cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Disintermediation, Counterinsurgency, and Cyber Defense

In the early days of the Internet, many predicted that the Internet would be an engine of disintermediation, radically altering the economics of business and commerce. The notion was that the Internet would directly connect producers to consumers, removing any intermediary whose sole value was to bridge that gap. Many businesses failed because they did not adapt and others adapted and prospered.The process of disintermediation that altered Internet business had both profound and unanticipated effects. While business processes have been disintermediated, so has crime, espionage, and warfare. The Internet directly connects criminal organizations to their victims, enabling personal crime over great distances and at large scale. Similarly, with espionage and warfare. The traditional role of Governments as an intermediary providing safety and security has been disintermediated within cyberspace. Government cannot defend cyberspace, leaving organizations to defend themselves.The best model for cyber-defense is to look at cyber-attackers as guerilla insurgents and cyber-defense as counterinsurgency. Understood in this way, cyber-defense has direct analogues to the clear-hold-build of counterinsurgency and is dependent on specialized training and comprehensive intelligence. The difficulty organizations have in attaining and maintaining the specialized training and comprehensive intelligence needed has created a marketplace for contracting out cyber-defense to specialized companies.Yet, even specialized companies are limited in the actions they can pursue in cyber-defense because of the legal regime in which they operate. The legal options in cyber-defense needs changes that would allow private companies to take actions consistent with the self-defense constraints of necessity, proportionality, and immediacy, and improve an organizations’ ability to both defend itself and attribute actions to the aggressors. This, in turn, would raise the bar of cyber deterrence, making cyberspace safer for all.Note: This paper was prepared for a workshop on the strategic use of offensive cyber operations held in March 2016 and organized by the Stanford Cyber Policy Program. On August 18, 2016, this paper was submitted to the Journal of Cybersecurity for entry into its review process and perhaps for publication.
177Lu-Dotatate therapy for patients with metastatic gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors: How to prepare your practice for optimal administration.

2681 Objectives Successful treatment options for patients with metastatic gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors remain an unmet clinical need. This trend could change based on the results of the phase 3 NETTER-1 trial, which demonstrated improved progression-free survival in patients with inoperable, progressive, somatostatin receptor positive, midgut carcinoid tumors treated with peptide receptor radionuclide therapy 177Lu-Dotatate compared with high dose octreotide (Strosberg et al. Abstract 6LBA, European Cancer Congress 2015). Given that 177Lu-Dotatate has now received FDA fast-track designation, we propose to share the lessons we learned while participating in the phase 3 trial to help prepare other nuclear medicine departments for the optimal 177Lu-Dotatate administration in a clinical setting. Methods 177Lu-Dotatate was administered in 4 cycles, every 8 weeks, with 30 mg of octreotide acetate LAR depot every 4 weeks. Each treatment visit required coordination of laboratory testing, pre-medication, EKGs, antiemetics, and patient monitoring. A point-of-contact person was designated in nuclear medicine to coordinate efforts between nuclear medicine, the study team, pharmacy, the radiation safety office, nursing and respiratory therapy staff. A research Quality Management Program form was utilized for dose preparation and administration documentation. Results The lessons learned included the need for several preparation steps in advance of patient arrival, such as scheduling the dose delivery the day prior to treatment, proper medication ordering, confirmation of contact information on the treatment day for all teams involved, radiation safety training, dose preparation/administration planning, and specific patient care procedures, with coordination of proper timing for all procedures. Conclusions While planning for the provision of 177Lu-Dotatate treatment may pose challenging coordination and implementation of new workflows, proper departmental and institutional preparation has enabled high quality patient care and safe delivery of a novel therapy using an unsealed source within a nuclear medicine department setting that is addressing an unmet clinical need for this patient population.
Experimental validation of a power Doppler performance model

A quantitative performance model for power Doppler detection tasks is developed based on statistical decision theory. The model gives insights into optimizing power Doppler system designs. Flow-weighted and scatterer density weighted images can be formed by changing the pulse-repetition interval. Wideband pulses are seen to be best for clutter limited detection of blood while high amplitude or longer energy-rich pulses are better for noise-limited detection.
Rolan, de ceu ke m'avez/parti dirai mon samblant: The Feminine Voice in the Old French jeu-parti

What occurs when the normally silent lady of trouvere song -- the woman spoken about or spoken to in courtly lyric verse -- assumes a voice, that is, initiates a dialogue, responds, argues, contradicts, questions, and judges? Grounded on a computer concordance of eleven jeux-partis in which one or both partners are women I map in these exchanges paradigms of social interaction that differ markedly from the inherited patterns displayed in courtly trouvere song. A concern for agency, coupled with a need to enhance their reputation, marks most of the female participants in jeux-partis. Female speakers elect not to take the persona of the powerless, suppliant lover -- typical of both the courtly trobairitz canso and the popularizing Old French chanson de femme -- or to play the role of the cold, tyrannical lady. Instead, these feminine voices confidently assert their rights to the act of prayer and sexual pleasure, sometimes without regard for courtly constraints. The expression of female desire is presumed to go counter to the courtly code, whereas outspoken sensuality and active, independent female characters are prevalent in the non-courtly register. It appears that open expressions of sensuality were also possible in the jeu-parti.
Inducible lung-specific expression of RANTES: preferential recruitment of neutrophils.

The chemokine regulated on activation normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) has been implicated in eosinophil chemotaxis in asthma and allergic diseases, which are thought to be T helper (...
Regulation of Arf activation occurs via distinct mechanisms at early and late Golgi compartments.

The Rab GTPase Ypt1 recruits the Golgi Arf-GEFs Gea1, Gea2, and Sec7 to distinct parts of the Golgi. Early Golgi localized Gea1 and Gea2 prefer neutral membranes, whereas late Golgi localized Sec7 ...
Evaluation of various Hamburg wheel-tracking devices and AASHTO T 324 specification for rutting testing of asphalt mixtures

The Hamburg Wheel Tracking (HWT) device is a laboratory-controlled rut depth test that uses loaded wheel(s) to apply a moving load on asphalt mixture specimens to simulate traffic loading on asphalt pavements. Currently, different machines with various degrees of compliance with the current AASHTO T 324-14 requirements are used by highway agencies. The objective of this study was to assess the capabilities of commercially available and representative HWT equipment in the US and to evaluate different analysis and reporting methods for rutting and stripping performance assessment from the HWT test. After performing a comprehensive evaluation of HWT devices from different vendors, considerable discrepancies among different equipment were identified. Furthermore, the available HWT machines do not meet all the requirements set forth in AASHTO T 324 including those for the wheel position waveform, the temperature range, and the reporting parameters. Evaluation of the analysis methods was conducted by applying six analysis procedures to the test data of two asphalt mixes with contrasting rutting resistance and moisture susceptibility. For the poor-performing mix, substantial differences were observed among the different methods, especially in the reporting of the Stripping Inflection Point (SIP). For the good-performing mix, only two of the six methods successfully identified this mix as a non-stripping mix. It is recommended that an approach similar to the one adopted by Iowa DOT be implemented in the revised AASHTO T 324 specification.
Not So Scary: Using and Defusing Content Warnings in the Classroom

Content warnings — notices to students that class material may evoke their past traumas — have become entangled in (over)heated debates about the role of free speech on campus. Critics denounce con...
Hepatic Imaging in Neonates and Young Infants: State of the Art

Neonatal liver disease is an important source of morbidity in the pediatric population. The manifestation of liver disease in young infants may be different than in older patients, and there are a number of diagnoses that are unique to this age group. Familiarity with these entities is important as imaging plays a key role in the diagnostic workup, and prompt diagnosis is necessary to prevent complications. This article reviews the spectrum of liver pathologies that can manifest in the first 6 months of life and is intended to educate the general radiologist who may be faced with interpretation of neonatal liver imaging. Categories of disease that will be reviewed include cholestatic diseases, tumors, vascular anomalies, and acquired diseases. The authors will also review optimization of ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging of the liver and present a systematic method for interpretation of neonatal liver US findings in the context of clinical and laboratory findings. © RSNA, 2017.
The Offal Truth

While it is true that offal is not widely consumed in the United States today, this has not always been the case, and organ meat has made a resurgence in haute cuisine. In international cuisine, certain foods that utilize offal, including foie gras, pâte, and sweetbread, have long been considered gourmet. International demand has created a thriving export market for beef by-products, which otherwise would end up as trimmings in processed food or pet food, or rendered into lard or tallow. As global food markets make ever more inroads into once isolated areas, what is eaten out of necessity and what is eaten out of pleasure each takes on an increasingly economic character. The etymology of “offal” itself reveals the dual nature of organ meat as both a food of necessity (a source of inexpensive protein) and a food of luxury (enjoyed as a delicacy). We are used to buying meat from the market in neat little packages that in no way resemble the animals they came from or the bloody process that it took to go from living being to inanimate slab of meat. Offal does not offer this distraction. I recently purchased a beef tongue from the Mizzou Meat Market for a dinner party, and there was no way to ignore that the tongue came from a cow, and the visceral nature of offal reminds us that we, too, are animals.
Diagnosis of small vestibular schwannomas using constructive interference steady state sequence.

Objectives/hypothesis The objectives of this study were to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of constructive interference steady state (CISS) sequencing compared to gadolinium-enhanced T1 (GdT1) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to screen for small vestibular schwannomas (VSs), and to assess the overall diagnostic confidence of neuroradiologists in their ability to accurately diagnose or rule out VSs using CISS imaging compared to a GdT1 MRI STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. Methods Chart review from 2011 to 2015 was performed for VS/benign cerebellopontine angle tumors. Two blinded, board-certified neuroradiologists each independently reviewed the axial CISS sequence and answered a set of questions that determined their confidence in diagnosis of VS. Next, each neuroradiologist independently reviewed the corresponding GdT1 MRI sequence and completed the same questionnaire. Results The majority of the lesions were in the lateral internal auditory canal, with eight intralabyrinthine tumors. The overall sensitivity of CISS for both readers was 93.5%. All tumor locations had high sensitivities except for the intralabyrinthine location (62.3%). Four of the eight total intralabyrinthine lesions were missed by at least one reader. Each reader was highly confident in diagnosing VSs with CISS, which approximated that of GdT1 MRI. Conclusions This study's results showed that CISS examinations for screening of small VS approximated that of GdT1. Neuroradiologists had high sensitivity, perfect specificity, and felt confident in ruling out a VS on CISS sequence while feeling extremely confident in diagnosing one on CISS. Intralabyrinthine lesions and lesions ≤3.0 mm are most at risk for not being detected on CISS examinations. Level of evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 128:2128-2132, 2018.
Dependence of SiO2> Gel Structure on Gelation Conditions and Sol Reaction Temperature as Followed by FTIR and Nitrogen Adsorption Measurements

The acid catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in the absence of alcohol was studied using cylindrical internal reflectance Fourier transform infrared (CIR-FTIR) spectroscopy at four temperatures. Special attention was given to the low-frequency band around 940 cm-1 and its evolution corresponding to the changing silicic acid concentration. This method compared well with other published methods for studying condensation kinetics.
Von Träumern, Abenteurern und Realisten – Das Zielgruppenmodell der GfK Roper Consumer Styles

Grundlegend fur den Erfolg der Markenpositionierung, der Neukundengewinnung und der Kundenbindung ist eine an den Erwartungen der Kunden ausgerichtete Marktbearbeitung.
Microwave materials characterization of geopolymer precursor powders

Geopolymers are structural materials that can be used as a viable alternative to ordinary portland cement concrete. However, their widespread adoption has been limited by the lack of understanding in their fundamental reaction mechanisms. Microwave characterization methods have shown promise at understanding these reaction mechanisms. However, the complex dielectric properties of geopolymer precursor powders and the effect of void content must first be understood. Therefore, in this work, the dielectric properties of two geopolymer precursor powders (blast furnace slag and fly ash) are measured. Then, the effect of void content and particle size distribution (PSD) is considered on the measured dielectric properties. By characterizing the inherent void content of these powder materials, this effect can be removed and therefore the true dielectric properties of the materials can be determined. The results show that the void content has a significant effect on the measured dielectric properties.
High Level Architecture Data Distribution Management migration from DoD 1.3 to IEEE 1516: Research Articles

The High Level Architecture (HLA) is an infrastructure for assembling federations of distributed simulations, or federates, that interoperate by exchanging simulation data at run time. HLA's Data Distribution Management (DDM) services control the amount of simulation data delivered to an HLA federate by establishing dynamic data communications connections based on the federates' run-time declarations of data production and requirements. In September 2000 the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) approved a new standard for HLA, the IEEE 1516 standard. Most parts of the IEEE 1516 standard are generally similar to the U.S. Department of Defense HLA standard upon which it was based, the DoD 1.3 standard. However, the DDM services were significantly changed in the IEEE 1516 standard. The changes to DDM included the removal of routing spaces and the introduction of default dimension ranges. These changes simplified the implementation of some approaches to using DDM, but they did not affect the fundamental functionality of DDM. With some care, HLA users can develop DDM usage approaches that can be migrated smoothly from DoD 1.3 to IEEE 1516. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intellectual disability with co-morbid epilepsy and behavioral disorder: Impact of antiepileptic drugs on behavior

Behavioral disorders and epileptic seizures are frequent co-morbidities in patients with intellectual disability (ID). This co-occurrence of behavioral disorders and epilepsy in patients with ID provides opportunities for the selection of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) that not only show efficacy for the common seizure types in the ID population, but also are effective in the management of some of the behavioral disorders seen in this patient population. The effects of AEDs on behavioral disorders in patients with intellectual disabilities and seizures, as well as the interactions between AEDs and psychotropic medications that may impact on behavior; are discussed in this communication.
Non-distributive Cancellative Residuated Lattices

Cancellative residuated lattices are a natural generalization of lattice-ordered groups (l-groups) . In studying this variety, several questions have occurred about residuated lattice orders on free monoids and commutative free monoids. One of these questions is whether every residuated lattice order on a (commutative) free monoid is distributive, a fact known about l-groups. We will construct two examples that shows that this is not necessarily the case.
Human and Murine Evidence for Mechanisms Driving Autoimmune Photosensitivity

Ultraviolet (UV) light is an important environmental trigger for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, yet the mechanisms by which UV light impacts disease are not fully known. This review covers evidence in both human and murine systems for the impacts of UV light on DNA damage, apoptosis, autoantigen exposure, cytokine production, inflammatory cell recruitment, and systemic flare induction. In addition, the role of the circadian clock is discussed. Evidence is compared in healthy individuals and SLE patients as well as in wild-type and lupus-prone mice. Further research is needed into the effects of UV light on cutaneous and systemic immune responses to understand how to prevent UV-light mediated lupus flares.
Information economics approach to the performance evaluation of error-prone internal auditors

AbstractSuppose that an internal auditor inspects financial records of a company or government agency, such as social security payments. Human errors are inevitable in any inspection process, and s...
A Digital Preprocedure Instruction Program for Outpatient Colonoscopy.

Introduction: Many patients struggle with colonoscopy preparation, which is complex and can be an uncomfortable as well as a time-consuming process. The confusion and anxiety from the preprocedure ...
Predictive Modeling of Emerging Antibiotic Resistance Trends

Antibiotic resistance is constantly evolving, requiring frequent reevaluation of resistance patterns to guide treatment of bacterial infections. Antibiograms, aggregate antimicrobial susceptibility reports, are critical for evaluating the likelihood of antibiotic effectiveness. However, these antibiograms provide outdated resistance knowledge. Thus, this research employs predictive modeling of historic antibiograms to forecast the current year’s resistance rates. Utilizing subsets of the expansive 15-year Massachusetts statewide antibiogram dataset, we demonstrate the effectiveness of using our model selector PYPER with regression-based models to forecast current antimicrobial susceptibility. A PYPER variant is effective since it leverages the fact that different antibiotic-bacteria-location combinations have different antimicrobial susceptibility trends over time. In addition, we discuss relative weighting of the regression-variant models, the impact of location granularity, and the ability to forecast multiple years into the future.
Activity of the Hypoxia-Activated Prodrug, TH-302, in Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Models

Abstract 3611 Recent evidence has demonstrated the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, the principal site of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) initiation and expansion, is characterized by intrinsically low oxygen tension. Theoretically, such microenvironmental changes may lead to the selective outgrowth of AML clones which are “better adapted” to survive within a severely hypoxic microenvironment and/or may confer resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, similar to solid tumor cells. We report here that human AML cells (HL60, ML-2) cultured under chronic hypoxic conditions mimicking the marrow microenvironment (1% O 2 , 72 hours) exhibited reduced sensitivity to cytarabine-induced apoptosis as compared with normoxic cells, as determined by flow cytometric analysis, western blot analysis, and cell viability assays. Similar results were noted in primary AML samples treated with cytarabine under normoxic and hypoxic conditions in colony formation assays (n=3 samples, p=0.01). In order to improve upon chemotherapy outcomes, we investigated the effects of TH-302, a hypoxia-activated bromo-isophosphoramidate mustard prodrug, which is currently undergoing clinical trial evaluation in multiple tumor types. Treatment of AML cell lines (HL60, HEL) and primary AML samples with TH-302 (at doses ranging from 0.1– 5 mM, p values ranging from Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Association between baseline abundance of Peptoniphilus, a Gram-positive anaerobic coccus, and wound healing outcomes of DFUs

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) lead to nearly 100,000 lower limb amputations annually in the United States. DFUs are colonized by complex microbial communities, and infection is one of the most common reasons for diabetes-related hospitalizations and amputations. In this study, we examined how DFU microbiomes respond to initial sharp debridement and offloading and how the initial composition associates with 4 week healing outcomes. We employed 16S rRNA next generation sequencing to perform microbial profiling on 50 samples collected from 10 patients with vascularized neuropathic DFUs. Debrided wound samples were obtained at initial visit and after one week from two DFU locations, wound bed and wound edge. Samples of the foot skin outside of the wounds were also collected for comparison. We showed that DFU wound beds are colonized by a greater number of distinct bacterial phylotypes compared to the wound edge or skin outside the wound. However, no significant microbiome diversity changes occurred at the wound sites after one week of standard care. Finally, increased initial abundance of Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC), especially Peptoniphilus (p < 0.05; n = 5 subjects), was associated with impaired healing; thus, GPAC’s abundance could be a predictor of the wound-healing outcome.
Investigation of artifacts due to large-area grating defects and correction using short window Fourier transform and convolution neural networks for phase-contrast x-ray interferometry

Phase-contrast X-ray provides attenuation, phase-shift and small-angle-scatter in tissue in same scan yielding multi-contrast information about object, which has greatly benefitted breast-imaging, pre-clinical lung-imaging and bone imaging. A primary barrier for clinical adaptation of interferometric X-ray/CT for torso imaging is the manufacturing difficulty of large gratings. Large-gratings have to be stitched from smaller elements introducing errors such as gaps, errors in pitch, phase-jumps, tilts, causing imaging artifacts. Removing these artifacts will be an advancement towards clinical adaptability this multi-contrast modality. In this work we focus on the Talbot-Lau X-ray Interferometer and investigate effects of different grating defects in 1-D simulations. The grating spot defects include gaps, pitch errors, phase-height errors. We quantify the sum-squared error in reconstructed phase for different types of defects, showing most egregious artifacts for the pitch-errors. We developed two artifact correction methods in interference fringe patterns (i.e. before reconstruction) – an analytical and a neutral network approach. The analytical method (SWFT) uses Short- Window-Fourier-Transform to estimate the local phase-shift and attenuation due to the defect in the blank scans and then applies the correction for the with-objects scans. We also proposed a Regression Convolution Neural Network (R-CNN) to learn these errors and correct for them. Distinct sets of pitch artifacts were used each for training (300 datasets) and testing (300 datasets) with variety of levels of severity of artifacts for three different objects – sphere, ramp and slab. The algorithms performed well, reducing the artifacts from initial average normalized-mean-squared-error of 44.7% to 6.3% for SWFT and 7% for SWFT+R-CNN.
II.4 – Rolling Bearings

Publisher Summary A bearing is a connector that permits the connected parts to rotate or to move relative to one another. Most bearings support rotating shafts against either transverse (radial) or thrust (axial) forces. The contacting surfaces in a bearing may be partially or completely separated by a film of liquid (usually oil) or gas to minimize friction. These are sliding bearings, and the part of the shaft that turns in the bearing is the journal. The surfaces in a bearing can also be separated by balls, rollers, or needles known as rolling bearings. The important parts of rolling bearings are outer ring, inner ring, rolling element, and separator (retainer). The role of the separator is to maintain an equal distance among the rolling elements. The races are the outer ring or the inner ring of a bearing. The raceway is the path of the rolling element on either ring or the bearing. The contact angle, α, is the angle of the axis of contact between balls and races. For a single row radial ball bearing the angle α is zero.
The Politics of Experimentation

Many startups have embraced formal experimentation — i.e., A/B testing — to improve the performance of their products and services. Experimentation, some have argued, should democratize innovation inside organizations by creating a platform to rigorously test new ideas, regardless of origin. In this article, we argue that experimentation's promise hinges on having the right organizational decision-making process — one that encourages innovation but without the added risk of unanticipated failures. We study this question by developing a model of experimentation inside organizations where decisions to implement are either centralized or decentralized — a tension identified by practitioners and scholars alike. We find that startups with centralized mechanisms that rely too much on the input of other teams benefit least from experimentation, as do ones with completely decentralized ones. In contrast, startups with mostly decentralized decisions, with a single authority that sets consistent thresholds for implementation, achieve growth but with less downside risk. Thus, without considering the politics that guide organizational decision-making, the benefits of experimentation may be limited.
Use of Wake-Promoting Agents in OSA: When Patients Do Not Achieve a Minimum of 6 Hours of PAP Usage per Night?

In this article, I will review the current evidence on prevalence and etiology of daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea before and after treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP). I will also discuss the data on adherence and how hours of average nightly PAP use affect daytime complaints. My goal is to demonstrate the lack of evidence for the use of wake-promoting agents in patients with OSA who achieve less than 6 h of PAP use per night. Research suggests that prevalence of residual daytime sleepiness in patients with OSA on PAP therapy is multifactorial and similar to that in the general population. In addition, the performance of different tools used for assessment of residual sleepiness is variable but seem to consistently improve after achieving the threshold of 6 h of nightly PAP use. The current designation of adherence as 4 h of PAP use is arbitrary and not based on evidence. Favorable effect of PAP therapy is best achieved at 6 h of PAP use and this is achieved; treatment with wake-promoting agents should be discouraged. Future work in the areas of precision and personalized sleep medicine will provide more guidance on this topic.
A Mechanism-based Pharmacokinetic Model of Remdesivir Leveraging Interspecies Scaling to Simulate COVID-19 Treatment in Humans.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) outbreak initiated the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic resulting in 42.9 million confirmed infections and > 1.1 million deaths worldwide as of October 26, 2020. Remdesivir is a broad‐spectrum nucleotide prodrug shown to be effective against enzootic coronaviruses. The pharmacokinetics (PKs) of remdesivir in plasma have recently been described. However, the distribution of its active metabolite nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) to the site of pulmonary infection is unknown in humans. Our objective was to use existing in vivo mouse PK data for remdesivir and its metabolites to develop a mechanism‐based model to allometrically scale and simulate the human PK of remdesivir in plasma and NTP in lung homogenate. Remdesivir and GS‐441524 concentrations in plasma and total phosphorylated nucleoside concentrations in lung homogenate from Ces1c −/− mice administered 25 or 50 mg/kg of remdesivir subcutaneously were simultaneously fit to estimate PK parameters. The mouse PK model was allometrically scaled to predict human PK parameters to simulate the clinically recommended 200 mg loading dose followed by 100 mg daily maintenance doses administered as 30‐minute intravenous infusions. Simulations of unbound remdesivir concentrations in human plasma were below 2.48 μM, the 90% maximal inhibitory concentration for SARS‐CoV‐2 inhibition in vitro. Simulations of NTP in the lungs were below high efficacy in vitro thresholds. We have identified a need for alternative dosing strategies to achieve more efficacious concentrations of NTP in human lungs, perhaps by reformulating remdesivir for direct pulmonary delivery.
Assessment of fixed-duration therapies for treatment-naïve Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Comparative data guiding initial therapy for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), an infrequently encountered non-Hodgkin lymphoma, are sparse. We evaluated three commonly used frontline regimens: rituximab-bendamustine (R-Benda); dexamethasone, rituximab, cyclophosphamide (DRC); and bortezomib, dexamethasone, rituximab (BDR) in 220 treatment-naive patients with WM, seen at Mayo Clinic between 11/01/2000 and 10/31/2019. The median follow-up was 4.5 (95%CI: 4-5) years. The R-Benda (n=83) cohort demonstrated superior overall response rate (ORR: 98%), in comparison to DRC (n=92, ORR: 78%) or BDR (n=45, ORR: 84%) cohorts, p=0.003. Similarly, longer progression-free survival (PFS) was evident with R-Benda use [median 5.2 versus 4.3 (DRC) and 1.8 years (BDR), p=0.0003].The time-to-next therapy (TTNT) favored R-Benda [median, not-reached, versus 4.4 (DRC) and 2.6 years (BDR), p=0.0002). These endpoints were comparable between the DRC and BDR cohorts. Overall survival (OS) was similar across the three cohorts, p=0.77. In a subset analysis of 142 patients genotyped for MYD88L265P mutation, the ORR, PFS and TTNT were unaffected by the MYD88 signature within each cohort. In conclusion, ORR, PFS and TTNT with R-Benda are superior compared to DRC or BDR in treatment-naive patients with active WM. The patient outcomes with any one of these three regimens are unaffected by the MYD88L265P mutation status. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and early life lower respiratory tract infections in a low-income urban minority birth cohort.

The prevalence of maternal obesity has increased dramatically with adverse consequences on infant health. Prior studies have reported associations between maternal obesity and childhood wheeze, asthma as well as lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). However, studies examining the association of obesity with early-life LRTIs in low-income urban minority populations are still lacking. This is a critical gap because both obesity and infant respiratory morbidity are more prevalent and severe in these communities. We examined mother‐child dyads from the Boston Birth Cohort (BBC) to define the longitudinal association of maternal pre‐pregnancy BMI and LRTI in infancy, defined as the presence of bronchiolitis, bronchitis, or pneumonia during the first year of life (< 12 months of age). A total of 2,790 mother‐child dyads were included in our analyses. Infants born to pre-pregnancy obese mothers (n = 688, 25%) had 1.43 increased odds (adjOR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.08–1.88, p = 0.012) of developing LRTI during the first year of life when compared with newborns born to normal-weight mothers after adjusting by relevant LRTI risk factors. Notably, infants born to overweight mothers (n = 808, 29%) followed a similar trend (adjOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.00–1.72, p = 0.048). Our study demonstrated that maternal pre-pregnancy obesity is an independent risk factor for the development of LRTI during infancy in a low-income urban minority birth cohort.
More than Just Contaminants: Frequency and Characterization of Polymicrobial Blood Cultures from a Central Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Serving a Large Healthcare System

BACKGROUND Polymicrobial blood stream infection is often considered uncommon, and corresponding cultures may be assumed to represent contamination. Here we characterized the prevalence and epidemiology of these cultures submitted to a central clinical microbiology laboratory. METHODS Blood cultures from 2017 to 2018 (n = 104 547) were evaluated. Polymicrobial blood cultures were defined by the presence of more than one organism in a blood culture set (set = one aerobic and one anaerobic bottle). Data were stratified by patient location and characteristics of the microbiota detected. RESULTS Of all blood culture sets, 14 600 (14.0%) were positive. Among these, 1651 sets (11.3% of positive cultures; 1.6% of total cultures) were polymicrobial. Most cultures (85.2%) grew two microorganisms; the greatest number of microorganisms in a culture was 6. The most common microorganism pairs were (a) two coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), (b) Corynebacterium and CoNS, and (c) S. aureus and CoNS. Microorganisms in polymicrobial cultures represented microbiota from skin (46.1%), the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (33.9%), strict anaerobes (1.4%), and "other" microorganisms (18.6%). Most cultures with GI microbiota originated from an adult academic medical center compared to community or pediatric settings (40.5% of polymicrobial cultures vs 27.2% and 25.8%, P < 0.0001). Within the academic medical center, patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) or who had bone marrow transplants (BMT) had more cultures suggestive of GI microbiota compared to those from the emergency department (ED) (50.8% and 52.8% vs 31.2%, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Polymicrobial blood cultures are common in a variety of healthcare settings and the recovered microorganisms can be clinically relevant.
Characteristics, experiences, and mental health of children who re-enter foster care

Abstract Permanent placements that are safe and stable promote well-being of children leaving foster care; however, placement disruptions and reentry into the welfare system following placements that were intended to be permanent are common (Konijn et al., 2019). What is not known is whether disruptions during foster care stays are particularly risky for children’s emotional health if they occur in the context of more than one removal of the child from their parents or guardians (i.e., from home). Using the most current data available through the nationally mandated Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS), we explored characteristics and removal reasons of children who re-enter foster care and used hierarchical, binomial logistic regression to analyze the moderating effect of multiple removals from home on the link between placement disruptions during stays in foster care and emotional disturbance (ED). The sample consisted of 659,105 children served by the U.S. foster care system during Fiscal Year (FY) 2018. Findings suggest that children who re-enter foster care are more likely to be older, and disproportionately more were children of color. Children who re-enter foster care tend to experience more placement disruptions in subsequent removal episodes than children who have been removed from their home only once. Finally, we identified an interaction effect for placement disruptions and multiple removals on the likelihood of a child in foster care having ED. This study discusses implications for targeted permanency and post-permanency services.
Threshold concentration and random collision determine the growth of the huntingtin inclusion from a stable core

The processes underlying formation and growth of unfolded protein inclusions are relevant to neurodegenerative diseases but poorly characterized in living cells. In S. cerevisiae, inclusions formed by mutant huntingtin (mHtt) have some characteristics of biomolecular condensates but the physical nature and growth mechanisms of inclusion bodies remain unclear. We have probed the relationship between concentration and inclusion growth in vivo and find that growth of mHtt inclusions in living cells is triggered at a cytoplasmic threshold concentration, while reduction in cytoplasmic mHtt causes inclusions to shrink. The growth rate is consistent with incorporation of new material through collision and coalescence. A small remnant of the inclusion is relatively long-lasting, suggesting that it contains a core that is structurally distinct, and which may serve to nucleate it. These observations support a model in which aggregative particles are incorporated by random collision into a phase-separated condensate composed of a particle-rich mixture. Pei et al. explore the mechanism underlying growth of mutant huntingtin inclusions in yeast cells and show that growth occurs through random collision and incorporation of mutant huntingtin aggregates into a phase-separated condensate. They show that there is a small inner core which is structurally distinct, and may serve to nucleate the inclusion.
Body effect compensated switch for low voltage switched-capacitor circuits

In order to reduce distortion due to the threshold voltage variations of an NMOS switch by the input signal, a novel low-voltage switch that compensates the body effect is proposed. The linearity performance of the proposed circuit is confirmed by simulation with a 0.5 /spl mu/m standard CMOS technology (V/sub tn0/=0.7 V, V/sub tp0/=1.0 V). Simulations with HSPICE indicate better performance of the total harmonic distortion (THD) is achieved using the proposed circuit in a first-order non-inverting switched-capacitor (SC) low pass filter operating with a single 1.5-V power supply.
Caring for the adult with congenital heart disease in an adult catheterization laboratory by pediatric interventionalists--safety and efficacy.

Objective The purpose of this study is to describe the outcomes of cardiac catheterizations performed by pediatric interventional cardiologists in an adult catheterization laboratory on adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Background With improved survival rates, the number of adults with CHD increases by ∼5%/year; this population often requires cardiac catheterization. Methods From January 2005 to December 2009, two groups of patients were identified, an adult group (>21 years) and an adolescent group (13–21 years), who had catheterizations performed by pediatric interventional staff. Results Fifty-seven catheterizations were performed in 53 adults, while 59 were performed in 47 adolescents. The male to female ratio differed significantly between groups; only 15/53 (28%) of adults were male vs. 26/47 (55%) of adolescents (P =.006). Among adults, 27 had previously corrected CHD, 16 with atrial septal defect (ASD), and six with patent foramen ovale (PFO). This differed significantly from the adolescents, where only 30 had previously corrected CHD, seven with ASD, and one with PFO (P =.012). Among adults who were catheterized, interventions were performed on 28/53 (53%). All interventions were successful and included ASD/PFO closure, patent ductus arteriosus occlusion, coarctation dilation, pulmonary artery dilations, and one saphenous vein graft aneurysm closure. Nineteen adults had coronary angiography performed by adult interventionalists in consult with pediatric interventionalists. Two complications occurred among adults (3.8%) vs. one complication (2%; P = 1) among adolescents. No femoral vessel complications or catheterization-associated mortality occurred. Conclusions Cardiac catheterizations can be performed effectively and safely in adults with CHD by pediatric interventional cardiologists in an adult catheterization laboratory.
High-temperature erosion resistance of coatings for use in turbomachinery

Industrial gas turbines, aircraft gas turbines, steam turbines and coal-utilization turbines, when operating under particulate flows, are exposed to erosion and performance deterioration. This paper describes an experimental method used to find the erosion behavior of superalloys and coatings subjected to gas-particle flows at high temperatures. The erosion behaviors are investigated experimentally at high temperatures using a specially designed erosion wind tunnel. The erosion results show the effects of velocity, temperature and impact angle on the erosion rate.
AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ACTION OF COAL‐ASH SLAGS ON FIRE BRICK BY MICROSCOPIC METHODS*

The action of coal-ash slags on firebrick refractories was studied by microscopic examination of thin sections prepared from quenched samples of ash and refractory heated together. The eight refractories used varied as to clays, method of fabrication, grind, and firing treatment. Six different coal ashes varied from highly corrosive to noncorrosive ashes. Samples were quenched at intervals in the range of 2200 to 2800°F and the critical temperature or maximum safe operating temperature of all combinations of slag and refractory was determined. These values are presented together with a discussion of the various minerals formed.
Preparations of Protozoa and Algæ

WITH reference to Dr. LI. Lloyd's method of obtaining preparations of protozoa and algae (NATURE, Jan. 18, p. 91), I have used a similar method since 1926 for the study of growths of sessile algae, I demonstrated this method in a paper to Section K (Botany) of the British Association at the Glasgow meeting in 1928.
Link concordance invariants and homotopy theory.

We show that each of a sequence of concordance invariants for codimension-two links of spheres inS n+2 , defined by Kent Orr, is identically zero forn>1. For classical links (n=1), the same proof shows that these invariants vanish if and only if Milnor's $$\bar \mu $$ vanish (a result obtained independently and earlier by Orr himself). We offer sufficient conditions for the vanishing of Orr's ω-invariant (not covered by the above). We discuss how this relates to positive results.
Clues to identifying methoxy and formate structures in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments

Recent work in the literature has examined Cu(110) surfaces exposed to mixtures of methanol and oxygen and has determined that both surface methoxy and surface formate structures can be created in various ratios. This work discusses STM images of methoxy and formate structures and suggests guidelines for interpreting images that may contain both structures.
Properties and applications of the sarmanov family of bivariate distributions

We discuss properties of the bivariate family of distributions introduced by Sarmanov (1966). It is shown that correlation coefficients of this family of distributions have wider range than those of the Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern distributins. Possible applications of this family of bivariate distributions as prior distributins in Bayesian inference are discussed. The density of the bivariate Sarmanov distributions with beta marginals can be expressed as a linear combination of products of independent beta densities. This pseudoconjugate property greatly reduces the complexity of posterior computations when this bivariate beta distribution is used as a prior. Multivariate extensions are derived.
Reefing Limestones of Hermosa Formation, San Juan Canyon, Utah: ABSTRACT

The Hermosa formation of Pennsylvanian age, exposed in the San Juan Canyon where it transects End_Page 1107------------------------------ the Monument upwarp in southeastern Utah, contains several biostromal layers, one of which changes laterally into small bioherms with typical reef-limestone breccia making up the greater part of the deposit. A bioherm excellently exposed in the San Juan Canyon walls was examined just above river level in Sec. 4, T. 42 S., R. 18 E., between Mendenhall Loop and Honaker Train. At least eight bioherms have been breached by the San Juan River, several of which are exposed on only one canyon wall. The reef limestones are present approximately two-thirds of the Hermosa thickness below the Hermosa-Rico gradational contact, and the fossils suggest that the bioherms are of Des Moines age. Regionally, the biohermal trends may be controlled by a shelf related to the Paradox-Salt Valley Basin in southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. Valid predictions as to possible distribution of these reefing limestones must be based on further surface examination, subsurface analysis, and an appraisal of regional controls exerted by the Paradox evaporite basin in relation to the Colorado Mountain highlands (Uncompahgre). End_of_Article - Last_Page 1108------------
Experimental assessment of pattern and-probe aberration monitors

First experimental evidence of the high sensitivity of interferometric-probe based aberration targets on phase-shifting masks is presented. Measurements were made on an AIMS tool modified for NA = 0.2 with 150 μm imaging and 300 μm illumination pinholes to match an inadvertent 4× oversizing of the layout dimensions. Calibration of the actual NA (= 0.18) was accomplished through known phase-edge distances and comparison of images of isolated probes and large features with aerial image simulation. Even though only two-ring versions of the targets were measured the peak of the 90 deg. central probe in the defocus target increased linearly with focus at a rate of 47% of the clear field per Rayleigh unit (RU) of defocus when measured over a ±1/2 RU interval about best focus. The focal position can be measured to within 1/40 RU and the prediction of best focus on an absolute basis agrees with that determined by the Strehl ratio to within 1/35 of a Rayleigh focal length. The two-ring spherical and higher-order spherical targets showed decent orthogonality to focus with changes in their central peak intensities of only 0.47 and 0.37 of that of the defocus target even when viewed at an NA 10% smaller than their design.
Tissue-plasminogen activator for pulmonary embolism resulting in shock: two case reports and discussion of the literature

Two patients with significant relative contra-indications to fibrinolysis, and with refractory shock caused by acute pulmonary embolism, who were successfully treated with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) are reported. The role of rt-PA in the management of pulmonary embolism is discussed, and pertinent literature is reviewed.
ADHD: disorder or discipline problem?

Treating children for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with stimulant medications predisposes them to substance abuse, according to Peter Breggin in his letter to Science (“Questioning the treatment for ADHD,” 26 Jan., p. [595][1]). In support, he cites one article, but does not