cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the density and infestation of the cockroach in one certain troops

Objective To investigate the density and infestation rate of cockroach and provide evidence for preventing and controlling cockroach in one certain troops.Methods The density and infestation rate of dinning area,sanitarium area,physical examination center,residential area and affiliated hospital were monitored by sticky traps.Results All traped 1 173 cockroaches were Blattella germanica.The average infestation rate was 13.33 % and the average index of density was 1.96 pieces.The infestation rate and density was as follows:dinning areasanitarium areaphysical examination centerresidential areaaffiliated hospital.Conclusion Blattella germanica is the dominant species in this troops.The density and infestation rate of dining area and sanitarium area is higher and the investigation,prevention and control of regional cockroach should be improved.
A Further Analysis and Forecast On Saving Deposit of Anhui Province Inhabitants

In recent twenty years, the saving deposit of Anhui province inhabitants has gown rapidly.This Paper first analyses the factors about our inhabitant saving behavior. There are two main factors:income and propensity to saving. We find that our inhabitants are inert to the change of interest rates.Then, the Paper forecasts our inhabitant's saving deposit in next century.
SU-F-T-443: Quantification of Dosimetric Effects of Dental Metallic Implant On VMAT Plans

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric impact of metallic implant that correlates with the size of targets and metallic implants and distance in between on volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for head and neck (H&N) cancer patients with dental metallic implant. Methods: CT images of H&N cancer patients with dental metallic implant were used. Target volumes with different sizes and locations were contoured. Metal artifact regions excluding surrounding critical organs were outlined and assigned with CT numbers close to water (0HU). VMAT plans with half-arc, one-full-arc and two-full-arcs were constructed and same plans were applied to structure sets with and without CT number assignment of metal artifact regions and compared. D95% was utilized to investigate PTV dose coverage and SNC Patient− Software was used for the analysis of dose distribution difference slice by slice. Results: For different targets sizes, variation of PTV dose coverage (Delta_D95%) with and without CT number replacement reduced with larger target volume for all half-arc, one-arc and two-arc VMAT plans even though there were no clinically significant differences. Additionally, there were no significant variations of the maximum percent difference (max.%diff) of dose distribution. With regard to the target location, Delta_D95% and max. %diff dropped with increasing distance between target and metallic implant. Furthermore, half-arc plans showed greater impact than one-arc plans, and two-arc plans had smallest influence for PTV dose coverage and dose distribution. Conclusion: The target size has less correlation of doseimetric impact than the target location relative to metallic implants. Plans with more arcs alleviate the dosimetric effect of metal artifact because of less contribution to the target dose from beams going through the regions with metallic artifacts. Incorrect CT number causes inaccurate dose distribution, therefore appropriately overwriting metallic artifact regions with reasonable CT numbers is recommended. More patient data are collected and under further analysis.
Current use and outcomes of helicopter transport in pediatric trauma: a review of 18,291 transports.

Abstract Purpose The role of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) in pediatric trauma remains controversial. We examined its use in pediatric trauma and its effectiveness in children with moderate/severe injuries. Methods All blunt/penetrating trauma patients ≤18years old in the National Trauma Data Bank were evaluated for use of HEMS and in-hospital mortality. In a comparative effectiveness study, only patients treated at level I/II pediatric centers with injury severity score (ISS)≥9 were included. Results Of 127,489 included patients, 18,291 (14%) arrived via HEMS, compared to 56% by ground ambulance and 29% by private vehicle/walk-in. HEMS patients had more severe injuries (ISS≥25; 28% vs. 14%) and altered mental status (GCS≤8; 29% vs. 11%), but also contained many patients with only minor injuries or no major physiologic derangements. In unadjusted analysis, HEMS was associated with increased mortality (OR: 1.6; 95% CI: 1.4–1.7). However, it had decreased mortality by regression (0.5; 0.4–0.6) and propensity analysis (0.7; 0.6–0.8) to adjust for confounders. Conclusion We found multiple indicators for overuse of HEMS, with nearly 40% of children having only minor injuries. In moderate/severe injuries, HEMS is associated with decreased mortality, potentially saving one life for every 47 flights. Research is needed to determine appropriate criteria for helicopter triage. Comparative Study/Level of evidence III
Comparative analysis of stakeholder experiences with an online approach to prioritizing patient-centered research topics.

Author(s): Khodyakov, Dmitry; Grant, Sean; Meeker, Daniella; Booth, Marika; Pacheco-Santivanez, Nathaly; Kim, Katherine K | Abstract: ObjectiveLittle evidence exists about effective and scalable methods for meaningful stakeholder engagement in research. We explored patient/caregiver experiences with a high-tech online engagement approach for patient-centered research prioritization, compared their experiences with those of professional stakeholders, and identified factors associated with favorable participant experiences.MethodsWe conducted 8 online modified-Delphi (OMD) panels. Panelists participated in 2 rating rounds with a statistical feedback/online discussion round in between. Panels focused on weight management/obesity, heart failure, and Kawasaki disease. We recruited a convenience sample of adults with any of the 3 conditions (or parents/guardians of Kawasaki disease patients), clinicians, and researchers. Measures included self-reported willingness to use OMD again, the panelists' study participation and online discussion experiences, the system's perceived ease of use, and active engagement metrics.ResultsOut of 349 panelists, 292 (84%) completed the study. Of those, 46% were patients, 36% were clinicians, and 19% were researchers. In multivariate models, patients were not significantly more actively engaged (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94-3.05) but had more favorable study participation (β = 0.49; P ≤ .05) and online discussion (β = 0.18; P ≤ .05) experiences and were more willing to use OMD again (β = 0.36; P ≤ .05), compared to professional stakeholders. Positive perceptions of the OMD system's ease of use (β = 0.16; P ≤ .05) and favorable study participation (β = 0.26; P ≤ .05) and online discussion (β = 0.57; P ≤ .05) experiences were also associated with increased willingness to use OMD in the future. Active engagement was not associated with online experience indices or willingness to use OMD again.ConclusionOnline approaches to engaging large numbers of stakeholders are a promising and efficient adjunct to in-person meetings.
Notes on the distributed computation of merge trees on CW-complexes

Merge trees are topological structures that record changes in super-level set topology of a scalar function. They encapsulate a wide range of threshold based features which can be extracted for analysis and visualization. Several distributed and parallel algorithms for computing merge trees have been proposed in the past, but they are restricted to simplicial complexes or regular grids. In this paper, we present an algorithm for the distributed computation of merge trees on CW-complexes. The conditions on the CW-complex required for the computation of the merge tree are discussed alongside a proof of correctness.
The association between maternal race and adverse outcomes in twin pregnancies with similar healthcare access.

AbstractObjective: To compare twin pregnancy outcomes between white and nonwhite women with similar access to health care.Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all twin pregnancies delivered by a single maternal–fetal medicine practice from 2005–2016. All patients had private health insurance and equal access to physician care. Outcomes were compared between white and nonwhite women using logistic regression to adjust for differences at baseline.Results: Of the 858 women included, 730 (85.1%) were white and 128 (14.9%) were nonwhite. Univariate analysis demonstrated that nonwhite women had higher rates of preterm birth <32 weeks (12.5 versus 6.7%, p = .022), cesarean delivery (78.1% versus 61.4% of all women, p < .001 and 43.5% versus 16.1% of women who attempted labor, p < .001), preeclampsia (22.4% versus 14.5%, p = .029) and gestational diabetes (23.2% versus 7.3%, p < .001). On adjusted analysis, nonwhite race remained significantly associated with cesarean delivery in women who attempted labor (aOR ...
10. Laparoscopic Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Associated Sliding Hiatal Hernia

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is an excellent treatment option for appropriately selected patients with proven gastroesophageal reflux disease. Preoperative diagnostics should include upper endoscopy and barium esophageal studies along with ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring and esophageal motility assessment. A five trocar technique consisting of esophageal dissection and mobilization, division of the short gastric vessels, crural closure, and construction of a carefully oriented 360-degree Nissen fundoplication has emerged as the ideal technique. Perioperative complications are uncommon, averaging 5–10%, and outcomes are excellent. Eighty to ninety percent of patients will have long-term relief of heartburn and regurgitation. Respiratory symptoms, including cough, hoarseness, and asthma, are substantially more difficult to improve although fundoplication can be helpful in the majority of carefully selected patients with atypical symptoms. Recurrent symptoms and/or hiatal hernia occurs in up to 10–15% of patients, particularly those with severe disease at the outset.
A direct approach to linear-quadratic stochastic control

A direct approach is used to solve some linear-quadratic stochastic control problems for Brownian motion and other noise processes. This direct method does not require solving Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman partial differential equations or backward stochastic differential equations with a stochastic maximum principle or the use of a dynamic programming principle. The appropriate Riccati equation is obtained as part of the optimization problem. The noise processes can be fairly general including the family of fractional Brownian motions.
The Dynamic Interaction between Institutional Pressures and Activity: An Examination of the Implementation of IEPs in Secondary Inclusive Settings.

In this qualitative comparative case study, we drew from institutional theory and cultural historical activity theory to explore how educators wrote, used, and conceptualized the role of Individual...
Language rights in the United States island territory of Guam

This article examines the language legislation of the United States territory of Guam as stated in the Organic Act of Guam (1950) and its legal statutes. The article seeks to offer suggestions about how the quality of this language legislation might be improved. As in a few states in the United States (i.e., Hawaii, Louisiana, and New Mexico), Guam established linguistic laws with provisions that protect the language rights of Chamorro speakers, the native population of Guam, especially in the areas of education and language standardization. In spite of the impressive array of language laws enacted by Guam’s legislature to teach Chamorro language and culture in the schools for more than half a century, the use of English is increasing, while that of Chamorro continues to shrink in Guam, which may be due to a lack of buy-in by the indigenous Chamorro population with respect to the importance of expanding the use of this language for the purpose of maintaining a modern-day Chamorro identity.
The Nuclear Environment and Estrogen Action

It is generally agreed that the actions of estrogens and other steroid hormones are mediated by specific cellular receptor proteins that, certainly in the case of the estrogen receptor (ER), and probably all members of the steroid receptor group, are localized in the nucleus of the cell (for reviews, see Gorski, 1986; Evans, 1988; Beato, 1989; O’Malley, 1990). These receptors are members of a large family of receptor proteins, including steroid, thyroid hormone, retinoic acid, and vitamin D3 receptors, which act as ligand-induced transcriptional activators or repressors (Evans, 1988; Diamond et al, 1990). In general, several essential steps in this signal transduction pathway of steroid action have been identified: 1) interaction of the receptor protein with a specific regulatory sequence in the DNA called a hormone response element (HRE) (Yamamoto, 1985); 2) specific, high-affinity ligand binding, which results in as yet undefined conformational changes in the receptor protein (Hansen and Gorski, 1985; Hansen et al, 1988; Fritsch et al, 1992); and 3) recruitment of transcription factors and RNA polymerase to initiate transcription of target genes (Cordingley et al, 1987; Corthesy et al, 1989). However, a number of questions remain concerning both the details of these events and other, undiscovered and perhaps even more important events.
Considerations on Soft Mud Response Under Waves

Investigations of the problem of resuspension of estuarial muds under waves in laboratory experiments are complicated by the complexity of mud bed response. It is essential to conduct tests in which wave attenuation, motion within the bed, and sediment resuspension are characterized through appropriate parametric measurements. As a consequence of bed motion, estimation of shear stress at the bed surface for the purpose of correlation with the rate of erosion, cannot, in general, be carried out using the rigid bed assumption. A brief review of possible models for simulating mud behavior is given, followed by a discussion of the significant phenomenon in the wave-mud interaction. A linearized two-layered model for evaluating the shear stress at the soft mud-fluid interface and the wave damping coefficient is presented. This model considers the upper fluid to be Newtonian and the lower mud layer to be viscoelastic. Application of the model to limited amount of previously obtained data on mud motion indicates encouraging trends.
The MELD scoring system and the prediction of outcomes in heart failure patients: what we have learned from the hepatologists.

Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with increasing numbers of patients being affected annually. Developing models and approaches for predicting adverse outcomes and survival is of particular importance in determining when to initiate specific therapies, in particular
Charting the Future of Small Telescopes

This paper examines some of the challenges faced by small observatories in the coming decade. Changes in planning scientific objectives, operations, personnel, ftmding, instrumentation, etc. can all help bring telescopes of aperture smaller than ~4-m into the 21st century as full partners with the world’s largest telescopes. If they are to continue to play their essential roles in basic science in the 21st century, these new strategies must be developed and implemented now.
Laboratory Evaluation of a Silicone Foam Sealant for Field Application on Bridge Expansion Joints

A silicone foam sealant was developed to provide an alternative small-bridge joint sealant that was effective, easy-to-use, and economical. In the previous study various laboratory tests including tension, bonding, compression, shear, stress relaxation, and other were conducted to determine the engineering characteristics of the sealant. All these tests were limited to the concrete as the substrate to which the sealant was bonded to. In the present study, laboratory tests on the sealant were conducted using other substrates found in practice, including steel, asphalt and polymeric concrete. Some of the tests conducted included tension (pull to failure) test, oven-aged bonding test, salt water immersion test, and a performance-during-curing test that evaluated the strength and strain of the sealant.. Through the laboratory tests, it has been observed that the silicone foam can exhibits good bonding to various substrate materials and can easily accommodate small movement bridge expansion joints. In addition to these tests in small specimen, a procedure to produce larger quantity of sealant and apply it to an actual bridge expansion joint was developed using a simulated joint built in the laboratory. Through the development of this procedure and the eventual application of the sealant into various bridge expansion joints, it can be determined that the silicone foam presents an alternative sealant that is east-to-use and allows for quick installation.
Three-Dimensional Surgical Needle Localization and Tracking Using Stereo Endoscopic Image Streams

This paper presents algorithms for three-dimensional tracking of surgical needles using the stereo endoscopic camera images obtained from the da Vinci® Surgical Robotic System. The proposed method employs Bayesian state estimation, computer vision techniques, and robot kinematics. A virtual needle rendering procedure is implemented to create simulated images of the surgical needle under the da Vinci ® robot endoscope, which makes it possible to measure the similarity between the rendered needle image and the real needle. A particle filter algorithm using the mentioned techniques is then used for tracking the surgical needle. The performance of the tracking is experimentally evaluated using an actual da Vinci® surgical robotic system and quantitatively validated in a ROS/Gazebo simulation thereof.
In Vivo Calpain Knockdown Using Delivery of siRNA.

Calpain is an intracellular Ca2+-dependent non-lysosomal cysteine protease expressed ubiquitously in mammals. In endothelial cells, dysregulation of calpain has been shown to be involved in a wide variety of pathological conditions such as angiogenesis, vascular inflammation, and diabetes. Cell- or tissue-targeted in vivo delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) is a powerful research tool in analysis of protein function, and has been proposed as an attractive therapeutic modality that is applicable against a large number of human diseases including cancer. In this chapter we describe a method to knockdown calpain 1 in mouse pulmonary vascular endothelium using delivery of siRNA/cationic liposome complex. This technique results in a greater than 80% reduction in calpain 1 protein levels 48 hours after a single i.v. injection of calpain 1 siRNA (0.5 mg siRNA/kg)/cationic liposome complex. We also describe confocal imaging to verify the loss of calpain 1 expression in pulmonary microvessel endothelial cells and application of this technique in the mouse model of ventilator-induced lung injury.
Quantitative electroencephalography characteristics of tilt-induced neurally-mediated syncope among youth.

Abstract Objective To characterize the quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) patterns associated with tilt-induced syncope in youth. Methods Several QEEG parameters were analyzed. Data were calculated for peak or nadir changes with syncope for amplitude-EEG, fast Fourier transform (FFT) power in several frequency ranges, 8–13 Hz/1–4 Hz frequency ratio, and FFT edge. Results Changes in QEEG parameters were present among all patients with tilt-induced syncope (n = 76). These changes included increases in the low frequency FFT power (1–4 Hz range), decreases in the power ratio (8–13 Hz/1–4 Hz) and decreases in the FFT edge (95%, 1–18 Hz). All patients had suppression of EEG amplitudes that closely followed loss of consciousness. Asymmetry indices demonstrated cerebral hemisphere lateralization at multiple periods during the evolution of syncope, but the side of lateralization did not differ from 0.5 probability. Conclusions QEEG parameters can be used to characterize EEG changes associated with tilt-induced, neurally-mediated syncope. Significance QEEG may serve as a useful tool for the study of syncope neurophysiology, and the modeling of changes with syncope may improve our understanding of other neurologic disorders caused by defects in cerebral perfusion.
Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor, an Aggressive Tumor Often Misclassified as Small Cell Variant of Hepatoblastoma.

The clinical management of pediatric liver tumors involves stratification into risk groups. One previously defined, high-risk group of hepatoblastomas is the small cell undifferentiated variant. In light of molecular studies showing SMARCB1 deletion in these tumors, it is now recognized that most small cell, undifferentiated liver tumors represent an aggressive unrelated tumor—the malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT). SMARCB1 is a member of the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex and encodes the INI1 protein. The histologic diagnosis of MRT is currently based on INI1 negative immunoreactivity and the presence of rhabdoid morphology. INI1-negative small cell liver tumors lacking classic rhabdoid morphology are often misclassified as small cell undifferentiated hepatoblastomas (SCUD-HB), according to the current classification. Pediatric liver tumors diagnosed between 2003–2017 as SCUD-HB (four cases) or MRT (two cases) were identified from the Columbia University Pathology Department Archives. All tumors were associated with normal or low serum alpha fetoprotein levels, and showed an absence of immunohistochemical staining of hepatocellular markers (Hep-par1, Arginase) and loss of INI1 staining. Two cases were initially diagnosed as MRT, one with prominent rhabdoid morphology, the other with predominant small cell morphology. The remaining four cases with small cell morphology were classified as SCUD-HB. Ancillary molecular studies confirmed the loss of SMARCB1, supporting the diagnosis of MRT in all cases, proving morphology an unreliable criterion. It is critical to eliminate the term INI1-negative hepatoblastoma from the current classification scheme, and classify INI1-negative tumors as MRT, particularly since high-risk HB-chemotherapy regimens are not effective for treating MRT.
Impact of fragmentation on rehospitalization after bariatric surgery

The care of patients who have undergone bariatric surgery is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. As such, these patients may be prone to fragmentation of care and differences in healthcare outcomes. We aimed to (1) determine the incidence of fragmentation among patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG), (2) identify risk factors for readmission, and (3) ascertain whether care fragmentation affects outcomes. This is a retrospective cohort study using the National Readmission Database 2016. Patients were included if they had primary bariatric surgery during the index hospitalization using appropriate ICD-10 CM codes. Fragmentation of care was defined as a readmission to a different hospital within 90 days of the index admission. Primary outcome was incidence of fragmentation. Secondary outcomes were impact of fragmentation on (1) in-hospital mortality; (2) resource utilization (length of stay (LOS), total hospitalization charges and costs, in-hospital upper endoscopy (EGD), and abdominal imaging studies; and (3) independent predictors of readmission using multivariate regression analysis. A total of 136,536 subjects were included. 90-day readmission demonstrated a prevalence of fragmentation of 21.1%. Type of surgery was an independent predictor of fragmentation, with RYGB leading to increased risk (OR 1.90 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61, 2.25]; p-value < 0.0001). RYGB was associated with higher adjusted mean hospitalization costs, which was not explained by increased EGD (OR 0.95, CI 0.68, 1.32) or abdominal imaging (OR 0.52, CI 0.25, 1.06). No differences were found in mortality or LOS. Over 20% of patients following primary bariatric surgery have inpatient readmissions that are fragmented, driven by patients who have undergone RYGB surgery. This may be due to the complexity of this procedure and the need for a multispecialty approach. Additional efforts targeting fragmentation should be made to better coordinate the management of these complex patients and reduce healthcare costs.
Zeit-Frequenz-Analyse

Wir wenden uns nun dem Problem zu, eindimensionale Signale so zu zerlegen, das zwei wichtige Eigenschaften hervortreten: Lokalisierung von zeitlich abhangigen Eigenschaften, und Beitrage spezifischer Frequenzen. Unser Ausgangspunkt ist die Heisenbergsche Ungleichung, die uns die Grenzen fur die exakte Bestimmung dieser Eigenschaften aufzeigt.
Radiographic evaluation of patellar tendon length following corrective surgical procedures for medial patellar luxation in dogs.

Objective To quantify changes in the patellar tendon length following surgical correction of medial patellar luxation in dogs and evaluate potential risk factors associated with patellar tendon elongation. Study design Retrospective case series (n = 50). Methods Dogs that underwent surgery for medial patellar luxation correction and had 2-3 months follow up were included. Digital radiographs were utilized to quantify the patellar tendon length to patellar length ratio at various follow-up points. Odds ratio comparisons between potential risk factors associated with changes in patellar tendon length were performed. Results Post-operative patellar tendon lengthening of ≥ 5% was observed in 20% of stifles and post-operative patellar tendon shortening of ≥ 5% was observed in 22% of stifles at the 2-3 month follow up period. The risk factors including age, body weight, trochleoplasty and grade of medial patellar luxation were not significantly associated with risk of patellar tendon elongation. Patellar tendon lengthening was not associated with recurrence of luxation. Conclusion Patellar tendon lengthening and shortening can be observed in dogs following common medial patellar luxation corrective procedures in the short term follow up period. Patellar tendon lengthening does not appear to be associated with age, weight, trochleoplasty, grade of luxation, or risk of luxation recurrence.
Need for Pretransplant Midodrine Does Not Negatively Impact Simultaneous Liver-kidney Transplant Outcomes.

Background Midodrine is often needed pretransplant to improve hemodynamics in simultaneous liver-kidney transplant candidates. Previous research has shown that patients requiring midodrine before kidney transplant alone have increased posttransplant risk for delayed allograft function, graft failure, and death. However, the impact of pretransplant midodrine use on outcomes after simultaneous liver-kidney transplant is unknown. Methods We performed a retrospective study of all adult (age ≥18 y) simultaneous liver-kidney transplant recipients from a single academic transplant center from February 1, 2002, to June 30, 2019. Results Sixty-four simultaneous liver-kidney transplants were performed in our institution during this time period, of which, 43 were not on midodrine before transplant, 17 were on midodrine alone, and 4 were on intravenous (IV) vasopressor therapy. Despite the midodrine group having a higher MELD-Na at listing, higher MELD-Na at transplant, and being older, there were no significant differences in key outcomes including delayed renal allograft function, estimated glomerular filtration rate at transplant discharge, and estimated glomerular filtration rate at 1 y after transplant compared with the nonmidodrine group. There was no significant difference in graft failure or survival at last follow-up. Conclusions Our study suggests that need for pretransplant midodrine should not be a barrier to simultaneous liver-kidney transplant.
Baseline cardiometabolic profiles and SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK Biobank.

BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 is a rapidly spreading coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic, which is characterized by severe respiratory infection. Many factors have been identified as risk factors for SARS-CoV-2, with much early attention being paid to body mass index (BMI), which is a well-known cardiometabolic risk factor. OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to examine the impact of additional baseline cardiometabolic risk factors including high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I), Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), triglycerides, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and diabetes on the odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 in UK Biobank (UKB) study participants. METHODS: We examined the effect of BMI, lipid profiles, diabetes and alcohol intake on the odds of testing positive for SARS-Cov-2 among 9,005 UKB participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 from March 16 through July 14, 2020. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were computed using logistic regression adjusted for age, sex and ancestry. RESULTS: Higher BMI, Type II diabetes and HbA1c were associated with increased SARS-CoV-2 odds (p < 0.05) while HDL-C and ApoA-I were associated with decreased odds (p < 0.001). Though the effect of BMI, Type II diabetes and HbA1c were eliminated when HDL-C was controlled, the effect of HDL-C remained significant when BMI was controlled for. LDL-C, ApoB and triglyceride levels were not found to be significantly associated with increased odds. CONCLUSION: Elevated HDL-C and ApoA-I levels were associated with reduced odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, while higher BMI, type II diabetes and HbA1c were associated with increased odds. The effects of BMI, type II diabetes and HbA1c levels were no longer significant after controlling for HDL-C, suggesting that these effects may be mediated in part through regulation of HDL-C levels. In summary, our study suggests that baseline HDL-C level may be useful for stratifying SARS-CoV-2 infection risk and corroborates the emerging picture that HDL-C may confer protection against sepsis in general and SARS-CoV-2 in particular.
Orientation of DNA minicircles balances density and topological complexity in kinetoplast DNA

Kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), a unique mitochondrial structure common to trypanosomatid parasites, contains thousands of DNA minicircles that are densely packed and can be topologically linked into a chain mail-like network. Experimental data indicate that every minicircle in the network is, on average, singly linked to three other minicircles (i.e., has mean valence 3) before replication and to six minicircles in the late stages of replication. The biophysical factors that determine the topology of the network and its changes during the cell cycle remain unknown. Using a mathematical modeling approach, we previously showed that volume confinement alone can drive the formation of the network and that it induces a linear relationship between mean valence and minicircle density. Our modeling also predicted a minicircle valence two orders of magnitude greater than that observed in kDNA. To determine the factors that contribute to this discrepancy we systematically analyzed the relationship between the topological properties of the network (i.e., minicircle density and mean valence) and its biophysical properties such as DNA bending, electrostatic repulsion, and minicircle relative position and orientation. Significantly, our results showed that most of the discrepancy between the theoretical and experimental observations can be accounted for by the orientation of the minicircles with volume exclusion due to electrostatic interactions and DNA bending playing smaller roles. Our results are in agreement with the three dimensional kDNA organization model, initially proposed by Delain and Riou, in which minicircles are oriented almost perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the kDNA disk. We suggest that while minicircle confinement drives the formation of kDNA networks, it is minicircle orientation that regulates the topological complexity of the network.
Recognition in the Glutamine tRNA System: from Structure to Function

The ability of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS) to faithfully recognize both their amino acid and tRNA substrates is essential for accurate protein synthesis. This chapter focuses on the recognition of tRNA by Escherichia coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS). This system is arguably the best characterized aaRS-tRNA interaction both functionally and structurally, as the first high-resolution crystal structure of a protein-RNA complex was solved for GlnRS:tRNAGln. The chapter summarizes the characteristics of the GlnRS:tRNAGln system that make GlnRS unique among aaRS, as well as those that make the glutamine system an ideal model for the study of protein-RNA interaction, specifically aaRS-tRNA interaction. Together the crystal structure, genetic, and biochemical studies have identified the most important specificity determinants from among the hundreds of contacts between GlnRS and tRNAGln. The chapter also describes several of the more interesting aspects of the GlnRS:tRNAGln system: (1) the close evolutionary relationship between GlnRS and glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (GluRS); (2) GlnRS's relaxed discrimination against noncognate tRNAs coupled with its "overdetermined," tight recognition of its cognate tRNA; and (3) the enzyme mechanism of GlnRS, specifically the structural and functional communication that permits this small monomeric aaRS to recognize tRNA identity elements that are more than 75A apart in uncomplexed tRNA. The information obtained from biophysical techniques (crystallography, fluorescence, and x-ray/neutron scattering) and from genetic and biochemical approaches is combined to yield a coherent and detailed picture of the specific recognition of tRNA by E. coli GlnRS.
Is Time-Sharing a General Capability?:

The time-sharing ability of 18 students was measured under 8 separate dual-task conditions. Three distinct task characteristics were systematically varied across conditions in an effort to manipulate the nature of the specific time-sharing demands imposed. Each condition contained two of these characteristics in common with 3 of the remaining 7 conditions, one of the characteristics in common with 3 others, and none in common with the last condition. Time-sharing efficiency correlated across conditions that impose similar processing demands on the individual, but not across conditions imposing relatively dissimilar demands. We conclude that time-sharing performance under present conditions is determined by several poorly correlated, task-specific subcapacities rather than by a single general ability.
Chapter 2 Electronic and thermoelectric properties of Half-Heusler alloys

Summary Recent studies of ternary and multinary half-Heusler phases have revealed many interesting electrical and magnetic properties in this class of bandgap intermetallic compounds. Most of the half-Heusler alloys that exhibit semiconducting behavior at elevated temperatures are found to be semimetallic at low temperatures, which is characteristic of the metal-based narrow-gap compounds studied to date. Since the chemistry of half-Heusler compounds can be conveniently modified, selective doping of the three sublattices in the crystal structure can be carried out to allow tuning of the electronic structure and lattice vibration properties. Impurity band states, previously not reported for metal-based systems, are observed in some of the doped alloys investigated. In ferromagnetic half-Heusler phases, the crossover from semiconductor to semimetal is found in the region where magnetism emerges. According to band-structure calculations, the ferromagnetism is of the itinerant and highly spin-polarized type. Large thermopower and moderate resistivity, with the former attributable to the existence of heavy carrier mass, are measured at and above ambient temperature. Upon doping, a high power factor comparable to those reported for the state-of-the-art thermoelectric alloys is measured. The thermoelectric dimensionless figure of merit ZT, which is found to reach ∼0.6 at 800 K, underscores the potential of half-Heusler alloys as a new class of prospective thermoelectric materials above ambient temperature. The ZT value is to be further enhanced by reducing the lattice contribution to thermal conductivity. Unlike other thermoelectric materials, half-Heusler alloys exhibit low carrier mobility. Thus, attempts made to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity are seen to have relatively less effect on the power factor. The measured properties are found to be sensitive to annealing conditions, with the latter presumably determining the underlying crystallographic order.
Mining neighbors' topicality to better control authority flow

Web pages are often recognized by others through contexts. These contexts determine how linked pages influence and interact with each other. When differentiating such interactions, the authority of web pages can be better estimated by controlling the authority flows among pages. In this work, we determine the authority distribution by examining the topicality relationship between associated pages. In addition, we find it is not enough to quantify the influence of authority propagation from only one type of neighbor, such as parent pages in PageRank algorithm, since web pages, like people, are influenced by diverse types of neighbors within the same network. We propose a probabilistic method to model authority flows from different sources of neighbor pages. In this way, we distinguish page authority interaction by incorporating the topical context and the relationship between associated pages. Experiments on the 2003 and 2004 TREC Web Tracks demonstrate that this approach outperforms other competitive topical ranking models and produces a more than 10% improvement over PageRank on the quality of top 10 search results. When increasing the types of incorporated neighbor sources, the performance shows stable improvements.
A Novel Gain, Phase and Offset Calibration Scheme for Wideband Direct-Conversion Transmitters

Conventional direct conversion architecture for an RF transmitter is characterized by a single up-conversion stage using high frequency quadrature modulator. The architecture is however very sensitive to quadrature gain imbalance, phase skew and dc offsets in signal path. In this paper, a simple yet highly effective novel automatic calibration scheme is presented to achieve remarkably high image and carrier rejection ratios for a board level RF transmitter system. The proposed technique can correct gain imbalance, phase skew and offset impairments of in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) channels in an IQ modulator. The calibration is implemented in software and therefore, can be performed in the field. Measurements demonstrate that proposed scheme can achieve more than 80dB of image and carrier rejection ratios. Comparison between the proposed technique and recently published state of the art schemes shows that the proposed technique outperforms existing techniques in terms of speed, performance, and practical use scenarios.
Stable Pushing of Assemblies

This paper presents a method to determine whether an assembly of planar parts will stay assembled as it is pushed over a support surface. For a given pushing motion, an assembly is classified into one of three categories: (P = possible) any force necessary to assure stability of the assembly can be generated by the pushing contacts; (I = impossible) stability of the assembly is impossible; and (U = undecided) pushing forces may or may not be able to stabilize the assembly. This classification is made based on the solution of linear constraint satisfaction problems. If the pushing contacts are frictionless, motions labeled P are guaranteed to preserve the assembly. The results are based on bounds on the possible support friction acting on individual parts in the face of indeterminacy in the distribution of support forces. Experimental results supporting the analysis are given.
The importance of pyroglutamate in cellulase Cel7A

The commercialization of lignocellulosic biofuels relies in part on the ability to engineer cellulase enzymes to have properties compatible with practical processing conditions. The cellulase Cel7A has been a common engineering target because it is present in very high concentrations in commercial cellulase cocktails. Significant effort has thus been focused on its recombinant expression. In particular, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has often been used both in the engineering and basic study of Cel7A. However, the expression titer and extent of glycosylation of Cel7A expressed in S. cerevisiae vary widely for Cel7A genes from different organisms, and the recombinant enzymes tend to be less active and less stable than their native counterparts. These observations motivate further study of recombinant expression of Cel7A in S. cerevisiae. Here, we compare the properties of Cel7A from Talaromyces emersonii expressed in both the budding yeast S. cerevisiae and the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. The Cel7A expressed in N. crassa had a higher melting temperature (by 10°C) and higher specific activity (twofold at 65°C) than the Cel7A expressed in S. cerevisiae. We examined several post-translational modifications and found that the underlying cause of this disparity was the lack of N-terminal glutamine cyclization in the Cel7A expressed in S. cerevisiae. Treating the enzyme in vitro with glutaminyl cyclase improved the properties of Cel7A expressed in S. cerevisiae to match those of Cel7A expressed in N. crassa. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 842–847. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physicochemical Characterization, Solubilization, and Stabilization of 9-Nitrocamptothecin Using Pluronic Block Copolymers

Solid-state properties and physicochemical characteristics of 9-nitrocamptothecin (9NC) were investigated with a view of molecular and bulk level understanding of its poor aqueous solubility and hydrolytic instability that prevent efficient drug delivery and pharmacological activity. 9NC bulk drug substance was found to be a nonhygroscopic, yellowish crystalline solid with long rectangular prism-shaped particle morphology and a sharp melting point at 264°C. Hydrolysis of 9NC-lactone occurs above pH 4, whereas complete conversion of lactone to carboxylate was recorded above pH 8. At saturated conditions, appreciable concentrations of 9NC-lactone were detected at pH as high as 11. 9NC undergoes oxidation in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide with formation of 9NC-N-oxide. The total solubility of lactone and carboxylate forms of 9NC in deionized water was found to be less than 5 μg/mL, whereas the solubility of 9NC-lactone in aqueous acidic media was determined to be approximately 2.5 μg/mL. Incorporation of 10% pluronic copolymers P123, F127, and F68 in 10 mM HCl increased 9NC solubility by 13-fold, eightfold, and fivefold, respectively. The thermodynamic stability of drug-loaded pluronic micelles was evaluated under isothermal variable volume conditions and found F127, among all poloxamers, to offer the best hydrolytic protection efficacy for 9NC.
The STINT-NMR Method for Studying In-cell Protein-Protein Interactions

This unit describes critical components and considerations required to study protein-protein structural interactions inside a living cell by using NMR spectroscopy (STINT-NMR). STINT-NMR entails sequentially expressing two (or more) proteins within a single bacterial cell in a time-controlled manner and monitoring their interactions using in-cell NMR spectroscopy. The resulting spectra provide a complete titration of the interaction and define structural details of the interacting surfaces at the level of single amino acid residues. The advantages and limitations of STINT-NMR are discussed, along with the differences between studying macromolecular interactions in vitro and in vivo (in-cell). Also described are considerations in the design of STINT-NMR experiments, focusing on selecting appropriate overexpression plasmid vectors, sample requirements and instrumentation, and the analysis of STINT-NMR data, with specific examples drawn from published works. Applications of STINT-NMR, including an in-cell methodology to post-translationally modify interactor proteins and an in-cell NMR assay for screening small molecule interactor libraries (SMILI-NMR) are presented.
Mazes and maps: Can young children find their way?

Games provide important informal learning activities for young children, and spatial game play (e.g., puzzles and blocks) has been found to relate to the development of spatial skills. This study investigates 4- and 5-year-old children's use of scaled and unscaled maps when solving mazes, asking whether an important aspect of spatial learning—the ability to use scaled representations—is related to children's play with scaled maps. Results show that almost all children used the maps to solve the mazes at least occasionally, and use them consistently across maze difficulty and different types of maps. Map use and more accurate spatial scaling were associated with better maze performance. We suggest that maze activities including scaled maps might provide an opportunity for developing children's spatial scaling through play, and discuss future research directions.
Evolved hybrid auction mechanisms in non-ZIP trader marketplaces

A previous paper by D. Cliff (see ibid., 2002) demonstrated that a genetic algorithm could be used to automatically discover new optimal auction mechanisms for automated electronic marketplaces populated by software-agent traders. Significantly, the new auction mechanisms are often unlike traditional mechanisms designed by humans for human traders; rather, they are peculiar hybrid mixtures of established styles of mechanism. This previous work used software agents running the ZIP trader algorithm (recently shown to outperform human traders). We provide the first demonstration that qualitatively similar results (i.e., non-standard hybrid mechanism designs being optimal) are also given when similar experiments are performed using a different trader algorithm, namely Gode & Sunder's (1993) ZI-C traders. Thus, the paper is the first to offer significant evidence that evolved hybrid auction mechanisms may be found that out-perform traditional market mechanisms for many styles of trader-agent.
Changes in nuclear RNA of brain induced by olfaction in catfish.

— —Studies were undertaken to correlate the changes in the synthesis of brain nuclear RNA during olfactory stimulation in saltwater catfish (Galeichthys felis). Catfish allowed to swim for 1 hr in sea water containing morpholine (10−4 M) showed an increase in brain nuclear RNA and a change in base ratios in contrast to controls in plain sea water. These changes in brain nuclear RNA were reversed within 24 hr to the levels of unstimulated controls when morpholine stimulated fish were transferred to fresh sea water. In a split-brain preparation in an isolated catfish head, one naris was washed with morpholine in sea water (10−6 M), while the other naris was washed with plain sea water. The stimulated half of the brain, compared to the unstimulated half, showed the same changes in nuclear RNA as those noted in free swimming catfish. Brain cytoplasmic fractions did not exhibit any changes in RNA following olfactory stimulation. Amyl acetate, shrimp extract, and extracts from red fish skin as odorants also elicited changes in brain nuclear RNA. With each odorant there was an increase in amount of RNA and also a change in base ratio, where the base ratio changes were different for each odorant tested. With camphor as an odorant, there was an increase in brain nuclear RNA, while with menthol as an odorant, there was a decrease in brain nuclear RNA. In both instances the base ratio of the RNA did not change in contrast to the controls. These studies suggest that olfactory stimulants affect a change in content and character of the RNA in brain nuclei, whereas irritants to the olfactory epithelium change the content of brain nuclear RNA but do not alter the base ratio.