate and the perovskite film, we developed a TiO2-layer-free PSC with both good light stability and an averaged PCE of around 18.53%, much higher than that of those reported ones. The insertion of the Bphen layer caused a dramatic promotion of shunt resistances (Rsh), causing the improvements of the open circuit voltages (Voc), fill factors...
Autosegmental Input Strictly Local Functions

Autosegmental representations (ARs; Goldsmith, 1976) are claimed to enable local analyses of otherwise non-local phenomena Odden (1994). Focusing on the domain of tone, we investigate this ability ...
Elephant response to early burning in mopane woodland, Zambia

Early burning was carried out under experimental conditions for two consecutive years to study elephant response to dry season manipulation of grass forage in mopane woodland in Luangwa Valley, Zambia. Results suggest that elephant range is influenced during the dry season by availability of grass cover and that browse intake was reduced in experimental areas where grass forage was removed by burning. Forage utilization by elephants in surrounding unburned areas increased. Provided that surrounding unburned areas can tolerate increased browsing pressure and the full implications of recurrent early dry season burning are understood in terms of vegetation and herbivore response, early burning in mopane woodland may be a useful management tool for reducing browse utilization by elephants in this woodland,
Effect of Interface Structure on the Hydrophobicity, Mechanical and Optical Properties of HfO2/Mo/HfO2 Multilayer Films

We report on the super-hydrophobicity and tunable and optical and mechanical properties of transparent HfO2(50 nm)/Mo(20 nm)/HfO2(50 nm) multilayer films facilitated by engineering the ceramic–metal interface microstructure. A comparative study of nano-columnar and glassy (dense) structured HfO2/Mo/HfO2 multilayer films demonstrate the remarkable effect of interface structure on their hydrophobicity and mechanical properties. The nano-columnar structured multilayer films exhibit the dominance over the glassy structured stack in terms of their enhanced characteristics, namely the mechanical characteristics, anti-reflection behavior, visible transmittance, and hydrophobicity. While hydrophobicity is derived from the combined effect of hierarchical surface roughness and nano-columnar structure of the top and bottom Hf-oxide ceramic layers, the enhanced mechanical response is derived from the columnar structure of Mo metallic interlayer vertically aligned with overall multilayer stack. The combination of super-hydrophobicity and enhanced mechanical properties of optically transparent HfO2/Mo/HfO2 multilayer films through HfO2–Mo interface structure control as demonstrated in this work may provide a pathway to further tune the efficiency and in the optimization of architectures for energy-saving applications.
Correcting for norm misperception of anti-bullying attitudes:

Research has documented the presence of norm misperception in the context of school bullying, as children and adolescents typically underestimate the degree to which their peers disapprove of bully...
'Mental health and self-rated health among U.S. South Asians: the role of religious group involvement'.

Objectives: Only one community-based study has assessed religious group involvement and health outcomes among South Asians in the U.S., with mixed results. Here, using a large, South Asian communit...