cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do internal medicine residents know enough about skilled nursing facilities to orchestrate a good care transition

Abstract Background Although many older adults require skilled nursing facility (SNF) care after acute hospitalization, it is unclear whether internal medicine residents have sufficient knowledge of the care that can be provided at this site. Methods We developed a 10-item multiple choice pre-test that assessed knowledge of the definition of a SNF, SNF staffing requirements, and SNF services provided on-site. The test was administered to trainees on the first day of a mandatory SNF rotation that occurred during their first, second or third year of training. Results Sixty-seven internal medicine residents [41 postgraduate year (PGY)-1, 11 PGY-2, and 15 PGY-3] were assessed with the test. The mean number of questions answered correctly was 4.9, with a standard deviation of 1.6. Regardless of their level of training, residents had a poor baseline knowledge of SNF care (mean scores 4.2 for PGY-1, 5.3 for PGY-2, and 6.3 for PGY-3) ( P Conclusions Medical residents have insufficient knowledge about the type of care that can be provided at a SNF and efforts to improve this knowledge are needed to assure proper triage of patients and safe transitions to the SNF.
Temperature interactions with transpiration response to vapor pressure deficit among cultivated and wild soybean genotypes

A key strategy in soybean drought research is increased stomatal sensitivity to high vapor pressure deficit (VPD), which contributes to the ‘slow wilting’ trait observed in the field. These experiments examined whether temperature of the growth environment affected the ability of plants to respond to VPD, and thus control transpiration rate (TR). Two soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and four wild soybean [Glycine soja (Sieb. and Zucc.)] genotypes were studied. The TR was measured over a range of VPD when plants were growing at 25 or 30°C, and again after an abrupt increase of 5°C. In G. max, a restriction of TR became evident as VPD increased above 2.0 kPa when temperature was near its growth optimum of 30°C. ‘Slow wilting’ genotype plant introduction (PI) 416937 exhibited greater TR control at high VPD compared with Hutcheson, and only PI 416937 restrained TR after the shift to 35°C. Three of the four G. soja genotypes exhibited control over TR with increasing VPD when grown at 25°C, which is near their estimated growth optimum. The TR control became engaged at lower VPD than in G. max and was retained to differing degrees after a shift to 30°C. The TR control systems in G. max and G. soja clearly were temperature-sensitive and kinetically definable, and more restrictive in the ‘slow wilting’ soybean genotype. For the favorable TR control traits observed in G. soja to be useful for soybean breeding in warmer climates, the regulatory linkage with lower temperatures must be uncoupled.
In situ measurements of flow effects on primary production and dark respiration in reef corals

The effects of flow on the physiological ecology of Montustrea annuluris, an important framebuilding species of Caribbean coral reefs, were investigated in situ with a recirculating flow respirometry system deployed from an underwater habitat. For this species, primary production and respiration rates increase with increasing water motion. The slope of a nondimensional Sherwood (Sh)-Reynolds(Re) number plot indicates that forced convection increases dark respiration in a manner consistent with oxygen transfer through a turbulent boundary layer (Sh = 0.01Re’.30). A similar analysis for maximal photosynthetic rate yields a lower but significant slope (Sh = 0.7 1 Reo.63). A simple conceptual model of diffusional depletion in the boundary layer over the coral fits the data and accounts for the distribution of zooxanthellae. Calculations of phototrophic capacity for this species indicate that water motion can enhance the local productivity of the reef.
Partition: Rectangular Data Table

Bilinear clustering for mixed — quantitative, nominal and binary — variables is proved to be a theory-motivated extension of K-Means method. Decomposition of the data scatter into “explained” and “residual” parts is provided (for each of the two norms: sum of squares and moduli). Contribution weights are derived to attack machine learning problems (conceptual description, selecting and transforming the variables, and knowledge discovery). The explained data scatter parts related to nominal variables appear to coincide with the chi-squared Pearson coefficient and some other popular indices, as well. Approximation (bi)-partitioning for contingency tables substantiates and extends some popular clustering techniques.
Bodenverflüssigung bei Erdbeben — Rechnerischer Nachweis mit Lasteinwirkung und Bodenwiderständen

Immer wieder entstehen Erdbeben mit erheblichen Personen- und Sachschaden. Immer wieder entfestigen sich dabei sandige Grundungsboden infolge einer Bodenverflussigung durch die Erdbebenerschutterungen insbesondere bei hohen Grundwasserstanden. Selbst solide Bauwerke konnen in den Untergrund einbrechen, auch wenn sie zuvor uber Jahre praktisch setzungsfrei gewesen sind. Das Versagen des Untergrundes durch Bodenverflussigung ist weltweit als “Liquefaktion-Effekt” bekannt, wird aber in der taglichen Praxis mitunter immer noch unsicher behandelt. Nachfolgend wird die Mechanik der Lasteinwirkung und der Bodenwiderstande bei einer Erdbebenerschutterung beschrieben und das fur baupraktische Berechnungen derzeit gangige Formelwerk dazu zusammengestellt. Damit lasst sich in geeigneter Weise prufen, ob bei bestimmten Bodenverhaltnissen und einem bestimmten Bemessungserdbeben eine Verflussigung des Untergrundes zu besorgen ist oder ob bauliche Sicherungsmasnahmen erforderlich sind. Liquefaction due to earthquakes — structural analysis with load actions and soil resistances. Again and again earthquakes have caused severe personal injuries and damages to property. In case of ground motion sandy subsoils especially in connection with high ground water tables can loose their strength and liquify. Then even solid structures may suffer severe settlements and collaps, even though through many years practically no settlements were noticed. This failure mechanism all over the world is wellknow as ”liquefaction”, but in daily practice is still handled with some uncertainness. In the following the mechanism of the load actions and the soil resistances during earthquakes will be described and the nowadays common formulas for the structural analyses will be compiled, enabling the assessment, if certain soil conditions will resist a design earthquake without liquefaction or if structural measures will be required.
Techniques for improved predictive maintenance testing of industrial power systems

The authors review the procedures available for the periodic testing of industrial power system components, with particular reference to the mining industry. The inherent limitations of these tests are discussed, and appropriate applications for these tests are suggested. The use of negative-sequence monitoring as an inexpensive but powerful detector of incipient failure in industrial power systems is proposed. It is emphasized that negative-sequence monitoring does not interfere with normal operations and is continuous. In laboratory experiments, it has been proven to be a sufficient indicator for detecting electrical deterioration within a squirrel-cage induction motor. It is concluded that, despite the effects of an unbalanced voltage supply on the measurement and the present uncertainty over how to compensate for these effects, negative-sequence monitoring can be a significant and powerful addition to a plant's motor testing program. >
t-DARPP regulates phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-dependent cell growth in breast cancer.

Recent reports have shown that t-DARPP (truncated isoform of DARPP-32) can mediate trastuzumab resistance in breast cancer cell models. In this study, we evaluated expression of t-DARPP in human primary breast tumors, and investigated the role of t-DARPP in regulating growth and proliferation in breast cancer cells. Quantitative real time RT-PCR analysis using primers specific for t-DARPP demonstrated overexpression of t-DARPP in 36% of breast cancers (13/36) as opposed to absent to very low t-DARPP expression in normal breast tissue (p < 0.05). The mRNA overexpression of t-DARPP was overwhelmingly observed in ductal carcinomas, including invasive ductal carcinomas and intraductal carcinomas, rather than other types of breast cancers. The immunohistochemistry analysis of DARPP-32/t-DARPP protein(s) expression in breast cancer tissue microarray that contained 59 tumors and matched normal tissues when available indicated overexpression in 35.5% of primary breast tumors that were more frequent in invasive ductal carcinomas (43.7%; 21/48). In vitro studies showed that stable overexpression of t-DARPP in MCF-7 cells positively regulated proliferation and anchorage-dependent and -independent growth. Furthermore, this effect was concomitant with induction of phosphorylation of AKTser473 and its downstream target phosphoser9 GSK3β, and increased Cyclin D1 and C-Myc protein levels. The knockdown of endogenous t-DARPP in HCC1569 cells led to a marked decrease in phosphorylation of AKTsser473 and GSK3βser9. The use of PI3K inhibitor LY294002 or Akt siRNA abrogated the t-DARPP-mediated phosphorylation of AKTser473 and led to a significant reduction in cell growth. Our findings underscore the potential role of t-DARPP in regulating cell growth and proliferation through PI3 kinase-dependent mechanism.
Immunomodulating drugs for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a malignant haematological disorder that remains mostly incurable; more than 95% of patients have disease of B-cell origin. Advances with targeted agents such as monoclonal antibodies, antisense therapy, or both these techniques combined with traditional chemotherapy have improved the frequency of remission. The clinical course of CLL is marked by frequent relapse, and there are limited therapeutic options for patients with relapsed or refractory disease. The morphologically mature CLL clone regulates the microenvironment through modulation of the cytokine milieu that aids its growth and survival, and has a role in immune escape. Targeting of the tumour-cell microenvironment has not been investigated as a treatment option for CLL. Immunomodulating agents are a new class of drugs that change expression of various cytokines and that costimulate immune effector cells.
Consistent Group Identification and Variable Selection in Regression With Correlated Predictors

Statistical procedures for variable selection have become integral elements in any analysis. Successful procedures are characterized by high predictive accuracy, yielding interpretable models while retaining computational efficiency. Penalized methods that perform coefficient shrinkage have been shown to be successful in many cases. Models with correlated predictors are particularly challenging to tackle. We propose a penalization procedure that performs variable selection while clustering groups of predictors automatically. The oracle properties of this procedure, including consistency in group identification, are also studied. The proposed method compares favorably with existing selection approaches in both prediction accuracy and model discovery, while retaining its computational efficiency. Supplementary materials are available online.
Economic Risks of Cheatgrass Invasion on a Simulated Eastern Oregon Ranch

The potential of invasive plants to alter fuel properties over time has implications for the ranchers of semiarid rangelands throughout the world. A prime example of this phenomenon is the cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.) invasion of the native shrub-steppe lands in Great Basin of the western United States. The purpose of this study is to develop a bioeconomic model that optimizes simulated ranch behavior given the beginning stages of cheatgrass invasion on a public forage allotment. The bioeconomic model is applied to a typical eastern Oregon 300 cow-calf ranch. Livestock production decisions are simulated over a 40-yr planning horizon using a multiperiod linear programming model. Results showed changes in profit-maximizing ranch management strategies in the form of decreased optimal stocking rates and forage substitution. The net present value of the simulated ranch’s income stream declined, and the probability that the ranch cannot meet its full costs of livestock production and would exit the industry increased as a result. These economic impacts were more pronounced with decreased sale price. Sensitivity analysis showed that overall results in terms of ranch behavior were specific neither to the assumed discount rate nor to the assumed percentage of cheatgrass cover (as long as this percentage is within the reference state) on the public grazing allotment. This study introduces a method for managers to quantify impacts on ranches from fuel-altering invasive plants on public lands, emphasizing the importance of including information about native and invasive forage production characteristics and wildfire frequency as a function of the state of invasion.
Isotope effects upon hydrogen atom loss from molecular ions

The isotope effect (TH/TD) upon the kinetic energy release and the isotope effect (kH/kD) upon ion abundance for unimolecular H· loss from molecular ions has been determined for several compounds. It is suggested that the isotope effect upon abundance might provide a convenient method of estimating the relative life-time of ions which fragment in the metastable region for different instruments or different experimental conditions. The value of kH/kD varies from 1000 for different molecular ions and this variation is apparently largely due to the rate of increase of the reaction rate with internal energy in the threshold region. The magnitude of the isotope effect is thus related to the entropy of activation. The isotope effect upon energy release was found to be slightly less than unity in almost every case studied; this included both reactions in which the reverse activation energy is very small and those in which it is appreciable.
The Jewels of Our Genome: The Search for the Genomic Changes Underlying the Evolutionarily Unique Capacities of the Human Brain

James M. Sikela ABSTRACT T he recent publication of the initial sequence and analysis of the chimp genome allows us, for the first time, to compare our genome with that of our closest living evolutionary relative. With more primate genome sequences being pursued, and with other genome-wide, cross- species comparative techniques emerging, we are entering an era in which we will be able to carry out genomic comparisons of unprecedented scope and detail. These studies should yield a bounty of new insights about the genes and genomic features that are unique to our species as well as those that are unique to other primate lineages, and may begin to causally link some of these to lineage-specific phenotypic characteristics. The most intriguing potential of these new approaches will be in the area of evolutionary neurogenomics and in the possibility that the key human lineage-specific (HLS) genomic changes that underlie the evolution of the human brain will be identified. Such new knowledge should provide fresh insights into neuronal development and higher cognitive function and dysfunction, and may possibly uncover biological mechanisms for information storage, analysis, and retrieval never previously seen.
Diverse activation of microglia by chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 overexpression in brain

The chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) is a monocyte chemoattractant protein that mediates macrophage recruitment and migration during peripheral and central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. To determine the impact of CCL2 in inflammation in vivo and to elucidate the CCL2-induced polarization of activated brain microglia, we delivered CCL2 into the brains of wild-type mice via recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (rAAV-9) driven by the chicken β-actin promoter. We measured microglial activation using histological and chemical measurement and recruitment of monocytes using histology and flow cytometry. The overexpression of CCL2 in the CNS induced significant activation of brain resident microglia. CD45 and major histocompatibility complex class II immunoreactivity significantly increased at the sites of CCL2 administration. Histological characterization of the microglial phenotype revealed the elevation of “classically activated” microglial markers, such as calgranulin B and IL-1β, as well as markers associated with “alternative activation” of microglia, including YM1 and arginase 1. The protein expression profile in the hippocampus demonstrated markedly increased levels of IL-6, GM-CSF and eotaxin (CCL-11) in response to CCL2, but no changes in the levels of other cytokines, including TNF-α and IFN-γ. Moreover, real-time PCR analysis confirmed increases in mRNA levels of gene transcripts associated with neuroinflammation following CCL2 overexpression. Finally, we investigated the chemotactic properties of CCL2 in vivo by performing adoptive transfer of bone marrow–derived cells (BMDCs) isolated from donor mice that ubiquitously expressed green fluorescent protein. Flow cytometry and histological analyses indicated that BMDCs extravasated into brain parenchyma and colabeled with microglial markers. Taken together, our results suggest that CCL2 strongly activates resident microglia in the brain. Both pro- and anti-inflammatory activation of microglia were prominent, with no bias toward the M1 or M2 phenotype in the activated cells. As expected, CCL2 overexpression actively recruited circulating monocytes into the CNS. Thus, CCL2 expression in mouse brain induces microglial activation and represents an efficient method for recruitment of peripheral macrophages.
Immunodeficiencies: Congenital and Acquired

Immunodeficiencies are classified as either primary diseases with a genetic origin or those that are secondary to an underlying disorder. X-linked (congenital) agammaglobulinemia results from a failure of pre-B cells to differentiate into mature B cells. The defect in Bruton’s disease is in rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. It occurs almost entirely in males and is apparent after 6 months of age following disappearance of the passively transferred maternal immunoglobulins. Patients have recurrent sinopulmonary infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphlococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. These patients have absent or decreased B cells and decreased serum levels of all immunoglobulin classes. The T-cell system and cell-mediated immunity appear normal.
Circuits for protecting and triggering SCRs in high power converters

The performance of high-power converters employing silicon controlled rectifiers (SCRs) operating at several kilovolts and switching several thousands of amperes is strongly dependent on the triggering circuit and the protecting circuit (snubber) used. In this paper two standalone trigger circuit topologies are discussed and test results are given for one of them in particular, built with off-the-shelf components. A standard snubber circuit configuration was used and its ability to protect the SCR was examined by classical analytical methods and by computer simulation. Results of these calculations are reported as well as predictions about the fault tolerance afforded by the snubber design to a high power converter using SCRs. Since the components of the SCR protective circuits strongly affect the overall package size of the converter and tend to determine the minimum size and weight achievable, a conceptual design is also presented for a combined snubber-trigger circuit with the potential for reduced size and weight for the whole assembly.
Ground-Based Infrared Remote Sensing of Cloud Properties over the Antarctic Plateau. Part II: Cloud Optical Depths and Particle Sizes

Abstract One full year of twice-daily longwave atmospheric emission spectra measured from the surface at 1-cm−1 resolution are used to infer optical thicknesses and ice crystal sizes in tropospheric clouds over the Antarctic Plateau. The method makes use of the cloud's emissivity at 10- and 11-μm wavelength and the cloud's transmittance of stratospheric ozone emission in the 9.6-μm band. Knowledge of the cloud-base temperature and the vertical distributions of ozone and temperature is required; these are available at South Pole Station from radiosondes and ozonesondes. The difference in emissivity between 10 and 11 μm is sensitive to ice particle size because the absorption coefficient of ice varies greatly between these two wavelengths. The retrieval of optical depth (expressed as its value in the geometric-optics limit τg) is limited to τg < 5, and the effective particle radii reff are distinguished only for reff < 25 μm, but 80% of the clouds observed have τg and reff in the retrievable range. These cl...
On the Secure Obfuscation of Deterministic Finite Automata

In this paper, we show how to construct secure obfuscation for Deterministic Finite Automata, assuming non-uniformly strong one-way functions exist. We revisit the software protection approaches originally proposed by [5, 10, 12, 17] and revise them to the current obfuscation setting of Barak et al. [2]. Under this model, we introduce an efficient oracle that retains some 'small' secret about the original program. Using this secret, we can construct an obfuscator and two-party protocol that securely obfuscates Deterministic Finite Automata against malicious adversaries. The security of this model retains the strong 'virtual black box' property originally proposed in [2] while incorporating the stronger condition of dependent auxiliary inputs in [15]. Additionally, we show that our techniques remain secure under concurrent self-composition with adaptive inputs and that Turing machines are obfuscatable under this model.
Model for Intersegmental Coordination of Leech Swimming: Central and Sensory Mechanisms

Sensory feedback as well as the coupling signals within the CNS are essential for leeches to produce intersegmental phase relationships in body movements appropriate for swimming behavior. To study...
Genetic transformation of Drosophila melanogaster with an autonomous P element: phenotypic and molecular analyses of long-established transformed lines.

Following transformation of a Drosophila melanogaster true M strain with an autonomous P element, six lines were established and monitored for their molecular and phenotypic properties during a 4-yr period. The number of P elements increased with time in all the lines but the rate of increase differed among lines. Furthermore, degenerate elements arose in each of the lines during propagation. By the end of the 4th yr, the total number of elements in every line was similar to that of a very strong P strain.—At the phenotypic level, all of the transformed lines evolved high P activity, but only three developed complete or nearly complete regulatory ability. The other three lines attained only intermediate levels of regulation over the 4-yr period. One of these lines was particularly noteworthy. Although it contained as many as 55 P elements per genome (20 of which were potentially complete) and had extremely high P activity potential, it continued to exhibit limited regulatory ability. In addition, when females of this line were maintained at high temperatures, the ability to suppress P activity was even further diminished. A strain with this combination of molecular and phenotypic properties, in an apparently stable configuration, has not been previously described.—The results are discussed in the context of the possible role of degenerate elements in regulating P element expression.
Financial literacy of U.S. households: Knowledge vs. long-term financial planning

We examine the relationship between financial knowledge and long-term financial planning behavior. This analysis is important in light of the recent financial crisis and the current level of economic uncertainty. Survey responses from U.S. households are analyzed using analysis of variance, subgroup analysis, and logistic regressions. Results show that surveyed households are financially knowledgeable (mean score is 75.1%), but exhibit poor financial planning skills (mean score is 59.8%). The findings also show that the correlation between knowledge and financial planning is low, albeit positive. To promote financial literacy, we suggest that public policies strive to embolden financial education during early stages of life; preferably during college years. © 2013 Academy of Financial Services. All rights reserved.
UT Austin Villa: Project-Driven Research in AI and Robotics

UT Austin Villa is a robot soccer team that has competed in the annual RoboCup soccer competitions since 2003. The team has won several championships and has inspired research contributions spanning many topics in robotics and artificial intelligence. This article summarizes some of these research contributions and provides a snapshot into the current development status of the team. Educational uses of the team's code bases are also presented.
Electron Transfer Studies in C78 (C2v‘), C76 (D2), C70 (D5h), and C60 (Ih) Surfactant Aqueous Solutions

C60 (Ih) and several higher fullerenes, namely, C70 (D5h), C76 (D2), and C78 (C2v‘), have been solubilized via capping with suitable surfactants. Excited states and reduced states of these surfactant systems were probed by photolytic and radiolytic techniques. Flash photolytic irradiation at 355 nm of surfactant solutions of C60, C70, C76, and C78 revealed the rapid grow-in of transient (*S1 → *Sn) absorptions with λmax at 920, 660, 650, and 890 nm, respectively. The associated intersystem crossing rates to the energetically lower lying excited triplet states are typically on the order of 9.0 × 108 s-1. Reductive quenching of the excited triplet states by diazabicyclooctane (DABCO) occurs with (0.8−7.4) × 107 M-1 s-1 and yields the fullerene π-radical anions. Direct reduction of surfactant capped fullerene monomers have been studied by means of time-resolved pulse radiolysis with measurements being conducted in the near-IR region. Radiolytic reduction of (C76)surfactant and (C78)surfactant resulted in the...
Establishment of long-term cultures of Ehrlich ascites tumor cell.

SummaryThe ELD Ehrlich carcinoma has been established as a cell strain in tissue culture. Cells grow on a medium of Earle's salts supplemented with fetal calf serum and bovine amniotic fluid. The modal chromosome number was 69-73 for the first 6 months; it then shifted to 67-75. Inoculation of tissue-cultured cells at all intervals tested induced tumor formation in mice.
Epstein-Barr Virus in New Host Cells

Study of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is troubled by a number of vexing paradoxes- EBV was discovered 20 years ago (6,7). The biological roles and the molecular mechanisms of action of EBV remains a puzzle.
Geometric morphometric analysis of cranial variation in the Egernia depressa (Reptilia: Squamata: Scincidae) species complex

Few studies have attempted to simultaneously examine geographic, ontogenetic and sexual variation of lizard crania. This study does so with a focus on the Egernia depressa species complex (Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skinks), which occur throughout much of arid Western Australia and inhabits fallen trees in the southern part of its range and rock crevices in disjunct boulder outcrops in the northern part of its range in the Pilbara. Geometric (i.e. landmark-based) morphometrics were used to examine variation in cranial shape in E. depressa, E. cygnitos and E. epsisolus. Cranial differences were evident among the different species; however, the differences depended on which aspect of the cranium was being analysed. A comparison also was made between E. depressa which inhabits tree hollows v. E. cygnitos and E. epsisolus which use rock crevices. The lateral aspect of the cranium of the rock-inhabiting species differs from the log-inhabiting species in having dorsal-ventral compression of the postorbital region. Egernia cygnitos which lives western portion of the Pilbara differs from other species in having a wider cranium with a correspondingly broader palatal region. Sexual dimorphism was not evident, but ontogenetic changes in cranial form were present.
Bullous pemphigoid associated with nivolumab, a programmed cell death 1 protein inhibitor.

Checkpoint inhibitors, such as nivolumab, are revolutionary new drugs in cancer therapy. Mild dermatologic toxicities are commonly reported adverse events. Herein, we highlight the development of the autoimmune blistering condition, bullous pemphigoid (BP) in a patient undergoing treatment with nivolumab. A 60-year-old man, who was being treated with nivolumab (3mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks) after failing chemotherapy for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, presented acutely with a blistering rash. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Lactobacillus Species Detected by 16S rRNA Gene Sequence Isolated from the vaginae of Pregnant Women and its relation to preterm labor

Preterm labor is a common and serious obstetric complication that is believed to be multifactorial. Lactobacilli vaginal colonization is proposed as a protective agent against preterm delivery and that women with bacterial vaginosis, with altered vaginal flora in favor of lactobacilli species absence, is a risk factor for increased incidence of preterm labor; however enough controversy is present in available published literature. This study was aimed to evaluate the association between vaginal bacterial composition and the rate of preterm labor in pregnant women. Vaginal swabs form a total of 250 pregnant women were obtained and assessed using the V2-V3 region of the 16S rRNA sequences for an estimation of lactobacilli colonization. These women were followed up for the outcome of pregnancy. Women with predominantly lactobacilli species were significantly less liable for preterm labor than those women who lack lactobacilli species in their vaginal samples, 10.4% versus 64.2% (P<0.001). To evaluate the risk of preterm labor associated with non-lactobacilli bacterial colonization, Odds ratio was estimated and it was 15.39 (95% confidence interval of 7.91- 29.95). This study concluded that the risk of preterm labor is significantly increased with bacterial vaginosis in favor of alteration of vaginal flora with deficient lactobacilli species. Keywords: Lactobacillus; Preterm labor; Gene Sequence
Treatment of stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage with cellular and pharmacological restorative therapies

We describe some of our studies on use of neuro-restorative agents for treatment of neural injury. We focus on cell-based therapies and select from a variety of statins. In addition, we show that cell-based and pharmacological-based therapies enhance brain plasticity and promote recovery of function after stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Injured brain recapitulates ontogeny. Cerebral tissue around the infarction expresses developmental genes, many of which are present only during embryonic or neonatal stages of development. Brain response to injury undergoes remodeling with induction of angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and synaptogenesis. The attempt at remodeling, although expressed as a partial improvement in patients with stroke and ICH, is clearly insufficient to promote substantial recovery in many patients. The goal of restorative therapies should be to activate and amplify this endogenous restorative brain plasticity process to potentiate functional recovery. The logic of restorative therapy is to treat intact or marginally compromised tissue and not injured or dying tissue. Thus, these treatments can be made available for all neurological injury. Once demonstrated to be effective for treatment of a large middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo), these restorative treatments can be applied to many types of injury, including ICH, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis.
Atomistic model for static equilibrium problems

This paper presented a computational technique to model and simulate atomistic behaviour of materials under static loads. Interatomic potential energy was used to maintain equilibrium among atoms under loads and constraints. In addition, the atomistic model was coupled with the finite element analysis model so that more flexible loads and constraints could be applied to the atomistic model. Some example problems were presented to illustrate the developed technique. A multi-scale technique was also presented for a woven fabric composite made of carbon nanotubes.
Encrypted morphogens of skeletogenesis: Biological errors and pharmacologic potentials

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of a class of ancient, highly conserved signalling molecules that play major roles in embryonic axis determination, organ development, tissue repair, and regeneration throughout the animal kingdom. The bone morphogenetic proteins are potent developmental morphogens that act in a concentration-dependent manner to specify cell fates in developing and regenerating systems. Complementary DNAs have been cloned for approximately twenty BMPs, and recombinant proteins have been produced for many of these genes. Transgenic and naturally occurring animal models demonstrate a wide variety of potential functions for BMP genes during development and tissue regeneration, and a wide range of pharmacologic effects are predicted from knock-out or over-expression of the BMP genes. Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a rare and devastating genetic disease of ectopic osteogenesis in humans, is associated with over-expression of at least one of the BMPs. The BMPs, their transmembrane receptors, their intracellular signal transducers, and their secreted antagonists hold great promise as pharmacologic agents in modulating a vast array of developmental and regenerative pathways in human diseases.
Xylem-Specific Expression of Arabinogalactan-Protein-Like Genes

Woody plants are biologically different from their herbaceous counterparts because of their perennial habit and ability to form wood, an extremely ecologically and economically important trait. Wood is by far the most abundant component of the terrestrial biomass and therefore has a significant influence upon the planetary carbon cycle and global climate. Wood is also a leading industrial raw material and an important component of the global economy.
6.07 – Addiction

Drug addiction is a complex human disorder that manifests itself in the aberrant behavior of persistent drug-taking in the face of self-destruction. The biological basis for drug addiction and its concomitant and vicious cycle of intoxication followed by abstinence-induced withdrawal, that ultimately leads to relapse, is the topic of intensive investigation. The identification of neurochemical targets of specific drugs of abuse and shared reward pathways have led researchers to identify molecular mechanisms underlying addiction and, in some cases, to discover medications for treatment. Nevertheless, more research is required as medications that are currently available are not generally efficacious, recidivism to drug use remains high, and there are no medications available for the treatment of psychostimulant addiction.
Effects of prescribed burning on gulf cordgrass, Spartina spartinae (Trin.) Merr. ex Hitchc.

Effects of prescribed burning on gulf cordgrass Spartina spartinae nbsp Trin Merr ex Hitchc
4D, $\mathcal{N}=1$ Matter Gravitino Genomics

Adinkras are graphs that encode a supersymmetric representation's transformation laws that have been reduced to one dimension, that of time. A goal of the supersymmetry ``genomics'' project is to classify all 4D, $\mathcal{N}=1$ off-shell supermultiplets in terms of their adinkras. In~previous works, the genomics project uncovered two fundamental isomer adinkras, the cis- and trans-adinkras, into which all multiplets investigated to date can be decomposed. The number of cis- and trans-adinkras describing a given multiplet define the isomer-equivalence class to which the multiplet belongs. A further refining classification is that of a supersymmetric multiplet's holoraumy: the commutator of the supercharges acting on the representation. The one-dimensionally reduced, matrix representation of a multiplet's holoraumy defines the multiplet's holoraumy-equivalence class. Together, a multiplet's isomer-equivalence and holoraumy-equivalence classes are two of the main characteristics used to distinguish the adinkras associated with different supersymmetry multiplets in higher dimensions. This paper focuses on two matter gravitino formulations, each with 20 bosonic and 20 fermionic off-shell degrees of freedom, analyzes them in terms of their isomer- and holoraumy-equivalence classes, and compares with non-minimal supergravity which is also a 20x20 multiplet. This analysis fills a missing piece in the supersymmetry genomics project, as now the isomer-equivalence and holoraumy-equivalence for representations up to spin two in component fields have been analyzed for 4D, $\mathcal{N}=1$ supersymmetry. To handle the calculations of this research effort, we have used the Mathematica software package called Adinkra.m. This package is open-source and available for download at a GitHub Repository. Data files associated with this paper are also published open-source at a Data Repository also on GitHub.
Narrative Comments about Urologists on Physician Rating Websites Provide Insight into What Drives Patient Satisfaction Surveys

AbstractIntroduction:We examined publicly available narrative comments on physician rating websites and how they may provide valuable insight on what motivates patients to provide positive or negat...
Corporate and Statewide Perspectives on the Liability Insurance Crisis

The costs associated with liability insurance in the United States are rising dramatically and persistently. Escalating medical malpractice premiums threaten the scope and availability of health care in many states. Increasing costs for automobile insurance have led to public referenda to cap premiums, in turn driving insurers out of practice in some states. Runaway litigation costs are prompting calls for major revisions in liability statutes and the whole tort liability system.
Evaluation of a semiconductor-based atmospheric radioxenon detection system

Abstract A prototype radioxenon detection system for beta–gamma coincidence measurements has been designed using a PIPSBox and a pair of coplanar CdZnTe (CZT) detectors. Coincidence events are identified in real-time using a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The measurement of 131m Xe and studies on electron backscatter and memory effect in the PIPSBox have been presented previously; this paper details the measurement of 133∕133m Xe, 135Xe, and background. Absolute efficiencies were determined, regions of interest were defined, and Minimum Detectable Concentrations (MDC) for all four radioxenon isotopes were calculated. When neglecting interferences between the radioxenons, the prototype system has an estimated MDC of 0.61 ± 0.15 mBq/m3 for 133Xe when using gas processing parameters associated with Xenon International, satisfying the CTBTO requirement for sensitivity of ≤ 1 mBq/m3 for 133Xe. Simulation suggests that by increasing number of CZT detectors used by a factor of 16, the MDCs of the system can be improved by a factor of 2-3. The design shows great promise for future improvement and expansion due to its exceptional energy resolution, high background rejection rate, room temperature operation, minimal memory effect, and simple readout electronics.
Case Studies of Financially Distressed Highway Public–Private Partnerships in the United States

Many public–private partnership (P3) highway projects implemented in the United States have transferred revenue risk to the private sector. Several of these projects have experienced financial distress with some going bankrupt, such as the South Bay Expressway in California and SH 130 Sections 5 & 6 in Texas. Case studies of four highway P3s examine the circumstances and outcomes of distressed projects where three of the four projects ultimately went bankrupt. The cases focus on the causes of the distress, the actions taken by the private sector to mitigate financial difficulties, and the outcomes of each case. The evidence indicates that private sector options to abate distress are limited, public agencies are generally insulated from financial loss, and resale of the developed assets is plausible and likely in future P3 bankruptcies. While each case demonstrates that risk transfer was essentially sustained as intended, P3 bankruptcies are discussed to more fully to consider their broader implications.
Individual and Collaborative Behaviors of Rideshare Drivers in Protecting their Safety

The safety of passengers of rideshare apps has received attention from researchers, yet there is a lack of research on safety of rideshare drivers in the context of CSCW and HCI. As drivers are also an important user in the ecosystem of the ridesharing systems, we conducted interviews with drivers in the U.S. to understand how they, individually and collaboratively, address safety related issues they face conducting their job. We identified the factors that contributed to drivers' feelings of safety and the strategies they engaged in to protect themselves. We found that drivers relied on methods that were technical, social, and physical, to ensure their safety and engaged in informal collaborative and communicative activities with other drivers inside and outside of the ridesharing system. We discuss implications for future design for ridesharing apps and other location-based computer-supported collaborative systems that have potential safety hazards.
Young Transgender Women of Color: Homelessness, Poverty, Childhood Sexual Abuse and Implications for HIV Care.

This study describes a sample of HIV+ young transgender women of color aged 18–24 and their experience with homelessness as part of a demonstration project of engagement and retention in HIV medical care funded by Health Resources and Services Administration. The study engaged transgender women of color in HIV care in nine sites across the US between 2012 and 2017. This analysis describes and compares transwomen who had been homeless in the last 6 months to those not homeless. We hypothesized that homelessness would compete with HIV care, food, shelter, and be associated with poverty. Variable domains included sociodemographic, mental health and substance use, HIV care, sexual risk behavior, social support from transgender and other friends, and childhood sexual abuse. There were 102 youth enrolled, 77 (75.5%) who had been homeless, and 25 (24.5%) who had not been homeless. Bivariate analyses showed that low income, sex work as source of income, inability to afford food, lack of viral load (VL) suppression, childhood sexual abuse, lower levels of social support, and higher levels of depression were associated with homelessness. A logistic regression model showed that being unable to afford food (AOR = 9.24, 95% CI 2.13–40.16), lack of VL suppression in last 6 months (AOR = 0.10, 95% CI .02–.57), and lack of transgender friend support (AOR = 0.09, 95% CI .02–.53) was associated with homelessness. Programs that place basic needs first—food and shelter—may be able to engage and assist young transgender women of color with HIV to survive and live healthier lives.
Conceptualizing the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Migration during Armed Conflict

Syrian migration following the start of the armed conflict is often called a crisis. This is due to the millions of Syrians who left in only a few years, but also to the fact that such a large stream of refugees and asylum seekers was largely unexpected and there was consequently little preparation in countries of reception. In this chapter, we identify gaps in the academic literature and identify the social scientific and demographic tools that can help to address the key questions of migration during armed conflict—how many, who, when, and where. The purpose of this chapter is to lay the groundwork for helping the reader understand and gain as much as possible from the rest of this volume.
Heart rate variability code: Does it exist and can we hack it?

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been studied for over 50 years, yet what remains lacking from the puzzle is an integrative concept of what HRV represents physiologically. Here I introduce the notion of HRV code as an attempt to address this challenge systematically. I review the existing evidence from physiological studies in various species to support this concept and propose experiments to help validate it.
Microbial Diversity and Composition Is Associated with Patient-Reported Toxicity during Chemoradiation Therapy for Cervical Cancer

Purpose Patients receiving pelvic radiation for cervical cancer experience high rates of acute gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity. The association of changes in the gut microbiome with bowel toxicity from radiation is not well characterized. Methods and Materials Thirty-five patients undergoing definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT) underwent longitudinal sampling (baseline and weeks 1, 3, and 5) of the gut microbiome and prospective assessment of patient-reported GI toxicity. DNA was isolated from stool obtained at rectal examination and analyzed with 16S rRNA sequencing. GI toxicity was assessed with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite instrument to evaluate frequency, urgency, and discomfort associated with bowel function. Shannon diversity index was used to characterize alpha (within sample) diversity. Weighted UniFrac principle coordinates analysis was used to compare beta (between sample) diversity between samples using permutational multivariate analysis of variance. Linear discriminant analysis effect size highlighted microbial features that best distinguish categorized patient samples. Results Gut microbiome diversity continuously decreased over the course of CRT, with the largest decrease at week 5. Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite bowel function scores also declined over the course of treatment, reflecting increased symptom burden. At all individual time points, higher diversity of the gut microbiome was linearly correlated with better patient-reported GI function, but baseline diversity was not predictive of eventual outcome. Patients with high toxicity demonstrated different compositional changes during CRT in addition to compositional differences in Clostridia species. Conclusions Over time, increased radiation toxicity is associated with decreased gut microbiome diversity. Baseline diversity is not predictive of end-of-treatment bowel toxicity, but composition may identify patients at risk for developing high toxicity.