cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exome sequencing of extended families with autism reveals genes shared across neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) comprise a range of neurodevelopmental conditions of varying severity, characterized by marked qualitative difficulties in social relatedness, communication, and behavior. Despite overwhelming evidence of high heritability, results from genetic studies to date show that ASD etiology is extremely heterogeneous and only a fraction of autism genes have been discovered. To help unravel this genetic complexity, we performed whole exome sequencing on 100 ASD individuals from 40 families with multiple distantly related affected individuals. All families contained a minimum of one pair of ASD cousins. Each individual was captured with the Agilent SureSelect Human All Exon kit, sequenced on the Illumina Hiseq 2000, and the resulting data processed and annotated with Burrows-Wheeler Aligner (BWA), Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK), and SeattleSeq. Genotyping information on each family was utilized in order to determine genomic regions that were identical by descent (IBD). Variants identified by exome sequencing which occurred in IBD regions and present in all affected individuals within each family were then evaluated to determine which may potentially be disease related. Nucleotide alterations that were novel and rare (minor allele frequency, MAF, less than 0.05) and predicted to be detrimental, either by altering amino acids or splicing patterns, were prioritized. We identified numerous potentially damaging, ASD associated risk variants in genes previously unrelated to autism. A subset of these genes has been implicated in other neurobehavioral disorders including depression (SLIT3), epilepsy (CLCN2, PRICKLE1), intellectual disability (AP4M1), schizophrenia (WDR60), and Tourette syndrome (OFCC1). Additional alterations were found in previously reported autism candidate genes, including three genes with alterations in multiple families (CEP290, CSMD1, FAT1, and STXBP5). Compiling a list of ASD candidate genes from the literature, we determined that variants occurred in ASD candidate genes 1.65 times more frequently than in random genes captured by exome sequencing (P = 8.55 × 10-5). By studying these unique pedigrees, we have identified novel DNA variations related to ASD, demonstrated that exome sequencing in extended families is a powerful tool for ASD candidate gene discovery, and provided further evidence of an underlying genetic component to a wide range of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases.
Elder self-neglect and abuse and mortality risk in a community-dwelling population.

Context Both elder self-neglect and abuse have become increasingly prominent public health issues. The association of either elder self-neglect or abuse with mortality remains unclear. Objective To examine the relationship of elder self-neglect or abuse reported to social services agencies with all-cause mortality among a community-dwelling elderly population. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective, population-based cohort study (conducted from 1993 to 2005) of residents living in a geographically defined community of 3 adjacent neighborhoods in Chicago, Illinois, who were participating in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP; a longitudinal, population-based, epidemiological study of residents aged ≥65 years). A subset of these participants had suspected elder self-neglect or abuse reported to social services agencies. Main Outcome Measures Mortality ascertained during follow-up and by use of the National Death Index. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess independent associations of self-neglect or elder abuse reporting with the risk of all-cause mortality using time-varying covariate analyses. Results Of 9318 CHAP participants, 1544 participants were reported for elder self-neglect and 113 participants were reported for elder abuse from 1993 to 2005. All CHAP participants were followed up for a median of 6.9 years (interquartile range, 7.4 years), during which 4306 deaths occurred. In multivariable analyses, reported elder self-neglect was associated with a significantly increased risk of 1-year mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 5.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.20-6.51). Mortality risk was lower but still elevated after 1 year (HR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.67-2.14). Reported elder abuse also was associated with significantly increased risk of overall mortality (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.07-1.84). Confirmed elder self-neglect or abuse also was associated with mortality. Increased mortality risks associated with either elder self-neglect or abuse were not restricted to those with the lowest levels of cognitive or physical function. Conclusion Both elder self-neglect and abuse reported to social services agencies were associated with increased risk of mortality.
Le suicide en milieu pénitentiaire

Resume La frequence du suicide en milieu penitentiaire reste elevee malgre un certain nombre de dispositions prevues par les textes mais bien souvent insuffisamment realisees. Les raisons en sont multiples : les detenus representent une population a risque dont les passages a l'acte surviennent plus specialement au debut de l'incarceration, lors de la mise en quartier disciplinaire, moment et lieu qui doivent faire l'objet de mesures adaptees et de precautions maximales de la part du personnel penitentiaire dont la formation en matiere de comportement suicidaire doit etre bien faite et renouvelee.
Pneumocystis murina MSG gene family and the structure of the locus associated with its transcription

Analysis of the Pneumocystis murina MSG gene family and expression-site locus showed that, as in Pneumocystis carinii, P. murina MSG genes are arranged in head-to-tail tandem arrays located on multiple chromosomes, and that a variety of MSG genes can reside at the unique P. murina expression site. Located between the P. murina expression site and attached MSG gene is a block of 132 basepairs that is also present at the beginning of MSG genes that are not at the expression site. The center of this sequence block resembles the 28 basepair CRJE of P. carinii, but the block of conserved sequence in P. murina is nearly five times longer than in P. carinii, and much shorter than in P. wakefieldiae. These data indicate that the P. murina expression-site locus has a distinct structure.
Preharvest and postharvest factors influencing vitamin C content of horticultural crops.

Abstract Vitamin C, including ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid, is one of the most important nutritional quality factors in many horticultural crops and has many biological activities in the human body. The content of vitamin C in fruits and vegetables can be influenced by various factors such as genotypic differences, preharvest climatic conditions and cultural practices, maturity and harvesting methods, and postharvest handling procedures. The higher the intensity of light during the growing season, the greater is vitamin C content in plant tissues. Nitrogen fertilizers at high rates tend to decrease the vitamin C content in many fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C content of many crops can be increased with less frequent irrigation. Temperature management after harvest is the most important factor to maintain vitamin C of fruits and vegetables; losses are accelerated at higher temperatures and with longer storage durations. However, some chilling sensitive crops show more losses in vitamin C at lower temperatures. Conditions favorable to water loss after harvest result in a rapid loss of vitamin C especially in leafy vegetables. The retention of vitamin C is lowered by bruising, and other mechanical injuries, and by excessive trimming. Irradiation at low doses (1 kGy or lower) has no significant effects on vitamin C content of fruits and vegetables. The loss of vitamin C after harvest can be reduced by storing fruits and vegetables in reduced O 2 and/or up to 10% CO 2 atmospheres; higher CO 2 levels can accelerate vitamin C loss. Vitamin C of produce is also subject to degradation during processing and cooking. Electromagnetic energy seems to have advantages over conventional heating by reduction of process times, energy, and water usage. Blanching reduces the vitamin C content during processing, but limits further decreases during the frozen-storage of horticultural products.
Dakin-West reaction

The direct conversion of an α-amino acid into the corresponding α-acetylaminoalkyl methyl ketone, via oxazoline (azalactone) intermediates. The reaction proceeds in the presence of acetic anhydride and a base, such as pyridine, with the evolution of CO2.
Rapid, nonradioactive screening for mutations in exons 10, 11, and 16 of the RET protooncogene associated with inherited medullary thyroid carcinoma

Germline mutations in exons 10, 11, and 16 of the RET protooncogene are associated with the heritable cancer syndromes multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2A, familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC), and MEN type 2B. Nonradioactive mutation analysis with nondenaturing Phastgels and the Phast System was performed on DNA amplified by the polymerase chain reaction from exons 10, 11, and 16 of the RET protooncogene from patients with MEN 2A, MEN 2B, or FMTC. The analysis requires approximately 45-90 min for electrophoresis and 35 min for staining. This assay detected 20 of 21 different mutations that represented approximately 90% of all known mutations associated with these lesions. A rare silent polymorphism within exon 10 was also detected. This form of mutation analysis provides simple, rapid, and highly sensitive nonradioactive detection of mutations known to be associated with MEN 2A, FMTC, and MEN 2B.
Predictive validity and time dependency of self-efficacy, self-esteem, personal goals, and academic performance.

This article seeks to clarify some conceptual and empirical ambiguities regarding self-efficacy and self-esteem in the educational, psychological, and organizational literatures. The validity of se...
Parent-Child Interaction in a Letter-Writing Context.

This study investigated the interactions between 26 parents and their 3- to 5-year-old children as they collaborated to write a letter to someone during a 10-minute videotaped session. Observations of these sessions were coded using categories designed to indicate: (a) the manner of the exchange of information, (b) the types of information that parents and children exchanged during the writing, and (c) the nature of the children's written input into the resulting letter product. Regression analyses were used to examine how the parents' level of control was associated with: (a) the nature of the children's communicative input into the literacy exchange, (b) the type of information about writing upon which the interchange was focused, and (c) the nature of each child's written input into their letter product. Parents exhibiting higher levels of control tended to have children who exhibited higher levels of response and recognition that they heard the parents, had exchanges that focused on spelling, and had written products that were conventional in nature. Parents demonstrating lower levels of control tended to have children who exhibited higher levels of initiations and verbal input, had exchanges focused on the content of the letter, and had written products that were emergent in nature. These results are discussed in terms of the parents' perception of the experimental task and the amount of instructional support needed to complete the task.
The evolving role of software engineering in the production of multimedia applications

The traditional approach to software engineering is based on the waterfall model or some variation of this model. It is well known, however, that this approach is not particularly well suited to the production of one-of-a-kind or experimental systems due to fuzzy user requirements-users are not sure what can be accomplished. Since most multimedia applications are currently of this type, we must search for alternative approaches. One such alternative is based on rapid prototyping in which we quickly generate a working system that we use to validate user requirements. For distributed multimedia applications, we have experimented with a prototyping environment based on grammar formalisms and utilizing Web technologies such as HTML/XML to generate a working prototype. Such an approach seems to be promising and we are currently pursuing this line of research. For the future, researchers working at the interface of software engineering and multimedia systems may identify high-level abstractions common to such applications which will permit the traditional approach to software engineering, backed up with appropriate CASE tools, to be used.
Impact of hydrogel spacer injections on interfraction prostate motion during prostate cancer radiotherapy.

Background The dosimetric advantage of prostate-rectum spacers to displace the anterior rectal wall outside of the high-dose radiation regions has been clearly established in prostate cancer radiotherapy (RT). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of hydrogel spacer (HS) in the interfraction prostate motion in patients undergoing RT for prostate cancer. Material and methods Twenty prostate cancer patients implanted with three fiducial markers (FM) with (n = 10) or without (n = 10) HS were analyzed. Displacements between the prostate isocenter based on the FM's position and the bony anatomy were quantified in the left-right (LR), anterior-posterior (AP), superior-inferior (SI) axes by offline analyses of 122 cone beam computed tomography scans. Group systematic (M), systematic (Σ) and random (σ) setup errors were determined. Results In patients with or without HS, the overall mean interfraction prostate displacements were 0.4 versus -0.4 mm (p = 0.0001), 0.6 versus 0.6 mm (p = 0.85), and -0.6 mm versus -0.3 mm (p = 0.48) for the LR, AP, and SI axes, respectively. Prostate displacements >5 mm in the AP and SI directions were similar for both groups. No differences in M, Σ and σ setup errors were observed in the three axes between HS + or HS- patients. Conclusions HS implantation does not significantly influence the interfraction prostate motion in patients treated with RT for prostate cancer. The major expected benefit of HS is a reduction of the high-dose levels to the rectal wall without influence in prostate immobilization.
Predictive factors and oncological outcomes of persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen in patients following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy

Our aim was to evaluate factors associated with persistently elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and biochemical recurrence following robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). The study population (N = 5300) consisted of consecutive patients who underwent RARP for localized prostate cancer by a single surgeon (VP) from January 2008 through July 2013. A query of our Institutional Review Board-approved registry identified 162 men with persistently elevated PSA (group A), defined as PSA level ≥0.1 ng/ml at 6 weeks after surgery, who were compared with rest of the cohort group having undetectable PSA, group B ( 10 ng/ml (p = 0.01), Gleason Score ≥8 (p = 0.001) and clinical stage(p = 0.001)]; postoperative [pathologic stage (p = 0.001), extraprostatic extension (EPE, p = 0.01), lymph node positivity (p = 0.001), positive surgical margin (PSM, p = 0.02), Gleason score (p = 0.01) and tumor volume percent (p 10 ng/ml, postoperative Gleason score ≥8, postoperative stage ≥pT3, positive pelvic lymph nodes, PSM >3 mm and post-RARP PSA doubling time (DT) <10 months (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with BCR. In patients after RARP, factors associated with aggressive disease (high preoperative PSA, Gleason score ≥8, stage ≥T3, PSM, high tumor volume percent and EPE) predict PSA persistence. Although these patients with persistent PSA after RARP are more likely to have BCR and that too earlier than those patients with undetectable PSA after RARP, a significant proportion of these patients (47.53 %) remain free of BCR. This subset of patients is associated with these favorable parameters (preoperative PSA <10 ng/ml, post-RARP PSA DT ≥10 months, postoperative Gleason score <8, pathologic stage <pT3, PSM <3 mm and no lymph node involvement), thus potentially not requiring any adjuvant treatment.
Epidemiology of Colitis Induced by Clostridium difficile in Hamsters: Application of a Bacteriophage and Bacteriocin Typing System

The epidemiology of colitis induced by Clostridium difficile in hamsters was studied with a new bacteriophage and bacteriocin typing system. Fatal enterocolitis was induced by administration of N-formimidoyl thienamycin. Environmental cultures were obtained repeatedly throughout the experiments. Thirteen percent of 90 healthy hamsters were already colonized with C difficile on arrival from the supplier. Mortality from enterocolitis after antibiotic administration was 75% and was not diminished by use of a laminar-flow facility. The same uncommon bacteriocin type (83/1309/2329) of toxigenic C difficile that colonized hamsters on arrival was recovered from the cecal contents of all hamsters dying with enterocolitis and from most environmental isolates. Previously uncolonized, antibiotic-treated hamsters placed into cages where animals had died from enterocolitis also developed enterocolitis with the same bacteriocin type (83/1309/2329), an outcome suggesting acquisition of C difficile from the environment.
Exploring Opportunities in Quality Improvement During Fellowship.

Throughout medical training, emphasis has traditionally been placed on basic, translational, and clinical sciences. As medical students, we learn the importance of various biochemical pathways. As medical residents, we learn about the art of patient care. Although quality improvement (QI) has deep
An Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Environment

Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) are challenging activitiesand crucial to project success. The software engineer needs tounderstand the application, elicit requirements, and producea design that fulfills the requirements. These are called thethinking process. Unfortunately, only a fraction of CS/SE curriculateach such a thinking process. Moreover, existing tools only supportdiagram drawing and diagram management, not the thinking process. Asa consequence, few diagrams produced are useful for communication andconstruction of the working software. This paper presents an integrateddevelopment environment (IDE) supporting OOAD thinking process withmanual, semi-automatic, and automatic modes. It guides students andsoftware engineers HOW-TO perform OOAD, and lets them learn OOAD andrelated UML diagrams from usingthe IDE. Experiments and real-world projectsshow promising improvement of OOAD performances of students andsoftware engineers.
Reliability and Agreement in Student Ratings of the Class Environment.

The current study estimated the reliability and agreement of student ratings of the classroom environment obtained using the Responsive Environmental Assessment for Classroom Teaching (REACT; Christ, Nelson, & Demers, 2012; Nelson, Demers, & Christ, 2014). Coefficient alpha, class-level reliability, and class agreement indices were evaluated as each index provides important information for different interpretations and uses of student rating scale data. Data for 84 classes across 29 teachers in a suburban middle school were sampled to derive reliability and agreement indices for the REACT subscales across 4 class sizes: 25, 20, 15, and 10. All participating teachers were White and a larger number of 6th-grade classes were included (42%) relative to 7th- (33%) or 8th- (23%) grade classes. Teachers were responsible for a variety of content areas, including language arts (26%), science (26%), math (20%), social studies (19%), communications (6%), and Spanish (3%). Coefficient alpha estimates were generally high across all subscales and class sizes (α = .70-.95); class-mean estimates were greatly impacted by the number of students sampled from each class, with class-level reliability values generally falling below .70 when class size was reduced from 25 to 20. Further, within-class student agreement varied widely across the REACT subscales (mean agreement = .41-.80). Although coefficient alpha and test-retest reliability are commonly reported in research with student rating scales, class-level reliability and agreement are not. The observed differences across coefficient alpha, class-level reliability, and agreement indices provide evidence for evaluating students' ratings of the class environment according to their intended use (e.g., differentiating between classes, class-level instructional decisions). (PsycINFO Database Record
Effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on bladder function in the rat.

Streptozotocin-induced (STZ, 60 mg./kg. I.V.) diabetic male rats underwent cystometrographic (CMG) and electrophysiologic evaluations under urethane anesthesia (1.2 gm./kg.) to determine whether the neural pathways to the urinary bladder are altered in these animals. Diabetic rats (n = 6) in comparison to controls (n = 8) had significantly greater micturition volumes (3.0 +/- 0.8 ml. vs. 0.7 +/- 0.4 ml., p less than 0.001), bladder compliances (0.51 +/- 0.15 cm. H2O/ml. vs. 0.12 +/- 0.09 cm. H2O/ml., p less than 0.001) and bladder weights (225.2 +/- 21.4 mg. vs. 112.2 +/- 18.0 mg., p less than 0.01). No differences were noted in: 1) the thresholds or conduction velocities of axons in the bladder postganglionic nerves, 2) transmission in the major ganglion or 3) the latencies for firing in the supraspinal parasympathetic reflex pathway to the bladder. However, the supraspinal reflex, which was facilitated by bladder distension in 38% of control rats, was not facilitated in any diabetic rats. Another apparent difference in diabetic rats was the absence of spinal reflex response which was noted in 38% of control animals. This study confirmed that CMG changes in STZ-induced diabetic rats are similar to those observed clinically in patients with diabetic autonomic neuropathy, and in addition raise the possibility that these changes are produced by a defect in autonomic reflexes. It is also clear that alterations of the micturition reflex pathway in diabetic rats are distinct from those associated with another type of enlarged, abnormal bladder induced by bladder outlet obstruction.
The Dying Patriarchy: La Rabouilleuse

“The Dying Patriarchy” turns to Balzac’s exploitation of La Rabouilleuse’s innovative narration to unveil the dire reality of a society dominated by the bourgeoisie, where virtue is unimportant, where only money matters. The unrolling narration exposes the dire results of generations of war that left fatherless young men who lack respect for truth, family, and law. The plot does not follow a character, as is traditional, but rather it focuses on the Rouget inheritance as it passes from the old doctor, to his son and their mistress, to Max, to Philippe, and finally to Joseph and the predatory du Tillet and Nucingen. Everything but the inheritance changes, as we move from the provinces to Paris and back again.
Optimum design for new gas lift valve seat

Abstract The Testing Gas Lift Valve (GLV) Beveled Seat showed excellent performance improvement as compared to the Sharp-Edged Seat design as reported by Elldakli et al. (2014) . To optimize the initial Beveled Seat design requires manufacturing and testing numerous cases which is a very costly and time-consuming process. Use of CFD technique provides an excellent alternative solution. In this case the testing of the beveled seat experiments were matched with a CFD software. The validated model is used to optimize the design. The goal of the Gas Lift Valve seat design optimization is to find the best possible design out of a set of alternatives. The numerical model is used for further GLV improvement by investigating the effect of various parameters on the performance of the valve. The effect of GLV seat geometry such as Port Bottom Height (PBH), Port Top Height (PTH), Port Top Diameter (PTD) and Ball Size were studied. Fourteen cases representing three different basic scenarios were simulated. The optimum design for each port was compared within the initial modified design (Beveled seat) and sharp-edged seat. The results show significant improvement with the optimized design over the original design.
Effect of Freezing Rate and Microwave Thawing on Texture and Microstructural Properties of Potato (Solanum tuberosum).

Food freezing is a preservation process that works by lowering temperature while simultaneously decreasing water activity. It is accepted that although freezing preserves foods, it generally has a negative effect on textural quality. This research investigated the texture response of potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) as a function of time to freeze (defined as the time for the center temperature to reach −20 °C) and thawing process. Potatoes slices (6 mm) were blanched then frozen in an ethanol/carbon dioxide bath, a pilot scale high velocity air freezer (HVAF) and a still air freezer to achieve various times to freeze. Slices were stabilized at –20 °C and thawed by 2 methods; room temperature air and microwave. Afterwards, samples were allowed to come to room temperature prior to texture profile analysis (TPA). Results indicate a maximum texture loss of the potato was reached at a time to freeze of approximately 8 min (corresponding to the HVAF). The texture difference between room temperature and microwave thawing methods was not shown to be significant (P= 0.05). SEM images showed the cellular structure of the potato in a HVAF to be similar to that of the still air freezer, validating that the matrix was maximally damaged in both conditions. This work created a continuous quality loss model for the potato as a function of time to freeze and showed no textural benefit to high velocity over still air freezing. Making sure that a freezing process is designed to create a product of target quality maximizes energy use. The research performed here shows that maximum texture loss of this particular product is achieved even under conditions that are thought to maintain texture quality of foods (high velocity air freezing). This suggests that slower (and therefore less energetically intense) freezing could achieve a product of similar quality. This research shows a predictable loss in texture quality for a single ingredient. Extending this work to other ingredients would generate a database of prediction models that would allow processors to optimize freezing conditions for blends of several different ingredients.
The role of momentum transfer during incoherent neutron scattering is explained by the energy landscape model.

We recently introduced a model of incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) that treats the neutrons as wave packets of finite length and the protein as a random walker in the free energy landscape. We call the model ELM for "energy landscape model." In ELM, the interaction of the wave packet with a proton in a protein provides the dynamic information. During the scattering event, the momentum [Formula: see text] is transferred by the wave packet to the struck proton and its moiety, exerting the force [Formula: see text] The resultant energy [Formula: see text] is stored elastically and returned to the neutron as it exits. The energy is given by [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the ambient temperature and [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] 91 K A) is a new elastobaric coefficient. Experiments yield the scattering intensity (dynamic structure factor) [Formula: see text] as a function of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] To test our model, we use published data on proteins where only thermal vibrations are active. ELM competes with the currently accepted theory, here called the spatial motion model (SMM), which explains [Formula: see text] by motions in real space. ELM is superior to SMM: It can explain the experimental angular and temperature dependence, whereas SMM cannot do so.
Racial disparities after infrainguinal bypass surgery in hemodialysis patients

Abstract Background Peripheral arterial disease poses a significant burden in the hemodialysis (HD)-dependent population. Race is a known modifier of outcomes after surgical treatment of peripheral arterial disease. A comprehensive evaluation of the effect of race on infrainguinal bypass surgery (IBS) outcomes in HD patients is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effects of race on long-term IBS outcomes in a large, nationally representative cohort of HD patients. Methods We studied all HD patients who underwent IBS between January 2007 and December 2011 in the United States Renal Disease System-Medicare matched database. Univariate methods were used to compare patients' demographic and medical characteristics. Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariable logistic, and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate long-term graft patency, limb salvage, and mortality. Results There were 9305 IBSs performed in 5188 white (56%), 3354 black (36%), and 763 Hispanic (8%) patients. Of these, 4531 (49%) were femoral-popliteal, 3173 (34%) were femoral-tibial, and 1601 (17%) were popliteal-tibial bypasses. Comparing whites vs blacks vs Hispanics, acute graft failure was 14% vs 16% vs 15% ( P = .03), with no statistical difference on multivariate analyses. Primary patency was 52% vs 45% vs 48% at 1 year and 24% vs 21% vs 26% at 4 years ( P P P P P = .001) and limb loss (aHR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.40; P P = .89) and limb loss (aHR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.94-1.23; P = .28) were found in Hispanics vs whites. All-cause mortality was lower among blacks (aHR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.60-0.71; P P Conclusions This large study confirms the presence of multidirectional racial disparities in graft durability, limb salvage, and mortality after IBS in HD patients. Black patients had lower graft patency and higher limb loss than white and Hispanic patients, whereas perioperative and long-term mortality was higher in white patients. These results should inform further granular root cause analyses and subsequent action to eliminate these disparities.
Can Blockchain Strengthen the Internet of Things

This column evaluates blockchain’s roles in strengthening security in the Internet of Things (IoT). Key underlying mechanisms related to the blockchain–IoT security nexus are covered. From a security standpoint, the article highlights how blockchain-based solutions could be, in many aspects, superior to the current IoT ecosystem, which relies mainly on centralized cloud servers. Using practical applications and real-world examples, the article argues that blockchain’s decentralized nature is likely to result in a low susceptibility to manipulation and forgery by malicious participants. Special consideration is given to how blockchain-based identity and access management systems can address some of the key challenges associated with IoT security. The column provides a detailed analysis and description of blockchain’s roles in tracking the sources of insecurity in supply chains related to IoT devices. Using blockchain, it is also possible to contain an IoT security breach in a targeted way after it is discovered. The column also discusses and evaluates initiatives of organizations, interorganizational networks, and industries on the frontlines of blockchain.
Checking in: T cells against multiple myeloma.

In this issue of Blood, Badros et al bring the checkpoint inhibitor wave to multiple myeloma (MM), presenting clinical evidence supporting a role for T-cell–mediated immunity in controlling myeloma plasma cells.1
Multiscale Kinetic Modeling Reveals an Ensemble of Cl-/H+ Exchange Pathways in ClC-ec1 Antiporter.

Despite several years of research, the ion exchange mechanisms in chloride/proton antiporters and many other coupled transporters are not yet understood at the molecular level. Here, we present a novel approach to kinetic modeling and apply it to ion exchange in ClC-ec1. Our multiscale kinetic model is developed by (1) calculating the state-to-state rate coefficients with reactive and polarizable molecular dynamics simulations, (2) optimizing these rates in a global kinetic network, and (3) predicting new electrophysiological results. The model shows that the robust Cl:H exchange ratio (2.2:1) can indeed arise from kinetic coupling without large protein conformational changes, indicating a possible facile evolutionary connection to chloride channels. The E148 amino acid residue is shown to couple chloride and proton transport through protonation-dependent blockage of the central anion binding site and an anion-dependent pKa value, which influences proton transport. The results demonstrate how an ensemble ...
Sources of parental hope in pediatric oncology.

Background Hope is a multidimensional concept that is important for all parents of children with cancer. However, most work has focused on advanced cancer and poor prognoses. We examined hopes of all parents of children with cancer longitudinally during the first year of treatment. Procedure Prospective, longitudinal, questionnaire-based cohort study of parents and physicians of children with cancer at two academic pediatric hospitals. Parents reported on general sense of hopefulness and specific hopes at time of diagnosis (N = 374); a subset of parents (N = 164) were followed longitudinally at 4 and 12 months. Results Fifty-five percent of parents (N = 206/374) reported being extremely hopeful in general at baseline. Hopefulness did not significantly change over time, and most parents (51-58%) reported being extremely hopeful regardless of prognosis (P = 0.66). Most parents (N = 327/356) considered hope for cure to be an extremely important source of hope; most also reported hope that the child would feel loved (N = 328/356), that the child would have the best possible quality of life (N = 316/356), and that they would always do all they could for the child (N = 300/356). Hope for cure was slightly lower among parents of children with less than a 50% chance of cure at baseline (N = 53/63) when compared to those with better prognoses (moderately likely cure, N = 76/78; very likely cure, N = 198/215) (P = 0.02). Conclusions Many hopes contribute to parental hopefulness, not just hope for cure. This hopefulness persists over time, even when the prognosis is poor. Clinicians should focus on supporting the myriad hopes that contribute to overall hopefulness.
Understanding and Managing IT Power Consumption: A Measurement-Based Approach

The continuing, unsustainable increase in datacenter power consumption is causing researchers in industry and academia to be heavily invested in addressing power management challenges. This chapter presents the basic elements of a measurement-based approach toward managing distributed datacenter and cloud computing systems to meet both application and end-user needs and to obtain improved efficiency and sustainability in their operation. The main components of the approach presented include (1) continuous online monitoring, measurement and assessment of systems and applications behaviors and power consumption, including for online estimation of the power usage of virtual machines running application components in these virtualized systems; (2) the ability to perform these tasks efficiently at scale, so as to deal with the ever-increasing sizes and complexity of modern datacenter infrastructures; and (3) the importance of “coordinated” management methods that operate across multiple levels of abstraction and multiple layers of the management stack in an orchestrated manner.
Semi Parametric Estimation of the Incubation Period of AIDS

The incubation period distribution of AIDS is estimated from the grouped bivariate data which arises from a prevalent cohort study. A penalised likelihood approach is used to obtain smooth estimates of the incubation period distribution. We also examine how the individuals age at HIV infection and changes in the incubation period can be incorporated into the analysis.
On-Line Parameter Control of Nonlinear Flexible Structures

The use of passive auxiliary mass dampers [1], in which a relatively small auxiliary mass is attached to the primary system by a resilient element, to attenuate the response of oscillating systems has long been a standard method for vibration control. The dynamic vibration neutralizer (DVN), also known as the Frahm damper, is a leading member of the sub-class of linear dampers. Its principle of operation relies on the “tuning” of the auxiliary mass so that under steady-state conditions it will generate an opposing force capable of appreciably neutralizing the motion of the primary system. Another member of this group of devices is the Lanchester damper which relies exclusively on mechanical energy dissipation obtained by making the coupling resilient element consist solely of a viscous dashpot.
Expectations versus effects regarding police surveillance cameras in a municipal park

Surveillance cameras have become a popular response to crime and disorder in urban parks. The literature regarding park surveillance cameras however is sparse and few have examined the impact of park surveillance cameras. This research study examined a five camera police department network in a southern US municipal park. The study measured pre- and post-camera effects on reported crime, calls for service, and park visitor perceptions. Analysis determined that although the surveillance cameras had minimal impact on crime or disorder they were related to park visitor perceptions of the park. A camera surveilled park was seen more positively following police camera installation even though perceptions of the effectiveness of surveillance cameras decreased.
Tell Them We Are Rising

Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities is the first documentary to chronicle the history and influence of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) within t...
No-Shows in Adult Urology Outpatient Clinics: Economic and Operational Implications

AbstractIntroduction:We analyzed trends and explored implications of no-show rates in adult urology from provider related characteristics at an academic program.Methods:No-show rates were determine...
A Furosemide Excretion Stress Test Predicts Mortality in Mice After Sepsis and Outperforms the Furosemide Stress Test During Vasopressin Administration.

Objectives The furosemide stress test measures the volume of urine produced after a furosemide challenge. Furosemide stress test has previously demonstrated sensitive and specific prediction of progression to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes guideline defined acute kidney injury stage III in the ICU. Furosemide is actively excreted into the nephron lumen where it inhibits the sodium-potassium-chloride cotransporter, causing diuresis. We hypothesize that furosemide excretion is a more direct measure of tubule health than diuresis. Design We developed a furosemide excretion stress test to evaluate this hypothesis in a murine model of septic-acute kidney injury. Setting Basic science laboratory. Subjects Male and female 8-week old CD-1 mice. Interventions Sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture in male and female mice. Furosemide stress test/furosemide excretion stress test started 42 hours post-cecal ligation and puncture with a 1 mg/kg furosemide bolus and urine was collected for 12 hours. The mice were then euthanized or monitored until 7 days post-cecal ligation and puncture. In another cohort, mice were treated with vasopressin, which decreases urine volume. Furosemide concentration was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Measurements and main results Urine production during the 12-hour collection varied from 0.08 to 2.62 mL. Both urine production (furosemide stress test) and furosemide excretion (furosemide excretion stress test) predicted mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.925 and 0.916) and time of death (R 2 = 0.26 and 0.74). Male and female mice demonstrated consistent results. Following vasopressin treatment, furosemide stress test specificity fell to 33% (p = 0.016) but furosemide excretion stress test specificity was maintained. Conclusions The furosemide stress test and furosemide excretion stress test performed similarly in predicting mortality; however, furosemide excretion stress test was superior in predicting time to death and maintained performance when challenged with vasopressin treatment in a mouse sepsis model.
"We Don't Got Time for Grumbling": Toward an Ethic of Radical Care in Urban School Leadership.

Purpose: This article presents a case study of a successful Black male public urban school principal, offering a counterstory to discourses of failure in urban schools. I build on scholars’ work in...
The competence that satisfy us: agribusiness and airlines business management cases

The airline is one of the highly intense competition, in the meantime it is the most vulnerable industry to external environment.Importantly, the service quality is remarkably affecting to the customer’s preference choosing to fly. This study aims to assess the competencies of ground service agent that affecting passenger’s satisfaction. The quantitative method was applied. The descriptive statistic, factor analysis, multiple regression, and structural equation modelling were administered. The data collected by using questionnaires from 800 passengers. The sample group divided into two groups including 400 passengers who use low-cost airline, and 400 passengers who use full-service airline operating in Thailand. The results found that the most prefer competencies from the passenger are understanding the cultural diversity with continuous learning to achieving the career path, having service-oriented mind with ethics and morals, and having a good social interaction and teamwork.
O-026 Real world evidence for acute stroke thrombectomy in the united states from the neurovascular quality initiative-quality outcomes database

Background and Purpose Multiple randomized controlled trials demonstrated the significant clinical benefit of endovascular stroke thrombectomy in anterior circulation large vessel occlusions (LVO) within 6 hours. More recent trials have shown the benefit to extend up to 24 hours with advanced imaging selection. We aim to present real-world evidence for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) practiced in the United States using the Neurovascular Quality Initiative (NVQI) registry. Methods Data from the NVQI registry was analyzed for anterior circulation acute ischemic strokes treated with EVT in 23 US centers (17 states) from Feb 2015 to Oct 2019. Results Anterior circulation EVT was performed in 90.5% (2808/3103 patients). LVO sites were most common in the MCA (74%) vs. the ICA (25% cervical and/or terminus) with few isolated ACA occlusions (1%). Mean age at intervention was 68.8 ± 15.4 (48.6% male) presenting with a mean NIHSS of 15.8 ± 6.8. ASPECTS was reported in 69.2% of cases with only 47.9% presenting with ASPECTS≥7. CT/CTA was performed in 94% of cases whereas MRI/MRA was limited to 14%. The median arrival to groin puncture time was 87 min, onset to groin time was 291 min, and procedure time was 33 min. 43.1% of patients received IV rtPA. 84% of cases were successfully treated (TICI 2b/3 reperfusion), 45% reported single pass successful recanalization, with 3.9% technical failures (2.3% access related). Intraprocedural complications were reported in 4.6% of cases (0.4% vessel perforations, 0.5% hemorrhagic transformations, 1.1% non-target embolization, and 1.2% iatrogenic dissections). Mean post-operative length of stay was 8.5±11.4 days, with 11.2% in-hospital mortality. 90 day follow-up mRS was reported in 67.5% of cases with mRS≤2 achieved in 37.3% and 90-day mortality reported in only 1.3% of cases. Missing data were most common in technical failure, intraprocedural complications, and 90-day mRS amounting to 13.5%, 15.3% and 32.5% of cases, respectively. Conclusion Stroke thrombectomy practices, procedural metrics, and outcomes from the NVQI registry mirrors the findings from the HERMES meta-analysis confirming the real-world practice and evidence for EVT in the US. Stricter quality reporting guidelines, improving clinical follow up, and the potential for automated imaging data adjudication will transition quality reporting infrastructures to be utilized for regulatory device monitoring, expanding indications, clinical trials, and value-based reimbursements. Disclosures R. Abdalla: None. D. Cantrell: None. M. Potts: None. B. Jahromi: None. A. Shaibani: None. M. Hurley: None. S. Ansari: None.
Business ethics for a global society: Howard Bowen’s legacy and the foundations of United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

This article builds on Howard R. Bowen’s seminal treatise “Social Responsibilities of the Businessman” to portray how Bowen’s 11 Economic Goals for responsible business practice are visionary and r...
0109 Do anti-bullying laws work? A 26 year analysis of laws in the United States

Statement of purpose Although all 50 states have enacted anti-bullying legislation, research is limited on the effectiveness of these laws. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether these laws prevent bullying and other forms of youth violence. Methods/Approach We linked 1991–2017 student-level reports of youth violence collected through the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) with 1999–2017 data on codified anti-bullying policies and their amendments developed by the Public Health Law Research Center (Temple University). We employed survey-weighted logistic regression models that examined time-varying state policies to compare the annual rates at which bullying and physical fighting change over time in states with and without anti-bullying policies. The effects of specific policy components (e.g., definitions, scope, funding, training) were also individually assessed. We additionally examined one-, two-, and three- year lagged effects. Results We observed a modestly more rapid reduction over time in the occurrences of physical fighting at school within states that enacted anti-bullying policies relative to those that did not (Ratio of Odds Ratios (ROR): 0.971, 95% CI: (0.965, 0.977)), which corresponded to a predicted 2600 fewer physical fights per million students. However, we did not observe comparable protective effects for bullying. Results for lagged effects were similar in magnitude. Effect sizes for individual policy components ranged from ROR = 0.952 to ROR = 1.035 among models corresponding to physical fighting, and ROR = 0.974 to ROR = 1.022 among those corresponding to bullying. Policies that enforced training for prevention programs had the strongest protective effect for physical fighting (ROR=0.952). Conclusion Although anti-bullying policies overall have modest impacts on school violence, these effects are associated with reduced burden at a population-level. Policy makers may want to focus on individual components, such as requiring training for prevention programs, which may play a larger role in reducing violence outcomes.