cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Query Processing on Probabilistic Data: A Survey

Probabilistic data is motivated by the need to model uncertainty in large databases. Over the last twenty years or so, both the Database community and the AI community have studied various aspects of probabilistic relational data. Query Processing on Probabilistic Data: A Survey presents the main approaches developed in the literature, reconciling concepts developed in parallel by the two research communities. It starts with an extensive discussion of the main probabilistic data models and their relationships, followed by a brief overview of model counting and its relationship to probabilistic data. The monograph proceeds to discuss lifted probabilistic inference, a suite of techniques developed in parallel by the Database and AI communities for probabilistic query evaluation. It then provides a summary of query compilation, presenting some theoretical results highlighting limitations of various query evaluation techniques on probabilistic data. It ends with a brief discussion of some popular probabilistic data sets, systems, and applications that build on this technology.
“queer points” and “answering needles”: Lamb’s Spectacular Metropolitanism and Modern Disability

In this chapter takes Charles Lamb’s experiences of disability and his sister Mary’s ‘lunacy’ as critical background for the metropolitan aesthetic he develops, first, in his early letters and essays and later through his London Magazine persona, Elia. Lamb’s bitingly witty, theatrical approach to London foregrounds the intersubjective and aesthetic possibilities of disability, and reflects his preference for the performatively peculiar in others. But writing as Elia, Lamb’s metropolitanism becomes eulogistic. In the 1820s, Lamb registered the social developments that, as the nineteenth century progressed, made it increasingly difficult to acknowledge, and in many cases even encounter, disability’s expansive potential. Lamb’s blind beggars, driven from London’s streets into institutional confinement, are emblematic of the cultural shifts that he mourns. Lamb thus provides an especially compelling illustration of both the possibilities of Romantic disability and the increasingly normative attitudes that Victorian culture would come to adopt.
A Study on Organic Tomatoes: Effect of a Biostimulator on Phytochemical and Antioxidant Activities

The objective of the present study is to investigate nutritional and antioxidant activity of four types of organic tomato cultivars. The differences in tomato quality are also tested between groups with or without treatment using an organic biostimulator, Stimplex. Total phenolic compounds (TPC), lycopene, -carotene, DPPH free radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and color parameters were investigated in the current study. The results showed that there was no significant difference in TPC among cultivars regardless of Stimplex treatment. Higher lycopene and -carotene were obtained in Stimplex treated tomatoes. Lycopene and -carotene contents were significantly different among cultivars ( ). DPPH scavenging activity in controlled group was significantly higher than that in the Stimplex treated tomatoes ( ). No significant difference in reducing power was detected among cultivars treatment groups. The study showed that the darker the tomato color, the higher the lycopene and -carotene contents and the stronger the reducing power.
Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Hippolachnin A Analogues

The marine polyketide hippolachnin A (1) has attracted considerable attention from synthetic chemists due to both its intricate core structure and attractive biological activity against virulent fungi. Described herein are recent efforts to employ our recently developed synthesis in structure–activity relationship studies of 1. These studies have revealed that, in contrast to initial reports, 1 and several structural analogues lack activity against pathogenic fungi.
Heme Oxygenase and Ocular Surface Inflammation

The ocular surface made up of the cornea and conjunctiva is uniquely threatened by processes or agents that produce hypoxic and oxidative tissue injury and inflammation such as exposure to the most energetic wavelengths of sunlight, atmospheric oxygen, airborne irritants, xenobiotics and a host of other agents that generate reactive oxygen species. The ocular surface is also unique among bodily organs in that it routinely experiences prolonged episodes of hypoxia. This occurs with eyelid closure during sleep depriving the cornea of the atmospheric oxygen that this avascular tissue requires. Ocular surface inflammation, corneal swelling and profound changes in the composition of tears are seen in response to this state of hypoxia (Sack et al., 1992) Similar changes are seen during the prolonged wearing of contact lenses, especially those with poor oxygen permeability. A common property of many noxious agents that the ocular surfaces encounters is their ability to enhance cellular hemeprotein prooxidant systems. This protection is denied to the cornea because avasularity is an absolute requirement for corneal transparency. Thus, the cornea surface epithelium is removed from access to circulatory plasma-based antioxidant systems making antioxidant defense far more difficult.
Optimal Proportional Play

This chapter is concerned with a betting system for superfair games, known as optimal proportional play or the Kelly system, that maximizes the long-term geometric rate of growth of the gambler’s fortune. Section 10.1 considers the case in which a single superfair betting opportunity is available at each coup. Section 10.2 assumes that multiple betting opportunities, at least one of which is superfair, are available at each coup. Finally, Section 10.3 establishes several optimality properties of the Kelly system.
Quantitative Fluorescence Imaging with Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy

Scanning confocal microscopy (SCM) offers a dramatic instrumental advantage for fluorescence microscopy through discrimination against out-of-focus background fluorescence, through inherent resolution perpendicular to the plane of focus and improved in-plane resolution. Quantitative measurements of fluorescence intensity in such images can provide precise image determinations of fluorescence marker distributions in three dimensions. This paper aims to define the realizable and ultimately limiting capabilities of SCM for quantitative fluorescence imaging.
A Bayesian Downscaler Model to Estimate Daily PM2.5 Levels in the Conterminous US

There has been growing interest in extending the coverage of ground particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) monitoring networks based on satellite remote sensing data. With broad spatial and temporal coverage, a satellite-based monitoring network has a strong potential to complement the ground monitor system in terms of the spatiotemporal availability of the air quality data. However, most existing calibration models focus on a relatively small spatial domain and cannot be generalized to a national study. In this paper, we proposed a statistically reliable and interpretable national modeling framework based on Bayesian downscaling methods to be applied to the calibration of the daily ground PM2.5 concentrations across the conterminous United States using satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) and other ancillary predictors in 2011. Our approach flexibly models the PM2.5 versus AOD and the potential related geographical factors varying across the climate regions and yields spatial- and temporal-specific parameters to enhance model interpretability. Moreover, our model accurately predicted the national PM2.5 with an R² at 70% and generated reliable annual and seasonal PM2.5 concentration maps with its SD. Overall, this modeling framework can be applied to national-scale PM2.5 exposure assessments and can also quantify the prediction errors.
Applying Standard Clinical Chemistry Assay Validation to Droplet Digital PCR Quantitative Liquid Biopsy Testing

Background: Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is an emerging technology for quantitative cell-free DNA oncology applications. However, assay performance criteria must be established in a standardized manner to harness this potential. We reasoned that standard protocols used in clinical chemistry assay validation should be able to fill this need. Methods: We validated KRAS , EGFR , and BRAF quantitative ddPCR assays based on the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act regulations for laboratory-developed tests in clinical chemistry and the matching Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. This included evaluation of limit of the blank (LOB), limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), intraassay and interassay imprecision, analytical range, dilution linearity, accuracy (including comparison with orthogonal platforms), reference range study, interference, and stability studies. Results: For the ddPCR assays, the LOB was 4 mutant copies, LODs were 12 to 22 copies, and LOQs were 12 to 22 and 35 to 64 copies. The upper limit of the dynamic range was 30000 copies, and dilutions were linear down to the LOQs with good accuracy of spike recovery of Horizon reference material. Method comparisons with next-generation sequencing and an alternative ddPCR platform showed complete qualitative agreement and quantitative concordance, with slopes of 0.73 to 0.97 and R 2 s of 0.83 to 0.99. No substantial interferences were discovered. Wild-type copy numbers in plasma ranged from 462 to 6169/mL in healthy individuals. Conclusions: Standard clinical chemistry assay validation protocols can be applied to quantitative ddPCR assays. This should facilitate comparison of the performance of different assays and allow establishment of minimal significant change thresholds in monitoring applications.
D$_4$-flops of the E$_7$-model

We study the geography of crepant resolutions of E$_7$-models. An E$_7$-model is a Weierstrass model corresponding to the output of Step 9 of Tate's algorithm characterizing the Kodaira fiber of type III$^*$ over the generic point of a smooth prime divisor. The dual graph of the Kodaira fiber of type III$^*$ is the affine Dynkin diagram of type E$_7$. A Weierstrass model of type E$_7$ is conjectured to have eight distinct crepant resolutions whose flop diagram is a Dynkin diagram of type E$_8$. We construct explicitly four of these eight crepant resolutions forming a sub-diagram of type D$_4$. We explain how the flops between these four crepant resolutions can be understood using the flops between the crepant resolutions of two well-chosen suspended pinch points.
The emergence of children's interest orientations during early childhood: When predisposition meets opportunity

Abstract There is growing evidence that even prior to school, young children are capable of exhibiting enduring, persistent interests. Such interests have potential consequences for the child's learning and behavior in school, peer interactions, and later patterns of achievement. We investigated the relations among young children's early interests, personal characteristics, and home environments to examine distinctive predictive profiles among young children with various types of early interest orientations. We followed 109 children from age 4 to 5 years through bimonthly parent reports and comprehensive assessments of child, family and home characteristics. Four types of early interests were identified: conceptual, procedural, creative, and socially-oriented. Results indicated that children's interests are not simple reflections of personal styles or predispositions, but are socialized and supported through an array of parental and home factors.
Use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index as an Assessment Tool for Reptiles and Amphibians: Lessons Learned

Climate change threatens biodiversity globally, yet it can be challenging to predict which species may be most vulnerable. Given the scope of the problem, it is imperative to rapidly assess vulnerability and identify actions to decrease risk. Although a variety of tools have been developed to assess climate change vulnerability, few have been evaluated with regard to their suitability for certain taxonomic groups. Due to their ectothermic physiology, low vagility, and strong association with temporary wetlands, reptiles and amphibians may be particularly vulnerable relative to other groups. Here, we evaluate use of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) to assess a large suite of herpetofauna from the Sand Hills Ecoregion of the southeastern United States. Although data were frequently lacking for certain variables (e.g., phenological response to climate change, genetic variation), sufficient data were available to evaluate all 117 species. Sensitivity analyses indicated that results were highly dependent on size of assessment area and climate scenario selection. In addition, several ecological traits common in, but relatively unique to, herpetofauna are likely to contribute to their vulnerability and need special consideration during the scoring process. Despite some limitations, the NatureServe CCVI was a useful tool for screening large numbers of reptile and amphibian species. We provide general recommendations as to how the CCVI tool's application to herpetofauna can be improved through more specific guidance to the user regarding how to incorporate unique physiological and behavioral traits into scoring existing sensitivity factors and through modification to the assessment tool itself.
PDES-A: Accelerators for Parallel Discrete Event Simulation Implemented on FPGAs

In this article, we present experiences implementing a general Parallel Discrete Event Simulation (PDES) accelerator on a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The accelerator can be specialized to any particular simulation model by defining the object states and the event handling code, which are then synthesized into a custom accelerator for the given model. The accelerator consists of several event processors that can process events in parallel while maintaining the dependencies between them. Events are automatically sorted by a self-sorting event queue. The accelerator supports optimistic simulation by automatically keeping track of event history and supporting rollbacks. The architecture is limited in scalability locally by the communication and port bandwidth of the different structures. However, it is designed to allow multiple accelerators to be connected to scale up the simulation. We evaluate the design and explore several design trade-offs and optimizations. We show that the accelerator can scale to 64 concurrent event processors relative to the performance of a single event processor. At this point, the scalability becomes limited by contention on the shared structures within the datapath. To alleviate this bottleneck, we also develop a new version of the datapath that partitions the state and event space of the simulation but allows these partitions to share the use of the event processors. The new design substantially reduces contention and improves the performance with 64 processors from 49x to 62x relative to a single processor design. We went through two iterations of the design of PDES-A, first using Verilog and then using Chisel (for the partitioned version of the design). We report in this article on some observations in the differences in prototyping accelerators using these two different languages. PDES-A outperforms the ROSS simulator running on a 12-core Intel Xeon machine by a factor of 3.2x with less than 15% of the power consumption. Our future work includes building multiple interconnected PDES-A cores.
Delaying Surgery in Type III Supracondylar Humerus Fractures Does Not Lead to Longer Surgical Times or More Difficult Reduction.

OBJECTIVE To determine if delay in surgical treatment of type III supracondylar humerus fracture would affect the length of operative time. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Level 1 trauma center. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS This is a series of 309 modified Gartland type III supracondylar fractures treated operatively from 2011 to 2013. INTERVENTION Fifteen hours was defined as the cutoff between early and delayed treatment. A total of 53.7% (166/309) fractures were treated early, and 46.4% (143/309) were delayed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Surgical time was defined as "incision start" to "incision close." Fluoroscopy time was used as a surrogate for difficulty of reduction. RESULTS Time from injury to operating room was shorter for high-energy fractures (fractures with soft-tissue or neurovascular injury) versus low-energy fractures (12.9 vs. 15.3 hours, P < 0.0001); however, surgical time (37.3 vs. 31.8 minutes, P = 0.004) and fluoroscopy time (54.6 vs. 48.6 seconds, P = 0.027) were longer in high-energy fractures versus low-energy fractures. Among low-energy fractures, no significant difference was detected in the surgical time between the early and delayed treatment groups or in the fluoroscopy time. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference found in the surgical or fluoroscopy time with the presence of a surgical assistant. CONCLUSIONS Delay in surgery did not result in a longer surgical time or more difficult reduction for type III supracondylar humerus fracture. Patients with low-energy fractures still underwent a shorter operative time even with delay from injury to surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Platelet and Megakaryocytic Regulation of Tumor Progression

Traditionally viewed as the bandaids of the blood, the contribution of platelets to the progression of malignancy is emerging as a compelling focus for therapeutic intervention. Complex interactions between tumor cells, and circulating platelets play an important role in tumor growth and dissemination, and a growing body of data supports a role for platelet activation and release of chemokines in metastases and neovascularization. Supporting this concept is the evidence that elevated platelet counts (thrombocytosis) at time of diagnosis with malignancy is a harbinger of an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. One very interesting and provocative connection between cancer and platelets is the increasing evidence that tumor cells hijack platelets to promote a more pro-malignant phenotype to drive disease progression. Our laboratories have been instrumental in establishing the pro-malignant role of platelets in metastasis and neovascularization. We have demonstrated that tumor cells can instruct platelets to release key cytokines that promote angiogenesis and metastasis of tumor cells. Perhaps the most compelling clinical evidence of the link between platelets and malignancy is the finding that anti-platelet agents can have a profound impact on malignancy. We have demonstrated previously, anti-platelet agents such as aspirin and anticoagulants suppress release of key neovascularization factors from platelets and suppress the neovascularization potential. Aspirin also suppresses the invasive properties of platelets in mouse metastasis models as well as in vitro metastasis assays. Similarly, we have also demonstrated that tamoxifen, a selective estrogen receptor modulator often used to treat breast cancer, can also diminish the ability of platelets to support malignancy by diminishing the platelet's role in promoting neovascularization as well as metastasis. Although much is understood regarding how tumors communicate with platelets less is understood about how platelets manipulate tumor cells. Our laboratory has elucidated the role of key chemokines released from platelets in response to tumor cells and how these factors promote tumor growth and metastasis. We have recently discovered that tumor cells can instruct platelets to release CCL5, a known driver of tumor cell invasion and metastasis, and have expanded the role of CCL5 not only as a regulator of metastasis but also as a central controller of platelet production. Despite this progress many questions still remain regarding the interaction between tumor cells and platelets. We are particularly interested in how tumor cells instruct megakaryocytes to increase platelet production. In addition malignancy may also reprogram megakaryocytes thereby manipulating the platelet phenotype to support tumor growth and metastasis. Because most cancer therapies focus on the tumor itself, the idea of targeting platelets in the tumor microenvironment to arrest tumor growth and metastatic spread represents a novel therapeutic strategy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Corporate Philanthropy as a Strategic Tool for Advocacy

In the strategic CSR literature, corporate philanthropy is primarily conceptualized as the voluntary redistribution of corporate wealth to the disadvantaged, channeled through nonprofits that provi...
Can mineral growth by oriented attachment lead to incorporation of uranium(VI) into the structure of goethite

Oriented aggregation (OA), whereby crystals grow by successive attachment of precursor nanoparticles that are crystallographically co-aligned with the growing crystal, is a fundamental process by which many low solubility phases and minerals reach maturity in aqueous solution. Here, we investigated whether U(VI) can be incorporated into the structure of goethite that grows by OA. Wet chemical analysis and acid treatments showed that the additions of U(VI) early in the OA process hindered crystallization and increased the recalcitrant fraction of sorbed U(VI) relative to later addition of U(VI). Over time, however, the recalcitrant fraction of U(VI) decreased and converged to similar values for both early and late additions of U(VI). Electron microscopy indicated a portion of the acid resistant sorbed U(VI) was likely associated with grain boundaries between aggregating particles, not nanopores; and that these features were annealed out with increasing reaction time. Further, time elapsed imaging of U atom diffusion, that was stimulated by the electron beam, indicated that most sorbed U(VI) was not incorporated into the structure of goethite. This was confirmed and more rigorously quantified by ab initio molecular dynamics informed extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra which indicated that only up to 5% of the recalcitrant U(VI) might be incorporated with an upper solubility limit of only U/Fe ∼0.02 atom% in goethite where U(VI) was added early in the process. We conclude that most of the recalcitrant U(VI) is simply strongly adsorbed to the surface and that it is the uranyl oxygens that both inhibit crystallization of goethite as well as incorporation of U into the structure of goethite.
The Long-Term Effects of Hurricanes Wilma and Irma on Soil Elevation Change in Everglades Mangrove Forests

Mangrove forests in the Florida Everglades (USA) are frequently affected by hurricanes that produce high-velocity winds, storm surge, and extreme rainfall, but also provide sediment subsidies that help mangroves adjust to sea-level rise. The long-term influence of hurricane sediment inputs on soil elevation dynamics in mangrove forests is not well understood. Here, we assessed the effects of sediment deposition during Hurricanes Wilma (2005) and Irma (2017) on soil elevation change at two mangrove forests located along the Shark and Lostmans Rivers in Everglades National Park. We used surface elevation change data from a 16-year period (2002–2018), measured with the surface elevation table-marker horizon (SET-MH) approach. At the Shark River mangrove forest, we used marker horizons and a combination of deep, shallow, and original SETs to quantify the contributions of four soil zones to net soil elevation change. Rates of elevation change were greatly influenced by storm sediments. Abrupt increases in elevation due to sediment inputs and subsurface expansion during Hurricane Wilma were followed by: (1) an initial post-hurricane period of elevation loss due to erosion of hurricane sediments and subsurface contraction; (2) a secondary period of elevation gain due primarily to accretion; and (3) an abrupt elevation gain due to new sediment inputs during Hurricane Irma. Our findings suggest that elevation change in hurricane-affected mangrove forests can be cyclical or include disjunct phases, which is critical information for advancing the understanding of wetland responses to accelerated sea-level rise given the expectation of increasing storm intensity due to climate change.
Severe E-Cigarette, or Vaping, Product Use Associated Lung Injury Requiring Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objectives To report a severe case of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury with complex course requiring venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Design Case report. Setting PICU in an academic medical center. Patients A 16-year-old girl presenting with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms was admitted to our PICU after having progressive respiratory failure and bilateral pulmonary ground-glass opacities on chest CT. Interventions Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:: After extensive infectious workup was unrevealing, she reported a history of vaping e-cigarette containing either nicotine or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol oil prior to symptom onset. She was given a presumptive diagnosis of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury. The PICU team in consultation with pulmonology and medical toxicology started high-dose IV methylprednisolone 1 mg/kg bid. Despite initial improvements, she continued to require positive pressure ventilation and developed pneumomediastinum with progression to tension pneumothoraces and a persistent air leak. Unable to maintain her oxygenation, she was placed on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for a prolonged course and had a tracheostomy placement. The clinical course, severity, and range of interventions in affected patients around the country have varied widely. Respiratory symptoms have been the most severe, but the constellation of symptoms in e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury include constitutional symptoms (fevers, weight-loss) and gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea). In many cases, steroid use led to rapid clinical improvements. However, other cases with severe illness, like our patient, necessitated high-dose IV steroids, intubation, and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The underlying etiology and pathophysiology of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with state/local health departments and the Food and Drug Administration is actively investigating the outbreak. Conclusions Clinicians need to be aware of the current outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury and ask about vaping in patients presenting with gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms. Treatment options are anecdotal and necessitate a multidisciplinary approach.
Lagrangian Relativistic Hydrodynamics with Eulerian Coordinates

I describe a new formulation of Lagrangian general relativistic hydrodynamics. The approach is based on Eulerian coordinates and a family of Lagrangian observers. This formulation provides the simplicity of Lagrangian hydrodynamics but avoids the drawbacks of Lagrangian coordinate systems. It is described with numerical applications in mind.
Preoperative depression is a risk factor for complication and increased health care utilization following total shoulder arthroplasty.

Background The incidence of total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) continues to increase. Although researchers expect preoperative depression to influence outcomes following primary hip and knee arthroplasty, there is a paucity of data on this relationship after primary TSA. The purpose of this study was to define the relationship between a preoperative diagnosis of depression and postoperative outcomes following TSA. Methods This was a level III retrospective cohort study. We identified patients undergoing TSA between 2009 and 2017 from the Truven MarketScan database and created 2 cohorts, patients with and without depression. We included patients who were continuously enrolled in the database for 1 year preoperatively and postoperatively. We collected demographic data, complication data, and health care utilization factors and then performed statistical analysis comparing complication and health care utilization between cohorts. This analysis controlled for baseline patient demographic, comorbid, and surgical factors. Results We included 22,623 patients undergoing TSA in this study. Of these, 3209 (14%) had a preoperative diagnosis of depression. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the following were more common in patients with depression: sepsis (odds ratio [OR], 2.04; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-3.65; P = .022), revision within 1 year (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.45-2.55; P Discussion and conclusions Depression prior to TSA is common and is associated with increased risk of complications and increased health care utilization following TSA. Determining whether this is a modifiable risk factor requires further investigation.
Malassezia spp. induce inflammatory cytokines and activate NLRP3 inflammasomes in phagocytes

Malassezia spp. are common eukaryotic yeasts that colonize mammalian skin. Recently, the authors and others have observed that Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta can be found in the intestines in the context of certain diseases, including Crohn's disease and pancreatic cancer. In order to better understand the nature of innate inflammatory responses to these yeasts, inflammatory responses induced by M. restricta and M. globosa in mouse bone marrow-derived Mϕs (BMDM) and dendritic cells (BMDC) are evaluated. While Malassezia yeasts induce proinflammatory cytokine production from both Mϕs and dendritic cells, the levels of production from BMDC were more pronounced. Both M. restricta and M. globosa activated inflammatory cytokine production from BMDC in large part through Dectin2 and CARD9 signaling, although additional receptors appear to be involved in phagocytosis and activation of reactive oxygen production in response to the yeasts. Both M. restricta and M. globosa stimulate production of pro-IL-1β as well as activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. NLRP3 inflammasome activation by Malassezia fungi requires SYK signaling, potassium efflux and actin rearrangement. Together, the data further the understanding of the coordinated involvement of multiple innate immune receptors in recognizing Malassezia globosa and Malassezia restricta and orchestrating phagocyte inflammatory and antimicrobial responses.
Chapter 15 – Brief Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia

Publisher Summary Brief behavioral treatment of insomnia (BBTI) is indicated for the treatment of insomnia, defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep, early morning awakenings, or complaints of nonrestorative sleep, occurring on more days than not over more than a month, and associated with significant distress or functional impairments. BBTI is similar to standard cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia (CBT-I) in combining and emphasizing the early implementation of stimulus control and sleep restriction principles and procedures. Education about healthy sleep practices and behaviors that affect sleep quality and consolidation is also provided to patients in BBTI in a way that is comparable to CBT-I. BBTI differs from standard CBT-I in important ways. BBTI uses a reduced number of in-person visits, and a shorter length of the intervention in BBTI (two in-person visits over 4 weeks) compared to CBT-I (six to eight in-person visits over 8 weeks). In addition, BBTI does not systematically address or restructure erroneous beliefs and attitudes about sleep, insomnia, and the potential consequences of poor sleep. BBTI is indicated for the treatment of primary insomnia, or insomnia comorbid with other psychiatric, medical, or sleep disorders. One should take caution in using BBTI with patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder, as the transient, mild sleep restriction induced by BBTI may exacerbate these conditions. The prescription for time in bed during BBTI with older adults should generally not be less than 6 hours to reduce the risk of falls.
The Relationship Between Social Determinants of Health and Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified existing health disparities for marginalized populations in the United States (U.S.), particularly among Black Americans. Social determinants of health are powerful drivers of health outcomes that could influence COVID-19 racial disparities. We collected data from publicly available databases on COVID-19 death rates through October 28, 2020, clinical covariates, and social determinants of health indicators at the U.S. county level. We utilized negative binomial regression to assess the association between social determinants of health and COVID-19 mortality focusing on racial disparities in mortality. Counties with higher death rates had a higher proportion of Black residents and greater levels of adverse social determinants of health. A one percentage point increase in percent Black residents, percent uninsured adults, percent low birthweight, percent adults without high school diploma, incarceration rate, and percent households without internet in a county increased COVID-19 death rates by 0.9% (95% CI 0.5%–1.3%), 1.9% (95% CI 1.1%–2.7%), 7.6% (95% CI 4.4%–11.0%), 3.5% (95% CI 2.5%–4.5%), 5.4% (95% CI 1.3%–9.7%), and 3.4% (95% CI 2.5%–4.2%), respectively. Counties in the lowest quintile of a measure of economic privilege had an increased COVID-19 death rates of 67.5% (95% CI 35.9%–106.6%). Multivariate regression and subgroup analyses suggested that adverse social determinants of health may partially explain racial disparities in COVID-19 mortality. This study demonstrates that social determinants of health contribute to COVID-19 mortality for Black Americans at the county level, highlighting the need for public health policies that address racial disparities in health outcomes.
Substance Use and Condom Use Among the HIV Population at Clínica de Familia La Romana, Dominican Republic

The primary purpose of this cross-sectional investigation was to quantify illicit substance use among the HIV positive population at Clinica de Familia La Romana in the Dominican Republic. The secondary goal was to identify whether there exists a relationship between alcohol consumption and condom use. Of the 97 participants who were interviewed in the study, 49% self-reported alcohol or tobacco use in the last three months. Based on the calculated ASSIST risk score, 20% of participants were classified as “moderate” or “high risk,” requiring an intervention. Additionally, 51% of the sample reported having sexual intercourse in the last 30 days. Out of the 49 participants who were sexually active, 67% reported using a condom during their last sexual experience, 31% reported not using a condom and the remaining 2% declined to respond. Contrary to prior research, no association was found between alcohol consumption and unprotected sex at Clinica de Familia La Romana, possibly due to the low percentage of patients that report consuming alcohol frequently.
A Pilot Randomized Trial of Transdermal Nicotine for Pulmonary Sarcoidosis.

Background Tobacco smoking is associated with a reduced risk of developing sarcoidosis, and we previously reported that nicotine normalizes immune responses to environmental antigens in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis. The effects of nicotine on the progression of pulmonary sarcoidosis are unknown. Research Question Is nicotine treatment well tolerated, and will it improve lung function in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis? Study Design and Methods With local institutional review board approval, a randomized, double-blind, controlled pilot trial was conducted of daily nicotine transdermal patch treatment (21 mg daily) or placebo patch use for 24 weeks. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic enrolled 50 consecutive subjects aged ≥ 18 years with active pulmonary sarcoidosis, based on symptoms (ie, dyspnea, cough) and objective radiographic evidence of infiltrates consistent with nonfibrotic lung disease. Each study group was compared at 26 weeks based on repeated measures of FVC, FEV1, quantitative lung texture score based on CT texture analysis, Fatigue Assessment Score (FAS), St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and the Sarcoidosis Assessment Tool. Results Nicotine treatment was associated with a clinically significant, approximately 2.1% (70 mL) improvement in FVC from baseline to 26 weeks. FVC decreased by a similar amount (2.2%) in the placebo group, with a net increase of 140 mL (95% CI, 10-260) when comparing nicotine vs placebo groups at 26 weeks. FEV1 and FAS improved marginally in the nicotine-treated group, compared with those on placebo. No improvement was observed in lung texture score, FAS, St. George’s Respiratory Questionnaire score, or the Sarcoidosis Assessment Tool. There were no reported serious adverse events or evidence of nicotine addiction. Interpretation Nicotine treatment was well tolerated in patients with active pulmonary sarcoidosis, and the preliminary findings of this pilot study suggest that it may reduce disease progression, based on FVC. Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT02265874 ; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov .
A dose-efficient treatment strategy for histotripsy by removing cavitation memory

Cavitation memory effects occur when remnants of cavitation bubbles (nuclei) persist in the host medium and act asseeds for subsequent events.In pulsed cavitational ultrasound therapy, or histotripsy, this effect may cause cavitation to repeatedly occur at these seeded locations within a target volume, producing inhomoge- neous tissue fractionation or requiring an excess number of pulses to completely homogenize the target volume. We hypothesized that by removing the cavitation memory, i.e., the persistent nuclei, the cavitation bubbles could be induced at random locations in response to each pulse; therefore, complete disruption of a tissue volume may be achieved with fewer pulses. To test the hypothesis, the cavitation memory was passively removed by increasing the intervals between successive pulses, Δt, from 2, 10, 20, 50 and 100, to 200 ms. Histotripsy treatments were performed in red blood cell tissue phantoms and ex vivo livers using 1-MHz ultrasound pulses of 10 cycles at P2/P1 pressure of 21/59 MPa. The phantom study allowed for direct visualization of the cavitation patterns and the lesion development process in real time using high-speed photography; the ex vivo tissue study provided validation of the memory effect in real tissues. Results of the phantom study showed an exponential decrease in the correlation coefficient between cavitation patterns in successive pulses from 0.5 ± 0.1 to 0.1 ± 0.1 as Δt increased from 2-200 ms; correspondingly, the lesion was completely fractionated with significantly fewer pulses for longer Δts. In the tissue study, given the same number of therapy pulses, complete and homogeneous tissue fractionation with well-defined lesion boundaries was achieved only for Δt $ 100 ms. These results indicated that the removal of the cavitation memory resulted in more efficient treatments and homogeneous lesions. (E-mail: tzuyin@umich. edu) 2012 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
Integrating ethical issues into the undergraduate computer science curriculum

The ACM Curricula 2001 has listed "computer science ethics" as one of the bodies of knowledge in the undergraduate degree in computer science education. However, it is up to the individual institutions on how to implement it. Traditionally, many schools including my school offer one or two courses in computer ethics in their curriculum. Very little has been reported on the outcome of this approach. Other schools incorporate ethical issues in undergraduate computer science education by adding ethical elements to each course. Yet another approach is to have a combination of both, to integrate ethics into one or two lower level courses and to have a capstone course in ethics. We present a fourth approach to integrate ethical issues into computer science education. This approach is derived from a workshop at Purdue University in October 2001 and is based on case-based instruction in which the instructor either creates case studies that involve ethics or uses existing case studies in appropriate courses. Students are asked to read the case studies and answer the questions that have been prepared by the author of the case study. We believe using this approach will make students more involved in ethical issues. A summary of the workshop objectives related to this paper is also presented.
The Sexual Division of Labor

Many evolutionary arguments fossilize a human division of labor as one of man the hunter, and woman the gatherer, with differences in labor arising out of the effectiveness of efficiency. We suggest here that arguments based solely on the efficiency of labor specialization among heterosexual married pairs over-generalize divisions of labor that are, in reality, much more diverse. Divisions of labor can be based on age, as well as on gender, and are not limited solely to monogamous marital pairs. Divisions of gender take the form more generally not of meat and vegetables, but of the acquisition of high and low variance foods. Some differences in labor may be the result of conflicting interests, others emerging from common goals, and still others from the power of patriarchy. Differences in labor patterns may not be designed solely, or even primarily, to provision children, but may also be shaped by the social goals of both sexes. Keywords: sex/gender division of labor; foraging economies; human behavioral ecology
Notice of Retraction Artificial neural network potential energy surface for silver nanoparticles

A potential energy surface (PES) for describing the interactions among the atoms in Ag nanoparticles was derived using the feedforward artificial neural network (ANN) method. Based on the preliminary success of constructing ANN PESs using a small number of data sets for Pt, Au, and Ag clusters/nanoparticles, we studied here the accuracy of the ANN method to build the PES for Ag nanoparticles to be employed in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations by including more data sets obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In this work, more neurons were used to improve the fitting accuracy. The results demonstrated that the new fitting provides a more balanced result in terms of accuracy in training and testing with respect to the previously fitting, however, more asymptotic DFT data sets are required to construct a global ANN PES suitable for MD simulations on the formation of Ag nanoparticles.
Uterine Malignant Mixed Mullerian Tumour - Revisited In Newer Lights: A Case Report from a Tertiary Care Centre

Carcinosarcoma of the uterus, also known as malignant mixed mullerian tumour (MMMT) is a very rare and aggressive gynaecological neoplasm, having an overall poor prognosis. They can arise in any organ of the female genital tract but are most commonly found in uterus. They are histologically biphasic having malignant epithelial and mesenchymal components. We report a case of uterine MMMT, clinically presenting as uterine polyp, in a postmenopausal female.
Temporal trends and factors associated with pediatric hospitalizations with respiratory infection

AbstractObjectives: Asthma is the leading cause of emergency room visits in children, and those with asthma tend to suffer from more severe consequences of respiratory tract infections. The aims of this study were among children who required hospitalization, compare differences between those admitted with or without respiratory infection, describe changes in yearly proportion of asthma among the children admitted with a respiratory infection in New York City from 2006 to 2012 and ascertain how asthma affected the average length of hospital stay for those with respiratory infection. Methods: We conducted an historical prospective study using data obtained from multiple electronic sources of patients discharged from a 200-bed pediatric hospital in a major metropolitan healthcare system between 2006 and 2012. Patient characteristics were obtained from electronic health records and billing codes. Results: Among 83 348 patient discharges, there were 5057 (6.1%) with a respiratory infection. In the multivariabl...
Functional Proteomic Analysis of Repressive Histone Methyltransferase Complexes Reveals ZNF518B as a G9A Regulator

Cell-type specific gene silencing by histone H3 lysine 27 and lysine 9 methyltransferase complexes PRC2 and G9A-GLP is crucial both during development and to maintain cell identity. Although studying their interaction partners has yielded valuable insight into their functions, how these factors are regulated on a network level remains incompletely understood. Here, we present a new approach that combines quantitative interaction proteomics with global chromatin profiling to functionally characterize repressive chromatin modifying protein complexes in embryonic stem cells. We define binding stoichiometries of 9 new and 12 known interaction partners of PRC2 and 10 known and 29 new interaction partners of G9A-GLP, respectively. We demonstrate that PRC2 and G9A-GLP interact physically and share several interaction partners, including the zinc finger proteins ZNF518A and ZNF518B. Using global chromatin profiling by targeted mass spectrometry, we discover that even sub-stoichiometric binding partners such as ZNF518B can positively regulate global H3K9me2 levels. Biochemical analysis reveals that ZNF518B directly interacts with EZH2 and G9A. Our systematic analysis suggests that ZNF518B may mediate the structural association between PRC2 and G9A-GLP histone methyltransferases and additionally regulates the activity of G9A-GLP.
Age-Related Hip Proprioception Declines: Effects on Postural Sway and Dynamic Balance

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effects of age on hip proprioception, and determine whether age-related hip proprioception declines disrupt balance. Design Survey of proprioception and balance differences between 3 age groups. Setting University balance laboratory. Participants Volunteer sample of independent community-dwelling adults (N=102) without sensory or other neurologic impairments in 3 age groups: younger (mean age, 24.6y; range, 19–37y), mid-aged (mean age, 53.3y; range, 40–64y), and older adults (mean age, 76.3y; range, 65–94y). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Hip joint position sense (JPS) and kinesthesia were measured using a custom-built device. JPS error was determined by the magnitude of matching errors during vision and no-vision conditions. Kinesthesia was evaluated by the ability to detect passive limb rotation without vision. Postural sway was assessed during static stance and measured using root mean square of center of pressure (COP) displacement and velocity of COP displacement. Clinical balance and fear of falling were assessed with the mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (mini-BESTest) and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale, respectively. Results Both older and mid-aged adults had significantly increased JPS error compared with younger adults ( P P ≤.01). Both measures of proprioception error correlated with age ( P ≤.001). There were no relationships between hip proprioception error and postural sway during static stance. However, older adults with lower proprioceptive error had significantly higher mini-BESTest scores of dynamic balance abilities ( P =.005). Conclusions These results provide evidence of significant hip proprioception declines with age. Although these declines are not related to increases in postural sway, participants with hip proprioception declines demonstrated disrupted dynamic balance, as indicated by decreased mini-BESTest scores.