cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dendritic Macromolecules: A Fourth Major Class of Polymer Architecture – New Properties Driven by Architecture

This new architectural class of macromolecules has received substantial attention during the past decade. Three dendritic subclasses, which include (a) random hyperbranched (i.e., one-pot ABx, polymerizations), (b) dendritic grafted (i.e., Combburst® polymers) and (c) regular dendrons/dendrimers (e.g., Starburst® dendrimers) have been synthesized and characterized at a well-defined level in our laboratory. It is clear that their precisely controlled, nanoscale dimensions and architecture play critical roles in influencing physical properties and performance characteristics. Furthermore, these parameters have also distinguished dendrimers as fundamental modules for many nanotechnology applications, as well as for the construction of a new class of larger nanoscale entities which we have termed core-shell tecto(dendrimers). This account will overview these activities and focus on certain unique de Gennes dense packing (or congestion phenomena) and nanoscale container properties that have emerged from this novel architecture.
Viscoelastic Properties of the Rat Brain in the Sagittal Plane: Effects of Anatomical Structure and Age

Rat is the most commonly used animal model for the study of traumatic brain injury. Recent advances in imaging and computational modeling technology offer the promise of biomechanical models capable of resolving individual brain structures and offering greater insight into the causes and consequences of brain injury. However, there is insufficient data on the mechanical properties of brain structures available to populate these models. In this study, we used microindentation to determine viscoelastic properties of different anatomical structures in sagittal slices of juvenile and adult rat brain. We find that the rat brain is spatially heterogeneous in this anatomical plane supporting previous results in the coronal plane. In addition, the brain becomes stiffer and more heterogeneous as the animal matures. This dynamic, region-specific data will support the development of more biofidelic computational models of brain injury biomechanics and the testing of hypotheses about the manner in which different anatomical structures are injured in a head impact.
Rapid Shifts in Soil Organic Carbon Mineralization within Sodic Landscapes

Sodic soils have poor plant growth and thus carbon (C) inputs are reduced compared to nonsodic soils. Soil samples were taken from three sodic zones: 1) patch-center, 2) transition, and 3) adjacent at three sites located in southwest North Dakota. Soil sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) was highest at patch centers (mean of three sites, SAR = 306), and then declined to transition (SAR = 29.5) and was lowest at adjacent (SAR = 9.21). The labile C pool showed an inverse relationship with SAR. In the northern Great Plains, C dynamics is highly variable and can be strongly controlled by the development and persistence of sodic soils.
Synergistic modulation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer photoproduct formation and deamination at a TmCG site over a full helical DNA turn in a nucleosome core particle

Sunlight-induced C to T mutation hotspots in skin cancers occur primarily at methylated CpG sites that coincide with sites of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) formation. The C or 5-methyl-C in CPDs are not stable and deaminate to U and T, respectively, which leads to the insertion of A by DNA polymerase η and defines a probable mechanism for the origin of UV-induced C to T mutations. We have now determined the photoproduct formation and deamination rates for 10 consecutive T=(m)CG CPDs over a full helical turn at the dyad axis of a nucleosome and find that whereas photoproduct formation and deamination is greatly inhibited for the CPDs closest to the histone surface, it is greatly enhanced for the outermost CPDs. Replacing the G in a T=(m)CG CPD with A greatly decreased the deamination rate. These results show that rotational position and flanking sequence in a nucleosome can significantly and synergistically modulate CPD formation and deamination that contribute to C to T mutations associated with skin cancer induction and may have influenced the evolution of the human genome.
The impact of exchange rate risk on Africa's imports of world poultry

This study's objective is to examine the impact of exchange rate risk on Africa's poultry imports. Both random and fixed effects estimates are derived using a generalised gravity model and data from 2000-2012. Findings show that the distance between importing and exporting countries has a negative effect on poultry imports into Africa. The importing country's gross domestic product (GDP) has a positive effect on the poultry trade to Africa, while short- and long-term exchange rate risk causes a reduction in poultry trade to African countries. Also, an increase in the total poultry exported by a country has a positive impact on the importing African country.
Is it possible to diagnose autism by brain imaging

Harvard University Schools of Medicine & Public Health, MA, USA and Neurostatistics Laboratory, McLean Hospital, MA, USA nlange@hms.harvard.edu The root biological causes of autism spectrum disorder – autism – remain a complex mystery despite 70 years of effort to solve the puzzle. A total of 6 years after Leo Kanner first identified ‘early infantile autism’ in 1943 through astute observation of 11 children [1], he retracted his initial biological theory. Since then, no alternative theory has yet been validated by genetics or molecular biology to take its place [2]. Today’s autism research is awash with an abundance of statistically significant brain imaging results that provide little differentiation between individuals with the disorder and typically developing individuals [3], and this body of findings cannot yet be employed as useful diagnostic criteria in clinical practice. As we know, and as the Oxford English Dictionary reminds us, any image is merely “an artificial imitation or representation of the external form”, a “copy,” “likeness,” “similitude,” “semblance,” “appearance” and “shadow.” Some researchers today have exclaimed, “science is imaging”. Regardless of how ‘real’ the everimproving spatiotemporal image resolution, brilliance of color and attraction of animation appear to be, this statement broadcasts a clear misconception. Much of science is measurement, and we continue to have difficulty measuring the same brain structure twice within a short time interval and getting the same number, even after accounting for the ‘regression to the mean’ effect. The reliability of autism imaging is a major present-day limitation of the technology. MR brain images are perhaps the most beautiful of all image types (so beautiful because so mutable?), and these beauties are sometimes subjected to ‘circular analysis’ in attempts to ground their impressions in solid statistics [4]. MR images, these quantized imitations of reality, are indeed measurements amenable to statistical regression and classification analysis, but they cannot yet
MONITORING MIDLAKE WATER TEMPERATURE IN SOUTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE STUDIES

Recent studies of potential climatic change on Great Lakes fisheries (e.g. Meisner , 1987; Magnuson , 1990; Regieret al., 1990) and our general ignorance of the natural variability of the basic physical properties of the Great Lakes (McCormick, 1990) have demonstrated the need for a long-term observation program which is representative of the lake-wide environment. In April 1990 a site was established in Lake Michigan to continuously monitor the offshore thermal structure and vertical velocity profile. The site is located near the center of the lake's southern basin in 160 m of water. Temperature is measured at 16 depths (winter) to 28 depths (summer), and the horizontal velocity components are measured at 5 levels which allows us to characterize the offshore environment with high temporal resolution. The goals of this effort are to provide basic physical measurements to better describe the flow of energy through the lake ecosystem and to provide a basis against which future change can be better gauged.
Excellence in clinical teaching: knowledge transformation and development required

Context Clinical teachers in medicine face the daunting task of mastering the many domains of knowledge needed for practice and teaching. The breadth and complexity of this knowledge continue to increase, as does the difficulty of transforming the knowledge into concepts that are understandable to learners. Properly targeted faculty development has the potential to expedite the knowledge transformation process for clinical teachers. Methods Based on my own research in clinical teaching and faculty development, as well as the work of others, I describe the unique forms of clinical teacher knowledge, the transformation of that knowledge for teaching purposes and implications for faculty development. Results The following forms of knowledge for clinical teaching in medicine need to be mastered and transformed: (i) knowledge of medicine and patients; (ii) knowledge of context; (iii) knowledge of pedagogy and learners, and (iv) knowledge integrated into teaching scripts. This knowledge is employed and conveyed through the parallel processes of clinical reasoning and clinical instructional reasoning. Faculty development can facilitate this knowledge transformation process by: (i) examining, deconstructing and practising new teaching scripts; (ii) focusing on foundational concepts; (iii) demonstrating knowledge-in-use, and (iv) creating a supportive organisational climate for clinical teaching. Conclusions To become an excellent clinical teacher in medicine requires the transformation of multiple forms of knowledge for teaching purposes. These domains of knowledge allow clinical teachers to provide tailored instruction to learners at varying levels in the context of fast-paced and demanding clinical practice. Faculty development can facilitate this knowledge transformation process.
Electrohydraulic Fully Flexible Valve Actuation System With Internal Feedback

Fully flexible valve actuation (FFVA) system, often referred to as camless valvetrain, employs electronically controlled actuators in place of the camshaft to drive the intake or exhaust valves for internal combustion engines (ICEs). This system offers significant fuel economy benefits, emissions reduction, and better torque output performance for the ICE. It could also enable a number of advanced combustion concepts, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition. It further provides a common platform that incorporates the functions of cam phasing, two/three step cam or continuously variable lift, cylinder deactivation, port deactivation, etc. Therefore it is desirable to develop FFVA systems for future engines. In this paper, we first outline the technical barriers for developing production-viable FFVA systems. To address those challenges, a new electrohydraulic valve actuation concept with the "internal feedback" mechanism is presented. Key technical issues, such as dynamic range capability, valve motion performance, and energy consumption, are analyzed. Experimental results based on a prototype system are shown to demonstrate the capabilities and performance of the proposed system.
How reticulated are species

Many groups of closely related species have reticulate phylogenies. Recent genomic analyses are showing this in many insects and vertebrates, as well as in microbes and plants. In microbes, lateral gene transfer is the dominant process that spoils strictly tree-like phylogenies, but in multicellular eukaryotes hybridization and introgression among related species is probably more important. Because many species, including the ancestors of ancient major lineages, seem to evolve rapidly in adaptive radiations, some sexual compatibility may exist among them. Introgression and reticulation can thereby affect all parts of the tree of life, not just the recent species at the tips. Our understanding of adaptive evolution, speciation, phylogenetics, and comparative biology must adapt to these mostly recent findings. Introgression has important practical implications as well, not least for the management of genetically modified organisms in pest and disease control.
Dual health care system use is associated with higher rates of hospitalization and hospital readmission among veterans with heart failure.

Background Heart failure (HF) frequently causes hospital admission and readmission. Patients receiving care from multiple providers and facilities (dual users) may risk higher health care utilization and worse health outcomes. Methods To determine rates of emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and hospital readmissions relative to dual use among HF patients, we analyzed a retrospective cohort of 13,977 veterans with HF hospitalized at the Veterans Affairs (VA) or non-VA facilities from 2007 to 2011; we analyzed rates of acute health care utilization using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results Compared to VA-only users and dual users, individuals receiving all of their ED and hospital care outside the VA tended to be older, more likely to be non-Hispanic white and married, and less likely to have high levels of service connected disability. Compared to VA-only users, dual users had significantly higher rates of ED visits for HF as a primary diagnosis (adjusted rate ratio 1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.27), hospitalization for HF (adjusted rate ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.26-1.56), hospital readmission after HF hospitalization (all cause) (1.46, 95% CI 1.30-1.65), and HF-specific hospital readmission after HF hospitalization (1.46, 95% CI 1.31-1.63). With the exception of hospitalization for any primary diagnosis, non–VA-only users had significantly lower rates of ED visits, hospitalization, and readmission compared to VA-only users. Conclusions Dual use is associated with higher rates of health care utilization among patients with HF. Interventions should be devised to encourage continuity of care where possible and to improve the effectiveness and safety of dual use in instances where it is necessary or desired.
Buy one get one free: Distant annotation of Chinese tense, event type and modality

We describe a “distant annotation” method where we mark up the semantic tense, event type, and modality of Chinese events via a word-aligned parallel corpus. We first map Chinese verbs to their English counterparts via word alignment, and then annotate the resulting English text spans with coarse-grained categories for semantic tense, event type, and modality that we believe apply to both English and Chinese. Because English has richer morpho-syntactic indicators for semantic tense, event type and modality than Chinese, our intuition is that this distant annotation approach will yield more consistent annotation than if we annotate the Chinese side directly. We report experimental results that show stable annotation agreement statistics and that event type and modality have significant influence on tense prediction. We also report the size of the annotated corpus that we have obtained, and how different domains impact annotation consistency.
The Housewife's Tale: Maternal Poetics in Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding

AbstractIn Delta Wedding, Welty immerses the reader in the world of the traditional home-centered woman. The novel explores the transformational, even sacred, nature of housework and domestic ritual through the experiences of five female characters at different stages of development, from 9-year-old Laura to Ellen, the "mother of them all." Structurally, the novel is organized by the intertwined and repeated circular journeys of the women, journeys that echo primal stories of female development. The repetition and sense of stasis that are integral to these elements as archetypal female experiences have irritated some critics. But the novel provides a framework for the maternal ethic of "holding" and offers a feminist poetics, essential for fully appreciating other texts that celebrate traditional female experiences. (Literary criticism; gender studies)
Reversible aqueous zinc/manganese oxide energy storage from conversion reactions

Rechargeable aqueous batteries such as alkaline zinc/manganese oxide batteries are highly desirable for large-scale energy storage owing to their low cost and high safety; however, cycling stability is a major issue for their applications. Here we demonstrate a highly reversible zinc/manganese oxide system in which optimal mild aqueous ZnSO4-based solution is used as the electrolyte, and nanofibres of a manganese oxide phase, α-MnO2, are used as the cathode. We show that a chemical conversion reaction mechanism between α-MnO2 and H+ is mainly responsible for the good performance of the system. This includes an operating voltage of 1.44 V, a capacity of 285 mAh g−1 (MnO2), and capacity retention of 92% over 5,000 cycles. The Zn metal anode also shows high stability. This finding opens new opportunities for the development of low-cost, high-performance rechargeable aqueous batteries. Rechargeable aqueous batteries are attractive owing to their relatively low cost and safety. Here the authors report an aqueous zinc/manganese oxide battery that operates via a conversion reaction mechanism and exhibits a long-term cycling stability.
External Insulation Characteristic for UHVAC Transmission Line with Double-circuit on the Same Tower

Proper external insulation design is an important factor for safe running of power transmission line,so,in order to ensure the insulation strength and optimize the tower design of the first UHVAC transmission line with two circuits on the same tower in China,the external insulation characteristic of the tower gap and the withstand voltage characteristic of long polluted insulator strings were investigated.The power frequency voltage,different wave-front switching impulse voltage and lightning impulse voltage flashover were tested by real tower method.On the basis of the UHVAC transmission line,and the withstand voltage was tested on the long polluted insulator at the pollution test hall.Several important air gap flashover characteristic curves and withstand voltage characteristic curves of polluted insulators were gotten.According to the test results and the overvoltage simulation conclusion,the insulation co-ordination problem of the line was analyzed,and the minimum safe insulation air gap and insulator configuration were determined,which has been used as the base for the design of this power transmission project.
Research on Material Packaging of Telecom Equipment

The kinds of material delivered from telecom equipment manufacturer are various,and their hierarchical structure differs greatly.It's often unable to ensure the precision of delivering in actual operation and often unable to satisfy the requirement of client,the third party logistics,and enterprise.This paper provided a solution to realize packaging traceability and to improve packaging efficiency in detail.The effectiveness and feasibility of this solution were proven by practice.
Rate of transport of radioactive ovum models through the oviducts of individual rabbits.

The transport of radioactive ovum models of 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,000 μ . diameter through the oviducts was measured. Four surrogates of a given size were transferred into each oviduct 6 hours after injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The surrogates were located in the oviducts 24, 48, 60, 66, and 72 hours after HCG injection with a collimated end-window Geiger-Mueller tube. Thus the time-course of the transport of each surrogate, from ampulla to uterus in the same animal, was plotted. The time-course of surrogate transport was directly related to surrogate size. Our data suggest that normal tubal patency and ovum transport function can be tested by introducing radioactive ovum surrogates of appropriate size into the oviducts and monitoring their time of arrival at the uterus.
A Statistical Model for the Energetics of Spectral Sensitization

AbstractA dynamical model of spectral sensitization is proposed which incorporates in it the statistical distribution of energy levels of arrays of dye molecules adsorbed on real crystal surfaces. Using only measurable quantities, without adjustable parameters, it permits rough quantitative calculations of the efficiency of sensitization in a system in terms of the fraction of molecules which satisfy an energetic criterion for sensitization. A semi-quantitative treatment of desensitization is also possible using the same formalism.
New Flat Plate Turbulent Velocity Profiles

A new, simple equation describing the turbulent velocity profile over flat plates is developed by using the control volume statements of mass and momentum conservation. This expression accurately gives the velocity in the laminar sublayer, buffer zone, and logarithmic regions. Velocity profile results are compared to accepted data and a new expression for the eddy viscosity is also compared to measurements made near the wall. The development is then extended to include the effects of plate roughness, producing a simple but more general equation. An application which utilizes the new equations to analyze sediment transport is presented.
Preference for flavored wheat straw by lambs conditioned with intraruminal infusions of acetate and propionate.

We hypothesized that volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid are feedback signals that can condition food preferences or aversions in sheep. Three predictions were tested based on this hypothesis: 1 ) low doses of sodium propionate or sodium acetate condition preferences, but high doses condition aver- sions (Exp. 1 and 2); 2 ) preferences are not caused by osmotic load (Exp. 3 and 4); and 3 ) low doses of mixtures of acetate:propionate condition preferences (Exp. 4). In Exp. 1, 2, and 4, lambs were divided into four groups (10 lambs/group), and lambs in Exp. 3 were divided into two groups (five lambs/group). In all experiments, alfalfa pellets were the basal diet. On even days, half of the lambs were offered chopped wheat straw containing a distinctive flavor, whereas the other half received straw with a different flavor. During straw ingestion, different groups of lambs received intraruminal infusions of different concentra- tions (4, 8, or 12% of the daily DE received) of sodium propionate (Exp. 1), sodium acetate (Exp. 2), NaCl at osmotic loads equivalent to those when propionate supplied 4% of the daily DE received (Exp. 3), or different proportions of sodium acetate:sodium propi- onate (55:45 or 75:25% of the DE of the infusion (4% of the daily DE received)), or equimolar amounts of NaCl (Exp. 4). On odd days, the flavors were switched, and no infusions were administered. After 8 d of conditioning, lambs were offered a choice of wheat straw with the two distinctive flavors. Lambs preferred the flavor paired with the lowest doses of propionate ( P = .07) and acetate ( P = .08) but avoided the highest doses ( P .05). Thus, osmolalities were not responsible for flavor prefer- ences. In conclusion, our results support the hypothe- sis that food preferences and aversions reside along a continuum that depends on the amount of VFA infused.
NOTES ON PETROGRAPHY AND ROCK-FORMING MINERALOGY (9)

Muscovites from the Sanbagawa schists exhibit a wide range of 2Vx, from 0° to 40°, even in a hand specimen and often in a single muscovite flake. This is due to the superposition of 3T and 2M1 polytypes of muscovite, sometimes in a scale larger than the wavelength of visible light, and sometimes less than that. Chemical environments and metamorphic grade show no preference to the types of polytypes in the range of metamorphic grade covering the glaucophane schists and epidote amphibolite facies.
Use of Advanced Neuroimaging (fMRI, DTI/Tractography) in the Treatment of Malignant Gliomas

Functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been used in the treatment of gliomas for over two decades. Their development as practical clinical tools has been driven by advancements in professional training as much as in technique and methods. How these advanced imaging results are incorporated into clinical decision making requires careful consideration. Neither fMRI nor DTI measures function or connectivity directly, but rather both use physiological properties of blood oxygenation and water diffusion, respectively, as a proxy measure from which predictive models are derived. As such, output can be heavily dependent on many design and technical factors. In most cases, advanced neuroimaging serves to compliment invasive direct cortical stimulation in that it can guide intraoperative mapping or add information about whether an awake neurosurgical procedure is necessary. What follows is a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of both techniques in the treatment of gliomas.
Reaching Out to Paraprofessionals: Engaging Professional Development Aligned With Universal Design for Learning Framework in Rural Communities

The literature reveals that paraprofessionals are responsible for supporting students at risk of/with disabilities in a variety of academic and nonacademic tasks, yet they often lack appropriate tr...
The Changing Effect of Education on Asian Immigrants' Self‐Employment

This article examines whether the post-1990 Asian immigrants have a lower likelihood of being self-employed than their counterparts in the 1970s–1980s immigrant cohort. More important, it investigates whether the relationship between education and self-employment changes across the two immigrant cohorts. The authors framed these questions in the context of the changing U.S. immigration policy and used the ethnic and class recourses thesis and the thesis emphasizing immigrants' disadvantages for employment in the general labor market as two major theoretical orientations. Data come from the 1990 Census 5 percent sample and the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-year sample. Findings from logistic regression analyses show that the second-cohort Chinese, Asian Indian, and Korean immigrants have a lower likelihood of being self-employed than their first-cohort counterparts. Findings further show that education has a positive effect on the likelihood of self-employment for the first-cohort Asian Indian, Filipino, and Korean immigrants. For the second cohort, education has a negative effect on the likelihood of self-employment for all Asian immigrant groups. The authors discussed the implications of these findings and concluded that well-educated second-cohort Asian immigrants face fewer disadvantages in finding their occupations commensurate with their educational level in the general labor market than their first-cohort counterparts.
Bile Diverting Operations in the Management of Reflux Esophagitis and Alkaline Reflux Gastritis

After one or more failed procedures for gastroesophageal reflux, one may elect to attack the esophagogastric junction another time by performing either a Collis-Nissen operation or a jejunal interposition procedure. If the patient is a poor-risk candidate for a formidable repeat dissection in the region of the esophagogastric junction, or if the technical difficulties are overwhelming, a possible alternative is a distal gastrectomy combined with a Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. In 1970 Payne reported 15 patients who were suffering from “permanent incompetence of the cardia” and who were treated by vagotomy, hemigastrectomy, and Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy. All had severe esophagitis and six of the patients had serious strictures. Three patients suffered from achalasia and two from scleroderma of the esophagus. All of the patients had satisfactory results, although long-term follow-up has not been reported.
Do Pregnant Inmates have a Constitutional Right to Opioid Replacement Therapy

Changes in the national drug laws have resulted in a marked increase in the number of individuals who have been incarcerated in the United States over the past several decades; women have not been exempt from this trend. Incarcerated women who are pregnant and at risk of experiencing opioid withdrawal often lack access to opioid replacement therapy while in jails and prisons, although this treatment is necessary to prevent significant acute withdrawal that can be detrimental to maternal-fetal health. I contend that pregnant inmates who are at risk of experiencing opioid withdrawal possess a constitutional right to receive opioid replacement therapy while incarcerated and that failure to provide this treatment represents a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Magnetic Resonance Investigation of Hemoglobin from Sickle Deteriorated Erythrocytes

Sickle hemoglobin under physiological conditions and concentrations aggregates upon de oxygenation to form a viscous gel composed of long fibers consisting of filaments of stacked rings, of which several detailed structures have been proposed (Finch et al., 1973). The important change in sickle hemoglobin is substitution of a non-polar hydrophobic residue (valine) for a polar residue (glutamic acid). This suggests that hydrophobic interactions are important in stabilizing HbS aggregation (Votano et al., 1977). A variety of small molecules containing hydrophobic moieties have been shown to inhibit the aggregation or gelation of deoxygenated HbS (Novak et al. 1978, 1979). These agents include aryalalkanes (Ross and Subramanian, 1977), the aromatic amino acids (Noguchi and Schechter, 1977, 1978), aliphatic alchols, amides and ureas (Poillon, 1980), a variety of oligopeptides (Kubota and Yang, 1977; Votano et al., 1977; Gorecki et al., 1980), and a variety of phenyl derivatives (Gorecki et al., 1980; Poillon, 1982). The inhibitory effects of these agents are believed to be due to a competitive interference mechanism in which the inhibitor binds to the HbS molecule at one of the important contact sites, and blocks other HbS molecules from binding at that site (Abraham et al., 1975; Behe and Englander, 1979).
Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)

Myocardial infarction (MI) due to coronary artery disease is a leading cause of mortality in the USA. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (AMI) is defined as myocardial injury with evidence of cell necrosis in the form of cardiac troponin elevation greater than the 99th percentile of upper reference limit, in a clinical setting. With wider application of early reperfusion therapy, there is significant improvement in the management of myocardial infarction, with a significant resulting decrease of 30-day mortality (Anderson and Morrow, N Engl J Med;376(21):2053–64, 2017).
Variant detection analysis on FFPE solid tumors using Illumina’s Praxis™ Oncology Panel 15*.

e23151Background: Cancer is a genetic disease driven by heritable or somatic mutations. Diagnosis and classification is moving away from histopathological grading and staging towards molecular categorization of the tumor. Detection of genetic alterations in cancer facilitates selecting targeted therapies, increasing the demand for identifying actionable mutations in clinical specimens. Next-generation sequencing has emerged as a powerful technique to detect genetic variations in oncology samples. Methods: We used Illumina’s investigational Praxis Oncology Panel 15 (OGP) and the MiSeqDx system to analyze molecular alterations in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens. We analyzed 140 FFPE samples from different tissues using 20 ng of DNA per sample. Results: The assay results showed an overall 87% success rate; 122/140 samples generated sequencing data. Of 18 unsuccessful samples, one (0.7%) had less than 20 ng of DNA and was excluded from library preparation; 14 (10.1%) failed library QC and w...
Latent Class Analysis to Examine Patterns of Smoking and Other Tobacco Products in Young Adult Bar Patrons.

Abstract Purpose Use of multiple tobacco products is increasing, particularly among young adults. Latent class analysis of substance-use patterns provides a framework for understanding the heterogeneity of use. We sought to identify different patterns of cigarette, e-cigarette, hookah, cigarillo, and smokeless tobacco use among young adult bar patrons. Methods We conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys of randomized time location samples of young adult California bar patrons in 2013 and 2014. Latent class analysis was used to examine patterns of use among current (past 30-day) tobacco users. Classes were compared on demographic characteristics and tobacco use correlates. Results Overall 84.4% of the current tobacco users were cigarette smokers, 38.7% used electronic cigarettes, 35.9% used hookah, 30.1% smoked cigars/cigarillos, and 15.4% used smokeless tobacco in the past 30 days. We extracted six latent classes: “Cigarette only” (n = 1690), “Hookah mostly” (n = 479), “High overall use” (n = 528), “Smokeless mostly” (n = 95), “E-cigarette mostly” (n = 439), “Cigars mostly” (n = 435). These classes differed in their risk profiles on both current use compared to no use, and number of days they used each tobacco product. Differences between classes emerged on demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity) and tobacco correlates including perceived peer smoking, antitobacco industry attitudes, prioritizing social activities, and advertising receptivity. Conclusions Understanding different patterns of multiple tobacco product use may inform both prevention and cessation programming for young adults. It may be efficient to tailor messages to different latent classes and address the distinct demographic and attitudinal profiles of groups of multiple tobacco product users.
An agent-based modeling approach to project adoption of water reuse and evaluate expansion plans within a sociotechnical water infrastructure system

Abstract The introduction of water reuse infrastructure into an existing water supply system is a complex sociotechnical process. For a dual reticulation program, infrastructure designs affect adoption, as the expansion of infrastructure defines when a household can adopt and become active in communicating about water reuse. This research develops a coupled framework to capture the dynamics among consumer adoption and infrastructure expansion. An agent-based modeling approach is used to simulate opinion dynamics within a risk publics framework, which is based on the social amplification of risk and captures changes in perceptions about the risks and benefits of water reuse. The model is applied to simulate and project adoption of water reuse for the Town of Cary, North Carolina, using data about new water reclamation accounts and plans for infrastructure expansion. Performance of the agent-based model is compared with a cellular automata model for simulating historic data. Alternative infrastructure expansion schedules are simulated using the agent-based model to evaluate potable water savings and utilization of reclaimed water capacity, based on adoption projections. The framework provides a sociotechnical approach to evaluate development plans for infrastructure systems that rely on adoption of infrastructure-dependent technologies.
Timeline from Referral to Admission for CAR-T Infusion: A Single Institution Experience in an Academic Medical Center

Introduction Administration of chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR-T) requires the coordination of a multi-disciplinary team including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, apheresis and financial leaders. With the commercial approval of tisagenlecleucel and axicabtagene ciloleucel, centers were challenged with securing financial authorization, completing leukapheresis and lymphodepleting chemotherapy in a timely manner prior to cellular infusion in an acute patient population. Objectives/Methods To establish these processes our team participated in weekly meetings and created an email group to track from time of referral to admission for therapy. All patient communication was filtered through this group. Result/Conclusion At our center, our median time from patient referral and assessment to submission for financial clearance was 1 day (range 1-4) [Table 1]. To secure insurance clearance our financial team completed prior authorization and single case agreements for each patient. This took a median time of 12 days (range 1-36) but has shown a general decrease over time. After financial clearance our institution requires executive approval prior to submission of the purchase order before patients can undergo leukapheresis. Our executive leadership team approved and a purchase order was submitted in a median of 1 day (range 0-4). The leukapheresis procedure was scheduled and completed in a median of 5 days (range 2-12). Our team waits for confirmation that the product has cleared quality and product is ready for shipment before beginning lymphodepleting treatment in the outpatient setting but generally do not wait for the cellular product to arrive. Time from leukapheresis procedure to admission for CAR-T cells was a median of 22 days (range 20-57). This was dependent on the patient's disease status at the time of leukapheresis and varied if a patient required bridging chemotherapy. Our median timeline from initial patient referral to admission for cell infusion is approximately 37 days (range 31-80). Our median length of stay is 11.5 days (range 7-59). This is the first report of quality outcomes related to the time from initial patient referral to admission for CAR T infusion. Opportunities still exist to decrease this pre-treatment timeline in this heavily treated acute patient population.
Understanding the photoacid generator distribution at nanoscale using massive cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry

As the semiconductor industry continuously pursues smaller and more advanced device nodes, improving the lithographic performance of photoresists becomes more critical and challenging. The homogeneity of the photoresist formulation components within the thin film, such as the distribution of photoacid generator (PAG) molecules, are critical factors influencing resolving capability and the sidewall roughness after development. However, there is still lack of fundamental experimental approaches to probe the distribution of these components at the nanoscale throughout the photoresist film. Herein, we present the use of a new methodology, namely, massive cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (MC-SIMS), to determine PAG homogeneity on a 10-15 nm scale within a photoresist film. In comparison to conventional SIMS, of which the detection spatial resolution is limited to large domains and the data is aggregated prior to analysis, MC-SIMS bombards the sample with a sequence of massive Au400 +4 nanoprojectiles, each separated in time and space, collecting and mass analyzing the co-emitted secondary ions from each projectile impact. Each sample is analyzed with a large quantity (106-107) of individual projectile impacts within an analysis area 125 μm in diameter. Analysis of co-emission of these independent 106-107 mass spectra allows for identification of co-localized molecules within nanodomains ~10-15 nm diameter and ~10 nm in depth (the emission area of a single impact) from the film surface. This unique method therefore reveals spatial distributions of molecules at the nanoscale. Using MC-SIMS methodology, we directly measured key factors influencing the PAG homogeneity at the nanoscale including (1) PAG concentration, (2) the nature of the polymer matrix, (3) the nature of the PAG, and (4) additives. We discovered that 85-95% of PAG salts aggregate at the nanoscale. The majority of the PAG aggregates are less than 10 nm in size and are highly homogeneously distributed within the polymer matrix in the film. Furthermore, the size of the PAG aggregates can be manipulated by additives through an ion-exchange mechanism.
Computational prediction and characterization of two-dimensional pentagonal arsenopyrite FeAsS

Abstract Two-dimensional (2D) pentagonal materials emerge as a new group of 2D materials with pentagonal rather than the more common hexagonal structure. Most of the existing and predicted 2D pentagonal materials are binary compounds, whereas adding more elements is likely to bring in extra properties. We apply a datamining process in the Materials Project to search for 3D ternary compounds, where one can derive 2D materials with pentagonal structure. We identify 34 ternary compounds that exhibit negative formation energies. We focus on one of these compounds, FeAsS, and we find that its single-layer counterpart exhibits an almost completely planar structure with dynamically stable phonon modes. This single-layer material is also a semiconductor with the antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering. We also find that the Fe-As-Fe and Fe-S-Fe exchange couplings are of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic types, respectively, and the former exchange coupling strength is significantly stronger, leading to the AFM ordering. Finally, we account for the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in the computational characterization. We find strong magnetocrystalline anisotropy as a result of the SOC. We further compute the Berry curvature for single-layer pentagonal FeAsS and find that at the Y point of the reciprocal space, the Berry curvature is both sizable and asymmetric. We expect more theoretical efforts to be spent towards designing 2D ternary pentagonal materials as a result of this work.
Management of Acute Appendicitis in Special Pediatric Situations: Malignancy, Neutropenia, and Other Etiologies of Immune Suppression

The diagnosis and management of acute appendicitis in children with neutropenia secondary to chemotherapy or other causes of immune deficiency are challenging. These children are at risk for severe infectious complications without definitive source control but may also be at heightened risk for surgical complications. Reported data from institutional case series support the safety and efficacy of both up-front appendectomy and broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy with or without delayed appendectomy. Further research is required to determine the optimal treatment approach for this challenging group of patients.
Measurement of higher-order stress-strain effects in granular materials undergoing non-uniform deformation

Abstract Discrete element (DEM) simulations demonstrate that granular materials are non-simple, meaning that the incremental stiffness of a granular assembly depends on the gradients of the strain increment as well as on the strain increment itself. In quasi-static simulations, two-dimensional granular assemblies were stiffer when the imposed deformation was non-uniform than for uniform deformation. The contacts between particles were modeled as linear–frictional contacts with no contact moments. The results are interpreted in the context of a higher-order micro-polar continuum, which admits the possibility of higher-order stress and couple-stress. Although the behavior was non-simple, no evidence was found for a couple-stress or an associated stiffness. The experimental results apply consistently to three particle shapes (circles, ovals, and a non-convex cluster shape), to assemblies of three sizes (ranging from 250 to 4000 particles), and at pre-peak and post-peak strains.
Cancer and older adult patient care

Cancer occurs most frequently in patients aged 65 and older. With the increasing age of the world's population, there will be a significant increase in cancer diagnoses in older adults. Aging imposes a wide variety of physiological responses, comorbidities, and ailments, but older patients are less represented in clinical studies. Specific needs of older patients with cancer often go under-recognized and consequently unmet. In this review, common diagnoses that can affect the outcomes of this population, including frailty, malnutrition, and delirium, are discussed. Areas that need further research to improve the care of geriatric cancer patients, particularly in the hospital settings, are also identified.
Amending the Delaware Corporate Code by Going to Court: Some Thoughts on Sciabacucchi v. Salzberg

In Sciabacucchi v. Salzberg, the Delaware Chancery Court held that Delaware corporations are prohibited from providing in their charters provisions that would route certain federal securities act claims to federal rather than state court. However, to reach this result, the court had to adopt an approach to choice of law rules and form contracts that is very different from the one courts usually take and without providing any justification for such exceptional treatment. The Delaware Supreme Court should reverse the decision and let the Delaware Legislature amend the statute if the result in Sciabacucchi really is the policy of the state of Delaware with respect to the scope of the corporate contract.
DELAYED CORONARY OBSTRUCTION: A RARE COMPLICATION FOLLOWING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT

Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) is a treatment option for severe aortic stenosis (AS) in patients with high or intermediate surgical risk and was recently expanded to low risk patients. Dual antiplatelet therapy for 6 months followed by lifelong aspirin is favored for antithrombosis
Assessment of N95 and K95 respirator decontamination: fiber integrity, filtration efficiency, and dipole charge density

Author(s): Yim, Wonjun; Cheng, Diyi; Patel, Shiv; Kui, Rui; Meng, Ying Shirley; Jokerst, Jesse V | Abstract: Personal protective equipment (PPE) including N95 respirators are critical for persons exposed to SARS-CoV-2. KN95 respirators and N95 decontamination protocols have been described as solutions to a lack of such PPE. However, there are a few materials science studies that characterize the charge distribution and physical changes accompanying disinfection treatments particularly heating. Here, we report the filtration efficiency, dipole charge density, and fiber integrity of pristine N95 and KN95 respirators before and after various decontamination methods. We found that the filter layer of N95 is 8-fold thicker than that of KN95, which explains its 10% higher filtration efficiency (97.03 %) versus KN95 (87.76 %) under pristines condition. After 60 minutes of 70 °C treatment, the filtration efficiency and dipole charge density of N95 became 97.16% and 12.48 µC/m2, while those of KN95 were 83.64% and 1.48 µC/m2 ; moreover, fit factor of N95 was 55 and that of KN95 was 2.7. In conclusion, the KN95 respirator is an inferior alternative of N95 respirator. In both systems, a loss of electrostatic charge does not directly correlate to a decrease in performance.