cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of three frozen storage methods on wet weight of fish

Abstract Wet weight is one of the most common biological descriptors collected for fisheries research. Freezing is frequently used to preserve fish prior to processing in a lab, and wet weights are often collected for thawed fish. Freezing may affect the wet weight of fish and result in biased values for weight based metrics. Our objectives were to determine the effects of three frozen storage methods, size class of fish, and duration of storage on the changes in wet weight of emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides) and rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), and how failure to account for changes in wet weight affects percent dry weight estimates. Two size classes of emerald shiner and three size classes of rudd were collected from the upper Niagara River, New York. Fish were weighed immediately after being euthanized and then glazed with water, frozen in water, or vacuum-sealed and stored at −25 °C for 3 or 6 months. After measuring post-thaw wet weight, fish were dried to a constant weight and percent dry weight was calculated based on prestorage wet weight and post-thaw wet weight. Then, we compared species specific prestorage wet weights to post-thaw wet weights for each storage method. Analysis of variance was used to investigate the effects of storage method, size class, and duration stored on wet weights of each species. Prestorage and post-thaw percent dry weights were compared to illustrate the effects of frozen storage on a commonly used weight-based metric. Emerald shiner and rudd wet weights differed from initial weights for all storage methods. Percent change in wet weight of emerald shiner was affected by interactions among storage method, size class, and duration stored, while percent change in wet weight of rudd was affected by the interaction between fish size class and storage method. Overall, storage method and size class had the greatest effects on changes in wet weight following frozen storage. Post-thaw wet weight increased from initial wet weight for fish frozen in water and decreased for vacuum-sealed and glazed fish, and smaller fish generally experienced greater changes than larger fish of the same species. Percent dry weight estimates based on post-thaw wet weights differed proportionally by −10.6–29.8% from estimates based on prestorage wet weights. Frozen storage can substantially affect weight based metrics such as percent dry weight and should be accounted for if weight is not measured prior to freezing.
A Composite Cu/HOPG Heat Spreader for Immersion Cooling of High Power Chips

Presented are the results of a 3-D numerical analysis of a composite heat spreader for immersion cooling of a 20 × 20 mm microprocessor. The spreader is comprised of two 0.5 mm thick Copper (Cu) laments separated by a layer of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), 0.25–1.0 mm thick. The exposed surface of the top Cu lament has an average roughness, Ra = 1.79 μm and is cooled by saturation nucleate pool boiling of PF-5060 dielectric liquid. Investigate is the impact of δHOPG on the total power removed, the maximum temperature of the underlying chip, Tmax, and mitigating the chip hot spots. Increasing δHOPG increases the total power removed, but also increases Tmax. The spreader with a 1.0 mm-thick δHOPG is capable of removing 318 W, without exceeding 90% of the critical heat flux (CHF), at Tmax = 120°C. This power removal is significantly higher than that with an all Cu spreader of the same thickness of 90 W, but at much lower Tmax of 67°C. Composite spreaders with δHOPG = 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 mm are capable of removing up to 160 W at Tmax = 85°C, 228 W at 100°C, and 292W at 115°C, respectively. The HOPG suppresses the transmission of hot spots to the spreader surface and increasing δHOPG does not mitigate the hot spots.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Abstract 4039: Validation Of The Totaled Heath Risks in Vascular Events (THRIVE) Score For Predicting Outcomes After Endovascular Stroke Treatment

Background: We recently developed a novel clinical prediction tool, the Totaled Health Risks in Vascular Events (THRIVE) score, that predicts outcomes after endovascular stroke treatment. The THRIVE score, which incorporates age, NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and three medical comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and atrial fibrillation), was developed using data from the MERCI and Multi MERCI Trials, two clinical trials of the Merci family of endovascular stroke treatment devices. Methods: In order to perform external validation to demonstrate the reliability of our prediction tool, we applied the THRIVE score to patients from the Merci Registry, the largest clinical series of patients to date undergoing endovascular stroke treatment. We examined the predictive utility of the THRIVE score across the range of clinical outcomes and used Receiver-Operator Characteristics curve analysis and ordinal logistic regression to formally compare score performance in the two data sets. Results: We find that the THRIVE score predicts good outcome, death, and the full range of the modified Rankin Scale in a similar fashion between the MERCI Trials and the Merci Registry. In Receiver-Operator Characteristics curve comparisons, the area under the curve (AUC) for the ROC curves for good outcome was not significantly different between MERCI Trial patients (AUC = 0.293, 95% C.I. = 0.231 to 0.355) and Merci Registry patients (AUC = 0.266, 95% C.I. = 0.230 to 0.302) (P = 0.47), and the AUC for the ROC curves for death was not significantly different between MERCI Trial patients (AUC = 0.692, 95% C.I. = 0.632 to 0.752) and Merci Registry patients (AUC = 0.717, 95% C.I. = 0.683 to 0.750) (P = 0.48). The THRIVE score (0 to 9) predicts mRS (0 to 6) in ordinal logistic regression in a similar fashion for the MERCI Trials (OR = 1.47, 95% C.I. 1.31 to 1.65, P < 0.001) and the Merci Registry (OR = 1.61, 95% C.I. 1.51 to 1.72, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The THRIVE score reliably predicts outcomes after endovascular stroke treatment. The THRIVE score may be useful as a prognostic tool in clinical practice and as a means to perform severity adjustments in clinical stroke research. A THRIVE score calculator is available at [www.thrivescore.org][1] ![Figure][2] [1]: http://www.thrivescore.org [2]: pending:yes
Information needs of rural health professionals : a retrospective use study

To explore the information needs of rural health professionals, a retrospective study was undertaken of 1,224 document delivery requests made during the course of three outreach projects in west and central Illinois. The 547 unique journals from which the articles were requested were analyzed for frequency of request, subject content, and inclusion on core lists. These rural health professionals were found to request current information on a wide range of topics in clinical medicine, nursing, health administration, allied health, social sciences, and basic sciences. While 10% of the titles filled 37% of the requests, 58% of the titles were requested once and filled 26% of the requests. A high correlation with Abridged Index Medicus and Brandon/Hill list titles was found, but titles from either of these lists could fill no more than 30% of the total requests. Besides demonstrating the complex information needs of rural health professionals and depicting the difficulty of building a collection to support them, the study exemplifies a method for need-based journal collection development and begins to identify titles commonly requested in a rural health setting.
Time-space clustering among cases of acute leukemia in two Georgia counties.

Statistical analyses were made of the time-space configuration of 406 acute leukemia cases in DeKalb and Fulton Counties, Georgia, over the 13-yr period 1956-1968. Separate analyses were performed for each of three age groups, 0-14 yr, 15-49 yr, and 50 yr-plus, cases being assigned to 2- and 3-yr time segments and to census tract units according to date of onset and place of residence at diagnosis. Pearson chi-square statistics and Haldane’s moments were used as a measure of homogeneity in case configurations. All calculations took into account age-specific populations for each census tract unit corrected for shifting population density. Evidence of inhomogeneity of time-space configurations, based on case clustering, was found among cases in the 0-14 age group but not at older ages. Clustering was present in both counties whether examined separately or combined, and it was more clearly seen in case distributions in DeKalb County. Analyses done for various periods of time showed that degree of clustering depended greatly on placement of time boundaries.
Performing Postmemory: Remembering the Parsley Massacre in “Nineteen Thirty‐Seven” and Song of the Water Saints

Focusing on the Parsley Massacre—one of the major events that has helped to define the complex relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic—this paper analyzes two works that treat it: the short story “Nineteen Thirty-Seven” by the Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat and the novel Song of the Water Saints by the Dominican-American writer Nelly Rosario. Although racial formation in the Dominican Republic and Haiti as well as ideological notions of national identity in Hispaniola inform this reading, the framework at hand invokes primarily a combination of collective postmemory and performativity. Collective postmemory serves as a way of approaching fictional renderings of the Parsley Massacre because the texts in question attempt to make the reader aware of this historical event as well as contribute to knowledge and identity in the diaspora(s) of Hispaniola. Performativity serves as a lens for bodily instantiations of identity in these texts. I demonstrate how female protagonists in these texts (mis)perform identities—marked by ideology—that are linked to postmemory. This paper, then, ultimately examines how these texts serve as cultural tools that perform postmemory and allow for the potential evolution of harmful aspects of past national identity through diasporic consciousness.
Esophageal dysplasia: Assessment by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy

This study was performed to determine the characteristics of esophageal dysplasia by scanning electron microscopy. A total of 82 esophageal biopsy specimens were taken from 30 patients who were divided into three groups. Group 1 patients had no known esophageal disease. Group 2 patients had squamous cell cancer. Group 3 patients had esophagitis. Mucosal biopsy specimens that had been diagnosed by light microscopy as normal, esophagitis, or dysplastic mucosa were examined by scanning electron microscopy. A characteristic appearance for each type of mucosa was recognized by scanning electron microscopy. A quantitative analysis of the scanning electron microscopy feature of microridge density showed a statistically significant difference not only between normal and dysplastic mucosa, but also between esophagitis and dysplastic mucosa. The addition of scanning electron microscopy to light microscopy may prove helpful in the diagnosis of dysplasia as well as in the understanding of the biologic behavior of dysplastic cells and possibly their relationship to esophageal carcinoma.
Reversible - through calmodulin - electrostatic interactions between basic residues on proteins and acidic lipids in the plasma membrane.

The inner leaflet of a typical mammalian plasma membrane contains 20-30% univalent PS (phosphatidylserine) and 1% multivalent PtdIns(4,5) P 2 . Numerous proteins have clusters of basic (or basic/hydrophobic) residues that bind to these acidic lipids. The intracellular effector CaM (calmodulin) can reverse this binding on a wide variety of proteins, including MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate), GAP43 (growth-associated protein 43, also known as neuromodulin), gravin, GRK5 (G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 5), the NMDA ( N -methyl-d-aspartate) receptor and the ErbB family. We used the first principles of physics, incorporating atomic models and the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, to describe how the basic effector domain of MARCKS binds electrostatically to acidic lipids on the plasma membrane. The theoretical calculations show the basic cluster produces a local positive electrostatic potential that should laterally sequester PtdIns P 2 , even when univalent acidic lipids are present at a physiologically relevant 100-fold excess; four independent experimental measurements confirm this prediction. Ca 2+ /CaM binds with high affinity ( K d approximately 10nM) to this domain and releases the PtdIns(4,5) P 2 . MARCKS, a major PKC (protein kinase C) substrate, is present at concentrations comparable with those of PtdIns(4,5) P 2 (approx. 10 μM) in many cell types. Thus MARCKS can act as a reversible PtdIns(4,5) P 2 buffer, binding PtdIns(4,5) P 2 in a quiescent cell, and releasing it locally when the intracellular Ca 2+ concentration increases. This reversible sequestration is important because PtdIns(4,5) P 2 plays many roles in cell biology. Less is known about the role of CaM-mediated reversible membrane binding of basic/hydrophobic clusters for the other proteins.
Signatures of Biomass Burning Aerosols in the Plume of a Saltmarsh Wildfire in South Texas

The most conventional and abundant tracers of biomass combustion in aerosol particles include potassium and biomarkers derived from thermally altered cellulose/hemicellulose (anhydrosugars) and lignin (methoxyphenols). However, little is known of the role biomass combustion plays as a particulate source of major plant polymers to the atmosphere. Here, concentrations of solvent-extractable anhydrosugars and methoxyphenols are compared to the yields of polymeric lignin oxidation products (LOPs) during a smoke plume event in Houston, Texas. Downwind aerosol samples (PM2.5) were collected surrounding a two-day wildfire in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, 125 km southeast of Houston, which was 12-16 h directly downwind during the peak of the burn. Concentrations of all organic markers, potassium, and calcium increased by a factor of 2-13 within 1-2 days of the start of the fire and dropped to prefire levels 3 days after the peak event. Source signatures of anhydrosugars and methoxyphenols during the peak of the plume were identical to those of grass charcoals collected from the site, confirming the use of charcoals as end-members for source input reconstruction during atmospheric transport. An enrichment factor of 20 in the anhydrosugar to methoxyphenol ratio of aerosols versus charcoals can be explained partially by differences in degradation rate constants between the biomarker groups. LOPs comprised 73-91% of all lignin material in the aerosols, pointing to fires as major sources of primary biogenic aerosol particles in which lignin phenols occur predominantly in polymeric form.
Dynamics of West Nile virus evolution in mosquito vectors

West Nile virus remains the most common cause of arboviral encephalitis in North America. Since it was introduced, it has undergone adaptive genetic change as it spread throughout the continent. The WNV transmission cycle is relatively tractable in the laboratory. Thus the virus serves as a convenient model system for studying the population biology of mosquito-borne flaviviruses as they undergo transmission to and from mosquitoes and vertebrates. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the population dynamics of this virus within mosquito vectors.
HPLC-UV method for simultaneous determination of MK-1775 and AZD-7762 in both acetonitrile-aqueous solution and mouse plasma

A sensitive and precise method is described for the simultaneous determination of two small molecule kinase inhibitors: MK-1775 (MK) and AZD-7762 (AZD), in acetonitrile (ACN)-aqueous solution and in mouse plasma. A Nova-Pak C18 reversed phase column (3.9mm×150mm, 4μm, 60A) was utilized in the separation using an isocratic mobile phase of 0.1% v/v triethylamine in phosphate buffer (pH=7.4): acetonitrile (ACN) (60:40, v/v), at a flow rate of 0.8mL/min. Detection wavelength was set at 310nm for both MK and AZD, and 431nm for the internal standard sunitinib (SUN). The developed method was validated following the ICH guidelines and it was shown to be accurate, precise and linear in the range of 41ng/mL to 8333ng/mL for both drugs in the ACN-aqueous solution and from 83ng/mL to 8333ng/mL for both drugs in mouse plasma samples. For the first time, the presented data suggest the suitability of this method for the simultaneous separation and quantification of MK and AZD in both ACN aqueous solution as well as in mouse plasma samples.
Unique Evidence for Autosomal Dominant Inheritance of Severe Congenital Neutropenia.

Severe congenital neutropenia was originally described as an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severe neutropenia and recurrent bacterial infections from birth, but other reports indicate that autosomal dominant inheritance occurs. Several report now indicate that most, but not all, patients with severe congential neutropenia have heterozygous mutation in the gene for neutrophil elastase (NE or ELA2). We recently investigated an unusual series of cases of severe congenital neutropenia occurring when the same sperm donor was utilitized by four different families to impregnate mothers by either artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization. Three sets of twins were conceived and a single child in the four families. Collectively one set of twins and one child each from the other two families conceiving twins and the single child were all found to have severe congenital neutropenia. The mean for their median blood neutrophils (ANC) at diagnosis was 84 +/−32 x109/L (range 0–166 x 109 /L); and their other blood counts were remarkably similar. On treatment with G-CSF (mean dose 6.7+/− 1.3 SEM mcg/kg/day) the mean for the median ANC increased to 3290 +/−1410 x109/L( range 420–8600 x 109 /L ) To determine whether the sperm donor was responsible for transmitting severe congenital neutropenia, geonomic DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes was used to sequence the gene for neutrophil elastase in the affected children and their mothers using standard techniques. None of the mothers had a mutation in their NE gene but all five affected children had the same mutation effecting the fourth exon at site S97L. Since it was not possible to perform genetic analysis on biological samples from the donor, more detailed genetic linkage analysis was performed on the affected children and their mothers. Linkage mapping analysis of 22 microsatellite markers on chromosome 14 and 19 confirmed that all affected children possessed one of the two paternal alleles. For an 11 centiMorgan region immediately adjacent to the NE gene on chromosome 19, all affected children shared a single paternal allele, and 4 of 5 affected children shared a single paternal allele for a 20 centiMorgan region adjacent to the NE gene. The studies indicate that the father of the affected children provided consistent haplotypes that led to the expression of severe congenital neutropenia in all of the affected children. This investigation strongly implicates that autosomal dominant inheritance for severe congenital neutropenia. It also raises important questions for the evaluation of subjects in sperm donor programs.
Sensitivity of resource selection and connectivity models to landscape definition

The definition of the geospatial landscape is the underlying basis for species-habitat models, yet sensitivity of habitat use inference, predicted probability surfaces, and connectivity models to landscape definition has received little attention. We evaluated the sensitivity of resource selection and connectivity models to four landscape definition choices including (1) the type of geospatial layers used, (2) layer source, (3) thematic resolution, and (4) spatial grain. We used GPS telemetry data from pumas (Puma concolor) in southern California to create multi-scale path selection function models (PathSFs) across landscapes with 2500 unique landscape definitions. To create the landscape definitions, we identified seven geospatial layers that have been shown to influence puma habitat use. We then varied the number, sources, spatial grain, and thematic resolutions of these layers to create our suite of plausible landscape definitions. We assessed how PathSF model performance (based on AIC) was affected by landscape definition and examined variability among the predicted probability of movement surfaces, connectivity models, and road crossing locations. We found model performance was extremely sensitive to landscape definition and identified only seven top models out of our suite of definitions (<1%). Spatial grain and the number of geospatial layers selected for a landscape definition significantly affected model performance measures, with finer grains and greater numbers of layers increasing model performance. Given the sensitivity of habitat use inference, predicted probability surfaces, and connectivity models to landscape definition, out results indicate the need for increased attention to landscape definition in future studies.
Metazoan Nuclear Pores Provide a Scaffold for Poised Genes and Mediate Induced Enhancer-Promoter Contacts

Nuclear pore complex components (Nups) have been implicated in transcriptional regulation, yet what regulatory steps are controlled by metazoan Nups remains unclear. We identified the presence of multiple Nups at promoters, enhancers, and insulators in the Drosophila genome. In line with this binding, we uncovered a functional role for Nup98 in mediating enhancer-promoter looping at ecdysone-inducible genes. These genes were found to be stably associated with nuclear pores before and after activation. Although changing levels of Nup98 disrupted enhancer-promoter contacts, it did not affect ongoing transcription but instead compromised subsequent transcriptional activation or transcriptional memory. In support of the enhancer-looping role, we found Nup98 to gain and retain physical interactions with architectural proteins upon stimulation with ecdysone. Together, our data identify Nups as a class of architectural proteins for enhancers and supports a model in which animal genomes use the nuclear pore as an organizing scaffold for inducible poised genes.
Some Early Attempts to Modify Penile Erection in Horse and Human: An Historical Analysis

Between 1856 and 1919 Letters Patent were granted by the U.S. Patent Office for 49 antimasturbatory devices; 35 were designed for application to Equus caballus, while 14 were intended for Homo sapiens. Many of the devices relied upon a simple servomechanism (or feedback loop) in which the precurrent response of erection produced aversive stimulation and hence reflex detumescence. After analysis of the surprisingly modern principles involved, an attempt is made to relate the onset and cessation of patenting activities to more general cultural variables in Euro-American society.
Research of Substation Equipment Abnormity Identification Based on Image Processing

With the unceasing improvement of the on-site comprehensive automation level of substation and increasing number of unattended substation, the work efficiency of substation tour-inspection should be higher and higher. It is crucially important to detect equipment failure and hidden dangers timely and effectively. The paper disposed the acquired equipment image with the purpose to quickly and accurately detect equipment abnormity for forewarning of equipment fault and hidden dangers. It is of important and practical application significance for the safe and reliable operation of the power grid.
El trabajo académico en la construcción de saberes: entre el hacer y el discurso en la formación de profesores

El presente articulo, es un intento por analizar criticamente la realidad que se vive en los procesos de formacion de profesores de educacion basica (preescolar y primaria) en las escuelas normales, los mitos y realidades que rodean el ambito profesional de los formadores, de los estudiantes como receptores, reproductores de las teorias y de las practicas de sus ensenantes. Por ello, es necesario transformar esta cultura tradicional de la institucion normal con un trabajo academico que incluya la formacion teorica y la investigacion educativa de los maestros encargados de formar a quienes seran los nuevos profesores; pero ademas es urgente una nueva gestion institucional que tome como referente de los proyectos de trabajo al colectivo docente y sobre todo a los estudiantes.
Natural disasters and their policy implications for business schools

Purpose This paper analyzes the impact of Hurricane Sandy and a series of snowstorms that affected two universities in the northeast. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument was used to assess the educational impact that these storms had on the college students at two AACSB business schools located in the New York City area. Utilizing 519 observations from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and 441 observations from the snowstorms in the Spring of 2015, the paper is able to document the impact these natural disasters had on the college students in a few selected areas. The paper conducts univariate t – statistics for mean differences, principal component analysis determining eigenvalues, and a multivariate Logit model using log likelihood functions. Findings The empirical results illustrate that the two different events had different impacts upon the students. In addition, the events in certain circumstances had different impacts upon the student responses between the two universities. Students perceived an ...
Initial diagnosis of insignificant cancer, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, atypical small acinar proliferation, and negative have the same rate of upgrade to a Gleason score of 7 or higher on repeat prostate biopsy

Extended prostate needle core biopsies are standard of care for the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma. Subsequent biopsies may be performed for a variety of indications. Knowledge of biopsy characteristics indicating risk for progression may have utility to guide therapeutic management. Prostate needle core biopsies performed between 2008 and 2014 were reviewed. Patients with at least 1 subsequent biopsy were identified. Cases were categorized by worst initial diagnosis. Gleason ≤6 carcinoma was further classified as significant or insignificant with insignificant defined as follows: ≤2 cores with carcinoma, sites with ≤50% carcinoma, and unilateral carcinoma. A total of 329 men underwent repeat biopsies. Gleason ≤6 insignificant carcinoma, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and/or atypical small acinar proliferation, and negative biopsies had a similar rate of Gleason ≥7 upon repeat biopsy (16%, 17%, 14%; P = .91). Initial biopsy diagnoses of Gleason ≤6 significant carcinoma had a higher rate of Gleason ≥7 on repeat biopsy compared with initial biopsies of Gleason ≤6 insignificant carcinoma (39%, 16%; P = .003). Within initial diagnoses of Gleason ≤6, 1 core compared with more than 1 core positive had a lower rate of Gleason ≥7 on repeat biopsy (17%, 30%), although this difference was not significant (P = .08). An initial biopsy diagnosed as Gleason ≤6 insignificant carcinoma, HGPIN and/or atypical small acinar proliferation, or negative had a similar substantial risk of Gleason ≥7 carcinoma upon subsequent biopsy. Our findings support the continued stratification of Gleason ≤6 and thus the diagnostic workup of all atypical foci to provide an accurate, thorough number of involved cores.
Social Support in Online Health Communities: A Social-Network Approach

We develop a social network based model of user-generated content (social support) in online health communities. Grounded in the social presence and the social network theories, we hypothesize the differential impacts of an online health community member's brokerage and influence in the web-of-support on a) extent of social support, and two self-absorption linguistic features namely b) self-focused and c) socially-focused words in social support text. Variables were operationalized using text mining and social network analyses. We empirically tested our model using panel-data collected from an online health community for diabetics. Higher brokerage results in more support from the member; however, the marginal effect is decreasing. Higher influence results in reduced support; however, the effect is increasing at higher levels. Higher brokerage and influence results in more socially-focused support; however, the marginal effect is decreasing. Higher brokerage and influence results in less self-focused support; however, the marginal effect is increasing.
Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO: Effects of a personalized feedback plus protective behavioral strategies intervention for heavy marijuana-using college students.

Abstract Background Marijuana use is common among U.S. college students. Liberalization of marijuana use policies is hypothesized to decrease social norms discouraging use, which protects against marijuana use. This may increase the importance of protective behavioral strategies (PBS) to reduce marijuana use harm. Methods This study tested direct and moderated (by sex) program effects of an adapted version of the Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO, a web-based marijuana use intervention providing university-specific personalized feedback (PF) with normative information and PBS to students attending a university in a state with legalized adult recreational marijuana. Participants were 298 heavy-using college students randomly assigned to receive Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO or strategies for healthy stress management (HSM). General linear models (GLMs) tested direct program effects on proximal intervention targets, marijuana use, and use consequences. Multi-group GLMs then tested the moderating effect of sex on direct intervention effects. Results Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO participants reported decreases in estimated use prevalence (i.e., descriptive norms), self-reported hours high per week, days high per week, periods high per week, and weeks high per month. Sex moderated intervention effects on the use of PBS such that females in the PF condition increased their use of PBS more than males. Conclusion Results demonstrate preliminary support for the adapted Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO in reducing marijuana use for “heavy college-aged users”. Future research should test adapted Marijuana eCHECKUPTO GO sustained effects over time, and examine whether program effects on harm reduction manifest after sustained (e.g., booster) program implementation.
Gaussian Closure of One-Dimensional Unsaturated Flow in Randomly Heterogeneous Soils

We propose a new method for the solution of stochastic unsaturated flow problems in randomly heterogeneous soils which avoids linearizing the governing flow equations or the soil constitutive relations, and places no theoretical limit on the variance of constitutive parameters. The proposed method applies to a broad class of soils with flow properties that scale according to a linearly separable model provided the dimensionless pressure head ψ has a near-Gaussian distribution. Upon treating ψ as a multivariate Gaussian function, we obtain a closed system of coupled nonlinear differential equations for the first and second moments of pressure head. We apply this Gaussian closure to steady-state unsaturated flow through a randomly stratified soil with hydraulic conductivity that varies exponentially with αψ where ψ=(1/α)ψ is dimensional pressure head and α is a random field with given statistical properties. In one-dimensional media, we obtain good agreement between Gaussian closure and Monte Carlo results for the mean and variance of ψ over a wide range of parameters provided that the spatial variability of α is small. We then provide an outline of how the technique can be extended to two- and three-dimensional flow domains. Our solution provides considerable insight into the analytical behavior of the stochastic flow problem.
Avoiding Treatment Failures in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) first appeared as a diagnosis in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association (APA), 1980). Since that time, programmatic research on the nature of worry and GAD has led to advancements both in its diagnostic criteria and in its treatment. With the publication of DSM-III-R (APA, 1987), the primary defining symptom of GAD became excessive anxiety and worry about more than one topic. Later, DSM-IV (APA, 1994) retained excessive worry as GAD’s cardinal feature and further stipulated that the worry must be difficult to control.
Abstract WP272: Sleep-disordered Breathing is Associated With Worse Stroke Outcomes in Mexican Americans

Objective: Post-stroke sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is prevalent and may be linked to poor stroke recovery but population-based studies in diverse populations are lacking. Our objective was to ...
Engineering microbial consortia by division of labor

During microbial applications, metabolic burdens can lead to a significant drop in cell performance. Novel synthetic biology tools or multi-step bioprocessing (e.g., fermentation followed by chemical conversions) are therefore needed to avoid compromised biochemical productivity from over-burdened cells. A possible solution to address metabolic burden is Division of Labor (DoL) via natural and synthetic microbial consortia. In particular, consolidated bioprocesses and metabolic cooperation for detoxification or cross feeding (e.g., vitamin C fermentation) have shown numerous successes in industrial level applications. However, distributing a metabolic pathway among proper hosts remains an engineering conundrum due to several challenges: complex subpopulation dynamics/interactions with a short time-window for stable production, suboptimal cultivation of microbial communities, proliferation of cheaters or low-producers, intermediate metabolite dilution, transport barriers between species, and breaks in metabolite channeling through biosynthesis pathways. To develop stable consortia, optimization of strain inoculations, nutritional divergence and crossing feeding, evolution of mutualistic growth, cell immobilization, and biosensors may potentially be used to control cell populations. Another opportunity is direct integration of non-bioprocesses (e.g., microbial electrosynthesis) to power cell metabolism and improve carbon efficiency. Additionally, metabolic modeling and 13C-metabolic flux analysis of mixed culture metabolism and cross-feeding offers a computational approach to complement experimental research for improved consortia performance.
Doubling-down on prion protein function in Alzheimer’s disease

The prion protein functions as a carrier for delivering Aβ to exosomes during Alzheimer’s disease.
Tryptophan Fluorescence as a Structural Probe of Interaction of Amphiphilic Peptides with Calmodulin

Several peptides exhibit calcium-dependent high affinity binding (dissociation constant ≃10-9M) to calmodulin (CaM), the ubiquitous calcium binding protein (Malencik and Anderson, 1983; Malencik & Anderson, 1984; Cox et al., 1985). These peptides, such as the three mastoparans, competitively displace enzymes (e. g. myosin light chain kinase) off the 1:1 CaM-enzyme complex to form the CaM-peptide complex (Malencik and Anderson, 1983). Consequently they are considered to be viable structural models for the CaM-interacting surfaces on the CaM-dependent enzymes. It was proposed independently by us and by others, that the ability to form a basic amphiphilic helix is probably the common driving force for these peptides to bind to CaM (Cox et al., 1985; McDowell et al., 1985). The purpose of this study was to probe the environment of the CaM-interacting region of some amphiphilic peptides by using the fluorescence signal from their single tryptophan (Trp) residues (CaM does not contain Trp). The single letter amino acid sequences of these peptides are shown in Table 1. With the exception of melittin the Trp in each peptide forms a part of the hydro-phobic face of the putative helical wheel (not shown, see McDowell et al., 1985). They all have large helical hydrophobic moments (Eisenberg et al., 1982) and difference circular dichroic (CD) spectra suggest that a high degree of helicity is induced in the peptides upon CaM binding (Maulet and Cox, 1983; McDowell et al., 1985).
The existence of MTH1-independent 8-oxodGTPase activity in cancer cells as a compensatory mechanism against on-target effects of MTH1 inhibitors

Investigations into the human 8-oxodGTPase, MutT Homolog 1 (MTH1), have risen sharply since the first-in-class MTH1 inhibitors were reported to be highly tumoricidal. However, MTH1 as a cancer therapeutic target is currently controversial because subsequently developed inhibitors did not exhibit similar cytotoxic effects. Here, we provide the first direct evidence for MTH1-independent 8-oxodGTPase function in human cancer cells and human tumors, using a novel ATP-releasing guanine-oxidized (ARGO) chemical probe. Our studies show that this functionally redundant 8-oxodGTPase activity is not decreased by five different published MTH1-targeting small molecules or by MTH1 depletion. Significantly, while only the two first-in-class inhibitors, TH588 and TH287, reduced cancer cell viability, all five inhibitors evaluated in our studies decreased 8-oxodGTPase activity to a similar extent. Thus, the reported efficacy of the first-in-class MTH1 inhibitors does not arise from their inhibition of MTH1-specific 8-oxodGTPase activity. Comparison of DNA strand breaks, genomic 8-oxoguanine incorporation, or alterations in cellular oxidative state by TH287 versus the noncytotoxic inhibitor, IACS-4759, contradict that the cytotoxicity of the former results solely from increased levels of oxidatively damaged genomic DNA. Thus, our findings indicate that mechanisms unrelated to oxidative stress or DNA damage likely underlie the reported efficacy of the first-in-class inhibitors. Our study suggests that MTH1 functional redundancy, existing to different extents in all cancer lines and human tumors evaluated in our study, is a thus far undefined factor which is likely to be critical in understanding the importance of MTH1 and its clinical targeting in cancer.
Fabrication of bioactive inverted colloidal crystal scaffolds using expanded polystyrene beads.

Inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) hydrogel scaffolds have emerged as a new class of three-dimensional cell culture matrix that represents a unique opportunity to reproduce lymphoid tissue microenvironments. ICC geometry promotes the formation of stromal cell networks and their interaction with hematopoietic cells, a core cellular process in lymphoid tissues. When subdermally implanted, ICC hydrogel scaffolds direct unique foreign body responses to form a vascularized stromal tissue with prolonged attraction of hematopoietic cells, which together resemble lymphoid tissue microenvironments. While conceptually simple, fabrication of ICC hydrogel scaffold requires multiple steps and laborious handling of delicate materials. Here, we introduce a facile route for ICC hydrogel scaffold fabrication using expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads. EPS beads shrink and fuse in a tunable manner under pressurized thermal conditions, which serves as colloidal crystal templates for ICC scaffold fabrication. Inclusion of collagen in the precursor solution greatly simplified preparation of bioactive hydrogel scaffolds. The resultant EPS-templated bioactive ICC hydrogel scaffolds demonstrate characteristic features required for lymphoid tissue modeling in both in vitro and in vivo settings. We envision that the presented method will facilitate widespread implementation of ICC hydrogel scaffolds for lymphoid tissue engineering and other emerging applications. Impact statement Inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) hydrogel scaffolds have emerged as a new class of three-dimensional cell culture matrix that represents a unique opportunity for lymphoid tissue modeling and other emerging novel bioengineering applications. While conceptually simple, fabrication of the ICC hydrogel scaffold requires multiple steps and laborious handling of delicate materials with highly toxic chemicals. The presented method for ICC hydrogel scaffold fabrication using expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads is simple, cost-effective, and involves less toxic chemicals than conventional methods, while retaining comparable biological significance. We envision that EPS bead-based hydrogel scaffold fabrication will greatly facilitate the widespread implementation of ICC hydrogel scaffolds and their practical applications.
Interventional Liver-Directed Therapy for Neuroendocrine Metastases: Current Status and Future Directions.

Liver-directed therapy should be considered for patients with unresectable liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumor if symptomatic or progressing despite medical management. Our experience and current literature shows that the bland embolization, chemoembolization, and radioembolization are very effective in controlling symptoms and disease burden in the liver, and that these embolization modalities are similar in terms of efficacy and radiologic response. Their safety profiles differ, however, with recent studies suggesting an increase in biliary toxicity with drug-eluting bead chemoembolization over conventional chemoembolization, and a risk of long-term hepatotoxicity with radioembolization. For this reason, we tailor the type of embolotherapy to each patient according to their clinical status, symptoms, degree of tumor burden, histologic grade, and life expectancy. We do not recommend a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Our general strategy is to use bland embolization as first-line embolotherapy, and radioembolization for patients with high-grade tumors or who have failed other embolotherapy.
Thermodynamics and the Evolution of Stochastic Populations

The appeal of thermodynamics to problems outside physics is undeniable, as is the growing recognition of its apparent universality, yet in the absence of a rigorous formalism divorced from the peculiarities of molecular systems all attempts to generalize thermodynamics remain qualitative and heuristic at best. In this paper we formulate a probabilistic theory of thermodynamics and and set the basis for its application to generic stochastic populations.
Discrete analogue of the Burgers equation

We propose the set of coupled ordinary differential equations dnj/dt = n2j − 1 − n2j as a discrete analogue of the classic Burgers equation. We focus on traveling waves and triangular waves, and find that these special solutions of the discrete system capture major features of their continuous counterpart. In particular, the propagation velocity of a traveling wave and the shape of a triangular wave match the continuous behavior. However, there are some subtle differences. For traveling waves, the propagating front can be extremely sharp as it exhibits double exponential decay. For triangular waves, there is an unexpected logarithmic shift in the location of the front. We establish these results using asymptotic analysis, heuristic arguments, and direct numerical integration.
Paddling Upstream With Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Diagnose Cardiac Ascites.

Ascites has multiple etiologies, including cirrhosis and heart failure, which can be differentiated by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). One cause of cardiac ascites that can be difficult to identify is portopulmonary hypertension (PPH), a rare disorder caused by pulmonary artery vasoconstriction due to advanced liver disease. POCUS can readily identify right ventricular dysfunction which can accelerate a PPH diagnosis. This case report describes the use of POCUS to work-up new onset ascites and expedite diagnosis of cardiac ascites due to PPH.
Abstract 1088: Advancing non-cytotoxic DNMT1-targeting to treat chemorefractory pancreatic cancer

The key epigenetic regulator DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) is a scientifically validated target in p53-null chemorefractory cancers like pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) since DNMT1-depletion effects cancer cell cycle exits by p53-independent epithelialization. DNMT1 can be depleted by the pyrimidine nucleoside analog pro-drugs decitabine (Dec) or 5-azacytidine (5Aza). However, PDAC clinical trials with Dec/5Aza disappointed. In pre-clinical and clinical analyses, we found resistance was caused by configurations of pyrimidine metabolism in PDAC cells that forestall Dec or 5Aza processing into DNMT1-depleting nucleotide: high expression of cytidine deaminase (CDA) that rapidly catabolizes Dec/5Aza; and suppression of deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) and uridine kinase 2 (UCK2) that rate limit Dec/5Aza pro-drug processing respectively. Accordingly, combination of Dec with a CDA clinical inhibitor, tetrahydrouridine (THU), enabled DNMT1-depletion and PDAC cytoreduction in vitro and in Dec/gemcitabine-refractory PDAC pre-clinical in vivo models. We then conducted a pilot clinical trial in 13 patients with chemorefractory PDAC given oral THU ~10 mg/kg/day combined with decitabine ~0.2 mg/kg/day, for 5 consecutive days, then twice weekly. This Phase 2 was based on several PK/PD studies in human subjects showing potent non-cytotoxic DNMT1-targeting in myeloid cells. Yet again, there were no meaningful clinical responses in the patients. A reason for this was a surprising lack of neutropenia, the most sensitive indicator of systemic DNMT1-targeting. Upon measuring plasma CDA enzyme activity, we found a >10-fold increase in patients with metastatic vs resectable PDAC. Thus, CDA activity is increased not only locally but also systemically in metastatic PDAC, suggesting a need for higher THU doses. We have also observed DCK downregulation, necessary for Dec/gemcitabine uptake and processing, as a cause of PDAC resistance to Dec/gemcitabine. To counter this mechanism, we discovered that 5Aza upregulates DCK as an adaptive response to 5Aza-mediated decrease in dCTP, while Dec upregulates UCK2 (that mediates 5Aza uptake) as an adaptive response to Dec mediated reductions in dTTP. Thus, we alternated Dec with 5Aza in an in vivo model of gemcitabine-resistant PDAC, to exploit their mutual cross-priming, together with THU to inhibit CDA: median vehicle control tumor measurements 972 mm3(range 726-1267.5); median THU-Dec/THU-5Aza 16 mm3 (range 0-87.5); P Citation Format: Rita Tohme, Francis Enane, Caroline Schuerger, Xiaorong Gu, Melissa Fishel, John Pink, Daniel Lindner, Davendra Sohal, Yogen Saunthararajah. Advancing non-cytotoxic DNMT1-targeting to treat chemorefractory pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1088.
Cognitive bias modification for threat interpretations: using passive Mobile Sensing to detect intervention effects in daily life.

BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder is associated with distinct mobility patterns (e.g., increased time spent at home compared to non-anxious individuals), but we know little about if these patterns change following interventions. The ubiquity of GPS-enabled smartphones offers new opportunities to assess the benefits of mental health interventions beyond self-reported data. OBJECTIVES This pre-registered study (https://osf.io/em4vn/?view_only=b97da9ef22df41189f1302870fdc9dfe) assesses the impact of a brief, online cognitive training intervention for threat interpretations using passively-collected mobile sensing data. DESIGN Ninety-eight participants scoring high on a measure of trait social anxiety completed five weeks of mobile phone monitoring, with 49 participants randomly assigned to receive the intervention halfway through the monitoring period. RESULTS The brief intervention was not reliably associated with changes to participant mobility patterns. CONCLUSIONS Despite the lack of significant findings, this paper offers a framework within which to test future intervention effects using GPS data. We present a template for combining clinical theory and empirical GPS findings to derive testable hypotheses, outline data processing steps, and provide human-readable data processing scripts to guide future research. This manuscript illustrates how data processing steps common in engineering can be harnessed to extend our understanding of the impact of mental health interventions in daily life.