cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lipid in the livers of adolescents with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: combined effects of pathways on steatosis

Fatty liver is a prerequisite for the development of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The homeostasis of hepatic lipid is determined by the dynamic balance of multiple pathways introducing lipids into or removing lipids from hepatocytes. We aim to study the different contributions of major lipid pathways to fat deposition in NASH livers. Expression of the lipid metabolism-related genes was analyzed by microarray and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression levels of genes responsible for the rate-limiting steps of fatty acid uptake (CD36, FABPpm, SLC27A2, and SLC27A5), de novo synthesis (ACACB), oxidation (CPT-1), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion (ApoB) were used to evaluate the relative activity of each pathway. The expression levels for CD36 and CPT-1 were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Fatty acid uptake pathways were up-regulated to a higher degree than other pathways. The de novo synthesis pathway was also up-regulated more than both VLDL secretion and fatty acid oxidation pathways. In contrast to other NASH livers, one NASH liver exhibited lower ApoB and CPT-1 expression levels than normal controls. The increased fatty acid uptake and de novo synthesis were the most common causes for steatosis in NASH patients. In a rare case, impaired VLDL secretion and fatty acid oxidation contributed to the development of steatosis. Our study promises a simple method for the determination of why hepatic steatosis occurs in individual patients. This method may allow specific targeting of therapeutic treatments in individual patients.
Early Results of a Chemoimmunotherapy Regimen of Fludarabine, Cyclophosphamide, and Rituximab As Initial Therapy for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Purpose Fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC), which are active in treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), are synergistic with the monoclonal antibody rituximab in vitro in lymphoma cell lines. A chemoimmunotherapy program consisting of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (FCR) was developed with the goal of increasing the complete remission (CR) rate in previously untreated CLL patients to 50%. Patients and Methods We conducted a single-arm study of FCR as initial therapy in 224 patients with progressive or advanced CLL. Flow cytometry was used to measure residual disease. Results and safety were compared with a previous regimen using FC. Results The median age was 58 years; 75 patients (33%) had Rai stage III to IV disease. The CR rate was 70% (95% CI, 63% to 76%), the nodular partial remission rate was 10%, and the partial remission rate was 15%, for an overall response rate of 95% (95% CI, 92% to 98%). Two thirds of patients evaluated with flow cytometry had less than 1% CD5- and CD19coexpressing cells in bone marrow after therapy. Grade 3 to 4 neutropenia occurred during 52% of courses; major and minor infections were seen in 2.6% and 10% of courses, respectively. One third of the 224 patients had one episode of infection, and 10% had a fever of unknown origin. Conclusion FCR produced a high CR rate in previously untreated CLL. Most patients had no detectable disease on flow cytometry at the end of therapy. Time to treatment failure analysis showed that 69% of patients were projected to be failure free at 4 years (95% CI, 57% to 81%).
Process management issues in message-based multiprocessors

Relatively large message-based multiprocessors can be built but their effective use is limited by inadequate software support and understanding of such systems. An important area that must be addressed is process management. A general message-based multiprocessor system should support dynamic process criterion. This requires algorithms that can decide where to place processes quickly, using small amounts of information, and work concurrently with the application processes. This problem raises a number of issues, including the type of scheduling algorithm that should be used, the information that should be used in the decision-making process, and the communication required between the application processes and the operating system to effectively schedule processes. >
A case of radiation recall mucositis associated with docetaxel.

Background. Radiation recall reactions, in particu- lar dermatitis, are well documented in the literature. However, radiation recall mucositis is a rare clinical phenomenon. Methods. We report a case of a 45-year-old man diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the base of tongue. He was treated with surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Several months after completing treatment, he had a recurrence develop outside of the previously irradiated field. He was offered radiation therapy concurrent with docetaxel as salvage therapy. Results. During salvage therapy, acute recall mucositis developed corresponding to his previously irradiated fields. His chemotherapy with docetaxel was withheld, and his symptoms rapidly improved. Conclusions. This case describes radiation recall mucositis associated with docetaxel, a rare but potentially serious clinical situation. Given the potential severity of the reaction and increasing use of docetaxel as second-line treatment of recurrent head and neck cancers, it is important to be aware of this phenomenon. B 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 26: 197-200, 2004
Evidence of political moderation over time: Utah’s immigration debate online

Is public debate on the Internet polarizing? Some scholars warn that the Internet is an ‘anti-commons’ where political positions are extreme, while others view the Internet as a moderating influence on political polarization. We examine polarization trends in a regional, Utah-based news website, with a random sample of 1768 comments over a two-year period. Focusing on the most contentious issue during this time—immigration—we find that extreme anti-immigrant sentiment decreases over time despite key political and religious events. We argue that emerging public spheres, like newspaper discussion forums, might reveal a general public inclination towards moderation during heated national and regional debate.
What happens after ERP implementation: understanding the impact of interdependence and differentiation on plant-level outcomes

We present a model of the organizational impacts of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems once the system has gone live and the "shake-out" phase has occurred. Organizational information processing theory states that performance is influenced by the level of fit between information processing mechanisms and organizational context. Two important elements of this context are interdependence and differentiation among subunits of the organization. Because ERP systems include data and process integration, the theory suggests that ERP will be a relatively better fit when interdependence is high and differentiation is low. Our model focuses at the subunit level of the organization (business function or location, such as a manufacturing plant) and includes intermediate benefits through which ERP's overall subunit impact occurs (in our case at the plant level). ERP customization and the amount of time since ERP implementation are also included in the model. The resulting causal model is tested using a questionnaire survey of 111 manufacturing plants. The data support the key assertions in the model.
Health and the Human Spirit for Occupation

The relationship between engagement in occupation and healthfulness is explored. Health is viewed not as the absence of organ pathology, but as possession of a repertoire of skills that enables people to achieve their vital goals in their own environments. This sort of health, reflecting adaptability and a good quality of life, is possible for all people, including those with chronic impairments. Theoretical and research literature from an array of disciplines explores the influences of occupation on various aspects of health. These include interests, satisfaction in everyday doing, balance, the latent consequences of work, and transcendence. Support is provided for a relationship between activity level and survival. To improve the life opportunities of those they serve, occupational therapists need to become ardent students of life's daily activities, grappling with the ambiguity and complexity of occupation, the occupational human, and the contexts in which occupation takes place.
Sustainable Development by Design: Review of Life Cycle Design and Related Approaches

The environmental profile of goods and services that satisfy our individual and societal needs is shaped by design activities. Substantial evidence suggests that current patterns of human activity on a global scale are not following a sustainable path. Necessary changes to achieve a more sustainable system will require that environmental issues be more effectively addressed in design. But at present much confusion surrounds the incorporation of environmental objectives into the design process. Although not yet fully embraced by industry, the product life cycle system is becoming widely recognized as a useful design framework for understanding the links between societal needs, economic systems and their environmental consequences. The product life cycle encompasses all activities from raw material extraction, manufacturing, and use to final disposal of all residuals. Life cycle design (LCD), Design for Environment (DFE), and related initiatives based on this product life cycle are emerging as systematic ap...
Skin-Derived TSLP Triggers Progression from Epidermal-Barrier Defects to Asthma

Asthma is a common allergic lung disease frequently affecting individuals with a prior history of eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the mechanism underlying the progression from AD to asthma (the so-called "atopic march") is unclear. Here we show that, like humans with AD, mice with skin-barrier defects develop AD-like skin inflammation and are susceptible to allergic asthma. Furthermore, we show that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), overexpressed by skin keratinocytes, is the systemic driver of this bronchial hyper-responsiveness. As an AD-like model, we used mice with keratinocyte-specific deletion of RBP-j that sustained high systemic levels of TSLP. Antigen-induced allergic challenge to the lung airways of RBP-j-deficient animals resulted in a severe asthmatic phenotype not seen in similarly treated wild-type littermates. Elimination of TSLP signaling in these animals blocked the atopic march, demonstrating that high serum TSLP levels were required to sensitize the lung to allergic inflammation. Furthermore, we analyzed outbred K14-TSLP(tg) mice that maintained high systemic levels of TSLP without developing any skin pathology. Importantly, epidermal-derived TSLP was sufficient to trigger the atopic march, sensitizing the lung airways to inhaled allergens in the absence of epicutaneous sensitization. Based on these findings, we propose that in addition to early treatment of the primary skin-barrier defects, selective inhibition of systemic TSLP may be the key to blocking the development of asthma in AD patients.
The role of religious leaders in suicide prevention: A comparative analysis of American Christian and Japanese Buddhist clergy.

The purpose of this study is to examine American and Japanese clergy’s perception of their role in the prevention of suicide. The research questions are as follows: (a) How do clergy in the United States and Japan perceive suicide? (b) Do they see suicide differently? and (c) How do they envision the role of suicide prevention? The hypotheses are as follows: (a) Christian clergy think that suicide is an unacceptable “sin”; (b) Buddhist clergy are more accepting of suicide than Christian clergy; (c) there are role differences related to suicide prevention in the Japanese and American religious communities; and (d) American and Japanese religious leaders have a different view of their obligations related to suicide prevention. The investigator sent 400 anonymous mail surveys, respectively, to New York and Tokyo. The surveys asked about the clergy’s personal beliefs and the Church’s role in suicide prevention. The investigator analyzed the responses using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The major findings are that many American Christian clergy consider suicide to be a sin, but that “God’s love is available for people who committed suicide.” Many Japanese Buddhist clergy think how one dies is not the most important issue.
Visionary leadership in burn rehabilitation over 50 years: Major accomplishments, but mission unfulfilled

Examples of the application of rehabilitation concepts to the care of patients with major burn injuries began to emerge in the 1960s. Before this time, mortality was so high that there was no significant focus on any outcomes beyond survival. Several physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians led this change in perspective by simply beginning to care for patients and by presenting information gleaned from clinical experience and research at national conferences. The authors of a textbook on rehabilitation issues after burn injury, along with a small group of forward-thinking physiatrists and surgeons, provided the impetus for the expansion of burn rehabilitation medicine in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The change in the major burn journal’s’ title to include “rehabilitation” also was a landmark event. As is often the case, the publication of a seminal textbook or the creation or expansion of a journal’s mission becomes a tipping point for a medical specialty in terms of recognition by other specialties and the public. These activities finally brought to the fore the concepts of quality of life and functional recovery after burn injury. Today, physical and occupational therapy services, ideally accompanied by PM&R leadership and clinical practice innovations, are a mainstay of care after a burn injury. However, despite the advances, more efforts to expand the field through addressing workforce issues and research will be required to benefit all patients in need of burn rehabilitation.
Domain enhanced lookup time accelerated BLAST.

Background: BLAST is a commonly-used software package for comparing a query sequence to a database of known sequences; in this study, we focus on protein sequences. Position-specific-iterated BLAST (PSI-BLAST) iteratively searches a protein sequence database, using the matches in round i to construct a position-specific score matrix (PSSM) for searching the database in round i+1. Biegert and Soding developed Context-sensitive BLAST (CS-BLAST), which combines information from searching the sequence database with information derived from a library of short protein profiles to achieve better homology detection than PSI-BLAST, which builds its PSSMs from scratch. Results: We describe a new method, called domain enhanced lookup time accelerated BLAST (DELTA-BLAST), which searches a database of pre-constructed PSSMs before searching a protein-sequence database, to yield better homology detection. For its PSSMs, DELTA-BLAST employs a subset of NCBI’s Conserved Domain Database (CDD). On a test set derived from ASTRAL, with one round of searching, DELTA-BLAST achieves a ROC5000 of 0.270 vs. 0.116 for CS-BLAST. The performance advantage diminishes in iterated searches, but DELTA-BLAST continues to achieve better ROC scores than CS-BLAST. Conclusions: DELTA-BLAST is a useful program for the detection of remote protein homologs. It is available under the “Protein BLAST” link at http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Evidence of Systemic Inflammation and Estimation of Coronary Artery Disease Risk: A Population Perspective

A growing body of evidence indicates that patients with immune-inflammatory diseases experience an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, patients with immune-inflammatory diseases do not exhibit a corresponding increase in traditional coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors that could explain the observed increase in CAD. Chronic inflammation is now accepted as playing a potentially important role in the promotion of atherosclerosis, a main cause of CAD. Evidence is also accumulating to suggest that the chronic systemic inflammation associated with immune-inflammatory diseases results in elevated levels of nontraditional CAD risk factors, such as biomarkers of inflammation, in patients with these conditions. Evaluation of only traditional CAD risk factors in these patients, therefore, may result in the underestimation of their future overall CAD risk. Using the Framingham patient cohort, we found associations between markers of inflammation and CAD risk overall. The contribution of inflammatory biomarkers should be considered along with the status of traditional CAD risk factors to gain a complete picture of the CAD risk in patients with underlying conditions that increase inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus.
Mass transfer coefficients for laminar longitudinal flow in hollow-fibre contactors

We consider the problem of predicting the rate of mass transfer to a fluid flowing parallel to the axes of randomly placed aligned tubes, a model of hollow-fibre contactors. The analysis is carried out for the limiting cases of short contactors, for which the concentration boundary layers remain thin compared with the radius of the tubes, and for the fully developed case corresponding to very long tubes. Numerical simulations for random arrays are carried out for N randomly placed tubes within a unit cell of a periodic array. It is shown that the mass transfer coefficient for the fully developed case is vanishingly small in the limit N→∞. This suggests that the mass transfer coefficient for a random array of tubes of radius a enclosed in a shell of radius S will vanish logarithmically as the ratio S/a is increased. This behaviour arises due to the logarithmically divergent nature of concentration disturbances caused by each tube in the plane normal to its axis. A theory is developed for determining conditionally averaged velocity and concentration fields and its predictions are shown to compare very well with the results of rigorous numerical computations. The predictions of the theory are also shown to compare well with the measurements of the mass transfer coefficients in hollow-fibre contactors reported in the literature.
Pain management of pancreatic head adenocarcinomas that are unresectable: celiac plexus neurolysis and splanchnicectomy

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is often incurable at the time of diagnosis. For patients with unresectable or recurrent disease, palliation of pain is a key component of care. Medical management with narcotics has numerous side effects and may be ineffective. Interventions for pain control include celiac plexus neurolysis (CPN) and splanchnicectomy. The purpose of this review is to outline pertinent anatomy, techniques, side effects, complications, and efficacy of interventions for palliation of pain from pancreatic cancer. Methods: We reviewed current literature, as well as our own patients, to assess the role and outcomes of CPN and splanchnicectomy. Short descriptions of procedural techniques and functional illustrations are provided. Results: Both CPN and splanchnicectomy have excellent outcomes with regard to pain control. Quality of life and survival, however, have not been conclusively demonstrated to improve with either technique. Data regarding head-to-head comparisons of the two interventions is lacking. Conclusions: Patients with incurable pancreatic carcinoma should be offered either CPN or splanchnicectomy when medical management with narcotics has failed.
Host/microbe interactions revealed through "omics" in the symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes and the bioluminescent bacterium Vibrio fischeri

The association between Euprymna scolopes, the Hawaiian bobtail squid, and Vibrio fischeri, a bioluminescent bacterium, has served as a model for beneficial symbioses for over 25 years. The experimental tractability of this association has helped researchers characterize many of the colonization events necessary for symbiosis. Recent technological advances, such as the sequenced genome of V. fischeri, DNA microarrays, and high-throughput transcriptomics and proteomics, have allowed for the identification of host and symbiont factors that are important in establishing and maintaining specificity in the association. We highlight some of these findings pertaining to quorum sensing, luminescence, responses to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, recognition of microbe-associated molecular patterns by the innate immune system of the host, and a diel rhythm that helps regulate the symbiont population. We also discuss how comparative genomics has allowed the identification of symbiont factors important for specificity and why sequencing the host's genome should be a priority for the research community.
A Moving-Direction-Oriented Handoff Scheme for Directional Antennas in Wireless Local Area Networks

Directional antennas have been intensively studied in wireless local area networks (WLANs) in order to increase space reuse rate, reduce interference, and extend transmission range, etc. However, the handoff techniques of directional antennas still need improvement. One critical problem is to reduce the extremely long handoff latency of directional antennas caused by the sequential search of sectors in the channel scanning phase. In this paper, we propose a moving-direction-oriented handoff scheme which prioritizes the scanning of sectors by the moving direction of a mobile station. The moving direction is calculated by an analytical method utilizing the direction-of-arrival information of the mobile station. Simulation results show that the calculated moving direction can achieve an accuracy of over 98%. The proposed scheme can significantly reduce the channel scanning latency without degrading the searching range. Moreover, the handoff frequency of stations is also reduced, which is beneficial in saving network resources.
Measure Unreliability: A Hidden Threat to Cross-National Marketing Research?:

A potential threat to conclusions drawn from cross-national marketing surveys is that arising from differences in measure reliability. In a five-country study, between-sample reliability differenti...
Nondestructive Identification of Natural and Synthetic Organic Colorants in Works of Art by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering

We present a new method based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for the nondestructive identification of organic colorants in objects whose value or function precludes sampling, such as drawings, prints, historic and archeological textiles, handwritten or printed documents, and forensic evidence. A bead of a polymer hydrogel loaded with a solution containing water, an organic solvent, and a chelating agent is used to extract minimal amounts of the colorants from the work of art for SERS analysis. Using a gel as a medium for the solvent mixture confines its action only to the areas of the work of art covered by the gel bead. The gel bead is then removed from the work of art, covered with a drop of Ag colloid, and examined with a Raman microscope. Transfer of the dye from the substrate to the gel does not require removing a sample from the work of art, therefore preserving the physical integrity of the object. Spectrophotometric color measurements confirm that color change is below the limit perce...
Establishing an animal model for National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) auricular acupuncture protocol

The use of opioids in the treatment of chronic pain has increased dramatically in the past few decades making them one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the US. However, long-term use of opioids is limited by development of tolerance (decreased antinociceptive efficacy) and opioid-induced hyperalgesia - paradoxical sensitization to noxious (hyperalgesia) and non-noxious (allodynia) stimuli. Novel adjunctive therapies are needed to increase the efficacy and prolong the duration of action of opioids in chronic pain treatment. Acupuncture is often used as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of symptoms induced by non-clinical use of opioids. The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) auricular acupuncture protocol is the most common form of acupuncture treatment for substance abuse. The standardized, easy to use and virtually painless procedure make it an attractive complementary treatment option for patients suffering from opioid-induced adverse effects. Clinical trials designed to test the efficacy of the NADA protocol yielded contradictory results. The mechanism by which NADA acupuncture could serve as a successful treatment remains unknown. Therefore, establishing an animal model of NADA acupuncture can provide a tool for investigating the efficacy and cellular mechanisms of NADA treatment. Previous studies have shown that repeated morphine administration in rodents can produce locomotor sensitization and reduce analgesic potency of a challenge dose of morphine, indicating development of morphine tolerance. Here we show that NADA acupuncture treatment can both reduce morphine-induced locomotor sensitization and prevent the development of morphine tolerance in rats, thus validating a new model for NADA acupuncture studies. Our data provides support for evidence-based use of NADA acupuncture as a new adjunctive approach that can potentially improve the side-effect profile of morphine and other prescription opioids.
Therapeutics of Musculoskeletal Disease in the Horse

Treatment of diseases involving the musculoskeletal system of horses occupies a great deal of the equine veterinarian's time. Although pharmacological therapies of some of these conditions are limited, there are many diseases for which therapeutic agents abound. For example, numerous prescription medications and nutritional supplements are available for the treatment of osteoarthritis in horses. The mechanism(s) of action and degree of efficacy for many of these agents, however are not well defined. Although few infectious diseases diffusely infect the musculoskeletal system, agents such as botulism and tetanus, which manifest primarily as signs of musculoskeletal weakness or paralysis, require appropriate antibiotic treatment as an integral part of therapy. Localized infections such as muscle abscesses and osteomyelitis, which are not uncommon in horses, also can require aggressive antibiotic therapy. Finally, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis is one of the few inherited conditions for which extremely effective therapeutic agents exist. It is important that equine veterinarians understand the appropriate indications and use of therapeutic medications in order to maximize their effectiveness.
Approaching and Managing the Publication Process

Navigating the publication process is a challenging task. In this chapter, I detail the publication process, highlight the major obstacles faced, and offer advice for how these obstacles can be overcome. Specifically, this chapter details the nature of the review process, the different editorial decisions an author may receive, and advice (with examples) on how authors can effectively respond to the comments of reviewers and the editor. I emphasize the importance of scholars approaching the publication process as an opportunity to improve the specific paper and also to improve as a scholar.
Crosstalk characterization and mitigation in Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode arrays

Intra focal plane array(FPA) crosstalk is a primary development limiter of large, fine-pixel Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (Gm-APD) arrays beyond 256×256 pixels. General analysis methods and results from MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) InP-based detector arrays will be presented.
Crush dynamics and transient deformations of elastic-plastic Miura-ori core sandwich plates

Abstract The response of elastic-plastic Miura-ori core sandwich plates to high-intensity dynamic loads is numerically studied using the commercial finite element software ABAQUS/ Explicit. Crushing simulations conducted on the Miura-ori core over a range of loading rates clearly illustrate the dynamic strengthening of the core by inertial effects, particularly at loading rates relevant to blast experiments. Exploratory design studies have been conducted to determine the influence of the unit cell parameters of the Miura-ori pattern on the energy dissipated by the core through plastic deformations, and to compare its performance with that of square honeycomb cores of equal areal density. Material strain rate effects, a material failure criterion and debonding between the core and the facesheets have not been considered. It is found that for low to moderate load intensities, the Miura-ori core consistently outperforms the corresponding honeycomb core in terms of plastic dissipation (by as much as 68%) and facesheet centroidal deflections, and offers a rich design space to tailor its mechanical performance. However, the plastic energy dissipated in the core as a fraction of the total plastic energy dissipated in the structure is nearly the same for the Miura-ori and the honeycomb core sandwich plates of equal core areal density.
"People" can be better than "you": The moderating role of regulatory focus on self-referencing messages in physical activity promotion campaigns among college students.

ABSTRACTSelf-referencing effects explain why many advertisements try to relate people with the ads; when an individual relates an ad to the self, the person will be more likely to recall the ad. However, this study revealed that the regulatory focus of messages is a boundary condition for self-referencing strategy. Self-referencing did not yield a positive persuasion effect in prevention-focused messages. The underlying message process analyses further revealed people avoid elaborating prevention-focused messages when used with self-referencing, rather than viewing them in a biased manner. The findings provide guidance for health communication practitioners’ use of self-referencing statements.
NGF protects endothelial cells from indomethacin-induced injury through activation of mitochondria and upregulation of IGF-1.

Abstract Background/aims Endothelial cells (ECs) lining blood vessels are critical for delivery of oxygen and nutrients to all tissues and organs and play a crucial role in the regeneration of blood vessel following tissue injury. ECs are also major targets of injury by a variety of noxious factors [ e . g ., ethanol and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, indomethacin, diclofenac], especially in gastric mucosa that has direct exposure to these agents. In this study, we investigated whether nerve growth factor (NGF) can protect gastric microvascular ECs (GECs) from injury by indomethacin (INDO) and the mechanisms involved. Methods GECs were isolated from rat gastric mucosa and pre-treated with either vehicle or NGF (100 ng/ml) for 30 min to 4 h followed by treatment with vehicle or 0.25 mM INDO for 4 h. Studies 1) cell viability using Calcein AM live cell tracking dye, 2) mitochondrial structure and function using MitoTracker, molecular probe that stains mitochondria in live cells in a manner dependent on mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), 3) in vitro angiogenesis – endothelial tube formation on Matrigel, 4) expression and subcellular localization of NGF receptor, TrkA, and 5) expression of IGF-1 protein. Results Treatment with INDO reduced GEC viability and in vitro angiogenesis and induced mitochondrial injury and MMP depolarization. NGF pre-treatment protected GECs from INDO-induced injury preventing both INDO-induced MMP depolarization and reduced in vitro angiogenesis. The NGF high affinity receptor, TrkA, was localized in GECs to both cell membrane and mitochondria. NGF treatment of GECs also resulted in increased IGF-1 protein expression. Conclusions 1) NGF protects GECs against IND-induced injury. 2) Mitochondria are major targets of both INDO-induced injury and NGF afforded protection of GECs. 3) TrkA expression in the mitochondria of GECs indicates that the protection afforded by NGF is partly mediated by its direct action on mitochondria. 4) NGF prevents MMP depolarization and increases expression of IGF-1 protein in GECs. These studies indicate that NGF may play a protective role against injury to GECs; and, that maintenance of mitochondrial structure and function is one of the mechanisms.
Evidence for the relative depths and energies of phreatomagmatic explosions recorded in tephra rings

Experimental work and field observations have inspired the revision of conceptual models of how maar-diatreme eruptions progress and the effects of variable energy, depth, and lateral position of explosions during an eruption sequence. This study reevaluates natural tephra ring deposits to test these new models against the depositional record. Two incised tephra rings in the Hopi Buttes Volcanic Field are revisited, and published tephra ring stratigraphic studies are compared to identify trends within tephra rings. Five major facies were recognized and interpreted as the result of different transportation and depositional processes and found to be common at these volcanoes. Tephra rings often contain evidence of repeated discrete phreatomagmatic explosions in the form of couplets of two facies: (1) massive lapilli tuffs and tuff breccias and (2) overlying thinly stratified to cross-stratified tuffs and lapilli tuffs. The occurrence of repeating layers of either facies and the occurrence of couplets are used to interpret major trends in the relative depth of phreatomagmatic explosions that contribute to these eruptions. For deposits related to near-optimal scaled depth explosions, estimates of the mass of ejected material and initial ejection velocity can be used to approximate the explosion energy. The 19 stratigraphic sections compared indicate that near-optimal scaled depth explosions are common and that the explosion locations can migrate both upward and downward during an eruption, suggesting a complex interplay between water availability and magma flux. Reverse to normal coarse-tail graded tuff breccias inferred to be the product of closely timed phreatomagmatic explosions, and deposits of magmatic gas-driven explosions, were observed interspersed with discrete explosion deposits. This study not only provides a framework for more detailed interpretations of eruption sequences from tephra rings but also highlights the gap in our understanding of syn-eruptive hydrology and variations in magma flux that enables phreatomagmatic explosions.
Shifting power at school: youth participation in teacher professional learning settings as educational innovation

This study explores the non-normative inclusion of students in teacher professional learning settings. It demonstrates the potential for change in top-down power relationships between teachers and students when students are included as legitimate participants in educational innovation and improvement efforts. In this community-based design research (Bang et al., 2015) in one urban indigenous school in Thailand, we found that the legitimate participation (Lave and Wenger, 1991) of students in dynamic, integral roles in teachers' professional learning was key in shifting power through (1) student ownership of ideas and (2) dialogue to shift teachers' deficit frames of students' expertise.
Template-Independent Enzymatic Oligonucleotide Synthesis (TiEOS): Its History, Prospects, and Challenges.

There is a growing demand for sustainable methods in research and development, where instead of hazardous chemicals, an aqueous medium is chosen to perform biological reactions. In this Perspective, we examine the history and current methodology of using enzymes to generate artificial single-stranded DNA. By using traditional solid-phase phosphoramidite chemistry as a metric, we also explore criteria for the method of template-independent enzymatic oligonucleotide synthesis (TiEOS). As its key component, we delve into the biology of one of the most enigmatic enzymes, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT). As TdT is found to exponentially increase antigen receptor diversity in the vertebrate immune system by adding nucleotides in a template-free manner, researchers have exploited this function as an alternative to the phosphoramidite synthesis method. Though TdT is currently the preferred enzyme for TiEOS, its random nucleotide incorporation presents a barrier in synthesis automation. Taking a closer...
Outcomes and risk factors associated with tricuspid valve repair in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

OBJECTIVES Tricuspid valve (TV) competence is important for successful palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). We report our experience with TV repair in HLHS patients with a focus on TV and right ventricular (RV) function and associated clinical outcomes. METHODS From 2002 to 2012, 219 neonates with HLHS underwent the Norwood operation. Thirty patients who underwent TV repair at various stages comprised our current series cohort. Echocardiographic and clinical data were reviewed to determine the effectiveness of TV repair and outcomes of the patients. RESULTS Thirty patients received TV repair during Norwood (n = 4), Glenn (n = 17) and Fontan (n = 9) operations. Median age at TV repair was 188 days (range 3-1498). Preoperatively, all patients had ≥moderate TV regurgitation and 4 (13%) patients had ≥moderate RV dysfunction. After repair, TV regurgitation was none or trivial (n = 12, 40%), mild (n = 8, 27%), ≥moderate (n = 10, 33%), whereas 10 (33%) had ≥moderate regurgitation at last follow-up; ≥moderate RV dysfunction was present in 5 (17%) patients following TV repair and 10 (33%) patients at last follow-up. Competing risk analysis showed that 10 years following TV repair, 21% of patients had TV reoperation, 18% died or underwent transplantation and 61% were alive without subsequent reoperation. Overall, 10-year survival, transplant-free survival and freedom from second TV reoperation were 89%, 71% and 78%, respectively; ≥moderate RV dysfunction following TV repair was associated with diminished transplant-free survival (P = 0.0277). CONCLUSIONS Although TV repair is successful in reducing regurgitation in the majority of HLHS patients, outcomes are restricted by limited repair durability with recurrent significant regurgitation in one-third of the patients. RV dysfunction in these patients is progressive and a major determinant of transplant-free survival.
Microelectrode Voltage Clamp: The Cardiac Purkinje Fiber

Cardiac muscle, like skeletal muscle and nerves, is electrically excitable. Local stimulation by a brief electrical shock of adequate strength generates an impulse that propagates in a regenerative manner to distal regions. Although the diversity of electrical activity in the heart contrasts with the homogeneity of nerve and skeletal muscle action potentials, cardiac electrical impulses are generated by membrane permeability changes that generally resemble those in other excitable cells.
Reflections on Ernst Mayr's This is Biology

In this essay I argue that Ernst Mayr's idea that the emergence of evolutionary biology in Western thought was delayed by the pernicious influence of the “false ideologies” of Platonism, Christianity, and “physicalism” is ahistorical and anti-evolutionary, that similar ideas, especially his antipathy to “physicalism,” prejudice his account of the transformation of natural history and medical science into “biology,” that his organicist resolution of the perennial conflict between mechanism and vitalism is an unstable compound of semi-holism and semi-mechanism, that his conception of biology as the true bridge between the sciences and the humanities, ethics, and social theory is open to question (especially as to the adequacy of the theory of natural selection to account for every aspect of human nature), and that his depiction of science as the sovereign key to understanding “everything known to exist or happen in this universe” cannot be justified at the bar of reason.
Chemical Methodology in the Study of Mammalian Communications

Many of the interactions among plants and animals are mediated by chemical signals, and vertebrates are no exception. By far the largest amount of work has been devoted to interactions among insects, economically important pests in particular, and much of the chemical methodology applied to mammalian studies has been carried over from the insect field (Young and Silverstein, 1975).
Sensors Prototypes and Applications

Intelligent sensors are extensively contributing to a broad range of our day-to-day life activities. Safeguarding human and environmental resources against harmful agents requires the development of new in situ, real-time monitoring devices that can be deployed in multiple strategic locations. The ideal sensor system should be compact, cost-effective, and capable of detecting low concentrations of pollutants, toxic chemicals, and warfare agents. The emergence of the telemedicine concept coupled with the tremendous growth of wireless sensor networks has opened up a new and innovative application of wireless sensor technology in medical as well as in healthcare field. The broad range of sensor applications is quite difficult to cover in such a short extent. Here, in this chapter, mainly three areas will be covered where sensors applications are creating the most impact.
Wheat Stem Sawflies in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey

The present study aimed to reveal the species, their densities, distribution and short life cycles of wheat stem sawflies in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey. Adult sawfly samplings were conducted in areas of cereal cultivation in four provinces: Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Mardin, and Sanliurfa in 2014-2015. One hundred sweep net samples were taken from each wheat field during the adult flight period of sawflies in order to determine the species, their densities and distribution of the wheat stem sawflies. Life cycle studies were done in nature and immature stages of sawflies were also determined.Three species of wheat stem sawflies, Cephus pygmeus (Linnaeus, 1767), Trachelus tabidus (Fabricius, 1775) and T. libanensis (Andre, 1881), were recorded in cereal fields. The most widespread species was C. pygmeus (77.1% and 63.9% in 2014 and 2015, respectively) and the most narrowly distributed was T. tabidus (22.9% and 36.1% in 2014 and 2015, respectively). While the highest number of adults was determined in Diyarbakir Province (mean 44.15 adults / field), the lowest number was determined in Adiyaman Province (mean 5.73 adults / field). Cephus pygmeus adults emerged at the end of March in Mardin and at the beginning of April in Diyarbakir, Adiyaman and Sanliurfa Provinces. After adult emergence, the females fed mainly on wild mustard plants (Sinapis arvensis L.) to obtain nutrition. Eggs and newly emerged first instar larvae appeared in May and larvae in diapause were found in cut stubs in the middle of June.
TractaViewer: a genome-wide tool for preliminary assessment of therapeutic target druggability.

SUMMARY We present software to characterize and rank potential therapeutic (drug) targets with data from public databases and present it in a user-friendly format. By understanding potential obstacles to drug development through the gathering and understanding of this information, combined with robust approaches to target validation to generate therapeutic hypotheses, this approach may provide high quality targets, leading the process of drug development to become more efficient and cost-effective. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The information we gather on potential targets concerns small-molecule druggability (ligandability), suitability for large-molecule approaches (e.g. antibodies) or new modalities (e.g. antisense oligonucleotides, siRNA or PROTAC), feasibility (availability of resources such as assays and biological knowledge) and potential safety risks (adverse tissue-wise expression, deleterious phenotypes). This information can be termed 'tractability'. We provide visualization tools to understand its components. TractaViewer is available from https://github.com/NeilPearson-Lilly/TractaViewer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Modified Channel Quality Comparison for PCI Express * 4.0

The Channel Quality Comparison (CQC) method was introduced in 2011[1]. It is commonly used in the pre-layout simulation to estimate the risk of the channel, for high speed SERDES (Serializer/Deserializer) and DDR interfaces. However, once the equalizer inside the transmitter (Tx) and the receiver (Rx) becomes more and more powerful, the eye height (EH) and the eye-width (EW) will have less difference in thee effective range. Since CQC is a comparative method which relies on comparing the EH and EW between the current channel and the reference one, this phenomenon will introduce uncertainty. Although using the “DOE/RSM” (Design of Experiment /Response Surface Methodology) method may overcome the issue, it simply requires more resource. Not all projects or channels have the luxury to conduct a comprehensive simulation. In this paper, a modified CQC method is proposed to find a balance between speed and the accuracy.
Low-voltage Si-Ge Avalanche Photodiodes for Datacom

Silicon photonics is promising to resolve the tremendous data communication growth in data centers and high performance computing (HPC) due to its low cost and high integrability. Using advanced modulation scheme, such as PAM4, and adding more wavelengths are two directions to aggregate more bandwidth in a fiber. Either way requires high-sensitivity optical receivers to compensate reduced signal or additional link loss. Silicon photonic receivers by integrating silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) avalanche photodiodes (APDs) can improve the optical link budget and energy efficiency due to its internal multiplication gain. Conventional Si-Ge APDs with separate absorption charge multiplication (SACM) structures have demonstrated high gain-bandwidth product (GBP) thanks to the ideal impact ionization coefficient ratio of Si which is much lower than most III–V materials. By thinning the Si multiplication layer, the breakdown voltage can be reduced to as low as −10V, making it compatible with the power grids in data centers. Three-terminal Si-Ge APDs by separately controlling the electric fields in the Ge absorption and Si avalanche regions can further reduce the breakdown voltage to −6 V. Compared to conventional two-terminal SACM APDs, this structure requires no charge layer, making the device viable in the standard CMOS fabrication process where there is no epitaxial silicon layer. Here we demonstrate two Si-Ge APDs: a two-terminal waveguide-coupled Si-Ge APD with breakdown voltage of −10V, GBP of 276 GHz, open eye diagram at data rate of 64 Gb/s PAM4 and sensitivity of −16 dBm at data rate of 50 Gb/s PAM4, and a three-terminal waveguide-coupled Si-Ge APD with breakdown voltage of −6 V, bandwidth of 18.9 GHz, DC photocurrent gain of 15, open eye diagram at data rate of 35 Gb/s and sensitivity of −11.4 dBm at data rate of 25 Gb/s.
Chapter 3 – Creating and Supporting Interfaces

Understanding what interfaces between clinical computing systems are and how they work is extremely important. Many of the key features of clinical computing systems, such as gathering data about one or many patients into a single view, are dependent on interfaces. Many unrealistic claims by vendors, hopeful clinicians, and organizational leaders can be traced to a misunderstanding of what interface technology can accomplish and its costs. So many vendor claims of seamless operation of their products depend on flawlessly operating interfaces.