cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Riboflavin Determinations on Normal Liver and Liver Tumor

It was decided to use a fluorometric method in making quantitative estimations of riboflavin from fresh liver tissue after several checks had been run against the Snell and Strong method.∗ The fluorometric method here used is first to determine the total fluorescence, then eliminate the riboflavin by raising the alkalinity to pH 11 and determining the “interfering” fluorescence. The difference between these two values gives the approximate riboflavin value. The fluorescence was measured with a photocell using suitable optical filters.Liver tumors from Osborn-Mendel rats which had been fed 2-amino 5-azo toluene for a long period were used. These animals were kindly put at our disposal by Dr. E. Emmart. Samples of liver which had been perfused with saline were ground with n/10 HC1, autoclaved for 15 min. and clarified by precipitation at pH 5-6, followed by filtering through No. 42 paper. Recovery of added riboflavin was about 97% by this fluorometric method.Some of the material was given a short low temper...
Impact of Crop Rotation and Bio-covers on Soybean Cyst Nematode

This research examined the effects of crop rotations and winter soil bio-covers on soybean cyst nematode (SCN) egg population density (EPD) under no-tillage. A field experiment with split-block treatments and four replications was conducted over three years with the whole-block treatments being rotations of corn (Zea mays L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr], and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Split-block treatments were bio-covers of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), poultry litter, and fallow. Eggs were found in soybean-free sequences all four years, indicating potential residual viable SCN eggs in soil for seven years. Rotations with higher frequencies of soybean had significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) SCN EPD than others, with continuous soybean being greatest. We did not observe a significant difference due to bio-cover on SCN EPD.
The association between the foveal avascular zone and retinal thickness.

PURPOSE To investigate the association between the size and shape of the foveal avascular zone and retinal thickness in healthy subjects. METHODS In vivo imaging of the foveal microvasculature was performed on 32 subjects by using an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). Motion contrast maps of the AOSLO images were used to generate a montage revealing the foveal capillary network. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) diameters along the horizontal (FAZH) and vertical (FAZV) meridians were measured on the montages. An asymmetry index (AI) of the FAZ was then computed as the ratio of the FAZH to FAZV. Retinal thickness was investigated by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT). Inner retinal layer (INLFAZ) thickness and outer nuclear layer (ONLFAZ) thickness were measured at the edges of the FAZ on the horizontal and vertical SDOCT scans on the same eye. RESULTS The foveal capillary network was readily visualized in all subjects. As expected there was individual variation in the size and shape of the FAZ. Along the horizontal and vertical meridians, the mean±SD (μm) of the FAZ diameter was 607±217 and 574±155, respectively. The INLFAZ thickness was 68±9 and 66±9, and the ONLFAZ thickness was 103±13 and 105±11, respectively. The mean±SD of the AI was 1.03±0.27. The difference between FAZH and FAZV decreases with increasing FAZ area (P=0.004). Mean ONLFAZ was negatively correlated with FAZ effective diameter (P<0.0001). No significant correlation was found between mean INLFAZ and FAZ effective diameter (P=0.16). CONCLUSIONS Despite large individual variations in size and shape of the FAZ, the INLFAZ has a relatively constant thickness at the margins of the FAZ, suggesting the presence of retinal capillaries is needed to sustain an INLFAZ thickness greater than 60 μm. A smaller FAZ area is associated with a vertically elongated FAZ.
The microcrystalline structure of regenerated cellulose fibers as studied in negatively stained ultrathin sections

The microcrystalline structure of viscose rayon and “Fortisan”, a highly oriented regenerated cellulose fiber, is studied with a new modification of negative staining, by the electron microscope. With this method, the microcrystalline structure of the viscose rayon can be directly observed. The ultrastructure is found to consist of closely packed oblong particles of uniform size in homogeneous distribution, except for the presence of voids and dense skin structures. The particles can be isolated and be demonstrated by metal shadowing as well as by negative staining in the section. The diameter of the particles is 32–40 A in viscose and somewhat in “Fortisan”. These dimensions correspond to those calculated from small-angle X-ray scattering for the size of the microcrystallites. In length sections of “Fortisan”, the particles are seen to be aligned in longitudinal direction, forming long strings of 300–400 A length. The particles are concluded to be the cellulose microcrystallites as studied by X-ray methods and the particle strings correspond to the molecular strings suggested byKratky.
Measurement of Mechanical Bulk- and Interfaceproperties of Thin Polymeric Films

Theoretical and experimental studies on the measurement of the mechanical constitutive relation and the interfacial strength for thin polymeric film structures are presented. For the measurement of the constitutive relation, a new innovative testing technique based on the J-integral concept is introduced. This method measures the stressstrain relationship in the thickness direction, while the stress-strain relationship in the lateral direction can be measured with conventional techniques. For the measurement of interface strength the cut test and the ball rolling test were used to construct the failure criteria, based on the interface fracture mechanics concept. The interface between polyimide and glass (SiO 2 ) has been tested and analyzed in detail. This shows that the toughness of the PMDA-ODA polyimide/glass interface was measured as 2.2 J/m 2 in pure opening mode and as 15 J/m 2 for pure sliding mode. It was also observed that the PMDA-ODA/SiO 2 interface toughness is insensitive to temperature variations in the range of 20oC — 250oC.
Identification and distribution of pollinating honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) on sterile male cotton

The percentage of pollinated sterile male cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., pistils, the number of pollen grains per pistil, and seeds per boll were determined with relation to distance from fertile male plants. Distribution of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., and the number foraging on sterile male flowers with cotton pollen on their bodies also were measured at various distances from fertile male plants. The percentages of sterile male pistils with pollen, pollen grains per pistil, and seeds per boll did not decrease with increasing distance from rows of fertile males in the first year of the study. In the second year, the study was repeated. At site A, the plants adjacent to fertile male rows had significantly greater numbers of pollinated pistils, pollen grains per pistil, and seeds per boll than more distant rows. At site B, the population of foraging honey bees was large, and every pistil was pollinated regardless of its location. However, pollen per pistil and seeds per boll were greater in rows adjacent to fertile male plants. Honey bees were equally distributed on fertile male and sterile male rows, and all foragers on sterile male flowers had some cotton pollen on their bodies as well as pollen from other species. Cotton pollen per forager was greater in sterile male rows closer to fertile males compared with rows farther away.
Bismuth Subsalicylate in the Treatment and Prevention of Diarrheal Disease

Bismuth subsalicylate (BSS) has been used for more than 80 years to treat gastrointestinal symptoms although little clinical evidence was available until recently to substantiate its value and possible mechanisms of action. BSS 4.2 g given over 3 1/2 hours was shown to reduce the number of stools passed and favorably alter subjective symptoms in patients with traveler's diarrhea. BSS has also been shown to have beneficial effects on chronic infantile diarrhea. A small but discernible effect has been shown on selected symptoms associated with Norwalk virus-induced gastroenteritis. A liquid preparation, in a dose of 60 ml qid (4.2 g/d), was 62 percent effective in preventing traveler's diarrhea during a three-week period of risk and a tablet formulation (BSS 600 mg qid) was 76 percent effective in preventing experimentally induced enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea in volunteers. A tablet formulation (2.1 g/d) was recently shown to be 65 percent effective in preventing traveler's diarrhea during a three-week clinical trial in Mexico. Preliminary evidence suggests that the salicylate moiety exerts antisecretory effects in patients with diarrhea and the bismuth and intestinal hydrolysis products of BSS have direct antimicrobial effects.
Myeloid cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cell concentrates inhibit the expansion of chimeric antigen receptor T cells

Abstract Background aims Autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have shown promising clinical outcomes, but T-cell yields have been variable. CD19- and GD2-CAR T-cell manufacturing records were reviewed to identify sources of variability. Methods CD19-CAR T cells were used to treat 43 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia or lymphoma and GD2-CAR T cells to treat eight patients with osteosarcoma and three with neuroblastoma. Both types of CAR T cells were manufactured using autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) concentrates and anti-CD3/CD28 beads for T-cell enrichment and simulation. Results A comparison of the first 6 GD2- and the first 22 CD19-CAR T-cell products manufactured revealed that GD2-CAR T-cell products contained fewer transduced cells than CD19-CAR T-cell products (147 ± 102 × 106 vs 1502 ± 1066 × 106; P = 0.0059), and their PBMC concentrates contained more monocytes (31.4 ± 12.4% vs 18.5 ± 13.7%; P = 0.019). Among the first 28 CD19-CAR T-cell products manufactured, four had poor expansion yielding less than 1 × 106 transduced T cells per kilogram. When PBMC concentrates from these four patients were compared with the 24 others, PBMC concentrates of poorly expanding products contained greater quantities of monocytes (39.8 ± 12.9% vs. 15.3 ± 10.8%, P = 0.0014). Among the patients whose CD19-CAR T cells expanded poorly, manufacturing for two patients was repeated using cryopreserved PBMC concentrates but incorporating a monocyte depleting plastic adherence step, and an adequate dose of CAR T cells was produced for both patients. Conclusions Variability in CAR T-cell expansion is due, at least in part, to the contamination of the starting PBMC concentrates with monocytes.
Rosemarie McGerr . A Lancastrian Mirror for Princes: The Yale Law School New Statutes of England . Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011. xv, 212p. ISBN 9780253356413. $34.95

A Lancastrian Mirror for Princes is McGerr’s study of the relationship between the illustrations and the text within a single manuscript copy of the New Statutes of England (or Nova statuta Angliae ) owned by the Yale Law School. The manuscript bears the coat of arms of Margaret of Anjou, who was the consort of Henry VI. McGerr supplies a full codicological description of the manuscript (Appendix 2), as well as links between it and other known Lancastrian “mirrors for princes,” or works of advice about kingship. Her objective, as stated in the Introduction, is to explore the role of a . . .
Galois Action on the Homology of Fermat Curves

In his paper titled “Torsion points on Fermat Jacobians, roots of circular units and relative singular homology,” Anderson determines the homology of the degree n Fermat curve as a Galois module for the action of the absolute Galois group \(G_{\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{n})}\). In particular, when n is an odd prime p, he shows that the action of \(G_{\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{p})}\) on a more powerful relative homology group factors through the Galois group of the splitting field of the polynomial \(1 - (1 - x^{p})^{p}\). If p satisfies Vandiver’s conjecture, we give a proof that the Galois group G of this splitting field over \(\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{p})\) is an elementary abelian p-group of rank \((p + 1)/2\). Using an explicit basis for G, we completely compute the relative homology, the homology, and the homology of an open subset of the degree 3 Fermat curve as Galois modules. We then compute several Galois cohomology groups which arise in connection with obstructions to rational points. In Anderson (Duke Math J 54(2):501 – 561, 1987), the author determines the homology of the degree n Fermat curve as a Galois module for the action of the absolute Galois group \(G_{\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{n})}\). In particular, when n is an odd prime p, he shows that the action of \(G_{\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{p})}\) on a more powerful relative homology group factors through the Galois group of the splitting field of the polynomial \(1 - (1 - x^{p})^{p}\). If p satisfies Vandiver’s conjecture, we give a proof that the Galois group G of this splitting field over \(\mathbb{Q}(\zeta _{p})\) is an elementary abelian p-group of rank \((p + 1)/2\). Using an explicit basis for G, we completely compute the relative homology, the homology, and the homology of an open subset of the degree 3 Fermat curve as Galois modules. We then compute several Galois cohomology groups which arise in connection with obstructions to rational points.
The Saint-Making Theodicy II: Positive Phase

The last chapter concerned the defeat of evil. Given theism’s capacity to defeat evil from within its value system, evil will not count against God’s existence. For theism is only in tension with indefeasible evil (which is probably a better way to characterize what has been called “gratuitous” evil). And we have no evidence whatsoever that there is any indefeasible evil. However, though this is our theodical foundation, it is not enough to fully answer the Bayesian argument from animal suffering. For, on the face of it, the suffering is just what we’d expect given naturalism. And failing to predict the opposite of the data is not on par with predicting the data. So in this chapter, I take the considerations of the last chapter and present in Section 7.1 the fine-tuning argument for theism from evil. Its structure is much like the fine-tuning argument for theism from the initial conditions of the universe. In Section 7.2, I make its application to the Bayesian problem of evil from animal suffering perfectly explicit. In Section 7.3, I consider whether there is any evidence that the amount of suffering observed is definitely beyond the range of expectation. I finish, in Section 7.4, with some exploratory reflections on how we can assess what worlds to expect based on what kind of story the lives of the sufferers amount to.
Can I Reach that? An Affordance Based Metric of Human-Sensor-Robot System Effectiveness

A person's ability to perceive and act fluently in a remote environment through teleoperation of a robotic platform is clearly limited when compared to acting directly in an immediate environment. Despite the contrast between teleoperation and direct action, there are few metrics in the human robot interaction literature that are sensitive to these differences. Existing human-robot assessment studies rely on observational accounts and studies that simulate domain tasks, then applying ad hoc metrics to assess performance. These metrics are typically properties of the task like completion time, number of targets found, and operator mental workload. This study introduces a formal method and metric based on the perception of affordances. The study assesses a human-robot systems ability to perceive the reachability of an object using a mechanical arm. Affordance-based metrics are a new tool to quantify the effectiveness of different teleoperated sensor-robot systems designs.
AACrobat: Using Mobile Devices to Lower Communication Barriers and Provide Autonomy with Gaze-Based AAC

Gaze-based alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices provide users with neuromuscular diseases the ability to communicate with other people through only the movement of their eyes. These devices suffer from slow input, causing a host of communication breakdowns to occur during face-to-face conversations. These breakdowns lead to decreased user autonomy, conversation quality, and communication partner engagement. Attempts to improve communication through these devices has mainly focused on throughput and rate enhancement, though this has only attained meager results to date. In this work, we address this issue from the top down by considering AAC devices as a form of groupware and designing interactions around this groupware that facilitate better conversations for all involved communicators. We first present qualitative findings on issues with gaze-based AAC and end-user communication preferences; we identify several design guidelines for improving these systems and then present AACrobat, a system that embodies these guidelines and introduces novel interactions by extending gaze-based AAC devices with a mobile companion app. Finally, we present early feedback on AACrobat through three case studies of users with ALS.
Professor Favorability and Student Perceptions of Professor Ideology

Academia has become an increasingly common political target, particularly the institution of academic tenure, which many conservative politicians accuse of helping to perpetuate the ideological indoctrination of students. This study focuses on students’ perceptions of professors’ ideology by examining the link between student ideology, professor favorability, and perceptions of professors’ ideology. We employ an original survey instrument and find that, rather than forming perceptions of their professors’ political views based on their professors’ actual positions, students tend to project their own ideology onto their professor, based on the extent to which they like their professor.
Placing barrier-island transgression in a blue-carbon context

Backbarrier saltmarshes are considered carbon sinks; however, barrier island transgression and the associated processes of erosion and overwash are typically not included in coastal carbon budgets. Here, we present a carbon-budget model for transgressive barrier islands that includes a dynamic carbon-storage term, driven by backbarrier-marsh width, and a carbon-export term, driven by ocean and backbarrier shoreline erosion. To examine the impacts of storms, human disturbances and the backbarrier setting of a transgressive barrier island on carbon budgets and reservoirs, the model was applied to sites at Core Banks and Onslow Beach, NC, USA. Results show that shoreline erosion and burial of backbarrier marsh from washover deposition and dredge-spoil disposal temporarily transitioned each site into a net exporter (source) of carbon. The magnitude of the carbon reservoir was linked to the backbarrier setting of an island. Carbon reservoirs of study sites separated from the mainland by only backbarrier marsh (no lagoon) decreased for over a decade because carbon storage could not keep pace with erosion. With progressive narrowing of the backbarrier marsh, these barriers will begin to function more persistently as carbon sources until the reservoir is depleted at the point where the barrier welds with the mainland. Undeveloped barrier islands with wide lagoons are carbon sources briefly during erosive periods; however, at century time scales are net carbon importers (sinks) because new marsh habitat can form during barrier rollover. Human development on backbarrier saltmarsh serves to reduce the carbon storage capacity and can hasten the transition of an island from a sink to a source.
Statistical analysis of financial data with many zeros

One of the core issues in finance is to understand why firms finance themselves as they do. This issue has become increasingly important because how firms are financed influences their performance and value. Since the 1950s, the capital structure literature has addressed this fundamental issue by focusing on a firm's mix of debt and equity. However, firms often use more than one type of debt claim. Furthermore, some firms use certain types of debt claim that others do not use. The financing choices of various forms of debt claim and different amounts of debt issued lead to financial data with multiple continuous proportions and many zeros implied by debt structures. We propose a novel method for addressing such choice-implied statistical issues. Our method is based on choice probability-driven submodels and is empirically implementable even in large dimensions. Its performance is demonstrated by simulations. Its application to the analysis of debt structures of U.S. corporations reveals that the determinants of the choice to use a particular form of debt and how much of that type of debt to use are not identical: a valuable insight missing from prior financial research. Our methodology is applicable not only to firm financing decisions in corporate finance, but also to choices in other critical areas of finance such as household investment decisions in household finance. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Association of lunate morphology, sex, and lunotriquetral interosseous ligament injury with radiologic measurement of the capitate-triquetrum joint

Radiologic presentation of carpal instability at the radial side of the carpus, e.g. scapholunate diastasis following scapholunate interosseous ligament injury, has been studied extensively. By comparison, presentation at the ulnar-sided carpus has not. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of lunate morphology, sex, and lunotriquetral interosseous ligament (LTIL) status on the radiologic measurement of the capitate-triquetrum joint (C-T distance). Further, we sought to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of C-T distance for assessing LTIL injuries. We retrospectively identified 223 wrists with wrist radiographs and MR arthrograms with contrast injection. Data collected included sex, lunate morphology and LTIL status from MR arthrography, and C-T distance from radiography. The effects of lunate morphology, sex, and LTIL injury status on C-T distance were evaluated using generalized linear models. Diagnostic performance of C-T distance was assessed by the area under receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUROC). Lunate morphology, sex, and LTIL injury status all had significant effects on C-T distance; wrists with type II lunates, men, and wrists with LTIL injuries had greater C-T distances than wrists with type I lunates, women, and wrists without LTIL injuries, respectively (p < 0.01). The diagnostic value of the C-T distance for identifying patients with full-thickness LTIL tears was sufficient for women with type I (AUROC = 0.67) and type II lunates (0.60) and good for men with type I (0.72) and type II lunates (0.77). The demonstrated influence of LTIL status on C-T distance supports the use of C-T distance as a tool in assessing for full-thickness LTIL tears.
A method for estimating annual cost reduction of IT service deals

Highly valued Information technology (IT) service contracts involve the delivery of complex IT services, such as migrating the client's IT infrastructure to the Cloud, Mainframes, among others. IT service providers usually compete to win these IT service contracts. In order to bid on such deals, IT service providers need to price/quote the solution that they propose to the client, trying to convince him to use their services. A few analytical methods in the literature have been provided for pricing these deals. However, these methods ignore an important characteristic of these services; that is they are typically characterized by a decreasing cost profile in subsequent years to the first year. Typically, these methods require solutioners to manually input these annual cost reductions. In this paper, we present an analytical way for calculating this cost reduction, if applicable, via mining historical data. We show that using our methodology could achieve significant increase in the accuracy of estimating the costs and prices of IT service deals.
The Argus Project: Underwater Soundscape Composition with Laser- Controlled Modulation.

In this paper we describe and analyze The Argus Project, a sound installation involving the real-time processing and spatialized projection of sound sources from beneath a pond’s surface. The primary aim of The Argus Project is to project the natural sound sources from below the pond’s surface while tracking the changes in the environmental factors above the surface so as to map this data onto the real-time audio processing. The project takes as its conceptual model that of a feedback network, or, a process in which the factors that produce a result are themselves modified and reinforced by that result. Examples are given of the compositional process, the execution, and processing techniques.
Functional dependence versus frailty in gastrointestinal surgery: Are they comparable in predicting short-term outcomes?

Background Frailty and functional dependence are important factors in assessing preoperative risk. No studies to date have compared frailty with functional dependence as a predictor of surgical outcomes. We sought to compare the impact of frailty and functional dependence on early outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. Methods Patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery were identified using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (2012–2015). Propensity score matching analysis was used to separately match dependent and independent patients, and patients with modified frailty index Results Of 765,082 patients, 1.71% were dependent and 1.49% had a modified frailty index score ≥3. Similar outcomes were observed in matched cohorts for those who were dependent and patients with a modified frailty index score ≥3: readmission (15.61% dependent and 15.75% modified frailty index ≥3), overall morbidity (37.91% and 34.81%), serious morbidity (19.06% and 17.06%), mortality (6.73% and 5.43%), and reoperation (7.01% and 6.48%). Dependent and modified frailty index ≥3 patients had similar odds of outcomes on adjusted multivariable logistic analysis and shared 3 of the top 5 indicators for readmission: complication of surgical procedure (11.46% dependent and 11.23% mFI ≥3), intestinal obstruction (10.70% and 7.65%), and organ space surgical site infection (7.93% and 8.65%). Comparable outcomes and reasons for readmission were also obtained for dependent patients and colectomy patients with a modified frailty index score ≥3. Conclusion Frailty and functional dependence are comparable in predicting postoperative outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. Functional dependence should be considered an acceptable and practical alternative for preoperative risk stratification in a clinical setting.
Analysis of Adversarial Movement Through Characteristics of Graph Topological Ordering

Capturing the patterns in adversarial movement can provide valuable information regarding how the adversaries progress through cyberattacks. This information can be further employed for making comparisons and interpretations of decision making of the adversaries. In this study, we propose a framework based on concepts of social networks to characterize and compare the patterns, variations and shifts in the movements made by an adversarial team during a real-time cybersecurity exercise. We also explore the possibility of movement association with the skill sets using topological sort networks. This research provides priliminary insight on adversarial movement complexity and linearity and decision-making as cyberattacks unfold.
The Vaccinia virion: Filling the gap between atomic and ultrastructure

We have investigated the molecular-level structure of the Vaccinia virion in situ by protein-protein chemical crosslinking, identifying 4609 unique-mass crosslink ions at an effective FDR of 0.33%, covering 2534 unique pairs of crosslinked protein positions, 625 of which were inter-protein. The data were statistically non-random and rational in the context of known structures, and showed biological rationality. Crosslink density strongly tracked the individual proteolytic maturation products of p4a and p4b, the two major virion structural proteins, and supported the prediction of transmembrane domains within membrane proteins. A clear sub-network of four virion structural proteins provided structural insights into the virion core wall, and proteins VP8 and A12 formed a strongly-detected crosslinked pair with an apparent structural role. A strongly-detected sub-network of membrane proteins A17, H3, A27 and A26 represented an apparent interface of the early-forming virion envelope with structures added later during virion morphogenesis. Protein H3 seemed to be the central hub not only for this sub-network but also for an 'attachment protein' sub-network comprising membrane proteins H3, ATI, CAHH(D8), A26, A27 and G9. Crosslinking data lent support to a number of known interactions and interactions within known complexes. Evidence is provided for the membrane targeting of genome telomeres. In covering several orders of magnitude in protein abundance, this study may have come close to the bottom of the protein-protein crosslinkome of an intact organism, namely a complex animal virus.
Cell Subtypes Within the Liver Microenvironment Differentially Interact with Lipid Nanoparticles.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) tend to accumulate in the liver due to physiological factors. Whereas the biological mechanisms that promote LNP delivery to hepatocytes have been reported, the mechanisms that promote delivery to other cell types within the liver microenvironment are poorly understood. Single cell profiling studies have recently identified subsets of Kupffer cells and hepatic endothelial cells with distinct gene expression patterns and biological phenotypes; we hypothesized these subtypes would differentially interact with nanoparticles. To test the hypothesis, we quantified nucleic acid (i) biodistribution and (ii) functional mRNA delivery within the liver microenvironment using two clinically relevant LNPs in vivo. We found that these LNPs distribute nucleic acids distribute to Kupffer cells and liver endothelial cells as efficiently as they distribute to hepatocytes, yet result in more functional mRNA delivery to endothelial cells. Additionally, we found these LNPs differentially accumulate in Kupffer and endothelial cell subsets. These data suggest subsets of liver microenvironmental cells can differentially interact with nanoparticles in vivo, thereby altering LNP delivery. More generally, the data suggest that nucleic acid biodistribution is not sufficient to predict functional nucleic acid delivery in vivo.
Modulating Patient Perception of Systemic Psoriasis Treatment Risk

Background:Perception of medication risk is often disproportionately greater than actual risk. As a result, patients with psoriasis who would benefit from biologic therapies may be reluctant to sta...
Overproduction and purification of highly active recombinant Pseudomonas aeruginosa str. PAO1 RNA polymerase holoenzyme complex

Abstract The bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is a large, complex molecular machine that is the engine of gene expression. Despite global conservation in their structures and function, RNAPs from different bacteria can have unique features in promoter and transcription factor recognition. Therefore, availability of purified RNAP from different bacteria is key to understanding these species-specific aspects and will be valuable for antibiotic drug discovery. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the leading causes of hospital and community acquired infections worldwide - making the organism an important public health pathogen. We developed a method for producing high quantities of highly pure and active recombinant P. aeruginosa str. PAO1 RNAP core and holoenzyme complexes that employed two-vector systems for expressing the core enzyme (α, β, β’, and ω subunits) and for expressing the holoenzyme complex (core + σ70). Unlike other RNAP expression approaches, we used a low temperature autoinduction system in E. coli with T7 promoters that produced high cell yields and stable protein expression. The purification strategy comprised of four chromatographic separation steps (metal chelate, heparin, and ion-exchange) with yields of up to 11 mg per 500 mL culture. Purified holoenzyme and reconstituted holoenzyme from core and σ70 were highly active at transcribing both small and large-sized DNA templates, with a determined elongation rate of ~18 nt/s for the holoenzyme. The successful purification of the P. aeruginosa RNAP provides a gateway for studies focusing on in vitro transcriptional regulation in this pathogen.
Reticular Dysgenesis and Mitochondriopathy Induced by Adenylate Kinase 2 Deficiency with Atypical Presentation.

Reticular dysgenesis is an autosomal recessive form of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) that usually manifests in newborns. It is a unique example of an immune deficiency that is linked to dysfunctional mitochondrial energy metabolism and caused by adenylate kinase 2 (AK2) deficiency. It is characterized by an early differentiation arrest in the myeloid lineage, impaired lymphoid maturation, and sensorineural hearing loss. In this study, a novel AK2 homozygous mutation, c.622 T > C [p.Ser208Pro], was identified in an Old Order Amish patient through whole exome sequencing. Functional studies showed that the patient’s cells have no detectable AK2 protein, as well as low oxygen consumption rate (OCR), extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and proton production rate (PPR). An increased production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial membrane permeability, and mitochondrial mass, and decreased ATP production, were also observed. The results confirm the pathogenicity of the AK2 mutation and demonstrate that reticular dysgenesis should be considered in Amish individuals presenting with immune deficiency. We also describe other pathophysiological aspects of AK2 deficiency not previously reported.
Feedback Loop: Reflections from a Peer Review-Intensive Seminar

In this teaching paper, the author reviews the teaching and learning literature on student peer review in higher education to generate a list of best practices, as well as a list of accessible and immediate research questions. The author then reflects on their experience implementing these in the form of a peer review-intensive senior capstone seminar in the Spring of 2019. While the course received high evaluations and allowed students to generate a useful writing portfolio, finding evidence of the effectiveness of extensive peer review remains difficult and uncertain. The paper includes a number of templates and options for building an extensive peer review process into upper-level political science courses, and discusses the trade-offs experienced in scheduling class time for peer review and teaching students how to give (and receive) effective comments on each other’s work.
Validation of self-reported height and weight in a large, nationwide cohort of U.S. adults.

Background Height and weight are commonly used metrics in epidemiologic studies to calculate body mass index. Large cohort studies generally assess height and weight by self-report rather than by measurement. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of self-reported height and weight in the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3), a large, nationwide cohort recruited by the American Cancer Society between 2006–2013. Methods In a subset of CPS-3 participants (n = 2,643), weight and height were assessed at the same time via self-report and in-person measurement. BMI was calculated and classified underweight (<18.5 kg/m2), normal (18.5-<25 kg/m2), overweight (25-<30 kg/m2), or obese (≥30 kg/m2). Self-reported and measured height, weight, and BMI were compared using mean differences and Bland-Altman plots and examined by sex, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, age group, and BMI category. Results Men and women slightly overreported height and underreported weight. BMI calculated from self-reported data was lower than for measured data for men and women. In analyses stratified by race/ethnicity, age, education, and marital status, older women and women with less than a college degree overreported height. Approximately 13% of men and 7% of women were misclassified into a lower self-reported BMI category, with misclassification of BMI being greatest in obese men and women. Conclusions Overall, height, weight, and BMI were well-reported, and this study further suggests that BMI computed from self-reported weight and height is a valid measure in men and women across different socio-demographic groups.
Abstract 124: Supplementation With Growth Differentiation Factor11 Promotes Tissue Recovery and Angiogenesis After Ischemic Stroke in Aged Mice

Introduction: Growth differentiation factor (GDF) 11 levels decline with aging. This age-related loss of GDF11 has been implicated in a variety of age-related diseases. Supplementation with GDF11 r...
Biomarker testing patterns and trends among patients with metastatic lung cancer.

e13667Background: Guidelines for biomarker testing of metastatic lung cancer patients aid oncologists in making targeted treatment decisions. Despite evidence demonstrating the benefits of genomic ...
The Carnival King of Capital

This paper argues that President Donald Trump may be understood as ruling through carnival. The theatrical reversal of conventional standards and rules, his carnivalesque incivility, is key to his political persona. It performs his claim to be an outsider, attacking and subverting the Washington DC establishment. But Trump’s carnivalesque performance, far from undermining the dominant order, reflects it. What Trump represents is carnivalized capital, a financialized and globalized form of capital that has broken free of the social and legal restraints of the nation state. The carnivalesque chaos of Trump’s presidency reflects the chaos of financialized capitalism.
Anthropocentric tendencies in environmental education: a critical discourse analysis of nature-based learning

Although environmental and eco-centric efforts have been made in education, the sphere of influence and cogency of these efforts is limited by their anthropocentric framing of the environment. In o...
A Robust Energy and Emissions Conscious Cruise Controller for Connected Vehicles with Privacy Considerations

While perturbation schemes for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications can address data privacy concerns, they can significantly compromise the performance of the speed controllers of connected automated vehicles (CAVs) if such controllers rely on the preview information available through V2V in car-following scenarios. This paper presents a robust predictive speed controller for a CAV when preview information is provided through a privacy-guaranteed V2V communication network. This is the first such controller that considers energy and emissions concurrently. The impact of privacy assurance in the communication data is studied, while inter-vehicular distance constraint is guaranteed to be satisfied through a robust design of the predictive controller using a robust control invariant set. The robust optimal speed controller is shown to reduce fuel consumption and emissions successfully while satisfying the constraints even in the presence of perturbations in the V2V communication. Results suggest a need for an integrated design procedure to achieve the best performance under a given level of privacy guarantee and emissions requirements.
Strategies for Evaluating Telehealth.

* Abbreviations: AHRQ — : Agency for Health Research and Quality COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 HbA1c — : hemoglobin A1c KPI — : key performance indicator NQF — : National Quality Forum STEM — : Supporting Pediatric Research on Outcomes and Utilization of Telehealth Evaluation and Measurement The ability for our health care system to adapt with extraordinary speed under crisis has never been more evident than now as we face the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ambulatory clinics and primary care providers have seen shifts in patient demand for their services, and elective and scheduled care at hospitals has been reduced to mitigate the spread of infection. Almost overnight, the health care system has shifted toward providing care through telehealth platforms to avoid the catastrophic consequences of “doing business as usual,” making telehealth a leading modality of health care delivery.1 The telehealth alternative to in-person health care expanded rapidly as new federal and state legislation passed and payers reimbursed telehealth more broadly. Jefferson Health, one of the nation’s early pioneers in telehealth, reported a 10-fold surge in demand, scheduling up to 600 telehealth visits a day. As with many hospitals across the nation, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia saw telehealth visits increase from 5 to 10 per day to >1500 per day. More than 800 … Address correspondence to John Chuo, MD, MS, IA, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: chuoj{at}chop.edu
Hypercalcemia of Malignancy: Simultaneous Elevation in Parathyroid Hormone-Related Peptide and 1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D in Sarcoma

Abstract Objective Hypercalcemia is a common finding in patients who have an underlying malignancy. Only a few cases of hypercalcemia of malignancy have been linked to more than one mechanism of hypercalcemia. Here, we present a patient with liposarcoma and hypercalcemia of malignancy in the setting of simultaneous elevations in parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] levels. Sarcoma-associated hypercalcemia is a rare disorder. Methods The patient was an 89-year-old woman with sarcoma-associated hypercalcemia. Multiple mechanisms were uncovered, and treatments were adjusted for them. Literature search for hypercalcemia of malignancy with multiple mechanisms was conducted. Results This is the first report describing dual mechanisms of sarcoma-associated hypercalcemia and only the fifth report on PTHrP and 1,25(OH)2D simultaneously causing hypercalcemia of malignancy. Conclusion Based on this finding, we recommend measuring the 1,25(OH)2D levels in conjunction with the PTHrP level in patients with malignancy as this would allow for a more proactive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of hypercalcemia of malignancy.
Classification: General Overview

Congenital vascular malformation (CVM) is a unique clinical condition as the result of defective development during various stages of embryogenesis of the circulation system. Hence, CVM represents a group of “birth defects” involving any part of the entire circulation system: arterial, venous, lymphatic, and capillary. It may therefore, present either as an independent lesion affecting only one of three circulation systems (e.g., venous malformation) or as a mixed lesion of two or three different types of CVMs affecting more than one circulation system (e.g., hemolymphatic malformation).
Sliding multi-pixel method to improve sO2 estimation accuracy in in-vivo ovarian cancer diagnosis using photoacoustic tomography

In photoacoustic tomography (PAT), measurement errors arise from optical fluence spatial and temporal variations caused by tissue optical absorption and scattering heterogeneities, system noise, and motion. These errors influence the estimation accuracy of blood oxygenation saturation (sO2). In this study, we introduce a sliding multi-pixel approach to mitigate the effect of measurement errors before computing sO2 maps. As a result, the sO2 estimation is both more accurate, as evaluated by residual fitting errors, as well as smoother. We conclude by presenting diagnostic results from PAT of 33 patients with ovarian masses imaged by our coregistered PAT and ultrasound system.
SUPERPLASTIC DEFORMATION BEHAVIOUR OF SUPERHARD Al ALLOY LC4

The superplasticity of the high strength and hard Al alloy LC4 was improved toa great extent by modified thermomechanic treatment. Its maximum elongation may be up to2100% under deformation with initial strain rate 8.33×10~(-4)s~(-1) at 510℃. The optical and TEMobservations of the microstructure changes revealed that with thein crease of deformation, the dis-location density increases, the grain grows and the alloy exhibits strain hardening. The excel-lent elongation of the alloy seems due to the increase of grain stability under deformation.
PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF ANAPLASMA INFECTIONS IN EASTERN MOOSE (ALCES ALCES AMERICANA) AND WINTER TICKS (DERMACENTOR ALBIPICTUS) IN MAINE, USA

Eastern moose (Alces alces americana) are heavily parasitized by winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus), the dominant cause of increased calf mortality in the northeastern US. Although much work has focused on the direct negative effects of winter tick on moose, it remains unknown whether diseases transmitted by ticks may also affect moose health or pose a risk to other species. We explored the role that moose and winter ticks play in transmission of the tick-borne bacterial pathogens, Anaplasma spp., which cause mild to severe illness in humans and domestic animals. Our objectives were to 1) estimate the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. in moose and winter ticks; 2) determine the phylogenetic placement of these strains with respect to those found in other hosts and vectors; and 3) explore risk factors of Anaplasma infection in moose. A total of 157 moose (142 calves, 15 adults) were captured in western (n=83) and northern (n=74) Maine in 2017 and 2018. We screened for Anaplasma spp. in moose whole blood samples using a genus-specific PCR assay targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Over half (54%) of the moose were infected with Anaplasma bacteria, with a greater proportion of moose harboring Anaplasma-infections in the western (67%) versus northern study areas (38%). Male moose exhibited a higher prevalence than did females (63% vs. 47%). In contrast, Anaplasma spp. prevalence in winter ticks was low (<1%). Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the single Anaplasma strain in moose was highly divergent from the strain in winter ticks and most closely related to an uncharacterized North American cervid strain. We conclude that winter ticks are unlikely to play a significant role in Anaplasma transmission to moose; however, high infection prevalence warrants further investigation into the impacts of Anaplasma spp. infection on moose health.
Analytic Steady-State Solution to One-Dimensional Unsaturated Water Flow in Layered Soils

A one-dimensional solution of darcian flow in the unsaturated zone for a layered soil profile is given by assuming an exponential relationship for hydraulic conductivity. Expressions to solve for matric potential, soil water content and hydraulic conductivity are derived as a function of elevation above a water table. The results of an application example with two layers are plotted for these three soil properties.