cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual-Specificity CAR+ T Cells to Target B-Cell Malignancies and Opportunistic Fungal Infection

s / Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 20 (2014) S128eS150 S132 CTL was characterized as to eps specificity and restricting HLA allele. The pool of CTL donors inherited HLA alleles in frequencies similar to those in caucasian and black populations, with certain alleles overrepresented. In 55% of the CTL lines, the ID T-cell response (TCr) was restricted (restr.) by 3 HLA alleles: A0201(25%), B0702(21%) and B 3501-11(9%); 45% of CTL lines were restr. by other class-I alleles, and 17/123(14%) were restr. by class-II alleles. Certain CMVpp65 15 mers contained overlapping eps presented by both class-I and class-II, which elicitedmore robust TCr. CTLs from all B0702+ donors (26/26) were restr. by B0702. In comparison, CTLs from 30/39(77%) A0201+ donors and 9/19 (47%) HLA B3501-11+ donors were restr. by A0201 and B3501-11 respectively. Donors coinheriting A0201 and B 0702 (9/9) universally demonstrated B0702 restr. ID TCr. In comparison, 11/12 (91.6%) donors coinheriting A0201 and B 4401-04 demonstrated HLA A0201 restr. CTLs. Strikingly, only 1/123 and 0/123 A1101+ and A0301+ donors respectively demonstrated CTLs restr. by these commonly inherited class eI alleles. This analysis thus indicates an immunodominance hierarchy for CMVpp65 eps and their presenting HLA alleles. In a series of 239 MUD, 137 MMUD, and 100 DUCB consecutive HSCT at MSKCC, we could identify an immediately available CMVpp65 specific CTL line matched with the patient at 2-3 alleles and restr. by a shared HLA allele in this GMP-CTL bank in 86%, 89% and 80% cases respectively. This CTL bank thus provides a clinical reagent for the treatment of CMV infections in HSCT recipients. The delineated immunodominance hierarchy for CMVpp65 may also facilitate selection of an appropriately restr. CTL line for treatment with predicted activity in the recipient. We can also successfully generate CMV-CTLs against subdominant CMVpp65 eps presented prevalent HLA alleles using a panel of artificial antigen presenting cells (AAPCs). Expansion of this bank with CTLs generated with AAPCs can broaden its applicability to almost all HSCT recipients.
The Homogeneous Self-Dual Method

In Chapter 18, we described and analyzed an interior-point method called the path-following algorithm. This algorithm is essentially what one implements in practice but as we saw in the section on convergence analysis, it is not easy (and perhaps not possible) to give a complete proof that the method converges to an optimal solution. If convergence were completely established, the question would still remain as to how fast is the convergence. In this chapter, we shall present a similar algorithm for which a complete convergence analysis can be given.
Determinants of Serum Bile Acids in Chronic Liver Disease

In normal subjects intestinal input of bile acids into the portal vein is the major determinant of peripheral bile-acid concentrations. In the present study some aspects of enterohepatic circulation of bile acids were analyzed for total bile acids, cholylglycine, and sulfolithocholylglycine in 8 patients with alcoholic liver disease. At the time of combined hepatic vein catheterization and transhepatic portal vein pressure measurement, simultaneous samples of blood were obtained for measurement of bile acids from portal vein, hepatic vein, and peripheral vein, both in the fasting state and during a 90-min period after injection of cholecystokinin. For all bile acids, concentrations were significantly lower in the hepatic vein than in the portal vein. No correlation was found between peripheral vein concentrations of bile acids and any of the liver status tests. Also, the ratio of hepatic vein to portal vein bile acids, an estimate of hepatic extraction of bile acids, did not correlate with peripheral vein levels, while it did with the prothrombin time, (r = -0.68, P
Superfluidity and Space-Time Translation Symmetry Breaking

I present a simple model that exhibits a temporal analogue of superconducting crystalline (Larkin-Ovchinnikov-Ferrell-Fulde) ordering, with a time-dependent order parameter. I sketch designs for minimally dissipative ac circuits, all based on time translation symmetry ($\ensuremath{\tau}$) invariant dynamics, exploiting weak links (Josephson effects). These systems violate $\ensuremath{\tau}$ spontaneously. I also discuss effective theories of that phenomenon, and space-time generalizations.
Inheritance and Chromosomal Assignment of Powdery Mildew Resistance Genes in Two Winter Wheat Germplasm Lines

Powdery mildew of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), caused by Blumeria graminis DC f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal, occurs annually in eastern North America resulting in reduced grain yield and end-use quality in susceptible cultivars. The objectives of this study were to determine the inheritance, chromosomal location, and linkage with molecular markers of powdery mildew resistance genes in the two recently released germplasm lines NC96BGTA4 and NC99BGTAG11. Between 99 and 194 F 2:3 progenies plus parents in two populations, 'Saluda' x NC96BGTA4 and Saluda × NC99BGTAG11, were evaluated in greenhouse and field nurseries for reaction to powdery mildew infection. Results indicated that the germplasm lines each contained a different, partially dominant, major resistance gene. The two segregating populations were subjected to amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat, or microsatellite (SSR) analyses. Both resistance genes were located on the long arm of chromosome 7A. The most likely locus order indicated that the resistance gene in NC96BGTA4 was flanked by the SSR loci Xbarc292 and Xwmc525. The resistance gene in NC99BGTAG11 was most likely flanked by the AFLP markers XE38MS4-196 and XE36M55-126, and the SSR loci Xgwm332 and Xwmc525. Both genes mapped to a chromosome arm that contains the powdery mildew resistance loci Pml and Pm9. The resistance genes in the two germplasms are different from the Pmla allele. Our mapping results suggested that the resistance genes were not alleles at the Pml or Pm9 loci, but further allelism tests are necessary to determine, the relationships both between the two genes themselves and between the two genes and named Pm loci on chromosome 7AL.
Three phase current-fed Z-source PWM rectifier

Traditional voltage-source PWM rectifier (VSR) is a boost converter and traditional current-source PWM rectifier (CSR) is a buck converter. A dc-dc converter is requested to use with them to implement buck-boost capability. Also CSR can only provide unidirectional power flow. To overcome these limitations, voltage-fed Z-source PWM rectifier and current-fed Z-source PWM rectifier have been proposed. They can buck and boost the ac voltage with only six active switches. In addition, current-fed Z-source PWM rectifier has its own merits because it can provide bidirectional power flow without replacing the diode in Z network with an active switch which is required in voltage-fed Z-source PWM rectifier. However, CSRs are less investigated because the switches have to be reverse blocking. Recently developed reverse blocking IGBT (RB-IGBT) makes the CSRs and current-fed Z-source rectifiers more attractive and realizable. This paper describes the operating principle of this current-fed Z-source PWM rectifier, analyzes the circuit and characteristics, and discuss the PWM control strategy. A RB-IGBT based current-fed Z-source PWM rectifier has been developed in laboratory. Both simulation and experimental results are shown to verify the operation and theoretical analysis.
The effects of fixed ratio sample requirements on matching to sample in the pigeon

Eight Carneaux pigeons were trained on a zero-delay matching-to-sample task in which 1, 10, 20, or 40 responses were required to the sample before presentation of the comparison stimuli. The results indicated increased speed of acquisition as a direct function of the FR sample requirement. In addition, increasing the number of required sample responses facilitated performance in both delayed matching and in a transfer task in which novel stimuli were introduced. These results are discussed in terms of the strengthening of mediating events associated with each sample.
Climatic variability leads to later seasonal flowering of Floridian plants

Understanding species responses to global change will help predict shifts in species distributions as well as aid in conservation. Changes in the timing of seasonal activities of organisms over time may be the most responsive and easily observable indicator of environmental changes associated with global climate change. It is unknown how global climate change will affect species distributions and developmental events in subtropical ecosystems or if climate change will differentially favor nonnative species. Contrary to previously observed trends for earlier flowering onset of plant species with increasing spring temperatures from mid and higher latitudes, we document a trend for delayed seasonal flowering among plants in Florida. Additionally, there were few differences in reproductive responses by native and nonnative species to climatic changes. We argue that plants in Florida have different reproductive cues than those from more northern climates. With global change, minimum temperatures have become more variable within the temperate-subtropical zone that occurs across the peninsula and this variation is strongly associated with delayed flowering among Florida plants. Our data suggest that climate change varies by region and season and is not a simple case of species responding to consistently increasing temperatures across the region. Research on climate change impacts need to be extended outside of the heavily studied higher latitudes to include subtropical and tropical systems in order to properly understand the complexity of regional and seasonal differences of climate change on species responses.
Is It Irrational to be Immoral? A Response to Freeman

(1978). Is It Irrational to be Immoral? A Response to Freeman. Educational Philosophy and Theory: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 51-61.
Multivariable stability margin optimization with decoupling and output regulation

A procedure is developed for maximizing frequency-weighted stability margin singular values for a multivariable linear time-invariant feedback control systems subject to design constraintsrequiring decoupling and asymptotic tracking in the presence of unstable command and disturbance signals, and closed-loop stability. The results are derived using Sarason's H? optimal interpolation results together with a new multivariable realizability Lemma.
New Insights into the Biosynthetic Logic of Ribosomally Synthesized and Post-translationally Modified Peptide Natural Products

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are a large group of structurally diverse natural products. Their biological activities and unique biosynthetic pathways have sparked a growing interest in RiPPs. Furthermore, the relatively low genetic complexity associated with RiPP biosynthesis makes them excellent candidates for synthetic biology applications. This Review highlights recent developments in the understanding of the biosynthesis of several bacterial RiPP family members, the use of the RiPP biosynthetic machinery for generating novel macrocyclic peptides, and the implementation of tools designed to guide the discovery and characterization of novel RiPPs.
Cross-Section Versus Time-Series Tests of Asset Pricing Models

Tests of asset-pricing models commonly use either the cross-section regression approach of Fama and MacBeth (1973) or the time-series regression approach that centers on the GRS test of Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken (1989). The goal here is to discuss how the two approaches differ and their relative advantages.
Fate of Listeria monocytogenes during the Manufacture, Ripening and Storage of Feta Cheese.

The ability of Listeria monocytogenes to grow during the Feta cheese-making process, and to survive during ripening, and storage of the cheese was examined. Pasteurized whole cow's milk was inoculated to contain ca. 5.0 × 103 L. monocytogenes [strain Scott A or California (CA)] cfu/ml and made into Feta cheese according to standard procedure. Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus (1:1, v/v) were used as starter culture (1%, v/v). Fresh cheese was placed into sterile 12% salt brine and was held at 22°C for 24 h. Then it was placed into sterile 6% salt brine and held 4 d at 22°C after which it was stored in the same brine at 4°C. Milk, curd, whey, cheese, and brine were tested for numbers of L. monocytogenes and pH. Duplicate samples were used to enumerate L. monocytogenes by surface-plating on McBride Listeria Agar. Selected Listeria colonies were confirmed biochemically, L. monocytogenes was entrapped in curd during cheese-making with the population in curd being 0.92 Log10 cfu/g greate...
The Trigger Arc Voltage Threshold under LEO Sustained Arcing Conditions

Sometimes primary (or trigger) arcs on space solar arrays transition into sustained arcs, where the solar array powers the arc until a string failure occurs. Up until now, it was believed that the voltage threshold for primary arcs when adjacent cells were under a relative bias with respect to one another was the same as the threshold when all cells were at the same potential. That this might not be the case was intimated in a 1998 paper which showed that under relative bias, trigger arcs occur preferentially on the edges of cells, rather than on the so-called triple points where interconnect, coverglass and plasma meet. A 2015 paper has shown that in order to understand the 1997-2002 string failures on a GEO commercial spacecraft, it must be assumed that the trigger arc threshold on a 100 V array coming out of eclipse can sometimes be less than about 100 volts, and that under laboratory testing in GEO conditions, a 220 V threshold or less is realistic. Here, we give laboratory results showing that the trigger arc threshold on biased strings in LEO may be as low as 70 V (lower than the 160 V string voltage on ISS and the 100 V string voltages on modern space power systems), and that the arc rate is very sensitive to the prior conditions before the differential bias is applied. Thus, it may be possible for spacecraft in LEO and in GEO to undergo sustained arcing under seemingly benign conditions. In conclusion, we give recommendations on the most effective and economical way to prevent sustained discharges over the lifetime of a satellite.
An Engineering Test Facility for Heavy Ion Fusion – Options and Scaling

The engineering test facility (ETF) for inertial fusion energy (IFE) is the development step preceding a demonstration power plant. As such, it must demonstrate, in an integrated facility, performance of all the key subsystems required for fusion energy production, including target production, injection and tracking, beam propagation and focusing, target gain and yield, chamber response and recovery between shots, heat removal, tritium recovery, and plant safety. In the present work, we combine our current understanding of the target physics and technology, thick liquid wall chambers, and a heavy ion driver to investigate integrated system scaling and operating scenarios for an ETF for heavy ion fusion.
Transcendental illusion II: rational cosmology

In contrast to rational psychology, rational cosmology and rational theology apply the transcendent idea of the unconditioned to the object of thought. Rational cosmology concerns objects taken as appearances; rational theology argues for God as the explanation of things in themselves. All three spurious sciences assume as objectively valid the illusory principle P 2 , that if the conditioned is given, the entire series of conditions is given. Despite their similar origin, the arguments and their resolutions differ in the three cases. In particular, the cosmological arguments have the form of antinomies, or pairs of opposing claims. Consequently, their solution involves the “skeptical method” mentioned in chapter 8. Kant attributes these differences to the fact that the ideas of the soul and God are “supersensible,” ideas of things that are not objects of experience. By contrast, the cosmological idea of the world-whole in space and time is based on experience. For this reason, Kant also claims that the Antinomies offer an indirect proof of transcendental idealism. The first part of this chapter introduces the Antinomies and their importance to the critical philosophy. The second examines the arguments in detail, discussing their strengths and weaknesses. The last section discusses the relation between the conflicts and transcendental idealism. INTRODUCTION TO THE ANTINOMIES In both the Prolegomena and a letter to Garve of 1798, Kant explains the significance of the Antinomies for his critical philosophy.
Von Recklinghausen Neurofibromatosis

A population-based study in southeast Wales and reported from the Institute of Medical Genetics and Section of Neurology, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, has identified 135 patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1), a prevalence of approximately 1/5000.
Robotic Assistance Confers Ambidexterity to Laparoscopic Surgeons.

Abstract Study Objective To examine whether a robotic surgical platform can complement the fine motor skills of the nondominant hand, compensating for the innate difference in dexterity between surgeon's hands, thereby conferring virtual ambidexterity. Design Crossover intervention study (Canadian Task Force classification II-1). Setting Centers for medical simulation in 2 tertiary care hospitals of Harvard Medical School. Participants Three groups of subjects were included: (1) surgical novices (medical graduates with no robotic/laparoscopic experience); (2) surgeons in training (postgraduate year 3–4 residents and fellows with intermediate robotic and laparoscopic experience); and (3) advanced surgeons (attending surgeons with extensive robotic and laparoscopic experience). Interventions Each study group completed 3 dry laboratory exercises based on exercises included in the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) curriculum. Each exercise was completed 4 times: using the dominant and nondominant hands, on a standard laparoscopic FLS box trainer, and in a robotic dry laboratory setup. Participants were randomized to the handedness and setting order in which they tackled the tasks. Measurements and Main Results Performance was primarily measured as time to completion, with adjustments based on errors. Means of performance for the dominant versus nondominant hand for each task were calculated and compared using repeated-measures analysis of variance. A total of 36 subjects were enrolled (12 per group). In the laparoscopic setting, the mean overall time to completion of all 3 tasks with the dominant hand differed significantly from that with the nondominant hand (439.4 seconds vs 568.4 seconds; p = .0008). The between-hand performance difference was nullified with the robotic system (374.4 seconds vs 399.7 seconds; p = .48). The evaluation of performance for each individual task also revealed a statistically significant disparate performance between hands for all 3 tasks when the laparoscopic approach was used (p = .003, .02, and .01, respectively); however, no between-hand difference was observed when the tasks were performed robotically. On analysis across the 3 surgeon experience groups, the performance advantage of robotic technology remained significant for the surgical novice and intermediate-level experience groups. Conclusion Robot-assisted laparoscopy may eliminate the operative handedness observed in conventional laparoscopy, allowing for virtual ambidexterity. This ergonomic advantage is particularly evident in surgical trainees. Virtual ambidexterity may represent an additional aspect of surgical robotics that facilitates mastery of minimally invasive skills.
"We Are Here Because You Were There": On Curriculum, Empire, and Global Migration.

If knowledge production is indelibly central to curriculum inquiry, then a critical investigation into the conditions of racialized minority and diasporic subjects in general and of Filipina/os in ...
Crisis information distribution on Twitter: a content analysis of tweets during Hurricane Sandy

Social media has been widely used for crisis communication during disasters, and its use during extreme events has drawn attention from both researchers and practitioners. Although crisis information coverage and distribution speed are important issues, both have not been studied extensively in the literature. This paper fills this gap by studying information distribution and coverage of social media during disasters. To this end, we searched and analyzed 986,579 tweets posted during Hurricane Sandy (October 22 to November 6, 2012). To learn about responses from official agents, we sampled 163 governmental organizations (GO), 31 non-governmental organizations (NGO) and 276 news agent accounts and their tweets for analysis. Specifically, five social media key performance indicators (KPIs) are studied in this paper, including impression, like, mention, re-tweet, and response time, and other variables such as hashtag, tweet frequency, and information type. We also test whether the five KPIs and other variables are different among different user types. Results show that total impression, re-tweet rate, hashtag, and tweet frequency are significantly $$(P<0.05)$$ different among different user types. Specifically, although news agent users generate a larger number of total impressions and tweet more frequently than GO and NGO users, their re-tweet rates and number of hashtags are lower than the GO and NGO users. Re-tweet rate based on mentioned users (5%) is significantly higher $$(P=0.00)$$ than that based on regular followers (0.01%). Nearly 89% of total impressions are generated from regular followers, with impressions from re-tweeting being a minority. This paper provides some new insights into how social media was used for crisis communication during disasters.
Response of natural microbial communities to human activities

At the outset of my discussion, I wish to stress two crucial points. First, the quantitative contribution of microbial processes to the function of terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems is almost totally unknown. Second, little compelling evidence exists showing that human activities are causing severe disturbances in major natural cycles or other geochemical processes of global concern that are catalyzed by microorganisms. On the other hand, little or no compelling evidence exists denying that such perturbations or significant upsets are occurring now or will occur if present trends are maintained. To a large extent, the second point arises because of our lack of a useful body of data on the first. Nevertheless, a reasonably large number of studies have been conducted, and a few generalizations, although they are still first approximations, can be advanced.
Reconfiguring State‒Business Relations in Turkey: Housing and Hydroelectric Energy Sectors in Comparative Perspective

AbstractThis article examines the transformation in Turkey’s political economy by focusing on state‒business relations in two key economic sectors: housing and energy. The housing sector experience...
Creating an online community

Park University provides education through 37 campuses, online and on-ground. Many campuses have relatively few students as well as many students receive all their education without a physical classroom. To connect and engage students in the Park community a virtual student club has been created.
Review of Current Classifications of Shoulder Instability

Classifying glenohumeral instability poses a significant challenge. Unlike the classification of fractures such as the AO classification of ankle fractures, or even soft-tissue injuries such as rotator cuff tears, glenohumeral instability constitutes a symptom not readily identified on an x-ray or MRI. Attempts to classify instability in the literature have actually contributed to ongoing confusion.
El teatro infantil en el siglo XIX: los casos de Manuel Ossorio Bernard y Francisco Pi y Arsuaga

La mayoria de los criticos coinciden a la hora de senalar que el nacimiento del teatro infantil como genero literario ocurre a finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX, resultado de un proceso que no seria ademas posible sin la mayor consideracion que la infancia como proceso evolutivo iba a tener en las sociedades burguesas del XIX; y el incipiente mercado capitalista y de consumo que estaba modelando en las sociedades de los paises desarrollados. En el surgimiento del teatro infantil como genero iba a jugar un importante papel ‘El teatro de los ninos’ de Jacinto Benavente, que iba a sentar las bases en las que se va a desarrollar el genero: alejamiento del caracter educacional y moral que habia definido a este tipo de producciones hasta entonces; y primacia absoluta de la imaginacion, la fantasia, el humor y la belleza. El proposito de este articulo es recuperar la produccion teatral de dos dramaturgos del siglo XIX cuya produccion infantil no ha recibido demasiada atencion critica: el periodista Manue...
Non-Rigid Image Registration

An important hypothesis of the research reported in this paper is that dynamic space warping (DSW), a dynamic programming (DP) technique (Bellman 1965, Brown 1996), can be effectively used for object matching and for inference of the image registration warping function. For this end, a novel, robust, and efficient method for non-rigid image registration using DSW in the “length–code” domain is developed. Length codes are affine transformation invariant object shape features (Baggs 1996). DSW is utilized to estimate linear, nonlinear, and non-rigid warping (Keogh 2006). The DP algorithm maps length codes in an attempt to identify objects that appear in more than one image and uses their coordinates to register the images.
Telling About Engagement Is Not Enough: Seeking the “Ethics” of Ethics Consultation in Clinical Ethics Case Reports

“The Zadeh Scenario,” a wondrously rich narrative generously shared by Finder, walks the reader through the interactions of an ethics consultant during a case. In this telling, Finder appears deeply cognizant of how memories can be affected by subsequent decisions and experiences. Hence, it is important to note that many key parts of the narrative – if not all of it – were captured concurrently or in close proximity to the actual events, thereby revealing the factual and normative obscurity that unfolds over the course of an ethics consultation. Finder’s polished skills of careful attention and mindful appreciation in recounting the “doing” of an ethics consult thus provide something of an anthropological account – telling us who went where and the content of several weighty conversations – rather than what might traditionally be expected from an ethical analysis of a case presentation. We see that a rich account of the clinical engagement of a consultant is ultimately not enough to provide a holistic account of the consultant’s practice or to discern core moral considerations that emerge among divergent standpoints. Much of the information that is needed to both understand and assess the role of the consultant, the goals of consultation, and the broader societal and legal context in which ethics consultations occur lies outside the parameters of a particular case – no matter how detailed or beautifully told.
Customer Perception Analysis Using Deep Learning and NLP

Abstract Understanding customer behavior and driving customer satisfaction are necessary for any business to succeed in the competing market. Companies need to be aware of the prevailing customer perceptions to make more accurate and effective plans for product development and marketing. Customer feedback is available through multiple channels. Specifically, we are interested in the unstructured data available as text that would be available through social media, comments from a survey, voice recordings of customer interactions, and chat transcripts. Analyzing such data correctly is critical, as it reveals everything from buying trends to product flaws and provides a significant business advantage. It would further strengthen business opportunity to uncover customer interests, product improvements, and marketing insights. In this paper, we explore different technologies of Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) that would help analyze better the contextual information to capture customer feedback.
α-BSM™: A Calcium Phosphate Delivery Vehicle

α-BSM™ is an injectable endothermically setting calcium phosphate bone substitute. α-BSM™ has been shown to be effective in promoting the healing of surgically created critical size defects and restoring bone biomechanical strength in several animal models. It has received regulatory clearance for orthopedic indications in both Canada and Europe and for dental and craniofacial indications in the United States. α-BSM™ is distinguished as a bone substitute by its prolonged working time at room temperature, and rapid hardening at body temperature. These properties, as well as its compatibility with a variety of aqueous hydrating agents, make α-BSM™ an attractive vehicle for the in situ delivery of therapeutic agents. In vitro studies have shown that antibiotics, such as gentamicin, can be stably incorporated into α-BSM™ prior to and during hardening, and that delivery kinetics can be controlled with the appropriate formulation and preparative procedures. The setting reaction is also compatible with biologically active proteins. rhBMP-2 has been incorporated into α-BSM™ and was demonstrated to be effective in stimulating ectopic bone formation in soft tissue and accelerating the restoration of a differentiated phenotype in a rabbit osteotomy model.
Achieving thermally stable supercapacitors with a temperature responsive electrolyte

Thermally stable electrochemical devices are ideal due to their stabilized performance and longer service life at extreme temperatures. However, ageing in supercapacitors, which is caused by generation of heat induced by high voltage, current, temperature, and aided by temperature induced self-accelerating reactions, plague the performance and lead to shortened service life. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) has been one of the most studied temperature responsive polymers (TRPs) in the past decades; it has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) around 32 °C. By integrating PNIPAM into aqueous electrolyte, it was found that once LCST is reached, the specific capacitance of supercapacitors is reduced, which is accredited to drag of ion migration and precipitated polymer chains reside upon electrode surface. The capacitance reduction is even more obvious when the electrolyte solute changed into large size solute potassium ferricyanide. In terms of specific capacitance, comparing to an increase of the control, the PNIPAM integrated systems experienced a decrease under 70 °C. The integration of TRPs into electrochemical systems offers alternative approach to suppress high temperature capacitive reactions and ageing, thus could guarantee longer service life, performance stabilized supercapacitors.
Impact of the Pediatric End‐Stage Liver Disease (PELD) growth failure thresholds on mortality among pediatric liver transplant candidates

The Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease (PELD) score is intended to determine priority for children awaiting liver transplantation. This study examines the impact of PELD's incorporation of "growth failure" as a threshold variable, defined as having weight or height <2 standard deviations below the age and gender norm (z-score <2). First, we demonstrate the "growth failure gap" created by PELD's current calculation methods, in which children have z-scores <2 but do not meet PELD's growth failure criteria and thus lose 6-7 PELD points. Second, we utilized United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data to investigate the impact of this "growth failure gap." Among 3291 pediatric liver transplant candidates, 26% met PELD-defined growth failure, and 17% fell in the growth failure gap. Children in the growth failure gap had a higher risk of waitlist mortality than those without growth failure (adjusted subhazard ratio [SHR] 1.78, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.05-3.02, P = .03). They also had a higher risk of posttransplant mortality (adjusted HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.03-2.32, P = .03). For children without PELD exception points (n = 1291), waitlist mortality risk nearly tripled for those in the gap (SHR 2.89, 95% CI 1.39-6.01, P = .005). Current methods for determining growth failure in PELD disadvantage candidates arbitrarily and increase their waitlist mortality risk. PELD should be revised to correct this disparity.
Parathyroidectomy in First Trimester of Pregnancy

Primary hyperparathyroidism is not commonly diagnosed during pregnancy. For pregnant women with mild, asymptomatic disease, surgery can be avoided unless the degree of hypercalcemia becomes more severe or they develop complications. However, there are no evidence-based guidelines to assist clinicians regarding the management of primary hyperparathyroidism during pregnancy. When surgery is deemed necessary during pregnancy, the second trimester is generally considered to be the optimal time. We report the case of a 31-year-old female G1P0 who presented at 6 weeks gestation with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, polyuria, and corrected calcium of 14.8 mg/dL. Due to the extreme degree of hypercalcemia and refractory to medical treatment, it was decided that surgery could not be delayed until the second trimester. At 7w3d gestational age the patient had resection of a 37 gram, 5 × 4 × 3 cm right inferior parathyroid adenoma.
Atrial Cardiomyopathy: An Unexplored Limb of Virchow's Triad for AF Stroke Prophylaxis

The most dreaded complication of atrial fibrillation is stroke, and 70-80% of patients with AF-related stroke die or become disabled. The mechanisms of thromboembolism in AF are multifactorial, with evidence demonstrating that all three criteria of Virchow’s triad are satisfied in AF: abnormal stasis of blood, endothelial damage, and hypercoagulability. Mechanistic insights into the latter two limbs have resulted in effective stroke prophylactic therapies (left atrial appendage occlusion and oral anticoagulants); however, despite these advances, there remains an excess of stroke in the AF population that may be due, in part, to a lack of mechanistic understanding of atrial hypocontractility resulting in abnormal stasis of blood within the atrium. These observations support the emerging concept of atrial cardiomyopathy as a cause of stroke. In this Review, we evaluate molecular, translational, and clinical evidence for atrial cardiomyopathy as a cause for stroke from AF, and present a rationale for further investigation of this largely unaddressed limb of Virchow’s triad in AF.
Efficiently registering scan point clouds of 3D printed parts for shape accuracy assessment and modeling

Abstract One popular approach to assess the geometric differences between a part produced by additive manufacturing (AM) and its intended design is the use of a 3D scanner to produce a point cloud. This digital scan is then aligned against the part’s intended design, allowing for quantification of print accuracy. One of the most common methods for achieving this alignment is the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. This paper evaluates several potential pitfalls that can be encountered when applying ICP for assessment of dimensional accuracy of AM parts. These challenges are then illustrated using simulated data, allowing for quantification of their impact on the accuracy of deviation measurements. Each of these registration errors was shown to be significant enough to noticeably affect the measured deviations. An efficient and practical method to address several of these errors based on engineering informed assumptions is then presented. Both the proposed method and traditional unconstrained ICP are used to produce alignments of real and simulated measurement data. A real designed experiment was conducted to compare the results obtained by the two registration methods using a linear mixed effects modeling approach. The proposed method is shown to produce alignments that were less sensitive to variation sources, and to generate deviation measurements that will not underestimate the true shape deviations as the unconstrained ICP algorithm commonly does.
Putting the Public Back in Public Health - Surveying Symptoms of Covid-19.

Putting the Public Back in Public Health There is a high unmet need for better estimates of communities’ burden of Covid-19 to guide decisions about reopening societies. Fortunately, some mobile sy...
Antiresorptive activity of osteoprotegerin requires an intact heparan sulfate-binding site.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG), a secreted decoy receptor for receptor activator of nuclear factor B ligand (RANKL), plays an essential role in regulating bone resorption. While much is known about the function of the N-terminal domains of OPG, which is responsible for binding to RANKL, the exact biological functions of the three C-terminal domains of OPG remain uncertain. We have previously shown that one likely function of the C-terminal domains of OPG is to bind cell surface heparan sulfate (HS), but the in vivo evidence was lacking. To investigate the biological significance of OPG–HS interaction in bone remodeling, we created OPG knock-in mice (opgAAA). The mutated OPG is incapable of binding to HS but binds RANKL normally. Surprisingly, opgAAA/AAA mice displayed a severe osteoporotic phenotype that is very similar to opg-null mice, suggesting that the antiresorption activity of OPG requires HS. Mechanistically, we propose that the HS immobilizes secreted OPG at the surface of osteoblasts lineage cells, which facilitates binding of OPG to membrane-anchored RANKL. To further support this model, we altered the structure of osteoblast HS genetically to make it incapable of binding to OPG. Interestingly, osteocalcin-Cre;Hs2stf/f mice also displayed osteoporotic phenotype with similar severity to opgAAA/AAA mice. Combined, our data provide strong genetic evidence that OPG–HS interaction is indispensable for normal bone homeostasis.
Fix it while you can … Mortality after umbilical hernia repair in cirrhotic patients.

Abstract Background We hypothesize that patients with compensated cirrhosis undergoing elective UHR have an improved mortality compared to those undergoing emergent UHR. Method The NIS was queried for patients undergoing UHR by CPT code, and ICD-10 codes were used to define separate patient categories of non-cirrhosis (NC), compensated cirrhosis (CC) and decompensated cirrhosis (DC). Results A total of 32,526 patients underwent UHR, 97% no cirrhosis, 1.1% compensated cirrhosis, 1.7% decompensated cirrhosis. On logistic regression, cirrhosis was found to be independently associated with mortality (OR 2.841, CI 2.14–3.77). On subset analysis of only cirrhosis patients, elective repair was found to be protective from mortality (OR 0.361, CI 0.15–0.87, p = 0.02). Conclusions In this retrospective review, cirrhosis as well as emergent UHR in cirrhotic patients were independently associated with mortality. More specifically, electively (rather than emergently) repairing an umbilical hernia in cirrhotic patients was independently associated with a 64% reduction in mortality.
Case 1: Abdominal Distention, Bloating, and an Intrauterine Device in a 19-year-old Girl.

1. R. Claire Roden, MD* 2. Erin R. McKnight, MD, MPH*,† 3. Elise D. Berlan, MD, MPH*,† 1. *Division of Adolescent Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH 2. †Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH A 19-year-old woman with a history of abnormal uterine bleeding requiring blood transfusion presents for care in an adolescent medicine clinic for 2 weeks of generalized abdominal pain. She reports loose stools at onset and constipation at the time of the visit. Her menses are regular and typically light; however, the previous month’s cycle was uncharacteristically heavy and prolonged. She reports vaginal intercourse with 5 male partners in the past year and consistent condom use. She has never had a sexually transmitted infection (STI). She had a 52-mg levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) placed under sedation approximately 1 year earlier for contraception and treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding. On physical examination she is comfortable and her vital signs are normal. Abdominal examination reveals distention and diffuse tenderness. Genital examination reveals a copious gray-white vaginal discharge. The cervix, adnexa, and uterus are nontender. Microscopy of the discharge demonstrates the presence of white blood cells and positive amine odor (“whiff”) test results without clue cells. The clinician orders a urine pregnancy test (which is negative) and urine nucleic acid amplification testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis , and Trichomonas vaginalis , in addition to blood cell counts, liver function tests, amylase level, and lipase level. During her visit to the clinic, the patient receives a clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis and starts a 7-day course of metronidazole, and the clinician orders an outpatient abdominal sonogram. Testing for chlamydia is reported as positive 2 days after the index visit. The clinician notifies the patient of her test results. The patient starts a …
The cytologic and immunohistochemical findings of pancreatic mixed acinar‐endocrine carcinoma

Background The classification of epithelioid pancreatic neoplasms based on fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is important for proper management, as distinction of pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms from other similar appearing lesions can result in significantly different treatment. Mixed acinar-endocrine carcinomas (MAEC) are genetically related to acinar carcinomas and are treated as such. We reviewed cases of MAEC to better characterize their cytologic and immunohistochemical features. Methods Eight FNAs of MAECs were identified and reviewed. A chart review for each case was conducted. Results All patients were male, 42-68 years of age, and presented with either Stage 3 or 4 disease. Smear backgrounds of all cases showed naked nuclei without significant necrosis. The smears were cellular with cells arranged in either three-dimensional (3D) clusters with intervening capillaries or singly dispersed. Acinar formation was a prominent feature. Cells were round to oval with small to moderate amounts of delicate cytoplasm. The nuclei were round to oval with mild to moderate anisonucleosis with granular chromatin and small nucleoli. Apoptotic bodies and mitoses were noted in most cases, with Ki67 indices of 10%-48%. All tumors, by definition, demonstrated expression of trypsin and synaptophysin with variable chromogranin expression (50%). Conclusion The cytology of acinar cell carcinoma shares features with aspirates of other nonductal adenocarcinoma neoplasms of the pancreas. A clue to the diagnosis is that tumors show high Ki67 indices and a diagnosis of MAEC should be excluded anytime a diagnosis of Grade 2 or 3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumor or high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma is in the differential.
Preparation and certification of natural and 82Se-labelled selenomethionine reference materials

Challenges frequently faced during the analysis of selenomethionine in complex matrices such as food and environmental samples include the lack of SI-traceable primary standards as well as difficulties associated with complex sample preparation methods resulting in potentially biased measurement results. In an effort to overcome these challenges, the National Research Council Canada has prepared two selenomethionine reference materials: a high-purity powder of natural isotopic abundance (SENS-1), and a solution of selenium-82 labelled selenomethionine (SEES-1). The purity of SENS-1, 0.961 ± 0.007 g g−1 (k = 2), was established through quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy combined with data from inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry for total selenium content and the HPLC analysis of selenium-containing impurities. With the chemical purity of SENS-1 established, it was then used as the primary standard for reverse isotope dilution analysis, where the concentration of selenomethionine in SEES-1 was determined to be 1556 ± 60 μg g−1 (k = 2).
What Sounds "Right" to Me? Experiential Factors in the Perception of Political Ideology.

In this paper, we challenge the assumption that political ideology is inherently built into text by presenting an investigation into the impact of experiential factors on annotator perceptions of political ideology. We construct an annotated corpus of U.S. political discussion, where in addition to ideology labels for texts, annotators provide information about their political affiliation, exposure to political news, and familiarity with the source domain of discussion, Reddit. We investigate the variability in ideology judgments across annotators, finding evidence that these experiential factors may influence the consistency of how political ideologies are perceived. Finally, we present evidence that understanding how humans perceive and interpret ideology from texts remains a challenging task for state-of-the-art language models, pointing towards potential issues when modeling user experiences that may require more contextual knowledge.
Sun protection changes among diverse elementary schoolchildren participating in a sun safety intervention: A latent transition analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Abstract Children are a priority population for skin cancer prevention as excessive sun exposure in childhood increases the risk of melanoma in adulthood. The complexity of sun protective behaviors has posed measurement challenges for trials testing intervention efficacy. The current study evaluated a sun safety intervention for schoolchildren using latent transition analysis (LTA) to examine patterns of sun protection behaviors over time. A three-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted between 2012 and 2016 with two intervention groups (N = 3368) and an observation-only control group (N = 342) among 4th and 5th graders from 24 public schools in Los Angeles County. Both interventions conditions were grouped and compared to controls. Five self-reported sun protective behaviors were measured at baseline and three-month follow-up: use of sunscreen, long sleeves, long pants, hats, and shade seeking. Participants comprised 3710 schoolchildren, mean age 9 years, 47% female and 69% Latino. At baseline, four patterns of sun protection behaviors were found: children who engaged in 1) all sun protective behaviors; 2) few protective behaviors; 3) protective clothing and shade only; and 4) hats only. Children in the control group were likely to remain in their baseline status or transition to a less protective status at three-month follow-up. By contrast, 30% of children in the intervention group transitioned to a more protective status at follow-up. In this RCT of a sun safety intervention, children in the intervention transitioned to more protective behaviors compared to controls. Using LTA enriches understanding of intervention efficacy by modeling the complexity of sun protection behaviors over time. Trial registration School-based Randomized Trial of SunSmart Interventions, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04176237 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04176237?cond=School-based+Randomized+Trial+of+SunSmart+Interventions&draw=2&rank=1