cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heroes and Mentors: A Consideration of Relational-Cultural Theory and “The Hero’s Journey”

Derived from mythology around the world and over the ages, Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey” provides a conceptual roadmap for confronting life’s challenges. The way in which clients navigate these challenges may also have a profound effect on their relational development. This article examines The Hero’s Journey through the lens of relational-cultural theory and illustrates ways in which counselors can aid clients in making sense of the struggles they face on their own personal journeys.
Response to Comment on Kolwicz et al. Enhancing Cardiac Triacylglycerol Metabolism Improves Recovery From Ischemic Stress. Diabetes 2015;64:2817-2827.

In their comment, Zaugg et al. (1) highlighted some of their recent work investigating the effects of Intralipid administration on postischemic outcomes in rat models of both healthy nondiabetic (2) and early diabetic hearts (3). This was prodded by a discussion point raised in a recent article by my colleagues and I on whether the provision of a mixture of unsaturated fats, such as Intralipid, could improve functional recovery in the ischemic, diabetic myocardium (4). In their studies, Zaugg and colleagues nicely demonstrated that Intralipid infusion given during the reperfusion period improves recovery from ischemia by inhibiting …
Pitch Stability of an Unpowered Ground Effect Vehicle

The ground effect regime was first utilized in the early 1900’s with the advent of transatlantic flight. Aircraft such as the Dornier DO-X would fly close to the surface of the water in order to increase its payload and range. Since that time, research has been periodic with the largest resurgence of ground effect interest in the 1960’s. The Russian government became involved in developing aircraft designed solely for ground effect flight. The design of these aircraft was difficult due to the inherent problems that exist within ground effect. There are natural instabilities that occur, especially in the longitudinal direction that are antagonized by shifting payload weights. Past researchers have handled the unique design requirements of ground effect through the usage of high-tail devices which operate outside of ground effect and power augmented ground effect which artificially generates the lift force through the use of thrust vectoring. The Center for Industrial Research Applications (CIRA) has developed a single passenger, unpowered, subsonic aircraft that relies on gravitational forces for momentum. AirRay combines the benefits of ground effect i.e. the increased lift and decreased induced drag, with a unique approach to maintaining stability. The design of AirRay faced many challenges as a result of flying in the ground effect regime, similar to those found in the prior efforts. These include natural instabilities, primarily in the longitudinal direction, that cause the glider to want to pitch up. In addition the size requirements for a single rider to maximize maneuverability, as well as the potential for updrafts on a downhill slope are added constraints to the design of the ground effect vehicle. These issues, and others, are the subject of current study. This paper has focused on the most important aspect of the design, longitudinal stability. This research has shown positive results with respect to the effectiveness of slots, on passively controlling the movement of the center-of-pressure at varying angles of attack. The 40 degree slot located at 20% of the chord line was most advantageous in stabilizing movement. These results indicate a craft can be designed that can be stable and function in the majority of the flight conditions that have been specified.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
CS-24PYRUVATE KINASE M2-MEDIATED SUBCELLULAR LOCALIZATION OF HuR REGULATES GLIOMA GROWTH.

HuR is an RNA-binding protein that influences the stability and translation of hundreds of different RNAs, and when overexpressed as in gliomas contribute to tumor formation. HuR, however, is typically localized to the nucleus, and the factors that regulate its export to the cytoplasm, and thus function, remain poorly defined. We here report that pyruvate kinase M2, a glycolytic enzyme over-expressed in glioma, also regulates HuR sub-cellular localization, and uses this ability to control RNA metabolism and facilitate cell cycle progression. Specifically shRNA-mediated suppression of PKM2 in multiple GBM cell lines shifted HuR from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, which in turn led to increased cap-independent p27 mRNA translation and cell cycle arrest. In control GBM cells, HuR was tyrosine phosphorylated, and PKM2, a nuclear phosphotyrosine-binding protein, co-immunoprecipitated with HuR but not with exogenous HuR mutated (Y200A) to prevent tyrosine phosphorylation. Consistent with this observation, exogenous WT HuR accumulated in the nucleus whereas Y200A HuR accumulated in the cytoplasm, even in the presence of PKM2, and Y200A HuR expression, unlike that of WT HuR, failed to rescue cells from the high levels of p27 and cell cycle arrest induced by PKM2 knockdown. HuR was also associated with the nuclear export adapters pp32 and APRIL and mechanistically, the binding of PKM2 blocked the interaction of the HuR/pp32/APRIL complex with CRM1 nuclear exporter thereby limiting HuR cytoplasmic transport. Significantly, the associations between low nuclear PKM2, high cytoplasmic HuR, high p27 expression, and growth arrest noted in control and PKM2 knockdown GBM cells were also noted in the same cells grown as xenografts as well as in primary human GBM. These results therefore define PKM2 as a regulator of HuR cellular localization and function, and also directly link metabolic regulation to the control of RNA metabolism, cell cycle progression, and tumor growth.
SUB-OPTIMAL NONLINEAR ADAPTIVE STATE FILTERING

An innovative adaptive state filtering method is presented that is especially suited for highly nonlinear stochastic systems that are subject to multiple failure conditions. The proposed method combines a conventional sub-optimal approach to nonlinear state estimation problems, often referred to as restricted complexity filters, with neural network model structures. The resulting method presented in this paper and referred to as restricted complexity neural network (RCNN) filtering, is shown to provide stable adaptive estimation for a class of highly nonlinear stochastic systems. The state estimator performance is shown to be inferable directly from the magnitude of the output prediction errors. The SSME Digital Transient Model (DTM) is used to train the neural network predictors which are incorporated to an RCNN filtering algorithm. The RCNN filter is then applied to actual Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) data acquired from a test firing at NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC), where the engine experienced severe high pressure fuel turbine failure. The RCNN filter is shown to provide estimates of the actual high pressure turbine discharge temperatures and main chamber mixture ratio to within ±1% of the known modeling error established by benchmarking the SSME DTM against the SSC test data.
ANALYSIS OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL INDEXES OF SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE SOLUTION

Objective To know the physico-chemical properties of sodium hypochlorite disinfectant and to analyze the varieties and contents of metal ions in it. Method Chemical analysis and instrumental analysis were used to carry out laboratory observation. Results The available chlorine content in sodium hypochlorite disinfectant solution ranged from 36.4 to 115.8 g/L according to different products and different time after leaving the factory.The free base content showed phenomenon of exceeding allowable limit and iron,lead and arsenic contents were within the range specified in national standard.The eligible rate of available chlorine content in sodium hypochlorite stock solution was 92%,the rate of exceeding allowable limit of free base content was 25% and metal ions did not exceed the allowable limit.There was no obvious correlation between available chlorine content and free base content in sodium hypochlorite,but there was positive correlation between pH value and free base content in sodium hypochlorite solution.After the sodium hypochlorite disinfection solution was stored at room temperature for 9 months,its available chlorine content decreased by 15.5%～48.5%,but there was no significant change in free base content. Conclusion There was ineligible phenomenon in available chlorine content of sodium hypochlorite disinfection solution sold in market,its free base content obviously exceeded allowable limit,but the harmful metal ions did not exceed the allowable limits.
Considerations of context and scale when using fecal glucocorticoids to indicate stress in large mammals: a study of wild American plains bison

Abstract— Noninvasive measures of stress response are used to understand impacts of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on wild animals and can be challenging to interpret without additional contextual information and specifics of the animals in question. We used fecal samples collected from the Henry Mountains American plains bison (Bison bison) herd in Utah to measure the glucocorticoid hormone corticosterone (CORT), a hormone that is indicative of stress. We compared site-specific measures of fecal CORT concentration with measures of covariates related to geography, bison physiology, and human activity to determine whether an unexpected habitat selection pattern could be a response to human disturbance and thus whether ecological covariates could explain variations in fecal CORT concentration in free-ranging bison. No meaningful relationships were found for any of the covariates included in the study, in part due to a scale mismatch between the physiological stress response of bison and the spatiote...
Symbolic Matching-To-Sample Employing Pictorial Stimulus Classes

Four pigeons were trained on a 6-key modified symbolic matching-to-sample procedure. The stimuli were paired based on humanly defined stimulus classes, for example, faces, signs, playing cards, trees, birds, and butterflies. The second peck on the sample key lighted only one comparison key. Every two pecks on the sample lighted another comparison key, up to a maximum of five keys. Pecks on keys of symbolically matching pictures (e.g., if the sample was a face, the bird pecked the comparison key that presented another face) produced grain. Pecks on nonmatching keys (e.g., pictures of signs or playing cards) turned off all lights on the comparison keys and repeated the trial. The birds learned to peck each sample until the symbolically matching comparison stimulus appeared on one of the five comparison stimulus keys, and then to peck that key. Later, the birds showed symbolic matching transfer to novel samples, novel comparison stimuli, and some novel stimulus classes. The birds showed better transfer with visually similar (tree-tree) relative to visually dissimilar (cups-butterflies) stimulus pairs, and learned to avoid the sample stimulus when it appeared as an incorrect comparison stimulus choice.
Jockeying for Party Position

THE METICULOUS PLANNING in American Presidential Elections is conducted by small groups behind closed doors. Leaders make plans; strategies are born; and there is give-and-take which ultimately results in appeals to groups and individuals by the political party and its nominees. The names of possible candidates are advanced for discussion (with one eye on their reception in the press and by recognized groups). Candidates potentially weak in popular appeal are virtually eliminated. Few records of this hidden activity are kept, and it is years before the public hears what really happened—if, indeed, they ever know. There is at election time a choice among alternatives, but the nature and intensity of the alternatives is determined long before much public interest is aroused.
Modulation of the Anti-Tumor Efficacy of Photodynamic Therapy by Nitric Oxide.

Nitric oxide (NO) produced by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes is a free radical molecule involved in a wide variety of normophysiologic and pathophysiologic processes. Included in the latter category are cancer promotion, progression, and resistance to therapeutic intervention. Animal tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT) studies several years ago revealed that endogenous NO can reduce PDT efficacy and that NOS inhibitors can alleviate this. Until relatively recently, little else was known about this anti-PDT effect of NO, including: (a) the underlying mechanisms; (b) type(s) of NOS involved; and (c) whether active NO was generated in vascular cells, tumor cells, or both. In addressing these questions for various cancer cell lines exposed to PDT-like conditions, the author’s group has made several novel findings, including: (i) exogenous NO can scavenge lipid-derived free radicals arising from photostress, thereby protecting cells from membrane-damaging chain peroxidation; (ii) cancer cells can upregulate inducible NOS (iNOS) after a PDT-like challenge and the resulting NO can signal for resistance to photokilling; (iii) photostress-surviving cells with elevated iNOS/NO proliferate and migrate/invade more aggressively; and (iv) NO produced by photostress-targeted cells can induce greater aggressiveness in non-targeted bystander cells. In this article, the author briefly discusses these various means by which NO can interfere with PDT and how this may be mitigated by use of NOS inhibitors as PDT adjuvants.
Initial Assessment and Triage of the Stroke Patient

Nearly 800,000 strokes occur in the United States each year, and stroke is the leading cause of preventable permanent disability. Timely recognition and treatment are imperative to reduce stroke-related morbidity and mortality. Given the evidence supporting intravenous thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke, stroke symptoms must be rapidly identified and mimics quickly excluded prior to therapeutic decisions. Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator is recommended for all qualified patients and patients with presentations suggesting large vessel occlusion should be evaluated for mechanical thrombectomy. Time to treatment is the most important prognostic factor for clinical outcome, highlighting the importance of reliable and efficient local and regional systems of care.
Pediatric Anesthesia for Orthopedic Surgery

Pediatric patients undergoing orthopedic procedures warrant unique considerations compared to adults. Providers should understand these differences before caring for children in the operating room. The use of regional anesthesia in children, particularly ultrasound-guided, has proven beneficial and is therefore increasingly recommended. Evidence-based data regarding the use of regional anesthesia and its safety is being compiled on a more routine basis due to the creation of the Pediatric Regional Anesthesia Network (PRAN.) As congenital syndromes are common in pediatric orthopedic patients, providers should be familiar with their anesthetic implications. This chapter provides an overview of anesthetic practice and common challenges encountered by anesthesiologists and perioperative physicians when caring for children undergoing orthopedic procedures.
Management of Risks From Water and Ice From Ice Machines for the Very Immunocompromised Host: A Process Improvement Project Prompted by an Outbreak of Rapidly Growing Mycobacteria on a Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (Hsct) Unit.

BACKGROUND In 2011, pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients were moved from an older hospital to a new children’s hospital. To minimize bacterial growth in the new hospital’s water during construction, the plumbing system was flushed and disinfected before occupancy. However, 6 months after occupancy, an increased incidence of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) was detected in clinical cultures. Over 10 months, 15 pediatric HSCT patients were infected, while no pediatric HSCT patients had been infected in the preceding 12 months. OBJECTIVE To determine the cause of the outbreak and to interrupt patient acquisition of RGM. METHODS Water samples were collected from water entering the hospital and from drinking water and ice machines (DWIMs) from the old and new hospitals. Total heterotrophic plate counts (HPCs, CFU/mL) of water were undertaken, and select isolates were identified as RGM. RESULTS The cause of the outbreak was increased bacterial levels in the water (including RGM) in the DWIMs in the new (2011) hospital. Tests revealed higher HPCs in drinking water and ice from the DWIMs in the new hospital than in the DWIMs in the old hospital. Ultimately, HPCs were reduced by several different interventions. CONCLUSION In response to an RGM outbreak, HSCT patients were banned from ingesting DWIM ice and water and bottled water was provided. Since this interverntion 4 years ago, no additional RGM isolates have been identified in HSCT patient cultures. Our measures to reduce HPCs to goal levels in drinking water from DWIMs were successful, but the HPCs for ice have not consistently reached the goal of <500 CFU/mL. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:792–800
CMS Strategies To Reduce Antipsychotic Drug Use In Nursing Home Patients With Dementia Show Some Progress.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initiated three strategies (in March and July 2012 and in May 2013) to reduce the use of unnecessary antipsychotic medications in nursing homes, espec...
Cohabiting With the Enemy: Comparative Population Ecology of Two Mantid Species in a Successional Old Field

Two praying mantids, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis Saussure and Tenodera angustipennis Saussure, are commonly found in the same old-field habitats in the eastern United States and in much of temperate zone Asia. Naturally established populations of these two species were studied intensively over two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) in an old field in southeastern Virginia, to compare life history features relevant to how they coexist, or whether one or the other of them is likely to be more successful in the same habitat. Populations of both species declined about 50% from 2010 to 2011 (adults from 47 to 21 for T. a. sinensis; 37 to 20 for T. angustipennis), but T. a. sinensis oviposited 10 oothecae and T. angustipennis only one in 2011. Tenodera a. sinensis was more abundant in the study site in both years, hatched earlier, and matured and oviposited earlier than T. angustipennis. Fewer females of both species survived to maturity in 2011 than in 2010, possibly indicating a reduction in prey or habitat suitability in 2011. We suggest that T. angustipennis will always be at a disadvantage as a result of its smaller body size, because of interspecific predation (and potentially competition) from its congener, lower clutch size, and susceptibility to egg parasitism. Further, environmental variability across field habitats and years profoundly affects populations of both species in successional old fields.
Mediating Effects of Frailty Indicators on the Risk of Sepsis After Cancer

Background:Cancer survivors are at increased risk of sepsis, possibly attributed to weakened physiologic conditions. The aims of this study were to examine the mediation effect of indicators of fra...
Local Search and Metaheuristics

The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) is one of the most illustrious and extensively studied problems in the field of Combinatorial Optimization. Covering just the period from 1993 to mid-2001 alone, the web databases of INFORMS and Decision Sciences report more than 150 papers devoted to the TSP. The problem can be stated in graph theory terms as follows. Let G = (V, A) be a weighted complete graph, where V = {v 1,..., v n } is a vertex (node) set and A = {(v i , v j )¦v i , v j ∈ V,i ≠ j} is an edge set. C = [c(v i ,v j )] is a n * n matrix associated with A, where c(v i ,v j ) is a non-negative weight (distance or cost) on edge (v i ,v j ) if there is an edge between v i and v j . Otherwise c(v i ,v j ) is infinity.
Biosynthesis of Platelet-Activating Factor and Enzyme Inhibitors

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is known to be synthesized by either a remodeling or de novo pathway. The enzymes responsible have been extensively studied by a number of laboratories. All evidence indicates the remodeling route is activated during inflammation and other hypersensitivity responses, whereas the de novo pathway is thought to be the source of PAF required for physiological functions. This article provides an update of what is currently known about the enzymatic systems that generate PAF as well as some preliminary findings we have obtained using potential inhibitors of the specific enzymes involved. Recent progress from our laboratory toward understanding the role of the CoA-independent and Co-A dependent transacylases in the formation of lyso-PAF and PAF is summarized.
Negotiating Non-Proliferation: International Law and Delegation in the Iranian Nuclear Crisis

The Iranian nuclear crisis reflects international worries about Iran’s intentions in developing a nuclear energy program with potential military applications. This Article suggests that strengthening existing international institutions to more effectively provide ongoing verification of the civilian character of the Iranian program offers a diplomatic avenue of resolving this crisis. The nonproliferation regime includes safeguards to detect and deter the diversion of nuclear materials from civilian applications to weapons programs. The question of how to strengthen these safeguards to ensure that Iranian nuclear activities are verifiably proliferation-resistant is at the heart of resolving the current crisis.This Article shows that there is an identifiable compromise position that would address the concerns of the international community while enabling Iran to claim its ‘right’ to nuclear energy. Yet despite this available avenue of compromise, missed negotiating opportunities have prolonged the crisis. Drawing on recent scholarship in the areas of negotiations theory and international delegations, this Article suggests an alternative approach to overcoming the conflict. By structuring negotiations around persuasive information, adopting an iterative and reciprocal negotiating structure, and strengthening the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA or simply, the Agency), the parties could address many of the challenges that undermined previous rounds of negotiations. Further, a delegation of greater authority to the IAEA over safeguards-implementation in the Iranian context will set an important precedent for strengthening the verification and monitoring capacities of the organization, enabling it to facilitate resolution in the instant case and to better address any future crises involving potential proliferators.
Histological Classification of Tumours of the Eye and Its Adnexa

The tumours that are listed include those that are commonly found in the eye as well as rarer entities that have been described in the past decade. In all instances, the reader is referred to the WHO Histological Typing of Skin Tumours.
New Generation of Clickable Nucleic Acids: Synthesis and Active Hybridization with DNA

Due to the ability to generate oligomers of precise sequence, sequential and stepwise solid-phase synthesis has been the dominant method of producing DNA and other oligonucleotide analogues. The requirement for a solid support, however, and the physical restrictions of limited surface area thereon significantly diminish the efficiency and scalability of these syntheses, thus, negatively affecting the practical applications of synthetic polynucleotides and other similarly created molecules. By employing the robust photoinitiated thiol–ene click reaction, we developed a new generation of clickable nucleic acids (CNAs) with a polythioether backbone containing repeat units of six atoms, matching the spacing of the phosphodiester backbone of natural DNA. A simple, inexpensive, and scalable route was utilized to produce CNA monomers in gram-scale, which indicates the potential to dramatically lower the cost of these DNA mimics and thereby expand the scope of these materials. The efficiency of this approach was ...
Floxed-Cassette Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis Enables Markerless Gene Deletion in Chlamydia trachomatis and Can Reverse Cassette-Induced Polar Effects

ABSTRACT As obligate intracellular bacteria, Chlamydia spp. have evolved numerous, likely intricate, mechanisms to create and maintain a privileged intracellular niche. Recent progress in elucidating and characterizing these processes has been bolstered by the development of techniques enabling basic genetic tractability. Florescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM) couples chromosomal gene deletion with the insertion of a selection cassette encoding antibiotic resistance and green fluorescent protein (GFP). Similar to other bacteria, many chlamydial genes exist within polycistronic operons, raising the possibility of polar effects mediated by insertion cassettes. Indeed, FRAEM-mediated deletion of Chlamydia trachomatistmeA negatively impacts the expression of tmeB. We have adapted FRAEM technology by employing a gfp-bla cassette flanked by loxP sites. Conditional expression of Cre recombinase in ChlamydiatmeA containing a floxed cassette resulted in deletion of the marker and restoration of tmeB expression. IMPORTANCEC. trachomatis infections represent a significant burden to human health. The ability to genetically manipulate Chlamydia spp. is overcoming historic confounding barriers that have impeded rapid progress in understanding overall chlamydial pathogenesis. The current state of genetic manipulation in Chlamydia spp. requires further development, including mechanisms to generate markerless gene disruption. We leveraged a stepwise Cre-lox approach to excise selection marker genes from a deleted gene locus. We found this process to be efficient, and the removal of extraneous elements resulted in the reversal of a negative polar effect on a downstream gene. This technique facilitates a more direct assessment of gene function and adds to the Chlamydia molecular toolbox by facilitating the deletion of genes within operons.
Fluidity in Stillness A Reading of Hadewijch's Strofische Gedichten/Poems in Stanzas

that women felt and men thought has long been the predominant lens through which medieval christian writing has been analyzed. the work of the religious women vernacular theologians, or beguines, who emerged across north europe from the twelfth to the thirteenth centuries has therefore often been dismissed as affective mysticism. recent scholarship has begun to re-appraise this work and re-evaluate its place within the christian tradition. this paper looks at the work of hadewijch, a thirteenth-century mystical poet from brabant in the netherlands who, though less well known than other beguines such as hildegaard of bingen and marguerite porete, may, as john arblaster and paul verdeyen argue, “rightly be called the greatest poetic genius in the dutch language .” it is probable that her work was not widely known during her lifetime (not, that is, directly), but research is strengthening the argument that her theology was transmitted via the works of john of ruusbroec. this paper will attend both to hadewijch's poesy and her theology and ask what the dynamic structure in her verse — its shifts of perspective, gender perspective, and non-linear narrative — might lead us to grasp about her theology.
General anesthesia is associated with reduced early failure among patients undergoing hemodialysis access.

Abstract Background Despite recent reports of improved patency with regional anesthesia (RA), general anesthesia (GA) remains the most common choice for anesthesia for patients undergoing arteriovenous fistula (AVF) or arteriovenous graft (AVG) creation, with nearly 85% utilization. Previous studies of the effect of anesthesia type on outcomes have been conducted through single institutions or a national database with poor granularity for vascular-specific data. Given the high variability of practice patterns and the high prevalence of end-stage renal disease requiring access creation, further study of the impact of anesthesia choice during AVF or AVG creation is warranted. Methods The Vascular Quality Initiative hemodialysis data set was queried to identify patients undergoing AVF or AVG creation between 2011 and 2017. Patients were grouped according to access type and anesthesia method (GA vs local anesthesia/RA). The primary outcome was early access failure within 120 days. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital and 30-day complications, including steal, swelling, hemorrhage, and wound infection. Results There were 31,028 patients undergoing AVG (6961) or AVF (24,067) identified. Compared with patients with GA, patients undergoing access creation with RA had higher early failure rates (AVG, 26.2% vs 23%; AVF, 22.3% vs 20.6%; both P = .04). However, in the GA group undergoing AVF creation, there was a 26% increase (adjusted odds ratio, 1.26 [1.06-1.55]) in bleeding complications and a 3.4-fold increase (adjusted odds ratio, 3.43 [1.38-8.51]) in wound infection rates. Conclusions Whereas it is traditionally performed under GA, hemodialysis access with fistula or graft creation is increasingly being performed under RA. In our analysis, rates of perioperative complications, including infection and bleeding, may be lessened by using RA, especially among patients undergoing AVF creation. However, this was accompanied by a 3.2% absolute (21% relative) increased risk of early failure within the first 120 days after dialysis creation among patients undergoing AVG.
Cupcakes and Beefcakes: Students' Readings of Gender in Superhero Texts.

Given the growing interest and representation of superheroes in comics and other media, we are interested in the ways young people read superhero texts and how those readings influence their concep...
Phospholipase D Transduces Force to TREK-1 Channels in a Biological Membrane

The transduction of force into a biological signal is critical to all living organisms. Recently, disruption of ordered lipids has emerged as an atypical force sensor in biological membranes; however, disruption has yet to link with canonical channel mechanosensation. Here we show that force-induced disruption and lipid mixing activates TWIK-related K+ channel (TREK-1), and that this activation is dependent on phospholipase D2 (PLD2). PLD2 transduces the force into a chemical signal phosphatidic acid (PA) that is then sensed by TREK-1 with a latency of <3 ms. TREK-1 then produces a mechanically induced change in membrane potential. Hence, in a biological membrane, we show the ordered lipid is the force sensor, PLD2 is a chemical transducer, and the mechanosensitive ion channel TREK-1 is a downstream effector of mechanical transduction. Confirming this central role for PA singling in force transduction, genetic deletion of PLD decreases mechanosensitivity and pain thresholds in D. melanogaster.
Abstract 20: Nogo-B Controls Inflammation by Regulating Autophagy in Macrophage

Objective:Autophagy, initiated from endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plays a housekeeping role that controls inflammatory response in cell. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this process are no...
Crime and Inequality in Academic Achievement Across School Districts in the United States

This study investigates the effect of violent crime on school district-level achievement in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The research design exploits variation in achievement and violent crime across 813 school districts in the United States and seven birth cohorts of children born between 1996 and 2002. The identification strategy leverages exogenous shocks to crime rates arising from the availability of federal funds to hire police officers in the local police departments where the school districts operate. Results show that children who entered the school system when the violent crime rate in their school districts was lower score higher in ELA by the end of eighth grade, relative to children attending schools in the same district but who entered the school system when the violent crime rate was higher. A 10% decline in the violent crime rate experienced at ages 0-6 raises eighth-grade ELA achievement in the district by 0.03 standard deviations. Models that estimate effects by race and gender show larger impacts among Black children and boys. The district-wide effect on mathematics achievement is smaller and statistically nonsignificant. These findings extend our understanding of the geography of educational opportunity in the United States and reinforce the idea that understanding inequalities in academic achievement requires evidence on what happens inside as well as outside schools.
Unmasking lymphoma immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in a patient with pyrexia of unknown origin: a case report.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a constellation of inflammatory disorders that are unmasked after the initiation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. Unmasking lymphoma IRIS is a relatively rare manifestation after initiation of anti-retroviral therapy. We report a 44-year-old male with HIV on 4 months of ART presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin with a diagnosis of unmasking Hodgkin’s lymphoma IRIS stage IV with B symptoms. This case portrays the importance of recognizing the possibility of Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a possible manifestation of IRIS within the first 6 months of initiation of ART. Patients presenting with pyrexia of unknown origin and lymphadenopathy within the first 6 months of initiation of ART, lymphoma diagnosis should be on the high threshold of suspicion as portrayed by our case.
Divergent, plausible, and relevant climate futures for near- and long-term resource planning

Scenario planning has emerged as a widely used planning process for resource management in situations of consequential, irreducible uncertainty. Because it explicitly incorporates uncertainty, scenario planning is regularly employed in climate change adaptation. An early and essential step in developing scenarios is identifying “climate futures”—descriptions of the physical attributes of plausible future climates that could occur at a specific place and time. Divergent climate futures that describe the broadest possible range of plausible conditions support information needs of decision makers, including understanding the spectrum of potential resource responses to climate change, developing strategies robust to that range, avoiding highly consequential surprises, and averting maladaptation. Here, we discuss three approaches for generating climate futures: a Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP)-ensemble, a quadrant-average, and an individual-projection approach. All are designed to capture relevant uncertainty, but they differ in utility for different applications, complexity, and effort required to implement. Using an application from Big Bend National Park as an example of numerous similar efforts to develop climate futures for National Park Service applications over the past decade, we compare these approaches, focusing on their ability to capture among-projection divergence during early-, mid-, and late-twenty-first century periods to align with near-, mid-, and long-term planning efforts. The quadrant-average approach and especially the individual-projection approach captured a broader range of plausible future conditions than the RCP-ensemble approach, particularly in the near term. Therefore, the individual-projection approach supports decision makers seeking to understand the broadest potential characterization of future conditions. We discuss tradeoffs associated with different climate future approaches and highlight suitable applications.
Explaining the obesity paradox in healthcare utilization among people with type 2 diabetes.

Several studies of diabetes suggest an obesity paradox: persons without diabetes have an increased risk of death due to obesity, whereas obesity decreases the risk of death for people with diabetes. A recent study finds the same obesity paradox with the number of healthcare visits. Whether empirical biases and confounding lead to this paradox is yet to be determined. To examine changes in the relationship between BMI and number of visits in diabetic vs nondiabetic populations, controlling for confounding risk factors. Using adults in the nationally representative Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) from 2008 to 2016, N = 210,317, we examine the proposed relationship using six measures of healthcare visits with zero-inflated negative binomial regressions controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, education, region, health insurance, chronic conditions, and smoking. We excluded persons with type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes. We find an obesity paradox among people with diabetes for three measures. That is, relative to people without diabetes, normal weight people with diabetes have more emergency room visits, inpatient, and office-based physician visits than do the obese with diabetes. However, we do not find an obesity paradox in any of the six measures once we exclude smokers and persons ever diagnosed with cancer or cardiovascular disease. The obesity paradox does not exist at the utilization level and is due to the presence of statistical biases such as confounding and reverse causation. Physicians should continue to focus on efforts to prevent obesity in patients with diabetes.
Titration of activated bovine Factor X.

Abstract p-Nitrophenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate is a suitable substrate for the titration of purified bovine Factor X which has been activated by a coagulant protein from Russell's viper venom. Reaction of Factor Xa with p-nitrophenyl-p'-guanidinobenzoate occurs at the site which is responsible for the clotting activity of Factor Xa. Activation of bovine Factor X by the Russell's viper venom coagulant protein yields a single active site per 53,000 daltons of zymogen.
Waterjet Cutting Systems for Factories of the Future

This paper discusses waterjet cutting systems based on research and development that has been conducted by the Ingersoll-Rand Company.
Instructional Accommodations for Students with Asperger Syndrome in the General High School Classroom

General education teachers in the secondary sector are held responsible for adapting their lessons and classroom environment for students with Asperger Syndrome. With the growing number of students within the autism spectrum disorder being placed in general education classrooms, teachers are faced with yet another challenge in making their curriculum inclusive. It has been my observation that teachers who have no prior training or knowledge of Asperger Syndrome struggle with making instructional accommodations to ensure these students reach their greatest potential. This study is intended to describe what secondary high school teachers are doing to differentiate instruction for their students with Asperger Syndrome and to identify some of their struggles and concerns. From the literature on the topic, it is evident that teachers feel they lack the support and training in adapting their instructional strategies for students with Asperger Syndrome. What are the instructional strategies that general education teachers can make to help high school students with Asperger Syndrome successfully achieve their full potential? Interview analysis revealed that general education teachers feel that they need additional training when they are working with students with Asperger syndrome. They suggested that this could take the form of a professional development class with a focus on dealing with children with special needs.
Optimal histogram modification with MSE metric

We propose a method to modify the histogram of a signal to a desired specific histogram. Traditionally, points having the same value in the input signal are all mapped to same value in the output signal. Hence, the desired histogram can only be approximated. Here we formulate our problem as finding a transformation such that the error between the input and output signal is minimized and the output signal has the desired histogram. It turns out that this problem is equivalent to an integer linear programming problem. This method might be specifically useful for histogram-based watermarking and compression.
Functional antagonism in rabbit pulmonary veins contracted by endothelin

An endothelium-derived 21-residue peptide, endothelin, has been shown to be a constrictor of arteriolar smooth muscle. This study investigated the effect of endothelin on isolated pulmonary veins and arteries using tissue bath techniques. Endothelin elicited concentration-dependent contractions and maximal responses were equal in magnitude to those of phenylephrine (PE) or norepinephrine (NE). Responses to endothelin were long lasting and persisted despite repeated washing. The following agents had no significant effect on endothelin-induced contractions: FPL 55712 (1 microM), indomethacin (10 microM), methysergide (3 microM), phentolamine (3 microM), pyrilamine (3 microM) and the putative thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist SQ 29,548 (3 microM). Moreover, removal of the endothelium did not alter responses to endothelin. Isoproterenol, forskolin, and 8-bromo-cAMP had a differential inhibitory effect on matched contractions induced by endothelin and the putative thromboxane A2 receptor agonist U-46619. Isoproterenol (0.1 microM) relaxed endothelin and U-46619 contractions by 2 +/- 1% and 74 +/- 5%, respectively; forskolin (3 microM) by 12 +/- 3% and 84 +/- 9%, respectively and 8-bromo-cAMP (10 mM) by 23 +/- 8% and 82 +/- 9%, respectively. Likewise, 10 microM sodium nitroprusside relaxed endothelin contractions by 32 +/- 4% and PE contractions by 80 +/- 9%. Endothelin is a very potent pulmonary vasoconstrictor that appears to have a direct effect on vascular smooth muscle. Compared to U-46619 or PE, endothelin-induced contractions are highly resistant to relaxing agents that increase either cAMP or cGMP. Moreover, resistance to cAMP does not appear to involve inhibition of adenylate cyclase.
Survey of Medical Student Preference for Simulation Models for Basic Dermatologic Surgery Skills: Simulation Platforms in Medical Education

Background The authors investigated the use of simulator platforms in fourth-year medical student education. Objective To evaluate which simulation platform students preferred for learning dermatologic procedures and to assess the effectiveness of the exercise in terms of the change in confidence that the students had performing dermatologic procedures. Materials and Methods After medical students were instructed on how to perform a punch biopsy and then assisted in executing the task, they were surveyed to determine their preferred simulation platform and simulator properties. Students were surveyed at the beginning and completion of the teaching block. Results One hundred fifty-seven students completed the skills laboratory, and 78 completed the preference questionnaire. Of the 11 surveyed categories, students preferred the pig foot in eight categories. Seventy students responded to a surgical skills questionnaire that assessed their overall confidence in planning and executing the procedure before and after the skills laboratory. The students had a statistically significant increase in confidence in dermatologic procedural skills as a result of the activity. Conclusion Preference data show that the pig foot model is preferred for teaching dermatologic surgical skills. These results re-affirm that the pig foot model is an effective, low-cost solution for training.
The market structure effects of commercial bank entry into underwriting: Evidence from the league tables

This study investigates the market structure effects of the deregulation of the US underwriting industry that allowed commercial banks to expand into investment banking activities. Specifically, it analyses the gains of commercial banks in market rankings and market share, the market position of the traditional top-ranked firms and changes in market concentration. The overall evidence suggests that (a) commercial banks were successful in gaining market share in underwriting, especially in debt offerings; (b) the commercial bank entry into underwriting eroded the dominance of bulge-bracket firms in debt underwriting, but not in equity offerings, where their dominance intensified; and (c) the commercial bank entry helped reduce market concentration in debt but not in equity underwriting. Finally, the study finds that the market share of commercial banks in equity offerings increases when equity underwriting volume rises, whereas market concentration in debt offerings increases when debt underwriting volume falls.
Cold War Pacifist: Devere Allen And The Postwar Peace Movement, 1946–1955

Devere Allen (1891–1955), a prominent American pacifist and socialist, was a journalist, author, editor, and historian of peace movements. In 1933, he created Worldover Press, a peace-oriented, independent news agency of information on world affairs. Its most popular feature was Allen's column of analysis and opinion, “This Is Your World.” Written between 1946 and 1955, it provides a fascinating window into the postwar era as seen by a socialist pacifist American internationalist who became a forceful anti-Communist after World War II. In a conflict that was repeated throughout the Left after the war, he broke with some of his pacifist colleagues and friends, especially A. J. Muste, over the issue of “moral equivalence” between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although he retained his fundamental pacifist and socialist beliefs, Allen moved toward a more politically centrist position by the time of his sudden death in 1955.1
Improved Process for Producing Well-Adhered/Abrasion-Resistant Optical Coatings on an Optical Plastic Substrate

Abstract A well-adhered and abrasion-resistant coating on a typical optical substrate [polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)] can be achieved by polymerizing organosilane in a low-temperature polymerization process. The substrate surface can be initially modified with hydrophilic functionalities in a radio-frequency plasma of argon/water vapor mixture in the pressure range 0.05-0.15 mbar to attach hydroxyl functionalities covalently to the substrate surface, which act as “anchorage sites” for polymerizing organosilane. This modified surface is then coated with polyvinyltrimethoxysilane at a power loading in the 20-60 W range and a flow rate of monomer in the 0.7-2.0 cm3-min−1 range. The polymeric films deposited in this manner on PMMA substrates consistently passed adhesion and abrasive tests even after prolonged storage and thermal cycling in boiling water for at least 10 minutes as exposure to extreme differential thermal expansion conditions. The posttreatment of deposited films with plasmas of inert gases for...
Decomposing gender wage differentials in urban Ethiopia: Evidence from linked employer-employee (LEE) manufacturing survey data

Abstract This study estimates the magnitude of gender wage differentials for a sample of workers from the Ethiopian manufacturing sector using the traditional Oaxaca–Blinder and an augmented Cotton–Neumark methodologies. In doing so, it separates part of the estimated log of gender wage differential explained by differences in human capital characteristics between men and women from that which is not explained by such differences. The latter is known in the literature as “treatment” component or “discrimination” due to differing pay structures for the two gender groups. Accordingly, it is found that in Ethiopia's manufacturing sector men on average get up to 30% more than women depending on the measure used. However, once we control for a number of individual and establishment level characteristics, the level of wage premium for men over women is close to 5% or around 12 Ethiopian cents per hour. Out of this, both decomposition procedures estimate that close to 60% of the premium is a result of discrimina...