cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutagenicity of benzoαaαpyrene bay-region sulfonates

The interaction between the sulfite anion and specific benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) derivatives produces a novel class of benzo[a]pyrene sulfonates. (+/-)-7,8,9-Trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene-10-sulfonate (B[a]PT-10-sulfonate) is formed in high yields in incubations containing (+/-)-7r,8t-dihydroxy-9t,10t-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyre ne (anti-BPDE) and sulfite, and sulfite strongly enhances the mutagenicity of the diolepoxide toward Salmonella typhimurium under those conditions. Although B[a]PT-10-sulfonate itself shows little direct mutagenicity over a 1-20 microM concentration range, this reactive bay-region intermediate does enhance the mutagenicity of anti-BPDE in strains TA98 and TA100 by up to 280%. No significant enhancement was seen when up to 20 microM B[a]PT-10-sulfonate was used in concert with another direct-acting mutagen, N-acetoxy-acetylaminofluorene (N-AcO-AAF). The isomeric product derived from sulfite and (+/-)-7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P-7,8-diol) is (+/-)-7,8,10-trihydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene-9-sulfonate (B[a]PT-9-sulfonate). Like B[a]PT-10-sulfonate, B[a]PT-9-sulfonate is not mutagenic to strains TA97, TA98 and TA100. This sulfonate exhibited little enhancing activity with anti-BPDE over a 1-20 microM concentration range, but did enhance the mutagenic response of strain TA98 to 0.2 microM N-Aco-AAF by up to 128%. Sulfite, anti-BPDE and B[a]PT-sulfonates were also examined for the ability to induce a forward mutation at the hgprt locus (8-azaguanine resistance) in strains of S.typhimurium. Sulfite caused a marked enhancement of forward mutation due to anti-BPDE in both TA98 and TA100. Surprisingly, concurrent administration of B[a]PT-10-sulfonate with anti-BPDE did not increase the number of mutant colonies. The extensive conversion of anti-BPDE to B[a]PT-10-sulfonate under conditions where sulfite enhances diolepoxide mutagenicity, when coupled with this enhancement of diolepoxide mutagenicity by B[a]PT-10-sulfonate in the reverse mutation assay, supports this novel B[a]P derivative as a mediator of the sulfite-dependent enhancement of B[a]P genotoxicity. Determining why this enhancing effect was not seen when selecting for mutation at the hgprt locus of S.typhimurium will require further study.
The comparison of complement fixing and hemolytic activities in several systems.

Our interest in complement-fixation stems from the reports of Witebsky1 and Ervin and Young,2 who found a correlation between hemolytic and complement-fixing activities of human A and B isoantibody. In order to compare the complementfixing behavior of sensitized erythrocytes, we have adopted the use of formalin treated cells. Such cells, when sensitized with antibody, are not subject to agglutination or to lysis in the presence of complement, even though they are capable of combining with antibody.3 This current report deals primarily with the comparison of several hemolytic systems: (1). Human anti-A isoantibody and human A cells, (2) rabbit antihuman (group O) erythrocyte serum and human O erythrocytes, (3) rabbit antisheep erythocyte serum and sheep cells, (4) human anti-A serum and sheep cells and (5) rabbit antisheep erythrocyte serum and human A cells. We particularly wished to determine whether or not a general correlation exists between hemolytic and complement-fixing activities. In addition, we wished to compare some of the more quantitative aspects of complement-fixation with these systems.
Robotic power distribution system for post-disaster operations

Tbis paper presents an architecture for autonomous mobile microgrids to ensure robustness and scalability of such systems for power distribution applications. A schema for development of mobile microgrids is presented based on the feasibility and experimental studies performed using ground robots for establishing microgrids. A microgrid system built with this architecture win act as an autonomous power network capable of connecting to different power nodes (generators, loads, storage units, converters, etc.) and interacting with them accordingly. This system will have the scalability characteristics of an ad-hoc system and could reconfigure itself depending on available power nodes.
Small Acoustic Neuromas: Detection by High Resolution Gas CT Cisternography

Experience with 81 gas computed tomography (CT) cisternography procedures in 79 patients in searching for acoustic neuroma is reported. Twenty-one tumors, four exclusively intracanalicular, were demonstrated after standard contrast-enhanced CT was negative. Fifty-five examinations were negative; four were inconclusive. The high resolution scanner with digital localization and reconstruction zoom capability greatly improved image detail. In nine of the 12 normal patients examined with it, the intracanalicular bundle was demonstrated. Substitution of carbon dioxide for air greatly reduced the morbidity of acute post–spinal tap headache. The procedure takes 30–45 min and can be performed on an outpatient basis. It is recommended as the procedure of choice when standard CT is negative in subjects clinically suspected of having acoustic neuroma.
Determinants of Utilization of Health Extension Workers in the Context of Scale-Up of Integrated Community Case Management of Childhood Illnesses in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has invested significant resources in integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illness. In Oromia Region, iCCM scale-up was phased in, allowing for comparisons between districts providing iCCM and routine services. We assessed the determinants of utilization of health extension workers (HEWs) delivering iCCM services at rural health posts by caregivers of sick, under-five children in a cross-sectional survey. We found low utilization of HEWs with only 9.3% of caregivers of a child sick with diarrhea, fever, and/or pneumonia in the previous 2 weeks taking their child to HEWs in both iCCM and routine areas. There was a higher likelihood of utilization of HEWs in iCCM areas (OR: 1.44; 95% CI: 0.97–2.12; P = 0.07), but this effect disappeared after accounting for confounders. In iCCM areas, maternal education, illness type, and distance were associated with utilization. Perceptions of illness severity and service quality were the primary reasons given for not utilizing the health post. Our findings suggest that though iCCM is reaching some vulnerable populations, there remain significant barriers to use of HEWs delivering iCCM services. Efforts for demand generation and minimization of remaining barriers are urgently needed for the sustained success of the iCCM strategy in Ethiopia.
New Technique for Percutaneous Nephrostomy Under Ultrasound Guidance

AbstractThe SF cystocath has been used as a temporary percutaneous nephrostomy. B-mode ultrasonography was used to determine the depth and direction of trocar placement after initial confirmation with a spinal needle. No immediate complications were noted in 10 successful insertions and there was only 1 failure of entry.
Characteristics of corticomotoneuronal postspike facilitation and reciprocal suppression of EMG activity in the monkey.

In this study we present further evidence supporting the reciprocal nature of output effects on forearm flexor and extensor muscles from single corticomotoneuronal (CM) cells. Spike-triggered avera...
Survivin Down-regulation by α-Santalol Is Not Mediated Through PI3K-AKT Pathway in Human Breast Cancer Cells.

Background α-Santalol, a terpenoid found in sandalwood oil, has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth in vitro by inducing apoptosis. This study was performed to investigate the anticancer properties of α-santalol associated with the induction of apoptosis in cultured MCF-7 [estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, and wild-type p53)] and MDA-MB-231 (ER-negative and mutant p53) breast cancer cells. Materials and methods Expression of major proteins examined in the study were determined using a standard western blot protocol and analyzed by LICOR-Odyssey infra-red scanner. Total protein levels of survivin were confirmed by survivin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Cell viability was assessed by the trypan blue dye exclusion assay, and caspase-3 activity was determined by caspase-3 (active) ELISA kit. Results Treatment of breast cancer cells for 6 and 9 h with α-santalol (20, and 40 μM) resulted in statistically significant concentration-dependent down-regulation of survivin. Phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAKT) levels were found to be slightly up-regulated despite the down-regulation of survivin. Pharmacological inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase - protein kinase B (PI3K-AKT) pathway did not result in a synergistic/additive increase in cell death or caspase-3 activity caused by α-santalol. Conclusion The study reveals that survivin down-regulation by α-santalol in breast cancer cells is not mediated through the PI3K-AKT pathway.
Why We Need a Comprehensive Recording Fraud Registry

This essay argues for a modest expansion of the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System & Registry (NMLS). It does so, initially, by explaining why this online registry limits one type of recording fraud. The essay later describes how the NMLS could detect, and deter, more recording fraud. Lastly, it deals with concerns about a Comprehensive Recording Fraud Registry.
Anthropometrically predicted visceral adipose tissue and blood-based biomarkers: a cross-sectional analysis.

We hypothesized that anthropometrically predicted visceral adipose tissue (apVAT) accounts for more variance in blood-based biomarkers of glucose homeostasis, inflammation, and lipid metabolism than body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and the combination of BMI and WC (BMI + WC). This was a cross-sectional analysis of 10,624 males and females who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988–1994). apVAT was predicted from a validated regression equation that included age, height, weight, waist, and thigh circumferences. Bootstrapped linear regression models were used to compare the proportion of variance (R 2) in biomarkers explained by apVAT, BMI, WC, and BMI + WC. apVAT accounted for more variance in biomarkers of glucose homeostasis than BMI (∆R 2 = 8.4–11.8 %; P < 0.001), WC (∆R 2 = 5.5–8.4 %; P < 0.001), and BMI + WC (∆R 2 = 5.1–7.7 %; P < 0.001). apVAT accounted for more variance in biomarkers of inflammation than BMI (ΔR 2 = 3.8 %; P < 0.001), WC (ΔR 2 = 3.1 %; P < 0.001), and BMI + WC (ΔR 2 = 2.9 %; P < 0.001). apVAT accounted for more variance in biomarkers of lipid metabolism than BMI (ΔR 2 = 2.9–9.2 %; P < 0.001), WC (ΔR 2 = 2.9–5.2 %; P < 0.001), and BMI + WC (ΔR 2 = 2.4–4.1 %; P ≤ 0.01). apVAT, estimated with simple and widely used anthropometric measures, accounts for more variance in blood-based biomarkers than BMI, WC, and BMI + WC. Clinicians and researchers may consider utilizing apVAT to characterize cardio-metabolic health, particularly in settings with limited availability of imaging and laboratory data.
Corrigendum: Recent Advances in Lentiviral Vaccines for HIV-1 Infection

In the original article, an error in the references in the section entitled “Addressing Safety Concerns with LV Vaccine Vectors” is present. Reference number 20 which is cited twice in this section is an error and should instead be Di Nunzio et al. (1). The authors apologize for this. This error does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.
Targeting mucosal healing in Crohn's disease

The goal of medical treatment for Crohn's disease includes improving patients' quality of life while reducing the need for hospitalization and surgery. The current medical armamentarium includes 5-aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biologic agents. In the past, response to treatment was measured by clinical improvement in symptoms; however, with the advent of disease-modifying medications, mucosal healing has emerged as an increasingly important goal of therapy. Mucosal healing, or endoscopic remission, is associated with increased rates of clinical remission, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer abdominal surgeries. Both the immunomodulator and biologic classes of medications are effective at inducing mucosal healing. Despite several limitations, mucosal healing has become a desirable and valid measure of disease activity.
Prebiotic Selection for Motifs in a Model of Template-Free Elongation of Polymers Within Compartments

The transition from prelife where self-replication does not occur, to life which exhibits self-replication and evolution, has been a subject of interest for many decades. Membranes, forming compartments, seem to be a critical component of this transition as they provide several concurrent benefits. They maintain localized interactions, generate electro-chemical gradients, and help in selecting cooperative functions as they arise. These functions pave the way for the emergence and maintenance of simple metabolic cycles and polymers. In the context of origin of life, evolution of information-carrying molecules and RNA based enzymes within compartments has been subject to intensive theoretical and experimental research. Hence, many experimental efforts aim to produce compartments that contain elongating polynucleotides (also referred to as protocells), which store information and perform catalysis. Despite impressive experimental progress, we are still relatively ignorant about the dynamics by which elongating polynucleotides can produce more sophisticated behaviors. Here we perform computer simulations to couple information production through template-free elongation of polymers with dividing compartments. We find that polymers with a simple ability-biasing the concentration of monomers within their own compartment-can acquire a selective advantage in prelife. We further investigate whether such a mechanism allows for cooperative dynamics to dominate over purely competitive ones. We show that under this system of biased monomer addition, even without template-directed self-replication, genetic motifs can emerge, compete, cooperate, and ultimately survive within the population.
Roles of bulk and surface magnetic anisotropy on the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect of Pt/YIG.

A clear understanding of the temperature evolution of the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE) in the classic Pt/yttrium iron garnet (YIG) system and its association with magnetic anisotropy is essential towards optimization of its spin-caloric functionality for spintronics applications. We report here for the first time the temperature dependences of LSSE voltage (V LSSE), magnetocrystalline anisotropy field (H K) and surface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy field (H KS) in the same Pt/YIG system. We show that on lowering temperature, the sharp drop in V LSSE and the sudden increases in H K and H KS at ~175 K are associated with the spin reorientation due to single ion anisotropy of Fe2+ ions. The V LSSE peak at ~75 K is attributed to the H KS and M S (saturation magnetization) whose peaks also occur at the same temperature. The effects of surface and bulk magnetic anisotropies are corroborated with those of thermally excited magnon number and magnon propagation length to satisfactorily explain the temperature dependence of LSSE in the Pt/YIG system. Our study also emphasizes the important roles of bulk and surface anisotropies in the LSSE in YIG and paves a new pathway for developing novel spin-caloric materials.
Shipboard Landing Control Enabled by an Uncertainty and Disturbance Estimator

This paper presents an autonomous landing control approach for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle subject to wind disturbance and three-dimensional movements of the landing platform. To achieve an...
Non-motor Characterization of the Basal Ganglia: Evidence From Human and Non-human Primate Electrophysiology.

Although the basal ganglia have been implicated in a growing list of human behaviors, they include some of the least understood nuclei in the brain. For several decades studies have employed numerous methodologies to uncover evidence pointing to the basal ganglia as a hub of both motor and non-motor function. Recently, new electrophysiological characterization of the basal ganglia in humans has become possible through direct access to these deep structures as part of routine neurosurgery. Electrophysiological approaches for identifying non-motor function have the potential to unlock a deeper understanding of pathways that may inform clinical interventions and particularly neuromodulation. Various electrophysiological modalities can also be combined to reveal functional connections between the basal ganglia and traditional structures throughout the neocortex that have been linked to non-motor behavior. Several reviews have previously summarized evidence for non-motor function in the basal ganglia stemming from behavioral, clinical, computational, imaging, and non-primate animal studies; in this review, instead we turn to electrophysiological studies of non-human primates and humans. We begin by introducing common electrophysiological methodologies for basal ganglia investigation, and then we discuss studies across numerous non-motor domains – emotion, response inhibition, conflict, decision-making, error-detection and surprise, reward processing, language, and time processing. We discuss the limitations of current approaches and highlight the current state of the information.
Dynamic Fracture Mechanics and its Applications to Material Behavior Under High Stress and Loading Rates

Fracture is a key consideration in assessing material behavior under high stress and loading rates. Fracture assessments generally introduce the subject of fracture mechanics. This paper provides a review of current research in a specialization of the general subject called dynamic fracture mechanics. The objective of the paper is to help set the stage for the more detailed papers that follow in this volume, and to provide a point of departure for further work on fracture under high stress and loading rates.
Temperature and Isotope Dependent Kinetics of Nickel-Catalyzed Oxidation of Methane by Ozone.

The temperature dependent kinetics of Ni+ + O3 and of NiO+ + CH4/CD4 are measured from 300 to 600 K using a selected-ion flow tube apparatus. Together, these reactions comprise a catalytic cycle converting CH4 to CH3OH. The reaction of Ni+ + O3 proceeds at the collisional limit, faster than previously reported at 300 K. The NiO+ product reacts further with O3, also at the collisional limit, yielding both higher oxides (up to NiO5+ is observed) as well as undergoing an apparent reduction back to Ni+. This apparent reduction channel is due to the oxidation channel yielding NiO2+* with sufficient energy to dissociate. 4NiO+ + CH4 (CD4) (whereas 4NiO+ refers to the quartet state of NiO+) proceeds with a rate constant of (2.6 ± 0.4) × 10–10 cm3 s–1 [(1.8 ± 0.5) × 10–10 cm3 s–1] at 300 K and a temperature dependence of ∼T–0.7±0.3 (∼T–1.1±0.4), producing only the 2Ni+ + 1CH3OH channel up to 600 K. Statistical modeling of the reaction based on calculated stationary points along the reaction coordinate reproduces ...
Engineering a Poem: An Action Research Study

Overview This study explores the use of design technology to teach a unit on poetry in a fifth grade class. The main goals of the poetry unit were to develop students’ abilities to use their own creative voices to express themselves and to write descriptive poetry that creates detailed images for the reader. To reinforce the latter concept, the teacher used a design challenge that asked these fifth grade students to make a three dimensional representation of the imagery created by another student’s poetry. The students’ experiences of being immersed in design and construction revealed engagement and attention to detail. Their abilities to meet the design specifications and constraints of this challenge were observed and researched by the classroom teacher. The students’ understanding of imagery, appreciation of poetry, and their ability to write poetry improved as the unit progressed. Design technology became a vehicle for creative expression that is not usually associated with the teaching and learning of poetry.
Allogeneic transplant leads to markedly improved survival in older patients with AML.

7048Background: AML is a disease of the elderly, and outcomes with standard treatment are dismal. Allogeneic transplant is the only curative therapy for most patients with AML. Recent work has show...
Clinical Treatment of Addictive Disorders with N-Acetylcysteine

Addictive behaviors and substance use disorders are important psychiatric disorders with limited effective pharmacotherapies. One of the major neurobiological mechanisms of addiction involves glutamate neurotransmission. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is increasingly being evaluated as a glutamate modulator with particular effects on the same neurobiological mechanisms that are involved in addiction. Both preclinical and clinical studies support the use of NAC in the treatment of addiction. This chapter reviews the relevant clinical literature with focus on addiction to cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and gambling. Overall evidence supports NAC affecting glutamate neurotransmission in addictive disorders. Clinically, NAC has had mixed success as a cessation treatment, but may be more efficacious as a relapse prevention aid, given preliminary clinical findings and preclinical work in this area. Given the favorable safety and tolerability profile of NAC, it may be a promising therapy for the treatment of addiction.
Cerebellar Functional Neuroanatomy: Recent Developments, Outstanding Questions, and Future Directions. (S34.008)

Objective: To review recent studies of cerebellar functional neuroanatomy by our group, discuss fundamental outstanding questions, and outline future approaches. Background: Evidence from multiple studies now support an extensive cerebellar role in cognition and emotion in addition to motor control. Functional and structural abnormalities in the cerebellum are observed in numerous psychiatric and neurological diseases. Developing a framework for the topographical organization of motor control, cognitive and affective processes in the cerebellum is critical to the evolving understanding of cerebellar physiology and pathophysiology. Design/Methods: We used data from the Human Connectome Project (1003 subjects) to analyze cerebellar fMRI task activity (motor, working memory, language, social and emotion processing) and resting-state functional connectivity. The latter was calculated from seeds corresponding to cerebral cortical task activity peaks. In addition, we used a diffusion map method to decompose functional connectivity within the cerebellum and uncover gradients that support a lower dimensional representation of its functional neuroanatomy. Results: Consistent with prior studies there were two distinct representations of motor activity. Newly revealed were three distinct representations each for working memory, language, social, and emotion task processing. Seed-based resting-state analysis revealed an overlapping pattern, providing convergent validation. Further, diffusion embedding captured the basic structures of cerebellar gradient organization, with gradient one representing a motor to non-motor continuum. This analysis revealed the relationship between cerebellar areas selectively engaged in distinct task processes, suggested a functionally distinct contribution of lobules VIII and IX/X, and unmasked consistencies between cerebellar and cerebral cortical organization. Conclusions: These findings provide novel and fundamental insights into the organization of the human cerebellum. These principles inferred from the Human Connectome cohort helped generate a novel atlas that can be applied to future patient and healthy population studies, and provide an overarching framework for relating cerebellar and cerebral cortical involvement across research in systems neuroscience, psychiatry and neurology. Study Supported by: XG is supported in part by La Caixa Banking Foundation. Disclosure: Dr. Guell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gabrieli has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schmahmann has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Ataxion / Cadent, Biohaven, Pfizer. Dr. Ghosh has nothing to disclose.
Comparison of two cardiopulmonary bypass strategies with a miniaturized tubing system: a propensity score-based analysis.

Introduction:The existing cardiopulmonary bypass tubing system has already been significantly improved in our hospital by reducing the priming volume; thus, we further employed a new cardiopulmonar...
Interrogating B cell signaling pathways: A quest for novel therapies for mantle cell lymphoma

Gloss Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare and aggressive B cell lymphoma, which is often resistant to chemotherapy. Understanding how B cell signaling and activity are deregulated in MCL, and harnessing therapeutic targets therein, will improve survival rates among patients. In this review, which includes 3 figures, 2 tables, and 73 references, we discuss the regulatory pathways in B cells that contribute to the pathogenesis of MCL and highlight potential targets along those routes, the inhibitors that are currently in preclinical or clinical trials, and how to make such targeted therapeutics more effective for patients.
A Syngeneic ErbB2 Mammary Cancer Model for Preclinical Immunotherapy Trials

In order to develop a practical model of breast cancer, with in vitro and syngeneic, immune-intact, in vivo growth capacity, we established a primary cell line derived from a mammary carcinoma in the transgenic FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-ErbB2*)NDL2-5Mul mouse, referred to as “NDLUCD”. The cell line is adapted to standard cell culture and can be transplanted into syngeneic FVB/N mice. The line maintains a stable phenotype over multiple in vitro passages and rounds of in vivo transplantation. NDLUCD tumors in FVB/N mice exhibit high expression of ErbB2 and ErbB3 and signaling molecules downstream of ErbB2. The syngeneic transplant tumors elicit an immune reaction in the adjacent stroma, detected and characterized using histology, immunophenotyping, and gene expression. NDLUCD cells also express PD-L1 in vivo and in vitro, and in vivo transplants are reactive to anti-immune checkpoint therapy with responses conducive to immunotherapy studies. This new NDLUCD cell line model is a practical alternative to the more commonly used 4T1 cells, and our previously described FVB/N-Tg(MMTV-PyVT)634Mul derived Met-1fvb2 and FVB/NTg(MMTV-PyVTY315F/Y322F) derived DB-7fvb2 cell lines. The NDLUCD cells have, so far, remained genetically and phenotypically stable over many generations, with consistent and reproducible results in immune intact preclinical cohorts.
Complementary and integrative health interventions and their association with health-related quality of life in the primary brain tumor population

Abstract Background and purpose Little is known about complementary and integrative health intervention usage in the primary brain tumor population. We aimed to identify the percentage of patients using these practices and explore the impact on quality of life. Materials and methods Clinical records from patients seen in clinic between December 16, 2013 and February 28, 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. The questionnaires used were a modified version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy- Brain Cancer and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy- Fatigue. Results 76% of patients utilized a complementary and integrative health modality. The most frequently reported modalities used were vitamins, massage, and spiritual healing, prayer, diet and meditation. Conclusion These results confirm the usage of complementary and integrative health practices within the primary brain tumor population; however, there was no evidence of association between use and quality of life.
Fostering Inclusive Teaching: A Systemic Approach to Develop Faculty Competencies

Motivated by climate survey findings and racial bias incidents on a Midwestern, Jesuit, Catholicuniversity campus, the Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Office and Center for Teaching Excellence began a journey to strengthen faculty competencies related to inclusive teaching. This case study provides background on the need for training, an overview of the Diversity and Inclusive Teaching Academy developed, challenges presented during planning and implementation processes, and implications for faculty development. Evaluation results demonstrate the importance of modeling sound pedagogical practices, providing challenging and demanding content that stretches understanding of key issues, and fostering interdisciplinary communities of learners in supportive environments.
A deep learning framework for mesh relaxation in arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian simulations

The Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is used in a variety of engineering and scientific applications for enabling multi-physics simulations. Unfortunately, the ALE method can suffer from failures that require users to adjust a set of parameters to control mesh relaxation. In this paper, we present a deep learning framework for predicting mesh relaxation in ALE simulations. Our framework is designed to train a neural network using data generated from existing ALE simulations developed by expert users. In order to capture the spatial coherence inherent in simulations, we apply convolutional-deconvolutional neural networks to achieve up to 0.99 F1 score in predicting mesh relaxation.
Fitting Network Traffic to Phase-Type Bounds

Network traffic is difficult to characterize due to its random, bursty nature. Even if a traffic source could be fit to a stochastic model with reasonable accuracy, analysis of end-to-end network performance metrics for such traffic models is generally intractable. In prior work, an approach to characterize traffic burstiness using a bound based on the class of phase-type distributions was proposed. Such phase-type bounds could be applied in conjunction with stochastic network calculus to derive probabilistic end-to-end delay bounds for a traffic stream. In this paper, we focus on the problem of estimating a tight phase-type burstiness bound for a given traffic trace. We investigate a method based on least squares and another based on the expectation-maximization algorithm. Our numerical results compare the two approaches in the scenario of a heavy-tailed M/G/1 queue. We find that while both methods are viable approaches for deriving phase-type bounds on traffic burstiness, the least squares approach performs better, particularly when a tail limit is imposed.1
Occupational Therapists' Rehabilitation Orientation Toward People Who Are Incarcerated.

One hundred seventy-two occupational therapists in Alabama completed an online survey to identify factors associated with their orientation toward rehabilitating people who are incarcerated. The le...
To Anticoagulate or Not: Acute Stroke in a COVID-19 Patient With Gastrointestinal Bleed

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a member of the coronavirus family, which comprises enveloped positive sense ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses responsible for pandemic outbreaks including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and most recently coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A 30-year-old previously healthy male diagnosed 11 days earlier with COVID-19 presented with right-sided weakness and dysarthria. The patient was found to have an acute left carotid thrombus with embolic multifocal infarcts throughout the left cerebral hemisphere. He was treated acutely with intravenous heparin however developed gastrointestinal bleeding, prompting discontinuation of anticoagulation. Follow up CT angiography 12 days following his stroke demonstrated complete resolution of the thrombus. Since discharge, the patient has been managed with antiplatelet therapy alone with complete neurologic recovery. Large vessel strokes amongst young patients have been a growing concern during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. The use of acute therapeutic and prophylactic anticoagulation is based on risk assessment. Albeit, the utility of anticoagulation in COVID-19 patients remains undetermined. Prevention of stroke recurrence is a clinical priority for providers treating large vessel stroke patients. More research is required to establish the effectiveness of anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy for stroke prevention in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
Combined Sieve Algorithm for Prime Gaps.

A new Combined Sieve algorithm is presented with cost proportional to the number of enumerated factors over a series of intervals. This algorithm achieves a significant speedup, over a traditional sieve, when handling many ([10^4, 10^7]) intervals concurrently. The speedup comes from a space-time tradeoff and a novel solution to a modular equation. In real world tests, this new algorithm regularly runs 10,000x faster. This faster sieve paired with higher sieving limits eliminates more composites and accelerates the search for large prime gaps by 30-70%. During the development and testing of this new algorithm, two top-10 record merit prime gaps were discovered.
The aging behavior of two commercial conductive polythioether sealants

Abstract Conductive polythioethers are widely used sealants where both environmental and electromagnetic radiation sealing is required. The aging behavior of these sealants is of critical interest in industry since hardware built using these sealants may need to function and the sealant provide a satisfactory seal for years, if not decades, after the hardware is initially built and the sealant initially applied. Accelerated oven aging data at 65, 75 and 85 °C for time periods ranging from 73 to 1773 h on two commercial conductive polythioether sealants are discussed. Adhesion efficacy is quantified by changes in lap shear per ASTM D1002 . Electromagnetic interference sealing efficacy is quantified by changes in volume resistivity per MIL-STD-883. The two sealants show similar aging behavior for conductivity in that volume resistivity fell dramatically upon accelerated oven aging. The lap shear increased significantly for only one of the two sealants, indicating that the supplier recommended cure protocol for that sealant did not lead to full cure. Instead, the cure progressed further during accelerated oven aging. This caused the lap shear to increase up to around 40% as compared to unaged samples. The aging temperature was limited to 85 °C out of concern that a higher temperature may change the degradation mechanism from that prevailing at room temperature, RT [23C], which can lead to erroneously high life predictions. The aging time was limited to 1773 h [74 days] due to practical, equipment and experimental constraints. It is expected that the adhesive and conductive efficacy after 30 years at 23 °C should be no worse [and perhaps significantly better] than upon initial build.
Predictors of High-Grade Radiation Pneumonitis and Overall Survival Following Radiochemotherapy for Locally Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Analysis of Lung and Heart Dose Parameters and the Impact of Treatment Technique.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) The effect of lung V20Gy and mean lung dose on the pneumonitis (RP) risk is well established. Recently, cardiac dose has been observed as a predictor of both RP and overall survival. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) achieves highly conformal dose distributions at the expense of large low-dose volumes. As the use of VMAT continues to grow, we hypothesize that low radiation doses to heart and lungs are correlated with an increased risk of RP ≥ grade 3. Scoring of low grade RP can be subjective; RP≥3 was therefore chosen as an objective and clinically significant endpoint for this study. MATERIALS/METHODS 105 patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (median age 61 years, 62% male, 60% white) underwent conventionally fractionated radio(chemo)therapy to a median dose of 63Gy (45-70.2Gy). 3DCRT was used in 36%, IMRT in 51% and VMAT in 13%. A retrospective IRB-approved analysis of 25 clinical (gender, race, DLCO, diabetes, statin use, smoking history), radiographic (emphysema, ILD on pretreatment CT) and radiotherapy dose- and technique-related factors was performed to identify predictors of RP≥3 and overall survival (OS). Following testing of all variables for statistical association with RP and OS using univariate analysis (UVA), a forward selection algorithm was implemented for building a multivariate predictive model with limited sample size for logistic regression of RP and OS on all variables. ROC analysis was performed for variables significant on MVA. RESULTS RP≥3 was diagnosed in 10/105 (9.5%) patients. 3-year OS rate was 43.4% with a median survival of 28.5 months. On UVA, predictors for RP≥3 were diabetes, PTV volume, upper lobe location, VMAT, lung V5Gy (%), lung Vspared5Gy (ml), lung V20Gy (%), heart V5Gy (% and ml). Predictors for OS were VMAT, lung V20Gy (%), mean heart dose (Gy), heart V5Gy/30Gy/60Gy (each in % and ml). On MVA, VMAT was the only significant predictor for both RP≥3 (P = 0.042) and OS (P = 0.013). Lung V5Gy (%, P = 0.073) and lung V20Gy (%, P = 0.08) were borderline significant for predicting RP≥3; AUC values were 0.86 and 0.83, respectively. Lung V20Gy (%, P = 0.09) and mean heart dose (Gy, P = 0.05) were borderline significant for predicting OS; AUC values were 0.60 and 0.68, respectively. Patients with RP≥3 had a median survival of 9.96 months compared to 29.5 months with RP < 3 or no RP (P = 0.02). Corresponding 2-year OS rates were 26.7% and 56.9%. CONCLUSION In this study, VMAT was the only factor that was significantly correlated with both RP≥3 and OS. Lung V5Gy and lung V20Gy were excellent predictors of RP≥3 on ROC analysis. Avoiding RP is important not only as a toxicity per se, but also as a risk factor for poor survival. When using VMAT, caution needs to be taken to particularly reduce lung and heart V5Gy doses in addition to other well-established dose constraints.
Compounding for Children: The Compounding Pharmacist

There is a need for pharmacists who specialize in compounding. Since pharmacy schools focus on clinical practice, pharmacists must be trained in compounding through special training programs. A compounding pharmacist must have access to good, quality compounding resources, use his or her professional knowledge to develop new formulas and dosage forms to meet the specific needs of patients. With the proper training, education, expertise, and resources, a compounding pharmacist can provide a valuable service in treating pediatric patients.
Methods used to study structure and function of the nucleolus.

Publisher Summary The main function of the nucleolus is to synthesize the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) that, together with protein, becomes the building block of cytoplasmic ribosomes. Because the synthesis and processing of precursor preribosomal RNA seem to occur in a more or less vectorial fashion from the central portion of the nucleolus to its periphery and because the nucleolus is essentially a large ribonucleoprotein complex whose structure and morphology are directly related to its synthetic activity, the relationship between nucleolar structure and function is intimately linked and could perhaps be regarded as inseparable. The chapter presents a diagram that illustrates the main nucleolar compartments of fibrillar center (FC), dense fibrillar component (DFC), and granular component (GC). It also summarizes the relationship between nucleolus structure and function, including nucleolar proteins localized to each structural compartment. Methods on nucleolus research are also discussed; these methods are successfully employed for their reproducibility, simplicity, and ease of use.
Introduction to uncertainty bounds and their use in the design of interval type-2 fuzzy logic systems

In this paper, we derive inner- and outer-bound sets for the type-reduced set of an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system, based on a new mathematical interpretation of the Karnik-Mendel (2001) iterative procedure. The bound sets can not only provide estimates about the uncertainty contained in the output, but can also be used to design an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system. We demonstrate, by means of a simulation experiment, that the resulting system can operate without type reduction and that it can achieve similar performance to one that uses type reduction. Therefore, our new design method, based on the bound sets, can relieve the computational burden of an interval type-2 fuzzy logic system during its operation.
Pregnane X receptor negatively regulates inflammation by directly modulating the Toll-like receptor 4 pathway (IRM5P.701)

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a nuclear receptor that plays a critical role in regulating the metabolism of xenobiotics. Here we report a new role for PXR as a negative regulator of the inflammatory pathway. Quiescent Pxr-/- BMDMs exhibited a pro-inflammatory state as transcripts of inflammatory genes were significantly elevated. Upon stimulation with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), Pxr-/- BMDMs produced significantly higher protein levels of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, enhanced inflammation was also observed in Pxr-/- mice challenged with Lm. Furthermore, disruption of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene reversed the pro-inflammatory state in Pxr-/- BMDMs suggesting that PXR negatively regulated inflammation through the TLR4 pathway. In fact, both Pxr-/-Tlr4-/- BMDMs and mice exhibited normal inflammation in response to Lm infection. Transfection of HEK-Blue™-mTLR4 cells with DNA vector expressing PXR inhibited the response to LPS in a dose-dependent manner, which suggested that PXR can directly modulate the TLR4 pathway. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that PXR negatively regulates the inflammatory pathway and the regulation is through directly modulating the TLR4 pathway. Thus, our results suggest that PXR can be targeted as a therapeutic strategy to treat inflammatory diseases.
Spectral broadening and phase scintillation measurements using interplanetary spacecraft radio links during the peak of solar cycle 23

[1] When an interplanetary spacecraft is in a solar superior conjunction configuration, the received radio signals are degraded by several effects that generally increase in magnitude as the angle between the spacecraft and the Sun (Sun-Earth-Probe or SEP angle) decreases as viewed by a terrestrial tracking station. During periods of quiescent solar activity, phase scintillation and spectral broadening follow well-defined trends as a function of solar impact distance (SEP angle) and link frequency. During active solar periods, the magnitudes of these effects increase above background levels predicted by the quiet period models. Several such events were observed during the solar superior conjunction of the Cassini spacecraft during the peak of solar cycle 23 in May 2000. Pronounced features in the spectral broadening data above the quiet background appear to be associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and last for extended periods of time ranging from ∼30 min to ∼4 h. These features are coincident with periods of increased activity seen in the region of the spacecraft signal source on coronal white light images, and tend to be related or matched with EIT flare events and possibly long-duration flare events seen in satellite X-ray data. Several such features were captured in the May 2000 Cassini solar conjunction phase scintillation and spectral broadening data at X band (8.4 GHz) and Ka band (32 GHz) radio frequencies, and are presented here. Such characterizations are beneficial in understanding the impact of such events in future interplanetary communication scenarios during solar conjunction periods.
Improving oxygen administration safety at St Peter's Hospital

BACKGROUND Oxygen is one of the most frequently used drugs in healthcare however it is often poorly prescribed and administered. Over oxygenation in certain patients can lead to type 2 respiratory failure (T2RF), which may cause longer hospital stays and increased morbidity. An audit on a respiratory ward at St Peter’s Hospital (SPH) in 2010 showed that only 33% of patients receiving oxygen had saturations within their target range. This work aimed to improve oxygen therapy prescription and administration, with specific emphasis on preventing T2RF due to over oxygenation. METHOD An initial audit of oxygen administration was completed using the British Thoracic Society audit tool on a respiratory ward at SPH. Then 2 interventions were implemented over 1 week. The first was the introduction of large signs stating the target oxygen saturation, which were placed by the oxygen flow meter for patients at risk of T2RF. The second was a sticker stating the target saturation range, which was added to the observation chart. A re-audit was completed at the end of this trial period. RESULTS The initial audit showed that only 16% of the patients receiving oxygen therapy had oxygen saturations within their target range. In the re-audit, 11 patients were receiving oxygen therapy and of these, 73% of patients had saturations within target range. CONCLUSION The results have shown that the interventions implemented increased the safety of oxygen administration by highlighting patients at risk of T2RF. These simple interventions could be disseminated to other wards with minimal cost. Further work includes staff education, amending the prescription chart and increasing patient responsibility with respect to their risk of T2RF.