cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-objective optimization for thermal mass model predictive control in small and medium size commercial buildings under summer weather conditions

Abstract Building thermal mass control has great potentials in saving energy consumption and cost. Optimal control schemes are able to utilize passive thermal mass storage to shift the cooling load from peak hours to off-peak hours to reduce energy costs. As such, this paper explores the idea of model predictive control for building thermal mass control. Specifically, this paper presents a study of developing and evaluating a multi-objective optimization based model predictive control framework for demand response oriented building thermal mass control. This multi-objective optimization framework takes both energy cost and thermal comfort into consideration simultaneously. In this study, the developed model predictive control framework has been applied in six commercial buildings at Boston, Chicago, and Miami, under typical summer weather conditions. Time-of-use electricity prices from these three locations are used to calculate the cooling and reheating energy costs. Pareto curves for optimal temperature setpoints under different thermal comfort requirements are calculated to show the trade-off between the cost saving and thermal comfort maintaining. Comparing with a typical “night setback” operation scheme, this model predictive control schemes are able to save energy costs from 20% to 60% at these three locations under different weather and energy pricing conditions. In addition, the Pareto curves also show that the energy cost saving potentials are highly dependent on the thermal comfort requirements, weather conditions, utility rate structures, and the building constructions.
Transcriptome- and proteome-oriented identification of dysregulated eIF4G, STAT3, and Hippo pathways altered by PIK3CA H1047R in HER2/ER-positive breast cancer

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway aberrations are common in human breast cancer. Furthermore, PIK3CA mutations are commonly associated with resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) or anti-estrogen receptor (ER) agents in HER2 or ER positive (HER2+/ER+) breast cancer. Hence, deciphering the underlying mechanisms of PIK3CA mutations in HER2+/ER+ breast cancer would provide novel insights into elucidating resistance to anti-HER2/ER therapies. In this study, we systematically investigated the biological consequences of PIK3CA H1047R in HER2+/ER+ breast cancer by uniquely incorporating mRNA transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and proteomic data from reverse-phase protein arrays. Our integrative bioinformatics analyses revealed that several important pathways such as STAT3 and VEGF/hypoxia were selectively altered by PIK3CA H1047R in HER2+/ER+ breast cancer. Protein differential expression analysis indicated that an elevated eIF4G might promote tumor angiogenesis and growth via regulation of the hypoxia-activated switch in HER2+ PIK3CA H1047R breast cancer. We observed hypo-phosphorylation of EGFR in HER2+ PIK3CA H1047R breast cancer versus HER2+PIK3CAwild-type (PIK3CA WT). In addition, ER and PIK3CA H1047R might cooperate to activate STAT3, MAPK, AKT, and Hippo pathways in ER+ PIK3CA H1047R breast cancer. A higher YAPpS127 level was observed in ER+ PIK3CA H1047R patients than that in an ER+ PIK3CA WT subgroup. By examining breast cancer cell lines having both microarray gene expression and drug treatment data from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer and the Stand Up to Cancer datasets, we found that the elevated YAP1 mRNA expression was associated with the resistance of BCL-2 family inhibitors, but with the sensitivity to MEK/MAPK inhibitors in breast cancer cells. In summary, these findings shed light on the functional consequences of PIK3CA H1047R-driven breast tumorigenesis and resistance to the existing therapeutic agents in HER2+/ER+ breast cancer.
The Effect of FloSeal on Mucosal Healing after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Comparison with Thrombin-Soaked Gelatin Foam:

BackgroundThe optimal form of nasal packing after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) still has not been established. Although wide variations exist among sinus surgeons, the goals are adequate hemostas...
Vague distance predicates

A formal theory of vague distance predicates is presented which combines a crisp region-based geometry with a theory of vague size predicates in a supervaluation-based formal framework. In the object language of the axiomatic theory, logical and semantic properties of vague distance predicates that are context- and domain-independent are formalized. Context and domain-dependent aspects are addressed in the meta-language of the theory by incorporating context- and domain-specific restrictions on the canonical interpretations. This allows to relate the ontological and qualitative analysis in the object language to numeric values as they are commonly used in scientific discourses.
Laparoscopic resection of gastric duplication cysts in newborns: a report of five cases

Background Gastric duplication cysts are rare congenital alimentary tract anomalies and most cases are recognized during childhood. There were few reports about gastric duplication cysts in newborns and even fewer reports about laparoscopic resection of gastric duplication cysts in newborns.
Mass univariate testing biases the detection of interaction effects in whole-brain analysis of variance.

Whole-brain analysis of variance (ANOVA) is a common analytic approach in cognitive neuroscience. Researchers are often interested in exploring whether brain activity reflects to the interaction of two factors. Disordinal interactions - where there is a reversal of the effect of one independent variable at a level of a second independent variable - are common in the literature. It is well established in power-analyses of factorial ANOVAs that certain patterns of interactions, such as disordinal (e.g., cross-over interactions) require less power than others to detect. This fact, combined with the perils of mass univariate testing suggests that testing for interactions in whole-brain ANOVAs, may be biased towards the detection of disordinal interactions. Here, we report on a series of simulated analysis --including whole-brain fMRI data using realistic multi-source noise parameters-- that demonstrate a bias towards the detection of disordinal interactions in mass-univariate contexts. Moreover, results of these simulations indicated that spurious disordinal interactions are found at common thresholds and cluster sizes at the group level. Moreover, simulations based on implanting true ordinal interaction effects can nevertheless appear like crossover effects at realistic levels of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when performing mass univariate testing at the whole-brain level, potentially leading to erroneous conclusions when interpreted as is. Simulations of varying sample sizes and SNR levels show that this bias is driven primarily by SNR and larger sample sizes do little to ameliorate this issue. Together, the results of these simulations argue for caution when searching for ordinal interactions in whole-brain ANOVA.
Hilbert-Wavelet-Based Nonstationary Wind Field Simulation: A Multiscale Spatial Correlation Scheme

AbstractObservations in extreme wind events, such as hurricanes/typhoons and downbursts, present strong nonstationarities. While nonstationary features of incident winds are typically ignored in th...
The Fisher Corpus: a Resource for the Next Generations of Speech-to-Text.

This paper describes, within the context of the DARPA EARS program, the design and implementation of the Fisher protocol for collecting conversational telephone speech which has yielded more than 16,000 English conversations. It also discusses the Quick Transcription specification that allowed 2000 hours of Fisher audio to be transcribed in less than one year. Fisher data is already in use within the DARPA EARS programs and will be published via the Linguistic Data Consortium for general use beginning in 2004.
Saturated absorption in commercial and quantum confined Cd(Se,S) doped glasses

CdSexS1-x microcrystallites can be developed within an otherwise transparent glass by adding small amounts of CdO, elemental sulfur, and selenium to the batch materials and heat-treating after the annealing process. These glasses form the basis of the sharp-cut filters first produced commercially by Corning.
Severe shoulder dystocia with a small-for-gestationaI-age infant: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Severe shoulder dystocia is disproportionately associated with large-for-gestational-age infants. CASE: A nulliparous patient at 38 weeks' gestation had an uncomplicated antenatal course. Clinical pelvimetry revealed an acute-angle pubic arch but otherwise normal diameters, conjugate and sacral concavity. Pre-pregnancy BMI was 20.8 and she had had a 14-pound (6.4 kg) weight gain. She presented in labor and, with oxytocin augmentation, progressed to full dilation over 6 hours, followed by an 18-minute second stage. Severe shoulder dystocia was encountered, necessitating multiple maneuvers, and was resolved after 2 minutes with delivery of the posterior arm. The healthy infant weighed 2,289 g (< 5th percentile) and exhibited only transient shoulder weakness, which resolved completely within 1 hour of life. With informed consent, CT pelvimetry was performed within 24 hours postpartum for investigative purposes, revealing small pelvic inlet and at-threshold interischial diameter. CONCLUSION: Geometric analysis reveals that borderline adequate pelvimetry likely played a significant role in severe shoulder dystocia etiology, even with a small-for-gestational-age infant. We alert obstetric providers to the possibility of severe shoulder dystocia in patients with borderline adequate pelves on clinical examination, even when estimated fetal weight makes cephalopelvic disproportion unlikely.
Public Libraries: A Community-Level Resource to Advance Population Health.

Policy makers and public health practitioners rarely consider public libraries to be part of the health system, even though they possess several characteristics that suggest unrealized potential to advance population health. This scoping review uses an adapted social determinants framework to categorize current health-related work conducted by public libraries in the United States and to discuss libraries’ potential as ‘meso-level’ community resources to improve population health. Our discussion of libraries contributes to scholarship on place-based health disparities, by emphasizing the potential impact of institutions that are modifiable through social policy—e.g., parks, community centers, schools—and which have a conceptually clear or empirically documented relationship to health.
Conformational Transitions of Proteins from Atomistic Simulations

The function of many important proteins comes from their dynamic properties, and their ability to undergo conformational transitions. These may be small loop movements that allow access to the protein’s active site, or large movements such as those of motor proteins that are implicated with muscular extension. Yet, in spite of the increasing number of three-dimensional crystal structures of proteins in different conformations, not much is known about the driving forces of these transitions. As an initial step towards exploring the conformational and energetic landscape of protein kinases by computational methods, intramolecular energies and hydration free energies were calculated for different conformations of the catalytic domain of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) with a continuum (Poisson) model for the electrostatics. In this paper, we will put the previous results into context and discuss possible extensions into the dynamic regime.
Abstract 3051: Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters in patients with primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma

Introduction Pretreatment tumor metabolic burden, which measured by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) have been shown to predict outcomes in various malignancies. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serology titer in pulmonary LELC is correlated to stage. However, the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) and the relationship between EBV viral load remained unknown. The current study aims to investigate the prognostic value and association between functional parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT and serum EBV DNA in patients with pulmonary LELC. Methods This retrospective study comprised 32 patients with pulmonary LELC who underwent pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT between January 2008 and December 2016. The EBV viral load and the functional parameters of 18F-FDG PET/CT were used for survival analysis. Results The value of pre-treatment serum EBV DNA had significantly positive correlation with whole MTV (r = 0.63, P = 0.0337) and whole TLG (r = 0.77, P = 0.0093). Advanced tumor stage (≥III) and high whole MTV (≥72.58) significantly predicted poor PFS. Multivariate survival analysis for PFS showed that there was a trend toward a lower risk of recurrence in patients with early tumor stage (≤II) (HR = 0.112, 95% CI =0.011-1.117, P = 0.062, Table 3), albeit not significantly so. Advanced tumor stage (≥III), high whole MTV (≥72.58) and high whole TLG (≥278.4) were predictors of poor OS. However, in multivariate survival analysis, none of them were independent predictors for OS. EBV viral load was not prognostic factor for both PFS and OS. Conclusion Greater whole MTV and whole TLG predicted poorer OS in patients with primary pulmonary LELC. Functional parameter of 18F-FDG PET/CT may provide useful prognostic information. Serum EBV DNA was closely related to whole MTV and TLG, but not a prognostic factor. Citation Format: Yueh-Fu Fang, Chun-Yu Lin. Prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters in patients with primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3051.
The Association between Household Food Insecurity and Body Mass Index: A Prospective Growth Curve Analysis.

Objective To examine the association between food insecurity and body mass index (BMI) from early adolescence to adulthood. Study design Growth curve analyses were performed. Sex differences were examined by conducting the analyses separately by sex. Ten data points were examined over a 16-year period from age 15 to 31 years. Data were obtained from the Family Transitions Project, a longitudinal study of 559 adolescents and their families that was initiated in 1989 in the Midwest. Primarily rural, non-Hispanic whites were selected based on the economic farm crisis. We examined participants from adolescence to adulthood from 1991 through 2007. Measures included a 2-item food insecurity construct and BMI as indicated by self-reported height and weight from adolescence through middle adulthood. These associations were analyzed using prospective growth curve modeling. Results Our analyses indicated a general increase in BMI with age, whereas food insecurity declined over time. Higher levels of food insecurity at age 15 years led to a more rapid increase in BMI. Finally, a positive relationship was found between the changes in food insecurity and BMI over time. These associations held only for females. Conclusion Our results argue for increasing access to food during key developmental periods such as early adolescence, which could help reduce the long-term implications for health, particularly BMI in girls.
Confronting barriers to improve healthcare literacy and cultural competency in disparate populations

Positive patient outcomes depend on clear communication. Understanding healthcare literacy, cultural competency, and health disparities/inequalities is essential for providing empathetic care to patients and their family members. Guidelines to provide culturally competent care may enhance the patient experience and improve healthcare provider communication.
Experimental Validation of a Novel Multistatic Toroidal Reflector Nearfield Imaging System for Concealed Threat Detection

This paper presents the experimental results for a multistatic millimeter wave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging radar for person security screening applications. By making use of an elliptical toroidal antenna, together with a low-cost, highly integrated, wide-bandwidth 57-64 GHz transceiver chipset, a multistatic imaging system is realized which simplifies the 3D imaging system to a less computationally intense 2D problem. The experimental data is in good agreement with the computed data, imaging not only conventional objects, but also challenging targets such as penetrable dielectrics and dihedrals.
Failure does not define me: personal experience and self-efficacy

ABSTRACTThis short case is about an intern for the food and beverage area at a private country club. She has been assigned to wait tables in one of the dining rooms after 2 weeks of mentorship-style training in which she shadowed others. She is unsure whether she feels qualified and, on her first day alone, finds that she is somewhat unprepared. The intern faces several issues with her competence and confidence while attempting to perform “routine” job tasks, in this case serving large parties. Self-efficacy serves as an insightful framework to understand issues related to the task. This short case is appropriate for undergraduate courses in hospitality and human resource management focused on training, food and beverage, or customer service. An additional area that may utilize this short case is management and organizational behavior courses discussing manager or employee efficacy.
Flow visualization of R1234ze(E) in a 0.643 mm microchannel tube

Abstract This paper presents the discussion of regimes of two-phase flow of R1234ze(E) in a 24-port microchannel tube with average hydraulic diameter of 0.643 mm, obtained by visualization. The experiment is conducted in the same facility in the previous work for R32 (Li and Hrnjak, 2019). The conditions cover mass flux from 50 to 225 kg m−2 s−1. The inlet saturation temperature is 30 °C. The two-phase flow is generated by adding heat in several steps to refrigerant initially subcooled at the entrance of test line. As vapor quality increases at a fixed mass flux, the flow is firstly plug/slug, then transitional, and finally is annular flow regime at high quality. When mass flux is 50 kg m−2 s−1, no annular flow observed in the tube. The vapor quality of boundary between two flow patterns decreases as mass flux increases. The annular flow starts at x = 0.85 (G = 100 kg m−2 s−1) and x = 0.63 (225 kg m−2 s−1). The transitional flow starts at x = 0.8 (G = 50 kg m−2 s−1) and x = 0.3 (225 kg m−2 s−1). Comparing to R32 and R134a, flow patterns of R1234ze(E) transition at lower quality due to the lower vapor density and thus higher vapor velocity. Three flow pattern maps in literature are compared to the results and they have limited agreement with our observations. The plug/slug flow behaves as homogeneous. The velocity at interface between liquid slug and vapor plug is close to the homogeneous velocity. The vapor plug length fraction also agrees to the homogeneous void fraction. The length of vapor plug increases dramatically as vapor quality increases at fixed mass flux. The length of liquid slug first increases and then unchanged as quality increases. The video supports that there are liquid droplets formed from the liquid slug and liquid ring collision.
TERNet: A deep learning approach for thermal face emotion recognition

Facial emotion recognition technology finds numerous real-life applications in areas of virtual learning, cognitive psychology analysis, avatar animation, neuromarketing, human machine interactions, and entertainment systems. Most state-of-the-art techniques focus primarily on visible spectrum information for emotion recognition. This becomes very arduous as emotions of individuals vary significantly. Moreover, visible images are susceptible to variation in illumination. Low lighting, variation in poses, aging, and disguise have a substantial impact on the appearance of images and textural information. Even though great advances have been made in the field, facial emotion recognition using existing techniques is often not satisfactory when compared to human performance. To overcome these shortcomings, thermal images are preferred to visible images. Thermal images a) are less sensitive to lighting conditions, b) have consistent thermal signatures, and c) have a temperature distribution formed by the face vein branches. This paper proposes a robust emotion recognition system using thermal images- TERNet. To accomplish this, customized convolutional neural network(CNNs) is employed, which possess excellent generalization capabilities. The architecture adopts features obtained via transfer learning from the VGG-Face CNN model, which is further fine-tuned with the thermal expression face data from the TUFTS face database. Computer simulations demonstrate an accuracy of 96.2% when compared to the state-of-the-art models.
Technology-assisted nursing for postpartum support: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim To determine if an electronic nursing intervention during the first 6 months postpartum was effective in improving mood and decreasing stress. Background Unmet needs postpartum can have a negative impact on mood and parenting stress. Technology-assisted nursing care may provide needed support and reduce risk. Design Randomized controlled trial (RCT) with three conditions. Methods Enrollment began on 11 May 2017. Participants were randomized into one of three groups after completion of the baseline survey. Intervention I participants received standardized electronic messages four times/week for 6 months postpartum. Intervention II participants additionally received the option for nurse contact. Depression and parenting stress as measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Parenting Stress Index-Short form (PSI-SF) was obtained at 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months postpartum and results compared with a usual care group. Patient satisfaction and nursing factors were measured. Results Significantly higher satisfaction scores were found in both intervention groups as compared with control, but there were no significant changes in EPDS or PSI-SF. Conclusion The interventions were perceived as helpful and not burdensome. Better nurse-sensitive outcome measures are needed to adequately assess effectiveness. Impact Postpartum women report unmet needs for support and education. The interventions were perceived as being helpful but did not significantly reduce depressive symptoms or parenting stress. Nurses can use this research to inform development of innovative approaches to support postpartum women. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02843022.
Running mechanics during 1600 meter track runs in young adults with and without chronic ankle instability.

Abstract Objective To evaluate biomechanical measures in runners with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) using wearable sensors during two 1600 m track runs at a slow- and fast-pace. Design Observational case-control. Setting Field. Participants 18 recreational runners (CAI: n = 9; Healthy: n = 9) with rearfoot strike patterns. Main outcome measures Pronation excursion, maximum pronation velocity, peak braking g, peak impact g, contact time, cycle time, and stride length of every step of two 1600 m runs were collected using RunScribe™ sensors and binned to each 400 m lap (Lap 1 to Lap 4). Results Significant group-by-lap interactions were identified for contact time (p = .05) during the slow-intensity run. The CAI group had greater contact time (p = 0.05) that progressively increased with distance completed. CAI group also had higher impact g than the control group throughout the slow-intensity run (p = .03). During the fast-intensity run, significant group by lap interaction was observed for pronation excursion with the CAI group exhibiting less pronation excursion than the healthy group as the run progressed (p = .002). Conclusions Regardless of speed, runners with CAI demonstrated altered gait mechanics compared to healthy controls. During the higher intensity run, decreased pronation excursion was observed in the CAI group and differences became more prominent as the distance increased.
An Evaluation of System End-User Support during Implementation of an Electronic Health Record Using the Model for Improvement Framework.

Background Electronic health record (EHR) system implementation is complex. Strong support for clinicians and other end-users during the initial phase of implementation requires dedicated resources and commitment to ensure a smooth transition, reduce frustration, and assist in adoption. Objectives Evaluate end-user support processes and personnel employed during the initial phase of EHR implementation at an academic medical center and identify facilitators of success, challenges, and lessons learned. Methods Using the model for improvement framework, this case report describes the activities that follow the concepts of planning, doing, studying, and acting (PDSA) when providing on-site support to system end users during an EHR implementation in a complex health care system. Results Strengths included engaged and supportive leadership, use of internal support personnel, use of zone leaders, daily huddles for effective dissemination of information, and an evaluation survey tool to provide data supporting rapid changes in support personnel allocation. Challenges primarily surrounded the management of over 1,000 external support personnel which included limited EHR system knowledge, scheduling, and transportation logistics. Conclusion Implementation of EHR systems continues. Supporting end users is one aspect of these complex projects that require dedicated resources to manage effectively. Organizations taking a more proactive approach, based on learning from experiences, as well as from other health care organizations, can improve their ability to take on this challenge armed with best practices and lessons learned.
Wait, Haven’t We Been Here Before? A Method for Using History to Help Political Communication Scholarship

In many ways, the pace of political communication change is moving at breakneck speed. Between social media platforms, data analytics, algorithms, bots, deep fakes, disinformation campaigns, and co...
Research on online diagnosis method of transformer winding deformation based on correlation mining of operating voltage and current

Transformer is one of the main equipment of power system, winding deformation will lay a hidden danger for the operation of transformer. Most of the existing winding deformation diagnosis methods belong to off-line diagnosis, which has the disadvantages of power cut and long interval period. In this paper, an on-line diagnosis method of transformer winding deformation based on the correlation mining of operating voltage and current is proposed. Through collecting practical cases, the monitoring data before and after transformer winding deformation are compared longitudinally by using the logic regression method, and it is found that only the monitoring data of voltage and current are significantly related to the deformation among the four monitoring indexes of current, voltage, power and oil temperature. Combined with the algorithm of permutation entropy, the data before and after transformer deformation are compared crosswise, it is found that the permutation entropy of many indexes of transformer with winding deformation before and after short circuit is obviously different, while the permutation entropy of each index of transformer without winding deformation is basically the same before and after short circuit. And the on-line diagnosis of winding deformation can be realized by analyzing the actual state of permutation entropy of key indexes of transformer. In this study, a total of 29 transformer winding deformation diagnosis was completed, 27 transformers were correctly identified, and the diagnostic accuracy rate was 93.10%, which verified the effectiveness of the method and its popularization among different types of transformers.
Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) for neuroendocrine tumors (NET): A two-year single institution experience

1438 Objectives: Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are a heterogenous group of tumors, once thought rare, but now show a rising incidence. The tumor often times is indolent, thus leading to a late diagnosis at an advanced metastatic stage. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with radiolabeled somatostatin analogue has emerged as a new encouraging systemic treatment modality, especially for unresectable metastasized NETs. PRRT is not only known to reduce tumor burden but also NET-related symptoms, thus increasing quality of life. We present here our initial experience with lutetium-177 (177Lu) labeled Dotatate since FDA approval in January 2018 in patients with NET and other somatostatin receptor (SSTR) positive tumors. Methods: Sixty-three patients (33 males and 30 females; 37 - 81-year-old, mean ± SD: 62.1 ± 10.4 years) were treated with PRRT at our institution. Thereof 58 had progressing NETs (32 of the pancreas, 18 of the small intestine, 1 of the coecum, 1 of the appendix, 1 of the stomach and 5 of unknown primary), 3 had a paraganglioma, and 2 had a pheochromocytoma. Treatment was scheduled every 8 weeks for a total of 4 cycles. 68Ga-Dotatate PET/CT was performed at baseline, interim after 2 cycles, and following completion of PRRT. RECIST and SSTR density based on change of SUVmax were used to evaluate response to therapy. We assessed progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and, considering the short follow-up time, an interim overall survival (OS). Results: 36/63 (57.1%) patients completed all 4 cycles of PRRT, receiving a full dose of 7400MBq each. 10/63 (15.9%) patients had to discontinue treatment (4 after 1st cycle, 3 after 2nd cycle, and 3 after 3rd cycle) due to co-morbidities. 17/63 (27%) patients are still scheduled to receive additional cycles. The 11-month PFS rate was 57% and the 14-month PFS rate was 62%. The ORR was 26%. In the interim OS analysis, 8 deaths occurred from co-morbidities. Conclusions: In our heterogenous and heavily pretreated patient cohort, the preliminary data show overall good results of PRRT with a high ORR.
The profound heterogeneity of substance use disorders: Implications for treatment development.

A single treatment approach will never be sufficient to address the diversity of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). SUDs have historically defied definition through simple characteriz...
Does C reactive protein/Albumin ratio have prognostic value in patients with COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: There is paucity of data regarding C reactive protein/Albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed to evaluate the significance of CRP/Alb ratio in COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: Patients hospitalized between March - April 2020 with COVID-19, who had CRP and Albumin levels documented within 24 hours from admission were retrospectively analyzed. Unpaired Student's t-test was used for continuous and Pearson Chi-square (χ²) test for categorical variables. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were developed to assess the relationship between CRP/Alb and mortality. Nonparametric correlations were calculated using Spearman's Rho correlation coefficient. RESULTS: 75 patients were included. Mean age was 62.92, 26 females (34.67%) and 49 males (65.33%), mean Body Mass Index (BMI) 29.86, mean body temperature 101.3 and mean length of stay (LOS) was 14.80 days. 24 (32%) patients required invasive mechanical ventilation and 51 (68%) did not, mean CRP/Alb ratio was 6.89 and 4.7 respectively (p = 0.036). 15 (20%) patients died, 60 (80%) survived and the mean CRP/Alb difference between these groups was also statistically significant (7.74 vs 4.83, p = 0.02). LOS (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.57.-0.88, p < 0.001) and BUN (OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.01.-1.07, p = 0.006) were independent predictors of mortality by multivariate logistic regression, whereas CRP/Alb (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.96.-1.51, p = 0.06) was not. CONCLUSIONS: CRP/Alb ratio could be useful as a prognostic indicator of disease severity in COVID-19, but we could not corroborate its potential to predict mortality. The work was conducted at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons at Harlem Hospital.
Molecular Mechanisms of Multi-Organ Failure in COVID-19 and Potential of Stem Cell Therapy

As the number of confirmed cases and deaths occurring from Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surges worldwide, health experts are striving hard to fully comprehend the extent of damage caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although COVID-19 primarily manifests itself in the form of severe respiratory distress, it is also known to cause systemic damage to almost all major organs and organ systems within the body. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms leading to multi-organ failure seen in COVID-19 patients. We also examine the potential of stem cell therapy in treating COVID-19 multi-organ failure cases.
UNIT 7.9 Molecular Modeling of Nucleic Acid Structure: Electrostatics and Solvation

This unit presents an overview of computer simulation techniques as applied to nucleic acid systems, ranging from simple in vacuo molecular modeling techniques to more complete all-atom molecular dynamics treatments that include an explicit representation of the environment. The third in a series of four units, this unit focuses on critical issues in solvation and the treatment of electrostatics. units 7.5 & 7.8 introduced the modeling of nucleic acid structure at the molecular level. This included a discussion of how to generate an initial model, how to evaluate the utility or reliability of a given model, and ultimately how to manipulate this model to better understand its structure, dynamics, and interactions. Subject to an appropriate representation of the energy, such as a specifically parameterized empirical force field, the techniques of minimization and Monte Carlo simulation, as well as molecular dynamics (MD) methods, were introduced as a way of sampling conformational space for a better understanding of the relevance of a given model. This discussion highlighted the major limitations with modeling in general. When sampling conformational space effectively, difficult issues are encountered, such as multiple minima or conformational sampling problems, and accurately representing the underlying energy of interaction. In order to provide a realistic model of the underlying energetics for nucleic acids in their native environments, it is crucial to include some representation of solvation (by water) and also to properly treat the electrostatic interactions. These subjects are discussed in detail in this unit. Curr. Protoc. Nucleic Acid Chem. 55:7.9.1-7.9.27. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: nucleic acid chemistry; nucleic acid structure and folding; structural analysis of biomolecules; experimental determination of structure
Daily Social Contact in Relation to Sleep: The Role of Age.

Objectives. To examine how social contact during daily activities differs by age and relates to sleep outcomes. Methods. Fifty younger and 48 older , community-dwelling adults completed the Social Rhythm Metric-17 and daily sleep diary online for 14 days. Results. Younger adults completed a greater proportion of activities with active others than older adults. Age significantly interacted with the proportion of activities completed alone, . Alone activities negatively predicted total sleep time in older, not younger adults. Discussion. Social contact, or lack thereof, is important for sleep, particularly for older adults who may be more prone to aloneness due to life course events.
Privacy-Preserving Speaker Identification as String Comparison

In this chapter, we develop a method for speaker verification that requires minimal computation overhead needed to satisfy the privacy constraints. The central aspect of our approach is to reduce the speaker verification task to string comparison. Instead of using the UBM-GMM approach, we convert the utterances into supervector features (Campbell et al., 2006) that are invariant with the length of the utterance. By applying the locality sensitive hashing (LSH) transformation (Gionis et al., 1999) to the supervectors, we reduce the problem of nearest-neighbor classification into string comparison. It is very efficient to perform string comparison with privacy, similar to a conventional password system. By applying a cryptographic hash function, e.g., SHA-256 (SHA 2008), we convert the LSH transformation to an obfuscated string which the server cannot use to gain information about the supervectors, but is still able to compare if two strings are identical. This one-way transformation preserves the privacy of the speech utterances submitted by the user, and can be executed significantly faster than applying homomorphic encryption.
Adaptive control for flapping wing robots with history dependent, unsteady aerodynamics

This paper derives a history dependent formulation of the equations of motion of a flapping wing, ground-based robotic system and constructs an associated adaptive control strategy to track observed flapping motions in insect flight. A general methodology is introduced in which lift and drag forces are represented in terms of history dependent integral operators to model and identify the unknown and unmeasurable aerodynamic loading on the flapping wing robot. The resulting closed loop system constitutes an abstract Volterra integral equation whose state consists of the finite-dimensional vector of generalized coordinates for the robotic system and an infinite dimensional unknown function characterizing the kernel of the history dependent integral operator. Finite dimensional approximations of the state equations are derived via quadrature formula and finite element methods. These approximations yield history dependent equations that evolve in euclidean space. An adaptive control scheme based on passivity principles is derived for the approximate history dependent system. Lyapunov analysis guarantees stability of the closed loop system and that the tracking error and its derivative converge to zero. The novel control strategy introduced in this paper is noteworthy in that by introducing a history dependent adjoint operator in the state estimate equation, the analysis for convergence of the closed loop history dependent equations closely resembles the analysis used for conventional ODE systems.
Intracellular signaling events associated with the induction of proliferation of normal human B lymphocytes by two different antigenically related human B cell growth factors (high molecular weight B cell growth factor (HMW-BCGF) and the complement factor Bb)

High molecular weight B cell growth factor (HMW-BCGF) and the complement component, Factor B, are antigenically related. HMW-BCGF and the physiologic Factor B activation fragment Bb, are both mitogenic for B lymphocytes and compete for binding to the B cell plasma membrane (Peters, M., Ambrus, J. L., Jr., Fauci, A., and Brown, E. (1988) J. Exp. Med. 168, 1225-1235). To understand which second messengers that occur after ligand-receptor interaction are associated with mitogenesis, we have examined the early signaling events after stimulation of activated B cells with these related growth factors. HMW-BCGF but not Bb increased [cAMP]i with a maximum between 45 and 60 min after stimulation. The increase in [cAMP]i was inhibited by indomethacin, suggesting that prostaglandin synthesis is involved in this response. Increase in [cAMP]i induced by HMW-BCGF, cholera toxin, or dibutyryl cAMP was associated with increased expression of the HMW-BCGF receptor, but there was no increase in proliferation of activated B cells when they were stimulated with cAMP agonists other than HMW-BCGF. These data suggest that cAMP is associated with regulation of receptor expression but is neither necessary nor sufficient for induction of proliferation. Both HMW-BCGF and Bb increased cellular levels of diacylglycerol and a water-soluble molecule which could be labeled with both [3H]myoinositol and [14C] glucosamine. However, only HMW-BCGF induced increases in intracellular calcium. Thus, two antigenically related B cell growth factors, HMW-BCGF and Bb, produce overlapping but distinct sets of second messengers after incubation with Sac-activated B cells. Since both induced increases in diacylglycerol and water-soluble inositol, one or both of these molecules may be involved in the proliferative signal generated by the related growth factors. In contrast, the increase in [cAMP]i caused by HMW-BCGF but not Bb is involved in the signal to increase HMW-BCGF receptor expression, but is unrelated to proliferation.
Consorting with the Enemy: American Reporters and "Red Sources" at the Korean Truce Talks, 1951-1953

Through the Cold War's ebb and flow, there were always contacts across the line, even at the tensest of times. One of the most remarkable was the information arrangement made between American and Communist-affiliated journalists at the Korean truce talks first at Kaesong and then at Panmunjom from July 1951 to July 1953. The American correspondents acted upon a journalistic ideology that allowed them to defy the United Nations Command (UNC) and "fraternize" with the enemy during wartime. While still staying wholly committed to the Cold War consensus a belief in the goodness of American and the evil of monolithic Communism. This experience not only demonstrated the flexibility of journalism in the Cold War, but also probably made it easier for other journalists to use Communist sources and information and even travel behind the lines in the Vietnam War. Reporters in Vietnam, however, were able to push the boundaries further because the divisions in American society over the war had expanded the range of what was considered legitimate news in Vietnam.
Bogardus Social Distance Scale

The Bogardus Social Distance Scale was an early technique for measuring attitudes toward racial and ethnic groups. The basic concept behind the Bogardus scale is that the more prejudiced an individual is against a particular group, the less that person will wish to interact with members of that group (R. M. Dawes, 1972). Thus, the items that compose a Bogardus scale describe relationships into which a respondent might be willing to enter with a member of the specified cultural group (e.g., spouse, friend, neighbor, co-worker, citizen, visitor to our country). Items are worded in terms of inclusion or exclusion. “Would you accept an ‘X' as a spouse?” is an example of an inclusion question and “Would you keep all ‘Ys' out of America?” is an example of an exclusion question. The attitude or esteem with which the respondent holds the specified group is defined as the closeness of relationship that the respondent reports as being willing to accept with a member of that group. Keywords: attitude measurement; Guttman scale; prejudice; scaling
A discontinuous PWM strategy optimized for high-frequency pulsating-dc link inverters

This paper presents a discontinuous pulse width modulation (PWM) scheme optimized for three-phase highfrequency pulsating-dc link (HFPDCL) inverters. HFPDCL inverters consist of a high-frequency dc/ac converter, highfrequency (HF) transformers, a rectifier, and an output threephase inverter. HF transformers provide galvanic isolation and reduce the transformer volume in the inverter. HFPDCL inverters do not require bulky DC-link capacitors; therefore, eliminating them from the power stage of the converter increases the power density and reliability of the HFPDCL inverters. The proposed discontinuous PWM scheme is optimized based on the HF pulsating-dc waveform of the dc link of the HFPDCL inverters. It decreases the switching requirement and generates high-quality output waveforms. It clamps one predetermined phase of the output inverter to the dc bus which decreases the switching requirement of the inverter. A 2 kW prototype HFPDCL inverter is implemented to verify the performance of the proposed discontinuous PWM scheme. Using the proposed DPWM scheme for the HFPDCL inverters improves the performance of the inverter.
Radiation-induced mucositis: a randomized clinical trial of micronized sucralfate versus salt & soda mouthwashes.

Oral mucositis is one of the major toxicities caused by radiation therapy (RT) treatments to the head and neck. The clinical efficacy of sucralfate (Carafate R) mouthwash for head and neck cancer p...
A Cramer-Rao bound on acoustic measurement of ocean climate change in the presence of mesoscale sound-speed variability

The ability to measure climate-related mean changes in ocean temperature is fundamentally limited by the presence of mesoscale variability. In the paper, the Cramer-Rao lower bound on the estimation of the mean depth-dependent temperature profile is evaluated to determine the highest accuracy which could be achieved by acoustic thermometry of ocean climate (ATOC). Evaluation of the bound is performed using a model of sound-speed variability derived from real Pacific ocean environmental data. Results indicate that a low-order Chebyshev polynomial may be a good choice for climate signal representation. The general behavior the bound is determined by a subtle interaction between the climate signal basis, a priori mesoscale noise statistics, and observation-time-bandwidth-signal-to-noise ratio product.
Judicial Regulation of Digital Copyright Windfalls: Making Interpretive and Policy Sense of Viacom v. YouTube and UMG Recordings v. Shelter Capital Partners

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DMCA), passed at the dawning of the Internet Age, sought to foster “reasonable assurance” to copyright owners “that they will be protected against massive piracy” while insulating online service providers (OSPs) from copyright liability in the ordinary course of their operations so that they will make “the necessary investment in the expansion of the speed and capacity of the Internet.” Section 512's safe harbor provision plays a principal role in effectuating that balance. At the time that Congress crafted this regime, the World Wide Web operated on a simpler model in which webmasters actively controlled material made available on webpages. With the advent of Web 2.0 services, such as YouTube, in which users upload, edit, and collaborate in information dissemination, webmasters came to be replaced by automated systems and the potential liability of OSPs became more uncertain. On the one hand, Web 2.0 websites greatly expanded Internet functionality and the ability of amateur creators, fans, and the public at large to reach worldwide audiences quickly and easily. On the other hand, they greatly expanded the level of infringing activity. This article critically examines the Second and Ninth Circuits' recent, much anticipated decisions applying the Section 512 safe harbor to Web 2.0 services. It highlights the difficulties of interpreting copyright law in a rapidly evolving technological age. After working through the complex statutory conditions governing the operation of the safe harbor, it contends that the courts have interpreted the DMCA's "red flag" provisions in an overly narrow manner, possibly out of understandable concern for creating undue windfalls. Unfortunately, the courts' interpretation rewards cavalier business models that undermine the balance of copyright protection and responsible OSP activities. The article concludes that Congress can better effectuate the DMCA's dual goals by tightening the responsibilities of Web 2.0 OSPs while significantly recalibrating the statutory damage regime to avoid undue digital copyright windfalls.