cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tumor cell invasion of collagen matrices requires coordinate lipid agonist-induced G-protein and membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1-dependent signaling

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) are bioactive lipid signaling molecules implicated in tumor dissemination. Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MT1-MMP) is a membrane-tethered collagenase thought to be involved in tumor invasion via extracellular matrix degradation. In this study, we investigated the molecular requirements for LPA- and S1P-regulated tumor cell migration in two dimensions (2D) and invasion of three-dimensional (3D) collagen matrices and, in particular, evaluated the role of MT1-MMP in this process. LPA stimulated while S1P inhibited migration of most tumor lines in Boyden chamber assays. Conversely, HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells migrated in response to both lipids. HT1080 cells also markedly invaded 3D collagen matrices (~700 μm over 48 hours) in response to either lipid. siRNA targeting of LPA1 and Rac1, or S1P1, Rac1, and Cdc42 specifically inhibited LPA- or S1P-induced HT1080 invasion, respectively. Analysis of LPA-induced HT1080 motility on 2D substrates vs. 3D matrices revealed that synthetic MMP inhibitors markedly reduced the distance (~125 μm vs. ~45 μm) and velocity of invasion (~0.09 μm/min vs. ~0.03 μm/min) only when cells navigated 3D matrices signifying a role for MMPs exclusively in invasion. Additionally, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)-2, -3, and -4, but not TIMP-1, blocked lipid agonist-induced invasion indicating a role for membrane-type (MT)-MMPs. Furthermore, MT1-MMP expression in several tumor lines directly correlated with LPA-induced invasion. HEK293s, which neither express MT1-MMP nor invade in the presence of LPA, were transfected with MT1-MMP cDNA, and subsequently invaded in response to LPA. When HT1080 cells were seeded on top of or within collagen matrices, siRNA targeting of MT1-MMP, but not other MMPs, inhibited lipid agonist-induced invasion establishing a requisite role for MT1-MMP in this process. LPA is a fundamental regulator of MT1-MMP-dependent tumor cell invasion of 3D collagen matrices. In contrast, S1P appears to act as an inhibitory stimulus in most cases, while stimulating only select tumor lines. MT1-MMP is required only when tumor cells navigate 3D barriers and not when cells migrate on 2D substrata. We demonstrate that tumor cells require coordinate regulation of LPA/S1P receptors and Rho GTPases to migrate, and additionally, require MT1-MMP in order to invade collagen matrices during neoplastic progression.
Decalage in Infants' Knowledge about Occlusion and Containment Events: Converging Evidence from Action Tasks.

In the present research, 6-month-old infants consistently searched for a tall toy behind a tall as opposed to a short occluder. However, when the same toy was hidden inside a tall or a short container, only older, 7.5-month-old infants searched for the tall toy inside the tall container. These and control results (1) confirm previous violation-of-expectation (VOE) findings of a decalage in infants' reasoning about height information in occlusion and containment events; (2) cast doubt on the suggestion that VOE tasks overestimate infants' cognitive abilities; and (3) support recent proposals that infants use their physical knowledge to guide their actions when task demands do not overwhelm their limited processing resources.
Metabolic and Hemodynamic Changes Induced by the Prolonged Administration of Dextran

Large amounts of dextran were administered to human subjects under standardized metabolic conditions, with the following results: Dextran is a potent osmotic substance which produces marked salt and water retention and rapid plasma volume expansion. About 50 per cent of the amount given is excreted in the urine during the injection period. Nitrogen and phosphorus sparing and an antiketogenic effect are produced during the period of administration. A fraction of the dextran remains circulating for a prolonged period of time and is associated with a sustained depression of venous hematocrit. Metabolism of this fraction cannot be demonstrated, and its ultimate fate in the body is unknown.
INTERSTITIAL SOLUTE ANELASTICITY AND MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF GROUP Vb METALS

On presente un argument pour montrer que la difference dans le comportement anelastique de type Snoek de Nb et Ta presente par Weller et al. par rapport aux travaux de Powers et Doyle, Gibala et Wert est a mettre en relation avec la purete du metal
Software test selection patterns and elusive bugs

Traditional white and black box testing methods are effective in revealing many kinds of defects, but the more elusive bugs slip past them. Model-based testing incorporates additional application concepts in the selection of tests, which may provide more refined bug detection, but does not go far enough. Test selection patterns identify defect-oriented contexts in a program. They also identify suggested tests for risks associated with a specified context. A context and its risks is a kind of conceptual trap designed to corner a bug. The suggested tests will find the bug if it has been caught in the trap.
Apple miRNAs and tasiRNAs with novel regulatory networks

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and their regulatory functions have been extensively characterized in model species but whether apple has evolved similar or unique regulatory features remains unknown. We performed deep small RNA-seq and identified 23 conserved, 10 less-conserved and 42 apple-specific miRNAs or families with distinct expression patterns. The identified miRNAs target 118 genes representing a wide range of enzymatic and regulatory activities. Apple also conserves two TAS gene families with similar but unique trans-acting small interfering RNA (tasiRNA) biogenesis profiles and target specificities. Importantly, we found that miR159, miR828 and miR858 can collectively target up to 81 MYB genes potentially involved in diverse aspects of plant growth and development. These miRNA target sites are differentially conserved among MYBs, which is largely influenced by the location and conservation of the encoded amino acid residues in MYB factors. Finally, we found that 10 of the 19 miR828-targeted MYBs undergo small interfering RNA (siRNA) biogenesis at the 3' cleaved, highly divergent transcript regions, generating over 100 sequence-distinct siRNAs that potentially target over 70 diverse genes as confirmed by degradome analysis. Our work identified and characterized apple miRNAs, their expression patterns, targets and regulatory functions. We also discovered that three miRNAs and the ensuing siRNAs exploit both conserved and divergent sequence features of MYB genes to initiate distinct regulatory networks targeting a multitude of genes inside and outside the MYB family.
Smoking cessation counseling and the quality of care for acute myocardial infarction

Smokers have a risk for myocardial infarction increased over that of nonsmokers by approximately a factor of 3, but this increased risk can decline to that of nonsmokers over 2 to 3 years if a smoker stops. Based on data such as these, there is general agreement that if all smokers quit, the cardiovascular health of the general population would improve. The arguments for providing assistance to smokers who want to quit are sufficiently compelling that substantial efforts have been made to make such assistance a systematic feature of cardiovascular care, primarily in the form of performance measures monitored by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. To date, these efforts have been incompletely successful. Barriers to systemwide acceptance of smoking cessation measures have included uncertainty about the overall effectiveness of predischarge interventions, difficulty agreeing on which interventions are effective, and discontinuity in the health care system. The article by Van Spall et al is useful in this regard, telling us that it is important to be doing something to help patients after acute myocardial infarction quit smoking while we debate the best ways to surmount the remaining barriers to systemwide acceptance. The authors present an analysis of data taken from a quality-improvement project in the province of Ontario for patients hospitalized with a first acute myocardial infarction and provide us with evidence that systemwide efforts to help smokers quit are associated with dramatic health gains for patients. Their study cohort consisted of 9041 patients discharged alive from 1 of 103 hospitals over a 1-year period. Of these patients, 3511 were current smokers. The charts of about half these patients contained evidence that counseling regarding smoking cessation had occurred. After reasonably robust adjustment for important confounders including age, infarct severity, differences in treatment, and site of treatment, documentation of smoking cessation counseling was associated with a reduction in risk of death by
Centrality, Extremity, Intensity Neglected Variables in Research on Attitude-Behavior Consistency

This article aims to alert researchers interested in the attitudes vs. action debate to a long-standing discontinuity between research and theory. Our review of 28 recent reports of research on the attitude-behavior relationship indicates a consistent neglect of theoretical formulations specifying the relevance of object-centrality, attitude extremity, and attitude intensity for understanding attitude-behavior consistency. Yet, bits and pieces of relevant data gleaned from these reports plus the results of our secondary analysis of data gathered in 1969-70 from some 19,000 members of the 1966 cohort of U.S. college freshmen point clearly to the conclusion that these variable properties of attitude merit most careful consideration in attitude-behavior research. Indeed, they suggest that the failure of past empirical investigations to spport the assumption, central to the work of many scholars and practitioners, that attitudes are important keys to understanding behavior may be due, at least in part, to this gap between research and theory., That attitudes vary not only in direction (positive vs. negative) but also in extremity (degree of favorableness or unfavorableness) and intensity (strength of feeling), and that their objects may be more or less important, central, or egoinvolving to the individual are common themes in conceptual analyses of the attitude construct (Scott). These variable properties of attitude figure prominently in the theoretical literature dealing with the attitude-behavior relationship. (See D. Campbell; Converse; Himmelstrand; Inkso and Schopler; Katz; Katz and Stotland; Newcomb et al.; Rosenberg.) This being the case it is surprising that so little empirical research on the attitude-behavior relationship has given systematic attention to them.1 The aim of this article is to alert researchers interested in the attitudes vs.action debate to this long-standing discontinuity between theory and research and to point out how consideration of these variable properties of attitudes and their objects might help us understand why "attitude research has long indicated . . . that the person's verbal report of his attitude has a rather low correlation with his actual behavior toward the object of the attitude" (McGuire, 156). For good reason, such findings have been a matter of concern for some *Research for this article was supported in part by the American Council on Education. We are indebted to Alexander W. Astin, Director, Office of Research, ACE, and his staff for making the survey data analyzed herein available to us. We should also like to express our appreciation to the institutions and students whose cooperation made the survey possible, and to the anonymous reviewers whose careful critiques were both helpful and challenging. The conclusions, opinions, and other statements expressed are those of the writers and are not necessarily those of the persons and organizations named here.
From Geographic Holism to Geographic Information System

Substantial changes in a core idea of geography, integration, have occurred since Alexander von Humboldt published Kosmos (1845-1862). These changes are part of a larger shift in Western civilization to mechanistic reasoning. This shift led to the strengthening of system-based analysis, central to the development of geographic information systems (GIS). The duality of holism and the systems approach has led to an apparent contradiction in geography. R. Hartshorne in The Nature of Geography described this contradiction, but as did Alfred Hettner and Emil Wisotzki before, moved to partial systems as the core concept of geographic integration. Hartshorne's concept of vertical integration is the antecedent for the ubiquitous GIS layer model. The reduction of geographic relationships and processes to mechanistic components (layers) aids the systematic approach, but may lessen geographic understanding of a place's interrelationships. Although the partiality of the system approach was already acknowledged by Fin...
Wnt signaling and PKA control Nodal expression and left-right determination in the chick embryo.

Expression of the Nodal gene, which encodes a member of the TGFβ superfamily of secreted factors, localizes to the left side of the developing embryo in all vertebrates examined so far. This asymmetric pattern correlates with normal development of the left-right axis. We now show that the Wnt and PKA signaling pathways control left-right determination in the chick embryo through Nodal . A Wnt/β-catenin pathway controls Nodal expression in and around Hensen9s node, without affecting the upstream regulators Sonic hedgehog, Car and Fibroblast Growth Factor 8. Transcription of Nodal is also positively regulated by a protein kinase A-dependent pathway. Both the adhesion protein N-cadherin and PKI (an endogenous protein kinase A inhibitor) are localized to the right side of the node and may contribute to restrict Nodal activation by Wnt signaling and PKA to the left side of the node.
An Organonic and Modern Problems Approach for Teaching Agricultural Economics Principles

Instructors in principles courses should consider placing greater emphasis on modem problems and organonic teaching techniques to increase students' proficiency in agricultural economics. These techniques will stimulate student imaginations, modify learning styles toward collaborative and independent learners, and stimulate interest in the subject matter. Unfortunately, recent developments in teaching principles are aphoristic techniques, including programmed learning, television, and computer-aided instruction. These aphoristic techniques stifle students' imaginations, contribute to a dependent learning style, and fail to stimulate interest in the subject matter. The degree of instructors' adoption of modem problems and organonic techniques depend on their teaching abilities, class size, types of students, and how their courses blend into the curriculum.
Sleep Behavior and Sleep Regulation from Infancy through Adolescence: Normative Aspects

Knowledge of what constitutes normal sleep behavior during development is a prerequisite for understanding sleep disorders in children and adolescents. This article describes normal sleep patterns in children and adolescents, depicts sleep stages and sleep electrophysiology, and identifies changes in sleep-wake (homeostatic) and circadian regulatory processes across early human development. Two basic principles guide the consideration of normal sleep during childhood: sleep patterns exhibit large variability among children, and sleep behavior must be viewed within a biopsychosocial framework.
Stochastic forcing of north tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures by the North Atlantic Oscillation

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a rapidly decorrelating process that strongly affects the climate over the Atlantic and the surrounding continents. Although the NAO itself is basically unpredictable on seasonal timescales using statistical methods, NAO forcing is here shown to significantly affect sea surface temperatures (SSTs) evolving on those timescales. Results using linear inverse modeling (LIM) imply that the NAO index and its convolution with deterministic SST dynamics account for nearly half the unpredictable component of north tropical Atlantic SST at lead times greater than 9 months; adding this component to hindcasts at a lead of 48 weeks increases correlation with north tropical Atlantic SST from about 0.4 to about 0.6. Rapid fluctuations during boreal winter and spring, when the NAO is strongest, affect SST predictability throughout the entire year.
Echocardiographic simulation of pericardial fluid accumulation by right pleural effusion.

On two-dimensional echocardiography, in the subcostal four-chamber view, right pleural effusion can present as a large echo-free space adjacent to the echo-free space representing the right atrium, thus simulating a loculated pericardial effusion or a pericardial cyst. On occasion, the echo-free space representing the right pleural effusion can bulge into the right atrium, distorting the right atrial shape, and thereby produce an echocardiographic appearance that, may be confused with an indentation of the right atrial wall by pericardial effusion. The latter has recently been described as a sign of pericardial tamponade.
Some Measurements of Snow Pellet Bulk-Densities

Abstract In-cloud collections of snow and ice pellets in summer cumulus clouds have been made on Project White-top. These collections provided an opportunity for measuring the bulk densities of 129 snow pellets and ice pellets. Results show that their densities ranged from about 0.87 gm per cc to 0.91 gm per cc.
Endoscopic management of acute gastrointestinal bleeding in children: Time for a radical rethink

Abstract Currently we are no nearer than 10 or 20 years ago providing a safe, adequate, and effective round-the-clock endoscopic services for acute life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding in children. Preventable deaths are occurring still, and it is a tragedy. This is owing to a number of factors which require urgent attention. Skill-mix and the ability of available endoscopists in the UK are woeful. Manpower is spread too thinly and not concentrated in centers of excellence, which is necessary given the relative rarity of the presentation. Adult gastroenterologists are increasingly reticent regarding their help in increasingly litigious times. Recent work on identification of those children likely to require urgent endoscopic intervention has mirrored scoring systems that have been present in adult circles for many years and may allow appropriate and timely intervention. Recent technical developments such as that of Hemospray® may lower the threshold of competency in dealing with this problem endoscopically, thus allowing lives to be saved. Educational courses, mannequin and animal model training are important but so will be appropriate credentialing of individuals for this skill-set. Assessment of competency will become the norm and guidelines on a national level in each country mandatory if we are to move this problem from the “too difficult” to the “achieved”. It is an urgent problem and is one of the last emergencies in pediatrics that is conducted poorly. This cannot and should not be allowed to continue unchallenged.
How Stock Buybacks Make Americans Vulnerable to Globalization

Drawing on a large and growing body of research, I summarize how rationalization, marketization, and globalization have eroded middle-class employment opportunities since the 1980s. Then I document the extent to which over the same time-period financial interests, including senior corporate executives, have extracted cash from companies in the name of maximizing shareholder value. Finally I indicate why this value-extracting activity has rendered ineffective traditional macroeconomic and international trade policy. I call for a policy focus on the governance of business enterprise to support stable and equitable growth.
Interaural Level Difference Discrimination Thresholds and Virtual Acoustic Space Minimum Audible Angles for Single Neurons in the Lateral Superior Olive

It has long been hypothesized that the lateral superior olive (LSO) is where the interaural level difference (ILD) cue to sound source location is first processed in a functionally meaningful way (see Tollin 2003). First, LSO neurons are some of the most peripheral neurons where inputs from both ears converge; they receive an excitatory input from the ipsilateral ear but an inhibitory input from the contralateral ear via the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body. Second, LSO neurons are sensitive to ILDs of stimuli presented to the two ears. Third, horizontal localization, where ILDs (and interaural time differences) are used, is impaired in animals where the input pathways to or the LSO neurons themselves were lesioned. Finally, mammals that use predominantly high-frequency ILD cues for localization tend to have large and well developed LSO. These data together implicate the LSO as critical for encoding ILDs. Behaviorally, humans and cats can discriminate changes in azimuth of broadband noise, the minimum audible angle (MAA), of 1° and 3–6°, respectively. Both can discriminate 1-dB ILDs in tones presented over headphones. While there is little doubt that ILDs are first processed in LSO, it is unknown whether the responses of individual LSO neurons can signal changes in ILD or azimuth with a resolution comparable to psychophysics or whether further processing across neurons is required.
Raman Spectroscopy of Tin Films Deposited on Silicon (001) Substrate by Laser Physical Vapor Deposition

We have carried out the Raman spectroscopy of titanium nitride films grown on Si(001) substrate by laser physical vapor deposition. The first order Raman defect induced acoustic and optical phonon peaks have been recorded for films grown at different substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature 25°C to 600°C.The ratio of the acoustic and the optical peak intensities and the width of the peaks are correlated with the nitrogen deficiency, crystalline size and stresses in the films. The results of Auger analysis, resistivity measurements and microstructural observations substantiate the finding that the stoichiometry of the films in terms of nitrogen concentration is improved at higher substrate temperatures.
Emulation of anamorphic imaging on the SHARP EUV mask microscope

The SHARP High numerical aperture Actinic Reticle review Project is a synchrotron-based, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) microscope dedicated to photomask research. SHARP emulates the illumination and imaging conditions of current EUV lithography scanners and several generations into the future. An anamorphic imaging optic with increased mask side-NA in the horizontal and increased demagnification in the vertical direction has been proposed to overcome limitations of current multilayer coatings and extend EUV lithography beyond 0.33 NA.1 Zoneplate lenses with an anamorphic 4x/8x NA of 0.55 are fabricated and installed in the SHARP microscope to emulate anamorphic imaging. SHARP’s Fourier synthesis illuminator with a range of angles exceeding the collected solid angle of the newly designed elliptical zoneplates can produce arbitrary angular source spectra, matched to anamorphic imaging. A target with anamorphic dense features down to 50-nm critical dimension is fabricated using 40-nm of nickel as the absorber. In a demonstration experiment anamorphic imaging at 0.55 4x/8xNA and 6° central ray angle is compared to conventional imaging at 0.5 4xNA and 8° central ray angle. A significant contrast loss in horizontal features is observed in the conventional images. The anamorphic images show the same image quality in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Book Review: Be Your Best: A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Written by the Experts

Peter B. Fodor , ed. Be Your Best: A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Written by the Experts. Austin, TX: Insight International Press, 2006. ISBN-10: 0979133505 ![][1] We live in an era of information overload. Consumers are inundated with information about plastic surgery, all purported to be factual and accurate. In this free-for-all world, marketing often trumps credentialing and competency, so it is not surprising that consumers often feel helpless in this sea of confusion. This may explain the fact that they often spend more time researching a kitchen appliance purchase than selecting a surgeon. In that regard, Be Your Best: A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Written by the Experts , is a breath of fresh air, because it is written by board-certified plastic surgeons and aimed at the consumer market. First among its strengths, this book … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Microtubule-Mediated Misregulation of Junctophilin-2 Underlies T-Tubule Disruptions and Calcium Mishandling in mdx Mice

Cardiac myocytes from the mdx mouse, the mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, exhibit t-tubule disarray and increased calcium sparks, but a unifying molecular mechanism has not been elucidated. Recently, improper trafficking of junctophilin-2 on an altered microtubule network caused t-tubule derangements and calcium mishandling in a pressure-overload heart failure model. Mdx cardiac myocytes have microtubule abnormalities, but how this may affect junctophilin-2, t-tubules, and calcium handling has not been established. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that an inverse relationship between microtubules and junctophilin-2 underlies t-tubule disruptions and calcium mishandling in mdx cardiac myocytes. Confocal microscopy revealed t-tubule disorganization in mdx cardiac myocytes. Quantitative Western blot analysis demonstrated junctophilin-2 was decreased by 75% and showed an inverse hyperbolic relationship with α- and β-tubulin, the individual components of microtubules, in mdx hearts. Colchicine-induced microtubule depolymerization normalized junctophilin-2 protein levels and localization, corrected t-tubule architecture, and reduced calcium sparks. In summary, these results suggest microtubule-mediated misregulation of junctophilin-2 causes t-tubule derangements and altered calcium handling in mdx cardiac myocytes.
Polarized targeting of V-ATPase in kidney epithelial cells

The membrane-associated V-ATPase that plays an important role in the regulation of acid-base balance by the kidney is a multisubunit enzyme that is densely packed into specialized membrane domains in intercalated cells. Intercalated cells can be separated into at least two subtypes, A-cells and B-cells, based on their morphological features, the distribution of V-ATPase, and the presence or absence of a basolateral chloride/bicarbonate anion exchanger (AE1) exclusively in B-cells. A-cells secrete protons into the tubule lumen, whereas B-cells secrete bicarbonate. The relative amounts of V-ATPase and AE1 in the plasma membranes of A- and B-cells are modulated under different acid-base conditions and provide a sensitive means by which urinary acidification can be controlled. The mechanisms governing the movement of acid-base transporting proteins between intracellular vesicles and the plasma membrane are under investigation. The microtubular apparatus of the cell is involved in maintaining both apical and basolateral polarity of the enzyme, and different isoforms of V-ATPase subunits may also be involved in the selective targeting of V-ATPase to different membrane domains.
Non-adiabaticity: the importance of conical intersections

ABSTRACTIn this review, we discuss non-adiabatic processes focusing on the role conical intersections. Consequently after a brief historical perspective, we provide a thorough review of conical intersections in Section 2. Section 3 discusses the formulation of non-adiabatic dynamics in the adiabatic and diabatic representations. The effect of the geometric phase on near conical intersections dynamics is discussed. Section 4 discusses the construction of diabatic representations. Properties based diabatisations are discussed and the recently reported issue of diabolical singularities is described. A promising method which simultaneously fits and diabatises ab initio adiabatic electronic structure data is reviewed. Section 5 describes applications of the ideas presented in Sections 2–4. The photoelectron spectrum of isopropoxy is rationalised. The vibrationally mediated photodissociation dynamics of NH3 in its A state are reinterpreted and the effects of diabolical singularities are described. Section 6 pre...
Prenatal diagnosis and assessment of congenital spinal anomalies: Review for prenatal counseling

The last two decades have seen continuous advances in prenatal ultrasonography and in utero magnetic resonance imaging. These technologies have increasingly enabled the identification of various spinal pathologies during early stages of gestation. The purpose of this paper is to review the range of fetal spine anomalies and their management, with the goal of improving the clinician's ability to counsel expectant parents prenatally.
Social connectedness and life satisfaction: Comparing mean levels for 2 undergraduate samples and testing for improvement based on brief counseling

ABSTRACTObjectives: Comparing the mean levels of social connectedness and life satisfaction, and analyzing their relationship for 2 undergraduate samples, and testing for an increase in their means for a brief counseling sample. Participants: Between October 2013 and May 2015, 3 samples were collected: not-in-counseling (NIC; n = 941), initial counseling session (ICS; ie, triage session only; n = 168), and brief counseling (BC; ie, median of 4 additional counseling sessions; n = 28). Methods: Online surveys measuring demographic and background control variables, social connectedness, and life satisfaction. Results: NIC students exhibited higher social connectedness and life satisfaction than ICS students. Social connectedness significantly explained life satisfaction beyond controlled-for variables for both samples. There was a significant increase in social connectedness and life satisfaction for the BC sample. Conclusions: Social connectedness is an important antecedent of life satisfaction for undergra...
Early surgical intervention in type I laryngeal cleft.

Abstract Objective Diagnosis and treatment of type 1 laryngeal clefts remains a challenge. The purpose of this study is to determine if early surgical intervention in type I laryngeal clefts improves outcomes. Methods A retrospective case series was conducted at an academic tertiary care children's hospital. 18 children undergoing early (≤3 months from diagnosis) surgical intervention for type I laryngeal cleft repair between August of 2012 and December 2014. Data was compiled through a manual chart review. Results 18 children who underwent early surgical intervention for type I laryngeal cleft repair were identified for review. 14 (78%) were male and 4 (22%) were female and the average age at time of repair was 1.6 years. Most frequent presenting symptoms included dysphagia (61%) and recurrent respiratory issues (22%). Successful swallowing outcomes, defined as subjective improvement (i.e. absence of previous symptoms) per parental report in follow-up visits, +/− normal post-operative MBS (modified barium swallow) findings, was seen in 11 patients (61%). 9 patients required hospitalization for respiratory issues prior to surgical repair. Post-operatively, 4 patients still incurred an admission for respiratory reasons. Conclusions Our series shows a success rate of 61% with early surgical intervention (≤3 months from diagnosis). A decrease in post-operative hospitalizations is appreciated.
Systemic toxoplasma infection triggers a long-term defect in the generation and function of naive T lymphocytes.

Because antigen-stimulated naive T cells either die as effectors or enter the activated/memory pool, continuous egress of new T lymphocytes from thymus is essential for maintenance of peripheral immune homeostasis. Unexpectedly, we found that systemic infection with the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii triggers not only a transient increase in activated CD4+ Th1 cells but also a persistent decrease in the size of the naive CD4+ T lymphocyte pool. This immune defect is associated with decreased thymic output and parasite-induced destruction of the thymic epithelium, as well as disruption of the overall architecture of that primary lymphoid organ. Importantly, the resulting quantitative and qualitative deficiency in naive CD4+ T cells leads to an immunocompromised state that both promotes chronic toxoplasma infection and leads to decreased resistance to challenge with an unrelated pathogen. These findings reveal that systemic infectious agents, such as T. gondii , can induce long-term immune alterations associated with impaired thymic function. When accumulated during the lifetime of the host, such events, even when occurring at low magnitude, could be a contributing factor in immunological senescence.
Enzymatic Halogenation and Dehalogenation Reactions: Pervasive and Mechanistically Diverse

Naturally produced halogenated compounds are ubiquitous across all domains of life where they perform a multitude of biological functions and adopt a diversity of chemical structures. Accordingly, a diverse collection of enzyme catalysts to install and remove halogens from organic scaffolds has evolved in nature. Accounting for the different chemical properties of the four halogen atoms (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine) and the diversity and chemical reactivity of their organic substrates, enzymes performing biosynthetic and degradative halogenation chemistry utilize numerous mechanistic strategies involving oxidation, reduction, and substitution. Biosynthetic halogenation reactions range from simple aromatic substitutions to stereoselective C–H functionalizations on remote carbon centers and can initiate the formation of simple to complex ring structures. Dehalogenating enzymes, on the other hand, are best known for removing halogen atoms from man-made organohalogens, yet also function naturally,...
Chapter 17 – cDNA Synthesis

Publisher Summary The synthesis of cDNA is a central component of research involving molecular biology techniques. cDNA is useful in both the single-stranded and double-stranded forms, and is chemically equivalent to genomic DNA. cDNA is a product of enzymatic in vitro synthesis, one strand at a time, using RNA as template material. The type of enzyme required for the synthesis of first-strand cDNA is known as an “RNA-dependent DNA polymerase”; it is far more commonly known as reverse transcriptase (RT). The mass and size distribution of radiolabeled cDNAs can be assessed by electrophoresis of an aliquot of the first- and second-strand synthesis reactions, coupled with autoradiography directly from the gel. The synthesis of cDNA offers many advantages to the investigator wishing to characterize gene structure or expression, develop nucleic acid probes, or express proteins for any of a number of reasons. First, RNA is a naturally labile single-stranded molecule, and its conversion into more stable single- or double-stranded DNA facilitates long-term storage of these sequences. Second, by cloning newly synthesized cDNA, the investigator creates a method for propagating the cDNA as needed. This approach is facilitated by the large variety of vector molecules compatible with an equally impressive variety of hosts. Third, cDNA molecules, both long and short, can be used to screen members of much more complex genomic DNA libraries. Unlike intrinsically labile RNA, cDNA can be archived for years in the freezer and when constructed with appropriately characterized ends, the cDNA can be propagated indefinitely.
Self-Assembly, Hydrogelation, and Nanotube Formation by Cation-Modified Phenylalanine Derivatives

Fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-protected phenylalanine (Fmoc-Phe) derivatives are a privileged class of molecule that spontaneously self-assemble into hydrogel fibril networks. Fmoc-Phe-derived hydrogels are typically formed by dilution of the hydrogelator from an organic cosolvent into water, by dissolution of the hydrogelator under basic aqueous conditions followed by adjustment of the pH with acid, or by other external triggering forces, including sonication and heating. These conditions complicate biological applications of these hydrogels. Herein, we report C-terminal cation-modified Fmoc-Phe derivatives that are positively charged across a broad range of pH values and that can self-assemble and form hydrogel networks spontaneously without the need to adjust pH or to use an organic cosolvent. In addition, these cationic Fmoc-Phe derivatives are found to self-assemble into novel sheet-based nanotube structures at higher concentrations. These nanotube structures are unique to C-terminal cationic Fmoc-Phe der...
Chapter 6 Dynamic Equations of Motion

To introduce the reader to Kane’s Method as a means of deriving the dynamic equations of motion for a musculoskeletal system.
Miniature high voltage, high temperature component package development

With the next generation of semiconductor materials in development, significant strides in the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) characteristics of power conversion systems are presently underway. In particular, much of the improvements in system-level efficiencies and power densities due to wide-bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) device incorporation are realized through higher voltage, higher frequency, and higher temperature operation. Concomitantly, there is a demand for ever smaller device footprints with high voltage, high power handling ability while maintaining ultra-low inductive/capacitive parasitics for high frequency operation. For our work, we are developing small size vertical gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) power diodes and transistors with breakdown and hold-off voltages as high as 15kV. The small size and high power densities of these devices create stringent requirements on both the size (balanced between larger sizing for increased voltage hold-off with smaller sizing for reduced parasitics) and heat dissipation capabilities of the associated packaging. To accommodate these requirements and to be able to characterize these novel device designs, we have developed specialized packages as well as test hardware and capabilities. This work describes the requirements of these new devices, the development of the high voltage, high power packages, and the high-voltage, high-temperature test capabilities needed to characterize and use the completed components. In the course of this work, we have settled on a multi-step methodology for assessing the performance of these new power devices, which we also present.
Automated Detection of Small-scale Magnetic Flux Ropes and Their Association with Shocks

We have quantitatively examined one type of fundamental space plasma structures in the solar wind, the magnetic flux ropes, especially those of relatively small scales. They usually are of durations ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. The main objectives are to reveal the existence in terms of their occurrence and distributions in the solar wind, to quantitatively examine their configurations and properties, and to relate to other relevant processes, involving particle energization and intermittent structures in the solar wind. The technical approach is a combination of time-series analysis methods with the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction technique. This modeling method is capable of characterizing two and a half dimensional cross section of space plasma structures, based on in-situ spacecraft measurements along a single path across. We present the automated detection of flux ropes, construction of an online magnetic flux rope database, and detailed case studies of such structures identified downstream of interplanetary shocks.
A novel centralized storage model for distributed photovoltaic generation systems

The growing demand for solar power renders it as one of the most valuable renewable sources for electrical energy production, but its intermittent nature limits its application. To overcome this limitation, electric storage devices, such as battery energy storage systems, are used to fill the void. However, battery energy storage systems are relatively expensive and usually suffer from low utilization especially if provisioned to accommodate the peak load. In this paper, a centralized battery storage model for distributed photovoltaic systems is proposed to improve the storage system utilization and reduce the power grid dependency. The proposed model consists of detailed analytical models of the photovoltaic and energy storage systems. To validate the proposed model, a comparative analysis was conducted to highlight the grid power dependency of the proposed centralized and current decentralized storage models using various synthetically generated load profiles. In addition, a case study where a centralized battery storage model for 60 residential locations was used to validate the proposed model using actual location-based hourly irradiance, temperature, and load demand. It was concluded that the proposed model improved the storage devices utilization by virtually smoothing out the high variation (peak loads) within the load profiles accommodated by the storage system. The power grid dependency of this centralized storage model was evaluated and compared with the conventional decentralized storage model. As a result of using the centralized storage model, the utilization of the grid was reduced by 16.8% compared to the decentralized model for the same PV generation and storage capacity.
The Safety and Efficacy of Propranolol in Reducing the Hypermetabolic Response in the Pediatric Burn Population

Pediatric burn patients often have hypertension and tachycardia for several years post-injury. Propranolol has shown to be effective in treating the hypermetabolic state secondary to a major burn injury. This study was conducted to document a safe and effective dosing regimen for three different age groups. One hundred four burn-injured children with a 30% to 92% total body surface area burn were treated for 1 to 2 years with propranolol in the outpatient setting. Guardians of the patients were instructed on how to take and monitor the systolic blood pressure and heart rate, and document their vital signs several times a day. The documentation was reviewed with the guardian and patient, and based on age-specific vital sign parameters, propranolol dosing adjustment was done to measure at least 15% to 20% reduction in admission heart rate. Mean doses for the age groups were as follows: 0 to 3 years 5.2 ± 2.8 mg/kg/day, 4 to 10 years 4.2 ± 1.8 mg/kg/day, and 11 to 18 years 2.9 ± 1.4 mg/kg/day. The propranolol dose decreased as time post-burn increased. On selected patients, propranolol was stopped due to changes in the heart rate, but at all times, it was safe and effective. No adverse effects were noted. The dosing regimen was not affected by burn size or gender. Propranolol can be safely stopped abruptly with no rebound hypertension. Individuals older than 10 years required a lower dose per kilogram following the burn injury than prepubertal burn survivors. Propranolol proved to be both safe and effective in the management of cardiovascular changes occurring in the hypermetabolic state.
Interpreting nonlinear semi-elasticities in reduced-form climate damage estimation

Observed changes in weather can reveal marginal impacts of climate change on economic outcomes and the potential for adaptation. When modeling the nonlinear relationship between weather and changes in economic outcomes empirically, model choice can confound the interpretation of marginal and percentage effects and their respective confidence intervals. I present a simple solution for better characterizing semi-elasticities of nonlinear climate damages, and evaluate its relevance in interpreting empirical climate damages. For small marginal effects, the implications of this interpretation error is small; for larger effects, however, the misinterpretation error can be substantial.
Seeing Clearly: Measuring Skill Sets That Address the “Blurred Boundaries” of Nonprofit Management Education

This article offers advice to programs that seek to emphasize the nonprofit management skill sets necessary for working across the increasingly blurred boundaries of public service delivery. Master...
Informal Housing: Colonias in the United States

US policy typically defines ‘colonias’ as unincorporated border communities that often lack adequate water and wastewater systems, paved roads, and safe, sanitary housing. Most are legal developments but they do not meet the standards and norms expected from formal housing subdivisions. In contrast, they closely resemble the informal, incremental development process prevalent in most developing countries, including the neighbouring Mexico. There are almost 2300 designated colonias in Texas; over 140 in New Mexico; almost 80 in Arizona; and more than 30 in California. Contrary to popular perception, an overwhelming majority of the residents of the colonias are citizens of the United States.
Relational Model-Base Structures: a Hierarchical Application in Precision Agriculture

The relational model base system represents a significant departure from the data-base dependent decision models that currently exist when discussing real-time data analysis and decision making. This research involves detailing cases of prototypical relational model-base-centered integrative systems and the incorporated relational model-base structures for each system as proposed by Sutherland and Baker (2007). The specific instance of dynamic resource allocation outlined here discusses a recursive agribusiness case, with the target application being precision agriculture, alternatively known as precision farming. In this research, a recursive, prototypical relational model-base-centered integrative system is going to be detailed from the perspective of a grain producer, including specific requirements for a relational model-base system in this environment. This case qualifies as a recursive case as the grain producer would invariably have a hierarchical decisionmaking relationship with the grain millers, who establish the requirements for what needs to be produced and in what quantities.
Thomas Reid and the Newtonian Turn of British Methodological Thought

In a famous passage in the preface to his Treatise, Hume expressed the fervent hope that he could do for moral philosophy what Newton had done for natural philosophy.1 In 18th-century ethics, literature, political theory, theology, and of course, natural science, similar sentiments were expressed openly and frequently.2 Newton’s Principia seemed to have established, almost overnight, new standards for rigor of thought, clarity of intuition, economy of expression and, above all, for the certainty of its conclusions. At long last, natural philosophy, which had hitherto been open to such controversy and speculation, was established on a secure foundation. It was tempting to believe that conjecture had given way to demonstration and that an infallible system, based on rigorous inductions from experimental evidence, had finally been devised.3 Outside of the natural sciences, where Newton’s real achievements were obscured by what scientific non-initiates took them to be, the enthusiasm for Newton reached an even higher pitch. Newton’s great contribution, it was said, was not so much his cosmological synthesis per se, but rather the formulation of a new conception of science and its methods. Newton was seen as the harbinger of an inductive, experimental learning which proceeded by a gradual ascent from the particulars of observation to general laws which were true and virtually incorrigible. What Bacon had prophesied in the way of an inductive interpretation of nature, Newton had brought to fruition.