cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of APP in neuronal function

Background Genetic and biochemical studies establish a central role of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD): Genetic mutations and gene amplification of APP are linked to early onset of familial Alzheimer’s disease (FAD); APP processing generates b-amyloid (Ab) peptides, which are the principal components of the amyloid pathology. Therefore, understanding the role of APP in neuronal function and dysfunction will provide crucial insights to AD pathogenesis.
Built for speed: musculoskeletal structure and sprinting ability

The musculoskeletal structure of the foot and ankle has the potential to influence human sprinting performance in complex ways. A large Achilles' tendon moment arm improves the mechanical advantage of the triceps surae but also produces larger shortening velocity during rapid plantarflexion, which detracts from the force-generating capacity of the plantarflexors. The lever arm of the ground reaction force that resists the muscular plantarflexor moment during propulsive push-off is constrained in part by the skeletal structure of the foot. In this study, we measured the plantarflexion moment arms of the Achilles' tendon, lateral gastrocnemius fascicle lengths and pennation angles, and anthropometric characteristics of the foot and lower leg in collegiate sprinters and height-matched non-sprinters. The Achilles' tendon moment arms of the sprinters were 25% smaller on average in sprinters than in non-sprinters (P<0.001) whereas the sprinters' fascicles were 11% longer on average (P=0.024). The ratio of fascicle length to moment arm was 50% larger in sprinters (P<0.001). Sprinters were found to have longer toes (P=0.032) and shorter lower legs (P=0.026) than non sprinters. A simple computer simulation of the sprint push-off demonstrated that shorter plantarflexor moment arms and longer toes, like those measured in sprinters, permit greater generation of forward impulse. Simulated propulsion was enhanced in both cases by increasing the ;gear ratio' of the foot, thus maintaining plantarflexor fibre length and reducing peak fibre shortening velocity. Longer toes especially prolonged the time of contact, giving greater time for forward acceleration by propulsive ground reaction force.
Complement C5 in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) Facilitates Remyelination and Prevents Gliosis

Activation of the classical complement system is known to play a central role in autoimmune demyelination. We have analyzed the role of complement component C5 in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) using C5-deficient (C5-d) and C5-sufficient (C5-s) mice. Both groups of mice displayed early onset EAE, a short recovery phase, and similar stable chronic courses. However, in contrast to the clinical similarities, marked differences were apparent by histopathology. During acute EAE in C5-d, a delay in inflammatory cell infiltration and tissue damage was observed along with restricted lesion areas, which in C5-s mice were more extensive and diffuse. More striking were the differences in chronic lesions. In C5-d mice, inflammatory demyelination and Wallerian degeneration were followed by axonal depletion and severe gliosis, while in C5-s, the same initial signs were followed by axonal sparing and extensive remyelination. In C5-d, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein and a decrease in neurofilament protein, proteolipid protein, and several pro-inflammatory markers. These results in the EAE model indicate that absence of C5 resulted in fiber loss and extensive scarring, whereas presence of C5-favored axonal survival and more efficient remyelination.
Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia

After discussing the indications for treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia and the importance of a differential diagnosis, the authors describe drug therapy for the disorder with special attention to combined drug regimens. The surgical treatment of hypercholesterolemia and the treatment of homozygous and other forms of hypercholesterolemia are also detailed.
Classifying the Context Clues in Children's Text.

This study aimed to determine which types of context clues exist in children's texts and whether it is possible for experts to identify reliably those clues. Three experienced coders used Ames’ clue set as a foundation for a system to classify context clues in children's text. Findings showed that the adjustments to Ames’ system resulted in 15 clues that can be used to capture the majority of clues found in children narrative and expository text. This study adds to the limited empirically validated systems available for classifying different context clues. A usable classification of context clues has application to reading research that considers or controls for text factors as well as teaching reading strategies in K–12 classrooms.
Schottky Barrier Formation and Long Term Stability of Metal/N-Lnp Interfaces

The formation of reliable high barrier height Schottky contacts to n-InP is essential for useful device fabrication. Fermi-level pinning traditionally has restricted the application of InP due to large reverse leakage current. Recently, we have proposed the enhancement of Schottky barrier heights (up to 0.98 eV) by deposition with the substrate cooled to low temperature (LT=77K) rather than at room temperature (RT=300K). Studies of the resistance of thin metal films during deposition reveals significant differences in metal nucleation for RT and LT diodes. For the long term stability study, a reverse bias of 2.0V was applied to both RT and LT diodes for more than 1500 hours. Then a constant forward current of 20 mA/cm 2 was applied to the diode. The reverse current and forward voltage were recorded as a function of the testing time. After each step the saturation current density (J o ), barrier height (oB), and ideality factor (n) were measured using the current-voltage (I-V) technique. For a LT Au/n-InP diode, the J o , o B , and n factor were found to be 3.4 × 10 −11 A/cm 2 , 0.98 eV, and 1.31 before testing, and 4.8 × 10 −10 A/cm 2 , 0.92 eV, and 1.31 after testing. The reverse leakage current was nearly constant during the testing. The forward voltage showed a little drop with time. The ultra-high o B and good stability of the LT diodes will be discussed in terms of the interface modification.
ALLIANCE: an architecture for fault tolerant multirobot cooperation

ALLIANCE is a software architecture that facilitates the fault tolerant cooperative control of teams of heterogeneous mobile robots performing missions composed of loosely coupled subtasks that may have ordering dependencies. ALLIANCE allows teams of robots, each of which possesses a variety of high-level functions that it can perform during a mission, to individually select appropriate actions throughout the mission based on the requirements of the mission, the activities of other robots, the current environmental conditions, and the robot's own internal states. ALLIANCE is a fully distributed, behaviour-based architecture that incorporates the use of mathematically-modeled motivations (such as impatience and acquiescence) within each robot to achieve adaptive action selection. Since cooperative robotic teams usually work in dynamic and unpredictable environments, this software architecture allows the robot team members to respond robustly, reliably, flexibly, and coherently to unexpected environmental changes and modifications in the robot team that may occur due to mechanical failure, the learning of new skills, or the addition or removal of robots from the team by human intervention. The feasibility of this architecture is demonstrated in an implementation on a team of mobile robots performing a laboratory version of hazardous waste cleanup.
Cultural incommensurability in psychodynamic psychotherapy in Western and Japanese traditions.

Purpose:To examine cultural incommensurability between clients of Japanese ancestry and Western therapists. Design:Aggregated case-study method was used to analyze psychotherapy cases of Japanese individuals seen by Western therapists. Eight cases were selected for this study from a private practice client pool. Findings:Themes were: (a) only observable data were valued for diagnosis and treatment; (b) cultural stereotypes hampered treatment; (c) individuation and separation occurred within a social web of norms in Japanese culture; (d) key concepts in mental health such as “death and dying” and “rape” were interpreted by clients within a Japanese cultural framework, resulting in unique psychological reactions and behaviors, which had not been recognized by Western therapists; (e) psychological effects of immigration were minimized or ignored by Western therapists; (f) culturally unfamiliar behaviors were “pathologized” by Western therapists; and (g) Western therapists showed ethnocentric biases regarding the effects of immigration. Conclusions:Various forms of misunderstanding and culturally ignorant practices were found in the treatment of eight Japanese clients by these Western therapists. These ineffective and often harmful practices were unrecognized by the Western therapists.
Charge-current-conservation model for calculating electrical conditions in a wire-plate electrostatic precipitator

Charge-conservation model proposed by Lcutert and McDonald has been widely used to calculate the electrical conditions in the wire-plate electrostatic precipitator, but the arbitrary selection of the wire roughness factor in the Peek's formula limits its application. To address this issue, we propose charge-current-conservation model and solve it by the control-volume method. Numerical experiment shows that the predicted electric potentials agree well with the existing experimental data
A Silicon Implementation of the Fly's Optomotor Control System

Flies are capable of stabilizing their body during free flight by using visual motion information to estimate self-rotation. We have built a hardware model of this optomotor control system in a standard CMOS VLSI process. The result is a small, low-power chip that receives input directly from the real world through on-board photoreceptors and generates motor commands in real time. The chip was tested under closed-loop conditions typically used for insect studies. The silicon system exhibited stable control sufficiently analogous to the biological system to allow for quantitative comparisons.
Comparison of bulb syringe and pulsed lavage irrigation with use of a bioluminescent musculoskeletal wound model.

Background: Despite the fact that wound irrigation is a common surgical procedure, there are many variables, including delivery device, irrigant type, and fluid volume, that have yet to be optimized. The purpose of this study was to compare, with use of transgenic bioluminescent bacteria and standard quantitative microbiological methods, the efficacy of pulsed lavage and bulb syringe irrigation in reducing wound bacterial counts. Methods: A caprine model of a complex, contaminated musculoskeletal wound was developed with use of a bioluminescent strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that can be quantified. Luminescent activity was recorded as relative luminescent units with use of a photon-counting camera six hours after the wound was created and inoculated. Twelve goats were randomly assigned to either the pulsed lavage group or the bulb syringe irrigation group. Each wound was irrigated with normal saline solution in 3-L increments for a total of 9 L and was imaged after each 3-L increment. In addition, quantitative culture samples were obtained from different tissues within the wound before and after irrigation. Results: Pulsed lavage decreased the amount of relative luminescent units by 52%, 64%, and 70% at 3, 6, and 9 L, respectively. The bulb syringe irrigation reduced the amount of relative luminescent units by 33%, 44%, and 51% at these same time-points. Significant differences in luminescence were noted between the two groups after both 6 and 9 L of irrigation (p ≤ 0.04). The correlation coefficients between relative luminescent units and quantitative cultures for the condition before irrigation and after irrigation were r = 0.96 and 0.83, respectively. Conclusions: Pulsed lavage was more effective than bulb syringe irrigation in reducing bacterial luminescence after both 6 and 9 L of irrigation. Both device and volume effects can be demonstrated with use of this model. Bioluminescent bacteria provide a method to visualize bacterial distribution and to quantify the bacteria in a wound. Clinical Relevance: Pulsed lavage is a more effective and efficient method of irrigation to remove bacteria in a complex musculoskeletal wound. In the model we used, pulsed lavage irrigation with 3 L of saline solution resulted in a reduction of approximately the same amount of bacteria as did irrigation with 9 L with use of a bulb syringe.
The value of an annual educational retreat in the orthopedic residency training program.

Over the past decade, there have been major changes implemented at both surgical and nonsurgical residency training programs across the country. Much attention has been placed on the implementation and enforcement of the 80-hour workweek for residents, yet this is only 1 of many changes with which programs have been faced. One could argue that the more important changes have occurred in the manner in which residents are, and should, be trained. In a period that has seen an exponential rise in overall body of medical knowledge as well as the number of publications, surgical procedures, and available surgical products from industry, training residents today demands constant attention to the structured curriculum in place to train them. Across surgical specialties, there is a general concern of how to do more, or even the same, with less. Meaning, how can residency programs be expected to prepare future surgeons when there are limits in place that regulate how much time residents can spend not only in the hospital but also at residency sanctioned events, such as educational conferences, training laboratories, and journal clubs. These issues are not unique to any 1 program or surgical discipline and have been in the crosshairs of program directors and chairpersons for many years now. To help address these issues, and incorporate the perspective of the residents as well, our institution has implemented an annual educational retreat to address and reevaluate our curriculum and residency program and provide a critical selfevaluation of the way in which we train residents. An annual review of educational effectiveness is required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) but there is little language on what exactly is expected of this review. Other nonsurgical training programs have pubished data with regard to the format and structure of the etreat used at their institution, but these data may not be pplicable to surgical specialties as well.
An Analysis of the Relative Importance Of Criteria Used On Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness Instruments

Student evaluation of teacher effectiveness (SETE) has become commonplace as one measure of teaching performance in higher education. A study was performed to determine which criteria taken from several SETE instruments is considered more or less critical to learning by students. The data was gathered in the form of a magnitude measurement scale from students from multiple institutions with different missions and demographics. An analysis of the similarities and differences among the sample population, i.e. students, was performed and a discussion of the results is given.
Rediscovery and Revival of Analytical Refractometry for Protein Determination: Recombining Simplicity With Accuracy in the Digital Era

Among "vintage" methods of protein determination, quantitative analytical refractometry has received far less attention than well-established pharmacopoeial techniques based on protein nitrogen content, such as Dumas combustion (1831) and Kjeldahl digestion (1883). Protein determination by quantitative refractometry dates back to 1903 and has been extensively investigated and characterized in the following 30 years, but has since vanished into a few niche applications that may not require the degree of accuracy and precision essential for pharmaceutical analysis. However, because high-resolution and precision digital refractometers have replaced manual instruments, reducing time and resource consumption, the method appears particularly attractive from an economic, ergonomic, and environmental viewpoint. The sample solution can be measured without dilution or other preparation procedures than the separation of the protein-free matrix by ultrafiltration, which might even be omitted for a constant matrix and excipient composition.
Production of Small-Colony Variants of Staphylococcus aureus.

We have previously reported the production of small-colony variants, or G forms, after prolonged serial transfer of S. aureus in lithium chloride broth or plain broth media.1, 2 Swingle3 subsequently confirmed these results and also obtained these forms after extended growth in nutrient broth or casein-digest medium. Under these conditions the variants occur only rarely and in small numbers, seldom exceeding 1.0% of the colonies on a plate. Chinn4 in a study of the metabolic activity of the small colony variants of S. paradysenterio Sonne and S. aureus found them to be metabolically far less active than the normal forms, having a reduced generation-time, reduced fermentative powers, lessened ability to reduce methylene blue and a slower cataphoretic velocity. This lowered metabolic activity and the ability to revert to forms identical with the parent culture furnishes some evidence that small-colony variants may be forms whose metabolism has been greatly reduced by some unknown factor.Quastel and Woolridg...
Reverse-phase liquid chromatographic determination of lysine in complete feeds and premixes, using manual precolumn derivatization.

Description d'un protocole de formation de derives avant passage dans la colonne pour le dosage de la lysine dans le domaine des concentrations de 0,4 a 2,4 μg/ml
Direct L2 Support Vector Machine

This dissertation introduces a novel model for solving the L2 support vector machine dubbed Direct L2 Support Vector Machine (DL2 SVM). DL2 SVM represents a new classification model that transforms the SVM’s underlying quadratic programming problem into a system of linear equations with nonnegativity constraints. The devised system of linear equations has a symmetric positive definite matrix and a solution vector has to be nonnegative. Furthermore, this dissertation introduces a novel algorithm dubbed Non-Negative Iterative Single Data Algorithm (NN ISDA) which solves the underlying DL2 SVM’s constrained system of equations. This solver shows significant speedup compared to several other state-of-the-art algorithms. The training time improvement is achieved at no cost, in other words, the accuracy is kept at the same level. All the experiments that support this claim were conducted on various datasets within the strict double cross-validation scheme. DL2 SVM solved with NN ISDA has faster training time on both medium and large datasets. In addition to a comprehensive DL2 SVM model we introduce and derive its three variants. Three different solvers for the DL2’s system of linear equations with nonnegativity constraints were implemented, presented and compared in this disser- tation.
Uncertainty analysis of signal deconvolution using a measured instrument response function

A common analysis procedure minimizes the ln-likelihood that a set of experimental observables matches a parameterized model of the observation. The model includes a description of the underlying physical process as well as the instrument response function (IRF). In the case investigated here, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) neutron time-of-flight (nTOF) spectrometers, the IRF is constructed from measurements and models. IRF measurements have a finite precision that can make significant contributions to determine the uncertainty estimate of the physical model’s parameters. We apply a Bayesian analysis to properly account for IRF uncertainties in calculating the ln-likelihood function used to find the optimum physical parameters.
Advances in high density interconnect substrate and printed wiring board technology

The substrate or printed wiring board (PWB), as the largest component in electronic packages and systems, is performing an increasingly critical role in advanced packages, high performance electronic systems, and system-on-package (SOP). This paper reviews the advances of technologies of high density interconnect substrates and PWBs, and demonstrates technology developments of small and reliable microvia and stacked via that matches the high pin counts and fine pitch area array flip chip for needs of the year 2009. The paper also reviews breakthrough copper wiring density of line width and spaces less than 10 micron to route 4 rows in a 100 micron pitch. With this technology it is possible to realize the target of semiconductor roadmap by the year of 2009 to route 4,600 I/Os to the inner layers by designing 1+n+1 structure.
Profile of Charles M. Rice, Ralf F. W. Bartenschlager, and Michael J. Sofia, 2016 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Awardees

Hepatitis C: From chronic to curable Three researchers, Ralf F. W. Bartenschlager (University of Heidelberg), Charles M. Rice (The Rockefeller University), and Michael J. Sofia (Arbutus Biopharma, Inc.) (Fig. 1) share the 2016 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their work, which has allowed for the development of a therapeutic drug against chronic hepatitis C. Finding a cure against this dreadful disease represents a major medical breakthrough, the importance of which cannot be overstated. Fig. 1. Ralf F. W. Bartenschlager, Charles M. Rice, and Michael J. Sofia, pictured in order above, shared the 2016 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for their work on hepatitis C. Images courtesy of the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. Hepatitis viruses, as the name implies, infect the liver and can be associated with a variety of illnesses. Hepatitis A viruses lead to a self-limited disease, which can be seriously debilitating for months. Hepatitis B viruses can cause an acute, short-term illness, but can also be associated with long-term chronic infection resulting in cirrhosis or liver cancer. Both hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines are highly efficacious and have been available for decades in the United States. Consequently, hepatitis A and hepatitis B are both preventable diseases. What is different about hepatitis C? Critically, there is no vaccine available against this disease. Unfortunately, an estimated 170 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus and ∼350,000 lives are lost every year worldwide (1). These high numbers are comparable to the morbidity and mortality of other viral diseases, such as HIV and influenza. The WHO estimates that more than a million people die annually of AIDS-related illnesses and up to half a million people succumb to influenza globally every year (2, 3). The common trait shared by these top three viral diseases, hepatitis C, AIDS, and influenza, … [↵][1]1Email: peter.palese{at}mssm.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Targeting the Protein Degradation Pathway in Multiple Myeloma with Synergistic, Selective Small Molecules.

The response of refractory multiple myeloma to the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib reveals an intriguing sensitivity of this incurable malignancy to perturbations of protein catabolism. However, an overall clinical response rate of approximately 30% as a single agent suggests the importance of chemoresistance mediated by compensatory mechanisms of protein degradation. With proteasome inhibition, juxtanuclear inclusion bodies accumulate. These “aggresomes” are specific cellular structures comprised of chaperones, misfolded proteins, and proteasome components. The cytoplasmic histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDAC6) is essential for aggresome formation. Recently, we have demonstrated robust cytotoxic synergy in multiple myeloma cells between bortezomib and the carboxy-terminal domain-selective inhibitor of HDAC6, tubacin (1). Tubacin is a hydroxamic acid member of a diversity-oriented synthetic chemical library realized and validated previously by members of our laboratory (2). In our study of bortezomib and tubacin in multiple myeloma, we noted the dose-dependent, significant association between cytotoxicity and the marked accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins in sensitized cells. With an interest in further interruption of the misfolded protein response, we have explored the cytosolic chaperone protein, hsp90, as an additional target using a chemical biologic approach. 17-AAG is an analog of the benzoquinone ansamycin antibiotic geldanamycin, known to bind to the ADP/ATP pocket of hsp90. 17-AAG stabilizes a conformation of the chaperone favoring targeted degradation of its client proteins via recruitment of the hsp70 co-chaperone complex (3). Further supporting this strategy, collaborators have recently identified that HDAC6 binds to and principally mediates the deacetylation of hsp90 (4). Inhibition with non-selective HDAC inhibitors was shown to augment hsp90 acetylation and inhibit ATP binding, resulting in the promotion of protein degradation by polyubiquitination. With the support of these data, we investigated whether the addition of 17-AAG to bortezomib and tubacin results in increased cytotoxicity in multiple myeloma cells. Indeed, we demonstrate potent cytotoxicity in cultured myeloma cells at low concentrations of each small molecule. Focused study of the MM.1S cell line demonstrates that the addition of 17-AAG to tubacin and bortezomib markedly increases the burden of ubiquitinated, cytosolic cellular protein by 24 hours, correlating with enhanced cell killing. These data further credential the protein degradation pathway in multiple myeloma, demonstrate the contribution of targeted, combined approaches with active small molecules, and provide a blueprint for a rational therapeutic strategy.
Cannabinoids as Analgesics for Pain in Sickle Cell Disease.

Abstract Abstract 822 Neural mechanisms underlying severe pain in sickle cell disease (SCD) remain unknown. Opioids, the primary medications for pain in SCD, are frequently associated with development of tolerance and side effects. We used transgenic heterozygous BERK mice expressing human sickle hemoglobin (hBERK) and age/sex matched mice of similar genetic background expressing normal human hemoglobin (HbA-BERK) to examine changes in skin morphology and innervation that may relate to behavioral measures of pain. Since cannabinoids have shown promise in treating inflammatory and neuropathic pain, we examined the ability of cannabinoids to treat pain in hBERK (sickle) and control mice. The epidermis and dermis were thinner in hBERK mice (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Sitting Vigil: A Personal Reflection.

He didn’t really look like himself anymore. His temples were “wasted,” his skin “dusky,” and his usual “feisty” nature had been reduced to silence and stillness. The monitors had been turned off, t...
Reflux Esophagitis and the Child with Heartburn

Heartburn or substernal burning pain is a symptom of GERD with or without esophagitis [1]. Recent consensus statements suggest that typical heartburn is a reliable indicator for GERD in adolescents and adults if it is the dominant symptom [2, 3]. Recent adult and pediatric consensus guidelines have applied the terms “typical reflux syndrome” or “reflux chest pain syndrome” to this presentation [2, 3]. One study in adults found that dominant heartburn had a positive predictive value of 81 % for GERD determined by pH study [4], but other studies have not confirmed this close association between history and test results [5]. Esophageal pH probe results are normal in one third of adults with chronic heartburn, even those whose heartburn is reproduced by esophageal acid perfusion and those who respond favorably to antacids. Some adults with heartburn and normal pH studies have endoscopically proven esophagitis [6]. In older children and adolescents, the description and localization of heartburn pain are probably reliable. In young children, however, symptom descriptions and localization may be unreliable [7–12].
The Nature of Friendship Between Students With and Without Severe Disabilities

Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all children and youth. Despite emphasis from families and educators of students with severe disabilities on th...
The power of a simple verbal explanation: Evaluating the efficacy of narrated feedback

Abstract The explosion of online resources has changed the way assessments are designed and implemented. Students learn more when they have an opportunity to review their mistakes, an objective to which online homework systems contribute substantially. But the effectiveness of online assessments depends on the ability to obtain feedback, which often comes in the form of automated written explanations. This paper tests the efficacy of an alternative form of feedback: narrated feedback, consisting of short narrated videos providing verbal and visual explanations of a specific concept. We conduct a field experiment in a large enrollment microeconomic principles course in which students are randomly assigned to either a control group that received no feedback or a treatment group receiving either written or narrated feedback. We provide evidence that students with access to narrated feedback scored on average up to 10.1% higher on assessment questions relative to those with access to written or no feedback.
Covalent derivatization of boron nitride nanotubes with peroxides and their application in polycarbonate composites

The novel derivatization of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with two organic peroxides (lauroyl peroxide and dicumyl peroxide) is presented. The functionalized-BNNTs (f-BNNTs) were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, TGA, and SEM. These thermally labile peroxides can decompose to generate an alkoxyl radical, or an alkyl radical (with the loss of CO2), which then acts as a Lewis base to attack the electron-deficient boron sites of BNNTs. This results in the covalent formation of R-O-BNNT or R-BNNT bonds. Thin films (15 to 35 μm thickness) of 0.5 to 1.0 wt% lauryl-BNNT/polycarbonate and 1 wt% BNNT-OH/polycarboante composites were fabricated, and their transparency was demonstrated. Semi-transparent, hot-pressed disks (200 μm thickness) of 1.0 wt% cumyloxy-BNNT/polycarbonate and 1.0 wt% lauryl-BNNT/polycarbonate composites were also fabricated and mechanically tested. The Young's modulus and the maximum tensile stress were increased by 12% and 8%, respectively, compared to the corresponding properties of BNNT-free polycarbonate samples.
Can Less Be More? A Game-Theoretic Analysis of Filtering vs. Investment

In this paper we consider a single resource-constrained strategic adversary, who can arbitrarily distribute his resources over a set of nodes controlled by a single defender. The defender can (1) instruct nodes to filter incoming traffic from another node to reduce the chances of being compromised due to malicious traffic originating from that node, or (2) choose an amount of investment in security for each node in order to directly reduce loss, regardless of the origin of malicious traffic; leading to a filtering and an investment game, respectively. We shall derive and compare the Nash equilibria of both games for different resource constraints on the attacker. Our analysis and simulation results show that from either the attacker or the defender’s point of view, none of the games perform uniformly better than the other, as utilities drawn at the equilibria are dependent on the costs associated with each action and the amount of resources available to the attacker. More interestingly, in games with highly resourceful attackers, not only the defender sustains higher loss, but the adversary is also at a disadvantage compared to less resourceful attackers.
Same-sex sexuality in Africa: a case study from Senegal.

This case study from Dakar, Senegal, suggests that gender and sexual identities in Africa reveal more diversity than typically suggested in the literature on sexuality and AIDS in Africa. Furthermore, this flexibility indicates a greater variety of sexual behaviors than the extensive prior work on heterosexual transmission of HIV suggests. Secrecy is a key to understanding the variation; much diversity is not obvious because it is kept from public scrutiny. Long-term ethnographic investigations of sexual identities and behavior are invaluable to discovering and interpreting this diversity in African societies.
Cross-linking by epichlorohydrin and diepoxybutane correlates with cytotoxicity and leads to apoptosis in human leukemia (HL-60) cells.

Abstract The bifunctional alkylating agents epichlorohydrin (ECH) and diepoxybutane (DEB) have been linked to increased cancer risks in industrial workers. These compounds react with DNA and proteins, leading to genotoxic effects. We used the comet assay to monitor formation of cross-links in HL-60 cells treated with ECH, DEB, and the structurally related anti-cancer drug mechlorethamine (HN2). We report a time- and dose-dependent cytotoxicity that correlated with cross-linking activity, following the order HN2 > DEB > ECH. The rate of cross-link repair also varied with drug, with ECH-induced lesions the fastest to repair. High drug doses led to the formation of saturating amounts of HN2 cross-links that were repaired inefficiently. DEB and ECH produced fewer overall cross-links, but some were also resistant to repair. These persistent cross-links may activate cell-cycle arrest to allow repair of damage, with prolonged arrest triggering apoptosis. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction experiments revealed that treatment of HL-60 cells with DEB and ECH results in up-regulation of several genes involved in the intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptosis pathway, including BAX, BAK1, CASP-9, APAF-1, and BCL-2. These findings contribute to our understanding of the principles underlying the carcinogenic potentials of these xenobiotics.
Alcohol Consumption and Bone Mineral Density in People with HIV and Substance Use Disorder: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background People living with HIV (PLWH) commonly have low bone mineral density (BMD) (low bone mass and osteoporosis) and are at high risk for fractures. Fractures and low BMD are significant causes of morbidity and mortality, increasingly relevant as PLWH age. Alcohol use is common among PLWH and known to affect bone health. The association between alcohol use and changes in BMD among PLWH is not well understood. Methods We conducted a 3.5-year prospective cohort study of 250 PLWH with substance use disorder or ever injection drug use. Annual alcohol consumption was measured as a mean of grams per day of alcohol, mean number of heavy drinking days per month, mean number of days abstinent per month, and any heavy drinking, using the 30-day Timeline Followback method twice each year. The primary outcome was annual change in BMD measured each year by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in grams per square centimeter (g/cm2 ) at the femoral neck. Additional dependent variables included annual change in total hip and lumbar spine BMD, >6% annual decrease in BMD at any site, and incident fractures in the past year. Regression models adjusted for relevant covariates. Results The median age of participants was 50 years. The median duration of HIV infection was 16.5 years and the mean time since antiretroviral therapy initiation was 12.3 years. At study entry, 67% of participants met criteria for low BMD (46% low bone mass, 21% osteoporosis). Median follow-up was 24 months. We found no significant associations between any measure of alcohol consumption and changes in BMD (g/cm2 ) at the femoral neck (adjusted β for g/d of alcohol = -0.0032, p = 0.7487), total hip, or lumbar spine. There was no significant association between any measure of alcohol consumption and >6% annual decrease in BMD at any site, or incident fractures. Conclusions In this sample of PLWH and substance use disorders or ever injection drug use, we detected no association between any of the alcohol measures used in the study and changes in BMD or incident fractures.
Malignancies in HIV: Pre- and Post-Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Objectives A study was conducted at a large metropolitan tertiary-care teaching hospital to investigate the incidence of cancers among HIV-infected patients over a 13-year period. Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among HIV-infected patients diagnosed with cancer between January 1990 and December 2003 at a large metropolitan teaching hospital. Any HIV-infected patient who also had a confirmed diagnosis of Kaposi’s sarcoma, primary central nervous system lymphoma, invasive cervical cancer or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was categorized as having AIDS-defining cancer (ADC) according to the CDC’s initial case definition for AIDS, while patients with other malignancies were classified as having non-ADCs. A clinical database was created consisting of HIV patients diagnosed with cancer at this teaching hospital, and data were abstracted for the current project. Results A total of 203 HIV-infected patients diagnosed with cancer were identified during the study period. Ninety-three cases occurred before 1995 and 110 after 1996. The median age of patients (at cancer diagnosis) in the era before highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was 37 years and in the post-HAART era was 43 years (p 3 , and 183 cells/mm 3 in the post-HAART period (p Conclusions Of 197 patients with a single diagnosis of either ADC or NADC, there was statistically a larger proportion of NADC cases diagnosed in the post-HAART period compared to the pre-HAART period. The number of ADC diagnoses decreased between the pre- and post-HAART period.
10.04 – Synthetic Reactions via C–H Bond Activation: Carbene and Nitrene C–H Insertion

Effective methods for the functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds offer opportunities for developing new strategies for organic synthesis. This chapter describes very practical approaches for functionalizing C–H bonds by means of metal carbene- or metal nitrene-induced C–H insertions. A major advantage of this approach over other methods is that the reaction is routinely catalytic, and by using chiral catalysts, high enantioselectivity can be achieved. One of the major challenges with the metal carbene- and the metal nitrene-induced C–H insertion is controlling the regiochemistry of the process. Over the last decade, considerable progress has been made in this area such that the metal carbene and metal nitrene C–H insertions can be considered as the most general methods to date for regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselective C–H functionalization. The recent developments of this chemistry and its application in total synthesis will be described.
Imaging of Brain Neoplasm

■ Brain imaging is necessary for optimal localization, characterization, and management of pediatric brain cancer prior to surgery in patients with suspected or confirmed brain tumors (strong evidence).
Stochastic Scheduling of Onsite Solar Power Generation for Large Customers

This paper proposes a novel stochastic decision-making tool for enabling large customers to strategically schedule their onsite solar power generations (OSG) while optimizing the utilization of external electricity sources (bilateral contracts and the energy market). The proposed model, which is formulated as a scenario-based two-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming problem, minimizes the total expected energy procurement cost by co-optimizing the contribution of energy resources in supplying the customer's demand. The first stage decisions optimize the utilization of bilateral contracts, and the second stage decisions optimize schedules to purchase power from and selling excess OSG to forward energy market. The uncertainty of solar irradiance and the resulting solar power generation is characterized using the combination of a Fourier series and an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, which respectively characterize the periodic and stochastic components of solar irradiance. Further, the fast-forward scenario reduction technique is utilized to reduce the number of scenarios and keep the proposed stochastic optimization model computationally tractable. The simulation results and sensitivity analysis are conducted on a sample large customer, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method to utilize OSG by the customer taking into account the uncertainty of solar generation.
Power Analysis of the Social Network Autocorrelation Model

The network autocorrelation model as a new approach of social network analysis has become increasingly popular in organizational research and other related social sciences. This model has unique ad...
A challenging case of fungating malignant melanoma.

We present the case of a 43-yearr-old male present with left arm pain from a football-sized mass over his left shoulder and arm. He had a history of 3cm melanoma on his left back 3 years ago and underwent resection and adjuvant radiation. However, he had recurrence of melanoma a year later with metastases to the left supra clavicular lymph nodes. He underwent further resection followed by multiple regimens of chemotherapy, which included vemurafenib, dabrafenib and trametinib. Unfortunately, his melanoma was aggressive and remained refractory to the currently available standard therapies. Physical examination as visualized in the figure. The patient eventually opted for a palliative total upper extremity amputation including shoulder joint. World Health Organization estimates around 132,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed globally every year. Melanoma is the fifth leading cancer in males and seventh leading cancer in females in the United States. Melanoma is deadliest of all skin cancers and its incidence continues to rise. While recent targeted immunotherapies have improved the survival period of melanoma, metastatic melanoma can be fatal even with the currently available therapies. The single most important preventive measure is to avoid excessive ultraviolet radiation and there should be heightened awareness of its risk factors among both clinicians and patients. Patient's education on prevention and early recognition are paramount for battling melanoma and for better outcomes. Novel biological therapies have undoubtedly made substantial progress and will likely change the landscape in the treatment of melanoma in the near future.
Low Molecular Weight Heparin as a TherapeuticTool for Cancer; Special Emphasis on Breast Cancer

Cancer is a debilitating, life changing disease that not only affects patients but their families as well...
Progression of Baseline Electrocardiogram Abnormalities in Chagas Patients Undergoing Antitrypanosomal Treatment

Background The objective of the study was to better understand the impact of antitrypanosomal treatment on the evolution of Chagas-related, prognostically important electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities. Methods Initial and posttreatment ECGs were obtained in a prospective cohort of Chagas patients treated with nifurtimox or benznidazole and compared to an untreated cohort. Electrocardiogram disease progression was compared in those with and without baseline abnormalities pre- and posttherapy. Results Fifty-nine patients were recruited in the treatment arm and followed for an average of 3.9 years. There were no differences between ECG groups with regards to follow-up, age, baseline ejection fraction, or therapy. In the treated cohort, 0 of 30 patients with normal ECGs developed an abnormal ECG compared with 7 of 29 patients with baseline ECG abnormalities who developed new ECG abnormalities (P = .005). In an untreated cohort of 30 patients, 3 of 7 with normal ECGs developed an abnormality compared with 14 of 23 patients with baseline abnormalities (P = .67). Untreated patients had a higher likelihood of developing new EKG abnormalities (56.7% vs 11.9%, P < .001) despite shorter follow-up, and in a multivariate analysis adjusting for baseline EKG status across both treated and untreated cohorts, treated patients were still less likely to have progression of their EKG disease (odds ratio = 0.13, P < .001). The corrected QT (QTc) interval was not significantly affected by either study medication (415 vs 421 ms, initial vs posttreatment QTc; P = .06). Conclusions Over an average follow-up of 3.9 years, treated patients with normal baseline ECGs did not have significant changes during a course of treatment; however, those with baseline abnormal ECGs had significant progression of their conduction system disease despite treatment, and those without treatment also experienced a progression of ECG disease. These preliminary results suggest that Chagas patients with normal ejection fraction and normal ECG may benefit the most from antitrypanosomal treatment.
INCREASED RISK OF PERIOPERATIVE ISCHEMIC STROKE IN PATIENTS WHO UNDERGO NON-CARDIAC SURGERY WITH PREEXISTING PATENT FORAMEN OVALE

Perioperative stroke is a major complication for patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) represents a possible anatomical link between venous thrombosis and stroke. The purpose of this study was to evaluate national trends in perioperative stroke after major non-cardiac
Improving the Osteogenicity of PCL Fiber Substrates by Surface-Immobilization of Bone Morphogenic Protein-2

Polycaprolactone (PCL) fiber scaffolds are attractive, albeit inert, substrates for ligament regeneration, that may be improved by incorporating trophic factors to guide tissue remodeling in vivo. In particular, immobilization of bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2) to the scaffold surface may facilitate rapid and robust integration of the scaffold with adjacent bone tissues. As a first step toward testing this, model PCL surfaces were modified by the addition of heparin (Hep) and BMP-2 to facilitate osteoblastic differentiation. Specifically, Hep was combined with PCL at 0, 0.5, and 1 wt% (denoted as PCL, PCL–0.5Hep, and PCL–1Hep), cast into films, and then BMP-2 was immobilized to surfaces by either adsorption and covalent conjugation. Here, BMP-2 concentration increased systematically with incorporation of Hep, and higher concentrations were achieved by covalent conjugation. Next, blends were electrospun to form thin meshes with fiber diameters of 0.92, 0.62, and 0.54 μm for PCL, PCL–0.5Hep, and PCL–1Hep, respectively. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) had no difficulty attaching to and proliferating on all meshes. Lastly, PCL–1Hep meshes were prepared with adsorbed or covalently conjugated BMP-2 and cultured with MSCs in the absence of osteogenic factors. Under these conditions, alkaline phosphatase activity and deposition of bone sialoprotein, osteopontin, and calcium minerals—markers of osteoblastic differentiation—were significantly higher on surfaces with immobilized BMP-2. Together, these data indicate that covalent immobilization of trophic factors confers bioactivity to scaffolds, which may be applied in a spatially controlled manner for ligament regeneration and bone integration.