cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular dynamics computer simulations of the interface structure of calcium-alumino-silicate intergranular films between combined basal and prism planes of α-Al 2O 3

The interface structures of calcium–alumino–silicate (CAS) glassy intergranular films (IGFs) formed between the combined basal and prism orientations of α-Al2O3 crystals were studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Preferential adsorption of specific ions from the IGFs to the contacting surfaces of the alumina crystals was observed. This segregation of specific ions to the interface enables formation of localized, ordered structures between the IGF and the crystal. However, the segregation behavior of the ions is anisotropic, depending on the orientation of the α-Al2O3 crystals. The results show that the enrichment of Ca atoms at the basal interface inhibits growth in the 〈0001〉 direction. However, at the (1120) prism plane, Ca ions have little effect on the epitaxial adsorption of Al and O ions from the IGF onto the (1120) surface. Increasing alumina concentration in the glassy IGF enhances adsorption of Al ions onto the prism surface, with little effect on the basal surface, indicating the tendency of growth in the 〈1120〉 direction on the prism plane, but limited growth on the basal plane. These results are consistent with the experimental data regarding anisotropic grain growth in alumina sintered in the presence of CAS IGFs.
The medical device dongle: an open-source standards-based platform for interoperable medical device connectivity

Emerging medical applications require device coordination, increasing the need to connect devices in an interoperable manner. However, many of the existing health devices in use were not originally developed for network connectivity and those devices with networking capabilities either use proprietary protocols or implementations of standard protocols that are unavailable to the end user. The first set of devices are unsuitable for device coordination applications and the second set are unsuitable for research in medical device interoperability. We propose the Medical Device Dongle (MDD), a low-cost, open-source platform that addresses both issues.
Domestic Violence—Medieval and Modern

AS THE WORLD HEALTH Organization’s just-released World Report on Violence and Health makes abundantly clear, violence by intimate partners is a worldwide problem with major public health implications.1 The American Psychological Association has estimated that 4 million American women experience a serious assault by an intimate partner during an average 12-month period.2 A study of women visiting emergency rooms found that 54% had been threatened or injured by an intimate partner at some time in their lives and that 24% reported having been injured by their current partner.3 This problem is not a novelty of the modern world; its roots go back to the very foundations of so-called civil society, although the expression and extent of violence varies across periods and cultures. In medieval Europe, for example, husbands had the right to “chastise”—that is, physically discipline—their wives, servants, and apprentices, although churches and communities also brought significant pressure to bear against these widespread practices.4–6 In this image from a 1582 print edition of the 13th-century Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum (Salernitan Regimen of Health), we catch a glimpse of a domestic assault as it was frequently represented in medieval and early modern Europe.7 Here it was assumed that the matter was individual and largely private, the consequence of the hot-tempered “choleric” disposition of an angry and poorly controlled man. Until very recently, domestic violence was largely excluded from public scrutiny. These attitudes have begun to change, a process that the publication of the World Health Organization’s report should help accelerate.
Current results of therapy for esophageal perforation.

Background Prior reviews of esophageal perforation with delayed recognition have reported mortality rates as high as 66%. We performed a retrospective review of patients with nonmalignant esophageal perforation to assess the outcome of current management techniques. Patients and methods Charts were reviewed of all patients who were treated for nonmalignant esophageal perforation between 1980 and 1993. They were 23 men and 10 women, mean age 49 ± 3 years, 19 of whom were diagnosed early (≤24 hours) and 14 of whom were diagnosed late (>24 hours). Results Perforations were due to instrumentation (16), operative injury (7), spontaneous rupture (4), trauma (4), and other causes (2). Preexisting esophageal disease was identified in 23 patients (70%), including achalasia (9), stricture (7), varices (5), and other (2). Treatment included closure and fundoplication or muscle wrap (10), closure with or without pleural flap (7), resection only (7), resection and reconstruction (3), drainage only (4), and observation (2). Nonfatal complications included empyema (4), arrhythmia (3), persistent leak following attempted closure (2), and other (5). They occurred in 50% of both the early and late diagnosis groups and were of comparable severity in both. The overall mortality was 9% (3/33). Causes of death were sepsis (1) and multisystem organ failure (2). Mortality was 5% (1/19) in patients diagnosed early and 14% (2/14) of those diagnosed late. Conclusions Current mortality rates in nonmalignant esophageal perforation are improved compared to previously published rates of 19% for all patients with the condition, 9% following early and 29% following late diagnosis (47 patients overall). We conclude that, despite a high incidence of associated complications, the survival rate following nonmalignant esophageal perforation is improving and the impact of delayed recognition is decreasing.
Getting real: lessons in transitioning research simulations into hardware systems

Flash-based solid-state drives have revolutionized storage with their high performance. Their sophisticated internal mechanisms have led to a plethora of research on how to optimize applications, file systems, and internal SSD designs. Due to the closed nature of commercial devices though, most research on the internals of an SSD, such as enhanced flash-translation layers, is performed using simulation or emulation. Without implementation in real devices, it can be difficult to judge the true benefit of the proposed designs.In this paper, we describe our efforts to implement two new SSD designs that change both the internal workings of the device and its interface to the host operating system. Using the OpenSSD Jasmine board, we develop a prototype of FlashTier's Solid State Cache (SSC) and of the Nameless Write SSD. While the flash-translation layer changes were straightforward, we discovered unexpected complexities in implementing extensions to the storage interface.We describe our implementation process and extract a set of lessons applicable to other SSD prototypes. With our prototype we validate the performance claims of FlashTier and show a 45-52% performance improvement over caching with an SSD and a 90% reduction in erases.
Evaluation of a Clinical Decision Aid and Training Program On the Quality of Pharmacists' Prospective Drug Utilization Review Activities

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a checklist decision aid and training program on pharmacists’ prospective drug utilization review (DUR). The study utilized a convenience sample of 176 pharmacists practicing in Arizona, Illinois, Iowa and Tennessee, and was organized as a pretest-posttest design. During pretest, the convenience sample of 176 pharmacists identified medication-related problems in patient cases using their normal DUR procedures. Level 1 intervention provided pharmacists with a decision aid with which to assess a second series of cases. Level 2 intervention added a DUR training program which pharmacists completed prior to assessing a third series of cases. The rate of correctly identified medication-related problems showed significant increases from the pretest to Level 1 intervention, and from the pretest to Level 2 intervention. Pharmacists’ reached a higher level of agreement with expert evaluators concerning whether the prescriptions should have been dispensed at Level 2.
Change Point Geometry for Change Detection in Surveillance Video

A change detection algorithm is proposed based on geometric descriptors of space-time appearance discontinuities in fixed camera video. At each pixel in a video frame, intensity subsequences with similar appearance are segmented using a Hidden Semi-Markov Model (HSMM). The start of each per-pixel homogeneous subsequence, referred to as change point vertices, are then clustered across pixel locations using an efficient graph based segmentation algorithm to construct a change point hull. The geometry of the change point hull provides a discriminating feature for distinguishing coherent movement from random or stochastic appearance changes and is simultaneously a rich descriptor for reasoning about object velocity and direction. State of the art results are shown in change detection, a fundamental computer vision problem for identifying regions of video that exhibit meaningful variations as defined by the application context.
3D Printing Phosphonium Ionic Liquid Networks with Mask Projection Microstereolithography

Photopolymerization coupled with mask projection microstereolithography successfully generated various 3D printed phosphonium polymerized ionic liquids (PILs) with low UV light intensity requirements and high digital resolution. Varying phosphonium monomer concentration, diacrylate cross-linking comonomer, and display images enabled precise 3D design and polymeric properties. The resulting cross-linked phosphonium PIL objects exhibited a synergy of high thermal stability, tunable glass transition temperature, optical clarity, and ion conductivity, which are collectively well-suited for emerging electro-active membrane technologies. Ion conductivity measurements on printed objects revealed a systematic progression in conductivity with ionic liquid monomer content, and thermal properties and solvent extraction demonstrated the formation of a polymerized ionic liquid network, with gel fractions exceeding 95%.
Failure to relate hyaluronic acid to elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate in rheumatic diseases.

Summary1. Hyaluronic acid is apparently not responsible for the increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate of blood from patients with rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis. 2. Sodium salicylate failed to inhibit the effect of hyaluronidase on elevated E.S.R. produced in rabbits by the intravenous injection of sodium hyaluronate.
Strategies for Harmonized Development between Communities and Wolong Nature Reserve

The basic condition of Wolong Nature Reserve was introduced. The fundamental characteristics of community economic development and eco-economic benefits were analyzed from the aspect of eco-economics. The strategies for future development in both ecological and economic aspects were proposed.
Epidemic situation analysis of leprosy in Ningbo from 2004 to 2010

Objective To analyze retrospectively the newly diagnosed leprosy cases of Ningbo from 2004 to 2010 for further prevention and cure.Methods Data of the newly diagnosed leprosy cases were investigated and analyzed.Results From 2004 to 2010,26 leprosy patients were newly diagnosed,17 male and 9 female.The average incidence rate was 0.045 per 100,000 population.Multi-bacteria type patients occupied 84.62% among them.Twenty-three leprosy patients were imported cases,the mean age was 31.05 years,and the average delayed time was 16.92 months.Nine patients infected through family contacts,and 24 were discovered in dermatology clinic.Two leprosy patients were discovered from patients' household contacts.Conclusion The newly diagnosed leprosy cases were mainly imported ones in Ningbo where is a low epidemic area.The future prevention measures are to strengthen inspection in comprehensive hospitals,combined with contact inspection and investigation,and to carry out health education and screening among floating population from the high epidemic regions.
Peer Reviewed: Environmental Security: An Evolving Concept

Although environmental security is accepted as an element of national security, it remains poorly understood and ill-defined
Conditions for saddle-point equilibria in output-feedback MPC with MHE

A new method for solving output-feedback model predictive control (MPC) and moving horizon estimation (MHE) problems simultaneously as a single min-max optimization problem was recently proposed. This method allows for stability analysis of the joint output-feedback control and estimation problem. In fact, under the main assumption that a saddle-point solution exists for the min-max optimization problem as well as standard observability and controllability assumptions, practical stability can be established in the presence of noise and disturbances. In this paper we derive sufficient conditions for the existence of a saddle-point solution to this min-max optimization problem. For the specialized linear-quadratic case, we show that a saddle-point solution exists if the system is observable and weights in the cost function are chosen appropriately. A numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of this combined control and estimation approach.
Changes in Flat Plate Wake Characteristics Obtained With Decreasing Plate Thickness

Abstract The near and very near wake of a flat plate with a circular trailing edge is investigated with data from direct numerical simulations. Computations were performed for four different Reynolds numbers based on plate thickness (D) and at constant plate length. The value of θ/D varies by a factor of approximately 20 in the computations (θ being the boundary layer momentum thickness at the trailing edge). The separating boundary layers are turbulent in all the cases. One objective of the study is to understand the changes in wake characteristics with changing θ/D (as obtained by decreasing D). Vortex shedding is vigorous in the low θ/D cases with a substantial decrease in shedding intensity in the largest θ/D case (for all practical purposes shedding becomes almost intermittent). Other characteristics that are significantly altered with increasing θ/D are the roll-up of the detached shear layers and the magnitude of fluctuations in shedding period. These effects are explored in depth. The effects of changing θ/D on the distributions of the time-averaged, near-wake velocity statistics are discussed.
Effect of the Children’s Health Activity Motor Program on Motor Skills and Self-Regulation in Head Start Preschoolers: An Efficacy Trial

Self-regulatory skills are broadly defined as the ability to manage emotions, focus attention, and inhibit some behaviors while activating others in accordance with social expectations and are an established indicator of academic success. Growing evidence links motor skills and physical activity to self-regulation. This study examined the efficacy of a motor skills intervention (i.e., the Children’s Health Activity Motor Program, CHAMP) that is theoretically grounded in Achievement Goal Theory on motor skill performance and self-regulation in Head Start preschoolers. A sample of 113 Head Start preschoolers (Mage = 51.91 + 6.5 months; 49.5% males) were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 68) or control (n = 45) program. CHAMP participants engaged in 15, 40-minute sessions of a mastery climate intervention that focused on the development of motor skills over 5 weeks while control participants engaged in their normal outdoor recess period. The Delay of Gratification Snack Task was used to measure self-regulation and the Test of Gross Motor Development - 2nd Edition was used to assess motor skills. All measures were assessed prior to and following the intervention. Linear mixed models were fit for both self-regulation and motor skills. Results revealed a significant time*treatment interaction (p < .001). In regards to motor skills, post hoc comparisons found that all children improved their motor skills (p < .05), but the CHAMP group improved significantly more than the control group (p < .001). Children in CHAMP maintained their self-regulation scores across time while children in the control group scored significantly lower than the CHAMP group at the posttest (p < .05). CHAMP is a mastery climate movement program that may be an approach to enhance skills associated with healthy development in children (i.e., motor skills and self-regulation). This efficacy trial provided evidence that CHAMP helped maintain delay of gratification in preschool age children and significantly improved motor skills while participating in outdoor recess was not effective. CHAMP could help contribute to children’s learning related skills and physical development and subsequently to their academic success.
Clinical Applications in the Area of Contraceptive Development

“Leads” for new contraceptive development include possible direct manipulation of ovarian function and are an outgrowth of studies on basic gonadal physiology. Being able to perturb normal reproductive activity by altering some aspect of ovarian function also may provide evidence for a specific role for that function. The research thus serves the dual role of advancing basic knowledge while providing possible clues for new contraceptive modalities and human application. Present contraceptive methodology ranges from high efficacy with low (but marginally acceptable) risks of adverse effects as with the pill to the less effective techniques that carry the inherent risk of pregnancy when they fail as for most barrier techniques. With an effectiveness of 99% and a mortality risk one fifth that of a pregnancy, the pill is still a hard act to follow. It is unlikely that drug regulatory agencies will allow marketing of any new product that clearly does not surpass present methods. Contraceptive development involving the ovary clearly is not yet in so favorable a category.
A Survey of Expert Elicitation Practices for Probabilistic Risk Assessment

Risk and reliability analyses of human errors or hardware failures sometimes need to enlist expert opinion in areas for which adequate human performance or hardware operational data are not availab...
An irreversible planar optical sensor for multi-dimensional measurements of sedimentary H2S

Abstract Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is produced by sulfate reducing bacteria during anaerobic metabolism in sediment. Knowledge of the detailed distributions of H2S permits quantification of the rates and patterns of SO42 − reduction and sulfidic diagenetic processes. A novel H2S sensor based on a diphenylcarbazone (DPCO) indicator was developed to readily and rapidly resolve a wide range of H2S distributions in natural sediments in multi-dimensions. 2-D sensing membranes were prepared by immobilizing DPCO-Zn2 + complex in polyurethane hydrogel (D4) on transparent polyester sheets. A gas permeable silicone layer was applied as an outermost layer to eliminate or minimize possible interfering reactions. The immobilized DPCO-Zn2 + complex has a maximum absorbance at 530 nm, but DPCO shows no absorption at this wavelength. The working principle of the sensor is competition (ligand replacement) between DPCO and sulfide ion with Zn2 + to form the more stable ZnS. After exposure to H2S, the absorbance of the sensor is inversely correlated with H2S concentration and the time of reaction. By immobilizing different amounts of DPCO-Zn2 + complex in the membrane, a series of sensors can be made to measure H2S in different depositional environments. The DPCO-Zn2 + based sensor is only sensitive to H2S gas, and its performance is independent of other dissolved gases such as O2, CO2, NH3, and N2. Because the reaction of DPCO-Zn2 + with H2S has stable products, the reacted sensor can be optically scanned using a simple flatbed or pen scanner immediately or at a later time for quantification. By simple manipulations of exposure times (1–20 min) and DPCO-Zn2 + loading, high resolution (50 × 50 μm), 2-D or 1-D H2S distribution profiles are readily obtained in natural sediment over a very wide range of H2S concentrations (~ 5–4000 μM). Serial spatial deployment of sensor membranes also allows reconstruction of complex 3-D patterns of H2S, for example, in bioturbated marine sediments or plant rhizospheres.
Can Strategic Risk Management Contribute to Enterprise Risk Management? A Strategic Management Perspective

Enterprise Risk Management: Review, Critique, and Research Directions 1 Philip Bromiley Dean's Professor of Strategic Management Merage School of Business University of California, Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-3125 Tel: 949- 824-6657 Michael McShane Anil Nair Department of Business Administration College of Business and Public Administration Constant Hall 2030 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23529-0220 Tel: 757-683-6096 Fax: 757-683-5639 and Elzotbek Rustambekov College of Business Bryant University Smithfield, RI 02917 Bromiley, P., McShane, M., Nair, A. and Rustambekov, E. (2015) Enterprise Risk Management: Review, Critique, and Research Directions, Long Range Planning, 48: 265-276 . We would like to thank Professors Mike Stein, Arun Kumaraswamy, the editor (Rob Grant) and an anonymous reviewer for comments on earlier versions of the paper
Genomics Data Analysis Pipelines

Data size and flow are rapidly increasing in cancer research, as high-throughput technologies are developed for each molecular type present in the cell, from DNA sequences through metabolite levels. In order to maximize the value of this data, it must be analyzed in a consistent, reproducible manner, which requires the processing of terabytes of data through preprocessing (normalization, registration, QC/QA), annotation (pathways, linking of data across molecular domains), and analysis (statistical tests, computational learning techniques). The demands on data processing are, therefore, enormous in terms of computational power, data storage, and data flow. In this chapter, we address some of the issues faced when developing a data analysis pipeline for this high-dimensional, high-volume data. We focus on a number of best practices important for the implementation of the pipeline, including use of software design patterns, tiered storage architectures, ontologies, and links to metadata in national repositories.
Molecular basis of the first reported clinical case of congenital combined deficiency of coagulation factors.

To the editor: Congenital combined vitamin K–dependent coagulation factors deficiency (VKCFD) is a rare autosomal recessive bleeding disorder.[1][1] Patients with VKCFD have decreased activity in multiple vitamin K–dependent coagulation factors due to genetic mutations that limit the ability of
From Compliance to Strategy: Using the Three Lines of Defense Model to Evaluate and Motivate Internal Audit Contributions to Accounting Research

We synthesize the extant behavioral and archival literature examining the internal audit function’s (IAF's) contribution to and association with research published in six broad and 13 subject-specific accounting journals since 2004. Rather than use the corporate governance cornerstone or mosaic frameworks used in comprehensive reviews of IAF-related literature published in 2004, we use the Institute of Internal Auditors' Three Lines of Defense (3LOD) in Effective Risk Management and Control. We use the 3LOD model to both evaluate extant and to motivate additional research on internal audit. The prior syntheses focus on the IAF as a "cornerstone" of corporate governance and how the IAF can contribute to improved governance. More specifically, those syntheses adopt a perspective that the IAF serves as a resource to each of the other three parties responsible for corporate governance. The 3LOD framework is similar in that it encourages continued coordination but differs in that it suggests a clearer delineation of responsibilities for control ownership, monitoring, and evaluation. This framework suggests the IAF is the final line of defense against significant risk or internal control weakness rather than either the primary or an equal line of defense. After 2004, our review of the literature suggests a concentration around three themes: external auditor reliance, use of the IAF as a management training ground, and more recently the IAF’s use of technology to enhance the assurance process. Applying this prior research to the 3LOD model identifies many areas for future research that we discuss throughout the paper.
Partial Membership Latent Dirichlet Allocation for Soft Image Segmentation

Topic models [e.g., probabilistic latent semantic analysis, latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), and supervised LDA] have been widely used for segmenting imagery. However, these models are confined to crisp segmentation, forcing a visual word (i.e., an image patch) to belong to one and only one topic. Yet, there are many images in which some regions cannot be assigned a crisp categorical label (e.g., transition regions between a foggy sky and the ground or between sand and water at a beach). In these cases, a visual word is best represented with partial memberships across multiple topics. To address this, we present a partial membership LDA (PM-LDA) model and an associated parameter estimation algorithm. This model can be useful for imagery, where a visual word may be a mixture of multiple topics. Experimental results on visual and sonar imagery show that PM-LDA can produce both crisp and soft semantic image segmentations; a capability previous topic modeling methods do not have.
It matters who shares and who reads: persuasive outcomes of location check-ins on Facebook

Despite an emerging trend of location check-ins as a means of mobile communication amongst Facebook users, little attention has been devoted to the value of location check-ins as marketing potential. In particular, little is known about how mobile users process and assess location information shared by their friends on Facebook. Undergirded by persuasion knowledge and elaboration likelihood models, a self-instructed online survey with 255 undergraduate students found that friendship tie strength was positively correlated with students' attitudes towards and perceived credibility of the location information shared by their Facebook friends. However, this relationship was true of those who reported a high level of mobile phone competence rather than those with low mobile phone competence. Prior experience with location sharing on Facebook was also positively correlated with students' evaluations of the location information. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
Computer Analysis of the Telemetered EEG in the Study of Epilepsy and Schizophrenia

As has long been appreciated, significant abnormalities of electrical activity in the deep structures of the brain are often entirely undetectable in the scalp EEG. Because of medical risks and ethical objections associated with the introduction of intracerebral electrodes in the study of patients with generalized epilepsy, behaviour disorders and psychoses, we have sought to develop non-invasive methods for localization of the subcortical EEG abnormalities in patients with these diagnoses. Two techniques which use episodic disturbances in behaviour to examine EEG power spectra associated with periods of abnormal and normal behaviour have been developed in our laboratory: 1. the sorting of averaged brief epochs of EEG spectra on the basis of normal or pathologically prolonged reaction time; 2. correlation of power spectra from 24 hours telemetered EEG with clinical seizures and during normal and abnormal behaviours in patients with epilepsy and schizophrenia, respectively.
Creative Drama and Imagery

Creative drama has as its parents the art of theatre and the field of child development. Leaders of drama activities with young people have worked primarily instinctively, evolving a personal style which takes into consideration their previous theatre training and knowledge of children. Utilizing theatre/drama activities with children to aid them in their development as individuals and as artists has been an accepted practice for centuries, but only since the 1940s has the field of creative drama become clearly defined (Ward, 1947). Since the forties, the literature has increased, practitioners have been trained and awarded advanced degrees in creative drama, and various approaches for leading drama activities have developed (Aldrich & Swartz, 1972; Heinig & Stillwell, 1974; Jennings, 1973; McCaslin, 1968, 1975; Siks, 1958, 1977). Some of these are based more strongly on the child development aspect of drama (Slade, 1954; Way, 1967); some are more clearly related to the theatre roots of creative drama (Spolin, 1975; Wagner, 1976).
G Protein Signaling Regulators

Regulators of G protein signaling are important controllers of the system by which many agonists (hormones and neurotransmitters) transmit their signals across the cell membrane to influence intracellular processes. This system involves heterotrimeric G proteins, which are activated when the agonists bind to their specific receptors, and effectors (enzymes and ion channels), which are the targets of the G proteins. Activation of the G proteins by the receptors involves the release of guanosine diphosphate (GDP) from their a-subunits and the subsequent binding of guanosine triphosphate (GTP), and the dissociation of the bg-subunits from the G proteins. The GTP-bound a-subunits and the free bg-subunits then act on their target effectors. Turning off the system requires the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP by the intrinsic GTPase of the a-subunits and this is a relatively slow process. Regulators of G protein signaling accelerate the GTPase activity, thereby terminating the stimulation of effectors and allowing the G protein to revert to its GPD-liganded heterotrimeric state where it can activate again by agonist binding to receptor.
Impact of radiation induced crystallization on programmable metallization cell electrical characteristics and reliability

Chalcogenide-based, programmable metallization cells (PMC) cells have been characterized after exposure to increasing levels of absorbed dose (i.e., ionizing radiation exposure). We found, and show here for the first time, that total absorbed dose effects induce a slight modification of the switching phenomena with a moderate increase of the programmable low resistance state (LRS) of the PMCs after repeated switching depending on the processing conditions, while it does not impact the state programmed before exposure. We also show that an increase of the programmable high resistance state (HRS) occurs with irradiation. Such observations are discussed through correlation with crystallization observed in the concurrent X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization of representative thin-film stacks of the PMCs. These new results are compared to previous results obtained on chalcogenide-based PMCs that did not identify/observe such effects.
A Tie2 kinase mutation causing venous malformations increases phosphorylation rates and enhances cooperativity.

The endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase Tie2 plays an important role in vascular formation and maintenance. Mutations in Tie2 lead to vascular malformations, which are painful vascular lesions that cause disfigurement, bleeding, and thrombosis. R849W Tie2 is the most common mutation implicated in an inherited form of vascular malformations and has been shown to be activating, though little is known about the kinetic features of catalysis. Here we undertake a steady-state kinetic analysis of heterologously expressed and purified wild type (WT) and R849W Tie2. While the catalytic efficiencies of the two forms are not significantly different, the observed maximal rate of phosphorylation, kcat,obs, is > 3-fold higher for R849W Tie2 compared to WT. Notably, steady-state catalysis by R849W Tie2 has more striking sigmoidal features compared to WT, suggesting enhanced positive cooperativity. We propose that activating catalytic features are one important consequence of the R849W mutation, though likely other factors such as increased protein binding affinity also contribute to the phenotypes observed in patients.
Perceived water insecurity among adults from urban and peri-urban Haiti: A qualitative study.

Water and sanitation services are fundamental in preventing the spread of waterborne and hygiene-related diseases. However, in developing countries, such as Haiti, access to clean water continues to pose major challenges despite efforts to improve quality and reduce distance. With Leogâne being the epicenter of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, there were dozens of interventions aimed to improve access to clean water, specifically well construction and use of water treatment strategies. Using the socioecological framework, this study collected qualitative data to supplement a household water insecurity experiences (HWISE) survey in order to fully understand the narratives around water in Leogâne (urban) and its neighboring commune Gressier (peri-urban). The inclusion criteria for this study was that the participant must be a resident of either site, at least 18 years or older, and a female. Only females were included in this study so that researchers could better understand how perceived water insecurity impacts reproductive health, specifically gynecological infections. This cross-sectional study yielded 61 total in-depth interviews using a semi-structured open ended questionnaire to allow participants the ability to elaborate. Results suggest that there are common misconceptions about water and reproductive health specifically that engaging in sexual intercourse in saltwater will not result in pregnancy. Relevant narratives among the two communes included water acquisition, use of water, and bathing practices, among several others. Through understanding the local Haitian perspective and practices that surround water insecurity, we can better tailor public health interventions to improve access to water, female hygiene practices, and ultimately lower and prevent disease transmission.
Mercury bioaccumulation in Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) from offshore waters of South Carolina, USA

Abstract Mercury (Hg) concentrations in Tilefish (Lopholatilus chamaeleonticeps) have been reported to be one of the highest of all fish species, resulting in advisories that, historically, have recommended zero consumption. The current study assesses Hg bioaccumulation in Tilefish targeted by the commercial fisheries operating off the coast of South Carolina, USA. We provide results for an under-sampled region and explore how life history potentially impacts Hg uptake in Tilefish. Mercury concentration in Tilefish muscle tissue ranged from 0.10 to 0.99 ppm, with a mean of 0.23 ppm (n = 63). The majority of Tilefish samples (95%) were within the “Good Choices” range for consuming at least one serving per week, with 62% being within the range considered best for eating two meals a week”, per suggestion by the US EPA and US FDA (2017). The present study of Tilefish from the western Atlantic further substantiates the importance of monitoring Hg in commercial fish species regionally.
Fluctuation dynamics in a relativistic fluid with a critical point

To describe dynamics of bulk and fluctuations near the QCD critical point we develop general relativistic fluctuation formalism for a fluid carrying baryon charge. Feedback of fluctuations modifies hydrodynamic coefficients including bulk viscosity and conductivity and introduces nonlocal and noninstantaneous terms in constitutive equations. We perform necessary ultraviolet (short-distance) renormalization to obtain cutoff-independent deterministic equations suitable for numerical implementation. We use the equations to calculate the universal nonanalytic small-frequency dependence of transport coefficients due to fluctuations (long-time tails). Focusing on the critical mode we show how this general formalism matches existing $\text{Hydro+}$ description of fluctuations near the QCD critical point and nontrivially extends it inside and outside of the critical region.
Abstract 5930: Targeting Skp2 in synovial sarcoma reduces tumor-initiating properties and promotes apoptosis

Background. Despite the knowledge that most synovial sarcoma (SS) is driven by the fusion oncoprotein SS18-SSX, efforts in generating therapeutic agents that target the fusion oncoproteins have not been successful. The oncogenic role of S phase kinase-associated protein (Skp2) has been demonstrated in several cancers. However, the functional involvement of this F-box protein in SS is not well understood. Our goals are to examine the oncogenic role of Skp2 in SS and assess the therapeutic potential of inhibiting Skp2. Methods. The expression of Skp2 in established cell lines, patient specimens, SS18-SSX transgenic mouse tumors was assessed using RT-PCR, western blot, and immunochemistry. Genetic depletion of Skp2 was achieved by lentiviral shRNA. Further proliferation assay, sphere formation assay, invasion assay, and ALDH assay were performed along with western blot. The efficacy of flavokawain A (FKA), an skp2 inhibitor was also analyzed correspondingly. A mouse xenograft model was used to validate in vitro results. Results. Skp2 is frequently overexpressed in established cell lines, clinical specimens, and SS18-SSX transgenic mouse tumors. High levels of Skp2 correlated with more advanced clinical stages in SS. Next, we showed that genetic depletion of Skp2 reduced mesenchymal and stemness markers and inhibited the invasive and proliferative capacities of SS cell lines, as well as increased apoptotic markers and p27. Furthermore, Skp2 depletion markedly suppressed the growth of SS xenografts tumors, which indicates that Skp2 is essential in maintaining SS tumorigenesis. Treatment of SS cell lines with FKA reduced Skp2 expression in a dose-dependent manner and resulted in G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In addition, FKA also suppressed the invasion and tumor-initiating properties in SS, similar to the effects of Skp2 knockdown.Conclusions. Taken together, our results suggest that Skp2 plays an essential role in the biology of SS by promoting the mesenchymal state and cancer stemness. Given that chemoresistance is often associated with cancer stemness, strategies of combining Skp2 inhibitors with conventional chemotherapy in SS may be desirable. Citation Format: Jichuan Wang, Kenji Sato, Ed O9Donnell, Amit Singla, Simon Yaguare, Osama Aldahamsheh, Brian Batko, Hasibagan Borjihan, Janet Tingling, Daniel A Weiser, David M Loeb, Richard Gorlick, Edward L Schwartz, Rui Yang, Xiaolin Zi, Hongling Zhao, David S Geller, Bang H Hoang. Targeting Skp2 in synovial sarcoma reduces tumor-initiating properties and promotes apoptosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5930.
Alzheimer’s disease as a systems network disorder: chronic stress/dyshomeostasis, innate immunity, and genetics

Ineffective results of clinical trials of over 200 anti-Alzheimer's drug candidates, with a 99.6% attrition rate, suggest that the current paradigm of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may be incomplete, necessitating exploration of alternative and complementary frameworks.Using algorithms for hypothesis independent search and expert-assisted synthesis of heterogeneous data, we attempted to reconcile multimodal clinical profiles of early-stage AD patients and accumulated research data within a parsimonious framework. Results of our analysis suggest that Alzheimer's may not be a brain disease but a progressive system-level network disorder, which is driven by chronic network stress and dyshomeostasis. The latter can be caused by various endogenous and exogenous factors, such as chronic inflammatory conditions, infections, vascular dysfunction, head trauma, environmental toxicity, and immune disorders. Whether originating in the brain or on the periphery, chronic stress, toxicity, and inflammation are communicated to the central nervous system (CNS) via humoral and neural routes, preferentially targeting high-centrality regulatory nodes and circuits of the nervous system, and eventually manifesting as a neurodegenerative CNS disease.In this report, we outline an alternative perspective on AD as a systems network disorder and discuss biochemical and genetic evidence suggesting the central role of chronic tissue injury/dyshomeostasis, innate immune reactivity, and inflammation in the etiopathobiology of Alzheimer's disease.
Counterinsurgency: The paroxysms of imperial might in the shadow of the Great War

If the French defeat at Sedan had discredited small wars as an organizing principle for European armies after 1870, the battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916 challenged the usefulness of conventional war as the continuation of politics by other means, and sent military theorists in search of alternatives to the industrialized attrition of trench combat in the age of total war. A postmodernist malaise emerged at the intersection of Lyautey’s warnings about the bureaucratization of conventional war, which provided few opportunities for individual self-validation through heroic acts, and the irrelevance of such personal qualities as toughness, valor, and discipline in the age of machine warfare. Only fighter aces, U-boat commanders, storm troopers, and small warriors stood out from the unrelieved mechanization of slaughter as much needed heroes who represented soldierly values and as figures to return decision to warfare as master of the machine and not its servant. In these circumstances, the old wine of small war, if not in new bottles then at least with updated labels, reasserted its allure. Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck’s campaign of harassment against the British in East Africa and T. E. Lawrence’s alleged unraveling of the Ottoman Empire with a posse of Bedouin captured the public imagination much in need of reinforcement in the face of strategic ambiguity and growing domestic sacrifice. Theorists as varied as Basil Liddell Hart and Mao Tse-tung proffered insurgency as a strategy to achieve “victory without battle.” In this way, insurgency and counterinsurgency could legitimize themselves as a Sun-Tzuian substitute for the conventional Jominian quest for the “decisive battle.”
A Rising Tide Lifts “Related” Boats—Post-Acute Care Quality Improvement is Associated With Improvement in Long-Term Care Quality in Nursing Homes

Abstract Objectives To examine the relationship between post-acute care (PAC) quality improvement and long-term care (LTC) quality changes. Design Observational study using national nursing home data from Nursing Home Compare linked to Brown University's LTCFocus data. Setting and Participants Free-standing nursing homes serving PAC and LTC residents in the United States. Methods This study used pooled cross-sectional analysis with nursing home–level data from 2005 to 2010 (12,150 unique nursing homes). We used fixed effects models to examine the association between a 1-year change in PAC quality and a 1-year change in LTC quality, with a specific focus on related care domains. Results Strong and positive associations were found between related PAC and LTC care domains, particularly between the PAC and LTC influenza vaccination care domains (β = 0.30, P Conclusions and Implications This is the first study that examines the association of changes in quality between 2 overlapping but different care domains (ie, PAC and LTC) using multiple quality measures. Our findings indicate that nursing homes can manage concurrent quality improvement in PAC and LTC, particularly on care domains that are related. More research is needed to examine the mechanism that enables such concurrent quality improvement.
SARS-CoV-2 Infection Leading to Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Brain Lesions and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

ABSTRACT Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may present with pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations. We present a 41-year-old patient who presented with 1 week of increasing dyspnea and fever and initial chest radiography demonstrated bilateral diffuse infiltrates. Due to the patient's progressively worsening symptoms, he was intubated, paralyzed, sedated. He began proning, 100% fractional inspired oxygenation ventilation, and veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Computed tomography of the thorax revealed completely opacified lungs bilaterally with the exception of a small, aerated apicoposterior segment of the left lung. Computed tomography of the head demonstrated several areas of hemorrhage, areas of hypodensity consistent with posterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery territory infarcts, and findings consistent with transtentorial herniation. Given the radiologic findings and nonprogressive clinical status, the family placed the patient on comfort care and the patient died within minutes of extubation. As with our patient at the time of admission, presenting symptoms and clinical laboratory data provide reliable prognostic factors for patients with COVID-19.
Self-Perceived Health and Chronic Conditions Among Users of Supplements With and Without Botanical Ingredients: Findings from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The objective of this research was to investigate associations among self-reported health status, chronic conditions, and use of dietary supplements containing botanicals and describe reasons for use among U.S. adult supplement users. This was a cross-sectional analysis using data from the 2009-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Supplement information was collected with a 30-day recall interview. Self-reported general health status and doctor-informed diagnoses of chronic conditions were assessed using a health status questionnaire. We used weighted multivariate logistic regressions to assess associations between supplement use and perceived health and number of chronic conditions. Participants were 16,958 non-institutionalized U.S. adults aged 20 years and older. Adults with excellent or very good self-perceived health were more likely to use botanical supplements than adults with good perceived health (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-1.74). Adults with three or more chronic conditions were more likely to report using botanical supplements than adults with no chronic conditions (aOR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.13-1.69). The most frequently reported reasons for both non-botanical and botanical supplements use were "personal choice or influenced by advertisements or word of mouth," "improve health," and "specific health conditions" (93.3%, 84.2%, and 64.7%, respectively). While perceptions of health are more positive among adults using botanical supplements, chronic conditions and reasons for botanical supplements use related to personal choice, improving health, or addressing specific conditions were more likely. Differentiating botanical supplements from other complementary and integrative therapies may be useful for facilitating a deeper understanding of the reasons.