cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allergy to Prolene Sutures in a Dural Graft for Chiari Decompression

Allergy to Prolene suture is exceedingly rare with only 5 cases reported in the literature. There have been no such cases associated with neurosurgical procedures. Diagnosis is nearly always delayed in spite of persistent symptomatology. A 27-year-old girl with suspected Ehlers-Danlos, connective tissue disorder, underwent posterior fossa decompression for Chiari Type 1 malformation. One year later, the patient presented with urticarial rash from the neck to chest. Cerebrospinal fluid and blood testing, magnetic resonance imaging, and intraoperative exploration did not suggest allergic reaction. Eventually skin testing proved specific Prolene allergy. After suture material was removed, the patient no longer complained of pruritus or rash. This single case highlights the important entity of allergic reaction to suture material, namely, Prolene, which can present in a delayed basis. Symptomatology can be vague but has typical allergic characteristics. Multidisciplinary approach is helpful with confirmatory skin testing as a vital part of the workup.
Optimal Prediction in the Retina and Natural Motion Statistics

Almost all behaviors involve making predictions. Whether an organism is trying to catch prey, avoid predators, or simply move through a complex environment, the organism uses the data it collects through its senses to guide its actions by extracting from these data information about the future state of the world. A key aspect of the prediction problem is that not all features of the past sensory input have predictive power, and representing all features of the external sensory world is prohibitively costly both due to space and metabolic constraints. This leads to the hypothesis that neural systems are optimized for prediction. Here we describe theoretical and computational efforts to define and quantify the efficient representation of the predictive information by the brain. Another important feature of the prediction problem is that the physics of the world is diverse enough to contain a wide range of possible statistical ensembles, yet not all inputs are probable. Thus, the brain might not be a generalized predictive machine; it might have evolved to specifically solve the prediction problems most common in the natural environment. This paper summarizes recent results on predictive coding and optimal predictive information in the retina and suggests approaches for quantifying prediction in response to natural motion. Basic statistics of natural movies reveal that general patterns of spatiotemporal correlation are present across a wide range of scenes, though individual differences in motion type may be important for optimal processing of motion in a given ecological niche.
Deep Neural Networks: A Case Study for Music Genre Classification

Music classification is a challenging problem withmany applications in today's large-scale datasets with Gigabytesof music files and associated metadata and online streamingservices. Recent success with deep neural network architectureson large-scale datasets has inspired numerous studies in themachine learning community for various pattern recognitionand classification tasks such as automatic speech recognition, natural language processing, audio classification and computervision. In this paper, we explore a two-layer neural network withmanifold learning techniques for music genre classification. Wecompare the classification accuracy rate of deep neural networkswith a set of well-known learning models including supportvector machines (SVM and '1-SVM), logistic regression and '1-regression in combination with hand-crafted audio features fora genre classification task on a public dataset. Our experimentalresults show that neural networks are comparable with classiclearning models when the data is represented in a rich featurespace.
Summary of Test Preparations for the Medium Scale Critical Components Test Program at the Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (Invited)

The United States Air Force is developing new technologies for advanced weapons systems. One area of research is in hypersonic flight airbreathing propulsion systems. With the recent successful flight of the missile scale X-51A vehicle, some of the research focus has shifted toward building larger scale propulsion systems for the purpose of developing aircraft-scale hypersonic flight vehicles. In particular, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Medium Scale Critical Components (MSCC) program has been tasked with developing a technology base for scramjet propulsion systems on the order of 10 times (10X) the size of the X-51A engine. To support this task, AFRL and the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) have partnered to prepare the Aerodynamic and Propulsion Test Unit (APTU) to support direct-connect testing of one or more 10X scale scramjet propulsion systems. Significant investments are also being made in developing personnel and analysis tools to assess the test results.
Efficacy of 2.5% imidacloprid bait against Blattella germainca

Objective To determine the efficacy of 2.5% imidacloprid bait against cockroaches in lab and field.Methods Having experiment in lab and having field experiment.Results After the experiment for four days,the cockroaches were all dead.In the field experiment,the cockroaches were all dead for five days.The LT50 were 1.26 and 1.74 days.Before the experiment,the density of cockroaches were 17.25 pieces for every 15 minutes.After applying the bait for 1,2,5 and 10 days,the mortality were 69.1%,81.82%,92.73% and 100%.At the first five days,the dead cockroaches reached the highest level,occupying 94.32% of the whole dead cockroaches.Conclusion 2.5% imidacloprid could control cockroaches effectively and should be generalized.
Spectral determination of concentrations of functionally diverse pigments in increasingly complex arctic tundra canopies

As the Arctic warms, tundra vegetation is becoming taller and more structurally complex, as tall deciduous shrubs become increasingly dominant. Emerging studies reveal that shrubs exhibit photosynthetic resource partitioning, akin to forests, that may need accounting for in the "big leaf" net ecosystem exchange models. We conducted a lab experiment on sun and shade leaves from S. pulchra shrubs to determine the influence of both constitutive (slowly changing bulk carotenoid and chlorophyll pools) and facultative (rapidly changing xanthophyll cycle) pigment pools on a suite of spectral vegetation indices, to devise a rapid means of estimating within canopy resource partitioning. We found that: (1) the PRI of dark-adapted shade leaves (PRIo) was double that of sun leaves, and that PRIo was sensitive to variation among sun and shade leaves in both xanthophyll cycle pool size (V + A + Z) (r (2) = 0.59) and Chla/b (r (2) = 0.64); (2) A corrected PRI (difference between dark and illuminated leaves, ΔPRI) was more sensitive to variation among sun and shade leaves in changes to the epoxidation state of their xanthophyll cycle pigments (dEPS) (r (2) = 0.78, RMSE = 0.007) compared to the uncorrected PRI of illuminated leaves (PRI) (r (2) = 0.34, RMSE = 0.02); and (3) the SR680 index was correlated with each of (V + A + Z), lutein, bulk carotenoids, (V + A + Z)/(Chla + b), and Chla/b (r (2) range = 0.52-0.69). We suggest that ΔPRI be employed as a proxy for facultative pigment dynamics, and the SR680 for the estimation of constitutive pigment pools. We contribute the first Arctic-specific information on disentangling PRI-pigment relationships, and offer insight into how spectral indices can assess resource partitioning within shrub tundra canopies.
Influencing Collaborative Leadership An Interview With Dean Terry Fulmer

This department highlights nursing leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to innovation and patient care leadership in practice, policy, research, education and theory. This interview profiles Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, chairperson of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Advisory Committee and dean of the Bouve College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University.
MALE-STERILIZING INTERACTIONS BETWEEN DUPLICATIONS AND DEFICIENCIES FOR PROXIMAL X-CHROMOSOME MATERIAL IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

ABSTRACT The genetic limits of sixty-four deficiencies in the vicinity of the euchromatic-heterochromatic junction of the X chromosome were mapped with respect to a number of proximal recessive lethal mutations. They were also tested for male fertility in combination with three Y chromosomes carrying different amounts of proximal X -chromosome-derived material ( B S Yy + , y + Ymal 126 and y + Ymal + ). All deficiencies that did not include the locus of bb and a few that did were male-fertile in all male-viable Df(1)/Dp(1;Y) combinations. Nineteen bb deficiencies fell into six different classes by virtue of their male-fertility phenotypes when combined with the duplicated Y chromosomes. The six categories of deficiencies are consistent with a formalism that invokes three factors or regions at the base of the X , one distal and two proximal to bb , which bind a substance critical for precocious inactivation of the X chromosome in the primary spermatocyte. Free duplications carrying these regions or factors compete for the substance in such a way that, in the presence of such duplications, proximally deficient X chromosomes are unable to command sufficient substance for proper control of X -chromosome gene activity preparatory to spermatogenesis. We conclude that there is no single factor at the base of the X that is required for the fertility of males whose genotype is otherwise normal.
Effectiveness of critical care pathways for head and neck cancer surgery: A systematic review.

Background Critical care pathways (CCPs) are implemented within health care systems as a means to systematically decrease resource utilization, whereas maintaining a high level of care for patients with a specific diagnosis. Previous studies have shown equivocal results for CCPs in head and neck cancer surgery. Methods We conducted a systematic review evaluating studies of CCPs for head and neck cancer surgery, with individual outcome measures analyzed separately to describe the effect of each implemented pathway. Results Ten before and after studies were included for systematic review. Nine reported statistically significant decreases in median/mean length of stay and 5 reported statistically significant decreases in cost of care per case. Conclusion Although the results are encouraging and point toward the ability of CCPs to decrease length of stay and cost of care, the evidence cannot be considered exhaustive because of the studies’ inability to account for temporal trends. Further controlled studies are recommended to validate the benefits of CCPs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1421–1427, 2016
Diet and Migraine

A team of investigators at the Department of Paediatrics, Rotherham District General Hospital, and Sheffield Children’s Hospital, have carried out a controlled study in 39 children to assess the effects of exclusion of dietary vasoactive amines in migraine.
The effect of 3,4-dimethyl substitution on the neurotoxicity of 2,5-hexanedione: I. Accelerated clinical neuropathy is accompanied by more proximal axonal swellings

Abstract The neurotoxicity of the γ-diketone, 3,4-dimethyl-2,5-hexanedione, was studied in rats and compared to the known neurotoxicity of the parent compound, 2,5-hexanedione. The test compound was found to be 20 to 30 times more potent on a molar basis than hexanedione. In addition, unlike the distal axonal changes associated with hexanedione, the neurofilamentous swellings following exposure to the dimethyl analog occurred more proximally in the axon, with a preponderance in the anterior horn and lateral tracts of the spinal cord, and in the anterior roots. Since alkyl substitution causes branched-chain compounds to cyclize more rapidly than unbranched analogs, the greater neurotoxicity of the dimethyl compound implicates pyrrole formation in the pathogenesis of n -hexane neuropathy. Furthermore, the location of the axonal swellings induced with 3,4-dimethyl 2,5-hexanedione suggests that there is a common mechanism of injury for the entire class of neurofilament neuropathies, providing a continuum between the intraspinal swellings of β,β′-iminodipropionitrile (IDPN) and the distal axonopathies of 2,5-hexanedione, carbon disulfide, and acrylamide. In addition, lower doses of 3,4-dimethyl-2,5-hexanedione for longer periods of time led to a shift in the location of the axonal swellings to include more distal sites. These observations support the hypothesis that covalent crosslinking of the stable neurofilament is the primary event in the molecular pathogenesis of these toxic neuropathies, and that the rate of crosslinking of neurofilaments determines the proximodistal location of the axonal swelling.
Drawing the Line: Spatial Strategies of Community and Resistance in Post-SB1070 Arizona

In North America, and globally, the topics of immigration and immigration policy have become among the most divisive fault lines of political struggle and debate. In this paper, we reflect upon the State of Arizona’s embrace of the “Attrition Through Enforcement” (ATE) doctrine as exemplary of contemporary U.S. anti-immigrant policies that target the social reproduction of non-citizens. Reflecting on ATE and movements against it, we argue for the inadequacy of scholarly and activist approaches that would normatively deploy frameworks of “citizenship” or demands for “no borders” to articulate the stakes and composition of contemporary immigration struggles. Borrowing from political scientist Joel Olson and his concept of “democratic Manichaeism,” we argue instead the imperative to radically confront and unsettle the normative divisions between citizen and non-citizen that anti-immigrant actors and policies would police. Through two case studies in Tucson, Arizona, we examine the possibilities and challenges related to mobilizing such a Manichaean framework through the quotidian spaces of everyday life. We conclude by proposing “community composition” as both a political agenda and a methodological framework through which to attend to everyday geographies of belonging and exclusion while confronting the normative political categories that structure the nation-state and justify its violence.
Haemophilus influenzae serotype f endocarditis and septic arthritis.

Haemophilus influenzae represents gram-negative coccobacilli which can cause endocarditis, meningitis, septicemia, pneumonia, septic arthritis. H.influenzae exists as encapsulated and unencapsulated (non-typeable) strains. Non-typeable H.influenzae are emerging pathogens especially in elderly population. We report a case of a 73 year old woman with bacteremia, endocarditis and septic arthritis due to H.influenzae serotype f. This case emphasizes the clinical features and the key elements of diagnosis and management of infections caused by non-typeable strains of H.influenzae.
Habituation and Tonic Immobility in Chickens: Strain Comparisons

Research has demonstrated substantial strain differences among chickens in the duration of tonic immobility. The present study was designed to compare the habituation of immobility in White Leghorn and Production Red chickens. Experiment 1 replicated other research by showing that (a) repeated elicitation of immobility, and not just handling, was responsible for reduced response durations for both strains; and (b) White Leghorns displayed significantly longer response durations compared to Production Reds. Retention of habituation of immobility in White Leghorns was explored in a second experiment and was found to replicate the lack of spontaneous recovery noted in other research with Production Reds.
Biodiversity maintenance may be lower under partial niche differentiation than under neutrality

Niche differentiation is normally regarded as a key promoter of species coexistence in competitive systems. One might therefore expect that relative to neutral assemblages, niche-differentiated communities should support more species with longer persistence and lower probability of extinction. Here we compare stochastic niche and neutral dynamics in simulated assemblages, and find that when local dynamics combine with immigration from a regional pool, the effect of niches can be more complex. Trait variation that lessens competition between species will not necessarily give all immigrating species their own niche to occupy. Such partial niche differentiation protects certain species from local extinction, but precipitates exclusion of others. Differences in regional abundances and intrinsic growth rates have similar impacts on persistence times as niche differentiation, and therefore blur the distinction between niche and neutral dynamical patterns-although niche dynamics will influence which species persist longer. Ultimately, unless the number of niches available to species is sufficiently high, niches may actually heighten extinction rates and lower species richness and local persistence times. Our results help make sense of recent observations of community dynamics, and point to the dynamical observations needed to discern the influence of niche differentiation.
Evolution of Students' Varied Conceptualizations About Socially Responsible Engineering: A Four Year Longitudinal Study.

Engineers should learn how to act on their responsibility to society during their education. At present, however, it is unknown what students think about the meaning of socially responsible engineering. This paper synthesizes 4 years of longitudinal interviews with engineering students as they progressed through college. The interviews revolved broadly around how students saw the connections between engineering and social responsibility, and what influenced these ideas. Using the Weidman Input–Environment–Output model as a framework, this research found that influences included required classes such as engineering ethics, capstone design, and some technical courses, pre-college volunteering and familial values, co-curricular groups such as Engineers Without Borders and the Society of Women Engineers, as well as professional experiences through internships. Further, some experiences such as technical courses and engineering internships contributed to confine students’ understanding of an engineer’s social responsibility. Overall, students who stayed in engineering tended to converge on basic responsibilities such as safety and bettering society as a whole, but tended to become less concerned with improving the lives of the marginalized and disadvantaged. Company loyalty also became important for some students. These results have valuable, transferable contributions, providing guidance to foster students’ ideas on socially responsible engineering.
Laser-based additive manufacturing of zirconium

Additive manufacturing of zirconium is attempted using commercial Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENSTM) technique. A LENSTM-based approach towards processing coatings and bulk parts of zirconium, a reactive metal, aims to minimize the inconvenience of traditional metallurgical practices of handling and processing zirconium-based parts that are particularly suited to small volumes and one-of-a-kind parts. This is a single-step manufacturing approach for obtaining near net shape fabrication of components. In the current research, Zr metal powder was processed in the form of coating on Ti6Al4V alloy substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) as well as phase analysis via X-ray diffraction (XRD) were studied on these coatings. In addition to coatings, bulk parts were also fabricated using LENS™ from Zr metal powders, and measured part accuracy.
Forward Surgical Team Experience (FSTE) Is Associated With Increased Confidence With Combat Surgeon Trauma Skills

Introduction Little is known regarding the confidence of military surgeons prior to combat zone deployment. Military surgeons are frequently deployed without peers experienced in combat surgery. We hypothesized that forward surgical team experience (FSTE) increases surgeon confidence with critical skill sets. Methods We conducted a national survey of military affiliated personnel. We used a novel survey instrument that was piloted and validated by experienced military surgeons to collect demographics, education, practice patterns, and confidence parameters for trauma and surgical critical care skills. Skills were defined as crucial operative techniques for hemorrhage control and resuscitation. Surveyors were blinded to participants, and surveys were returned electronically via REDCap database. Data were analyzed with SPSS using appropriate models. Significance was considered p Results Of 174 distributed surveys, 86 were completed. Nine individuals failed to characterize their FSTE, thus leaving a sample size of 77. At the time of first deployment, 78.4% were alone or with less experienced surgeons and 53.2% had less than 2 yr of post-residency practice. The respondents' confidence in damage control techniques and seven other trauma skills increased relative to FSTE. After adjusting for years of practice, number of trauma resuscitations performed per month and pre-deployment training, there remained a significant positive association between FSTE and confidence in damage control, thoracic surgery, extremity/junctional hemorrhage control, trauma systems administration, adult critical care and airway management. Conclusions Training programs and years of general surgery practice do not replace FSTE among military surgeons. Pre-deployment training that mimics FST skill sets should be developed to improve military surgeon confidence and outcomes. Level of evidence Prognostic and Epidemiologic, Level IV.
Electrostatic focusing of electrospun Polymer(PEO) nanofibers

Abstract Polymer nanofibers have a specific set of material properties that are favorable for many applications in biomedical engineering (scaffolds, stents or tissues engineering). In this article, influence of the electrostatic field distribution on the fiber deposition pattern is examined. The electrode pair used in the study is part of a lineal quadrupole trap used in ion trapping experiments. The impact of the bias potential on the nanofiber collection patterns and the electrospinning process is examined through a series of experiments and finite-element analysis of the resulting field distribution. A set of optimal amplitudes of the steering electric field components is also reported.
Early voices for ethics in nanotechnology.

Chris Toumey reflects on the inhomogeneity of the concept of ethics applied to nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Weather Design Considerations for the TASAR Traffic Aware Planner

The Traffic Aware Planner (TAP) is a decision support automation tool for trajectory planning and optimization intended for use on today’s flight deck. Drawing from a variety of on- and off-board data sources, TAP employs a sophisticated trajectory optimization algorithm that provides the aircrew with fuel- and time-saving reroute recommendations that are free of known conflicts with traffic, special use airspace, and severe convective weather. As this kind of weather is a significant part of the pilot’s decision-making process while planning trajectory changes en route, a series of investigations has been conducted into the integration of weather data and associated functionality into the TAP software. This paper reviews the weather data sources and functionality that have been incorporated into TAP to date, along with experience gathered in the course of the design process.
Circumscribed choroidal hemangioma. Clinical features and outcomes by age category in 458 cases

Abstract Purpose To investigate features and outcomes of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma by patient age. Methods Retrospective review of circumscribed choroidal hemangioma from 3/29/1967–6/4/2018 based on age at presentation (≤20 vs. >20–50 vs. >50 years). Results There were 458 circumscribed choroidal hemangiomas diagnosed at mean age (13 vs. 41 vs. 64 years, p Conclusion Younger patients (≤20 years) with circumscribed choroidal hemangioma present with worse visual acuity and larger, more posterior tumors. Future studies are needed to improve early detection and treatment for this subgroup of patients.
Medical Mistrust, Racism, and Delays in Preventive Health Screening Among African-American Men

The contribution of medical mistrust to healthcare utilization delays has gained increased public health attention. However, few studies examine these associations among African-American men, who delay preventive healthcare more often and report higher levels of medical mistrust than non-Hispanic White men. Additionally, studies rarely account for other factors reportedly working in tandem with medical mistrust to increase African-American men's preventive health screening delays (i.e., everyday racism and perceived racism in healthcare). We examined associations between medical mistrust, perceived racism in healthcare, everyday racism, and preventive health screening delays. Analyses were conducted using cross-sectional data from 610 African-American men aged 20 years and older recruited primarily from barbershops in four US regions (2003-2009). Independent variables were medical mistrust (MM), everyday racism (ER), and perceived racism in healthcare (PRH). Dependent variables were self-reported routine checkup, blood pressure screening, and cholesterol screening delays. Using multiple logistic regression and tests for mediation, we calculated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals to assess associations between the independent and dependent variables. After final adjustment, African-American men with higher MM were significantly more likely to delay blood pressure screenings. Men with more frequent ER exposure were significantly more likely to delay routine checkups and blood pressure screenings. Higher levels of PRH were associated with a significant increased likelihood of delaying cholesterol screening. MM did not mediate associations between ER and screening delays. Increasing preventive health screening among African-American men requires addressing medical mistrust and racism in and outside healthcare institutions.
Surgical management of medically-refractory hyperinsulinism.

Abstract Background Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) and insulinomas are the most common causes of medically-refractory pediatric hyperinsulinism. Methods Children with CHI or insulinoma treated from 1/1/2014-1/1/2019 at an academic center were retrospectively analyzed. Primary outcome was persistent intravenous dextrose requirement at discharge. Results Eleven patients were identified: six with diffuse-type CHI, three with focal-type CHI, two with insulinoma. Median age at diagnosis was 20 days (1 day-16 years). Preoperative functional imaging (18F-Fluoro- l -DOPA PET-CT scan) accurately localized 66% of focal-type CHI lesions. All patients with focal-type CHI and insulinoma were cured by local resection. All patients with diffuse-type CHI underwent near-total pancreatectomy (NTP): four patients were cured of hyperinsulinism, of which 2 developed insulin-dependent diabetes, while two patients were palliated to home enteral glucose infusion. Conclusions Localized resection cures children with focal, insulin-secreting lesions. NTP may cure diffuse-type CHI; potential complications include diabetes, exocrine insufficiency, and persistent hypoglycemia from residual hypersecreting pancreatic tissue. Summary Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) and insulinomas are the most common causes of medically-refractory pediatric hyperinsulinism, causing potential complications including permanent brain injury. 18F-Fluoro- l -DOPA PET-CT scan can be used to localize focal insulin-secretion lesions preoperatively. Focal-type CHI and insulinoma are cured by localized resection. Diffuse-type CHI requires near-total pancreatectomy for cure, but complications include diabetes, exocrine insufficiency, or persistent hypoglycemia from residual foci of hypersecreting pancreatic tissue.
TCT-135 The Impact of Baseline Aortic Regurgitation on the Degree of Left Ventricular Remodeling After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

The effect of baseline aortic regurgitation (AI) on left ventricular (LV) geometry regression following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is not well defined. We aimed to assess the effect of native valve AI on LV mass regression and changes in LV dimensions at 1-year post-TAVR. We
Temporal stability of field-scale patterns in soil water content across topographically diverse agricultural landscapes

Abstract Temporal stability (TS) of soil water content (SWC) is commonly used to identify representative locations for SWC monitoring, to recover missing monitoring data, to design agronomic experiments, and to validate remote-sensing methods. Even though the factors affecting TS SWC, i.e. scale, sampling methods and frequency, weather conditions, soil properties, vegetation, surface topography, and surface/subsurface hydrology, are well known, their interaction and combined effect on TS SWC is poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, we monitored SWC during three growing and two winter seasons at four topo-hydrological positions (THP): summit, slope, dry depression, and flooded depression of an agricultural field under corn-soybean rotation with and without cover crop (rye). Twenty 10 m × 10 m experimental plots were located at the four THP in Mason, MI, USA. SWC was monitored at depths of 20, 40 and 60 cm from June 2014 through Oct 2016. We used the Vachaud et al. (1985) approach to quantify TS SWC, and ANOVA/ANCOVA and a regression tree exploratory tool to evaluate the effects of weather conditions, soil properties, vegetation, and surface topography/hydrology on TS SWC. Our results showed that the latter factor plays an important role in TS SWC patterns at the scale of an agricultural field. TS SWC patterns were more frequently observed in locations where the effect of local (soil properties, vegetation) controls interfered with the non-local (surface and subsurface water fluxes) controls of SWC dynamics. The presence of TS SWC was clearly associated with the temporal variability of SWC in individual locations, suggesting that TS SWC depends on representation of locations with different temporal variability of SWC in the examined dataset.
India, Palm Oil, and Ecologically Unequal Exchange: A Cross-national Analysis of Forest Loss:

Drawing on ecologically unequal exchange theory and previous research, we assess whether palm exports from low- and middle-income nations to India increase forest loss in exporting nations. Using o...
Estimating allele-specific expression of SNVs from 10x Genomics Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Data

With the recent advances in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies, estimation of allele expression from single cells is becoming increasingly reliable. With the recent advances in single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies, estimation of allele expression from single cells is becoming increasingly reliable. Allele expression is both quantitative and dynamic and is an essential component of the genomic interactome. Here, we systematically estimate allele expression from heterozygous single nucleotide variant (SNV) loci using scRNA-seq data generated on the 10x Genomics platform. We include in the analysis 26,640 human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (from three healthy donors), with an average sequencing reads over 120K/cell (more than 4 billion scRNA-seq reads total). High quality SNV calls assessed in our study contained approximately 15% exonic and >50% intronic loci. To analyze the allele expression, we estimate the expressed Variant Allele Fraction (VAFRNA) from SNV-aware alignments and analyze its variance and distribution (mono- and bi-allelic) at different cutoffs for required minimal number of sequencing reads. Our analysis shows that when assessing SNV loci covered by a minimum of 3 unique sequencing reads, over 50% of the heterozygous SNVs show bi-allelic expression, while at minimum of 10 reads, nearly 90% of the SNVs are bi-allelic. Consistent with single cell studies on RNA velocity and models of transcriptional burst kinetics, we observe a substantially higher rate of monoallelic expression among intronic SNVs, signifying the usefulness of scVAFRNA to assess dynamic cellular processes. Our analysis demonstrates the feasibility of scVAFRNA estimation from current scRNA-seq datasets and shows that the 3-prime-based library generation protocol of 10x Genomics scRNA-seq data can be highly informative in SNV-based analyses.
Value of Exercise Stress Echocardiography in Children with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background Exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) is a valuable diagnostic and prognostic tool in adults with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Inducible and resting left ventricular outflow tract gradients are important predictors of heart failure. However, there are minimal data on the utility of this modality in children. Methods Retrospective review of all pediatric HCM patients who underwent ESE at Boston Children's Hospital (January 2007-June 2018) was carried out. Patients were assigned to one of three categories based on left ventricular outflow tract gradients: group 1: Results A total of 91 children (67% males) with median age 12 years (6-24 years) at first ESE and median left ventricle wall thickness of 20 mm formed the cohort. Median follow-up duration was 3 years. During ESE, only one child experienced an event and was resuscitated. Of the 91 children, 25 were classified as group 1, 40 as group 2, and 26 as group 3. Twenty-six patients met the composite endpoint, including two heart transplant, one aborted cardiac arrest, and one sudden cardiac death. Group 3 patients had a 5 times higher risk of developing symptoms and/or serious clinical outcome at any age (hazard ratio = 5.18; 95% CI, [1.39-19.2]; P = .014). During our short follow-up time, group 2 patients had a higher risk of outcome, but this did not achieve statistical significance (hazard ratio = 1.95; 95% CI, [0.5-7.6]; P = .33). Conclusions In this large series of pediatric patients with HCM, ESE can be performed safely and served as an effective tool to identify the lowest risk patients for cardiac outcome.
Chronic airspace disease: Review of the causes and key computed tomography findings

Chronic airspace diseases are commonly encountered by chest, body or general radiologists in everyday practice. Even though there is significant overlap in the imaging findings of different causes of chronic airspace disease, some key clinical, laboratory and imaging findings can be used to guide the radiologist to the correct diagnosis. The goal of this article is to review and compare these features.
Platonic Solids and High Genus Covers of Lattice Surfaces

We study the translation surfaces obtained by considering the unfoldings of the surfaces of Platonic solids. We show that they are all lattice surfaces and we compute the topology of the associated...
Job Completion Time in Dynamic Vehicular Cloud Under Multiple Access Points.

Vehicular cloud is a group of vehicles whose corporate computing, sensing, communication and physical resources can be coordinated and dynamically allocated to authorized users. One of the attributes that set vehicular clouds apart from conventional clouds is resource volatility. As vehicles enter and leave the cloud, new compute resources become available while others depart, creating a volatile environment where the task of reasoning about fundamental performance metrics such as job completion time becomes very challenging. In general, predicting job completion time requires full knowledge of the probability distributions of the intervening random variables. However, the datacenter manager does not know these distribution functions. Instead, using accumulated empirical data, she may be able to estimate the first moments of these random variables. In this work we offer approximations of job completion time in a dynamic vehicular cloud model involving vehicles on a highway where jobs can be downloaded under multiple stations.
Abstract B29: Systemic antimelanoma immunity induced by oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGDOX

OX40 ligand (OX40L)-expressing oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGDOX induces efficacious antiglioma immunity in syngeneic intracranial glioma models of immunocompetent mice. It is unknown if the virus is effective to treat metastatic melanomas. To study the abscopal immunity against metastatic melanomas induced by intratumoral injection of the virus in primary melanomas, we established subcutaneous/subcutaneous (s.c./s.c.) and subcutaneous/intracranial (s.c./i.c.) melanoma models with B16-Red-FLuc cells in C57BL/6 mice. In the s.c./s.c. model, compared to treatment with PBS, through monitoring the tumor growth with bioluminescence imaging, we found three doses of intratumoral injection of the virus significantly inhibited the growth of both the injected and the untreated distant tumors, resulting in prolonged survival of the mice with 50% long-term survival (P = 0.001). The surviving mice are resistant to rechallenging with the same tumor cells but are susceptible to lung cancer cells, suggesting the development of immune memory specific to the virus-injected tumor type. In the s.c./i.c. model, viral injection into the s.c. tumor induced antimelanoma activity in the brain, resulting in growth inhibition of both the s.c. and i.c. tumors and an improved survival of the animals (p = 0.005). Through flow cytometry analysis of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, we found the virus injection increased the presence of CD3+ T lymphocytes, CD3+CD4+ helper T cells, CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, and the frequency of PD-1+ and effector (CD44+ CD62L-) T cells and decreased the amount of exhausted (PD-1+ TIM3+) and regulatory T cells in the injected tumors. Consistently, analysis of T cells in the blood, spleen, and brain hemispheres with untreated tumor revealed the same virus-mediated changes. Interestingly, through monitoring the T cells specific for tumor-associated antigen (TAA) in the mice through bioluminescence imaging, we found injecting Delta-24-RGDOX into the first s.c. B16-OVA melanoma increased the proliferation of OT-I/Luc CD8+ T cells infused in the same tumor and their migration to the distant untreated tumor originated from B16-OVA cells but not to the tumor from B16F10 cells, providing direct evidence that intratumoral viral injection promotes the in situ expansion of TAA-specific T cells. In summary, localized intratumoral injection of Delta-24-RGDOX induced an in situ autovaccination of the treated melanoma, of which the effect changes the immune landscape of the treated mice, resulting in the immunity against the disseminated s.c. or i.c. tumors. Citation Format: Hong Jiang, Dong Ho Shin, Caroline Carrillo, Verlene Henry, Xuejun Fan, Teresa T. Nguyen, Yisel Rivera-Molina, Frederick F. Lang, Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, Juan Fueyo. Systemic antimelanoma immunity induced by oncolytic adenovirus Delta-24-RGDOX [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Melanoma: From Biology to Target; 2019 Jan 15-18; Houston, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(19 Suppl):Abstract nr B29.
Gene therapy reforms photoreceptor structure and restores vision in NPHP5-associated Leber congenital amaurosis.

The inherited childhood blindness caused by mutations in NPHP5, a form of Leber congenital amaurosis, results in abnormal development, dysfunction, and degeneration of photoreceptors. A naturally occurring NPHP5 mutation in dogs leads to a phenotype that very nearly duplicates the human retinopathy in terms of the photoreceptors involved, spatial distribution of degeneration, and the natural history of vision loss. We show that adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated NPHP5 gene augmentation of mutant canine retinas at the time of active degeneration and peak cell death stably restores photoreceptor structure, function, and vision with either the canine or human NPHP5 transgenes. Mutant cone photoreceptors, which failed to form outer segments during development, reform this structure after treatment. Degenerating rod photoreceptor outer segments are stabilized and develop normal structure. This process begins within 8 weeks after treatment and remains stable throughout the 6-month posttreatment period. In both photoreceptor cell classes mislocalization of rod and cone opsins is minimized or reversed. Retinal function and functional vision are restored. Efficacy of gene therapy in this large animal ciliopathy model of Leber congenital amaurosis provides a path for translation to human treatment.
Analysis of Asymmetric Quantity Commitment in Decentralized Supply Chains

Quantity commitment chosen by firms in competition has been demonstrated by previous studies to mitigate price competition. This study demonstrates that asymmetric quantity commitment can always arise when one firm (e-tailer) shortens lead times or adopts just-in-time systems to circumvent quantity commitment while another firm (retailer) does not. To study the asymmetric quantity commitment in decentralization, a multi-stage game is analyzed, and backward induction is adopted. The authors find that the retailer always adopts the quantity commitment in the decentralization to achieve a higher profit.
MoS2 for beyond lithium-ion batteries

As a typical transition-metal chalcogenide material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has received tremendous attention because of its unique layered structure and versatile chemical, electronic, and optical properties. With the focus of this Perspective on the energy storage area, one of the most important contributions of MoS2 is that it sparked the birth of the rechargeable lithium battery in the early 1980s, which later formed the foundation of commercial lithium batteries. After four decades, admitting that MoS2 is still playing a significant role in the lithium-ion battery field and considerable effort was made to decipher the mechanism through ex situ and in situ studies and by means of MoS2 nanostructure engineering that advances the lithium battery performance, it is also used in beyond lithium-ion batteries, such as sodium, magnesium, calcium, and aluminum energy storage systems. Such alternative battery systems are desirable because of the safety concerns of lithium and the depletion of lithium reserves and corresponding increase in cost. In this Perspective, recent development on the fabrication of novel MoS2 nanostructures was discussed, followed by the scrutinization of their application in beyond lithium-ion batteries and the in situ/operando methods involved in these studies. Finally, a brief summary and outlook that may help with the future advancement of the beyond lithium-ion batteries are presented.
Internet interventions for perfectionism: a meta-analysis and proposals for the college setting

OBJECTIVE Suh et al (2019) found that treatments for perfectionism, even online, reduce perfectionism and concomitant psychopathology. This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of Internet interventions and psychotherapeutic interventions for perfectionism as potential tools for overburdened college counseling centers where perfectionism is particularly prevalent. Method: PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were searched for relevant treatment studies. Comprehensive Meta-analysis V3 was used to compute and pool effect sizes for perfectionism and concomitant psychopathology. Results: Psychological interventions (N = 18) for perfectionism yielded significant reductions in perfectionistic strivings (g = .394; n = 16), concerns (g = .603; n = 17), and clinical perfectionism (g = .960; n = 8). Effect sizes were small-to-medium for depression (g = .601; n = 12), anxiety (g = .399; n = 13), and eating disorder symptoms (g = .477; n = 7). Effect sizes were similar for Internet-mediated and non-Internet-mediated interventions. Most interventions used 8-10-session cognitive-behavioral therapy of perfectionism. Conclusion: Internet interventions for perfectionism reduce perfectionism and concomitant psychopathology. College counseling centers could eventually use them to reduce demand for in-person services.
Usability of smart infusion pumps: A heuristic evaluation

Abstract Although smart infusion pumps were built to eliminate medication errors, new types of usability errors have arisen. The purposes of this study were to determine potential risks when using smart pumps during secondary medication administration and to identify opportunities for design improvements. We observed and analyzed nurses when they interacted with smart pumps and heuristically evaluated the smart pump to identify usability problems. Forty-three usability problems were identified with the smart pump. The usability problems have the potential to create high cognitive burden on nurses and to increase the likelihood of mistakes. We discuss design and process improvement recommendations for each major finding from this study.
Still Out of Step: The Sixth Circuit’s Adoption of a “But-For” Standard for ADA Plaintiffs in Lewis v. Humboldt Acquisition Corp.

On May 25, 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, sitting en banc, reversed seventeen years of precedent and joined its sister circuits by discarding the “sole cause” standard for proving discrimination under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). By declining to adopt the “motivating factor” standard used in the majority of the other circuits, and instead adopting a “but-for” standard, the Sixth Circuit’s ADA jurisprudence continues to be an outlier. This Comment argues that the “but-for” standard imposes an unfair burden on vulnerable and disabled employees who are seeking relief from employers’ discriminatory treatment, and therefore fails to effectuate the congressional intent behind the ADA.
Specific amino acid residues in the second hypervariable region of HLA-DQA1 and DQB1 chain genes promote the Ro (SS-A)/La (SS-B) autoantibody responses.

In order to define the HLA-DR and DQ alleles, as well as the specific DQA1 and DQB1 chain genes involved in the anti-Ro/La autoantibody responses, RFLP analysis and sequence-specific oligonucleotide typing was carried out on 58 Caucasians and 48 American blacks with SLE or Sjogren's syndrome and anti-Ro antibodies. Among both Caucasian and black patients, the highest relative risk for the anti-Ro response (both with and without accompanying anti-La) was conferred by heterozygosity for the DQw2.1 (in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DR3) and DQw6 (a subtype of DQw1) alleles compared with either 269 normal race-matched controls or 80 anti-Ro negative SLE/Sjogren's syndrome patients. Analysis of individual DQA1 and DQB1 chain alleles revealed that DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201 were most frequent, followed by DQA1 and DQB1 alleles comprising DQw6. In patients not possessing DQw2.1 and/or DQw6 alleles, HLA-DQB1*0302 and HLA-DQA1*0401 (especially in blacks) were significantly increased. Nucleotide sequence analysis of these associated alleles showed that 100% of patients with anti-Ro had a glutamine residue at position 34 of the outermost domain of the DQA1 chain and/or a leucine at position 26 of the outermost domain of the DQB1 chain. Patients with anti-Ro plus La were more likely to have all four of their DQA1/DQB1 chains containing these amino acid residues than either anti-Ro-negative SLE patients or controls. These data implicate specific amino acid residues on both DQA1 and DQB1 chains located in the floor of the Ag binding cleft of the HLA-DQA1:B1 heterodimer and further suggest a role for "gene dosage" in the anti-Ro (+/- La) autoantibody response.
Class relations in an ‘Asiatic’ regime

This paper develops a theoretical analysis of the economic and political relationships among the state, the peasantry and zamindars in Mughal India (1550-1750). The analysi s rests on a Pasinetti-type accumulation model which also incorporate s state taxation, tax evasion, a wages fund, and a variable peasant s aving propensity. It is shown that zamindar incomes and the economic dependence of peasants are related to the extent of state taxation an d of evasion. Potential sources of systematic change are identified b y highlighting both conflict and harmony of class interests arising f rom taxation, evasion, military or luxury expenditures, and productiv e investments. Copyright 1987 by Oxford University Press.