cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

Hydrogels are three-dimensional materials that can withstand a great amount of water incorporation while maintaining integrity. This allows hydrogels to be very unique biomedical materials, especially for drug delivery. Much effort has been made to incorporate hydrophilic molecules in hydrogels in the field of drug delivery, while loading of hydrophobic drugs has not been vastly studied. However, in recent years, research has also been conducted on incorporating hydrophobic molecules within hydrogel matrices for achieving a steady release of drugs to treat various ailments. Here, we summarize the types of hydrogels used as drug delivery vehicles, various methods to incorporate hydrophobic molecules in hydrogel matrices, and the potential therapeutic applications of hydrogels in cancer.
Fly/stiction: mechanical instability of a head-disc interface

The fly/stiction phenomenon is described in detail. Unlike the normal stiction values, fly/stiction values exhibit a unique bi-/tri-modal distribution. Fundamentally, the fly/stiction phenomenon is related to the mechanical instability of a head-disc interface, triggered by the excessive accumulation of liquids at the interface. An energy barrier model is presented to explain various observed aspects of the fly/stiction phenomenon, and to provide directions to reduce the risk of fly/stiction failure.
Medicine and Law: New Opportunities to Close the Disparity Gap

Socioeconomic disparities in health persist despite significant advances in medicine, universal coverage, and quality of care.1,2 Although the relationship between poverty and poor health is complex, access to basic needs such as adequate housing and nutrition, appropriate education, and personal safety is well documented to improve health trajectories.3 The article by Beck et al4 in this issue of Pediatrics represents a special example of how a multidisciplinary approach to social determinants of health initiated from a primary care setting can address poor housing conditions and reduce risk for asthma for individual patients and for a population. The government has enacted laws and regulations to address the negative health impact of hunger, insufficient income, unsafe housing, and disability. When families do not receive the benefits or protections of these laws, health is undermined. The consequences can be treated medically, but their upstream causes are social and are more effectively addressed by using legal strategies.5,6 … Address correspondence to Barry Zuckerman, MD, 771 Albany St, Dowling 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: barry.zuckerman{at}bmc.org
Thick and Thin and Public Support for the Political Inclusion of Immigrants

This paper analyzes support for two forms of political inclusion of immigrants: support for the right of immigrants to vote and for reducing barriers to citizenship in Turin, Italy. This paper contextualizes the findings in terms of ongoing European integration and the politics of thick and thin. It shows that thin politics lead to support for immigrant voting rights and eased access to citizenship and how sociodemographic background, thick and thin attitudes, general beliefs about immigration, and specific expectations about immigration reform translate into left-right self-identification.
Growing Leaders: The Parallels of Professional Identity and Leadership Identity Development in Counselors

ABSTRACTWithin the counseling profession, an increase in counselor professional identity development research has been reported. Leadership skills have been assumed to be part of a counselor’s identity; however, leadership identity development of counselors has not received significant attention in the literature. In this article, parallels between professional identity and leadership identity of counselors are explored, and recommendations for supporting this development are provided.
Cytokine Receptors in Congenital Hematopoietic Disease

Hematopoietic growth factors promote both growth and differentiation of blood cells1,2. These factors activate specific hematopoietic growth factor receptors that are expressed on the surface of blood progenitor cells of the bone marrow. The past decade has witnessed the identification and cloning of several genes for hematopoietic growth factors and growth factor receptors. The availability of the complementary DNA encoding these polypeptides has provided tools for understanding the normal process of blood-cell production and the abnormal processes of leukemia and other diseases in humans. Hematopoietic Growth Factors The identification of hematopoietic growth factors was made possible primarily by . . .
Complete monosaccharide analysis by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection.

Monosaccharide analysis is a critical way to profile the composition of complex carbohydrates. Methods to analyze neutral and amino sugars have been established for a long time, but methods for aci...
Web-Based Asthma Management for Urban Teens

Joseph CLM, Ownby DR, Havstad SL, et al. Evaluation of a web-based asthma management intervention program for urban teenagers: reaching the hard to reach [published online ahead of print September 27, 2012]. J Adolesc Health; doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.07.009[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2] Investigators from multiple institutions in Michigan and Georgia sought to determine whether using Puff City,1 a web-based asthma intervention developed by the authors and aimed at African American teenagers, improves asthma outcomes. Students in grades 9 through 12 were recruited from 6 public high schools for the study if they had a diagnosis of asthma made by a health care provider, current symptoms, and use of asthma medications. Students without a formal asthma diagnosis were also included if they had symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of intermittent asthma or more severe asthma (based on the International Survey of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire). ### PICO Question: Among urban African American teenagers with asthma, does a tailored, web-based asthma management program improve clinical outcomes? Question type: Intervention Study design: Randomized controlled At enrollment, participants were randomized to the intervention (Puff City) or … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJ%2BAdolesc%2BHealth%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252Fj.jadohealth.2012.07.009%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.07.009&link_type=DOI
Improved fixation in vitally stained methylene blue preparations.

The present paper reports that ammonium molybdate dissolved in physiological saline for amphibian and mammalian tissues, and in sea water for squid tissues, forms a fixing solution that greatly reduces cellular distortion in vitally stained permanent methylene blue preparations.
Membrane-Spanning DNA Ion Channels: Conductance Mechanism, Electro-Osmotic Transport and Mechanical Gating

DNA self-assembly has emerged as a new paradigm for design of biomimetic ion channels and transporters. Several experimental groups have already reported spontaneous insertion of DNA constructs into lipid bilayer membranes and measurements of ionic flux through the channels. However, the structure such DNA ion channels in the lipid bilayer membrane environment and their conductance mechanisms have remained undetermined. Two years ago, we reported the first atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of DNA origami objects, characterizing their chemical and mechanical properties in unprecedented detail [PNAS, 110(50), 20099 (2013)]. Here, we extend our MD method to characterize the biophysical properties of DNA ion channels embedded in lipid bilayer membranes. First, we investigate the effect of two popular methods of DNA construct insertion—partial neutralization of DNA charge and hydrophobic anchoring—on the structure of the surrounding lipid bilayer. Although our simulations confirm that both methods yield stable assembly, profound differences are found in the structure of the DNA—lipid interface. Second, we find that the transmembrane ionic current flows not only through the central pore of the channel, but also around the walls of the channel and through the gaps in the DNA structure. The ratio of the current through each path depends on the design of the channel and the lipid—DNA interface. Surprisingly, we find the conductance of a DNA channel to depend on the membrane tension, making them potentially suitable for force-sensing applications. Finally, we show that electro-osmosis governs the transport of drug-like molecules through the DNA ion channels, suggesting possible applications of such systems in biosensing and drug delivery.
Failure of insulin to antagonize cAMP-mediated glycogenolysis in rat ventricular cardiomyocytes

Isolated rat ventricular cardiomyocytes were used to study the effects of insulin on glycogen metabolism in cells treated with various agents that activate adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase. Incubation of myocytes with isoproterenol produced a rapid concentration-dependent increase in cAMP concentration, cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity, and phosphorylase activity and a simultaneous decrease in the glycogen synthase activity ratio. Various cAMP analogues also produced a concentration-dependent increase in phosphorylase activity and a decline in the glycogen synthase activity ratio. Incubation of cells with insulin produced no change in basal phosphorylase activity but produced a rapid 40% increase in the glycogen synthase activity ratio. Inclusion of insulin in cell incubations containing increasing concentrations of isoproterenol did not modify the increases in cAMP concentration, protein kinase activity, or phosphorylase activity. Insulin also did not antagonize the ability of any of the cAMP analogues tested to activate phosphorylase, irrespective of the suitability of the particular cAMP analogue as a substrate for cAMP phosphodiesterases. The failure of insulin to antagonize the glycogenolytic effects of isoproterenol or cAMP analogues was paralleled by its failure to activate low-Km phosphodiesterase activity, but the cAMP analogue, 8-parachlorophenylthio-cAMP produced a small reproducible activation of the low-Km enzyme. In contrast to hepatocytes and adipocytes, where some effects of insulin appear to be due to activation of the phosphodiesterase and hydrolysis of cAMP, the effects in cardiomyocytes appear to be independent of an insulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase or of the effects on other components of the cAMP cascade.
Exploring Options Including Class Action to Transform Military Mental Healthcare and End the Generational Cycle of Preventable Wartime Behavioral Health Crises

This article examines three major options for transforming military mental healthcare in order to end the pattern of self-inflicted and largely preventable wartime behavioral health crises plaguing American veterans, their families, and broader society since the turn of the twentieth century. Evidence is provided that the first option of maintaining the status quo consisting of internal incremental changes has proven largely ineffectual in addressing the broader issues responsible for perpetuating wartime crises. The second option describes necessary transformative changes required to end the cycle of mental health neglect and preventable crises. However, there are no signs that responsible government agencies are inclined to compel the military to overhaul its system. Lastly, we offer a legal analysis for an unprecedented class action against the Department of Defense to effect change. After reviewing the history of tort law and the US military’s immunity from the Feres Doctrine, we examine legal precedents both domestic and aboard. Legal strategies are described in detail from a landmark class action by British soldiers against the Ministry of Defense (MoD) or Multiple Claimants v. MoD (2003) who sued for failure to properly identify and treat predictable war stress injury like post-traumatic stress disorder. The successful claims from individual military plaintiffs have been instrumental in compelling the MoD to implement necessary reforms of its mental health services and possibly end their cycle of neglect and preventable wartime crises. If successful, the proposed American class action will establish a critical precedent to elevate the importance of mental healthcare on equal footing with physical medicine both within and outside of the military.
A clinical trial to reduce the rate of low birth weight in an inner-city black population.

BACKGROUND The goal of our study was to measure the effectiveness of a home-based intervention for prevention of low birth weight with 154 high-risk, low-income black women attending a prenatal clinic in Cleveland. METHODS Based on previous research, risk was defined by clinic registration between the 17th and 28th weeks of gestation, low family functioning score, and experience of at least one stressful life event prior to registration. Optional factors included being a smoker, a low maternal weight-height ratio, being age 27 or older, and a previous premature birth. A 21-item family function screen previously validated in a similar population was the primary determinant of psychosocial risk. Low birth weight was defined as weight less than 2,500 g regardless of gestational age. RESULTS There was no decrease in the rate of low birth weight for women who received four home visits focusing on smoking, drug and nutrition education, support, and links with community services, compared to women who received no visits. The number of prenatal visits was significantly higher in the intervention group, but an increased number of prenatal visits did not correlate with a reduced rate of low birth weight. Despite previous research, the family function screen was not an effective predictor of low birth weight in our study. A revised equation involving a history of previous premature birth, smoking, and a low maternal weight-height ratio did predict low birth weight. CONCLUSIONS These findings question the utility of short-term psychosocial interventions for influencing low birth-weight rates in low-income black clinic populations. The family function screen was not cross validated. Integration of any psychosocial intervention with the routine prenatal care occurring in the obstetrical clinic is suggested for future research.
Event Detection, Query, and Retrieval for Video Surveillance

Video surveillance automation is used in two key modes: watching for known threats in real-time and searching for events of interest after the fact. Typically, real-time alerting is a localized function, e.g. an airport security center receives and reacts to a “perimeter breach alert,” while investigations often tend to encompass a large number of geographically distributed cameras like the London bombing, or Washington sniper incidents. Enabling effective event detection, query and retrieval of surveillance video for preemption and investigation involves indexing the video along multiple dimensions. This chapter presents a framework for event detection and surveillance search that includes: video parsing, indexing, query and retrieval mechanisms. It explores video parsing techniques that automatically extract index data from video, indexing which stores data in relational tables, retrieval which uses SQL queries to retrieve events of interest and the software architecture that integrates these technologies.
The walk-in clinic model improves access to psychiatry in primary care

Abstract Objective Missed appointments decrease clinic capacity and negatively affect health outcomes. The objective of this study was to increase the proportion of filled initial psychiatry appointments in an urban, hospital-based primary care practice. Methods Patients were identified as having a high or low risk of missing their initial psychiatry appointments based on prior missed medical appointments. High-risk patients were referred to a walk-in clinic instead of a scheduled appointment. The primary outcome was ratio of filled appointments to booked appointments. We used a statistical process control chart (p chart) to measure improvement. Secondary outcomes were percentages of patients from historically underserved groups who received an initial psychiatry evaluation before and after the intervention. Results The average ratio of filled to booked initial appointments increased from 59% to 77% after the intervention, and the p chart confirmed that this change represented special cause variation. No statistically significant demographic differences between the patients who received psychiatric evaluations before and after the intervention were found. Conclusions Missed initial psychiatry appointments can be accurately predicted by prior missed medical appointments. A referral-based walk-in clinic is feasible and does not reduce access to care for historically underserved patient groups.
Ranges of probable uncertainty in gas resource estimates for the USA

Estimates have been made by ten different groups of different categories contributing to potential gas resources for the USA. The estimates are evaluated using probabilistic methods to determine bo...
Accuracy of data-based sensitivity indices

When analyzing high-dimensional input/output systems, it is common to perform sensitivity analysis to identify important variables and reduce the complexity and computational cost of the problem. In order to perform sensitivity analysis on fixed data sets, i.e. without the possibility of further sampling, we fit a surrogate model to the data. This paper explores the effects of model error on sensitivity analysis, using Sobol’ indices (SI), a measure of the variance contributed by particular variables (first order indices) and by interactions between multiple variables (total indices), as the primary measure of variable importance. We also examine partial derivative measures of sensitivity. All analysis is based on data generated by various test functions for which the true SI are known. We fit two non-parametric models, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) and Random Forest, to the test data, and the SI are approximated using R routines. An analytic solution for SI based on the MARS basis functions is derived and compared to the actual and approximated SI. Further, we apply MARS and Random Forest to data sets of increasing size to explore convergence of error as available data increases. Due to efficiency constraints in the surrogate models, constant relative error is quickly reached and maintained despite increasing size of data. We find that variable importance and SI are well approximated, even in cases where there is significant error in the surrogate model.
Chlorpheniramine for motion sickness.

Background Motion sickness remains a significant problem for travelers and for those involved in naval, aviation and space operations. Many motion sickness remedies are also sedating, making them undesirable in many settings. Methods We studied chlorpheniramine as a potential motion sickness treatment. A placebo-controlled, double-blind, dose-ranging trial was performed to establish the most effective dose and the drug's effects on cognition. Eighteen normal, motion sickness susceptible subjects received placebo, low dose (4 mg) or high dose (12 mg) chlorpheniramine 3.5 hours before off-axis vertical rotation. Cognitive testing included a battery of objective and subjective tests performed before drug ingestion, at peak drug effect and following rotation. Results Chlorpheniramine significantly increased the time in the chair compared to placebo at high dose (7.2 minutes to 11.7 minutes) and low dose (7.2 minutes to 10.2 minutes). Chlorpheniramine did not affect performance on objective cognitive tests. Subjects reported significantly more sleepiness and less alertness with high-dose chlorpheniramine, although they could not reliably determine when they had received active drug. Conclusion Chlorpheniramine is effective and could be considered for use against motion sickness. Chlorpheniramine also has the potential to be administered transdermally.
The Perceived Urgency and Detection Time of Multi-Tone and Frequency-Modulated Warning Signals

The perceived urgency and detectability of auditory warning signals are important safety considerations. When designed correctly, auditory warning signals can improve performance and reduce acciden...
Development of a neutron-sensitive anger camera for neutron scattering instruments

State-of-the-art neutron-sensitive Anger camera systems have been produced to meet the experimental challenges of scientists in geology and biology and other fields for experiments at the Spallation Neutron Source facility (SNS). Rate capability for each neutron Anger camera module in a system will exceed 25,000 neutron detections per second, with detection efficiency at 50 percent for 0.05 eV neutrons. Spatial resolution is at present 1mm over 152mm2 FOV, for each module. Two of the instruments, TOPAZ and MANDI have space for 48 modules. The high spatial resolution in conjunction with the higher rate real time signal processing will now serve as the enabling factor to resolve crystalline structure with unit cells around 60 atoms, and crystalline proteins to 1,000,000 atoms. Key technical aspects of this new type of Anger camera system will be presented, in addition key innovations in hardware and image processing, which may be applicable to similar systems.
Clival Metastasis of a Duodenal Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background Clival metastases of adenocarcinomas are exceptionally rare tumors, especially when they arise from the small intestine. We present the first, to our knowledge, report of a metastasis of a duodenal adenocarcinoma to the clivus. We also present a systematic review detailing metastasis to the clivus. Methods Studies were identified using the search terms "clival metastasis," "skull base metastasis," and "clivus" in PubMed. We collected the following information: histopathology of the primary tumor, symptoms, history, treatment, and follow-up. Results A comprehensive review of the literature yielded 56 cases. Patients developed the first symptoms of clival metastasis at a mean age of 58 years. The most common primary neoplasms originated from the prostate, kidney, or liver. Most patients presented with an isolated sixth nerve palsy or diplopia. The time interval from diagnosis of the primary tumor to symptomatic presentation of clival metastasis ranged from 2 months to 33 years. Sixteen patients initially presented with symptoms of clival metastasis without a previously diagnosed primary tumor. Survival data were available for 35 patients, of which 63% died within a range of 2 days to 31 months after initial presentation. Conclusions Most primary neoplasms originated from the prostate, kidney, and liver, which differ from previous reports on skull base metastases. Abducens nerve palsy is often the first presentation of clival metastasis. Clival metastasis from duodenal carcinoma, although very rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bony lesions of the clivus in a patient with a history of duodenal adenocarcinoma.
Cellular and Circuit Mechanisms Shaping the Perceptual Properties of the Primate Fovea

The fovea is a specialized region of the retina that dominates the visual perception of primates by providing high chromatic and spatial acuity. While the foveal and peripheral retina share a similar core circuit architecture, they exhibit profound functional differences whose mechanisms are unknown. Using intracellular recordings and structure-function analyses, we examined the cellular and synaptic underpinnings of the primate fovea. Compared to peripheral vision, the fovea displays decreased sensitivity to rapid variations in light inputs; this difference is reflected in the responses of ganglion cells, the output cells of the retina. Surprisingly, and unlike in the periphery, synaptic inhibition minimally shaped the responses of foveal midget ganglion cells. This difference in inhibition cannot however, explain the differences in the temporal sensitivity of foveal and peripheral midget ganglion cells. Instead, foveal cone photoreceptors themselves exhibited slower light responses than peripheral cones, unexpectedly linking cone signals to perceptual sensitivity.
Assessment of discomfort and pain in patients undergoing fusion-MRI-guided versus TRUS-guided prostate biopsy.

e556Background: The addition of MRI fusion guided prostate biopsy (FusionBx) to transrectal ultrasound guided template biopsy (TRUSBx) has increased sensitivity in detecting clinically relevant prostate cancer (PCa) over TRUSBx alone. FusionBx in conjunction with TRUSBx requires more biopsies in less accessible locations and takes more time than TRUSBx, suggesting that FusionBx+TRUSBx may be less tolerable to patients than TRUSBx alone. Objective of our study was to investigate patient pain associated with FusionBx+TRUSBx versus TRUSBx. Methods: Patients undergoing FusionBx+TRUSBx or TRUSBx alone from April through September 2016 at Columbia University Medical Center for PCa detection or surveillance were asked to complete a validated pain survey immediately after biopsy. Responses were graded from 0-10 (0: no pain/willing to return for repeat procedure; 10: excruciating pain/not willing to return for repeat procedure). Procedures were performed by a single urologist with a 1% Lidocaine periprostatic nerv...
Size effects in piezoelectric cantilevers at submicron thickness levels due to flexoelectricity

In elastic dielectrics, piezoelectricity is the response of polarization to applied mechanical strain, and vice versa. Piezoelectric coupling is controlled by a third-rank tensor and is allowed only in materials that are non-centrosymmetric. Flexoelectricity, however, is the generation of electric polarization by the application of a non-uniform mechanical strain field, i.e. a strain gradient, and is expected to be pronounced at submicron thickness levels, especially at the nano-scale. Flexoelectricity is controlled by a fourth-rank tensor and is therefore allowed in materials of any symmetry. As a gradient effect, flexoelectricity is size dependent, while piezoelectric coupling has no size dependence. Any ordinary piezoelectric cantilever model developed for devices above micron-level thickness has to be modified for nano-scale piezoelectric devices since the effect of flexoelectric coupling will change the electroelastic dynamics at such small scales. In this work, we establish and explore a complete analytical framework by accounting for both the piezoelectric and flexoelectric effects. The focus is placed on the development of governing electroelastodynamic piezoelectric-flexoelectric equations for the problems of energy harvesting, sensing, and actuation. The coupled governing equations are analyzed to obtain the frequency response. The coupling coefficient for the bimorph configuration is identified and its size dependence is explored.
Temporal Artery Temperature Measurement in the Neonate.

Objective We compared an infrared temporal artery thermometer with our clinical standard axillary thermometer for temperature measurements in neonatal patients. Study Design We measured temporal artery (Tta), axillary (Tax, clinical standard), and rectal (Tr, gold standard) temperatures of 49 infants. The difference between Tr and Tta was compared with that between Tr and Tax, and the data were analyzed based on bed type and postmenstrual age. Results The mean Tta, Tax, and Tr were 37.16 (SD 0.36) °C, 36.61 (SD 0.30) °C, and 36.82 (SD 0.30) °C, respectively. The measurements by these methods were all significantly different. The mean Tr-Tax was 0.21 (SD 0.26) °C, and the mean Tr-Tta was -0.34 (SD 0.37) °C, indicating that Tax was closer to Tr than was Tta (p < 0.0001). Tta agreed more closely with Tr for infants in cribs than for those in incubators. Adjusting for bed type and body weight, with each week of postmenstrual age, the discrepancy between Tr-Tta and Tr-Tax decreased by 0.005°C (p = 0.034). Conclusion Compared with the gold standard, Tr, Tta is not more accurate than Tax. The temporal artery thermometer was less accurate for infants in incubators than for infants in cribs. The accuracy of temporal artery temperature increased with postmenstrual age.
Mindanao Current and Undercurrent: Thermohaline Structure and Transport from Repeat Glider Observations

AbstractAutonomous underwater Spray gliders made repeat transects of the Mindanao Current (MC), a low-latitude western boundary current in the western tropical North Pacific Ocean, from September 2009 to October 2013. In the thermocline ( 26 kg m−3), a persistent Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC), with a velocity core of 0.2 m s−1 and mean net transport, flows poleward. Mean transport and standard deviation integrated from the coast to 130°E is −19 ± 3.1 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) in the thermocline and −3 ± 12 Sv in the subthermocline. Subthermocline transport has an inverse linear relationship with the Nino-3.4 index and is the primary influence of total transport variability. Interannual anomalies during El Nino are greater than the annual cycle for sea surface salinity and thermocline depth. Water masses transported by t...
Challenges and progress toward efficient gradual typing (invited talk)

Mixing static and dynamic type checking in the same language is catching on, with the TypeScript and Flow variants of JavaScript, the MyPy and Reticulated variants of Python, the Strongtalk and Gradualtalk variants of Smalltalk, as well as Typed Racket, Typed Clojure, and Perl 6. The gradual typing approach to such mixing seeks to protect the statically typed code from the dynamically typed code, allowing compilers to leverage type information when optimizing the static code. Unfortunately, ensuring soundness requires runtime checking at the boundaries of typed and untyped code, and the cost of this checking can drown out the performance benefits of optimization. For example, in Typed Racket, some partially typed programs are 1000X slower than the untyped or fully typed version of the same program. But all is not lost! In this talk I present the results of ongoing research to tame the runtime overheads of gradual typing in the context of a prototype compiler, named Grift, that we are developing at Indiana University.
Athlete Pay and Competitive Balance in College Athletics

In this paper we analyze the argument—which has been used by both the National Labor Relations Board and the National Collegiate Athletic Association—that unionization and/or player pay will hurt competitive balance in college sports. We present a theoretical analysis of universities that recruit athletes and examine the assumptions that are needed for player compensation to decrease competitive balance. We also empirically illustrate the differences in balance between professional and college sports. Given the theoretical and empirical analysis, we argue that unionization and/or player pay is unlikely to hurt competitive balance.
Activation of neural stem cells from quiescence drives reactive hippocampal neurogenesis after alcohol dependence

Abstract Neural stem cell-driven adult neurogenesis contributes to the integrity of the hippocampus. Excessive alcohol consumption in alcoholism results in hippocampal degeneration that may recover with abstinence. Reactive, increased adult neurogenesis during abstinence following alcohol dependence may contribute to recovery, but the mechanism driving reactive neurogenesis is not known. Therefore, adult, male rats were exposed to alcohol for four days and various markers were used to examine cell cycle dynamics, the percentage and number of neural progenitor cell subtypes, and the percentage of quiescent versus activated progenitors. Using a screen for cell cycle perturbation, we showed that the cell cycle is not likely altered at 7 days in abstinence. As the vast majority of Bromodeoxyuridine-positive (+) cells were co-labeled with progenitor cell marker, Sox2, we then developed a quadruple fluorescent labeling scheme to examine Type-1, -2a, -2b and −3 progenitor cells simultaneously. Prior alcohol dependence indiscriminately increased all subtypes at 7 days, the peak of the reactive proliferation. An evaluation of the time course of reactive cell proliferation revealed that cells begin proliferating at 5 days post alcohol, where only actively dividing Type 2 progenitors were increased by alcohol. Furthermore, prior alcohol increased the percentage of actively dividing Sox2+ progenitors, which supported that reactive neurogenesis is likely due to the activation of progenitors out of quiescence. These observations were associated with granule cell number returning to normal at 28 days. Therefore, activating stem and progenitor cells out of quiescence may be the mechanism underlying hippocampal recovery in abstinence following alcohol dependence.
Decoding Visual Information from High Density Diffuse Optical Tomography Neuroimaging Data

Using high density diffuse optical tomography neuroimaging data and a template-matching strategy, we were able to decode detailed information about the position of a checkerboard being viewed by a human subject.
Modal Analysis of Frames

In the previous two chapters, we obtained an exact formulation for the dynamics of continuous systems. For vibration problems, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are determined by solving a transcendental eigenvalue problem. Consequently, we found the approximate formulations easier to use because they lead to an algebraic eigenvalue problem. In this chapter, we take the approximate formulation one step further by utilizing properties of algebraic eigensystems to introduce the concept of the modal model. This model involves a transformation of the description of dynamic systems in terms of stiffness and mass to a new set of equivalent variables in terms of the structural modes of vibration. This provides a scheme for analyzing the dynamics of complicated structures in terms of more useful quantities. References [17, 50] give very readable introductions to modal analysis.
Clinical Outcomes and Costs Following Unplanned Excisions of Soft Tissue Sarcomas in the Elderly

Abstract Background Surgical guidelines for soft tissue sarcoma (STS) emphasize pretreatment evaluation and reports of the perils of unplanned excision exist. Given the paucity of population-based data on this topic, our objective was to analyze clinical outcomes and costs of planned versus unplanned STS excisions in the Medicare population. Methods We analyzed 3913 surgical patients with STS ≥66 y old from 1992 to 2011 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare datafiles. Planned excisions were classified based on preoperative MRI and/or biopsy, whereas unplanned excisions were classified by excision as the first procedure. Inverse probability of treatment weighting with propensity scores was used to adjust for clinicopathologic differences. Re-excisions, complications, and Medicare payments were compared with multivariate models. Overall survival and disease-specific survival were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards and competing risk models. Results Before the first excision, 24.3% had an MRI and biopsy, 27.3% had an MRI, 11.4% had a biopsy, and 36.9% were unplanned. Re-excision rates were highest for unplanned excisions: 46.3% compared to 18.1%, 36.4%, and 29.7% for other groups (P 0.05). Planned excisions were associated with increased Medicare costs (P Conclusions Survival was comparable with greater health care costs in elderly patients undergoing planned STS excision. Although unplanned excisions remain a quality of care issue with high re-excision rates, these data have important implications for the surgical management of STS in the elderly.
Locally Adaptive Kernel Estimation Using Sparse Functional Programming

Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS)-based methods are widely used in signal processing and machine learning applications. Yet, they suffer from a parameter selection issue: selecting the RKHS in which to operate (or even the kernel parameter) is often a significant challenge. Moreover, since the RKHS determines properties such as shape and smoothness of the learned function, its choice affects the effectiveness of these techniques. Likewise, due to the homogeneous smoothness of functions promoted by these solutions, they are poor estimators for functions with varying degrees of smoothness. To overcome these limitations, we propose to locally adapt the RKHS (more specifically, its smoothness parameter) over which we seek to perform function estimation by using a sparse functional program. Under this formulation, we must solve an infinite dimensional, non-convex optimization problem. This problem, however, has zero duality gap and can therefore be solved exactly and efficiently in the dual domain using, for instance, gradient ascent techniques.
MP20-03 DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF PATIENT SPECIFIC HYDROGEL KIDNEY PHANTOMS IN PREDICTING PARTIAL NEPHRECTOMY SUCCESS FOR COMPLEX RENAL MASSES

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Models generated from 3D printing technology are limited, by the lack of tissue realism, anatomical accuracy and vascular channels found within surgical target organs, a...
Ten-year outcome of Eculizumab in kidney transplant recipients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome– a single center experience

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) can result in severe kidney dysfunction, secondary to thrombotic microangiopathy. Eculizumab has been used to treat this disorder, and has resulted in favourable outcomes in both, native and transplanted kidneys. There is limited long term follow up data in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) who received prevention and treatment with Eculizumab. We report our long term follow up data from our center to address safety and efficacy of this therapy in KTRs. We performed a retrospective analysis of KTRs between January 2009 and December 2018. Clinical diagnosis of aHUS established with presence of thrombotic microangiopathy, acute kidney injury, absence of alternate identifiable etiology. We reviewed clinical data, including genetic testing for complement factor mutations, post-transplant course, and response to therapy including therapeutic and prophylactic use of eculizumab. Nineteen patients with aHUS received a total of 36 kidney transplants; 10 of them had 2 or more prior kidney transplants. Median age at time of last transplant was 37 years (range 27–59), 72% were female (n = 14), 78% Caucasian (n = 15), with 61% had live donor transplant (n = 12) as the last transplant. Eculizumab prophylaxis was given to 10/19 (56%) at the time of transplantation, with no aHUS recurrence during the follow up. Median duration of follow up was 46 (range 6–237) months. Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of last follow up was 59.5 ml/min/m2. No infections secondary to encapsulated organisms or other major infectious complications occurred during the follow up. Eculizumab prophylaxis is safe and effective in KTRs with aHUS. Long term follow up demonstrates that it may be possible to discontinue prophylaxis carefully in selected patients with no evidence of complement mutations.
Analysis of 4 death cases of imported malaria falciparum in Henan Province

The 4 death cases due to imported Plasmodiumfalciparum reported in Henan Province were analyzed.They all returned from Africa recently and were ill 0～8 d after returning.The symptoms were fever and headach.Two patients were initially diagnosed as influenza.The patients' condition worsened quickly with multi-organs failure.Two patients died in 24 h after hospitalization.Another two patients were failed to be saved after rescue treatment. Key words: Imported malaria falciparum; Death; Case analysis
“We Need Psychological Support”: the information needs and seeking behaviors of African refugees in the United States

The purpose of this study is to examine the information needs and seeking behaviors of African refugees in the Midwest United States. The research also investigates the sources participants consulted and their satisfaction with their information seeking and the information found.,This qualitative research study recruited 18 African refugees to participate in one or more data collection modes used in the study (questionnaire, interview, focus group). The data were analyzed using qualitative open, axial and selective coding approaches to identify themes.,The analysis of the data collected provides evidence that refugees had specific information needs centered on housing, health care, employment and education. They were not necessarily satisfied with the information they were able to find. Participants reported initially relying heavily on their caseworkers as sources of information when they first arrived in the United States until they were able to establish larger networks of contacts, which then expanded their information behaviors.,The number of participants and regional focus of the study do not allow for generalization of the findings to all African refugees in the United States. Still, the findings shed light on how to better serve the information needs of African refugees to help them adjust to life in their new environment.,The findings of the study provide guidance for agencies that assist African refugees in adjusting to life in the United States.,This study represents one of the few investigations of the information needs and seeking behaviors of African refugees in the United States.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the labium oris with rare metastasis to the pleural cavity.

A 57-year-old Southeast Asian woman with a remote history of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the right labium superius oris (upper lip) presented to the hospital with vague epigastric pain. On workup, she was found to have multiple pleural nodules. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic ACC. After 8 months of active surveillance, evidence of disease progression was found and the patient was started on pembrolizumab. Follow-up after starting pembrolizumab showed stable disease with no significant side effects.
Contrastive Learning for Source Code with Structural and Functional Properties

Pre-trained transformer models have recently shown promises for understanding the source code. Most existing works expect to understand code from the textual features and limited structural knowledge of code. However, the program functionalities sometimes cannot be fully revealed by the code sequence, even with structure information. Programs can contain very different tokens and structures while sharing the same functionality, but changing only one or a few code tokens can introduce unexpected or malicious program behaviors while preserving the syntax and most tokens. In this work, we present BOOST, a novel self-supervised model to focus pre-training based on the characteristics of source code. We first employ automated, structure-guided code transformation algorithms that generate (i.) functionally equivalent code that looks drastically different from the original one, and (ii.) textually and syntactically very similar code that is functionally distinct from the original. We train our model in a way that brings the functionally equivalent code closer and distinct code further through a contrastive learning objective. To encode the structure information, we introduce a new node-type masked language model objective that helps the model learn about structural context. We pre-train BOOST with a much smaller dataset than the state-of-the-art models, but our small models can still match or outperform these large models in code understanding and generation tasks.
Stochastic simulation and parameter estimation of first order chemical reactions

In this paper, we present fast stochastic simulation methods for the class of first order chemical reactions. The methods are based on the exact distributions for the number of molecules or their Gaussian approximations. Furthermore, using the adopted models, we develop parameter estimation methods for the reaction rates. Although we only discuss two basic reactions, the single channel and reversible first order reactions, the obtained results can be applied to more complex cases.
Towards automated detection of basal cell carcinoma from polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography images of human skin

We report on the initial results of the first automated classifier to distinguish basal cell carcinomas and healthy skin using polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) with a sensitivity and specificity of 84.2% and 85.8%.
Study of High Aspect Ratio NLD Plasma Etching and Postprocessing of Fused Silica and Borosilicate Glass

In this paper, we report magnetic neutral loop discharge (NLD) plasma etching of fused silica (FS) and borosilicate glass (BSG), demonstrating high aspect ratio deep etch ( $100~\mu \text{m}$ ) with vertical walls ( $R_{a}$ ) 900 to 85 nm. Further advances in deep plasma etching processes may enable the use of FS and BSG in the fabrication of precision inertial MEMS, micro-fluidic, and micro-optical devices. [2015-0078]
A 31 GHz CML ring VCO with 5.4 ps delay in a 0.12-/spl mu/m SOI CMOS technology

This paper presents a three-stage CML (current mode logic) ring VCO fabricated in a 0.12 /spl mu/m SOI CMOS technology with a minimum stage delay of 5.4 ps at a differential voltage swing of 400 mV. The maximum oscillation frequency measured is 31 GHz. A tuning range as high as 10% is measured. The phase noise is -95.6 dBc at an offset frequency of 10 MHz. The energy per stage is as low as 26.8 fJ at a power supply voltage of 1.5V and a delay per stage of 5.95 ps.
Tracking Differential Gene Expression in MRL/MpJ Versus C57BL/6 Anergic B Cells: Molecular Markers of Autoimmunity

BACKGROUND: Anergy is a key mechanism controlling expression of autoreactive B cells and a major site for failed regulation in autoimmune diseases. Yet the molecular basis for this differentiated cell state remains poorly understood. The current lack of well-characterized surface or molecular markers hinders the isolation of anergic cells for further study. Global gene profiling recently identified transcripts whose expression differentiates anergic from naive B cells in model mouse systems. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the molecular and cellular processes that differentiate anergic cells that develop in the healthy C57BL/6 (B6) milieu from those that develop in the autoimmune-prone MRL/MpJ (MRL) background. This approach takes advantage of B6 and MRL mice bearing an anti-laminin Ig transgene with a well characterized anergic B cell phenotype. RESULTS: Global gene expression was evaluated in purified transgenic B cells using Operon version 3.0 oligonucleotide microarray assaying >31,000 oligoprobes. Genes with a 2-fold expression difference in B6 as compared to MRL anergic B cells were identified. Expression of selected genes was confirmed using quantitative RT-PCR. This approach identified 43 probes corresponding to 37 characterized genes, including Ptpn22, CD74, Birc1f/Naip, and Ctla4, as differentially expressed in anergic B cells in the two strains. Gene Ontology classification identified differentiation, cell cycle, proliferation, development, apoptosis, and cell death as prominently represented ontology groups. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified two major networks incorporating 27 qualifying genes. Network 1 centers on beta-estradiol and TP53, and Network 2 encompasses RB1, p38 MAPK, and NFkB cell growth, proliferation, and cell cycle signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Using microarray analysis we identified 37 characterized genes and two functional pathways engaged in maintenance of B cell anergy for which expression is distorted by underlying autoimmune genetic susceptibility. This approach identifes a new biological role for multiple genes and potential new therapeutic targets in autoimmunity.