cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mobilization of CD34+ progenitor cells by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected adults

We conducted a clinical trial to determine the feasibility of growth factor mobilization of CD34+ progenitor cells in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals. Eight asymptomatic, HIV-1-infected adults (median CD4+ T-cell count, 415 cells/microL), received 480 micrograms/d of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) for 6 days without evidence of viral activation. Despite concerns that HIV-1 might inhibit hematopoiesis, CD34+ cells were successfully mobilized to the periphery of all donors, independent of the baseline CD4+ T-cell count, and the status of antiretroviral therapy. Leukapheresis was performed on day 6, and yielded a median of 194 x 10(6) CD34+ cells per leukapheresis (n = 7). CD34-enriched cells from the leukapheresis were predominantly myeloid-committed, but between 0.2% and 1.7% were primitive CD34+/CD38- progenitors. A median of 21.7% of the mobilized CD34+ cells were dimly positive for CD4. Consequently, CD34(+)-enriched cells were purified on the cell sorter (mean purity, 97.7% +/- 2.4%; n = 7), and examined for HIV-1 DNA. Purified CD34+ cells from two of seven donors were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive for HIV-1, but only from one of three samples from each donor. We conclude that G-CSF can safely mobilize CD34+ progenitor cells in HIV-1-infected subjects, and that these cells are suitable for consideration in gene-transfer strategies.
Dimple sign in mail carrier's ulnar neuropathy.

In this case, the obvious trauma to the ulnar nerve was the constant pressure while driving on his job with his arm on the window of the car. Over a period of time, this caused a hollowed-out area in his upper forearm over the ulnar nerve and caused compression of the ulnar nerve
Space-Based Far-Infrared Imaging Interferometry: Science Opportunities and Mission Concepts

How do planetary systems form? How do some planets acquire the ingredients needed to support life? Far-IR imaging interferometers are essential to answer these and other compelling questions that shape NASA's science program.
Bayesian estimation of Karhunen-Loève expansions; A random subspace approach

One of the most widely-used procedures for dimensionality reduction of high dimensional data is Principal Component Analysis (PCA). More broadly, low-dimensional stochastic representation of random fields with finite variance is provided via the well known Karhunen-Loeve expansion (KLE). The KLE is analogous to a Fourier series expansion for a random process, where the goal is to find an orthogonal transformation for the data such that the projection of the data onto this orthogonal subspace is optimal in the L 2 sense, i.e., which minimizes the mean square error. In practice, this orthogonal transformation is determined by performing an SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) on the sample covariance matrix or on the data matrix itself. Sampling error is typically ignored when quantifying the principal components, or, equivalently, basis functions of the KLE. Furthermore, it is exacerbated when the sample size is much smaller than the dimension of the random field. In this paper, we introduce a Bayesian KLE procedure, allowing one to obtain a probabilistic model on the principal components, which can account for inaccuracies due to limited sample size. The probabilistic model is built via Bayesian inference, from which the posterior becomes the matrix Bingham density over the space of orthonormal matrices. We use a modified Gibbs sampling procedure to sample on this space and then build probabilistic Karhunen-Loeve expansions over random subspaces to obtain a set of low-dimensional surrogates of the stochastic process. We illustrate this probabilistic procedure with a finite dimensional stochastic process inspired by Brownian motion.
Oxygen weaning after hospital discharge in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

SummaryBackground In the United States, approximately 12,000 preterm infants are diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and many of these infants require supplemental oxygen after initial hospital discharge. In children with BPD we sought to identify factors associated with supplemental oxygen use after initial hospital discharge, factors associated with duration of supplemental oxygen use, and methods used to wean off supplemental oxygen in the home environment. Methods All subjects (n = 420) with the diagnosis of BPD were recruited from a single center Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Clinic between 2008 and 2013. Subject information was obtained from patient history records, patient demographics, and caregiver questionnaires. Results Younger gestational age and having a Nissen fundoplication were associated with home supplemental oxygen use in subjects with BPD. Of the 154 subjects who received supplemental oxygen at home, 38% received flows ≤1/8 LPM, 30% received flows >1/8 LPM and ≤1/4 LPM, 21% received flows >1/4 LPM and ≤1/2 LPM, and 11% received flows >1/2 LPM. Among subjects receiving ≤1/8 LPM of oxygen, the median age of weaning off oxygen was 10.1 months, but increased depending on level of oxygen flow at initial outpatient visit. Of the 137 subjects weaned off of oxygen during the study period, weaning was not supervised by a physician in 32.1% of subjects. Conclusion Home supplemental oxygen use is common in infants diagnosed with BPD. In this study, the median age of weaning off supplemental oxygen was 10.1 months after initial hospital discharge. Unsupervised weaning of supplemental oxygen occurred in 32.1% of subjects with BPD. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2016;51:1206–1211. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
V. and The Maltese Falcon: A Connection?

I recently re-read Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese falcon and my Pynchonized imagination was intrigued by the detective story's opening paragraph.
A High-content In Vitro Pancreatic Islet β-cell Replication Discovery Platform

Loss of insulin-producing β-cells is a central feature of diabetes. While a variety of potential replacement therapies are being explored, expansion of endogenous insulin-producing pancreatic islet β-cells remains an attractive strategy. β-cells have limited spontaneous regenerative activity; consequently, a crucial research effort is to develop a precise understanding of the molecular pathways that restrain β-cell growth and to identify drugs capable of overcoming these restraints. Herein an automated high-content image-based primary-cell screening method to identify β-cell replication-promoting small molecules is presented. Several, limitations of prior methodologies are surmounted. First, use of primary islet cells rather than an immortalized cell-line maximizes retention of in vivo growth restraints. Second, use of mixed-composition islet-cell cultures rather than a β-cell-line allows identification of both lineage-restricted and general growth stimulators. Third, the technique makes practical the use of primary islets, a limiting resource, through use of a 384-well format. Fourth, detrimental experimental variability associated with erratic islet culture quality is overcome through optimization of isolation, dispersion, plating and culture parameters. Fifth, the difficulties of accurately and consistently measuring the low basal replication rate of islet endocrine-cells are surmounted with optimized immunostaining parameters, automated data acquisition and data analysis; automation simultaneously enhances throughput and limits experimenter bias. Notable limitations of this assay are the use of dispersed islet cultures which disrupts islet architecture, the use of rodent rather than human islets and the inherent limitations of throughput and cost associated with the use of primary cells. Importantly, the strategy is easily adapted for human islet replication studies. This assay is well suited for investigating the mitogenic effect of substances on β-cells and the molecular mechanisms that regulate β-cell growth.
The Concept of Scale in Environmental Affairs: Tools for Teachers

Graduate students taking their first course in global environmental politics often already understand the fundamental biophysical dimensions of global environmental problems like climate change and stratospheric ozone depletion-problems that are macro-scale but are driven by micro-scale processes. Students tend to be less knowledgeable about how policy actors and institutions at different organizational, temporal, and geographical scales manage these pervasive environmental problems. It is instructive to consider whether the determinants of effective environmental action at one level of human association are transferable to other levels. For example, is it possible to "scale-up" local environmental institutions to address international environmental problems? That is, are authority and rulemaking procedures that are tractable at the micro level adaptable to the macro level? Alternatively, can we accommodate environmentalists' demands for "scaling-down" systems of economic production and exchange when the forces of globalization seem to urge precisely the opposite? Explicit attention to "scale" in environmental policy is useful for addressing these queries. It is also constructive in identifying actors who must be mobilized to combat envi
Physiological tremor (8-12Hz component) in isometric force control.

Abstract The experiment investigated the influence of physiological tremor (8–12 Hz band) on the variability of isometric force control as a function of force level and hand dominance. Subjects were instructed to match a constant force level target line on a computer screen and minimize error in a uni-manual isometric finger abduction task at 5%, 25%, 45%, 65%, and 85% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). The experimental protocol was performed independently with the left and right hands in separate blocks of performance. Tremor amplitude was enhanced at an increasing rate with increments of force level and was correlated with both performance outcome (Root mean square error – RMSE) and time-dependent regularity (Sample Entropy) of the force signal. No significant findings in force variability (dispersion or irregularity) were found between the dominant and non-dominant hands. Physiological tremor has a small but direct influence on the dispersion and time dependent structure of the variability of isometric force control but its relative influence on force amplitude decreases with increments of force level.
Cortical organization: a description and interpretation of anatomical findings based on systems theory.

The organization of the cortex can be understood as a complex system comprised of interconnected modules called minicolumns. Comparative anatomical studies suggest that evolution has prompted a scale free world network of connectivity within the white matter while simultaneously increasing the complexity of minicolumnar composition. It is this author’s opinion that this complex system is poised to collapse under the weight of environmental exigencies. Some mental disorders may be the manifestations of this collapse.
DRREP: deep ridge regressed epitope predictor

The ability to predict epitopes plays an enormous role in vaccine development in terms of our ability to zero in on where to do a more thorough in-vivo analysis of the protein in question. Though for the past decade there have been numerous advancements and improvements in epitope prediction, on average the best benchmark prediction accuracies are still only around 60%. New machine learning algorithms have arisen within the domain of deep learning, text mining, and convolutional networks. This paper presents a novel analytically trained and string kernel using deep neural network, which is tailored for continuous epitope prediction, called: Deep Ridge Regressed Epitope Predictor (DRREP). DRREP was tested on long protein sequences from the following datasets: SARS, Pellequer, HIV, AntiJen, and SEQ194. DRREP was compared to numerous state of the art epitope predictors, including the most recently published predictors called LBtope and DMNLBE. Using area under ROC curve (AUC), DRREP achieved a performance improvement over the best performing predictors on SARS (13.7%), HIV (8.9%), Pellequer (1.5%), and SEQ194 (3.1%), with its performance being matched only on the AntiJen dataset, by the LBtope predictor, where both DRREP and LBtope achieved an AUC of 0.702. DRREP is an analytically trained deep neural network, thus capable of learning in a single step through regression. By combining the features of deep learning, string kernels, and convolutional networks, the system is able to perform residue-by-residue prediction of continues epitopes with higher accuracy than the current state of the art predictors.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus appendicitis

Abstract Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is commonly isolated from complex intra-abdominal infections. There have been reports of MRSA isolates from various abdominal infections such as diverticulitis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and infected peritoneal dialysis catheters. However, there has been no report of MRSA infection related to appendicitis. We present the first case series of MRSA isolated from the abdominal fluid of two patients presenting with appendicitis and managed with laparoscopic appendectomy. Both patients were found to have MRSA isolates from the peritoneal fluid culture. The two patients underwent successful laparoscopic appendectomy and were discharged on appropriate antibiotic coverage for MRSA to complete the course of treatment. Multiple strategies have been involved to manage MRSA infection. Appropriate targeted therapy with source control remains the mainstay of intra-abdominal infections. We present two cases with MRSA isolates from the peritoneal fluid of patients with acute appendicitis. This finding highlights the importance of obtaining intra-operative cultures during appendectomies to guide post-operative antibiotic therapy. Appropriate antimicrobial therapy is the mainstay of treating these infections and preventing the emergence of multi-drug resistant organisms.
Differential Functions of Stromal and Epithelial Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Before and After Castration Resistant Stage

Androgen receptor (AR) has been the center of prostate cancer (PCa) therapy for decades, so androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) to suppress androgens binding to AR has become the major therapeutic option. However, the ADT is initially effective on blocking tumor growth, but eventually fails, leading to a stage of castration resistant prostate cancer and more advanced metastatic stage. The failure might be due to the nonspecific targeting of androgen/AR signaling without considering the tumor stage or cell types comprising the tumor microenvironment. The recent accumulating evidences indicate that the AR role is different in early (positive role) and advanced metastatic stage of PCa (suppressive role). In addition, AR was shown to act as a tumor promoter in luminal epithelial and stromal cells, but as a suppressor in basal and stem/progenitor/intermediate cells. Therefore, targeting androgen/AR signaling can suppress one type of tumor at a specific stage, but may lead to undesired more aggressive tumors. Accordingly, a combined therapy targeting both tumor stages and different cell types in the tumor microenvironment should be considered. Recently, several promising anti-androgen and anti-AR drugs have been developed and their efficiency is being tested. So, the combination therapy strategy to target metastatic tumors and other types of cells together with the new drugs targeting androgen/AR signaling might overcome the current failure of the ADT method and bring in more efficient therapy to battle PCa. This chapter describes the AR role in different tumor stages and cell types, and discusses the better therapeutic approaches with more effective outcome.
On Partially Controlled Free Choice Petri Nets

A Petri Net (PN) is said to be live if it is possible to fire any transition from every reachable marking, although not necessarily immediately. Under appropriate conditions, a non-live PN can be made live via supervision. Under this paradigm an external-agent, the supervisor, prevents the firing of certain transitions at each reachable marking so as to enforce liveness. A PN is partially controlled if the supervisor can prevent the firing of only a subset of transitions. A Free-Choice Petri net (FCPN) is a PN where every arc from a place to a transition is either the unique output arc from that place, or, it is the unique input arc to the transition. In this paper we show the existence of a supervisory policy that enforces liveness in a partially controlled FCPN is monotone with respect to the initial marking. That is, if there is a supervisory policy that enforces liveness in a partially controlled FCPN for a particular initial marking, then there is a supervisory policy that enforces liveness for the same FCPN with a larger initial marking. Since this property is not true of the general class of partially controlled PNs, this result has several implications regarding the relationship between the class of partially controlled PNs and partially controlled FCPNs. Some implications of this result along with future research directions are also presented in this paper.
13.3 Land-Use Impacts on the Hydrogeomorphology of Small Watersheds

The hydrogeomorphic impacts of land use have important ramifications for the fluvial system at all scales, but particularly for small headwater catchments having stronger hillslope–channel coupling than points further downstream. The focus of this chapter is the impact of widespread, primarily distributed land-use types, including timber production, crop agriculture, grazing, and urban land uses at the small watershed scale. An overview of hydrogeomorphic systems is presented first, followed by a systematic description of hydrogeomorphic impacts of each of the major land-use types, beginning in upland areas and subsequently tracing the propagation of these impacts downstream to and through channel networks. The major impacts are illustrated using important case studies that also serve to demonstrate both commonalities and key differences in watershed responses to different land uses, as well as their range of variability. Most types of land use tend to decrease infiltration capacities and increase storm flows in watersheds, and magnify the effects of small storm events more so than large ones. Among the current ideas and potential directions for future research suggested by this synthesis are refining concepts and analyses of connectivity among watershed elements and sensitivity of different elements to land-use change, in addition to continuing to monitor and/or reconstruct the long-term adjustment of fluvial systems to major historical land disturbances.
Chapter 11 Electrophysiological Methods

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the Electropharyngeogram (EPG), and how it is applied to Caenorhabditis elegans. Most C. elegans electrophysiology so far has been done on the pharynx. When pharyngeal muscle is excited, a pulse of current must flow out of the mouth to charge the apical membranes and hypodermis. The total charge that comes out of the mouth during a current pulse is proportional to the change in voltage across the basal membrane. The current, at any point in time, is proportional to the rate of change of basal membrane potential. The total charge that comes out of the mouth during a current pulse is proportional to the capacitance of that part of the apical membrane whose voltage changes. As capacitance is proportional to membrane area, bigger worms give bigger signals. Two strategies are generally used to device a saline solution for electrophysiological recording. The first determines the chemical composition of the extracellular fluid and to makes a solution with the appropriate concentrations of the major inorganic ions. The second strategy is trial and error, starting with salines from other species. It is possible to see the variation of the concentration of individual ions in dissected preparations, using an easily observable physiological response to determine the effect.
Malaria and babesiosis: similarities and differences

This inaugural paper presented by the senior author at the Second International Conference on Malaria and Babesiosis was chosen by the organizers of the conference to consider common features of the two diseases and their causative agents and thereby suggest the advantage of a comparative research approach. Our awareness of the similarities between the two diseases prompted us to plan the first conference in Mexico City in May of 1979. The proposal for this first conference arose during a review of babesiosis vaccine trials in Mexico among Drs. J.P. Kreier, Professor and malariologist of The Ohio State University; J. A. Pino, Director of the Agricultural Sciences of the Rockefeller Foundation and the senior author. At this meeting we concluded that findings from babesiosis research should be of interest to malariologists and that comparative analysis of many other aspects of the two diseases would be advantageous to each research group.
Topology of brain functional connectivity networks in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Abstract Here we present functional neuroimaging-based network data (focused on the default mode network) collected from a cohort of US Veterans with history of combat exposure, combined with clinical assessments for PTSD and other psychiatric comorbidities. The data has been processed and analyzed using several network construction methods (signed, thresholded, normalized to phase-randomized and rewired surrogates, functional and multimodal parcellation). An interpretation and discussion of the data can be found in the main NeuroImage article by Akiki et al. [51]
Ignorance of History and Perceptions of Racism: Another Look at the Marley Hypothesis

Why do White Americans perceive less racism than Black Americans? Two provocative studies on the Marley hypothesis suggest that White Americans are more ignorant of historical instances of racism t...
Characterization of Left Ventricular Dysfunction by Myocardial Strain in Critical Pulmonary Stenosis and Pulmonary Atresia After Neonatal Pulmonary Valve Balloon Dilation.

Transient left ventricular (LV) dysfunction occurs in some infants born with critical pulmonary stenosis (PS) or membranous pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS) after pulmonary valve (PV) balloon dilation (BD). The cause for this is not well understood. We sought to characterize this LV dysfunction by investigating regional differences in this cohort using myocardial strain imaging. Patients who underwent neonatal (
ADDRESSING PITFALLS IN MANAGEMENT OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS WITH A STANDARDIZED PROTOCOL.

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of a diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)-Power Plan (PP) for guiding intravenous (IV) insulin infusions prior to anion gap (AG) closure and administering subcutaneous (SC) insulin ≥1 hour before discontinuing IV insulin. Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients with DKA before (pre-PP) (n = 60) and following (post-PP) (n = 60) implementation of a DKA-PP. Groups were compared for percentage of patients for whom IV insulin therapy was continued until AG closure, the percentage of patients receiving SC insulin ≥1 hour before discontinuation of IV insulin, and percentage of patients with rebound DKA during the index hospitalization. Results: Admission plasma glucose (514 mg/dL vs. 500 mg/dL; P = .36) and venous pH (7.2 vs. 7.2; P = .57) were similar in pre- and post-PP groups. Inappropriate discontinuation of IV insulin occurred less frequently in post-PP patients (28% vs. 7%; P = .007), with a lower frequency of rebound DKA (40% vs. 8%; P = .001) following acute management. More post-PP patients received SC insulin ≥1 hour before discontinuation of IV insulin (65% vs. 78%; P = .05). Conclusion: Implementation of a DKA-PP was associated with appropriate discontinuation of IV insulin in more patients, more frequent administration of SC insulin ≥1 hour prior to discontinuation of IV insulin, and fewer episodes of rebound DKA. Abbreviations: ADA = American Diabetes Association; AG = anion gap; BG = blood glucose; DKA = diabetic ketoacidosis; DKA-PP = DKA-Power Plan; ICU = intensive care unit; IQR = interquartile range; IV = intravenous; IVF = IV fluid; LOS = length of stay; SC = subcutaneous
A Framework for Modeling Closed Kinematic Chains with a Focus on Legged Robots

This paper presents the foundations of a MATLAB framework for dynamic modeling and simulation of closed kinematic chain (CKC) mechanisms, with a particular focus on implementation with legged locomotive mechanisms. As such, the framework supports both floating-base and fixed-base systems. Through the use of singular perturbation theory, various CKC mechanisms can be modeled so that constraint errors asymptotically converge to zero, thus avoiding the numerical drift that plagues commonly used methods. A functional API and the relevant core commands necessary to construct a model are presented. Two robotic legs incorporating CKC mechanisms are utilized as case studies, and simulations of each leg performing a dynamic monopedal gait are illustrated.
Targeting the dysfunctional mitochondrial respiration in drug resistant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract Reprogramming of cellular pathways is a crucial mechanism of drug resistance and survival in refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. In the present study, we performed an unbiased gene expression analysis and identified a dysfunctional mitochondrial respiration program in drug-resistant ALL cells grown in a co-culture system with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Specifically, the activity of the complexes within the electron transport chain was significantly downregulated, correlated with decreased mitochondrial mass and ATP production in drug-resistant ALL cells. To validate mitochondrial respiration as a druggable target, we utilized pyrvinium pamoate (PP), a known inhibitor of mitochondrial respiration and documented its anti-leukemic activity in several ALL cell lines grown alone or in co-culture with BMSC. To increase the bioavailability profile of PP, we successfully encapsulated PP in a nanoparticle drug delivery system and demonstrated that it retained its anti-leukemic activity in a hemosphere assay. PP anti-leukemic activity was decreased by the addition of sodium pyruvate, and furthermore, PP was found to have an additive anti-leukemic effect when used in combination with rotenone, a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor with activity similar to PP on the mitochondrial respiration. Importantly, PP’s cell death activity was found to be specific for leukemic cells as primary normal immune cells were resistant to PP-mediated cell death. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that PP is a novel therapeutic lead compound that counteracts the respiratory reprogramming found in refractory ALL cells.
Las Madres De Chihuahua: Maternal Activism, Public Disclosure, and the Politics of Visibility

Women simultaneously occupy a space of both strength and vulnerability in Mexico. While existing institutions, traditions, and gender norms create the conditions whereby feminicide and forced disap...
Practical pancreatic function profile for the diagnosis of chronic pancreatic disease

C HkOXm PAXCRrATn'~s resembles portal cirrhosis in many respects: both diseases are often progressively destructive, each is characterized in its course by periods of remission and recrt, descence, and each produces extensive destruction and fibrosis of the respective organ; however, tile pancreas does not have the capacity of regenerat ion possessed by the liver. Etiologically too, there is some resemblance between the 2 processes. Consumpt ion of alcohol is an impor tan t contr ibutory factor in many cases of both diseases. T h e growing frequency with which a previous viral hepatit is appears to be a precursor of portal cirrhosis in the nonalcoholic pat ient has been recognized. Init ial viral infection of the pancreas as an etiological factor in some cases ol chronic pancreatit is, after biliary tract disease, 1.'-' alcohol, a-'~ hyper. l ipemia Cs or heredity;', a0 have been ruled out, appears possible. AI times the apparen t onset of the disease can be related to a preceding virus attack. Pappenhe imer e t al . 1~ have reported the accidental finding of acute pancreati t is in adult mice after the intraperi toneal adminis t ra t ion of Cocxsackie virus (Conn. 5 s'train). Not only did pancreat ic disease of greater or lesser severity develop in virtually 100 per cent of adult mice inoculated, but the pancreas was selectively affected irrespective of the route of inoculat ion of the infective material. Recently \.golf et a l ) TM reported on the viral nature of infectious pan-
Lateral Control of an Autonomous Car with Limited Preview Information

Lateral control of an autonomous vehicle, especially in emergency situations, is important from the safety viewpoint. In these situations, the trajectory to be followed by a vehicle must either be planned in real-time (e.g., for a possible evasion maneuver if the obstacle to be avoided is detected) or be communicated from its predecessor. Typically, the trajectory information is available to the following vehicle in the form of GPS time samples. From the viewpoint of lateral control, the lateral velocity information is not readily available and the feedback structure must reflect this reality. In this paper, we develop a methodology to synthesize lateral control algorithm for autonomous vehicles in two steps: (1) From the limited preview information of the trajectory to be tracked via samples of GPS waypoints, we estimate the radius of curvature of the trajectory using “least-square” estimation and (2) develop a fixed-structure feedback control scheme for following the predecessor by synthesizing the set of stabilizing gains corresponding to lateral position error, heading error and heading rate error. Numerical simulation results corroborate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research cancer prevention guidelines and colorectal cancer incidence among African Americans and whites: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Background Adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) cancer prevention recommendations is associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk in whites, but only 1 previous study has reported on this link in African Americans. This study assessed the association between the 2018 WCRF/AICR guidelines and CRC incidence in African Americans (26.5%) and whites (73.5%) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities prospective cohort (n = 13,822). Methods A total of 368 incident CRC cases (268 among whites and 100 among African Americans) were identified between the baseline (1987) and 2012. A baseline adherence score was created for 7 WCRF/AICR guidelines (each contributing 0, 0.5, or 1 point to the score, with higher scores corresponding to greater adherence). Adherence scores were also categorized as tertiles (0.0-3.0, 3.5-4.0, and 4.5-7.0). Cox proportional hazards regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the total cohort and with stratification by race. Results After adjustments for age, sex, race, center, smoking, education, intake of aspirin, calcium, total calories, diabetes status, and, in women, hormone replacement therapy, greater adherence was associated with decreased CRC risk. The HRs per 1-unit increment in score were 0.88 (95% CI, 0.80-0.97) for the whole cohort, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.73-1.09) for African Americans, and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.77-0.99) for whites. Similar associations between higher adherence scores and decreased cancer risk were observed for men and women and for colon cancer but not for rectal cancer. Conclusions Greater adherence to the cancer prevention recommendations appears to be associated with decreased CRC risk for both African Americans and whites.
Patients' Perceptions of Portal Use Across Care Settings: Qualitative Study.

Background: Patient portals are a promising instrument to improve patient-centered care, as they provide patients information and tools that can help them better manage their health. The implementation of portals in both the inpatient and outpatient setting gives health care providers an opportunity to support patients both during hospitalization and after discharge. Thus, there is a need to better understand how inpatient and outpatient portals are used across care contexts. Objective: This study aimed to examine patients’ perceptions of using inpatient and outpatient portals across the care settings, including how they used the portals and the benefits and concerns associated with portal use. Methods: This study was conducted in a large Midwestern academic medical center consisting of seven hospitals. We interviewed 120 patients who had used an inpatient portal during their hospitalization, at 15 days and 6 months postdischarge, to determine their perspectives of portal use in both hospital and outpatient settings. Interview transcripts were analyzed inductively and deductively by using team coding processes consistent with a grounded theory approach. Results: Interviews focused on three main areas of portal use: experience with the portal features, perceived benefits, and concerns. Responses at 15 days (n=60) and 6 months (n=60) postdischarge were consistent with respect to perceptions about portal use. Patients identified viewing their health information, managing their schedule, and communicating with providers as notable activities. Convenience, access to information, and better engagement in care were indicated as benefits. Concerns were related to technology issues and privacy/security risks. Conclusions: Implementation of inpatient portals as a complement to outpatient portals is increasing and can enable patients to better manage aspects of their care. Although care processes vary substantively across settings, the benefits of convenience, improved access to information, and better engagement in care provide opportunities for portal use across care settings to support patient-centered care.
Pion double charge exchange on 12C at low energies.

An excitation function from ${T}_{\ensuremath{\pi}}$=50 to 120 MeV at ${\mathrm{theta}}_{\mathrm{lab}=35}$\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and an angular distribution at 60 MeV have been measured for the pion double-charge-exchange reaction $^{12}\mathrm{C}$(${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{+}$,${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\pi}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$)${\mathrm{}}^{12\mathrm{O}(\mathrm{g}.\mathrm{s}.)}$. The cross section is found to decrease with increasing energy. The $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ excitation function and the angular distribution are very similar in shape to those of the double-isobaric-analog-state transitions observed for $^{14}\mathrm{C}$ and $^{18}\mathrm{O}$, but the magnitude is a factor of 6 smaller.
Surgical Treatments of Hepatobiliary Cancers

Hepatobiliary cancers which include hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biliary tract cancers (i.e., cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality based on the stage of the disease at presentation. With improved screening for hepatobiliary malignancies in patients with risk factors and with widespread use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, hepatobiliary malignancies, including incidental diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma, are on the rise. Definitive treatment of hepatobiliary malignancies include surgical resection, ablation, and liver transplantation. However, management of these cancers is challenging due to the complex hepatobiliary anatomy and the need for meticulous perioperative management especially in patients with advanced liver disease. The management and prognosis of hepatobiliary malignancies vary widely based on the stage of presentation, with surgical options providing the possibility of definitive cure in patients presenting with early-stage disease. Surgical resection for HCC results in good outcomes if performed in ideal candidates. For patients with early HCC who are not candidates for surgical resection, ablation and liver transplantation should be considered. Similarly, surgical resection is also the definitive treatment for biliary tract cancers, and liver transplantation can be curative in selected patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The role of routine adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy is not clearly established, but adjuvant therapies can offer better outcomes in patients with advanced disease at presentation. Outcomes of surgical management of hepatobiliary cancers seem to be improving. Given the complex decision-making process involved, multidisciplinary evaluation is essential to provide and coordinate the best treatments for these patients.
Gender Test Score Gaps Under Equal Behavioral Engagement

Girls tend to do better than boys academically, in part because they are more engaged in school. What if they weren’t? Using nationally representative data, I examine how equal starting points and ...
Video streaming using ultrasound as a communication channel: towards a standalone device

A future clinical goal of capsule endoscopy is to transmit high definition (HD) video in real time from inside the human body to an external device. Current electromagnetic wave approaches do not provide enough data rates to achieve video streaming let alone at HD. In a previous study, we verified highspeed communication through tissue using ultrasound with data rates up to 30 Mbps [1]. The system used single-element focused transducers operating at 5 MHz using a Tabor WW1281 arbitrary waveform generator and power amplifier. To move towards a capsule endoscopy system, a smaller hardware footprint is required. We designed an OFDM modulation scheme, which was compatible with an in-tissue ultrasound communication channel and verified the scheme with 2-mm sonomicrocrystal as the transmit transducer and IP103 linear array as receive transducer. A 3 Mbps data rate was achieved with this setup. Furthermore, we implemented the transmitter with an FPGA to achieve real-time video streaming through tissue.
Long-term outcomes of spinal ependymomas: an institutional experience of more than 60 cases

Spinal ependymomas represent the most common primary intramedullary tumors for which optimal management remains undefined. When possible, gross total resection (GTR) is often the mainstay of treatment, with consideration of radiotherapy (RT) in cases of residual or recurrent tumor. The impact of extent of resection and radiotherapy remain understudied. Report on a large institutional cohort with lengthy follow-up to provide information on long-term outcomes and to contribute to limited data assessing the value of extent of resection and RT. Patients with pathologically proven primary spinal ependymoma between 1990 and 2018 were identified. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to calculate progression-free survival (PFS); local-control (LC) and overall survival (OS). Logistic regression was used to analyze variables’ association with receipt of RT. We identified 69 patients with ependymoma of which 4 had leptomeningeal dissemination at diagnosis and were excluded. Of the remaining cohort (n = 65), 42 patients (65%) had Grade II spinal ependymoma, 20 (31%) had Grade I myxopapillary ependymoma and 3 (5%) had Grade III anaplastic ependymoma; 54% underwent GTR and 39% underwent RT. With a median follow-up of 5.7 years, GTR was associated with improved PFS. For grade II lesions, STR+RT yielded better outcomes than STR alone (10y PFS 77.1% vs 68.2%, LC 85.7% vs 50%). Degree of resection was the only significant predictor of adjuvant radiotherapy (p < 0.0001). Our findings confirm the importance of GTR in spinal ependymomas. Adjuvant RT should be utilized in the setting of a subtotal resection with expectation of improved disease-related outcomes.
Nonlinear Dependent Component Analysis: Identifiability and Algorithm

This work studies the model identification problem of a class of post-nonlinear mixture models in the presence of dependent latent components. Particularly, our interest lies in latent components that are nonnegative and sum-to-one. This problem is motivated by applications such as hyperspectral unmixing under nonlinear distortion effects. Many prior works tackled nonlinear mixture analysis using statistical independence among the latent components, which is not applicable in our case. A recent work by Yang et al. put forth a solution for this problem leveraging functional equations. However, the identifiability conditions derived there are somewhat restrictive. The associated implementation also has difficulties—the function approximator used in their work may not be able to represent general nonlinear distortions and the formulated constrained neural network optimization problem may be challenging to handle. In this work, we advance both the theoretical and practical aspects of the problem of interest. On the theory side, we offer a new identifiability condition that circumvents a series of stringent assumptions in Yang et al.’s work. On the algorithm side, we propose an easy-to-implement unconstrained neural network-based algorithm—without sacrificing function approximation capabilities. Numerical experiments are employed to support our design.
Effect of pyridoxine plus pyridostigmine treatment on vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a single-center experience

Vincristine (VCR), which is a key component of chemotherapy, is important for survival. VCR is associated with a well-known side effect, including neurotoxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the features of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN) and the effectiveness of pyridoxine plus pyridostigmine therapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The WHO and NCI CTCAE neurotoxicity scorings were used to evaluate VIPN at diagnosis, in the first month, and after the third month of the treatment. The clinical features of 23 patients having acute lymphoblastic leukemia with VIPN during the period of July 2013–February 2016 were prospectively evaluated. The mean age was 72.8 ± 51.6 months, and 26.1%, 56.5%, and 17.4% were in standard, moderate, and high-risk groups, respectively. Neuropathy frequently occurred at induction (82.6%) and reinduction (17.4%) of the protocol. Drop foot (82.6%), leg pain (82.6%), and difficulty in walking (82.6%) were observed. The mean total cumulative dose of neuropathy occurrence was 5.6 ± 2.03 mg/m2. Our study showed that both the WHO and NCI CTCAE scorings were significantly improved via pyridoxine plus pyridostigmine therapy. The WHO and NCI CTCAE scorings may be used for evaluating neuropathy at diagnosis and follow-up of neurotoxicity with treatment. Pyridoxine plus pyridostigmine therapy may be an effective option in the treatment of VIPN.
Trends in pediatric lymphoma incidence by global region, age and sex from 1988-2012.

Abstract Background Global variation in lymphoma incidence by type and age at diagnosis, region, sex, and Human Development Index (HDI) categories has not been reported, may shed light on potential biologic mechanisms and identify areas for targeted interventions. Methods Using the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents data from 1988 to 2012, we identified Hodgkin (HL), non-Hodgkin (NHL), and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) diagnosed in children aged 0–19 years. We estimated incidence rates (IRs; cases/million) and average annual percent change in incidence (AAPC; 95 % CI) by geographic region, sex, and HDI for each age group (0−9years and 10−19 years). Results There were 42,440 NHL, 38,683 H L, and 7703 included. Southern European (SE) 10−19-year-olds (yo) had the highest IR of NHL (19.6 cases/million) in 2008−2012. HL IRs for 0−9yo were 25 cases/million for 10−19yo in European regions and Oceania (OC). BL IRs were generally Conclusions Southern and Northern Europe and Oceania displayed increased incidence of all lymphomas studied from 1988 to 2012. BL incidence significantly increased in 8 of 15 global regions, males, and higher HDI countries over the study period. Mechanisms underlying these increases remain to be elucidated.
Gerald Edelman’s Steps Toward a Conscious Artifact

In 2006, during a meeting of a working group of scientists in La Jolla, California at The Neurosciences Institute (NSI), Gerald Edelman described a roadmap towards the creation of a Conscious Artif...
A Method for Directing Collaborative Study Guide Construction by Undergraduate Student Groups

Students often request study guides; however, the impact of study guides on student learning is mixed. Here, some evidence on student study guide usage and collaborative learning is briefly reviewed. This information helped to shape the development of a collaborative activity where student groups create their own study guide questions based on the chapter learning outcomes. Requiring students to collaborate and create their own study guides may encourage a higher engagement with and deeper processing of the course content.
The push and pull of abandoned channels: How floodplain processes and healing affect avulsion dynamics and alluvial landscape evolution in foreland basins

Abstract. River avulsions are an important mechanism by which sediment is routed and emplaced in foreland basins. However, because avulsions occur infrequently, we lack observational data that might inform where, when, and why avulsions occur and these questions are instead often investigated by rule-based numerical models. These models have historically simplified or neglected the effects of abandoned channels on avulsion dynamics, even though fluvial megafans in foreland basins are characteristically covered in abandoned channels. Here, we investigate the pervasiveness of abandoned channels on modern fluvial megafan surfaces. Then, we present a physically based cellular model that parameterizes interactions between a single avulsing river and abandoned channels in a foreland basin setting. We investigate how abandoned channels affect avulsion set-up, pathfinding, and landscape evolution. We demonstrate and discuss how the processes of abandoned channel inheritance and transient knickpoint propagation post-avulsion serve to shortcut the time necessary to set-up successive avulsions. Then, we address the idea that abandoned channels can both repel and attract future pathfinding flows under different conditions. By measuring the distance between the mountain-front and each avulsion over long (106 to 107 years) timescales, we show that increasing abandoned channel repulsion serves to push avulsions farther from the mountain-front, while increasing attraction pulls avulsions proximally. Abandoned channels do not persist forever, and we test possible channel healing scenarios (deposition-only, erosion-only, and far-field directed) and show that only the final scenario achieves dynamic equilibrium without completely filling accommodation space. We also observe megafan growth occurring via ~O:105 year lobe switching, but only in our runs that employ deposition-only or erosion-only healing modes. Finally, we highlight opportunities for future field work and remote sensing efforts to inform our understanding of the role that floodplain topography, including abandoned channels, plays on avulsion dynamics.