cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Successful Meropenem Desensitization in a Patient with Cystic Fibrosis

ObjectiveTo report a case of successful meropenem desensitization in a patient with cystic fibrosis (CF) with documented hypersensitivity to multiple antibiotics including carbapenems.Case SummaryA 20-year-old white man with CF was admitted to the hospital for treatment of an acute pulmonary exacerbation caused by multidrug-resistant Burkholderia cepacia complex and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Past treatments of his CF exacerbations were complicated by urticarial eruptions following administration of β-lactams, including meropenem, and ototoxicity from aminoglycosides. Skin testing revealed hypersensitivity reactions to β-lactam antibiotics including penicillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftazidime, and imipenem. A literature review (MEDLINE, January 3, 2002) and communication with the manufacturer of meropenem revealed no specific information on desensitizing patients to this agent. Because of meropenem's activity against B. cepacia complex alone and in combination with other anti...
Automatic generation of optimized 3-axis NC programs using boundary files

A method for automatic generation of optimized 3-axis nc programs for pocketing operations is described that relies on the use of boundary files for geometric and topological information about the workpiece. A boundary file of the part is first created by a solids modeller and then input to the system along with machining parameters. After the user indicates those areas of the part to be machined, a cutter path of minimum length is generated consisting of two cut-sequences: a rough-cut and a finishing-cut. To implement the procedure, an APT code generator has been developed and tested on several parts.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in a Nutshell

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is comprehensive reform and by virtue of its comprehensiveness can be cumbersome to read and understand. This short piece is a succinct and irreverent glance at PPACA. The piece starts with a question and ends with the same question: Will PPACA break the iron triangle?
Progesterone withdrawal up-regulates fibronectin and integrins during menstruation and repair in the rhesus macaque endometrium

BACKGROUND Fibronectin (FN) is a component of the extracellular matrix that participates in wound healing in various tissues as an adhesive ligand for integrins (Itgs). To determine whether these molecules play similar roles during menstrual repair, we evaluated the expression and localization of FN and specific Itgs in the primate endometrium under hormonally controlled conditions. METHODS Ovariectomized rhesus macaques were treated for 2 weeks with estradiol (E(2)) followed by E(2) with progesterone for 2 weeks. On day 28, progesterone was withdrawn and uteri were collected during menstruation, postmenstrual repair, and the proliferative and secretory phases. Analysis was by focused microarray, real time PCR, in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. RESULTS Progesterone withdrawal induced significant elevations of FN, Itg alpha5 and Itg beta1 transcripts during menstruation as compared to day 28 (FN: P < 0.01; Itg alpha5: P < 0.05; Itg beta1: P < 0.05; real time PCR). These increases were concentrated in the glandular epithelium (FN) and stroma (Itg alpha5beta1) of the uppermost zones. Cyclic changes in Itg alpha3 occurred in the glandular epithelium. CONCLUSIONS Spatially and temporally restricted peaks of expression of FN and its Itg receptors are closely correllated with menstruation and postmenstrual repair in the primate endometrium.
Leon Thal's vision for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease

During many informal and formal discussions with Leon Thal during the 5 years before his untimely passing, I came to appreciate his broad strategic vision and analysis of the specific steps necessary to achieve this long-range goal. Like Leon, I am used to writing grants and papers in an “outline style.” Thus, the major elements of Leon's vision are described below: But make no mistake, Leon never saw the field of Alzheimer's research as a series of compartmentalized bits. He saw this field as a tapestry with many threads, all of which contribute to the ultimate final result: prevention of Alzheimer's disease (AD).
The cellular lethality of radiation-induced chromosome translocations in human lymphocytes.

Abstract Gardner, S. N. and Tucker, J. D. The Cellular Lethality of Radiation-Induced Chromosome Translocations in Human Lymphocytes. Radiat. Res. 157, 539–552 (2002). Recent evidence has shown that translocation frequencies decline over time. This phenomenon might be explained by the co-occurrence of translocations in cells that also contain dicentrics, in which case translocations would be eliminated as a by-product of selection against dicentrics. Alternatively, a fraction of translocations may themselves be lethal. Here we describe our initial approaches to develop mathematical models to test whether the decline in translocation frequencies results from the first, the second, or a combination of these two possibilities. The models assumed that all chromosome exchanges were simple, i.e., were comprised of dicentrics as well as one-way and two-way translocations. Complex aberrations (three or more breaks in two or more chromosomes) were not modeled, nor were fragments or intrachromosomal exchanges (ring...
Interfacial Energetics in Metal-Metal, Metal-Ceramic, Metal-Semiconductor, and Related Solid-Solid and Liquid-Solid Systems

Several years ago when some of the topics to be discussed were first presented; it was pointed out that there had been very few measurements of the so-called work of adhesion or adhesive energy in any practical, technologically important systems, and almost no attempts to measure this property over a range of temperatures for specific metal-ceramic or related systems (Murr, 1978). The same is still true even though films and coatings, composites, complex laminates, and similar solid-solid and even solid-liquid systems are becoming increasingly and technologically more important; viz. electronics, solar materials applications, etc. Measurement of the work of adhesion can also provide some basis for understanding the macroscopic changes in friction and wear properties, e. g. the Co-cemented WC hard composites (Hartley, 1979).
Use of the Fraunhofer Line Discriminator (FLD) for Remote Sensing of Materials Stimulated to Luminesce by the Sun

Luminescence has been little used as a remote sensing tool in mineral exploration because artificial excitation sources are relatively low powered. Their effective range is on the order of a meter for hand-carried ultraviolet lamps, a few tens-of-meters for cathode-ray systems, and a few hundred meters for laser systems. The work must be performed at night with hand-carried lamps and cathode-ray systems in order to avoid obscuring the low intensity luminescence by bright sunlight. Luminescence stimulated by laser sources may be measured in daylight, but the luminescence signal at visible and near-visible wavelengths must compete with reflected daylight and background luminescence stimulated by the Sun.
Linear dependence of muscle phosphocreatine kinetics on oxidative capacity

The influence of muscle oxidative capacity on phosphocreatine (PCr) changes during and after stimulation was examined in the superficial (fast-twitch) section of rat gastrocnemius muscles. Muscle mitochondrial enzymes were increased in one group of rats by 8-10 wk of training on a running wheel (to a final regimen of 50 min/day at 38 m/min, 5 days/wk) and decreased in another group by chemical thyroidectomy [0.025% methimazole (MMI) in drinking water for 8 wk]. After these treatments, muscle citrate synthase activity was 179 and 29%, respectively, of that in corresponding control groups. Muscle PCr and pH were measured by 31P-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy before, during, and after 8 min of isometric twitch stimulation at 0.33 Hz (MMI) or 0.75 Hz (trained) and 2 Hz. There was a significant linear correlation (r = 0.84, P < 0.01) between the rate constant for PCr recovery after submaximal stimulation (0.33 or 0.75 Hz) and citrate synthase activity. Within the control groups, there was a significant correlation (r = 0.72, P < 0.01) between the rate constant for PCr recovery and intracellular pH at the end of stimulation. The results are quantitatively consistent with linear/quasilinear models of respiratory control by the cytoplasmic free energy of ATP hydrolysis but not with respiratory control by cytoplasmic ADP.
Morphological Modeling for Machine Translation of English-Iraqi Arabic Spoken Dialogs

This paper addresses the problem of morphological modeling in statistical speech-tospeech translation for English to Iraqi Arabic. An analysis of user data from a real-time MT-based dialog system showed that generating correct verbal inflections is a key problem for this language pair. We approach this problem by enriching the training data with morphological information derived from sourceside dependency parses. We analyze the performance of several parsers as well as the effect on different types of translation models. Our method achieves an improvement of more than a full BLEU point and a significant increase in verbal inflection accuracy; at the same time, it is computationally inexpensive and does not rely on target-language linguistic tools.
Effect of Ripeness and Location of Papaya Fruits on the Parasitization Rates of Oriental Fruit Fly and Melon Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) by Braconid (Hymenoptera) Parasitoids

Parasitization rates of eggs of oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, by Biosteres arisanus (Sonan), and larvae of melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett. by Psytallia fletcheri (Silvestri) in mature green to fully ripe papaya fruits on trees and in fully ripe fruits on the ground was studied. Parasitization of oriental fruit fly eggs by B. arisanus was greater in fully ripe fruits than in one-quarter to half-ripe fruits on trees; B. arisanus never parasitized oriental fruit fly eggs in mature green to color-break fruits. No difference was observed in the density of emergent B. arisanus adults from oriental fruit fly pupae recovered from fully ripe fruits on trees and on the ground. Parasitization of melon fly larvae by P. fletcheri was observed in only one fully ripe, fallen fruit. Results in relation to the effect of host plants on the foraging behavior of adult parasitoids and to the biological control of oriental fruit fly and melon fly in an agricultural ecosystem were discussed.
The Spacecraft Charging and Instrument Calibration Laboratory: A New Frontier in American Spacecraft Charging R&D

The Spacecraft Charging and Instrument Calibration Laboratory (SCICL) is in the process of being activated at Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque, NM. SCICL will be a comprehensive one-stop shop for testing R&D spacecraft solar array coupons, novel materials, dielectric charging, and modeling of spacecraft effects from said materials. Space solar cell array coupons will be tested with ISO standard 11221 in both LEO and GEO conditions. The test system includes the ability to mount probes on up to four axes of motion to generate the best characterization of the sample surface potential and environment potential with both electrostatic probes and plasma probes. Electron guns of up to 100keV, a Strontium-90 source, or plasma sources will reproduce the charging environment. SCICL will also be capable of determining material properties as a function of temperature throughout the life of a spacecraft through accelerated aging of representative coupons, and will eventually be able to determine charge distribution in dielectrics through Pulsed Electro Acoustic methods. Data from tests will be used to develop new models of material properties as a function of time, which can be input into modeling codes. Additionally, SCICL will retain the heritage it brings from Hanscom AFB by continuing to calibrate spaceflight electrostatic analyzers in a single facility for both electrons and ions at energies up to 50kV.
Abstract B47: Therapeutic KRAS silencing in lung and colon cancer models

Introduction: Despite being amongst the most common oncogenes in human cancer, to date there are no effective clinical options for inhibiting KRAS activity. We investigated whether systemically delivered KRAS siRNAs using biocompatible nanoparticles has therapeutic potential in KRAS mutated lung and colorectal cancer models. Methods: We identified two KRAS siRNA sequences with notable potency in knocking-down KRAS expression independent of nucleotide substitution. Using human lung (A549; KRASG12S) and colon (HCP1; KRASG12D) adenocarcinoma cell lines, we assessed anti-proliferative effects of KRAS silencing with MTT assays in vitro. For in vivo experiments, we used a nano-liposomal delivery platform, DOPC, for systemic delivery of siRNAs. We used luciferase-labeled A549 cells to create an orthotopic lung cancer model in athymic nude mice. One week after cell injection, we began weekly IVIS imaging and treatments to assess efficacy of systemic KRAS siRNA with and without cisplatin (CDDP) chemotherapy. Proliferation and apoptosis indices were assessed using Ki-67 and caspase-3 IHC, respectively. Using a patient-derived xenograft colon cancer cell line, HCP1, we performed several in vivo experiments to assess KRAS siRNA effects on down-stream signaling, primary tumor growth, and experimental metastasis. Results: For both KRAS siRNA sequences, greater than 90% knock-down of KRAS was observed by western blot; ∼40-60% reductions in cell viability was observed in both A549 and HCP1 (p Discussion: Our studies demonstrate a proof-of-concept approach to therapeutic KRAS targeting using nanoparticle delivery of siRNA. This study highlights the potential translational impact of therapeutic RNA interference, which may have broad applications in oncology, especially for traditional “undruggable” targets. Citation Format: Chad Pecot, Sherry Wu, Seth Bellister, Rajat Bhattacharya, Anshumaan Maharaj, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Vianey Gonzalez-Villasana, Rajesha Rupaimoole, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, Lee M. Ellis, Anil Sood. Therapeutic KRAS silencing in lung and colon cancer models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on RAS Oncogenes: From Biology to Therapy; Feb 24-27, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2014;12(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B47. doi: 10.1158/1557-3125.RASONC14-B47
How Do You Learn from a River? Managing Uncertainty in Species Conservation Policy

This article reviews the Columbia River's experience with species recovery, highlighting efforts by scientists, government agencies and others to develop conservation policy in the face of uncertainty. The article describes the organizational learning techniques the parties have used, particularly adaptive management, and also illustrates the elusiveness of quick or clear answers. The article concludes that species conservation policy in the Columbia River has so far been unable to develop an integrated, large-scale approach to learning, but has made progress with smaller-scale applied research, collaborative modeling, independent scientific advice and ecological synthesis. The article also calls into question the notion that these techniques lead to easier policy choices, however.
Breeding and Application of New Japonica Restorer Line C52 of Straight Panicle Type

C52,developed by the North Japonica Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center,is a new straight-panicle-type japonica restorer line.It is characterized by big panicle,high combining ability,strong restoring ability,good grain quality,strong disease resistance and high seed-production yield.Liaoyou 1052 is one of the F1 hybrids of C52,and it is characterized by high yield and good disease resistant ability.Liaoyou 1052 was approved by the Crop Variety Appraisal Committee of Liaoning Province in 2004.The methods and approaches in breeding of restorer lines of north japonica hybrid rice are discussed.
Pediatric Brain Tumors

Pediatric brain tumors are the most common solid tumor and the second most common neoplasm in childhood. Diagnosis is made by CT scan and MR imaging. Treatment includes surgery followed by observation, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. A multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of these children is necessary with nurses and nurse practitioners as the consistent members of the team coordinating care.
Common shoulder problems: A "hands-on" approach

The shoulder is difficult to examine because the causes of pathology are poorly understood, access to the affected area is restricted, pain patterns can overlap, and many shoulder tests are not specific. Key factors in the evaluation are the timing of symptom onset and the nature of the patient's complaint (pain, weakness, or loss of motion). Compare the affected and unaffected shoulders, and conduct a neurologic evaluation, including a brief sensory examination of the whole upper extremity, range of motion assessment, and strength testing. The initial imaging studies should be plain radiographs. The most important tests in the examination of patients for rotator cuff problems are those of strength and motion. A subacromial injection may be used to distinguish the pain of a stiff shoulder from that of a rotator cuff disorder.
Controlled Drug Release from Monolithic Systems

Controlled drug release from monolithic systems can be achieved by diffusion, swelling, or erosion. In diffusion-controlled systems the drug is dissolved or dispersed in a polymer matrix and allowed to diffuse from the monolith. In swelling-controlled systems the drug is immobilized in a glassy, hydrophilic polymer and is released as a swelling front moves into the matrix. In chemically controlled systems, rate of drug release is controlled by a combination of diffusion and erosion or in special cases, by erosion alone.
Splenic sea-blue (ceroid) histiocytosis due to hypertriglyceridemia: Report of a case and review of literature

Abstract Sea-blue histiocytosis is a rare condition that can be often identified in bone marrow, spleen, liver as well as other organs. It can be frequently detected in bone marrow of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms as well as non-neoplastic conditions such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. In this study, we report pathologic findings in a case of sea-blue histiocytosis of spleen in a patient who presented with abdominal pain and elevated triglycerides. The sea-blue histiocytosis was identified as an unexpected finding in this previously healthy individual. This case illustrates the necessity of good communication between clinicians and pathologists for the identification and treatment of the underlying lipid disorders. The prior cases of sea-blue histiocytosis reported in English literature are reviewed and the differential diagnoses are discussed.
The Media of Power, the Power of Media

This essay combines international political economy with a critical political economy of media perspective that recognizes the crucial role of transnational media corporations ( TNMC ) in building consent for neoliberal globalization. Media are found to be instrumental for consolidating transnational capitalist hegemony—creating a popular culture based on individualism, deference to authority, and consumerism. TNMC s consolidate diverse national media for the production of hybrid programming that features multiple local images and symbols wrapped in consumerist ideology and narratives. Examples from animation reveal consistent themes in TNMC content that entertain and appeal to diverse audiences, illustrating media’s persuasive messages essential to the cultural hegemony of transnational capitalist leadership.
Cooperative Learning: A Basic Instructional Methodology for Global Science Literacy

The development and implementation of GSL curricula in countries around the world could potentially have a positive impact on citizens’ worldviews and understanding of other cultures. Citizens exposed to such curricula should be able to engage more effectively in a world approaching globalization through politics and commerce. Importantly for the desired outcomes of GSL, those who have internalized the curricula should see Earth's environment as one without borders. They should see the need for working together for the common goal of a sustaining and sustainable environment.
Hurricane Winds for Design Along the New England Coast

Description of hurricanes during past 25 yr and of resulting damages; detailed estimates of wind fields that existed in these hurricanes lead to some reasonable judgments as to severity of hurricanes that might be expected in future.
Framework design for weight-average molecular weight control in semi-batch polymerization

Abstract A framework that embraces a state-of-the-art sensor, multi-objective dynamic optimization, nonlinear state estimation and control, is designed and implemented to achieve target weight-average molecular weight trajectories. The Automatic Continuous Online Monitoring of Polymerization reactions (ACOMP) is combined for the first time with a nonlinear state observer for full polymer characterization and signal processing. A hybrid variation of the discrete-time extended Kalman filter ( h -DEKF) is formulated based on an auto-tuning procedure that uses a stochastic global optimization technique. A number of optimal policies are generated and experimentally tested. Results are provided through investigations into the free-radical aqueous polymerization of acrylamide using potassium persulfate as initiator.
Numerical Investigation of Thermal Transport in Confined Single and Multiple Jet Impingements Through Porous Filled Non-Uniform Cross Section Channels

Thermal management has an important role in the development of advanced electronics devices to keep the temperature below a maximum operating temperature. Some of the main electronics cooling techniques include indirect liquid cooling, natural convection plus radiation, forced air convection, and immersion cooling. Jet impingement can provide a high efficiency cooling for a variety of applications including electronics cooling. On the other hand, the utilization of porous inserts can improve the cooling effectiveness and temperature control. The porous substrate provides a very large surface area for a given volume that is a key parameter in heat transfer process. Metal foam is a type of porous material in which an interconnected system of metal filaments provides a light and high conductive substrate. In this work, single and multiple jet impingements through high conductive porous filled non-uniform channels (with inclined walls) have been simulated numerically. The base of the porous filled non-uniform channel will be in contact with the devices to be cooled; as such the base is subjected to high heat flux leaving the devices. This study indicates the importance of the channel inclined walls on the cooling effectiveness and temperature uniformity of the devices to be cooled. The effect of different heat flux values on the temperature distribution on the base is also studied. In addition, cooling performance of single jet impingement has been compared with that of multiple jet impingement for a variety of inlet channel designs. In the multiple jet impingement cases, the effect of different parameters including the thickness of the impingement jet inlet channels, their location and orientation are investigated and temperature distribution and uniformity are compared with those of single jet impingement.
Advanced BWR criticality safety part I: Model development, model benchmarking, and depletion with uncertainty analysis

Abstract Due to the increased amounts of BWR spent fuel that will need to be transported and stored, additional research is needed in the area of BWR criticality safety and burnup credit. This study performs an advanced depletion analysis for a BWR lattice capturing various BWR operating complexities simultaneously. This is done to address the compounding effects of these complexities on lattice reactivity, k ∞ uncertainty, and isotopic inventory. A set of BWR lattice models is developed with evolving complexity, these complexities include presence of a gadolinium absorber, control rod modeling, variable radial enrichment, a nonuniform axial burnup profile, non-uniform axial coolant density, control rod partial insertion, variable axial enrichment, part-length rods, and control rod movement during operation. These models have been developed rigorously and benchmarked using different codes to ensure modeling accuracy. The lattice configuration, coolant density profile, control blade history, and other operating data were based on real-world data collected from literature. It was found that averaging radial enrichment had minimal impact on the k ∞ value and reactivity peak location. The effect of axial burnup and coolant density profiles was significant on the time of peak reactivity, making the lattice reaching the peak reactivity earlier in cycle. The 3D models show slower U-235 and Gd-155 depletion compared to the 2D cases, making the 3D lattices less reactive in general. The k ∞ uncertainty for the studied design is driven by the uncertainties of U-235, U-238, Gd-155, and Gd-157 at beginning of cycle, these are replaced later by plutonium isotopes after depletion. The effect of variable axial enrichment and part-length rods showed a significant impact on U-235 and Gd-155 depletion, making those design complexities important for criticality safety considerations. It was found that BWR modeling require many complexities which make the depletion calculations very expensive even for a single lattice. Furthermore, this adds more difficulty on the brute-force sampling-based uncertainty analysis.
Abstract TP15: Percutaneous Transcarotid Puncture is a Viable Alternative for Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With Difficult Vascular Access

Introduction: Although endovascular thrombectomy is a highly effective treatment for patients with large-vessel occlusion stroke, the procedure can be prolonged, or even impossible, due to difficul...
Affinity selection and sequencing.

Powerful combinatorial peptide library methods allow the discovery of peptide leads from diverse libraries. A new platform based on tandem mass spectrometry peptide sequencing coupled with high-performance size-exclusion chromatography enables identification of high-affinity peptidic ligands from focused libraries.
Abstract P6-17-18: Pathologic complete response (pCR) in locally advanced HER2+ (HER2+) breast cancer (BC) treated with anthracycline-free neoadjuvant therapy

Background: Response to neoadjuvant therapy is a predictor of progression-free and overall survival in HER2+. To decrease treatment associated toxicities in patients with HER2+ breast cancers we utilized a non-anthracycline regimen with pertuzumab (pert), trastuzumab (trast), and nab-paclitaxel (nab). Pre- neoadjuvant therapy biopsies were procured to evaluated possible biological predictors of pathologic complete response (pCR). Methods: Women with locally advanced HER2 positive breast cancers were recruited from our breast cancer clinics. After obtaining informed consent for this IRB-approved trial, patients were treated with 6 cycles of pertuzumab (day 1 every 21 days [d]), and weekly trastuzumab 2 mg/kg with and nab-paclitaxel 100 mg/m2. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) or frozen biopsies pre-NT and post-NT were collected, along with blood samples at pre-treatment, and at the end of study for correlative analysis. Results: Accrual is complete, with 42 of the 45 HER2+ patients assessed for pCR rate (3 too early to evaluate). The median age was 54 yrs (range 31-77 years). 12 patients were stage 3, 26 stage 2, and 1 stage 1 patient. The pCR rate was 64.2% (27/42), with 73.7% (14/19) in ER/PR negative patients and 56.5% (13/23) in ER/PR positive patients. The initial primary tumor size was similar for in those who achieved pCR and non-pCR patients (mean 4.1 cm vs 3.2 cm, respectively). Most patients required dose modifications. Grade 3 AEs reported included 6 patients with hypertension, 3 patients with hematological AEs, 3 patients with elevated LFTs, and 2 patients with diarrhea. Conclusions: This anthracycline-free regimen in HER2+ BC can achieve promising pCR response rates, with toxicities well-managed with dose modifications. Results of correlative analysis will be presented. Citation Format: Somlo G, Waisman J, Yuan Y, Kruper L, Frankel P, Jones V, Lusi T, Schmolze D, Yim J, Hurria A, Mortimer J. Pathologic complete response (pCR) in locally advanced HER2+ (HER2+) breast cancer (BC) treated with anthracycline-free neoadjuvant therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-17-18.
Best Practices for Resection of Diminutive and Small Polyps in the Colorectum

Diminutive colorectal lesions are polyps and flat lesions 1 to 5 mm in size, and small are 6 to 9 mm in size. The best resection method is the cold snare. Cold forceps are acceptable for 1- to 3-mm lesions, but should not be used to piecemeal polyps. Cold snaring has few complications and is more effective than cold forceps for 4- to 5-mm polyps and as effective and more efficient than hot snaring for 6- to 9-mm polyps.
Reduced Multilevel Converter: A Novel Back-to-Back Converter with Reduced Switch Count

Multilevel converters have many advantages in power electronics. This paper presents a novel topology of multilevel converter based on flying capacitors that allows to increase the number of output voltage levels reducing the numbers of semiconductors necessary to generate the desired output voltage. The proposed multilevel converter called Reduced Multilevel Converter (RMC) is an attractive choice as it can generate high quality output waveforms and reach high power levels. In this work, the multilevel converter with reduced number of neccesary componentes in a back-to-back configuration is studied to connect an induction machine and the grid.
Therapeutic targets in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract Therapeutic goals in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have evolved with the introduction of biologic therapies. These medications have demonstrated that resolution of mucosal inflammation was feasible. Mucosal healing has been associated with fewer complications and better patient outcomes. Hence, symptomatic control, which was considered the primary treatment goal, is no longer sufficient. Mucosal healing is now the principal target. Several biomarkers of inflammation have been studied, including C-reactive protein and fecal calprotectin. Although they are helpful in monitoring disease activity, they are still not considered therapeutic targets at this time. Ongoing research is evaluating new biomarkers as potential future targets. Resolution of histological inflammation has also been associated with better outcomes, however, the evidence is limited and the definition of histologic healing is still not clear. Ultimately, restoring quality of life is essential. In recognition of the patient's goals in wellness, patient reported outcomes are part of the therapeutic goals. When combined with mucosal healing endpoints, patient reported outcomes serve as a composite endpoint in IBD clinical trials and now patient care.
Rare-region onset of superconductivity in niobium nanoislands

We report measurements of the superconducting properties of isolated Nb nanoislands (600--2500 nm diameters) and explain their unusual behavior in terms of rare-region onset effects, predicted for random metal-superconductor granular systems [B. Spivak, P. Oreto, and S. A. Kivelson, Phys. Rev. B 77, 214523 (2008)]. We find that the island ${T}_{c}$ is strongly suppressed even at large island diameters, exceeding 1 \ensuremath{\mu}m. This behavior is unexpected given that conventional theories of superconductivity in small grains predict suppression of ${T}_{c}$ only at a length scale that is two orders of magnitude smaller. In addition, we observe large island-to-island variations in ${T}_{c}$ for nominally identical islands. These two experimental observations, coupled with direct measurement of grain distribution using transmission electron microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy, and computer simulations, provide evidence for our picture in which the onset of superconductivity on an island coincides with the transition temperature of its largest constituent grain, and then spreads to other grains due to proximity coupling.
Towards Robust Access for Internet of Things in Uncertain/Adverse Communication Environment

Fog computing is an emerging architecture, which extends the Cloud computing paradigm to the edge of the network, enabling new applications and services, including Internet of Things (IoT). End users have certain computation tasks, which can be completed either locally on the end device or remotely on an accessible Fog node via computation offloading. The access is wireless with severe physical limitations on the access network capacity to sustain stringent latency requirements for streaming and real-time applications. The paper discusses providing robust access by maintaining connectivity to several Fog nodes under exogenous communication uncertainty/adversity. We propose leveraging methodologies and results on robust optimization for modelling exogenous communication uncertainty/adversity and optimization of the corresponding performance/robustness tradeoffs by controlling access redundancy. We suggest decentralized approximation for the corresponding robust solution. Future research should address accuracy and possible improvements to this approximation. Since level of exogenous uncertainty/ adversity may vary, we plan to investigate application of AI to evaluation of the exogenous threats and adaptation of the corresponding tradeoffs to the threat levels.
Exploring Energy Efficient Architectures for RLWE Lattice-Based Cryptography

Quantum computers are imminent threat to secure signal processing because they can break the contemporary public-key cryptography schemes in polynomial time. Ring learning with error (RLWE) lattice-based cryptography (LBC) is considered as the most versatile and efficient family of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Polynomial multiplication is the most compute-intensive routine in the RLWE schemes. Convolutions and Number Theoretic Transform (NTT) are two common methods to perform the polynomial multiplication. In this paper, we explore the energy efficiency of different polynomial multipliers, NTT-based and convolution-based, on GPU and FPGA. When synthesized on a Zynq UltraScale+ FPGA, our NTT-based and convolution-based designs achieve on average 5.1x and 22.5x speedup over state-of-the-art. Our convolution-based design, on a Zynq UltraScale+ FPGA, can generate more than 2x signatures per second by CRYSTALS-Dilithium. The designed NTT-based multiplier on NVIDIA Jetson TX2 is 1.2x and 2x faster than our baseline NTT-based multiplier on FPGA for polynomial degrees of 512 and 1024, respectively. Our explorations and guidelines can help designers choose proper implementations to realize quantum-resistant signal processing.
Hedge funds, CDOs and the financial crisis: An empirical investigation of the "Magnetar trade".

The so called Magnetar trade (a kind of capital structure arbitrage on the US housing market, using CDS and synthetic CDOs, and exploiting rating-dependent mispricing of risk) has gained a high publicity due to a Pulitzer Prize awarded media story from two journalists of ProPublica (an online news outlet). The story essentially claimed that the mortgage investment strategy of the hedge fund Magnetar during the period between 2006 and mid 2007 was based on a desire to construct CDO deals with riskier assets so that they could place bets that portions of their own deals would fail. This paper provides several pieces of evidence in line with the argument that tranches from Magnetar-sponsored CDOs present overly risky investments. However, investors and rating agencies appear to have adjusted their required spread levels and ratings to reflect this higher riskiness, at least to some extent.
Heavy traffic queue length scaling in switches with reconfiguration delay

The Adaptive MaxWeight policy achieves optimal throughput for switches with nonzero reconfiguration delay and has been shown to have good delay performance in simulation. In this paper, we analyze the queue length behavior of a switch with nonzero reconfiguration delay operating under the Adaptive MaxWeight. We first show that the Adaptive MaxWeight policy exhibits a weak state space collapse behavior in steady state, which can be viewed as an inheritance of a similar property of the MaxWeight policy in a switch with zero reconfiguration delay. The weak state space collapse result is then utilized to obtain an asymptotically tight bound on an expression involving the steady-state queue length and the probability of reconfiguration for the Adaptive MaxWeight policy in the heavy traffic regime. We then derive the relation between the expected schedule duration and the steady-state queue length through Lyapunov drift analysis and characterize bounds for the expected steady-state queue length. While the resulting queue length bounds are not asymptotically tight, they suggest an approximate queue length scaling behavior, which approaches the optimal scaling with respect to the traffic load and the reconfiguration delay when the hysteresis function of the Adaptive MaxWeight policy approaches a linear function.
The financial burden of rib fractures: National estimates 2007 to 2016.

Abstract Background The aim of this study is to define the cost of rib fracture hospitalization by single, multiple, and flail type using a nationally representative sample. Methods The national inpatient sample (NIS) was used to identify patients with a primary diagnosis of rib fracture hospitalization 2007-2016. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes were used to characterize patients as having single, multiple, or flail chest rib fractures. Patients with only trauma related diagnosis groups (DRG) at the time discharge were included in the final sample. The cost of hospitalization was obtained by converting reported charges into cost using the all-payer inpatient cost-to-charge ratio (CCR) for all hospitals in the NIS data. The log of cost was modeled using multivariate linear regression. The rib fracture type was the primary predictor in the model. Results There were 373,053 rib fracture admissions during 2007-2016. The average cost per hospitalization was $10,169 (95%Confidence Interval [CI]: 9,942–10,395), which translated into a national expenditure of $3.64 billion over 10 years. The cost of rib fracture hospitalization increased from $209 million in 2007 to $469 million in 2016. Compared to single rib fracture patients, the cost of hospitalization for multiple rib fractures and flail chest was 3% (p = 0.001) and 5% (p=0.02) higher, respectively. Higher injury severity score, total number of body regions injured and longer length of stay were associated with higher rib fracture hospitalization cost. Conclusions Rib fractures affect ~22,000-45,000 people per year in the United States. The cost of rib fractures is over $469 million per year and is increasing over time. Multiple rib fractures and flail chest rib fractures are associated with increased cost. Pathways to improve care in patients with rib fractures should consider the cost of treatment.
Nutrient-Dependency of CendR Endocytosis Pathway is Uniquely Regulated by Mutant Kras and Targetable

Kras is the hallmark mutation of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and reprograms tumor metabolism towards glycolysis. Evolutionarily, PDAC instigates diabetes to increase glucose concentrations and fuel tumor growth. The C-end Rule (CendR)-pathway mediates nutrient endocytotic transcytosis and trans-tissue molecular transport. A discrepancy exists in that the CendR pathway is primed to high activity when glucose is low. Ongoing PDAC clinical trials utilize tumor-penetrating peptides (iRGD) to activate the CendR-pathway and dispense cargo. Here, we determine how glucose metabolism changes based on tumor Kras-status might affect the CendR pathway and hijack it to deliver therapy. Under diabetic-like conditions, iRGD increases its penetration and spread throughout patient-derived and mouse PDAC. Importantly, all CendR peptides delivered higher concentrations of co-administered therapeutic cargo in a glucose-dependent manner. Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), the receptor for peptide-mediated activation of the CendR pathway, is expressed in greater abundance under high glucose concentrations in parallel with glycolytic machinery. Hypoglycemic Kras-mutant tumors, hyperglycemic Kras-wildtype tumors, and inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway all suppressed NRP-1, CendR-peptide transport, and cargo uptake. Overall, mutant Kras enhances CendR peptide-directed cargo delivery in glycolytic metabolic environments via NRP-1 expression. Manipulating patient blood glucose levels may enhance CendR-based targeting of therapeutics into Kras-mutant tumors.
Procedures for Collection and Shipment of Samples for Trichomonas and Campylobacter Culturing from Bulls

Equipment and Materials Needed1. Uterine infusion pipettes. Pipettes with flexible syringe adapters work much better that pipettes with bored syringe adapters.2. IO- I 2cc syringes.3. Large diameter plastic soft-drinking straws. Must be large enough to accomodate uterine infusion pipette.4. 5cc plastic or glass tubes containing . 2cc of USP Lactated Ringer's or 2cc USP Saline Solution. Tubes must be water tight. Red topped 5cc bleeding vacutainer tubes work well. Do not flush samples into bangs bleeding tubes.5. Insulate box to keep samples from excessive heat or cold during collection and transport to laboratory. Samples for Camypylobacter should be kept at around room temperature.6. Clark's media in sealed, rubber stopper vials.
Supermode Switching in Coherently-Coupled Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser Diode Arrays

We report and analyze the supermode switching with current injection found for coherently-coupled dual-element vertical cavity surface emitting laser arrays. The output power, spectral characteristics, and far-field mode profile are measured for a range of bias current operating conditions. The coupling-induced enhanced output power from an in-phase or out-of-phase supermode is confirmed when approximately equal currents are injected into each array element. We observe that the coherent supermode switches from out-of-phase to in-phase supermode with increasing equal current injection. The switching is found to be consistent with coupled mode theory and a 1-dimensional spatial supermode model. The calculated modal gain of the out-of-phase and in-phase array supermodes are consistent with the observed switching of the coherent supermodes.
mTOR1c Activation with the Leucine Trigger" for Prevention of Sarcopenia in Older Adults During Lockdown."

Sarcopenia and muscle wasting have many negative impacts on health and well-being. Evidence suggests that high rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations and lockdown conditions will lead to a marked incre...
Potent anti-seizure effects of D-leucine.

Abstract There are no effective treatments for millions of patients with intractable epilepsy. High-fat ketogenic diets may provide significant clinical benefit but are challenging to implement. Low carbohydrate levels appear to be essential for the ketogenic diet to work, but the active ingredients in dietary interventions remain elusive, and a role for ketogenesis has been challenged. A potential antiseizure role of dietary protein or of individual amino acids in the ketogenic diet is understudied. We investigated the two exclusively ketogenic amino acids, L-leucine and L-lysine, and found that only L-leucine potently protects mice when administered prior to the onset of seizures induced by kainic acid injection, but not by inducing ketosis. Unexpectedly, the D-enantiomer of leucine, which is found in trace amounts in the brain, worked as well or better than L-leucine against both kainic acid and 6 Hz electroshock-induced seizures. However, unlike L-leucine, D-leucine potently terminated seizures even after the onset of seizure activity. Furthermore, D-leucine, but not L-leucine, reduced long-term potentiation but had no effect on basal synaptic transmission in vitro. In a screen of candidate neuronal receptors, D-leucine failed to compete for binding by cognate ligands, potentially suggesting a novel target. Even at low doses, D-leucine suppressed ongoing seizures at least as effectively as diazepam but without sedative effects. These studies raise the possibility that D-leucine may represent a new class of anti-seizure agents, and that D-leucine may have a previously unknown function in eukaryotes.
Chapter 1 Procedures for Mammalian Chromosome Preparations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the procedures for mammalian chromosome preparations. Since chromosome analyses of mammalian cells have been used in recent years for studies on a variety of biological problems, it is considered appropriate to present the various techniques in one chapter for easy reference. However, for every technique, different laboratories have their own modifications and idiosyncrasies. It is, therefore, not feasible to cover all the variations. This chapter simply describes some of the procedures currently used in this laboratory. Many mammalogists collect their own research material in the field, and they invariably trap animals in which they are not interested. Most of them are kind enough to help other investigators by collecting additional material.
Nonverbal Perceptual Organization Output Disability and Schizophrenia Spectrum Symptomatology

Patients with neurodevelopmental syndromes often receive numerous psychiatric diagnoses before the true nature of their disorder becomes apparent. We present a case in which the neuropsychological evaluation played a significant role in reconceptualizing a patient who had received, at various times, diagnoses of schizotypal personality disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia. The identification of specific cognitive deficits in executive functioning, perceptual organization, visual-spatial problem solving, and abstraction led to: 1) a diagnosis of nonverbal perceptual-organization-output disabled; 2) the adoption of a rehabilitative treatment model; and 3) a greater understanding of the way in which the patient's social deficits represented adaptations to her cognitive impairments. Research data and theoretical models relating cognitive deficits to psychiatric symptoms are discussed, and evidence is presented that schizophrenia and certain neurodevelopmental syndromes may share commonalities of pathophysiology. Diagnostic issues arising from similarities between these disorders are discussed. It is suggested that direct comparisons between these groups can aid in clarifying the specific nature of cognitive deficit-symptom relationships, as well as leading to improvements in the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenic and neurodevelopmental syndromes.