cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TRANSMISSION AND SURGEONS : UPDATE

Concerns of patients and health care providers regarding disease transmission in the health care setting are not unique to the current human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic. The data show that the risk to health care workers (HCWs) from patients is far greater than the risk to patients from HCWs. Despite the high frequency of contact with potentially infected fluids, surgeons appear to have a low occupational risk of acquiring HIV infection. Further, the actual risk of surgeon-to-patient transmission appears to be extremely small. Recommendations that HIV-infected surgeons restrict their practice or inform patients of their HIV status may have little, if any, value. Yet the federal government required states to adopt guidelines on this issue. Since these guidelines vary among the states, HCWs should be familiar with the legal guidelines and penalties in their state.
Weeds in the Ivy: college admissions under preference constraints

ABSTRACTIn a series of cases spanning more than three decades, the courts have attempted to establish boundaries on the permissible use of racial preferences in college admissions. Proponents of these policies believe that race-based preferences are needed to create a diverse student body that facilitates effective learning and social inclusion. Opponents of such policies contend that racial preferences are inherently discriminatory and eliminating them would yield a more able student body. Whereas race-based preferences have garnered the most attention, elite colleges regularly employ other types of preferences, including those for alumni and talented athletes. To inform this important policy debate, we develop a simple model comprised of a rational college administrator that maximizes a linear combination of student body ability and the college endowment through the choice of race, legacy and merit admission shares. We find that relaxing the racial-preferences constraint can produce a ‘less-able’ studen...
Retrospective, observational comparison of eptifibatide vs abciximab in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Purpose: To provide outcome data to health care practitioners involved in the care of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Adjunctive treatment with eptifibatide can be used in a wide range of patients requiring glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors to attenuate platelet response secondary to coronary artery interventions requiring a stent. The use of eptifibatide will provide comparable revascularization protection and may be safer than using abciximab. Methods: Preselected outcome measures were collected for consecutive patients receiving a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor and the deployment of at least one coronary arterial stent for a 2-year period. The results were reported on a quarterly basis to the institution's cardiac interventionalists. Results: No clinical or statistical differences in the event rate of a revascularization procedure for a "same target vessel" lesion at either the 6-month or 12-month evaluation periods were identified. The revascularization rate for "any vessel" interventions favored the use of abciximab at 6 months, but this advantage deteriorated at 12 months. Finally, patients receiving eptifibatide were less likely to experience any bleeding event. Conclusions: These outcome data can facilitate the use of eptifibatide in a wide range of patients undergoing PCI. An expectation of comparable clinical outcomes is merited. Based on these observations, the use of eptifibatide can at least provide a reduction in cost per procedural case.
Dynamic surface-pressure instrumentation for rods in parallel flow

Methods employed and experience gained in measuring random fluid-boundary-layer pressures on the surface of a small-diameter cylindrical rod subject to dense, nonhomogeneous, turbulent, parallel flow in a relatively noise-contaminated flow loop are described. Emphasis is placed on identification of instrumentation problems; description of transducer construction and mounting; and the pretest calibration required to achieve instrumentation capable of reliable data acquisition.
Interviewers’ Assessments of Respondents’ Behavior in New Zealand, 1981–82

Marketing research field work in New Zealand is the responsibility of approximately 400 full- and part-time interviewers. These assessments of respondents’ reactions are based on self-administered questionnaires mailed to 131 experienced interviewers between October 1981 and January 1982. Interviewing practices are of special concern in New Zealand because of the relatively small pool of qualified respondents.
Abstract 983: Integrative analysis of androgen receptor regulated long non-coding RNA in prostate cancer

Androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. AR regulates a large repertoire of genes; however, the effect of androgen signaling on the regulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) remains incompletely understood. Using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) of AR-positive cell lines VCaP and LNCaP treated with dihydroxytestosterone (DHT), we identified genes, including lncRNAs, which were strongly regulated by AR. To confirm direct regulation by AR, we interrogated AR-ChIP-seq data from VCaP and LNCaP cells, identifying the lncRNAs with direct AR binding. Existence of these lncRNAs in prostate cancer tissue samples was confirmed by analysis of RNA-seq data from prostate tumors, and the degree of differential expression in prostate tumors (localized and castration resistant metastases) versus benign was determined. The most highly overexpressed lncRNA in this analysis was a 2.7kb multi-exonic transcript present on chromosome 16 called ARlnc1. RACE was utilized to determine the exact exon structure of this gene, and its expression levels in various prostate cancer cell lines as well as independent prostate cancer tissue cohorts was assessed. Further, knockdown of ARlnc1 in AR dependent cell lines inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Knockdown of ARlnc1 affected molecular signatures related to cell cycle, mitosis and DNA damage. Interestingly, ARlnc1 knockdown also suppressed global androgen signaling as determined by Gene set enrichment analysis using AR gene signature. Upon investigation of the mechanism through which PRCAT47 regulate AR signaling, we discovered that ARlnc1 regulates AR at the level of translation. Taken together, our data suggests that many lncRNAs are regulated by androgen signaling, and we identify one such lncRNA that is involved in a protein-lncRNA positive feedback loop. Citation Format: Rohit Malik, Yajia Zhang, Marcin Cieslik, Yashar S. Niknafs, Sethuramasundaram Pitchiaya, Yasuyuki Hosono, Shruthi Subramaniam, Sahr Yazdani, Xuhong Cao, Dan Robinson, Arul Chinnaiyan. Integrative analysis of androgen receptor regulated long non-coding RNA in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 983.
Insights from probability distribution functions of intensity maps

In the next few years, intensity-mapping surveys that target lines such as CO, Ly$\alpha$, and CII stand to provide powerful probes of high-redshift astrophysics. However, these line emissions are highly non-Gaussian, and so the typical power-spectrum methods used to study these maps will leave out a significant amount of information. We propose a new statistic, the probability distribution of voxel intensities, which can access this extra information. Using a model of a CO intensity map at $z\sim3$ as an example, we demonstrate that this voxel intensity distribution (VID) provides substantial constraining power beyond what is obtainable from the power spectrum alone. We find that a future survey similar to the planned COMAP Full experiment could constrain the CO luminosity function to order $\sim10\%$. We also explore the effects of contamination from continuum emission, interloper lines, and gravitational lensing on our constraints and find that the VID statistic retains significant constraining power even in pessimistic scenarios.
Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyl Metabolites (HO-PCBs) in Human Blood Plasmsa

PCBsは生体内において, チトクロムP450による酸化によりHO-PCBsに代謝され, 甲状腺ホルモンの撹乱を引き起こすことが疑われている。本研究ではPCBsとHO-PCBsの同時分析法の確立を行い, 日本人のヒト血漿試料に適用した。ヒト血漿中では4-HO-CB107 (10～230pg/g wet weight) , 4-HO-CB146 (13～340pg/g wet weight) , 4-HO-CB187 (12～110pg/g wet weight) の3異性体が血漿中の主要異性体として検出された。HO-PCBとそれらの親PCBsの血漿中での存在比 (HO-PCB/親PCBs) は1/10～1であった。検討したHO-PCBsのうち, 4-HO-CB107, 4-HO-CB187はそれら親PCBsと同じレベルで比較的高濃度で血漿中に存在していた。本実験で供した試料はすべて日本人であるが, これまで報告されている欧米の濃度レベルと比較して低いレベルであった。これらの差はPCBsの暴露量や代謝能力の違いによるものと考えられる。
The detection of chemical and biological analytes using a monolithic spiral coil acoustic transduction sensor

The monolithic spiral coil acoustic transduction (MSCAT) sensor platform is a novel bulk acoustic wave (BAW) device which is excited by a gold spiral coil antenna photolithographically deposited on one side of an AT-quartz wafer. The MSCAT platform can operate at very high frequencies by efficiently exciting high harmonic transverse shear modes with the application of a high frequency RF signal to the spiral coil. Since one surface of the MSCAT device is bare, this device can be used as a sensing platform upon which one deposits analyte selective chemical or biological films. The bare surface allows the detection of analyte induced mechanical (mass and viscoelasticity) and electrical (conductivity and dielectric constant) property changes in the film. In order to demonstrate the applicability of a MSCAT device as a sensor, the MSCAT platform is coated with biological and chemical films selective to Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, the E. coli strain most often responsible for serious illnesses in humans, and saxitoxin (STX), the most dangerous neurotoxin associated with shellfish poisoning stemming from red tide, respectively.
Antisera specific for rap 1 proteins distinguish between processed and nonprocessed rap 1b.

Abstract Polyclonal antisera were generated against synthetic peptides corresponding to distinct regions of the rap 1 protein sequences. A "rap 1-common" antiserum, prepared against an 18-amino acid segment of the rap 1a protein near the proposed GTP-binding region, reacted with both rap 1a and rap 1b recombinant proteins expressed in Escherichia coli and with two low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins of 22 and 24 kDa in unstimulated human platelets. An antiserum raised against a carboxyl-terminal peptide of rap 1b containing the putative site of post-translational processing reacted strongly with bacterial-expressed recombinant rap 1b and with a 24-kDa GTP-binding protein in platelets, but not with recombinant rap 1a or a 22-kDa GTP-binding protein. The mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of this rap 1b immunoreactive protein coincided with that of bacterial-expressed rap 1b and not with the faster migrating form of rap 1b that incorporates radioactivity from [3H]mevalonic acid in the insect/baculovirus system. This suggests that our rap 1b-specific antiserum recognizes only one form of rap 1b, that which has not undergone carboxyl-terminal post-translational processing.
Unsupervised speaker adaptation of batch normalized acoustic models for robust ASR

Batch normalization is a standard technique for training deep neural networks. In batch normalization, the input of each hidden layer is first mean-variance normalized and then linearly transformed before applying non-linear activation functions. We propose a novel unsupervised speaker adaptation technique for batch normalized acoustic models. The key idea is to adjust the linear transformations previously learned by batch normalization for all the hidden layers according to the first-pass decoding results of the speaker-independent model. With the adjusted linear transformations for each test speaker, the test distribution of the input of each hidden layer better matches the training distribution. Experiments on the CHiME-3 dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed layer-wise adaptation approach. Our overall system obtains 4.24% WER on the real subset of the test data, which represents the best reported result on this dataset to date and a relative 27.3% error reduction over the previous best result.
Impact of bone quality on the performance of integrated fixation cage screws.

Abstract Background Context Commercially available lumbar integrated fixation cages (IFCs) have variable designs. For example, screw-based designs have up to four screws inserted at different locations across the vertebral end plate as well as at different angles in the sagittal and transverse planes. This is important as end plate and trabecular bone quality may vary across the vertebra and may affect the screw's fixation ability, particularly if bone purchase at the bone-screw interface is poor. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate whether variations in local bone quality surrounding IFC screws inserted at different locations in the vertebrae would affect their mechanical performance. Study Design This study is an in vitro human cadaveric biomechanical analysis. Materials and Methods Fourteen lumbar (L3 and L4) vertebrae from 10 cadavers (age: 76±10 years, bone mineral density: 0.89±0.17 g/cm 2 ) were used for this study. Pilot holes (3.5-mm diameter×15-mm length) representing three different IFC screw orientations (lateral to medial [LM], midsagittal [MS], and medial to lateral [ML]) were created in vertebrae using an IFC guide and bone awl. The screw locations and trajectories chosen are representative of commercially available IFC designs. These pilot holes were then imaged with high-resolution microcomputed tomography to obtain a three-dimensional structure of the bone surrounding the pilot hole. Local bone morphology was then quantified by evaluating a 3-mm-thick circumferential volume surrounding the pilot hole. Integrated fixation screws were implanted into pilot holes while recording maximum screw insertional torques. Screws were toggled in the cranial direction from 10 to 50 N for first 10,000 cycles, and the maximum load was increased by 25 N for every 5,000 cycles for a total of 25,000 cycles. Results Total bone volume (BV) and trabecular bone volume fraction surrounding ML screws were significantly greater (p R 2 ≤46.2%, p R 2 ≤59.6%, p Conclusions Our findings indicate that bone quality in the vertebral body varied spatially depending on the orientation and the insertion location of the IFC screw. These alterations in local bone quality significantly affected the screw's ability to fixate to bone. These variations in bone quality may be assessed intraoperatively using screw insertional torque measurements. By understanding available bone purchase at the bone-implant interface, the appropriate implant design can be selected to maximize the fixation strength.
The Age of Onset of Dissociated Vertical Deviation (DVD)

Dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) is commonly associated with congenital esotropia. The question as to whether DVD is a presenting feature in congenital esotropia or whether it occurs at a later...
Dopamine and self-directed learning

Humans are intrinsically motivated to learn. Such motivation is necessary to be a human-like learner, and helpful for any learning system designed to achieve general intelligence. We discuss the limited existing computational work in this area, and link them to known and theorized properties of the dopamine system. The relatively well-understood mechanisms by which dopamine release signals unpredicted reward can also serve to signal new learning. Dopamine release leads to maintenance of current representations, which serves to “lock” attention onto topics or tasks in which useful learning is occurring. We thus propose a novel but natural extension of known aspects of dopamine function to perform self-directed learning of arbitrary self-defined tasks. If this hypothesis is correct, detailed experimental evidence on dopamine function can help guide computational research into human-like learning systems.
Scaring Undocumented Immigrants Is Detrimental to Public Health

The authors discuss the issue of public health and undocumented immigrants. They mention the fear of deportation that leads immigrants to refrain from seeking medical care, the health disparities between the undocumented and others, and the need for health services to find ways to overcome this fear.
Insulator Nanostructure Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Surface-assisted laser desorption ionization (SALDI) is an approach for gas-phase ion generation for mass spectrometry using laser excitation on typically conductive or semiconductive nanostructures. Here, we introduce insulator nanostructure desorption ionization mass spectrometry (INDI-MS), a nanostructured polymer substrate for SALDI-MS analysis of small molecules and peptides. INDI-MS surfaces are produced through the self-assembly of a perfluoroalkyl silsesquioxane nanostructures in a single chemical vapor deposition silanization-step. We find that surfaces formed from the perfluorooctyltrichlorosilane monomer assemble semielliptical features with a 10 nm height, diameters between 10 and 50 nm, and have attomole-femtomole sensitivities for selected analytes. Surfaces prepared with silanes that either lack the trichloro or perfluoro groups, lack sensitivity. Further, we demonstrate that hydrophobic INDI regions can be micropatterned onto hydrophilic surfaces to perform on-chip self-desalting in an array format.
Exploring factors contributing to injury severity at work zones considering adverse weather conditions

Abstract Despite recent efforts to improve work zone safety, the frequency and severity of crashes at work zones are still considerably high. The effect of work zones on traffic safety can be exacerbated by adverse weather conditions. As an example, a sudden reduction in visibility may intensify the severity of work zone crashes. There is a lack of studies that strive to gain a good understanding of the effect of weather on the severity of work zone crashes. In this study, an Ordered Probit Model was developed to identify factors affecting the severity of work zone crashes in different spatial, temporal, and environmental conditions in Washington state using five-year of work zone-related crashes (2009–2013). The interesting findings of this study showed that weather and lighting conditions are among the most important factors influencing the severity of crashes at work zones. Lack of daylight was found to be a determining factor in increasing the severity of work zone crashes, specifically, during dusk and dawn. It was also found that although drivers have less severe work zone-related crashes in adverse weather conditions, the interactions between adverse weather conditions and other contributing factors might increase the severity of work zone crashes. The results of this study will help traffic engineers to design effective safety countermeasures considering different contributing factors including the weather and lighting conditions in the work zone planning and installation stages to prevent safety deficiencies.
Impacts of gastropods on epiphytic microalgae on the brown macroalga Himantothallus grandifolius

Chemically defended benthic macroalgae that dominate shallow, hard bottom communities along the western Antarctic Peninsula support very high densities of mesograzers, particularly amphipods but also small gastropods. Previous studies have demonstrated that the macroalgae and amphipods form a mutualistic relationship. The chemically defended macroalgae provide the amphipods with a refuge from predation while the macroalgae benefit from the amphipods greatly reducing surface fouling by smaller algae. One of the three most important macroalgae in terms of overstory cover, Himantothallus grandifolius, forms huge blades that can carpet the benthos. Field observations suggest that gastropods may be higher in relative abundance in proportion to amphipods on H. grandifolius than on other overstory macroalgae. The present study documents the finding that natural abundances of gastropods on H. grandifolius maintained in mesocosms reduce fouling by microscopic algae, primarily diatoms. However, amphipods are probably also important in keeping the macroalga clean of diatoms in nature. In a smaller scale experiment, three gastropod species were differentially effective at reducing diatom coverage on H. grandifolius. The hypothesis that gastropods benefit from associating with H. grandifolius in potentially gaining a refuge from sea-star predation was also tested but not supported by the experimental results.
Joinpoint Trend Analysis of Infant Mortality Disparities in Wisconsin, 1999-2016

Objectives. To address shortcomings of previous research exploring trends in racial, educational, and race by educational disparities in infant mortality rates (IMRs) by using nonlinear methods to ...
Hysterectomy utilization among newly diagnosed endometrial cancer patients by body mass index category: A real-world analysis using a claims and electronic health record database.

e17112Background: For endometrial cancer (EC), laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) is an effective, minimally invasive surgical treatment; however, this approach may not be recommended for obese patient...
Streets as Public Spaces: Lessons from Street Vending in Ahmedabad, India

Public spaces go beyond the typical definition of being an open space. They reflect the diversity and vibrancy of the urban fabric and hold the power to create memories. Among all public spaces, streets emerge as the most public. Streets are engines of economic activities, social hubs, and platforms for civic engagement. They break socio-economic divides and foster social cohesion. Planning, designing, and managing better public spaces have become important global discussions. Sustainable Development Goals (8 and 11) and the New Urban Agenda emphasize the significance of inclusive and sustainable economy and safe, accessible and quality public spaces for all. The proposed article uses the case of street vending to understand the manifestation of these goals in an Indian context by assessing street vendors’ role in Ahmedabad’s urban fabric through extensive spatial analysis of 4,000 vendors at four different time points of the day, perception studies of their clientele disaggregated by gender, income and age, and their relationship with surrounding land-use and street hierarchy. It showcases how street vendors make the streets more vibrant by increasing activities, safer through ensuring inflow of people, and inclusive in its true sense by allowing people from different backgrounds to participate in the exchange of goods and services. It further argues that street vendors are vital elements of more equitable and exciting streets and public space.
Perovskite-on-polymer microspheres for optimized solid state lighting

Remote downconverters such as phosphors or quantum dots that are physically separated from the blue light-emitting diode (LED) chips can strongly enhance the luminescence efficiency of solid-state lighting (SSL) and liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) because of their reduced light reabsorption. However, the high cost of traditional remote downconverters has limited their wide adoptions in these applications. Herein, we report a one-step, general synthesis method that can convert commercial light-diffusing polymer microspheres into highly luminescent perovskite-based downconverters at an extremely low cost. Involving a quick antisolvent-induced heterogeneous nucleation, our method creates well-dispersed perovskite nanoparticles anchored onto polymer microspheres and the whole process takes only several seconds at room temperature without any complex experimental setups. Significantly, the as-synthesized perovskite-on-polymer microspheres offer widely tunable, highly saturated colors with light-diffusing capability. The pure green-emitting CsPbBr3 manifests a high PL quantum yield of 70.6% and superior stability in water is also demonstrated. With these very saturated colors, we propose two configurations of integrating these microspheres into SSL systems. Further optimizations demonstrate that highly efficient, excellent color-rendering, and circadian lighting can be achieved. Thus, these luminescent microspheres hold great promise to be adopted as a low-cost, high-quality replacement for the traditional, expensive remote downconverters in SSL, LCDs and beyond.
Nanoscale etching of perovskite oxides for field effect transistor applications

The etching of epitaxially grown perovskite oxide BaSnO3 (BSO) and BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films is studied using Cl-based (BCl3/Ar) and F-based (CF4/Ar) plasma chemistries in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) system for the development of field effect transistors (FETs). It is found that the BCl3/Ar process has a time-independent and a higher etch rate and creates a smooth etched surface, while the etch rate of BSO and BTO in CF4/Ar plasma decreases with the etching time duration. For the BCl3/Ar etching process, the etch rate increases with both ion density and ion energy, suggesting the combination of chemical plasma etching and physical ion sputtering mechanisms. Using the Cl-based etching process, BaSnO3 and BaTiO3 heterojunction FETs are developed. The devices with a gate length of 1.5 μm have a saturation current density of 287.6 mA/mm, a maximum transconductance of gm = 91.3 mS/mm, an FET mobility of 45.3 cm2/V s, and a threshold voltage of −1.75 V. The etching processes developed in this work will enable further development of perovskite oxide heterostructure electronic devices.The etching of epitaxially grown perovskite oxide BaSnO3 (BSO) and BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films is studied using Cl-based (BCl3/Ar) and F-based (CF4/Ar) plasma chemistries in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) system for the development of field effect transistors (FETs). It is found that the BCl3/Ar process has a time-independent and a higher etch rate and creates a smooth etched surface, while the etch rate of BSO and BTO in CF4/Ar plasma decreases with the etching time duration. For the BCl3/Ar etching process, the etch rate increases with both ion density and ion energy, suggesting the combination of chemical plasma etching and physical ion sputtering mechanisms. Using the Cl-based etching process, BaSnO3 and BaTiO3 heterojunction FETs are developed. The devices with a gate length of 1.5 μm have a saturation current density of 287.6 mA/mm, a maximum transcond...
Running Head: Rubrics Are Not Magic

This paper discusses the realm of rubrics and attempts to examine the positive as well as the negative aspects of rubrics. Some suggestions are made for the amelioration of rubrics and the post assessment discussion of rubrics as it relates to grade appeal.
Common envelope evolution on the asymptotic giant branch: unbinding within a decade?

Common envelope (CE) evolution is a critical but still poorly understood progenitor phase of many high-energy astrophysical phenomena. Although 3D global hydrodynamic CE simulations have become more common in recent years, those involving an asymptotic giant branch (AGB) primary are scarce, due to the high computational cost from the larger dynamical range compared to red giant branch (RGB) primaries. But CE evolution with AGB progenitors is desirable to simulate because such events are the likely progenitors of most bi-polar planetary nebulae (PNe), and prominent observational testing grounds for CE physics. Here we present a high resolution global simulation of CE evolution involving an AGB primary and $1\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ secondary, evolved for $20$ orbital revolutions. During the last $16$ of these orbits, the envelope unbinds at an almost constant rate of about $0.1$-$0.2\,\mathrm{M}_\odot\,\mathrm{yr}^{-1}$. If this rate were maintained, the envelope would be unbound in less than $10\,\mathrm{yr}$. The dominant source of this unbinding is consistent with inspiral; we assess the influence of the ambient medium to be subdominant. We compare this run with a previous run that used an RGB phase primary evolved from the same $2\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ main sequence star to assess the influence of the evolutionary state of the primary. When scaled appropriately, the two runs are quite similar, but with some important differences.
Demographics and clinical patterns of burns requiring emergency hospitalization at a regional north-eastern us burn center.

There are known demographic and clinical patterns related to burn injuries and care associated with national and global geography. Still, limited data sources exist to facilitate the study of trend...
Reconstructed diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the RT-PCR test for COVID-19

Abstract Background Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting select genes of the SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been the main diagnostic tool in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the diagnostic accuracy of the test has not been studied systematically outside of the laboratory setting. The aim of this study is to provide estimates of the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the RT-PCR test developed by China CDC. Methods The study design is a secondary analysis of published findings on 1014 patients in Wuhan, China, of whom 601 tested positive and 413 were negative for COVID-19. Sensitivity and specificity were reconstructed using a Bayesian approach from probabilistic knowledge of the diagnostic errors. Predictive values of the test were calculated, resulting in estimates for the number of confirmatory tests that are needed for establishing the presence or absence of COVID-19, depending on the prior probability of a patient having the disease. Results The sensitivity of the RT-PCR diagnostic test was estimated to be 0.777 (95% CI: 0.715, 0.849), while the specificity was 0.988 (95% CI: 0.933, 1.000). The confidence intervals include sampling error in addition to the error due to probabilistic knowledge of the data. Discussion The Chinese version of the RT-PCR test had a conspicuous rate of false negative results, likely missing between 15% and 29% of patients with COVID-19. For a patient with a prior probability of COVID-19 greater than 18%, at least two negative test results would be needed to lower the chances of COVID-19 below 5%. Caution is advised in generalizing these findings to other versions of the RT-PCR test that are being used in diverse geographic regions.
G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor, GPER1, Offers a Novel Target for the Treatment of Digestive Diseases

There are gender differences between men and women in many physiological functions and diseases, which indicates that female sex hormones may be important. Traditionally, estrogen exerts its biological activities by activating two classical nuclear estrogen receptors, ESR1 and ESR2. However, the roles of estrogen in the regulation of physiological functions and the pathogenesis of diseases become more complicated with the identification of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER1). Although many GPER1-specific ligands have been developed, the therapeutic mechanisms of exclusively targeting GPER1 are not yet well understood. Translational applications and clinical trial efforts for the identified GPER1 ligands have been focused primarily on the reproductive, cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. More recently, research found that GPER1 may play an important role in regulating the digestive system. Cholesterol gallstone disease, a major biliary disease, has a higher prevalence in women than in men worldwide. Emerging evidence implies that GPER1 could play an important role, independent of the classical ESR1, in the pathophysiology of cholesterol gallstones in women. This review discusses the complex signaling pathways of three estrogen receptors, highlights the development of GPER1-specific ligands, and summarizes the latest advances in the role of GPER1 in the pathogenesis of gallstone formation.
Information flows and crashes in dynamic social networks

We develop a dynamic model of information transmission and aggregation in social networks in which continued membership in the network is contingent on the accuracy of opinions. Agents have opinions about a state of the world and form links to others in a directed fashion probabilistically. Agents update their opinions by averaging those of their connections, weighted by how long their connections have been in the system. Agents survive or die based on how far their opinions are from the true state. In contrast to the results in the extant literature on DeGroot learning, we show through simulations that for some parameterizations the model cycles stochastically between periods of high connectivity, in which agents arrive at a consensus opinion close to the state, and periods of low connectivity, in which agents’ opinions are widely dispersed.
Efficacy and Tolerability of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Targeted Monoclonal Antibody Medications as Add-on Therapy to OnabotulinumtoxinA in Patients with Chronic Migraine.

BACKGROUND We examined the efficacy and tolerability of calcitonin gene-related peptide-targeted monoclonal antibodies (CGRP-targeted mAbs) as add-on therapy for patients with chronic migraine (CM) undergoing treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA (onabot) who require additional preventive therapy. METHODS We reviewed medical records of patients with CM receiving treatment with onabot who were subsequently prescribed a CGRP-targeted mAb medication. The primary outcome was the change in number of monthly headache days (MHDs) reported. Secondary outcomes were change in headache pain severity, discontinuation due to lack of tolerability, and severe adverse events. RESULTS Of 153 patients, 111 (72.5%) reported a decrease in either MHDs or headache pain severity, with documentation of MHDs in 66 patients. Among these 66 patients, the average number of MHDs before initiation of onabot treatment was 25.7. After onabot treatment, an average decrease of 10.9 MHDs was reported (P < 0.001). After the addition of a CGRP-targeted mAb medication, patients experienced a further decrease of 5.7 MHDs (P < 0.001). With combined therapy, patients reported a total decrease of 16.6 MHDs (P < 0.001). Adverse effects occurred in 13 patients (8.5%) after addition of the CGRP-targeted mAb and included constipation, injection site reaction, and fatigue. No serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION Adding a CGRP-targeted mAb to onabot in patients with CM was associated with further reductions in MHDs without major tolerability issues across a range of mAbs. This retrospective review supports the conduct of a well-designed double-blind study adding a CGRP-targeted mAb or placebo to onabot.
A Rotational Dynamics Laboratory Upgrade

In our first-semester introductory physics laboratory, we have an exercise on rotational dynamics. We have recently upgraded the equipment that we use in that exercise without changing the actual exercise. The new equipment has performed well so far, and we wanted to share what we did with others who may be looking for a relatively inexpensive way to outfit a laboratory on rotational dynamics. We will describe the physics of the exercise and what we ask our students to do. We will describe the components we purchased, what they cost, and how we assembled the apparatus. Finally, we will present some results from the exercise using the apparatus we built.
Effect of covalent photoconjugation of affibodies to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on cellular quiescence.

Cellular quiescence is a reversible state of cell cycle arrest whereby cells are temporarily maintained in the non-dividing phase. Inducing quiescence in cancer cells by targeting growth receptors is a treatment strategy to slow cell growth in certain aggressive tumors, which in turn increases the efficacy of treatments such as surgery or systemic chemotherapy. However, ligand interactions with cell receptors induce receptor mediated endocytosis followed by proteolytic degradation, which limits the duration of cellular quiescence. Here, we report the effects of targeted covalent affibody photoconjugation to EGFR on EGFR-positive MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells. First, covalently conjugating affibodies to cells increased doubling time two-fold and reduced ERK activity by 30% as compared to cells treated with an FDA-approved anti-EGFR antibody Cetuximab, which binds to EGFR noncovalently. The distribution of cells in each phase of the cell cycle was determined, and cells conjugated with the affibody demonstrated an accumulation in the G1 phase, indicative of G1 cell cycle arrest. Finally, the proliferative capacity of the cells was determined by the incorporation of 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) and Ki67 Elisa assay, which showed that the percentage of proliferative cells with photoconjugated affibody was half of that found for the untreated control. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Quantification of slip lines in fatigue

Although fatigue, even low-cycle fatigue, can occur at stresses below the engineering yield strength of a material, plasticity is involved because slip lines may appear on the surface of a test material. These slip lines increase in number in the early stages of fatigue and are indeed the precursors of ultimate failure. In a cyclic stress test, the initial rapid increase in number of slip lines produces slip saturation, after which other phenomena such as crack initiation become predominant. New slip lines are added at a decreasing rate. Quantitative measurements have been made of slip lines in fatigue specimens and compared with the number in a tensile test of the same material. In fatigue, the equation describing the rate of addition of new slip lines requires that the stress be described in terms of how much the test stress exceeded a quantity, characteristic of the material, which can be thought of as a "yield strength" in fatigue. This quantity corresponded closely to the measured endurance limit of the material. A comparison is made with similar measurements in a tensile test.
Reactivity of levulinic acid during aqueous, acid-catalyzed HMF hydration

Abstract In 0.1 M sulfuric acid at 125 °C, levulinic acid did not form humins, and if HMF was present, levulinic acid was not incorporated in the humins that formed from it. Levulinic acid was converted to unidentified products believed to include angelica lactones, at a rate more than 500 times smaller than the rate of HMF conversion. Quantum chemical calculations indicate that at reaction conditions, levulinic acid is protonated to form protonated dihydro-5-hydroxy-5-methyl-2(3H)-furanone which is very stable. Very small amounts of levulinic acid and 5-hydroxy-γ-valerolactone may be present in equilibrium with this cation. Angelica lactones can then be formed from 5-hydroxy-γ-valerolactone in an acidic aqueous environment.
GENETIC LINKAGE OF MUTATIONAL SITES AFFECTING SIMILAR CHARACTERS IN PNEUMOCOCCUS AND STREPTOCOCCUS

Ravin, Arnold W. (University of Rochester, Rochester, N.Y.), and Joscelyn D. H. De Sa. Genetic linkage of mutational sites affecting similar characters in pneumococcus and streptococcus. J. Bacteriol. 87:86–96. 1964.—By interspecific transformation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) determinants conferring resistance to high levels of streptomycin in pneumococcus were found to be allelic with DNA determinants conferring low levels of streptomycin resistance in the Challis and NBSI strains of streptococcus. The reciprocal transformation (low resistance pneumococcus × high resistance streptococcus) led to the same conclusion. In addition, determinants controlling resistance to erythromycin in pneumococcus and the Challis strain of streptococcus were found to become closely linked after interspecific transformation. Modifier genes influencing the phenotype conferred by mutations at the streptomycin-resistance locus differentiate species to a certain extent. The results demonstrate that transformations between pneumococcus and streptococcus are not due to episomes, but involve recombinational events in which genetic material of the host species is replaced by homologous material that performed a similar function in the donor species.
RATIO-SCALE ELICITATION OF DEGREES OF BELIEF

Most research on rule-based inference under uncertainty hasfocused on the normative validity and efficiency of variousbelief-update algorithms. In this paper we shift the attentionto the inputs of these algorithms, namely, to the degrees ofbeliefs elicited from domain experts. Classical methods foreliciting continuous probability functions are of little use in arule-based model, where propositions of interest are taken to becausally related and, typically, discrete, random variables. Wetake the position that the numerical encoding of degrees ofbelief in such propositions is somewhat analogous to themeasurement of physical stimuli like brightness, weight, anddistance. With that in mind, we base our elicitation techniqueson statements regarding the relative likelihoods of various cluesand hypotheses. We propose a formal procedure designed to (a)elicit such inputs in a credible manner, and, (b) transform theminto the conditional probabilities and likelihood-ratios requiredby Bayesian inference systems.
From Google File System to Omega: A Decade of Advancement in Big Data Management at Google

Since the dawn of the big data era the search giant Google has been in the lead for meeting the challenge of the new era. Results from Google's big data projects in the past decade have inspired the development of many other big data technologies such as Apache Hadoop and NoSQL databases. The study article examines ten major milestone papers on big data management published by Google, from Google File system (GFS), MapReduce, Bigtable, Chubby, Percolator, Pregel, Dremel, to Megastore, Spanner and finally Omega. The purpose of the study article is to help provide a high-level understanding of the concepts behind many popular big data solutions and derive insights on building robust and scalable systems for handling big data.
PSITTACOSIS-INFECTED CELL SYSTEM FOR STUDIES ON RADIATION DAMAGE.

Abstract Sharon, Nehama (University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.), Morris Pollard, and W. R. Klemm. Psittacosis-infected cell system for studies on radiation damage. J. Bacteriol. 86:1139–1144. 1963.—The unique replication pattern of the agent of psittacosis in cells provides a means for studying biological effects of radiation and the influence of radioprotective drugs on this cell virus system. Intracellular psittacosis virus (strain TT) showed a distinctive sensitivity to X irradiation at 3 to 9 hr after onset of infection. This sensitivity to X rays disappeared later in the replication cycle when the virus-orientated ribonucleic acid matrix appeared in the infected cell. The effect of X rays was on the early stages of the virus, since evidence of subsequent developmental stages could not be observed. During the sensitive stage, the amount of surviving virus was related to the dose of X rays. Irradiation caused an irreversible reaction on sensitive virus. The progeny of surviving virus were unaltered in susceptibility to X rays. Addition of glutathione to infected cultures before irradiation increased the amount of surviving virus. Cysteine·HCl and heat-inactivated calf serum were only protective to the virus. Cysteamine was toxic to the cells, and low concentrations gave no protection. Other compounds tested failed to protect the viral agent against the effect of X rays.
The extent of vicinal water: Implications from the density of water in silica pores

Abstract In this paper the densities of water confined to the pores of silica gels and porous glasses are reported. These densities are consistent with a model for vicinal (interfacial) water reported earlier by the senior author (F.M.E.). From these average pore densities the density of water is calculated as a function of distance from the silica surface at 10, 20, 30, 40°C. The results, at all studied temperatures, suggest that water is structurally modified by propinquity to surfaces to distances up to 3–5 nm from the surface. The results of the present experiments are consistent with the thermodynamic properties of water in clays as reported by Low ( Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 43, 652 (1979); J. Colloid Interface Sci. 95, 45 (1983); J. Colloid Interface Sci. 96, 229 (1983) ), the results of disjoining pressure measurements by Peschel et al. ( Z. Naturforsch. 26a, 707 (1971); Naturwissenschaften 11, 1 (1969); J. Colloid Interface Sci. 34, 505 (1970); Colloid Polym. Sci. 260, 444 (1982) ) and the properties of intracellular water as discussed by Clegg ( in “Cell Associated Water” (W. Drost-Hansen and J. S. Clegg, Eds.), Academic Press, New York, 1979; in “Biophysics of Water” (F. Frank, Ed.), Wiley, New York, 1982); Amer. J. Physiol. 246, R133 (1984); Cell Biophys. 6, 153 (1984) .
The impact of internalized homophobia on HIV preventive interventions.

A growing body of research implicates internalized homophobia—the internalization of society's antihomosexual sentiments by gay and lesbian people—as a factor contributing to HIV-related sexual risk behavior in gay and bisexual men. Although accumulating evidence links internalized homophobia and sexual risk behavior, no study has explored the impact of internalized homophobia on efforts to prevent these behaviors. This paper examines the effect of internalized homophobia on gay and bisexual men's awareness of, participation in, and perceptions of programs offered by a community-based HIV prevention organization. In Study 1, 595 gay and bisexual men reported their levels of awareness of and participation in HIV prevention programming offered by one community organization. Internalized homophobia was negatively related to men's awareness of the services offered by the organization. However, among the men who were aware of at least one service, internalized homophobia did not further predict service utilization. Study 2 examined 89 gay and bisexual men who participated for a single session in a group-structured, community-based HIV preventive intervention. Pre- to immediate postintervention change in perceptions of condom use self-efficacy was inversely related to internalized homophobia. Internalized homophobia was also a significant negative predictor of the extent to which participants felt similar to and related well with other members of the group. Together, these findings suggest that internalized homophobia may pose multiple barriers to community-based HIV prevention efforts.
Leisure and Aging: New Perspectives

(1977). Leisure and Aging: New Perspectives. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 48, Including Leisure Today, pp. 25-26.