cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“It ain’t ‘nah’ it’s ‘no’”: Preparing preschoolers for the language of school

This research presents reflections from focus group discussions with childcare providers and parents of preschoolers in one African American community situated within a large Midwestern city in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine parents’ and childcare providers’ conceptions of literacy and language related to school readiness. During these conversations it became clear that both parents and providers engage in a number of practices to prepare children to use the standard variety of English privileged by mainstream schooling. Participants verbalize the dual importance of encouraging all language development for young children while explicitly teaching the uses of language as situated in a larger social context. Both parents and providers discuss the need to build a bridge for children between the English varieties used at home and the standard English valued by schools. In light of these findings, the authors problematize common conceptions of ‘school readiness’ as unidirectional a...
The Political Economy: Political Attitudes and Economic Behavior

It has long been recognized that voters bring their political behaviors in line with economic assessments. Recent work, however, suggests that citizens also engage in economic behaviors that align with their confidence—or lack thereof—in the political system. This alignment can happen consciously or, as we suggest, unconsciously, in the same way that positivity carries over to other behaviors on a micro-level. Using monthly time series data from 1978 to 2008, we contribute further evidence of this relationship by demonstrating that political confidence affects consumer behavior at the aggregate level over time. Our analyses employ measures more closely tied to the theoretical concepts of interest while simultaneously accounting for the complex relationships between subjective and objective economic indicators, economic behavior, political attitudes, and the media. Our results suggest that approval of the president not only increases the electorate’s willingness to spend money, but also affects the volatility of this spending. These findings suggest that the economy is influenced by politics beyond elections, and gives the “Chief Economist” another avenue by which they can affect the behavior of the electorate.
Preclinical and clinical studies for the prevention of ER-negative breast cancer.

CS09-04 Recent Phase III breast cancer prevention trials have demonstrated that anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen or raloxifene prevent breast cancer development by 30% to 74%. These studies showed an even more profound reduction of ER-positive breast cancers. However, in each of these studies there was no suppression of the development of ER-negative breast cancers. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop agents that will prevent ER-negative breast cancer. Using in vitro and in vivo models of breast cancer, we have tested chemopreventive agents for the ability to prevent ER-negative breast cancer. We have tested rexinoids (RXR-selective retinoids), cox-2 inhibitors, and receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in several animal models of breast cancer. These studies showed that each of these agents prevent ER-negative breast cancer in MMTV-erbB2 mice and have moderate preventive activity in other mouse models. We also investigated the effect of these agents on the development of hyperplasias and carcinoma-in-situ lesions. Rexinoids and tyrosine kinase inhibitors were found to suppress the development of these premalignant lesions. This cancer preventive activity was associated with a reduction in epithelial cell proliferation and reduced cyclin D1 expression. Results from these preclinical studies provided the rationale for Phase II cancer prevention trials in women at high risk of breast cancer. We and others have tested cox-2 inhibitors in Phase II chemoprevention trials in women at risk of breast cancer. We have also conducted a Phase II multi-institutional clinical trial using the RXR-selective retinoid bexarotene. The clinical trial design and current accrual to this trial will be presented. After the results of these Phase II trials are available, phase III cancer prevention trials testing the combination of these agents plus anti-estrogen selective estrogen receptor modulators can be developed. By combining anti-estrogen drugs with the agent found most effective in preventing ER-negative breast cancer, it may be possible to prevent both ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer.
Dynamics of induced glass transition of porous and nonporous silica nanoparticles

The present paper reports induced glass transition dynamics appeared in porous silica (PSi) and nonporous silica (NPSi) nanoparticles. The size of these spherical particles is 5–15 nm for PSi and 15–20 nm for NPSi. PSi shows two glass transitions (Tg1 and Tg2) on heating, whereas NPSi shows one glass transition (Tg). The NPSi shows Tg at a higher temperature than PSi. PSi shows an exothermic transition on cooling, whereas NPSi shows no transition on cooling. Both Tgs appeared in PSi show dynamic behavior with the existence of positive activation energy. Both Tgs are reversible in PSi, whereas NPSi shows only one and irreversible Tg. The observed glass transitions in PSi and NPSi follow the configuron percolation model and show thermodynamic quasi-equilibrium with percolation threshold (fc) <1. The silica nanoparticles show induced glass transitions because of the presence of weak hydrogen bonds (HB) and a weak van der Waal force present in PSi, whereas the lack of porosity in NPSi shows irreversible Tg with stronger HB. The porosity of PSi makes it more reactive and dynamic due to its capillary behavior and shows its applicability in medical sciences, whereas the stability of NPSi makes it important for industrial research.
Novel approaches for chemosensitization of breast cancer cells: the E1A story.

The adenoviral E1A-mediated sensitization to a variety of anti-cancer drug-induced apoptosis is a well-established phenomenon on different types of cell systems. However, the mechanisms underlying E1A-mediated chemosensitization are still not fully understood. Recent studies demonstrate that E1A-mediated sensitization to drug-induced apoptosis can occur via multiple pathways; some of which depend on the expression of functional p53 and/or p19ARF proteins, while some are not. In human breast cancer cells with Her-2/neu overexpression, which usually are more resistance to anti-cancer drugs than cells without Her-2/neu overexpression, may be sensitized through E1A-mediated downregulation of Her-2/neu. Alternatively, E1A can induce sensitization to anticancer drugs in cancer cells or normal diploid fibroblast cells through upregulating the expression of caspase proenzymes, or downregulating the activity of a critical survival factor Akt and/or upregulating the activities of a pro-apoptotic kinase p38 and a protein phosphatase PP2A, etc. This review summarizes these progresses and proposes a plausible feed-forward model for E1A-mediated chemosensitization in human breast cancer cells.
Patients' perceptions of their doctors' notes and after-visit summaries: A mixed methods study of patients at safety-net clinics.

Background Patients are increasingly offered electronic access to their doctors' notes, and many consistently receive paper After-Visit Summaries. Specific feedback from patients about notes and summaries are lacking, particularly within safety-net settings. Design A mixed methods study SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Patients with poorly controlled diabetes attending two urban safety-net primary care clinics in Washington State. Methods Patients read their own most recent clinic note and After-Visit Summary, then completed a brief survey followed by a focus group discussion (3 groups in a large general medicine teaching clinic and 1 in an HIV/AIDS clinic) about their perceptions of the clinic note and After-Visit Summary. Results Twenty-seven patients participated; 70% were male, 41% were Black, 48% were unemployed or disabled, 56% reported fair/poor health, and 37% had accessed the electronic patient portal. A majority of patients felt their note content was useful (89%); a minority reported that their notes were not accurate (19%), had too much medical jargon (29%), or were too long (26%). Themes identified from the discussions included reliance on the provider to explain confusing content; a desire for more rather than less detail; and perceived inaccuracies, particularly in heavily templated notes. In each focus group, one or more portal users were enthusiastically willing to teach other patients. Conclusions The majority of focus group participants at this safety-net site had not accessed the electronic patient portal, but those who had were willing to promote the portal benefits and assist others. Patients identified specific opportunities to improve clinic notes and After-Visit Summaries.
Generating Reflectance Curves from sRGB Triplets

The color sensation evoked by an object depends on both the spectral power distribution of the illumination and the reflectance properties of the object being illuminated. The color sensation can be characterized by three color-space values, such as XYZ, RGB, HSV, L*a*b*, etc. It is straightforward to compute the three values given the illuminant and reflectance curves. The converse process of computing a reflectance curve given the color-space values and the illuminant is complicated by the fact that an infinite number of different reflectance curves can give rise to a single set of color-space values (metamerism). This paper presents five algorithms for generating a reflectance curve from a specified sRGB triplet, written for a general audience. The algorithms are designed to generate reflectance curves that are similar to those found with naturally occurring colored objects. The computed reflectance curves are compared to a database of thousands of reflectance curves measured from paints and pigments available both commercially and in nature, and the similarity is quantified. One particularly useful application of these algorithms is in the field of computer graphics, where modeling color transformations sometimes requires wavelength-specific information, such as when modeling subtractive color mixture.
Audition for multimedia computing

What do the fields of robotics, human-computer interaction, AI, video retrieval, privacy, cybersecurity, Internet of Things, and big data all have in common? They all work with various sources of data: visual, textual, time stamps, links, records. But there is one source of data that has been almost completely ignored by the academic community---sound.Our comprehension of the world relies critically on audition---the ability to perceive and interpret the sounds we hear. Sound is ubiquitous, and is a unique source of information about our environment and the events occurring in it. Just by listening, we can determine whether our child's laughter originated inside or outside our house, how far away they were when they laughed, and whether the window through which the sound passed was open or shut. The ability to derive information about the world from sound is a core aspect of perceptual intelligence.Auditory inferences are often complex and sophisticated despite their routine occurrence. The number of possible inferences is typically not enumerable, and the final interpretation is not merely one of selection from a fixed set. And yet humans perform such inferences effortlessly, based only on sounds captured using two sensors, our ears.Electronic devices can also "perceive" sound. Every phone and tablet has at least one microphone, as do most cameras. Any device or space can be equipped with microphones at minimal expense. Indeed, machines can not only "listen"; they have potential advantages over humans as listening devices, in that they can communicate and coordinate their experiences in ways that biological systems simply cannot. Collections of devices that can sense sound and communicate with each other could instantiate a single electronic entity that far surpasses humans in its ability to record and process information from sound.And yet machines at present cannot truly hear. Apart from well-developed efforts to recover structure in speech and music, the state of the art in machine hearing is limited to relatively impoverished descriptions of recorded sounds: detecting occurrences of a limited pre-specified set of sound types, and their locations. Although researchers typically envision artificially intelligent agents such as robots to have human-like hearing abilities, at present the rich descriptions and inferences humans can make about sound are entirely beyond the capability of machine systems.In this chapter, we suggest establishing the field of Computer Audition to develop the theory behind artificial systems that extract information from sound. Our objective is to enable computer systems to replicate and exceed human abilities. This chapter describes the challenges of this field.
Experimental battery monitoring system design for electric vehicle applications

Li-ion batteries are considered as main energy sources for next generation of transportation systems. This paper presents a systematic way to design an efficient hardware testbed for Battery Monitoring System (BMS) applications in Electric Vehicle (EV) industry following the standard industrial communication protocol. The hardware testbed performs both the battery voltage/current data acquisition and the Co-Estimation algorithm. Co-Estimation is an electric circuit model based SOC estimation algorithm which takes model parameter variations into account. In this paper, the Co-Estimation algorithm is firstly discussed. A battery hardware testbed design is then elaborated, and reasons for selecting main components, including microcontroller and voltage/current sensors are explained. The performance of the hardware testbed is compared with MATLAB simulation result using the same Co-Estimation algorithm, showing similar performance between two different platforms: hardware testbed and software simulation.
Exceptional response to FOLFIRINOX in a patient with pancreatic cancer and a germline RAD51C mutation

Pancreatic cancer is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States by 2030. Deleterious germline mutations can contribute to pancreatic cancer susceptibility. Herein we report a case of a patient with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma to the lung and liver who was found to have a deleterious germline mutation in RAD51C who had a remarkable response to chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX, a platinum-containing regimen.
PROPERTY OR PERSONS: ON A “PLAIN READING” OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION

The views of Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, and Clarence Thomas on how the United States Constitution should be read are examined. Thomas claims that his understanding of the Constitution aligns with Douglass. I conclude that Thomas misunderstands the strategy of Douglass and fails to appreciate the honesty of Marshall.
The AE gene family of band 3-related anion exchangers

Chloride/bicarbonate exchange is nearly ubiquitous among vertebrate cells (Alper, 1991). In erythrocytes, it serves to increase the CO2carrying capacity of the blood so as to increase delivery to the lungs for expiration of the CO2produced by cellular respiration (Tanner, 1993). In other cells, chloride/bicarbonate exchange participates in the maintenance of intracellular pH, volume, and chloride concentration. Chloride/bicarbonate exchange acid- loads cells in response to intracellular alkalinization, or participates with sodium/proton exchange in regulatory volume increase. Polarized epithelial cells restrict some of their chloride/bicarbonate exchange functions to apical or basolateral membranes in order to mediate vectorial transepithelial transport of bicarbonate and/or chloride. The only chloride/bicarbonate exchangers of known identity are the AE gene products.
High-density lipoprotein mimetic peptide 4F mitigates amyloid-β-induced inhibition of apolipoprotein E secretion and lipidation in primary astrocytes and microglia.

The apolipoprotein E (apoE) e4 allele is the primary genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD). ApoE in the brain is produced primarily by astrocytes; once secreted from these cells, apoE binds lipids and forms high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-like particles. Accumulation of amyloid-β protein (Aβ) in the brain is a key hallmark of AD, and is thought to initiate a pathogenic cascade leading to neurodegeneration and dementia. The level and lipidation state of apoE affect Aβ aggregation and clearance pathways. Elevated levels of plasma HDL are associated with lower risk and severity of AD; the underlying mechanisms, however, have not been fully elucidated. This study was designed to investigate the impact of an HDL mimetic peptide, 4F, on the secretion and lipidation of apoE. We found that 4F significantly increases apoE secretion and lipidation in primary human astrocytes as well as in primary mouse astrocytes and microglia. Aggregated Aβ inhibits glial apoE secretion and lipidation, causing accumulation of intracellular apoE, an effect that is counteracted by co-treatment with 4F. Pharmacological and gene editing approaches show that 4F mediates its effects partially through the secretory pathway from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi apparatus and requires the lipid transporter ATP-binding cassette transporter A1. We conclude that the HDL mimetic peptide 4F promotes glial apoE secretion and lipidation and mitigates the detrimental effects of Aβ on proper cellular trafficking and functionality of apoE. These findings suggest that treatment with such an HDL mimetic peptide may provide therapeutic benefit in AD. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 580.
Mapping Progress in Reducing Cardiovascular Risk with Kidney Disease: Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia, and it contributes to adverse outcomes in affected patients, including morbidity, mortality, and higher health care resource utilization. Patients with kidney disease are particularly prone to developing atrial fibrillation, with both
Investigating the impacts of regulatory focus and political skill within a social media context

Abstract Based on Regulatory Focus theory (Higgins, 1997), we extend existing findings to empirically investigate how regulatory focus and political skill are related within a social media context. Though social media is commonly used in the workplace, it has not yet been studied in relation to the competing paths of regulatory focus (prevention and promotion) and political skill. Our sample included 312 full-time employees. We found a negative path from prevention-focus through political skill dis-incentivizes social media use for enhancement of work mood and work network. A positive path from promotion-focus through political skill incentivizes employees to engage in social media use for enhancement of work mood and work network. Implications and opportunities for future research are discussed.
A risk-stratification algorithm to reduce superficial surgical site complications in primary hip and knee arthroplasty

Abstract Background Surgical site complications (SSCs) are the most common cause for readmission after total joint arthroplasty (TJA), increasing costs while predisposing to inferior long-term outcomes. Prophylactic use of closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) may lower the risk of these complications, especially in high-risk populations, but appropriate-use guidelines are lacking for patients undergoing primary TJA. We sought to develop a risk-stratification algorithm to guide use of ciNPT dressings and test its use in normalizing the rate of superficial SSCs among high-risk groups. Methods We reviewed 323 consecutive primary TJAs, where 38% of those patients considered at elevated risk were risk-stratified to receive ciNPT dressings. An individual risk score was developed, assigning points based on patient-specific risk factors. We identified a historical control population of 643 patients who all received the same postoperative dressing to test the impact of this risk score. Results Compared with historical controls, we observed a modest but significant improvement in superficial SSCs after implementation of risk-stratification (12.0% vs 6.8%; P = .013). Among high-risk patients, there was a marked improvement in SSCs when treated prophylactically with ciNPT dressings as compared with historical controls (26.2% vs 7.3%; P Conclusions ciNPT dressings are effective at reducing and normalizing risks of superficial SSCs among high-risk primary arthroplasty patients. The proposed risk-stratification algorithm may help identify those patients who benefit most from these dressings.
НАСЛЕДСТВЕННЫЙ ФОНД - НОВАЯ КАТЕГОРИЯ В ГРАЖДАНСКОМ ЗАКОНОДАТЕЛЬСТВЕ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

New category in the Russian civil law (hereditary fund) is described in the article. Hereditary fund represents Russian analog of widespread institute of trust in Europe. Norms regulating activity of hereditary funds will be active from 09.01.2018. Hereditary fund is created by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation to will citizen. On the basis of his property the fund which is carrying out activities for property management receives inheritance. It can be termless or during a certain term. Only one person can create hereditary fund. Hereditary fund is created after the death of the citizen according to his will. To create hereditary fund it is necessary to have the will of the citizen which contains decision on hereditary fund creation. It is also necessary to have fund charter and fund management. The application for hereditary fund creation is submitted by the notary within 3 days from the moment of hereditary opening. As legal entity hereditary fund has isolated property which is formed by provided law. The property from fund is transferred to persons who are named in the decision on hereditary fund establishment or separate categories from an uncertain circle of people defined according to fund charter. The structure of hereditary fund bodies or an order of their formation is also defined by the testator. Despite introduction of a new design to the Russian civil law there are reasonable doubts whether hereditary funds will become popular in Russia or not. It is connected with a number of gaps which are in adopted law.
Impact of conditioning regimen on peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplant.

AIM To investigate infused hematopoietic cell doses and their interaction with conditioning regimen intensity +/- total body irradiation (TBI) on outcomes after peripheral blood hematopoietic cell transplant (PBHCT). METHODS Our retrospective cohort included 247 patients receiving a first, T-replete, human leukocyte antigen-matched allogeneic PBHCT and treated between 2001 and 2012. Correlations were calculated using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. Overall survival and progression free survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS Neutrophil engraftment was significantly faster after reduced intensity TBI based conditioning [reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) + TBI] and > 4 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg infused. A higher total nucleated cell dose led to a higher incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease in the myeloablative + TBI regimen group (P = 0.03), but no significant difference in grade III-IV graft-versus-host disease. A higher total nucleated cell dose was also associated with increased incidence of moderate/severe chronic graft-versus-host disease, regardless of conditioning regimen. Overall and progression-free survival were significantly better in patients with a RIC + TBI regimen and total nucleated cell dose > 8 × 108/kg (3 years, overall survival: 70% vs 38%, P = 0.02, 3 years, progression free survival: 64% vs 38%, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION TBI and conditioning intensity may alter the relationship between infused cell doses and outcomes after PBHCT. Immune cell subsets may predict improved survival after unmanipulated PBHCT.
Problem-solving therapy reduces subjective burden levels in caregivers of family members with mild cognitive impairment or early-stage dementia: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.

Objectives Interventions addressing burden have limited impact among long-term family caregivers. We examined whether problem-solving therapy (PST) would reduce burden levels of caregivers of individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage dementia (AD). Methods Caregivers (N = 73) randomly received PST or nutritional training (NT). Burden measures were assessed over 1-year post-intervention. Results Relative to NT, caregivers receiving PST endorsed improved perceived burden levels over time, regardless of the type of caregiver. Distress over the care recipient's dementia-related behaviors remained low over time among MCI caregivers receiving PST, while these burden levels among MCI caregivers receiving NT rose over time. AD caregivers receiving PST endorsed reductions in these burden levels over time, while AD caregivers in the NT group endorsed higher burden levels over time. Conclusion PST, taught early in the caregiving trajectory, improves subjective burden levels among caregivers of family members with relatively mild cognitive deficits.
Reactionary Tribalism Redux: Right-Wing Populism and De-Democratization

This article addresses the question of whether the social impacts, especially increased socioeconomic inequality, and formalization of democracy generated by the neoliberal economization of politic...
Use of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters in Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background Existing guidelines, including Choosing Wisely recommendations, endorse avoiding placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective To describe the frequency of and characteristics associated with PICC use in hospitalized patients with stage 3b or greater CKD (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] <45 mL/min/1.73 m2). Design Prospective cohort study. Setting 52 hospitals participating in the Michigan Hospital Medicine Safety Consortium. Participants Hospitalized medical patients who received a PICC between November 2013 and September 2016. Measurements Percentage of patients receiving PICCs who had CKD, frequency of PICC-related complications, and variation in the proportion of PICCs placed in patients with CKD. Results Of 20 545 patients who had PICCs placed, 4743 (23.1% [95% CI, 20.9% to 25.3%]) had an estimated GFR (eGFR) less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 699 (3.4%) were receiving hemodialysis. In the intensive care unit (ICU), 30.9% (CI, 29.7% to 32.2%) of patients receiving PICCs had an eGFR less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2; the corresponding percentage in wards was 19.3% (CI, 18.8% to 19.9%). Among patients with an eGFR less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2, multilumen PICCs were placed more frequently than single-lumen PICCs. In wards, PICC-related complications occurred in 15.3% of patients with an eGFR less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 and in 15.2% of those with an eGFR of 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 or higher. The corresponding percentages in ICU settings were 22.4% and 23.9%. In patients with an eGFR less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2, PICC placement varied widely across hospitals (interquartile range, 23.7% to 37.8% in ICUs and 12.8% to 23.7% in wards). Limitation Nephrologist approval for placement could not be determined, and 2.7% of eGFR values were unknown and excluded. Conclusion In this sample of hospitalized patients who received PICCs, placement in those with CKD was common and not concordant with clinical guidelines. Primary Funding Source Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network.
Abstract 3658: Characterization of the role of L3MBTL3 in medulloblastoma tumorigenesis

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor of childhood. Therapeutic approaches to medulloblastoma have led to significant improvements but are achieved at a high cost to quality of life. The Notch pathway governs cell proliferation in many biological contexts, including medulloblastoma tumorigenesis. Using our proteomic platform, we discovered an interaction between RBPJ, a key co-factor of Notch for the mediation of Notch signals, and L3MBTL3, a methyllysine reader for which deletions are observed in medulloblastoma. We demonstrated that L3MBTL3 is part of a molecular mechanism linking the KDM1A demethylase to Notch signal modulation. We hypothesize that malfunction of this molecular mechanism may contribute to the previously suggested tumor suppressor role of L3MBTL3 in medulloblastoma. In a survival analysis using our L3mbtl3 KO mouse in combination with a genetically engineered mouse model of medulloblastoma, we validated our hypothesis that L3mbtl3 is a tumor suppressor in this disease context. Our discovery provides insights into the role of the L3MBTL3 in medulloblastoma that could be harnessed in the future for the therapeutic benefit of medulloblastoma patients. Citation Format: Honglai Zhang, Ester Calvo Fernandez, Claire Peabody, Rork Kuick, Sung-Soo Park, Thomas Saunders, Sandra Camelo-Piragua, Jean-Francois M. Rual. Characterization of the role of L3MBTL3 in medulloblastoma tumorigenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3658.
Incidence of Healthcare-Associated Influenza-Like Illness After a Primary Care Encounter Among Young Children

BACKGROUND Despite potential respiratory virus transmission in pediatric clinics, little is known about the risk of healthcare-associated viral infections attributable to outpatient encounters. We evaluated whether exposure to a pediatric clinic visit was associated with subsequent influenza-like illness (ILI). METHODS Using electronic health record data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of all children aged 8 days after a non-ILI encounter. RESULTS Among 149987 children 8 days after a non-ILI visit during season 1 were 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.22-1.52) among children ≥2 years of age and 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.09) among children <2 years of age. Estimates remained consistent during season 2 and with a risk window of 3, 4, or 9 days. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric clinic visits during a respiratory virus season were significantly associated with an increased incidence of subsequent ILI among children aged 2 to 6 years but not among those aged <2 years. These findings support the hypothesis that respiratory virus transmission in a pediatric clinic can result in HA ILI in young children.
VISCR: Intuitive & Conflict-free Automation for Securing the Dynamic Consumer IoT Infrastructures.

Consumer IoT is characterized by heterogeneous devices with diverse functionality and programming interfaces. This lack of homogeneity makes the integration and security management of IoT infrastructures a daunting task for users and administrators. In this paper, we introduce VISCR, a Vendor-Independent policy Specification and Conflict Resolution engine that enables conflict-free policy specification and enforcement in IoT environments. VISCR converts the topology of the IoT infrastructure into a tree-based abstraction and translates existing policies from heterogeneous vendor-specific programming languages such as Groovy-based SmartThings, OpenHAB, IFTTT-based templates, and MUD-based profiles into a vendor-independent graph-based specification. Using the two, VISCR can automatically detect rouge policies, conflicts, and bugs for coherent automation. Upon detection, VISCR infers new policies and proposes them to users as alternatives to existing policies for fine-tuning and conflict-free enforcement. We evaluated VISCR using a dataset of 907 IoT apps, programmed using heterogeneous automation specifications in a simulated smart-building IoT infrastructure. In our experiments, among 907 IoT apps, VISCR exposed 342 of IoT apps as exhibiting one or more violations. VISCR detected 100% of violations reported by existing state-of-the-art tool, while detecting new types of violations in an additional 266 apps. In terms of performance, VISCR can generate 400 abstraction trees (used in specifying policies) with 100K leaf nodes in <1.2sec. In our experiments, VISCR took 80.7 seconds to analyze our infrastructure of 907 apps; a 14.2X reduction compared to the state-of-the-art. After the initial analysis, VISCR is capable of adopting new policies in sub-second latency to handle changes.
Real-time point-of-care ultrasound-guided correction of PICC line placement by external manipulation of the upper extremity

A 2.0 kg early-term infant with congenital heart disease required central venous catheter placement for persistent hypoglycaemia. A 1-French peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) was placed in the basilic vein of the left forearm and advanced to 13 cm, commensurate with expected appropriate depth given preprocedural measurements. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) was used to confirm catheter location,1 with X-ray for verification. Initial POCUS and X-ray revealed that the catheter was directed superiorly into the left internal jugular vein (figure 1A,B). Figure 1 Ultrasound and chest …
Immune cell-specific Cre reporter mouse labels a subset of CNS neurons

HuLangerin-Cre-YFPf/f mice were generated to specifically mark a subset of antigen presenting immune cells, called Langerhans cells (LCs). During histological characterization of these mice, we found that, in addition to LCs an uncharacterized cell population in the central nervous system (CNS) also expressed YFP. In this study, we found that the CNS YFP+ cells were negative for microglia and astrocyte markers, but they expressed mature neuronal marker NeuN and showed neuronal localization/morphology. Thus, these mice might be used to study the ontogeny, migration and the role of a subset of CNS neurons.
When is Architecture Not Design

If there’s nothing more to architecture than design, and to its attendant thinking processes than design thinking, then core dimensions of the enterprise from production and use angles have no special character over and above their counterparts in general design. Yet that does not appear to be true by the lights of architects or design specialists or the public at large. So what is it, at the core or periphery of the discipline or its objects, that makes architecture not design? The ways in which architecture and design constitute artistic enterprises, drawing on and promoting aesthetic interest, differ such that architecture is not, or at least not only, a branch of or variation on design generally construed.
Factors Associated With Receipt of Partial Nephrectomy or Minimally Invasive Surgery for Patients With Clinical T1a and T1b Renal Masses: Implications for Regionalization of Care.

Abstract Objectives To identify factors associated with receipt of partial nephrectomy (PN) and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in patients with clinical T1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Methods We queried the NCDB from 2010-2014 identifying patients treated surgically for cT1a-bN0M0 RCC. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between socio-economic, clinical, and treatment factors, and receiving MIS or PN within the T1 patient population. Results Our cohort included 69,694 patients (cT1a n= 44,043; cT1b n= 25,651). For cT1a tumors, 70% of patients received PN and 65% underwent MIS. For cT1b tumors, 32% of patients received PN and 62% underwent MIS. cT1a and cT1b patients with household income 31 miles were more likely to undergo MIS. For both cT1a/b, the farther a patient traveled for treatment the more likely a PN was performed. Conclusions Overall, data showed an increase in utilization of MIS and PN from 2010-2014. However, patients in the lowest socio-economic groups, were less likely to travel, and were more likely to receive more invasive treatments. Based on these findings, additional research is needed into how regionalization of RCC surgery will affect treatment disparities.
Can Precision Medicine Actually Help People Like Me? African American and Hispanic Perspectives on the Benefits and Barriers of Precision Medicine.

Objective: To better understand African American and Hispanic perspectives on the potential benefits of precision medicine, along with the potential barriers that may prevent precision medicine from being equally beneficial to all. We also sought to identify if there were differences between African American and Hispanic perspec­tives. Design: Six semi-structured focus groups were conducted between May 2017 and February 2018 to identify benefits and barri­ers to precision medicine. Three groups oc­curred in Nashville, TN with African Ameri­can participants and three groups occurred in Miami, FL with Hispanic participants. Setting: At community-based and university sites convenient to community partners and participants. Participants: A total of 55 individuals participated (27 in Nashville, 28 in Miami). The majority of participants were women (76.5%) and the mean age of participants was 56.2 years old. Results: Both African Americans and His­panics believed precision medicine has the potential to improve medicine and health outcomes by individualizing care and de­creasing medical uncertainty. However, both groups were concerned that inadequacies in health care institutions and socioeconomic barriers would prevent their communities from receiving the full benefits of precision medicine. African Americans were also concerned that the genetic and non-genetic personal information revealed through precision medicine would make African Americans further vulnerable to provider racism and discrimination in and outside of health care. Conclusions: While these groups believed precision medicine might yield benefits for health outcomes, they are also skeptical about whether African Americans and His­panics would actually benefit from precision medicine given current structural limitations and disparities in health care access and quality. Ethn Dis. 2020;30(Suppl 1):149-158; doi:10.18865/ed.30.S1.149
A method for optimum sparse array beamforming design (Conference Presentation)

Optimum sparse arrays and sensor placement is an effective tool for improving target detection and estimation capabilities, which is specifically true in the case of the limited system resources. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for maximizing the Signal-to-Interference plus noise ratio (MaxSINR) for receive beamforming applications in a computationally efficient manner. The proposed approach blends the concept of sparse array windowing function and the DFT approach, where the sparse array design is primarily conceived in the transformed domain. We show that the proposed objective function in the transform domain sorts the favorable sparse array configurations w.r.t. the average SINR performance. The proposed approach, therefore, facilitates the implementation of greedy sensor placement approach that permits sequential sensor selection. The transformed domain design is coupled with the sequential sensor placement allowing an efficient implementation.
Chapter Six – Fluids Management

Natural gas and crude oil production from tight formations by means of horizontal drilling coupled with hydraulic fracturing brings changes to the environmental and socioeconomic landscape, particularly in those areas where natural gas and crude oil development is a new activity. With these changes have come questions about the nature of tight resource development, the potential environmental impacts, and the ability of the current regulatory structure to deal with this development. Regulators, policy makers, and the public need an objective source of information on which to base answers to these questions and decisions about how to manage the challenges that may accompany development of resources in tight formations. It is the purpose of this chapter to introduce the reader to the various aspects of tight resource development and the necessity for water as part of the development of natural gas and crude oil resources in tight formations as well as the effects of this development on water use, water production, water quality, and the means by which water quality can be improved to a satisfactory standard that allow for reuse of the water.
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Mitragynine in Beagle Dogs

Mitragynine is the most abundant psychoactive alkaloid derived from the leaves of Mitragyna speciosa (kratom), a tropical plant indigenous to regions of Southeast Asia. Mitragynine displays a moderate affinity to opioid receptors, and kratom is often self-prescribed to treat pain and/or opioid addiction. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and pharmacokinetic properties of mitragynine in the dog. Single dose oral (5 mg/kg) and intravenous (0.1 mg/kg) pharmacokinetic studies of mitragynine were performed in female beagle dogs. The plasma concentrations of mitragynine were measured using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a tandem mass spectrometer, and the pharmacokinetic properties were analyzed using non-compartmental analysis. Following intravenous administration, mitragynine showed a large volume of distribution (Vd, 6.3 ± 0.6 L/kg) and high clearance (Cl, 1.8 ± 0.4 L/h/kg). Following oral mitragynine dosing, first peak plasma (Cmax, 278.0 ± 47.4 ng/mL) concentrations were observed within 0.5 h. A potent mu-opioid receptor agonist and active metabolite of mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, was also observed with a Cmax of 31.5 ± 3.3 ng/mL and a Tmax of 1.7 ± 0.6 h in orally dosed dogs while its plasma concentrations were below the lower limit of quantification (1 ng/mL) for the intravenous study. The absolute oral bioavailability of mitragynine was 69.6%. Administration of mitragynine was well tolerated, although mild sedation and anxiolytic effects were observed. These results provide the first detailed pharmacokinetic information for mitragynine in a non-rodent species (the dog) and therefore also provide significant information for allometric scaling and dose predictions when designing clinical studies.
Interpreting Sars-Cov-2 Fatality Rate Estimates — A Case for Introducing Standardized Reporting to Improve Communication

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread across the world, testing each nation’s ability to understand the state of the pandemic in their country and control it. As we looked into the epidemiological data to uncover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we discovered that critical metadata is missing which is meant to give context to epidemiological parameters. In this perspective, we identify key metadata for the COVID-19 fatality rate after a thorough analysis of mathematical models, serology-informed studies and determinants of causes of death for the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, we find reasons to establish a set of standard-based guidelines to record and report the data from epidemiological studies. Additionally, we discuss why standardizing nomenclature is be a necessary component of these guidelines to improve communication and reproducibility. The goal of establishing these guidelines is to facilitate the interpretation of COVID-19 epidemiological findings and data by the general public, health officials, policymakers and fellow researchers. Our suggestions may not address all aspects of this issue; rather, they are meant to be the foundation for which experts can establish and encourage future guidelines throughout the appropriate communities. Funding: This work was partially supported by NIH R25 DK088752. Declaration of Interest: None to declare.
Evolving Role of Immunotherapy in Metastatic Castration Refractory Prostate Cancer.

Immunotherapies have shown remarkable success in the treatment of multiple cancer types; however, despite encouraging preclinical activity, registration trials of immunotherapy in prostate cancer have largely been unsuccessful. Sipuleucel-T remains the only approved immunotherapy for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer based on modest improvement in overall survival. This immune evasion in the case of prostate cancer has been attributed to tumor-intrinsic factors, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and host factors, which ultimately make it an inert ‘cold’ tumor. Recently, multiple approaches have been investigated to turn prostate cancer into a ‘hot’ tumor. Antibodies directed against programmed cell death protein 1 have a tumor agnostic approval for a small minority of patients with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair-deficient metastatic prostate cancer. Herein, we present an overview of the current immunotherapy landscape in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer with a focus on immune checkpoint inhibitors. We describe the results of clinical trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; either as single agents or in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, novel hormonal therapies, chemotherapies, and radioligands. Finally, we review upcoming immunotherapies, including novel monoclonal antibodies, chimeric-antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, Bi-Specific T cell Engagers (BiTEs), therapies targeting the adenosine pathway, and other miscellaneous agents.
Role of platelets in the pathogenesis of delayed injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients develop delayed cerebral ischemia and delayed deficits (DCI) within 2 weeks of aneurysm rupture at a rate of approximately 30%. DCI is a major con...
Impact of primary care providers (PCPs) on care receipt and satisfaction in adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology patients.

e13512Background: While there has been ongoing work to define the role of primary care providers (PCPs) in adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivorship models, little has been done to understand t...
The modulation of brain network integration and arousal during exploration

There is growing interest in how neuromodulators shape brain networks. Recent neuroimaging studies provide evidence that brainstem arousal systems, such as the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (LC-NE), influence functional connectivity and brain network topology, suggesting they have a role in flexibly reconfiguring brain networks in order to adapt behavior and cognition to environmental demands. To date, however, the relationship between brainstem arousal systems and functional connectivity has not been assessed within the context of a task with an established relationship between arousal and behavior, with most prior studies relying on incidental variations in arousal or pharmacological manipulation and static brain networks constructed over long periods of time. These factors have likely contributed to a heterogeneity of effects across studies. To address these issues, we took advantage of the association between LC-NE-linked arousal and exploration to probe the relationships between exploratory choice, arousal-as measured indirectly via pupil diameter-and brain network dynamics. Exploration in a bandit task was associated with a shift toward fewer, more weakly connected modules that were more segregated in terms of connectivity and topology but more integrated with respect to the diversity of cognitive systems represented in each module. Functional connectivity strength decreased, and changes in connectivity were correlated with changes in pupil diameter, in line with the hypothesis that brainstem arousal systems influence the dynamic reorganization of brain networks. More broadly, we argue that carefully aligning dynamic network analyses with task designs can increase the temporal resolution at which behaviorally- and cognitively-relevant modulations can be identified, and offer these results as a proof of concept of this approach.