cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Activity Level Is Associated With Maintaining Anthropometric Improvements Among Participants in a Worksite Wellness Program

Background. Physical activity (PA) can facilitate weight loss, help avoid weight regain, and improve body composition. This study examined the relationships between PA level and changes in anthropometric measures among university employees in a worksite wellness program. Methods. A registered dietitian provided individualized assessments at baseline followed by a 12-week education intervention with follow-up at 12 and 26 weeks. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form was used to calculate PA ≤150 or ≥150 min/wk, median min/wk, and metabolic equivalent of task (MET) min/wk at each time point. Repeated-measures general linear model and nonparametric tests were used to assess significant differences over time. Results. Of the 64 participants, 89% were women and 50% were non-Hispanic white. At 12 and 26 weeks, participants experienced significant decreases in weight (P = .001). Among women, waist circumference and abdominal obesity decreased significantly (P < .01). PA ≥150 min/wk (n = 21) was associated with continued weight loss (P = .03) and decreases in body fat percentage (P = .02) between 12 and 26 weeks whereas PA ≤150 min/wk was associated with weight and body fat percentage regain during the same time period. Conclusion. Among women in a worksite wellness program, higher levels of PA were associated with avoiding weight and body fat regain following successful loss.
The Brachistochrone Problem

The brachistochrone problem asks for the curve between two points down which an object will slide in the least amount of time under the force of gravity and neglecting friction. Johann Bernoulli challenged his peers with this problem in June of 1696, and received solutions from Jacob Bernoulli (his brother), Gottfried Leibniz, and Isaac Newton [1]. The mathematical techniques used to solve this and related problems have varied greatly over the last 300 years, from the original geometric arguments to the calculus of variations to graph theory [1, 2, 3]. In this article we solve the problem using concepts and tools from the first years of undergraduate mathematics. Our approach is analogous to finding minima and maxima of ordinary functions. First, we derive an integral which gives the amount of time it would take for an object to slide down any curve under the force of gravity but without friction. Next, we expand this integral in a manner similar to a Taylor series. Then, we recognize that the minimum can be found by ensuring that small deviations only increase the value of the integral. This results in a differential equation whose solution is a cycloid. The brachistochrone problem receives credit for prompting the development of the calculus of variations. Just as ordinary calculus can be used to minimize and maximize functions, the calculus of variations can be used to minimize and maximize functions of functions (so-called functionals). Our solution to the brachistochrone is similar to using the definition of the derivative limh0o[f(x + h) f(x)]/ h. Just as this definition gets replaced by shortcuts, for example d/dx xn = nxn-1, our solution anticipates the Euler-Lagrange formula.
E-046 THERAPY: A Prospective, Randomised, Concurrent Controlled Trial to Assess the Role of Mechanical Thrombectomy As Adjunctive Treatment to IV rtPA

Introduction/Purpose Literature indicates that recanalisation with IV rtPA therapy is more likely when clot length is ® as adjuvant treatment to IV rtPA in stroke patients with large vessel occlusions and extensive clot burdens in the anterior circulation. Materials and Methods THERAPY is a prospective, randomised, multicentre, concurrent controlled study. Patients from 18 to 85 yo [n=692] presenting with acute ischaemic stroke symptoms, an NIHSS score of ≥8 and IV rtPA-eligible with evidence of a clot length 8mm or longer in the anterior circulation from reconstructed thin-sliced NCCT are randomised 1 to 1 to IV rtPA therapy alone or combined IV rtPA therapy and adjunctive treatment with the Penumbra System. The primary endpoints are 90-day good functional outcome and incidence of serious adverse events. Secondary endpoints include good functional and neurological outcomes at discharge and 30 days, and the incidence of ICH. An independent Core Lab will review imaging data, while a CEC/DSMB will adjudicate safety. A preliminary analysis of the reasons for screened failures in IV rtPA-eligible patients indicates the following top criteria for exclusion (see pie chart): NIHSS score 85. Reasons for being unable to obtain consent include shipped from outside institution and/or outside time window to consent (45%), refused consent (9%), no family member present to consent (6%), and no reason provided by the site (40%). In patients who had clot length assessed, roughly 75% meet the criterion of ≥8mm clot length. Results Approximately 47 centres have committed to THERAPY, of which 41 have received IRB approval. To date, 29 centres have been initiated, and 33 patients are randomised. Conclusion In keeping with the findings from the IMS III Trial, the randomised, prospective, controlled THERAPY trial may serve as the seminal study to clearly define the role of mechanical thrombectomy in an acute ischaemic stroke cohort who are unlikely to respond to IV rtPA and may benefit from an IV-IA bridging approach. Disclosures J. Mocco: 1; C; Penumbra, Inc. 3; C; Penumbra, Inc. P. Khatri: 1; C; Penumbra, Inc. O. Zaidat: 1; C; Penumbra, Inc. 3; C; Penumbra, Inc.
A novel chromogenic substrate for assaying glucocerebrosidase activity.

Summary2-Hexadecanoylamino-4-ni-trophenyl β-D-glucopyranoside was synthesized. This compound structurally resembles glucocerebroside and is a specific substrate for glucocerebrosidase. This specificity offers advantages over other artificial substrates and the compound can readily be used in the detection of enzyme deficiency in extracts of spleens of patients with Gaucher's disease.We wish to thank the Analytical Service Unit, National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, NIH, for the elemental analyses.
Web-based eco-feedback visualization of building occupant energy consumption in support of quantifying social network effects on conservation

Exposing building occupants to information about their energy use and the energy use of others in their social network through eco-feedback systems has been shown to significantly impact occupant energy consumption. In this paper, we describe the design and development of a web-based visualization system that exposes building occupants to real-time information about their individual energy utilization, the utilization of their peers in the building, and the average energy utilization of all monitored individuals in the building. The system also monitors and records user interaction with the system and other users of the system providing relevant usage data for conducting analysis to quantify network effects on user energy consumption. A description of the system’s physical and virtual architecture and how its design enables meaningful analysis, visualization and effective user monitoring is provided. We conclude by presenting the methods and challenges related to how our visualization system was developed to facilitate and monitor social interaction around energy conservation, and how it enables research into the underlying mechanisms that drive these actions.
Authors' reply to Drs. Khattak and Martin

We would like to thank Drs. Khattak and Martin for their interest in our paper [1] and insightful comments.We agree that our study is limited by its retrospective nature and by the fact that itwas conducted in a highly selected population referred to a tertiary care cancer center. Patients who received first-line intravenous/intraperitoneal chemotherapy in our study were treated with a modified GOG 172 regimen. Our group has recently published our experience using this modified outpatient regimen and has shown that it was associated with reduced toxicity and similar survival outcomes compared to GOG172 [2,3]. In older patients,wewould recommend theuse of a modified GOG 172 regimen with appropriate supportive care measures, such as intravenous hydration, during treatment. Dr. Hurria is currently conducting a prospective trial in older patients to determine if toxicity can be predicted using an assessment tool for older patients with cancer (NCT00477958).
Photoradiation models for the clinical ex vivo treatment of autologous bone marrow grafts.

To assess the potential of photoradiation therapy for the in vitro purging of residual tumor cells from autologous bone marrow (BM) transplants, we studied normal marrow and tumor cell clonogenicity in response to different light-activated compounds by using the fluorescent dyes dihematoporphyrin ether (DHE) and merocyanine-540 (MC- 540). After photoradiation of cells with white light, both DHE and MC- 540 showed high cytocidal activity toward lymphoid and myeloid neoplastic cells but had a significantly lesser effect on normal granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), erythroid (BFU-E), and mixed colony- forming (CFU-GEMM) progenitor cells. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (HL- 60), non-B, non-T, CALLA-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Reh), and diffuse histocytic B cell lymphoma (SK-DHL-2) cell lines were exposed to different drug concentrations in combination with white light at a constant illumination rate of 50,000 lux. With DHE doses varying from 2.0 to 2.5 micrograms/mL and MC-540 concentrations of 15 to 20 micrograms/mL, clonogenic tumor cells could be reduced by more than 4 logs when treated alone or in mixtures with normal irradiated human marrow cells. However, preferential cytotoxicity towards neoplastic cells was highly dependent on the mode of light activation. MC-540 had no substantial effect on malignant lymphoid (SK-DHL-2) and myeloid (HL-60) cells and on normal marrow myeloid (CFU-GM) precursors when drug incubation was performed in the dark and followed by light exposure of washed cells. Equal doses of MC-540 (15 to 20 micrograms/mL) could preferentially eliminate tumor cells under conditions of simultaneous light and drug treatment (30 minutes at 37 degrees C). When using DHE (2.5 micrograms/mL), 29.3%, 46.8%, and 27.5% of normal marrow CFU-GM, BFU-E, and CFU-GEMM, respectively, were spared after sequential drug and light exposure of cells, whereas simultaneous treatment reduced both normal (CFU-GM) and neoplastic cells below the limits of detection. In summary, our results indicate the usefulness of various photoradiation models for the ex vivo treatment of leukemic and lymphomatous bone marrow autografts.
Selective T-cell depletion with Ox-38 anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody prevents cardiac allograft rejection in rats.

New monoclonal antibodies directed to membrane molecules unique to lymphocyte subsets have provided the means to alter the immune response to alloantigens in a more selective fashion. This investigation demonstrates that monoclonal antibody-induced depletion of CD4 helper/inducer T lymphocytes before transplantation of a fully mismatched heart allograft allows permanent engraftment in rats without further immunosuppression
Abstract 775: Combinatorial compound stratification based on integration of LINCS, TCGA and PubChem data

Proceedings: AACR 107th Annual Meeting 2016; April 16-20, 2016; New Orleans, LA The purpose of this study is to leverage the large number of perturbation signatures from the NIH Library of Integrative Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS) and integrate them with patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and PubChem bioactivity data in an effort to prioritize compounds based on their synergistic effect in cancer treatment. From the large number of LINCS L1000 transcriptional data capturing cellular responses after chemical or genetic perturbations, we extracted gene expression signatures that were indicative of specific LINCS compounds. Moreover, we compared the L1000 transcriptional profiles with ones from TCGA in order to identify characteristic signatures of major cancer types and prioritized small molecule compounds with discordant expression profiles to those cancer types. We then linked the above compounds to protein target annotations and therefore produced a compound-specific protein target profile. For this, we utilized biochemical data produced by the LINCS KinomeScan and KiNative assays and also biochemical data obtained through PubChem. Using the above information, we obtained pairs of compounds that would inhibit unlinked gene sub-networks that were produced through processing of the TCGA transcriptional data. The above process can be used as a means to suggest compound combinations towards specific cancer types and to prioritize the development of compounds with targeted polypharmacology. Citation Format: Vasileios Stathias, Bryce Allen, Jennifer Clarke, Nagi G. Ayad, Stephan Schurer. Combinatorial compound stratification based on integration of LINCS, TCGA and PubChem data. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 775.
Large Second-Order Properties of a Two-Stage Point Estimation Procedure for the Range in a Power Family Distribution

In this article, a new two-stage sampling methodology is explored for the minimum risk point estimation of the range θ in a power family distribution. This modification of Mukhopadhyay et al.'s (1983) twostage estimation technique is proposed along the lines of Mukhopadhyay and Duggan (1997, 1999) by assuming a prior knowledge of a positive lower bound θL for the otherwise unknown range parameter θ. Expressions for the average sample size and the risk associated with the conventional sample maximum order statistic are investigated. A new estimator of 8 based only on the stopping variable is also investigated. Various second-order asymptotic analyses are supplemented by interesting exact and simulation results.
Between Vision and Practice: Archaeological Perspectives on the Llano del Rio Cooperative

Ideology is perhaps nowhere more patently visible in the archaeological record than at utopian communities. While ideology informs all human action, the tenets of utopian ventures operate on a more fully conscious level than those underlying mainstream culture. The deliberate use of symbolism is a hallmark of the way utopians sought to define themselves and their visions. By comparing these utopian visions with the actual practices of such groups, archaeologists can deepen understandings of the challenges and lessons evolving from the pursuit of such experiments. Recent archaeological investigations at the Llano del Rio Cooperative are used to explore these issues. Socialists established the Llano cooperative near Los Angeles in 1914 as an act of political and economic resistance to the growth of industrial capitalism. There, the colonists sought to create a self-sufficient, secular, egalitarian community that would demonstrate a viable alternative to capitalistic exploitation.
Early Serum Free Light Chain Responses Following High-Dose Melphalan and Stem Cell Transplantation for AL Amyloidosis.

Abstract Abstract 4352 AL amyloidosis is a clonal plasma cell dyscrasia which produces insoluble amyloid fibrils from Ig light chains, leading to multiorgan failure. High dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation (HDM/SCT) can induce remission and extend survival, but response is assessed at 6 and 12 months. Serum free light chain (FLC) assays can improve detection of AL amyloidosis, have prognostic significance, and are routinely used to assess response to treatment. Serum half life of FLCs is only 2-6 hours, even with diminished glomerular filtration rates. In a small prospective series, we previously reported that FLC levels 1-3 weeks after HDM/SCT correlate with hematologic response at 1 year. This study was performed to confirm these results on a larger scale. A prospective analysis of patients with AL amyloidosis treated with HDM/SCT was performed to determine the extent to which early FLC responses predict hematologic complete response (CR). Exclusion criteria included initial normal FLC concentrations and ratios and chronic renal insufficiency (Cr>1.2 mg/dL) with a normal FLC ratio. Hematologic responses, as defined by standard traditional criteria, were determined at 6 and 12 months. Traditional criteria define hematologic CR as by normalization of bone marrow exam and absence of monoclonal gammopathy in urine and serum by immunofixation electrophoreses. Serum FLC concentrations were measured by a sensitive nephelometric analysis within 10 days and within 3 weeks of HDM/SCT. Complete response for serum FLC was defined as normalization of FLC concentration and ratio or normalization of the ratio in renal failure (Cr>1.2 mg/dL). Serum FLC levels or k/l FLC ratios were abnormal and informative in 124 patients (87%) prior to HDM/SCT, and these patients were included in subsequent analyses. One week after transplant, sensitivity of FLC to predict hematologic CR was 0.64, specificity was 0.67, positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.49, negative predictive value (NPV) was 0.79, positive likelihood ratio (LR) was 1.92, and negative LR was 0.54. For a >90% reduction in FLC, sensitivity to predict hematologic CR was 0.36, specificity was 0.86, PPV was 0.54, NPV was 0.75, positive LR was 2.59, and negative LR was 0.74. Two to three weeks after transplant, sensitivity of FLC CR to predict hematologic CR was 0.72, specificity was 0.74, PPV was 0.57, NPV was 0.85, positive LR was 2.78, and negative LR was 0.38. For a >90% reduction in FLC, sensitivity to predict hematologic CR was 0.34, specificity was 0.86, PPV was 0.52, NPV was 0.74, positive LR was 2.40, and negative LR was 0.77. Serum FLC concentrations within 3 weeks of HDM/SCT have poor predictive values and should not be used to predict hematologic CR. However, failure to reduce FLC concentrations by 90% has a somewhat higher negative predictive value and could be used to guide additional post-transplant management. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Predicting Transport of 3,5,6-Trichloro-2-Pyridinol Into Saliva Using a Combination Experimental and Computational Approach.

A combination experimental and computational approach was developed to predict chemical transport into saliva. A serous-acinar chemical transport assay was established to measure chemical transport with nonphysiological (standard cell culture medium) and physiological (using surrogate plasma and saliva medium) conditions using 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) a metabolite of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. High levels of TCPy protein binding were observed in cell culture medium and rat plasma resulting in different TCPy transport behaviors in the 2 experimental conditions. In the nonphysiological transport experiment, TCPy reached equilibrium at equivalent concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers. At higher TCPy doses, increased unbound TCPy was observed, and TCPy concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers reached equilibrium faster than lower doses, suggesting only unbound TCPy is able to cross the cellular monolayer. In the physiological experiment, TCPy transport was slower than nonphysiological conditions, and equilibrium was achieved at different concentrations in apical and basolateral chambers at a comparable ratio (0.034) to what was previously measured in rats dosed with TCPy (saliva:blood ratio: 0.049). A cellular transport computational model was developed based on TCPy protein binding kinetics and simulated all transport experiments reasonably well using different permeability coefficients for the 2 experimental conditions (1.14 vs 0.4 cm/h for nonphysiological and physiological experiments, respectively). The computational model was integrated into a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model and accurately predicted TCPy concentrations in saliva of rats dosed with TCPy. Overall, this study demonstrates an approach to predict chemical transport in saliva, potentially increasing the utility of salivary biomonitoring in the future.
Children with cerebral palsy have altered oscillatory activity in the motor and visual cortices during a knee motor task

The neuroimaging literature on cerebral palsy (CP) has predominantly focused on identifying structural aberrations within the white matter (e.g., fiber track integrity), with very few studies examining neural activity within the key networks that serve the production of motor actions. The current investigation used high-density magnetoencephalography to begin to fill this knowledge gap by quantifying the temporal dynamics of the alpha and beta cortical oscillations in children with CP (age = 15.5 ± 3 years; GMFCS levels II–III) and typically developing (TD) children (age = 14.1 ± 3 years) during a goal-directed isometric target-matching task using the knee joint. Advanced beamforming methods were used to image the cortical oscillations during the movement planning and execution stages. Compared with the TD children, our results showed that the children with CP had stronger alpha and beta event-related desynchronization (ERD) within the primary motor cortices, premotor area, inferior parietal lobule, and inferior frontal gyrus during the motor planning stage. Differences in beta ERD amplitude extended through the motor execution stage within the supplementary motor area and premotor cortices, and a stronger alpha ERD was detected in the anterior cingulate. Interestingly, our results also indicated that alpha and beta oscillations were weaker in the children with CP within the occipital cortices and visual MT area during movement execution. These altered alpha and beta oscillations were accompanied by slower reaction times and substantial target matching errors in the children with CP. We also identified that the strength of the alpha and beta ERDs during the motor planning and execution stages were correlated with the motor performance. Lastly, our regression analyses suggested that the beta ERD within visual areas during motor execution primarily predicted the amount of motor errors. Overall, these data suggest that uncharacteristic alpha and beta oscillations within visuomotor cortical networks play a prominent role in the atypical motor actions exhibited by children with CP.
In Support of Individual Selection of Technique as Related to the Patient-Improvement by Better Selection of Patients Who Can Be Offered a Less Risky Technique: Groin Hernia

Dr. David Sackett of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, defined evidence-based medicine as the judicious use of the best current evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. He further remarked that evidence-based medicine is a means to integrate clinical expertise with the best available research evidence and patient values. Clinical outcome research in surgery is commonly criticized for a lack of prospective randomized trials to compare alternative surgical techniques or operative versus nonoperative treatment when the option of avoiding surgical intervention is considered appropriate. Despite these shortcomings, there is perhaps no area in surgery in which more level I evidence is available to guide clinical practice and surgical decision making than in the care of patients with inguinal hernias.
A 6-bit 0.81mW 700-MS/s SAR ADC with sparkle-code correction, resolution enhancement, and background window width calibration

This paper presents a 6-b high-speed SAR ADC with sparkle code correction. By quantizing the comparator decision time (CDT), the sparkle codes are identified and corrected, reducing the error rate from 10−4 to below 10−9. Furthermore, CDT quantization enables 1-bit increase in the ADC resolution by setting the detection boundary to be ±0.25 LSB. Thus, only 5 comparison cycles are needed to reach 6-b, leading to increased ADC speed. The DAC also only needs to be 5-b, resulting in reduced chip area and faster settling. A novel dither-based background calibration technique is devised to accurately control the CDT detection window size and ensure PVT robustness. A prototype ADC in 40nm CMOS achieves 35.3dB SNDR and consumes 0.81mW while sampling at 700MS/s.
Bcl-2 Overexpression Protects Against Neuron Loss in Peri-infarct Regions Following Experimental Stroke

59 Purpose: Bcl-2 protects against both apoptotic and necrotic death induced by various insults, including cerebral ischemia. Ischemic injury with and without reperfusion may occur by different mechanisms, and protective strategies may be effective against one, but not the other. Here, we determine whether Bcl-2 protects against 2 different forms of focal cerebral ischemic injury within cortical penumbra in a model of experimental stroke. Methods: Bipromoter defective herpes simplex viral (HSV) vectors expressing Bcl-2 plus β-galactosidase (β-gal) as the reporter or β-gal only (control vector)were stereotaxically injected into left and right cortices using coordinates corresponding to the infarct border. 12 h later, focal ischemia was induced by occluding the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and both common carotid arteries (CCA). For the permanent occlusion model, the MCA was left occluded, but the CCAs were reopened after 2 h. For the reperfusion model, all 3 vessels were reopened after 2 h. 2 days later, brains were harvested and sections were reacted with X-gal followed by cresyl violet. X-gal positive neurons were counted in each hemisphere and expressed as the ratio of positive neurons in the ischemic side compared to the non-ischemic side. Results: Bcl-2 overexpression resulted in significantly improved cortical neuron survival within penumbral regions compared to control vector in both cases. Following reperfusion, Bcl-2 injected animals had 74±14%(n=5) survival compared to control 26±3% (n=6)(P Conclusion: Bcl-2 overexpression protects against experimental stroke with and without reperfusion. The extent of protection appears to be greater for ischemia with permanent MCA occlusion. Furthermore, we show that gene transfer to penumbral zones is possible, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for clinical application.
Library Space Redesign and Student Computing

Academic libraries are spending considerable time and study on redesigning spaces. The use of technology is often an important part of these redesigned spaces. The space redesign goals at F.D. Bluford Library focus on creating open, activity-promoting, colorful spaces that are designed to be attractive to students. The goals also focus on implementing hybrid spaces that allow students to work alone or in groups, with support for mobile technologies like laptops or tablets. The space redesign goals focus on upgrading the quality of desktops available but reducing the number of desktops. This study examines the question “Does our library renovation significantly change computer use in the redesigned area?” Key findings include that, in defiance of expectations, there is no significant decrease in desktop usage despite the decreased number of computers. However, findings show there is a significant difference in tablet use, despite tablet-friendly spaces and charging options. Surprisingly, our students use f...
Molecular correlates in urine for the obesity and prostatic inflammation of BPH/LUTS patients

Purpose Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is strongly associated with obesity and prostatic tissue inflammation, but the molecular underpinning of this relationship is not known. Here, we examined the association between urine levels of chemokines/adipokines with histological markers of prostate inflammation, obesity, and lower urinary tract symptoms LUTS in BPH patients. Methods Frozen urine specimens from 207 BPH/LUTS patients enrolled in Nashville Men's Health Study were sent for blinded analysis of 11 analytes, namely sIL-1RA, CXC chemokines (CXCL-1, CXCL-8, CXCL-10), CC chemokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL5), PDGF-BB, interleukins IL-6, IL-17, and sCD40L using Luminex™ xMAP® technology. After adjusting for age and medication use, the urine levels of analytes were correlated with the scales of obesity, prostate inflammation grade, extent, and markers of lymphocytic infiltration (CD3 and CD20) using linear regression. Results sIL-1RA levels were significantly raised with higher BMI, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio in BPH patients after correction for multiple testing (P = 0.02). Men with greater overall extent of inflammatory infiltrates and maximal CD3 infiltration were marginally associated with CXCL-10 (P = 0.054) and CCL5 (P = 0.054), respectively. CCL3 in 15 patients with moderate to severe grade inflammation was marginally associated with maximal CD20 infiltration (P = 0.09), whereas CCL3 was undetectable in men with mild prostate tissue inflammation. There was marginal association of sCD40L with AUA-SI scores (P = 0.07). Conclusions Strong association of sIL-1RA in urine with greater body size supports it as a major molecular correlate of obesity in the urine of BPH patients. Increased urine levels of CXCL-10, CCL5, and CCL3 were marginally associated with the scores for prostate tissue inflammation and lymphocytic infiltration. Overall, elevated urinary chemokines support that BPH is a metabolic disorder and suggest a molecular link between BPH/LUTS and prostatic inflammation.
Structure and Dynamics of DNA and RNA Double Helices Obtained from the CCG and GGC Trinucleotide Repeats

Expansions of both GGC and CCG sequences lead to a number of expandable, trinucleotide repeat (TR) neurodegenerative diseases. Understanding of these diseases involves, among other things, the structural characterization of the atypical DNA and RNA secondary structures. We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of (GCC)n and (GGC)n homoduplexes in order to characterize their conformations, stability, and dynamics. Each TR has two reading frames, which results in eight nonequivalent RNA/DNA homoduplexes, characterized by CpG or GpC steps between the Watson–Crick base pairs. Free energy maps for the eight homoduplexes indicate that the C-mismatches prefer anti–anti conformations, while G-mismatches prefer anti–syn conformations. Comparison between three modifications of the DNA AMBER force field shows good agreement for the mismatch free energy maps. The mismatches in DNA-GCC (but not CCG) are extrahelical, forming an extended e-motif. The mismatched duplexes exhibit characteristic sequence-dependent...
Fashion Companies: Organizational Responses to Managing Innovation in E-Commerce Practice

This chapter examines the process through which established fashion companies undertook changes in their organizations related to e-commerce. The chapter starts with a review of institutionalized divides existing in the structure of fashion companies, between organizational functions associated with ‘aesthetics’ and ‘commerce’. The narrative details the shifts in the production of institutionalized rhetoric related to this divide between the 1970s and 1990s in fashion companies, and from the outset of the global financial crisis in 2008 to the end of field ethnography, in 2014. This chapter further presents a comparative review of adaptation responses to e-commerce by high-fashion companies, and an in-depth study of two particular examples: an Italian and a British high-fashion company.
AFLATOXIN MUTAGENESIS IN NEUROSPORA CRASSA

ABSTRACT Aflatoxin B 1 is a potent mutagen while aflatoxin G 1 is a moderate mutagen in N. crassa . Aflatoxins B 2 and G 2 are not mutagenic under the condition tested. The mutagenic activities of aflatoxins B 1 and G 1 are not affected by ordinary cooking. The mutagenic activities of aflatoxins B 1 and G 1 require metabolic activation which can be carried out by the vegetative cultures of N. crassa or by a 9000 X g supernatant of rodent liver homogenates and a NADPH–generating system. Supernatants of hamster and rat liver homogenates appear to be more effective than that of mice in in vitro activation for the detection of the mutagenic activities of aflatoxins. Increase in mutation frequencies by the addition of the epoxide hydrase inhibitor, TCPO, seems to provide genetic evidence that aflatoxin B 1 –2, 3–oxide is an active metabolite of aflatoxin B 1 . Aflatoxins B 1 and G 1 cause similar spectra of genetic alterations which include base-pair substitutions, fremeshift mutations, multilocus deletions and other types of genetic alterations
Some Background on Addressing the Topic of Homosexuality in Catholic Education

The Catholic magisterium has made a distinction between homosexual orientation (disordered, but not sinful), homosexual activity (sinful, but judged “with prudence”), rights of gay and lesbian people, and the Church’s pastoral responsibilities to gay and lesbian people. Both the Vatican and the American bishops have clearly stated that the topic of homosexuality must be addressed in Catholic education, but the emphasis on how it is addressed differs between the Vatican (emphasis on finding causes and cures) and the American bishops (providing pastoral care and inclusion). Research indicated that some American Catholics may be very supportive of the rights of gay and lesbian people even if they disapprove of their sexual activity. It also appears that American Catholics are becoming more positive in their attitudes toward homosexuality over time. The Vatican has been directly confrontational with many gay and lesbian Catholic groups, expressing concern that they disregard the teaching against homosexual activity in the quest to meet pastoral needs. Some dioceses have begun to train their secondary school staffs on issues of homosexuality and to include the topic in the curriculum. On the other hand, gay and lesbian students at Catholic colleges, universities, and seminaries have a history of confrontation with Catholic educators.
Debunking the myths: mental illness and mass shootings

Abstract There is a pervasive assumption that mental illness equates to dangerousness and violence as it relates to mass shootings. The researchers examine the assumption and present a comprehensiv...
The transcriptional response of Kupffer Cells to fat and cholesterol is non-canonical and distinct from bone-marrow derived macrophages

Diets high in fat and cholesterol can cause hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Liver macrophages putatively drive disease by responding to PAMPS/DAMPS and producing pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, recent studies show that there are two principle subsets of macrophages in a NASH liver: Tissue-resident macrophages that are embryonically derived (Kupffer Cells; KCs) and infiltrating macrophages that are adult-derived from bone marrow (IMs). Furthermore, the role that each subset plays in disease pathogenesis is unclear. We FACS sorted the KC (F4/80 hi CD11b low ) and IM subsets (F4/80 low CD11b hi ) from mice fed a high fat/cholesterol (HFHC) diet as well as those from healthy controls. RNA was extracted and gene expression was analyzed using RNA sequencing techniques. HFHC mice had a prominent IM population that was absent in controls. IMs were the primary producers of cytokines and chemokines. KCs did not upregulate pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to dietary fat and cholesterol, yet upstream analysis revealed that lipid metabolism and bile acid signaling pathways were more active than IMs. 3,617 genes were differentially expressed KCs, while 3,421 genes were differentially expressed in IMs. Genes known to be expressed by restorative macrophages were enriched in KCs (CD163, MARCO, TIMD4, MMP12, MMP13), while pro-inflammatory and M1 genes predominated in the IM population (TNF, SPP1, CXCL2, CCL2, S100A8). In conclusion, bone marrow-derived macrophages have a transcriptional profile consistent with the previously reported role of liver macrophages in NASH pathogenesis. However, Kupffer Cells respond to dietary stress in a non-canonical manner.
Environmental Factors Predictive of No-Show Visits in Radiology: Observations of Three Million Outpatient Imaging Visits Over 16 Years.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the impact of environmental and socioeconomic factors on outpatient cancellations and “no-show visits” (NSVs) in radiology. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis by collecting environmental factor data related to outpatient radiology visits occurring between 2000 and 2015 at our multihospital academic institution. Appointment attendance records were joined with daily weather observations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and estimated median income from the US Census American Community Survey. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to examine relationships between NSV rate and median income, commute distance, maximum daily temperature, and daily snowfall. Results There were 270,574 (8.0%) cancellations and 87,407 (2.6%) NSVs among 3,379,947 scheduled outpatient radiology appointments and 575,206 unique patients from 2000 to 2015. Overall cancellation rates decreased from 14% to 8%, and NSV rates decreased from 6% to 1% as median income increased from $20,000 to $120,000 per year. In a multivariate model, the odds of NSV decreased 10.7% per $10,000 increase in median income (95% confidence interval [CI]: 10.3%-11.1%) and 2.0% per 10°F increase in maximum daily temperature (95% CI: 1.3%-1.6%). The odds of NSV increased 1.4% per 10-mile increase in commute distance (95% CI: 1.3%-1.6%) and 4.5% per 1-inch increase in daily snowfall (95% CI: 3.6%-5.3%). Commute distance was more strongly associated with NSV for those in the two lower tertiles of income than the highest tertile (P Conclusion Environmental factors are strongly associated with patients’ attendance at scheduled outpatient radiology examinations. Modeling of appointment failure risk based on environmental features can help increase the attendance of outpatient radiology appointments.
Exploring the molecular genetic foundations of cancer biology and how biomedical advances are made in an advanced undergraduate course

We describe an advanced, inquiry driven undergraduate course in Cancer Biology that combines faculty lectures typical of undergraduate courses with literature-driven discussions typical of graduate courses. As a capstone course, one goal of this course is to integrate knowledge from previous coursework in physiology, cell and molecular biology, genetics, and chemistry, so that students acquire a state-of-the-art understanding of cancer and cancer treatment. A related goal is for students to learn, from the primary literature, how science is performed and how new scientific knowledge is used to improve cancer treatment. We report on the development of this course and the methods used to accomplish the course goals. We present the results of a 5-year survey that provides a detailed picture of the demographics of the class and demonstrates that the course results in improved understanding of both cancer biology and how science is performed. Student responses to our survey strongly support the use of original literature as a teaching tool. We suggest that incorporation of primary literature into advanced undergraduate science courses is an effective approach for improving scientific literacy. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):408-416, 2019.
Computational staining of unlabelled tissue.

Histologically stained slides can be generated from unlabelled autofluorescence images of tissue samples via deep learning.
Preeclampsia, Eclampsia, HELLP Syndrome

This case deals with a young patient of unknown gestational age who is found to have severe preeclampsia with complications including coagulopathy, renal insufficiency, and hepatic injury, and requiring transfer to high-level multidisciplinary care.
Pharmacokinetic Assessment of Pre- and Post-Oxygenator Vancomycin Concentrations in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Prospective Observational Study

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a form of cardiopulmonary life support frequently utilized in catastrophic lung and or cardiac failure. Patients on ECMO often receive vancomycin therapy for treatment or prophylaxis against Gram-positive organisms. It is unclear if ECMO affects vancomycin pharmacokinetics, thus we modeled the pharmacokinetic behavior of vancomycin according to ECMO-specific variables. Adult patients receiving vancomycin and Veno-Arterial-ECMO between 12/1/2016 and 10/1/2017 were prospectively enrolled. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation settings and four sets of pre- and post-oxygenator vancomycin concentrations were collected for each patient. Compartmental models were built and assessed ECMO flow rates on vancomycin clearance and potential circuit sequestration. Bayesian posterior concentrations of the pre- and post-oxygenator concentrations were obtained for each patient, and summary pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Simulations were performed from the final model for efficacy and toxicity predictions. Eight patients contributed 64 serum concentrations. Patients were a median (interquartile range) age of 58.5 years (50.8–62.3) with a calculated creatinine clearance of 39 mL/min (29.5–62.5) and ECMO flow rates of 3980 mL/min (interquartile range = 3493.75–4132.5). A three-compartment model best fit the data (Bayesian: plasma pre-oxygenation R2 = 0.99, post-oxygenation R2 = 0.99). Vancomycin clearance was not impacted by ECMO flow rate (p = 0.7). Simulations demonstrated that vancomycin 1 g twice daily was rarely sufficient for minimum inhibitory concentrations > 0.5 mg/L. Doses ≥ 1.5 g twice daily often exceeded toxicity thresholds for exposure. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation flow rates did not influence vancomycin clearance between flow rates of 3500 and 5000 mL/min and vancomycin was not sequestered in ECMO. Common vancomycin regimens resulted in suboptimal efficacy and/or excessive toxicity. Individual therapeutic drug monitoring is recommended for patients on ECMO.
Predicting smartphone location-sharing decisions through self-reflection on past privacy behavior

Abstract Smartphone location sharing is a particularly sensitive type of information disclosure that has implications for users’ digital privacy and security as well as their physical safety. To understand and predict location disclosure behavior, we developed an Android app that scraped metadata from users’ phones, asked them to grant the location-sharing permission to the app, and administered a survey. We compared the effectiveness of using self-report measures commonly used in the social sciences, behavioral data collected from users’ mobile phones, and a new type of measure that we developed, representing a hybrid of self-report and behavioral data to contextualize users’ attitudes toward their past location-sharing behaviors. This new type of measure is based on a reflective learning paradigm where individuals reflect on past behavior to inform future behavior. Based on data from 380 Android smartphone users, we found that the best predictors of whether participants granted the location-sharing permission to our app were: behavioral intention to share information with apps, the “FYI” communication style, and one of our new hybrid measures asking users whether they were comfortable sharing location with apps currently installed on their smartphones. Our novel, hybrid construct of self-reflection on past behavior significantly improves predictive power and shows the importance of combining social science and computational science approaches for improving the prediction of users’ privacy behaviors. Further, when assessing the construct validity of the Behavioral Intention construct drawn from previous location-sharing research, our data showed a clear distinction between two different types of Behavioral Intention: self-reported intention to use mobile apps versus the intention to share information with these apps. This finding suggests that users desire the ability to use mobile apps without being required to share sensitive information, such as their location. These results have important implications for cybersecurity research and system design to meet users’ location-sharing privacy needs.
The rainbow NHS badge

The Rainbow NHS Badge began as a conversation amongst friends, and has grown into a project spreading through the NHS. It is something I am massively proud to have been a part of, and one I have learnt a lot from in doing. This article is a review of why it was created, what it stands for, and the challenges ahead.
Social determinants of health are associated with physical therapy use: a systematic review.

Objective The purpose of this systematic review is to identify and summarise the social determinants of health (SDH) cited in the literature and evaluate their association with individuals using physical therapy services. Design A systematic review using qualitatively synthesised information to describe the association between SDH and physical therapy use. Data sources The electronic databases Medline, Embase and Scopus were searched from inception to February 2021, identifying observational and qualitative studies. Eligibility criteria Published studies included all adults, aged 18 or older, who independently sought to use physical therapy, in all practice settings from all geographical locations. Results Of the 9248 studies screened, 36 met the inclusion criteria for the review. The participants represented 8 countries and totaled 2 699 437. The majority of the papers reported moderate strength of association for each SDH. Female gender, non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, increased education attainment, urban environment, access to transportation, employment, high socioeconomic status and private insurance were associated with higher likelihood of physical therapy use. Conclusion This systematic review identifies predisposing and enabling factors impacting physical therapy usage among adults in different countries and across physical therapy settings. The results of this study have implications for policy and future research regarding populations that have been shown to be using physical therapy services less, such as those with lower levels of education, those in a rural area, or those in a low socioeconomic class.
Governing Shared Watercourses under Climatic Uncertainty: The Case of the Nile Basin

Climate change is projected to have catastrophic impacts on the hydrological cycle. Responding to its projected adverse impacts requires building flexibility and adaptability into watercourse treaties. Exploring the treaty practices of other shared watercourses, this Article studies the context of the Nile Basin, and concludes that the legal regime governing the Basin lacks the flexibility needed to adapt to climate change. It argues that the Declaration of Principle, which contemplates a flexible agreement for governing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, is a step in the right direction. It also proposes mechanisms for governing the Nile under climatic uncertainty, and calls upon Nile Basin States and other water-sharing States to set aside their egoistic national interests and develop climate-proof treaties.