cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visits to Office-Based Physicians in the United States for Medication-Related Morbidity

Abstract Objective: To examine the prevalence, nature, demographics, and resource use associated with visits to office-based physicians in the United States during 1995 for medication-related morbidity. Design: A nationwide cross-sectional survey of ambulatory care visits to physician offices. based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics' 1995 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Setting: Physician office-based settings in the United States. Patients: Patients visiting office-based physicians for principal diagnoses of adverse effect of medications (lCD-9-CM E-code 930.00-947.9). Main Outcome Measures: Weighted measures of prevalence, nature, demographics, and resource use associated with visits related to adverse effects of medications. Results: An estimated 2.01 million (95% confidence interval, 1.69 to 2.34 million) visits for medication-related morbidity were made to office-based physicians in the United States during 1995, representing an annual rate of 7.70 visits per 1,000 persons. Medication-related visit rates were greater in women, in patients between 65 and 74 years of age, and in the Midwest. The most frequently cited reasons for medication-related visits were skin rash, nausea, and shortness of breath. The therapeutic agents responsible for medication-related visits were most often hormone and synthetic substitutes (13.32%), antibiotics (11.55%), and cardiovascular drugs (9.30%). Medication-related visits most often involved diagnostic services and medication therapy. The majority included instructions for a scheduled follow-up, and fewer than 1% resulted in hospital admission. Conclusion: Medication-related ambulatory care utilization can pose a significant burden on health care resources unless specific strategies are initiated to control medication-related problems. The provision of pharmaceutical care can play an important role in reducing medication-related problems and associated health care costs.
Insulin-like growth factor I and erythropoiesis.

The bone marrow, the primary site of hematopoiesis, is a self-renewing system consisting of a unique micro-environment that promotes the differentiation and proliferation of the various hematopoietic cell lines. While many critical factors necessary for red cell production have been identified, the regulation of erythropoiesis has not been completely elucidated. In addition to multi-lineage growth factors (e.g. interleukin 3 or 4) and lineage-specific hematopoietic growth factors (e.g. erythropoietin), several lines of evidence suggest a key role for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). First, growth hormone stimulates erythropoiesis and IGF-I is known to mediate many of growth hormone's actions (somatomedin hypothesis). Second, factors in bovine serum and in serum from an anephric human with erythropoietic activity distinct from erythropoietin have been identified as IGFs. Third, IGF receptors are found on both erythrocyte precursors as well as mature erythrocytes. Fourth, in vitro IGF-I stimulates erythropoiesis in bone marrow cultures. Fifth, IGF-I administration to neonatal or hypophysectomized animals results in increased erythropoiesis in vivo. Recent studies indicate that IGF-I at physiologic concentrations stimulates erythropoiesis and that growth hormone's action is indirect, occurring via IGF-I. The physiologic source of IGF-I for the bone marrow may be delivery from the serum (an endocrine mechanism) or synthesis within the bone marrow by stromal or other cells (a paracrine mechanism). Our recent studies have shown that mouse bone marrow stromal cells secrete both IGF-I and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs). The role of IGFBPs in erythropoiesis is not known, but they might modulate the local concentration of IGF-I.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gold-Supported Cerium-Doped NiOx Catalysts for Water Oxidation

Efficient catalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction, especially in alkaline media, are highly desired because of their application in various energy technologies. Now, a gold-supported NiCeOx catalyst is shown to have excellent catalytic activity due to synergistic geometric and electronic effects.
Innate protection of baboon myocardium: effects of coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion

To determine whether the extent of myocardial infarction differs in conscious baboons and pigs, both devoid of performed collaterals, the effects of 40 and 90 min of coronary artery (CA) occlusion ...
Revised Simplex Method

In this chapter, we will learn about a method that is mathematically equivalent to the Simplex Method but which can exploit sparsity of the constraint matrix A to run with greater computational efficiency.
Altered chromatographic properties of tRNA from chloramphenicol-treated Escherichia coli☆

Abstract Several tRNAs from E. coli which had been treated with chloramphenicol (CAP) are shown to have altered chromatographic properties. The tRNA synthesized after CAP treatment is altered, whereas that already present in normal cells is not. Preliminary experiments indicate that the new aminoacyl-tRNAs which we observe are not results of undermethylation nor degradation.
Revisiting Seed and Soil: Examining the Primary Tumor and Cancer Cell Foraging in Metastasis

Metastasis is the consequence of a cancer cell that disperses from the primary tumor, travels throughout the body, and invades and colonizes a distant site. On the basis of Paget's 1889 hypothesis, the majority of modern metastasis research focuses on the properties of the metastatic "seed and soil," but the implications of the primary tumor "soil" have been largely neglected. The rare lethal metastatic "seed" arises as a result of the selective pressures in the primary tumor. Optimal foraging theory describes how cancer cells adopt a mobile foraging strategy to balance predation risk and resource reward. Further selection in the dispersal corridors leading out of the primary tumor enhances the adaptive profile of the potentially metastatic cell. This review focuses on the selective pressures of the primary tumor "soil" that generate lethal metastatic "seeds" which is essential to understanding this critical component of prostate cancer metastasis.Implication: Elucidating the selective pressures of the primary tumor "soil" that generate lethal metastatic "seeds" is essential to understand how and why metastasis occurs in prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 15(4); 361-70. ©2017 AACR.
CD95/Fas Increases Stemness in Cancer Cells by Inducing a STAT1-Dependent Type I Interferon Response.

Stimulation of CD95/Fas drives and maintains cancer stem cells (CSCs). We now report that this involves activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) and induction of STAT1-regulated genes and that this process is inhibited by active caspases. STAT1 is enriched in CSCs in cancer cell lines, patient-derived human breast cancer, and CD95high-expressing glioblastoma neurospheres. CD95 stimulation of cancer cells induced secretion of type I interferons (IFNs) that bind to type I IFN receptors, resulting in activation of Janus-activated kinases, activation of STAT1, and induction of a number of STAT1-regulated genes that are part of a gene signature recently linked to therapy resistance in five primary human cancers. Consequently, we identified type I IFNs as drivers of cancer stemness. Knockdown or knockout of STAT1 resulted in a strongly reduced ability of CD95L or type I IFN to increase cancer stemness. This identifies STAT1 as a key regulator of the CSC-inducing activity of CD95.
Interest rate swap market complexity and its volatility implication

Many regulators and researchers have notionally attributed the recent financial crisis to the complexity of the financial system. However, very few direct measures of such complexity exist. The primary objective of this paper is to study the network properties of the interest rate swap market and propose an effective complexity measure to capture the dynamic behaviors of the swap contract flows with respect to interlinkages and interdependencies. We use a unique swap dataset extracted from the Swap Data Repositories (SDRs) to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed complexity measure. We find a) the interest rate swap market follows a scale-free network where the power law exponent is less than 2, which indicates that few of its important entities have significant number of contracts within their subsidiaries; b) market volatility Granger-causes swap users to increase their risk sharing diversification at both system and local level simultaneously; c) sufficient saturation of the swap market tends to ease the market volatility toward an equilibrium regime not causing a positive feedback. These findings provide the market regulators and swap users a better understanding of interest rate swap market behaviors and provide a tool for them to monitor the swap market risks and control major contributing risk factors as a result.
TCTAP A-123 Clinical Impact of Intravascular Ultrasound for Subclavian Artery Disease After Endovascular Therapy

The purpose of the study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in endovascular therapy (EVT) for subclavian artery disease (SCAD). A total of 550 lesions (542 patients) undergoing successful EVT for SCAD between January 2003 and December 2012 were retrospectively
Microbial Fuel Cell Possibilities on American Indian Tribal Lands

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief background of tribal reservations, the process of how Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) work, and the potential benefits of using MFCs on tribal reservations to convert waste water to energy as a means to sustainably generate electricity. There have been no known studies conducted on tribal lands that would be able to add to the estimated percentage of all renewable energy resources identified. Not only does MFC technology provide a compelling, innovative solution, it could also address better management of wastewater, using it as a form of energy generation. Using wastewater for clean energy generation could provide a viable addition to community infrastructure systems improvements.
Nursing students’ perception of safety in clinical settings: From the quality and safety officer

Teaching methods to improve the safety of care for patients has been a priority for nurse educators. This article discusses the student nurses’ use of error reporting tools in the clinical setting, revealing study results completed by the Quality and Safety Officer in a School of Nursing and Health Professions. The aim was to report on the use of safety tools and the perception of safety issues in clinical settings identified by 121 prelicensure baccalaureate nursing students. Responses suggest that it is challenging for nursing students to report errors and near miss events. Barriers exist for the nursing student. The survey reveals difficulty in reporting but discloses that safety for the patient continues to be a primary concern for the nursing student.
Braiding and Majorana fermions

In this paper, we study unitary braid group representations associated with Majorana fermions. Majorana fermions are represented by Majorana operators, elements of a Clifford algebra. The paper proves a general result about braid group representations associated with Clifford algebras and compares this result with the Ivanov braiding associated with Majorana operators and with other braiding representations associated with Majorana fermions such as the Fibonacci model for universal topological quantum computing.
Quantifying community mobility after stroke using mobile phone technology

Stroke is a common neurological disorder that can drastically impact mobility - that is, the ability to move in and through one's surroundings. Although rehabilitation programs focus on restoring mobility after stroke, there is no present method for reliably and fully quantifying mobility outside of a clinical setting. Smartphones are ubiquitous wearable sensing systems that can measure community mobility using movement and location tracking. We are currently investigating the ability of smartphone data to characterize post-stroke recovery in a long-term monitoring study (3--6 months). We will evaluate the potential of community mobility features to predict recovery, as determined by traditional clinical assessments. Preliminary results will be available in August 2017. Findings will provide a more objective, complete picture of recovery following stroke as well as the real-world impact of rehabilitation.
Mathematics Interventions for Upper Elementary and Secondary Students: A Meta-Analysis of Research:

The purpose of this review was to conduct a meta-analysis of 25 years of mathematics interventions for students with mathematics difficulty or disability in Grades 4 through 12. A search of the literature yielded 25 studies that met the inclusion criteria. Studies were coded to extract important study information (e.g., participant information, research design, description of treatment, and comparison groups) and data needed to calculate Hedge’s g. We used robust variance estimation (RVE) to address dependence resulting from multiple outcomes per study. The RVE random-effects model estimated a treatment effect of 0.85. After adjusting for small-study effects, the final model estimated an underlying, moderate effect of 0.49 with a large amount of unexplained heterogeneity between studies. Studies with more than 15 hr of treatment and those focused on fraction content significantly moderated mathematics outcomes. Findings are limited by extreme variability across study estimates, the lack of standardized ma...
Dynamic modulus and phase angle models for New Mexico’s Superpave mixtures

This study modifies the viscosity (η)-based Witczak dynamic modulus (|E*|) predictive equation which is used in the recently developed AASHTOWare pavement Mechanistic-Empirical design software. A t...
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Depression Risk, and Quality of Life in Black Pregnant Women.

Abstract Background: Experiencing mental health difficulties during pregnancy predicts a variety of quality-of-life (QoL) outcomes for Black women. However, one area of prenatal mental health remains underresearched: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given the impairments reported by adults with significant symptoms of ADHD and the linkages between depression and ADHD in nonpregnant samples, the current study aimed to examine the relationships among ADHD symptoms, depression, and QoL in Black pregnant women. Materials and Methods: Participants for this study were 116 pregnant Black women aged 18–43 years (mean age = 27.14, standard deviation = 5.67) presenting to an urban women's health clinic. We investigated associations among maternal ADHD symptoms, risk of maternal depression, and different aspects of QoL, including relationships, life outlook, and life productivity. Results: Linear hierarchical regressions were performed to investigate the ability of maternal depression risk to mediate...
Adequacy of Fixed-Dose Heparin Infusions for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention after Microsurgical Procedures.

Background In microvascular surgery, patients often receive unfractionated heparin infusions to minimize risk for microvascular thrombosis. Patients who receive intravenous (IV) heparin are believed to have adequate prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE). Whether a fixed dose of IV heparin provides detectable levels of anticoagulation, or whether the “one size fits all” approach provides adequate prophylaxis against VTE remains unknown. This study examined the pharmacodynamics of fixed-dose heparin infusions and the effects of real-time, anti-factor Xa (aFXa) level driven heparin dose adjustments. Methods This prospective clinical trial recruited adult microvascular surgery patients placed on a fixed-dose (500 units/h) unfractionated heparin infusion during their initial microsurgical procedure. Steady-state aFXa levels, a marker of unfractionated heparin efficacy and safety, were monitored. Patients with out-of-range aFXa levels received protocol-driven real-time dose adjustments. Outcomes of interest included aFXa levels in response to heparin 500 units/h, number of dose adjustments required to achieve goal aFXa levels, time to reach goal aFXa level, and 90-day clinically relevant bleeding and VTE. Results Twenty patients were recruited prospectively. None of 20 patients had any detectable level of anticoagulation in response to heparin infusions at 500 units/h. The median number of dose adjustments required to reach goal level was five, and median weight-based dose to reach goal level was 11.8 units/kg/h. Real-time dose adjustments significantly increased the proportion of patients with in-range levels (60 vs. 0%, p = 0.0001). The 90-day VTE rate was 5% and 90-day clinically relevant bleeding rate was 5%. Conclusions Fixed-dose heparin infusions at a rate of 500 units/h do not provide a detectable level of anticoagulation after microsurgical procedures and are insufficient for the majority of patients who require VTE prophylaxis. Weight-based heparin infusions at 10 to 12 units/kg/h deserve future study in patients undergoing microsurgical procedures to increase the proportion of patients receiving adequate VTE prophylaxis.
Learn to Fly Test Setup and Concept of Operations

The NASA Learn-to-Fly (L2F) project recently completed a series of flight demonstrations of its learning algorithm for flight control at Fort A. P. Hill in Virginia. This paper discusses the test setup and concept of operations (ConOps) used by the L2F team. Unmanned airframe demonstrators for testing the research algorithms included a modified commercial off-the-shelf subscale powered airplane, plus four gliders – two of which had an unconventional configuration and were fabricated using a “rapid” prototyping technique. Avionics system similarities and differences between the test aircraft are described, as well as ground testing in preparation for flight. The ConOps discussion includes the development of a tethered helium balloon drop launch technique for the glider demonstrators. This launch method was chosen for its potential to be inexpensive and allow for rapid turn-around for multiple glider launches – but it also presented challenges, such as balloon tether avoidance, high angle of attack, low dynamic pressure initial conditions, and susceptibility to winds. A remotely piloted approach employing high-end hobbyist radio controlled (R/C) hardware was used for the powered demonstrator. This approach accommodated the interaction between the R/C flight system and the research flight control computer, engaging the L2F algorithm at varying initial conditions and artificially reducing the aircraft stability to stress the algorithm.
Effects of glycine betaine and glycerophosphocholine on thermal stability of ribonuclease

Urea in renal medullas is sufficiently high to perturb macromolecules, yet the cells survive and function. The counteracting osmolytes hypothesis holds that methylamines, such as glycine betaine (betaine) and glycerophosphocholine (GPC) in renal medullas, stabilize macromolecules and oppose the effects of urea. Although betaine counteracts effects of urea on macromolecules in vitro and protects renal cells from urea in tissue culture, renal cells accumulate GPC rather than betaine in response to high urea both in vivo and in tissue culture. A proposed explanation is that GPC counteracts urea more effectively than betaine. However, we previously found GPC slightly less effective than betaine in counteracting inhibition of pyruvate kinase activity by urea. To test another macromolecule, we now compare GPC and betaine in counteracting reduction of the thermal stability of RNase A by urea. We find that urea decreases the thermal transition temperature and that betaine and GPC increase it, counteracting urea approximately equally. Therefore, the preference for GPC in response to high urea presumably has some other basis, such as a lower metabolic cost of GPC accumulation.
Between the Enlightenment and the Know-Nothings: William Poyntell (1756–1811), Early American Collector of Medieval Art

Prominent among early American collectors of medieval art is William Poyntell of Philadelphia, who in the course of a European tour in 1802–1803 acquired many “specimens of the fine Arts”, among them stained glass medallions from the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Poyntell’s letters from Europe display a lively interest in European history and politics as well as a Romantic appreciation of ruins, neither of which are surprising in a citizen of the city then held by Europeans to be the least provincial in North America. Although his letters also foreshadow the antagonism toward foreigners and Catholics that characterised the Know-Nothing party of the 1850s, he was not as suspicious of European culture as Americans were soon to become. Seen in this light, Poyntell’s purchase of medieval glass represents a short-lived era of informed and ecumenical taste in America, not to recur for nearly 100 years.
Properties of FRP Reinforcements for Concrete

Abstract The physical and mechanical properties of polymer matrix composite materials, often referred to as fiber-reinforced plastic or fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials, are discussed in this chapter. These properties are discussed with an emphasis on the potential uses of composite materials as reinforcements for concrete. The term FRP reinforcements is used to describe the composite material products developed for this purpose. Properties of composite materials that are likely to be significant for FRP reinforcements are identified. The influence of the properties of the constituents, viz , the fibers, resins, fillers and additives, on the properties of FRP reinforcements is discussed. Emphasis is placed on issues of heterogeneity and anisotropy of composite materials and how they can be expected to affect the properties FRP reinforcements.
Carbon Analysis of Atmospheric Aerosols Using Grale and Reflectance Analysis

Techniques for total and elemental carbon analysis of atmospheric aerosols are described. Total carbon is determined using the gamma ray analysis of light elements (GRALE) technique which employs the in-beam measurement of γ rays emitted during the inelastic scattering of protons. Elemental carbon is determined by light reflectance. Extensive calibrations of both methods have been carried out. The use of the methods with teflon as well as glass and quartz filters is described.
Measurement of four-bond HN-H alpha J-couplings in staphylococcal nuclease.

Quantitative J-correlation and triple-resonance ECOSY-type experiments are used to unambiguously establish the presence of four-bond sequential HN-Hα J-couplings in the protein staphylococcal nuclease. Substantially negative \({}^{\text{4}}{\text{J}}_{{\text{H}}^\alpha {\text{H}}^{\text{N}} } \) values, ranging from -0.8 to -2.3 Hz, are observed when the Ψ angle is near +120°, and the following ϕ angle near +60°. For other conformations, the four-bond HN-Hα J-couplings fall between -0.5 and +0.5 Hz.
Abstract TP375: Strength in Numbers: Enhancing Bedside Shift Report with an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner

Background and Purpose: According to research, bedside shift report has a direct correlation with improved nursing communication, patient satisfaction, patient safety and quality of care. Exploring...
Densities, Speeds of Sound, and Viscosities of Binary Mixtures of an n-Alkylcyclohexane (n-Propyl-, n-Pentyl-, n-Hexyl-, n-Heptyl, n-Octyl-, n-Nonyl-, n-Decyl-, and n-Dodecyl-) with n-Hexadecane

This work reports densities, speeds of sound, and viscosities of binary mixtures of n-alkylcyclohexanes (propyl- to dodecylcyclohexane) in n-hexadecane as a function of temperature. Isentropic bulk moduli for these mixtures were calculated from these speed of sound and density data. Mixture densities increased with increasing alkylcyclohexane concentration. As the alkyl-chain length on the alkylcyclohexane increased, the excess molar volume decreased, with n-propylcyclohexane and n-dodecylcyclohexane mixtures having positive and negative excess molar volumes, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations accurately predict densities and isentropic bulk moduli of n-propylcyclohexane and n-dodecylcyclohexane mixtures, and suggest that the differences in excess molar volumes for different alkyl-chain lengths are related to changes in molecular packing. The speed of sound as a function of mole fraction was modeled using a second-order polynomial, and viscosities were modeled using the McAllister three-body equ...
Comparison of Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Performed in an Inpatient Versus Outpatient Setting

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:To evaluate differences in patient factors, procedural factors, early outcomes and safety in mutlilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (AC...
Fabrication and Testing of Soy-Based Polyurethane Foam for Insulation and Structural Applications

This study is focused on the fabrication and evaluation of polyurethane (PU) foam fabricated using soy-based polyol that can potentially replace conventional petroleum-based PU foam for thermal applications. Rigid soy-based PU foam samples investigated in this study were produced by copolymerization of diisocyanate with soy-based polyol in presence of Xiameter X0193 surfactant, dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTL) as a catalyst, and water as a blowing agent. Different formulations with varying amounts of blowing agent and catalyst were investigated to optimize the mechanical and thermal properties of soy-based PU foam when compared to commercial petroleum-based foam as a control sample. The prepared samples were tested for density, compressive strength, thermal conductivity, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and thermal stability using the ASTM standards. The cellular structure of the fabricated foam samples was investigated using scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that an increase in density leads to a decrease in insulation. Overall, soy-based foams exhibited similar thermal conductivity as compared to petroleum-based foams.
Improving Sustainability Through Disturbance Crosstalk Mitigation in Deeply Scaled Phase-change Memory

Phase change memory (PCM) is a popular emerging technology for next generation systems. PCM provides advantages compared to conventional memories such as DRAM and Flash including reduced static energy, density advantages over DRAM, and performance and endurance advantages over Flash. Some limitations of PCM, including high dynamic energy and limited endurance can be improved through intelligent encoding. Unfortunately, the additional density benefits achieved through technology scaling increases the proximity between cells and for technologies below 22nm, which can lead to inadvertent writing, referred to as write disturbance, both within the active wordline (i.e., row) and across neighboring wordlines (rows). Write disturbance results in significant system inefficiency to check and rewrite disturbed cells. In this paper, we develop a multi-tiered compression technique that compresses by a small amount (e.g., 40- or 56-bits of a 512-bit block) for >94% of cachelines stored into memory (e.g., during eviction) without disturbing data locality vital for optimizing PCM writes. Using this recovered space, we design a one-to-one mapping that probabilistically detects the cells likely to disturb neighboring cells. Using encoding, correction pointers, and a hybrid approach, we can reduce the instances of write disturbance. Due to using reclaimed bits for encoding, the proposed technique requires only five (5) additional auxiliary bits per 512-bit cacheline, minimizing the embodied energy (fabrication) overhead to mitigate write disturbance. Our experimental tests shows that the proposed technique successfully reduces the number of disturbed cells, which can be directly translated to the number of extra write and read operations, required for disturbance error mitigation. Specifically, our technique improves performance, endurance and write energy by 47%, 42% and 36% versus the leading approach with minimal (circa 1%) increases to embodied energy.
Power oscillations damping using wide-area-based solar plant considering adaptive time-delay compensation

The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of the ever increasing penetration of renewable energy into the power grid to solve challenging problems such as inter area power oscillations without the use of expensive power electronic devices and power system stabilizers. The increase in size of interconnected power systems, energy demand, and installation of remote renewable energies with relatively weak tie-lines has witnessed different stability problems such as low-frequency inter-area oscillations. Inter-area oscillation reduces system stability and transmission capacity. Without effective damping control mechanism, these oscillations could prolong and threaten the security of the system. This paper proposes a supplementary controller from a photovoltaic (PV) solar plant for damping inter-area oscillations. Due to its strong correlation to active power flow and monitoring system stress, area phase-angle difference is employed for the remote signal input of the controller. The signal can be obtained from phasor measurement unit (PMU) through wide-area measurements systems (WAMS). To deal with a wide range of variable delay in the signal input, an adaptive compensator is designed to reduce the impact of the communication latency using neuro-fuzzy inference system. A two-area four-machine test system is used and simulated with a Simulink-based package developed for the work of this study. The time-domain simulations, modal and frequency response analysis demonstrate the capability of the proposed controller to effectively damp inter-area oscillations, under a small- and large-scale disturbances and against a wide range of time delays.
The mental health of community correctional officers: supervising persons with serious mental illness

Few studies have investigated factors that contribute to the mental health of probation and parole officers (PPOs). Addressing the needs of supervisees with serious mental illness (SMI) can create ...
Exosome microarray based on label-free imaging biosensor

Exosome vesicles (EVs) released by macrophages are potential biomarkers for the analysis of immune responses. This study reports a high-throughput EV detection assay developed using a label-free EV microarray. The EV microarray consists of a panel of seven antibodies that are specific to multiple membrane receptors of the target EVs. The EV microarray was fabricated on a photonic crystal (PC) biosensor surface. The hyperspectral imaging approached was implemented to quantify the antibody and EV absorptions on the PC-based microarray. The label-free EV microarray enables low-cost, rapid, and high-throughput characterization of macrophage EVs with a significantly reduced sample volume of 1 μL.
My Journey as a Citizen Therapist

My story begins with the idealism of humanistic and family systems therapies of the 1970s, followed by disillusionment with making a difference in the larger world, and then the discovery of citize...
At the nexus of two terrains: a critical ethnographic case study of an afterschool center for homelessness

Little work examines the nexus of student homelessness and afterschool provision. This critical ethnographic case study of organizational culture draws from observation, documents, and interviews w...
Chapter 10 – Numerical Methods for Unconstrained Optimum Design

Differences between the derivative-based search methods and direct search methods are explained. However, this chapter focuses on the derivative-based unconstrained search methods. General concepts related to iterative numerical algorithms are presented and discussed. These basic concepts are applicable to both unconstrained and constrained optimization problems. The ideas of a descent direction and descent step for unconstrained minimization are presented, discussed and illustrated. Each algorithm has two fundamental steps: search direction calculation and step size calculation. The step size calculation along a search direction is posed as a 1D minimization problem. An analytical method to compute step size and interval-reducing numerical methods for step size calculation are presented. The prominent method in this class is the golden sections method. The steepest–descent method for search direction calculation is detailed and illustrated. The conjugate gradient method is described as a minor modification of the steepest–descent method and illustrated in an example. Two other conjugate gradient methods are also presented.
Beware of monocytes bearing gifts

Monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells accumulate methylglyoxal, which inhibits their metabolic function and can be transferred to CD8+ T cells.
Dynamic causal modeling of eye gaze processing in schizophrenia.

Abstract Background Abnormal eye gaze perception is related to symptoms and social functioning in schizophrenia. However, little is known about the brain network mechanisms underlying these abnormalities. Here, we employed dynamic causal modeling (DCM) of fMRI data to discover aberrant effective connectivity within networks associated with eye gaze processing in schizophrenia. Methods Twenty-seven patients (schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, SZ) and 22 healthy controls (HC) completed an eye gaze processing task during fMRI. Participants viewed faces with different gaze angles and performed explicit gaze discrimination (Gaze: “Looking at you?” yes/no) or implicit gaze processing (Gender: “male or female?”). Four brain regions, the secondary visual cortex (Vis), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) were identified as nodes for subsequent DCM analysis. Results SZ and HC showed similar generative model structure, but SZ showed altered connectivity for specific self-connections, inter-regional connections during all gaze processing (reduced excitatory bottom-up and enhanced inhibitory top-down connections), and modulation by explicit gaze discrimination (increased frontal inhibition of visual cortex). Altered effective connectivity was significantly associated with poorer social cognition and functioning. Conclusions General gaze processing in SZ is associated with distributed cortical dysfunctions and bidirectional connectivity between regions, while explicit gaze discrimination involves predominantly top-down abnormalities in the visual system. These results suggest plausible neural mechanisms underpinning gaze processing deficits and may serve as bio-markers for intervention.
Random Number Generators

Random number generators are a critical component of crypto systems. They are used to generate symmetric keys, to provide initialization vectors, and for other purposes. However, it is critical to utilize a random number generator algorithm that is sufficiently random for cryptographic purposes. In this chapter, we explore the criteria for cryptographically secure random number generators, as well as several specific algorithms.
Patient race and racial composition of delivery unit associated with disparities in severe maternal morbidity: a multistate analysis 2007-2014.

Abstract Background High Black-serving delivery units and high hospital safety-net burden have been associated with poorer patient outcomes. We examine these hospital-level factors and their association with severe maternal morbidity (SMM), independently and as effect modifiers of patient-level factors. Methods Using the 2007–2014 State Inpatient Databases (Florida, New York, California, Maryland, Kentucky), we analyzed delivery hospitalizations. We constructed generalized linear mixed models with patient- and hospital-level variables (Black-serving delivery units: high: top 5th percentile; medium: 5th-25th percentile; low: bottom 75th percentile; hospital safety-net burden status defined by insurance status) and report adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 99% confidence intervals (CI). We repeated our mixed models with stratification and interaction analysis. Results 6 879 332 delivery hospitalizations were included in the analysis. Deliveries at high (aOR 1.83; 99% CI 1.34 to2.50) or medium (aOR 1.27; 99% CI 1.10 to 1.46) Black-serving delivery units were more likely to have SMM than deliveries at low Black-serving delivery units. Hospital safety-net burden was not significantly associated with SMM. In stratified models by hospital category, deliveries of Black women were associated with an increase in SMM compared with deliveries of White women in all hospital categories. In interaction models, Black women giving birth in high Black-serving delivery units had more than twice the odds of White women in low Black-serving delivery units of experiencing SMM (aOR 2.42; 99% CI 1.90 to 3.08). Conclusion The patient racial/ethnic composition of the delivery unit is associated with adjusted-odds of SMM, both independently and interactively with individual patient race.
Epidemiology and risk-stratification of NAFLD-associated HCC.

Summary Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is projected to become the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in many countries. Many risk factors for NAFLD are also independently associated with HCC, including obesity, diabetes, Hispanic ethnicity and genetic polymorphisms in PNPLA3, TM6SF2, GCKR, MBOAT7 and HSD17B13. Steatosis-related lipotoxicity and oxidative DNA damage can induce hepatocarcinogenesis. These factors may explain the association between NAFLD and HCC, especially in the absence of cirrhosis. In fact, NAFLD/NASH is a leading cause of HCC in the absence of cirrhosis. Identifying patients with pre-cirrhotic NAFLD who have a high enough HCC risk to justify HCC screening represents one of the greatest clinical challenges in NAFLD. Validated models that combine multiple risk factors and fibrosis stage into “HCC risk calculators” are not yet available for patients with NAFLD. Development of such tools would enable risk stratification, identification of high-risk patients even in the absence of cirrhosis, and individualised (risk-based) surveillance strategies.
Late-Onset Huntington Disease: Clinical Cases with Intermediate CAG Repeat Expansions (P2.010)

Objective: Describe two patients with intermediate CAG repeats (IR) and late-onset Huntington’s disease (LOHD) Background: IR, 27–35, in the huntingtin gene (HTT) are classically considered to not cause HD, but may expand in subsequent generations. Increasing evidence suggests that IR are associated with apathy and suicidal ideation in mid-life, worse cognitive performance on neuropsychological testing, increased chorea with older age, and in rare cases, LOHD. Design/Methods: Two case reports Results: Both reported onset at age 72. Case 1, a successful businessman with longstanding hearing loss, developed slowly progressive dysarthria and distal extremity chorea. Over 5 years, he gradually developed mildly impaired judgement regarding business decisions, poor concentration, difficulty multi-tasking while driving, poor episodic memory, fatigue, insomnia, mild dysphagia, mild irritability, and reduced libido. Paternal history: familial tremors, alcohol-induced cirrhosis, nephew suicide. Exam showed tangential speech, distractibility, dysarthria, tongue motor impersistence, and mild facial, buccal, trunk, and limb chorea. Neuropsychological testing demonstrated mild memory retrieval and executive dysfunction (≥-2 SD). Case 2 with anxiety, COPD, chronic hearing loss, and diabetes developed face and arm chorea. Over 4 years, he developed irritability, episodic memory loss, 40-lb weight loss, and functional decline. Father developed dementia in 60’s, died in his 70s, required being “tied down.” MOCA (24/30) identified memory retrieval and executive deficits. Exam demonstrated impulsivity, inattention, tangential speech, delayed saccade initiation, dysarthria, ataxic gait, and diffuse, near-constant chorea, which improved with olanzapine. Extensive chorea work-ups were negative, but Case 1 had 28/17 htt CAG repeats and WES identified a sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1/p62) variant, implicated in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Case 2 had 27/18 htt CAG repeats. Conclusions: IR may confer risk of developing LOHD. Contributing factors may include comorbid neurodegenerative pathologies given advanced age or presence of other disease-modifying genes. Future longitudinal cohorts studying incidence of symptoms will be essential for understanding the spectrum of genetic susceptibility. Disclosure: Dr. McDermott has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liptak has nothing to disclose. Dr. Krishnakumar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nelson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Geschwind has received personal compensation for activities with Best Doctors, Advanced Medical, Guidepoint Global, Gerson-Lehrman Group, Quest Diagnostics, and Biohaven Pharmaceuticals Inc. as a consultant.
Anxiety Disorders: Macromolecular Pathways and Interactions

Fear and anxiety can be a normal adaptive reaction to help cope with stress in the short term, but when the emotional, cognitive, and physical manifestations are long lasting, extreme, and disproportionate to threat, whether real or preceived, anxiety is maladaptive and has become a disabling disorder. Anxiety disorders may be deconstructed to elementary behaviors/symptoms that can be conceptualized as quantitative characters determined by the combined effects of several risk genes and nongenetic factors (e.g., early-life adversity). Progress in neurogenetics, molecular and cellular neuroscience, and neuroimaging is beginning to yield significant insights of how genetic and nongenetic factors contribute to specific manifestations of anxiety disorders. The aim of this overview is to summarize and integrate the current knowledge on anxiety-related macromolecular pathways and mechanisms initiated by genetic risk and envionmental factors. These pathways interact with each other, often during specific periods of development, and could lead to alterations in the formation and function of neuronal circuits that encode emotional behavior.
A Data Aggregation Algorithm for Two-Time Scale Adaptive Control

We examine a two-time scale approach to adaptive control where the direct control function is implemented on the first-layer microprocessor controllers of a two-layer distributed control "system and the parameter identification and adaptation functions are carried out on a time-shared second-layer computer at a slower time scale. It is assumed that the parameters of the model used to describe the process change slowly (or infrequently) relative to the dominant transient response modes of the proces loops being controlled. A data aggregation algorithm is presented which reduces the data transmission rate between the local controller and the central computer by a factor of n/N (where n is the order of the process model and N is the level of aggregation). Algorithms are derived for identifying the process models based on the aggregated data. Computer simulation experiments on first and second-order dynamic models show that the approach works well for aggregation levels up to eight. However, as the aggregation level or the model order increases, the complexity of the computations increases significantly resulting in problems of time delay, bias and convergence in the parameter estimation. The results suggest, however, that further study might yield some modifications of the algorithms used that will extend the range of applicability of the approach.
Risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after solid organ transplantation in the United States.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) arising in the context of immunosuppression is an important adverse outcome following solid organ transplantation. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most commonly diagnosed subtype of post-transplant NHL, but few studies of transplant recipients have examined subtype-specific risks. Therefore, we examined DLBCL risk in the Transplant Cancer Match Study, including registry-based cancer ascertainment among 96,615 solid organ transplants performed from 2000–2008. We determined standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing DLBCL risk in transplant recipients to that in the general population, and used multivariable Poisson regression models to assess the impact of potential risk factors. We identified 321 incident cases of DLBCL, over 12 times more than expected based on general population rates (SIR=12.6, 95% CI=11.2–14.0). SIRs were highest in young recipients and those receiving a lung or pancreas/kidney-pancreas transplant, and were greatly elevated for extranodal DLBCLs at the site of the transplant compared to other sites. DLBCL risk was highest in the first year following transplant, and SIRs for early-onset DLBCL risk were elevated in association with EBV negative serostatus and use of polyclonal antibody induction therapy. In conclusion, associations between recipient and transplant factors and post-transplant DLBCL risk suggest a complicated interrelationship among multiple risk factors and timing of disease.
“Who I Am Depends on How Fairly I'm Treated”: Effects of Justice on Self-Identity and Regulatory Focus

Across 2 experiments, we examined motivational processes elicited by justice-related experiences. Specifically, we examined the effects of justice on recipients’ self-identity and regulatory focus. As predicted, those who experienced unfairness had a strong individual identity and prevention focus owing to the threats of social rejection and economic exploitation communicated by unfairness. Conversely, individuals exposed to fairness had strong interdependent identities and promotion focus owing to the favorable economic and socioemotional information communicated by fairness. These effects were accentuated among participants who reported high sensitivity to injustice and internal loci of control. Our findings are important because they highlight causal associations between justice and key motivation constructs. jasp_691 3020..3058
Considerations for bistatic probing of clear-air winds in the atmospheric boundary layer

Bistatic radar measurement of clear-air winds in the atmospheric boundary layer is considered. The context is three-dimensional wind field measurement using dense networks of short-range radars configured to operate in bistatic geometries. Such networks exploit a combination of Rayleigh scattering from insects and Bragg scattering from refractive index turbulence, the latter exhibiting enhanced scattering intensity in forward scatter geometries compared to the monostatic case. Bistatic radar fundamentals are reviewed, and beam-limited scattering volumes are considered. Measurements with sufficient precision (<1 m s -1 ) are achievable with relatively low average powers (100 W) with reasonably short dwell times (Is) for transmitters and receivers separated by as much as 15 km. For a fixed antenna aperture size, frequency dependence of sensitivity for the Bragg component of the composite scattered signal is weak (λ 2/3 ), provided that the Bragg-resonant wave number for the forward scattering geometry lies within the inertial subrange of refractive index turbulence. In contrast, the strong (λ 4 ) frequency-dependent Rayleigh insect echo dominates the scattered signal for short wavelengths (i.e., X band and higher frequencies) under many conditions except for small forward scatter angles. Owing to this dominance and to the tendency for refractive index turbulence and insects to occur together in the atmospheric boundary layer, reliance on the bistatic Bragg scattering mechanism is not warranted for short-range, short-wavelength radar networks.
Again nice equations for nice groups

Nice quartinomial equations are given for unramified coverings of the affine line in nonzero characteristic p with PSU(2m − 1, q1) and SU(2m − 1, q') as Galois groups where m > 1 is any integer and q' > 1 is any power of p.