cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between distention and absorption in rat intestine: I. Effect of luminal volume on the morphology of the absorbing surface

Previous studies in vivo have suggested that distention of the intestinal lumen may enhance intestinal absorption by augmenting absorptive surface area. The precise anatomic mechanism for this increase in surface area, however, has not been explored in detail. We developed methods for rapidly freezing and fixing intestinal segments in situ in the nondistended or distended state. Distention led to a reduction in villus height (309.2 +/- 9.9 to 230.7 +/- 11.8 micron) and a marked increase in the width of intervillus space in both the transverse (50.4 +/- 4.8 to 298.0 +/- 24.8 micron) and longitudinal (15.2 +/- 3.4 to 76.0 +/- 10.6 micron) dimensions. There was, however, no absolute change in total mucosal surface area. The changes in morphology occurred instantaneously, were entirely reversible, and were demonstrated at pressures that occur spontaneously in the mammalian intestine. These studies demonstrate that luminal distention results in marked alterations in intestinal histology that promote increased access of luminal contents to intervillus transport sites in the intestine in vivo. The resulting alterations could lead to an increase in functional rather than absolute absorptive surface area.
Predictors of maternal vaccination in the United States: An integrative review of the literature

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this literature review was to identify, analyze, and synthesize existing research related to patient, provider, and health system predictors of maternal vaccination in the United States, strategies used to increase maternal vaccination rates, and major theoretical frameworks used to guide maternal vaccination research. Methods A search for evidence was conducted in CINAHL, PubMed, PsychINFO, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar. Twenty-two articles were identified as best evidence for inclusion in this review: five randomized control trials, one cluster randomized trial, one mixed methods study, 12 observational studies, and three qualitative studies. Results Patient-focused predictors of maternal vaccination included provider recommendation; knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; cues to action; and race and ethnicity. Provider-focused predictors included knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; and multi-component intervention packages. Health system predictors included standing order protocols and practice site logistics. The major theoretical frameworks that emerged were the Health Belief Model, Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior, and Message Framing/Prospect Theory. Provider recommendation was the single most important predictor of vaccine acceptance among pregnant women. Conclusions An abundance of theoretically-supported, patient-focused research was found in the literature. A minimal number of U.S.-based, provider-focused research was found and none of these used a theoretical framework. Minimal research examining health system barriers to maternal vaccination was found. Additional research into the logistical barriers to maternal vaccination programs within obstetrical practice locations in other geographical locations within the U.S. is warranted. Future provider- and health system-focused research needs to be grounded in theory. The field of implementation science may offer the theoretical guidance necessary to better understand problems in obstetrical practice work flow and streamlining of vaccinations.
Influence of the Nanoscale Kirkendall Effect on the Morphology of Copper Indium Disulfide Nanoplatelets Synthesized by Ion Exchange

CuInS2 nanocrystals are prepared by ion exchange with template Cu2–xS nanoplatelets and InX3 [X = chloride, iodide, acetate (OAc), or acetylacetonate (acac)]. The morphologies of the resultant nanocrystals depend on the InX3 precursor and the reaction temperature. Exchange with InCl3 at 150 °C produces CuInS2 nanoplatelets having central holes and thickness variations, whereas the exchange at 200 °C produces intact CuInS2 nanoplatelets in which the initial morphology is preserved. Exchange with InI3 at 150 °C produces CuInS2 nanoplatelets in which the central hollowing is more extreme, whereas exchange with In(OAc)3 or In(acac)3 at 150 °C produces intact CuInS2 nanoplatelets. The results establish that the ion exchange occurs through the thin nanoplatelet edge facets. The hollowing and hole formation are due to a nanoscale Kirkendall Effect operating in the reaction-limited regime for displacement of X– at the edges, to allow insertion of In3+ into the template nanoplatelets.
Dynamic Systems in Economics

The Hicksian view of economic dynamics is that time must enter in a very essential way into the equations and functional relations describing economic behavior.
Microbial Ecology of PCB Transformation in the Environment: A Niche for Methanotrophs?

Whereas anaerobic and aerobic heterotrophic activity against polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has been well established in the laboratory and in the field, the potential niche for methanotrophic bacteria in these environments has received only scant attention. We recently demonstrated that methanotrophic groundwater isolates were able to hydroxylate ortho - and ortho -/para - substituted chloro- and chlorohydroxybiphenyls and that heterotrophs present in mixed cultures may have been responsible for subsequent ring-fission. The oxidation of 2-chlorobiphenyl by the Type II methanotroph CSC1, present in the groundwater mixture used, was shown to proceed via a 1,2-intramolecular rearrangement, resulting in migration of the chlorine to the meta-position. Preliminary evidence from incubations of strain CSC1 with other substituted aromaties indicates that this mechanism may be ubiquitous and is affected by the substituent, based on the appearance of both hydroxylated transformation products. Analysis for products effecting chlorine migration in PCB (or haloaromatic) contaminated environments may thus provide a fingerprint for in situ cometabolic methanotrophic activity and should be included in investigations on natural or enhanced bioremediation processes.
Strategies to Increase Cancer Detection: Review of True-Positive and False-Negative Results at Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Screening

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) represents a valuable addition to breast cancer screening by decreasing recall rates while increasing cancer detection rates. The increased accuracy achieved with DBT is due to the quasi-three-dimensional format of the reconstructed images and the ability to "scroll through" breast tissue in the reconstructed images, thereby reducing the effect of tissue superimposition found with conventional planar digital mammography. The margins of both benign and malignant lesions are more conspicuous at DBT, which allows improved lesion characterization, increased reader confidence, and improved screening outcomes. However, even with the improvements in accuracy achieved with DBT, there remain differences in breast cancer conspicuity by mammographic view. Early data suggest that breast cancers may be more conspicuous on craniocaudal (CC) views than on mediolateral oblique (MLO) views. While some very laterally located breast cancers may be visualized on only the MLO view, the increased conspicuity of cancers on the CC view compared with the MLO view suggests that DBT screening should be performed with two-view imaging. Even with the improved conspicuity of lesions at DBT, there may still be false-negative studies. Subtle lesions seen on only one view may be discounted, and dense and/or complex tissue patterns may make some cancers occult or extremely difficult to detect. Therefore, radiologists should be cognizant of both perceptual and cognitive errors to avoid potential pitfalls in lesion detection and characterization. ©RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.
Can beef heifers and young postpartum cows be physiologically and nutritionally manipulated to optimize reproductive efficiency

Beef production efficiency from extensive rangeland systems is often compromised by negative impacts on reproduction in young cows and heifers due to the seasonal dynamics of forage quality and quantity coupled with the higher nutritional demands of these animals. Our goals are to strategically use biologically potent combinations of nutrients that relieve metabolic inefficiencies, alter the utilization of endogenous nutrients, and redirect nutrient partitioning in a manner that positively influences reproductive processes. These effects must be achieved with minimal input and labor costs in order to maintain economic viability. Specifically, the use of nutrients that alter glucose metabolism and spare endogenous protein depots is addressed here. The influence of these strategies on reproductive outcomes in heifers and young cows is discussed. A better understanding of the metabolic and physiological mediators of key reproductive events is mandatory for improving rangeland resource utilization and production efficiency of range cow-calf operations in harsh nutritional environments.
Abstract P172: Prevalence and Predictors of CRP Elevation in a Secondary Prevention Sample With Well-Controlled Traditional Lipid Values

Background The Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration and JUPITER trial suggest elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) has an association with cardiovascular risk factors and outcomes in primary prevention populations. Less is known about CRP elevation frequency in subjects with known cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly those with well-controlled traditional lipids (LDL, HDL, triglycerides). Our study objective was to quantify prevalence of and examine predictors of CRP elevation in a nationally representative secondary prevention sample meeting NCEP lipid targets. Methods: We identified adults (≥18) with self-reported CVD, complete fasting lipid profile and CRP data from NHANES 2005-06 (n=228). Those with “optimal” control of lipids (NCEP: LDL 40/50 mg/dL for men/women, triglycerides 2.0 mg/L), with and without adjustment for age, gender, race/ethnicity. Results: Of 61 secondary prevention subjects with well-controlled traditional lipids, 73.3% had elevated CRP, and 62.8% reported current use of lipid lowering medications. Subjects with elevated CRP were older (mean age 66.3 vs. 58.7), and more were of non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity (81.3% vs. 67.0%). Adjusting for demographics, subjects with elevated CRP were more likely to have smoking history (65.5% vs. 38.5%, OR [95% CI] 4.64 [1.70-12.73]) but not current smokers (16.4% vs. 20.4%), less likely to report recent moderate physical activity (48.2% vs. 92.2%, OR [95% CI] 0.08 [0.02-0.33]), and more likely to be obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2) (62.7% vs. 4.8%, OR [95% CI] 320.6 [48.2->999]). Neither diabetes nor current anti-dyslipidemic treatment were significantly associated with elevated CRP. Conclusion: CRP elevation is very common in subjects with known CVD, even with optimal control of traditional lipids and despite anti-dyslipidemic treatment. Subjects with smoking history, less physical activity, and obesity appear to be at greatest risk. Correlation with outcomes through longitudinal analysis is needed to establish clinical significance of the findings.
The North Yemen civil war and the failure of the Federation of South Arabia

The emergence of Yemeni nationalism during the civil war in North Yemen (1962--70) inspired the southern revolutionary movement that contributed to the defeat of the British Empire in South Yemen. Drawn to the expanding war, a steady stream of transnational organizations, media correspondents and clandestine organizations turned South Arabia into an arena of global conflict, with Aden serving as the main gateway to the battleground. The actions of British colonial officials were subsequently scrutinized and criticized by this international spotlight, pressuring colonial officials to curtail military actions against Yemeni nationalists and announce an earlier date for British withdrawal from Aden and an abandonment of the Federation of South Arabia (FSA).
Race, Law, and Inequality, 50 Years After the Civil Rights Era

Over the last several decades, law and social science scholars have documented persistent racial inequality in the United States. This review focuses on mechanisms to explain this persistent pattern. We begin with policy making, a mechanism fundamental to all the others. We then examine one particularly important policy, the carceral state, which can be described as the most important policy response to the civil rights era. A significant body of scholarship on employment discrimination presents a site for explaining the transformation of law on the books into the law in action. Finally, we review scholarship on the persistence of segregation and concentrated neighborhood disadvantage and their attendant impact on racial inequality. We conclude with two themes that deserve special emphasis: the need for theory drawing these fields together and our need, above all at this moment in our history, for public scholarship changing the discourse, politics, and law perpetuating racial inequality.
Sipuleucel-T immunotherapy in clinical practice: Patient characteristics, tolerability, and survival.

e15211 Background: Sipuleucel-T has been shown to provide survival benefit to men with minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In the 18 months following FDA ...
2010 ECS Oronzio De Nora Industrial Electrochemistry Fellowship Report: Electrospinning Pt/C Catalysts into a Nanofiber Fuel Cell Cathode

There has been considerable research over the past 20 years on new catalysts for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells.
Racial segregation in postbellum Southern cities: The case of Washington, D.C.

BACKGROUND Segregation in Southern cities has been described as a 20th-century development, layered onto an earlier pattern in which whites and blacks (both slaves and free black people) shared the same neighborhoods. Urban historians have pointed out ways in which the Southern postbellum pattern was less benign, but studies relying on census data aggregated by administrative areas - and segregation measures based on this data - have not confirmed their observations. METHODS This study is based mainly on 100% microdata from the 1880 census that has been mapped at the address level in Washington, D.C. This data makes it possible to examine in detail the unique spatial configuration of segregation that is found in this city, especially the pattern of housing in alleys. RESULTS While segregation appears to have been low, as reflected in data by wards and even by much smaller enumeration districts, analyses at a finer spatial scale reveal strongly patterned separation between blacks and whites at this early time. CONTRIBUTION This research provides much new information about segregation in a major Southern city at the end of the 19th century. It also demonstrates the importance of dealing explicitly with issues of both scale and spatial pattern in studies of segregation.
Abstract 2003: Antibody against TIGIT (T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains) induces anti-tumor immune response and generates long-term immune memory

T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT) is a co-inhibitory molecule containing an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM) within its cytoplasmic tail, and is highly expressed on regulatory T cells and activated CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and NK cells. TIGIT competes with CD226, which contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) within its cytoplasmic tail for ligands poliovirus receptor (PVR) and poliovirus receptor-related 2 (PVRL2), with higher affinity to PVR. The ligands are expressed on the surface of antigen presenting cells and at high levels on most tumors. Therefore, when TIGIT is present, the ligands preferentially engage TIGIT rather than CD226, leading to cell suppression. We have generated antibodies against TIGIT that blocks ligand binding and inhibits TIGIT signaling. The clinical candidate, OMP-313M32 binds human TIGIT but not rodent and non-human primate TIGIT. Therefore, a surrogate antibody was generated for pre-clinical assessments in mice. Antibody 313R12 is an anti-mouse TIGIT antibody that can block mouse PVR ligand binding and inhibit TIGIT signaling in a manner similar to the clinical candidate OMP-313M32. 313R12 inhibited the growth of syngeneic colon and kidney tumors in immune competent mice. In some cases, anti-TIGIT antibody 313R12 caused complete tumor regression and a potent anti-tumor immune memory response as demonstrated by the lack of tumor growth upon re-challenge of mice that remained tumor-free after prior anti-TIGIT treatment. Mechanistically, anti-TIGIT antibody 313R12 was shown to induce a Th1 response and increase cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity. By in vivo depletion of T cell populations, we have shown that CD8 T cell depletion completely abrogated the anti-TIGIT therapeutic effect, whereas CD4 T cell depletion led to partial reversal of efficacy of anti-TIGIT. Therefore, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are critical for anti-TIGIT-mediated immune responses. Using mice reconstituted with human hematopoietic stem cells, we also demonstrated that the clinical candidate OMP-313M32 inhibits patient-derived melanoma tumor growth. Taken together, these data demonstrate that anti-TIGIT therapy suppresses tumor growth and generates long-term immunological memory against multiple tumors. Citation Format: Angie Inkyung Park, Minu Srivastava, Erin Mayes, Hyun-Bae Jie, Rui Yun, Christopher Murriel, Ming-hong Xie, Andrew Lam, May Ji, Fumiko Axelrod, Jorge Monteon, John Lewicki, Tim Hoey, Austin Gurney. Antibody against TIGIT (T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains) induces anti-tumor immune response and generates long-term immune memory [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2003. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2003
Sperm quality biomarkers complement reproductive and endocrine parameters in investigating environmental contaminants in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Abstract Lake Mead National Recreational Area (LMNRA) serves as critical habitat for several federally listed species and supplies water for municipal, domestic, and agricultural use in the Southwestern U.S. Contaminant sources and concentrations vary among the sub-basins within LMNRA. To investigate whether exposure to environmental contaminants is associated with alterations in male common carp (Cyprinus carpio) gamete quality and endocrine- and reproductive parameters, data were collected among sub-basins over 7 years (1999–2006). Endpoints included sperm quality parameters of motility, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential, count, morphology, and DNA fragmentation; plasma components were vitellogenin (VTG), 17s-estradiol, 11-keto-testosterone, triiodothyronine, and thyroxine. Fish condition factor, gonadosomatic index, and gonadal histology parameters were also measured. Diminished biomarker effects were noted in 2006, and sub-basin differences were indicated by the irregular occurrences of contaminants and by several associations between chemicals (e.g., polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene, galaxolide, and methyl triclosan) and biomarkers (e.g., plasma thyroxine, sperm motility and DNA fragmentation). By 2006, sex steroid hormone and VTG levels decreased with subsequent reduced endocrine disrupting effects. The sperm quality bioassays developed and applied with carp complemented endocrine and reproductive data, and can be adapted for use with other species.
IV. Catholic Thresholds, Spatial Contests, and the “Crisis in the Church”

In Washington, DC, at the top of the long hill up Wisconsin Avenue where Massachusetts Avenue crosses Thirty-Fourth Street, there has been for a long time a fixture on the landscape. An old man, life scarred and perhaps homeless, perhaps schizophrenic, holds a big homemade sign that reads “Vatican Protects Pedophiles Worldwide.”
Ecological Resilience as a Foundation for Urban Design and Sustainability

Cities are prototypical complex adaptive systems that are faced with a myriad of disturbances, most of which are unforeseen and unpredictable. Urban design principles are increasingly influenced by ecological ideas of heterogeneity, non-linearity, hierarchy, and multiple stable states. Ecological resilience has emerged as a major approach to understanding and managing social-ecological systems, including urban design. This theory suggests that, to design sustainable cities, our emphasis should be on creating and maintaining urban resilience – the ability of a city to persist without changing its basic structure, function, and identity. What underlies a truly resilient city is not how stable it has appeared, but whether it can withstand an unforeseen shock that would fundamentally alter or erase the city’s identity. For cities to be sustainable, urban design must explicitly account for the influence of both internal and external changes now and in the future.
Helical Structures Mimicking Chiral Seedpod Opening and Tendril Coiling

Helical structures are ubiquitous in natural and engineered systems across multiple length scales. Examples include DNA molecules, plants' tendrils, sea snails' shells, and spiral nanoribbons. Although this symmetry-breaking shape has shown excellent performance in elastic springs or propulsion generation in a low-Reynolds-number environment, a general principle to produce a helical structure with programmable geometry regardless of length scales is still in demand. In recent years, inspired by the chiral opening of Bauhinia variegata's seedpod and the coiling of plant's tendril, researchers have made significant breakthroughs in synthesizing state-of-the-art 3D helical structures through creating intrinsic curvatures in 2D rod-like or ribbon-like precursors. The intrinsic curvature results from the differential response to a variety of external stimuli of functional materials, such as hydrogels, liquid crystal elastomers, and shape memory polymers. In this review, we give a brief overview of the shape transformation mechanisms of these two plant's structures and then review recent progress in the fabrication of biomimetic helical structures that are categorized by the stimuli-responsive materials involved. By providing this survey on important recent advances along with our perspectives, we hope to solicit new inspirations and insights on the development and fabrication of helical structures, as well as the future development of interdisciplinary research at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology.
Elizabeth’s Rival: The Tumultuous Life of the Countess of Leicester: The Romance and Conspiracy that Threatened Queen Elizabeth’s Court

In this first full biography of Lettice Knollys, countess of Essex and Leicester (1543–1634), public historian Nicola Trellis provides a sympathetic portrait. Intended for a general audience, the b...
Plankton Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem Mission: atmosphere measurements for air quality applications.

We present the instrumentation and products of the NASA Plankton Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission relevant to air quality management. Since PACE will launch in the 2022 to 2023 timeframe, we discuss several activities in anticipation of a robust air quality applications program using PACE products. Products from the PACE ocean color imager and two multiangle polarimeters will be used synergistically to retrieve properties relevant to air quality applications. These instruments provide high spectral and spatial resolution measurements used to derive key properties of aerosols and clouds including effective particle radii, particle shapes, aerosol and cloud optical depths, refractive indices and single scattering albedos, all of which are critical for characterizing airmasses for managing air quality, hazardous episodes of wildfire and volcanic emissions, and long range transport of pollution. Because of the number of products with potential societal benefits, the PACE mission is highly pertinent to NASA’s Applied Sciences Program’s efforts to promote, discover, and demonstrate innovative, practical, and sustainable uses of the Earth observations. We discuss plans to support these efforts by establishing a prelaunch early adopter program and outline communication strategies to engage the air quality user community.
An efficient method for synthesizing dimethylsulfonio‐34S‐propionate hydrochloride from 34S8

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP, (2-carboxyethyl)dimethylsulfonium) is a highly abundant compound in marine environments. As a precursor to the climatically active gas, dimethylsulfide (DMS), DMSP connects the marine and terrestrial sulfur cycles. However, the fate of DMSP in microbial biomass is not well understood as only a few studies have performed isotopic labeling experiments. A previously published method synthesized 34 S-labeled DMSP from 34 S8 , but the efficiency was only 26% and required five separate reactions, expensive reagents, and purification of the products of each reaction. In this study, a method of synthesizing 34 S-labeled DMSP from 34 S8 is described. Improvements include elemental steps, inexpensive reagents, purification of only one intermediate, and less time to complete. The efficiency of this method is 65% and results in pure DMSP with more than 98% isotope enrichment as determined by 1 H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
Managing Stereotypes in the Classroom: What Stereotypes Exist and How Do We Respond? An Abstract

As educators, we are charged with ensuring the best possible classroom experience for our students. However, all educators have their own biases, prejudices, and misperceptions that they bring into the classroom with them. Stereotypes are defined as group generalizations that link group members to typical attributes or behaviors (Correll et al. 2010). Stereotypes are a way that we simplify the world around us and reduce the amount of time we have to spend processing new environmental cues. Group-based stereotypes are often negative, but can also be positive or mixed, and generally form an expectation about how a member of that group should behave. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, we attempt to identify the most common stereotypes that professors engage in the classroom setting. The most common stereotypes include age, gender, race, and sexual orientation. Interestingly, mental health, weight, and whether a student is a student athlete or not also generate stereotypes in the classroom. Second, and more importantly, we attempt to examine the activation response that occurs for professors when faced with a stereotype. Stereotype activation can be defined as “the increased accessibility of the constellation of attributes that are believed to characterize members of a given social category” (Wheeler and Petty 2001, p. 797). Stereotypes are typically activated by a variety of external environmental stimuli that can range from subtle to blatant and differ by individual. When a stereotype is activated, people generally engage in a response behavior. Typical classroom stereotype responses involve lowering or raising expectations and standards. Professors might also ignore particular students or indicate that they are “blind” to differences among students. Other responses might involve engaging in overcompensation behaviors to avoid the appearance of discrimination in any way. For purposes of this research, we suggest that overcompensation behaviors in the classroom, based on stereotype activation, involve giving stigmatized students more attention and more resources in order to avoid the perception of discrimination. It is our responsibility to provide a safe environment for all of them to thrive. As such, our classrooms should foster fairness, justice, and equal opportunities for success. In order for educators to do that, we must begin by acknowledging our own biases and develop strategies for minimizing these biases.
Design Knowledge Development for Productivity Enhancement in Concurrent Systems Design

Publisher Summary Productivity is of major economic significance in the current competitive global market. Because of growing costs and globalization of the marketplace, improvements in productivity require the creation of a reliable design through concurrent systems analysis in the shortest possible time. This is particularly important for designing complex engineering systems such as aircraft, automobiles, and ships. The Robust Concept Exploration Method (RCEM) embodies a systematic approach that can be used to enhance design productivity by both increasing design knowledge in the early stages of designs and maintaining design freedom throughout the design process. Given the overall design requirements and integrated systems analysis packages, the RCEM is used to evaluate quickly the design alternatives and to develop comprehensive, robust, flexible, and modifiable top-level specifications. Central to the RCEM is the integration of robust design techniques, Suh's design axioms, and the Response Surface Methodology within the framework for formulating multiobjective design problems involving tradeoffs, the compromise Decision Support Problem. The High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft is used as an example to demonstrate the approach.
What the heck are RVUs? A guide to productivity based compensation

Abstract Work or productivity as surgeons is often quantified in terms called relative value units (RVUs). This chapter explores the origin of this process, how these units are created/modified over time, as well as how this affects reimbursement in different systems (such as academic, community or private practice). Examples of different colorectal procedures and associated RVUs are explored to give the reader a better understanding of this model for tracking what you do in daily practice.
Zinc Signals in Biology

Zinc is an essential nutrient that is required for the structure and catalytic activity of many different proteins. In addition to its well-established role as a cofactor, a growing amount of evidence suggests that zinc ions also function as signaling molecules. In some organisms, zinc ions bind to extracellular receptors which in turn triggers an intracellular response, whereas in other organisms, zinc ions are rapidly released from intracellular compartments into the cytosol, where they inhibit or stimulate the activity of downstream targets. As previous chapters have focused on zinc signaling in mammals, here we summarize our current knowledge of intracellular and extracellular zinc signals in bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and fish. As the mechanisms that maintain cellular zinc homeostasis are critical for zinc to function as a signaling molecule, these mechanisms as well as those that facilitate zinc signals are discussed.
More than one way to kill a spruce forest: The role of fire and climate in the late-glacial termination of spruce woodlands across the southern Great Lakes

In the southern Great Lakes Region, North America, between 19,000 and 8,000 years ago, temperatures rose by 2.5–6.5°C and spruce Picea forests/woodlands were replaced by mixed‐deciduous or pine Pinus forests. The demise of Picea forests/woodlands during the last deglaciation offers a model system for studying how changing climate and disturbance regimes interact to trigger declines of dominant species and vegetation‐type conversions. The role of rising temperatures in driving the regional demise of Picea forests/woodlands is widely accepted, but the role of fire is poorly understood. We studied the effect of changing fire activity on Picea declines and rates of vegetation composition change using fossil pollen and macroscopic charcoal from five high‐resolution lake sediment records. The decline of Picea forests/woodlands followed two distinct patterns. At two sites (Stotzel‐Leis and Silver Lake), fire activity reached maximum levels during the declines and both charcoal accumulation rates and fire frequency were significantly and positively associated with vegetation composition change rates. At these sites, Picea declined to low levels by 14 kyr BP and was largely replaced by deciduous hardwood taxa like ash Fraxinus, hop‐hornbeam/hornbeam Ostrya/Carpinus and elm Ulmus. However, this ecosystem transition was reversible, as Picea re‐established at lower abundances during the Younger Dryas. At the other three sites, there was no statistical relationship between charcoal accumulation and vegetation composition change rates, though fire frequency was a significant predictor of rates of vegetation change at Appleman Lake and Triangle Lake Bog. At these sites, Picea declined gradually over several thousand years, was replaced by deciduous hardwoods and high levels of Pinus and did not re‐establish during the Younger Dryas. Synthesis. Fire does not appear to have been necessary for the climate‐driven loss of Picea woodlands during the last deglaciation, but increased fire frequency accelerated the decline of Picea in some areas by clearing the way for thermophilous deciduous hardwood taxa. Hence, warming and intensified fire regimes likely interacted in the past to cause abrupt losses of coniferous forests and could again in the coming decades.
Predictive Modeling of Depression with a Large Claim Dataset

Depression has been a major concern for the employers due to its high prevalence and cost. In United States, 6.8% of the work population had depression and it is accountable for over $100 billion workplace loss every year. Early detection and timely intervention is the key to address this challenge. In this paper, we proposed to leverage a large claim dataset to build depression risk prediction model. This approach is easy to implement and scale because the claim data is accessible for employers at no additional cost. We derived a subset of over 7.2 million patients in a 3-year period, with 2,099 variables including the diagnosis, procedure, medication, and health service provider information. We trained two models (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and random forest *RF)) with first two years data to predict the onset of depression in the third year. Both models achieved the best comparable performance so far according to our knowledge. The important variables identified by our algorithms are mental health related medications and diagnoses (other than depression), gender (female), and other chronic conditions such as back pain. We further validated these variables by confirming in clinical literature. We concluded that the claim data based depression prediction is a viable and low cost approach, especially for self-insured employers.
Learning to Cluster Documents into Workspaces Using Large Scale Activity Logs

Google Drive is widely used for managing personal and work-related documents in the cloud. To help users organize their documents in Google Drive, we develop a new feature to allow users to create a set of working files for ongoing easy access, called workspace. A workspace is a cluster of documents, but unlike a typical document cluster, it contains documents that are not only topically coherent, but are also useful in the ongoing user tasks. To alleviate the burden of creating workspaces manually, we automatically cluster documents into suggested workspaces. We go beyond the textual similarity-based unsupervised clustering paradigm and instead directly learn from users' activity for document clustering. More specifically, we extract co-access signals (i.e., whether a user accessed two documents around the same time) to measure document relatedness. We then use a neural document similarity model that incorporates text, metadata, as well as co-access features. Since human labels are often difficult or expensive to collect, we extract weak labels based on co-access data at large scale for model training. Our offline and online experiments based on Google Drive show that (a) co-access features are very effective for document clustering; (b) our weakly supervised clustering achieves comparable or even better performance compared to the models trained with human labels; and (c) the weakly supervised method leads to better workspace suggestions that the users accept more often in the production system than baseline approaches.
The Red Flags of Fraud: Internal Auditors’ Knowledge of the Business Makes Them Ideal Candidates to Detect Unethical Behaviors

We discuss how technology enables companies to include early warning indicators in their accounting information system and how a more proactive search for red flags can help a company to reduce fraud and improve management’s reaction to adverse events. In 2013, the SEC started its Accounting Quality Model (AQM) which utilizes red flags based on past financial statement fraud cases to calculate a score indicating possible fraud. Examples for red flags include accounting or documentary red flags, behavioral red flags or analytical red flags.
Socially stratified epigenetic profiles are associated with cognitive functioning in children and adolescents

Childrens cognitive functioning and educational performance are socially stratified. Social inequality, including classism and racism, may operate partly via epigenetic mechanisms that modulate neurocognitive development. Following preregistered analyses of data from 1,183 8-to 19-year-olds from the Texas Twin Project, we examined whether salivary DNA-methylation measures of inflammation (DNAm-CRP), cognitive functioning (Epigenetic-g), and pace of biological aging (DunedinPoAm) are socially stratified and associated with performance on tests of cognitive functions. We find that children growing up in more disadvantaged families and neighborhoods and children from marginalized racial/ethnic groups exhibit DNA-methylation profiles associated with higher chronic inflammation, lower cognitive functioning, and faster pace of biological aging. These salivary DNA-methylation profiles were associated with processing speed, general executive function, perceptual reasoning, verbal comprehension, reading, and math. Given that the DNA-methylation measures we examined were originally developed in adults, our results suggest that social inequalities may produce in children molecular signatures that, when observed in adults, are associated with chronic inflammation, advanced aging, and reduced cognitive function. Salivary DNA-methylation profiles might be useful as a surrogate endpoint in assessing the effectiveness of psychological and economic interventions that aim to reduce negative effects of childhood social inequality on lifespan development. Significance StatementChildrens cognitive functioning differs by dimensions of social inequality, such as class and race. Epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression might be critically involved in the biological embedding of environmental privilege and adversity. We find that children growing up in more disadvantaged families and neighborhoods and from marginalized racial/ethnic groups exhibit higher chronic inflammation, lower cognitive functioning, and a faster pace of biological aging, as indicated by novel salivary DNA-methylation measures. These DNA-methylation measures of higher inflammation, lower cognitive functioning, and a faster pace of biological aging were, in turn, associated with performance on multiple cognitive tests. DNA-methylation measures might be useful as a surrogate endpoint in evaluation of programs to address the childhood social determinants of lifelong cognitive disparities.
Identical Water Dynamics in Acrylamide Hydrogels, Polymers, and Monomers in Solution: Ultrafast IR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

The dynamics and structure of water in polyacrylamide hydrogels (PAAm-HG), polyacrylamide, and acrylamide solutions are investigated using ultrafast infrared experiments on the OD stretch of dilute HOD/H2O and molecular dynamics simulations. The amide moiety of the monomer/polymers interacts strongly with water through hydrogen bonding (H-bonding). The FT-IR spectra of the three systems indicate that the range of H-bond strengths is relatively unchanged from bulk water. Vibrational population relaxation measurements show that the amide/water H-bonds are somewhat weaker but fall within the range of water/water H-bond strengths. A previous study of water dynamics in PAAm-HG suggested that the slowing observed was due to increasing confinement with concentration. Here, for the same concentrations of the amide moiety, the experimental results demonstrate that the reorientational dynamics (infrared pump-probe experiments) and structural dynamics (two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy) are identical in the three acrylamide systems studied. Molecular dynamics simulations of the water orientational relaxation in aqueous solutions of the acrylamide monomer, trimer, and pentamer are in good agreement with the experimental results and are essentially chain length independent. The simulations show that there is a slower, low-amplitude (<7%) decay component not accessible by the experiments. The simulations examine the dynamics and structure of water H-bonded to acrylamide, in the first solvent shell, and beyond for acrylamide monomers and short chains. The experiments and simulations show that the slowing of water dynamics in PAAm-HG is not caused by confinement in the polymer network but rather by interactions with individual acrylamide moieties.
MO-E-BRD-02: Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation in Brachytherapy: Is Shorter Better?

Is Non-invasive Image-Guided Breast Brachytherapy Good? – Jess Hiatt, MS Non-invasive Image-Guided Breast Brachytherapy (NIBB) is an emerging therapy for breast boost treatments as well as Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI) using HDR surface breast brachytherapy. NIBB allows for smaller treatment volumes while maintaining optimal target coverage. Considering the real-time image-guidance and immobilization provided by the NIBB modality, minimal margins around the target tissue are necessary. Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation in brachytherapy: is shorter better? - Dorin Todor, PhD VCU A review of balloon and strut devices will be provided together with the origins of APBI: the interstitial multi-catheter implant. A dosimetric and radiobiological perspective will help point out the evolution in breast brachytherapy, both in terms of devices and the protocols/clinical trials under which these devices are used. Improvements in imaging, delivery modalities and convenience are among the factors driving the ultrashort fractionation schedules but our understanding of both local control and toxicities associated with various treatments is lagging. A comparison between various schedules, from a radiobiological perspective, will be given together with a critical analysis of the issues. 1. to review and understand the evolution and development of APBI using brachytherapy methods 2. to understand the basis and limitations of radio-biological ‘equivalence’ between fractionation schedules 3. to review commonly used and proposed fractionation schedules Intra-operative breast brachytherapy: Is one stop shopping best?- Bruce Libby, PhD. University of Virginia A review of intraoperative breast brachytherapy will be presented, including the Targit-A and other trials that have used electronic brachytherapy. More modern approaches, in which the lumpectomy procedure is integrated into an APBI workflow, will also be discussed. Learning Objectives: 1. To review past and current clinical trials for IORT 2. To discuss lumpectomy-scan-plan-treat workflow for IORT
Anti-complement effects of two anti-inflammatory agents: Niflumic and flufenamic acids

Abstract Two anthranilate-type anti-inflammatory agents, niflumic acid and its benzene analog, flufenamic acid, as the sodium salts (niflumate and flufenamate) were tested in vitro in a number of hemolytic assays to determine their inhibitory effects on guinea-pig complement activity. Phlorizin, a known anti-complementary (anti-C) agent, was evaluated for comparison. Flufenamate was consistently more inhibitory than was niflumate. EAC 1 4 formation from C 1 and EAC4 was partially inhibited by flufenamate, but not by niflumate at 1·8 × 10 −3 M. Both C2 cleavage and EAC 142 formation were substantially decreased by flufenamate at 9 × 10 −4 M, while niflumate was considerably less effective and phlorizin was ineffective. This effect of flufenamate on C2 was apparently not due to chelation of Mg 2+ or Ca 2+ , nor to an effect on EAC 142 stability. EAC 1423 formation from C3 and EAC 142 was partially inhibited by flufenamate and strongly inhibited by phlorizin, but niflumate was, at best, weakly inhibitory. None of these agents affected C3 cleavage or EAC 1423 reactivity. EAC 1423 5 formation from C5 and EAC 1423 was decreased by all three agents at 9 × 10 −4 M, with flufenamate the most inhibitory. C5 cleavage was not affected by any of the agents. However, all three agents increased the lability of EAC 1423 5 at 25°, flufenamate being the most effective agent. The significance of these observations with reference to the anti-inflammatory activities of niflumic and flufenamic acids and the relevance of anti-C activity to drug design are discussed.
Micro-architecture issues of predicated execution

Predicated execution appears to be a promising way to exploit more instruction level parallelism. By eliminating conditional branches, branch penalties can be reduced and the size of the basic blocks can be increased, further facilitating compiler optimizations. Past work on predicated execution focused almost entirely on compiler issues. In this paper, we analyze the impact of predicated execution on the pipeline control of out-of-order and in-order superscalar machines. We show problems arising in implementing predication and propose both conservative and aggressive solutions.
Localization of metastatic pheochromocytoma in pregnancy by caval catheterization. Including urinary catecholamine values in uncomplicated pregnancies.

Abstract A case of recurrent metastatic pheochromocytoma in pregnancy is reported. Localization of the extra-adrenal tumor sites was accomplished by inferior vena caval catheterization with segmental determinations of epinephrine and norepinephrine levels. Profiles of urinary catecholamine excretion in uncomplicated pregnancies are also presented. To assess daily fluctuations in catecholamine excretion, a series of daily determinations of 24 hour urinary epinephrine and norepinephrine were performed in one subject with an uncomplicated pregnancy from the thirty-second week of gestation until delivery.
Cu/Ag Leadframe-Finish Migration Phenomena in Stress-Induced Green Phosphorus Mold Epoxy: An Electrochemical and Material

The existence of P particle in mold compound poses new failure mechanism of product leakage and/or short under specific operating conditions. This study developed an 80ETQFP package-level understanding of the stress-induced Cu/Ag leadframe-finish migration phenomena when inorganic P particulates are present and compares the results to a hydrophobic nitrogen-based flame retardant mold. Grounded on the electrochemical and extensive failure analyses using active 90nm Cu/Low-k Si device, it is found that Cu/Ag lead-finish migration is induced by the stressed formation of phosphoric acids during specific biased and temperature/moisture stressing. Its dendritic extension reflects a non-coplanar pattern and a cathodic-anodic electrochemical cell characteristic through the epoxy matrix. A hydrophobic nitrogen-based flame retardant mold does not have such a failure mechanism though the results indicate die pad delaminations. A migration model was proposed to prevent failure recurrences in future materials introduced to the industry
Dynamics of the Nuclear Outflow in NGC 1068

A short survey is presented of dynamical (and thermodynamical) issues relevant to outflows in Seyfert galaxies like NGC 1068. Numerical simulations incorporating both realistic radiative heating and cooling, and angular momentum, show that the fraction of injected gas which escapes in a wind is very sensitive to both the injection pressure and the gas's angular momentum. Radiation pressure acting through a variety of atomic opacity processes may also be important.