cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gynecomastia: cytologic features and diagnostic pitfalls in fine needle aspirates.

Objective To illustrate some of the uncommon cytologic findings of gynecomastia, such as apocrine metaplasia, cellular atypia and foamy macrophages, that can be misinterpreted as evidence of malignancy. Study design The clinical data and fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytologic material from 100 men with the diagnosis of gynecomastia were retrospectively reviewed. The excisional biopsy slides were available for 16 cases. For comparison, FNA smears from five men with breast lesions other than gynecomastia were studied. Results The patients ranged in age from 23 to 91 years. Cytologic findings were as follows: cohesive sheets of cells containing 20-1,000 cells (98%); scattered, single, bipolar cells (78%); spindle cells (68%); ductal epithelial atypia (26%); apocrine metaplasia (8%); and foamy histiocytes (12%). In nine cases the atypia was marked, and in two of them the possibility of malignancy could not be ruled out. Surgical follow-up on 16 patients, including the cases with marked atypia, showed gynecomastia. In one case, gynecomastia was associated with intraductal papilloma. No correlation between the underlying etiology and atypical cytologic features of gynecomastia was identified. Conclusion Apocrine metaplasia and epithelial atypia are common findings in gynecomastia. Attention to the cell patterns, the presence of sheets of ductal cells and absence of atypical single cells will point to the correct diagnosis.
State‐to‐state quantum reactive scattering in four‐atom systems

The recent advances in quantum mechanical studies of four-atom reactions at the state-to-state level are reviewed. With six internal degrees of freedom, such reactions offer richer chemistry than the much studied atom–diatom reactions, but also pose challenges to the quantum mechanical treatment of the state-to-state scattering process. Several approaches that are capable of providing a complete solution to the problem have recently been suggested and a brief description and comparison of these approaches are given here. In addition, recent quantum mechanical state-to-state results for tetratomic reactions are discussed and a simple transition-state-based model is shown to provide useful insights into the correlation between reactant and product quantum states during a reaction. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Walking in Invertebrates

Nearly all invertebrates that walk are arthropods. These all use a metachronal rhythm in which the legs move in sequence from rear to font. Rhythmic leg movements are produced by networks of neurons called central pattern generators (CPGs). CPGs are coupled together to produce a patterned sequence of leg movements, but can be influenced by sensory feedback from the legs to adapt locomotion to rough or unpredictable terrain. Higher control of walking, starting, stopping, turning, and speed, are controlled by the brain. Walking in arthropods has been used successfully as a model for the design and construction of walking robots.
Curriculum guidelines and standards for dental laser education

The curriculum guidelines for dental laser education were developed through a consensus process with members from dental academia, industry and private practice. This document was developed at a workshop on the development of standards for dental laser education and laser instructor certification held at the University of California, San Francisco on July 25 and 26, 1992. A working draft is currently being circulated among dental laser educators, researchers, practitioners, organized dentistry and members of industry. After further discussion, modification and review, the final document will be widely distributed and updated annually. Any questions concerning the guidelines may be addressed to the authors of this document in care of the organizer. Suggestions for the improvement of this standard and endorsement of this document are invited.
Sex and age differences in physical performance: A comparison of Army basic training and operational populations.

Abstract Objectives To determine the age- and sex-specific differences of physical fitness performances and Body Mass Index (BMI) in basic training and the operational Army. Design Cross-sectional Study. Methods This secondary analysis utilizes retrospective surveys of U.S. Army Soldiers in Basic Combat Training (BCT) and operational units to compare physical performances between men and women as measured by the Army Physical Readiness Test (APFT). An ANOVA was used to compare mean differences in APFT results and BMI within sex-specific populations. A post hoc Tukey test identified specific mean differences. Adjusting for age, an ANCOVA was used to compare sex and occupation (infantry and non-infantry) differences in APFT results. Results Surveyed populations consisted of 2216 BCT Soldiers (1573 men and 643 women) and 5515 Operational Soldiers (4987 men and 528 women). Male and female operational Soldiers had greater muscular performance (79%–125% higher APFT push-ups, 66%–85% higher APFT sit-ups) and cardiorespiratory performance (22%–24% faster APFT 2-mile run times) than BCT Soldiers. Male BCT and operational Soldiers outperform their female counterparts on tests of muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance. Sex differences in physical performances attenuated among female Soldiers in operational units compared to BCT. Among male operational Soldiers, infantry Soldiers exhibited greater cardiorespiratory and muscular performance than non-infantry Soldiers. Higher BMI was associated with higher age groups, except for female BCT Soldiers. Conclusions Gaps in cardiorespiratory and muscular performances between men and women should be addressed through targeted physical training programs that aim to minimize physiological differences.
Outcomes after acute symptomatic seizures in neonates.

Acute symptomatic seizures are a common sign of neurological dysfunction and brain injury in neonates and occur in approximately one to three per 1000 live births. Seizures in neonates are usually a sign of underlying brain injury and, as such, are commonly associated with adverse outcomes. Neurological morbidities in survivors often co-occur; epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability often occur together in the most severely affected children. Risk factors for adverse outcome include prematurity, low Apgar scores, low pH on the first day of life, seizure onset 72 h after birth, abnormal neonatal neurological examination, abnormal neonatal electroencephalographic background, status epilepticus, and presence and pattern of brain injury (particularly deep gray or brainstem injury). Despite this list of potential indicators, accurate prediction of outcome in a given child remains challenging. There is great need for long-term, multicenter studies to examine risk factors for, and pathogenesis of, adverse outcomes following acute symptomatic seizures in neonates.
Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B: A Novel Molecular Target for Retinal Degenerative Diseases

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is considered as a major negative regulator of insulin receptor (IR) signaling. IR signaling in retina has been demonstrated to be neuroprotective. Photoreceptor-specific deletion of PTP1B results in enhanced retinal IR-mediated neuroprotection indicating the importance of PTP1B as a negative regulator in the retina. Elevated levels of retinal PTP1B activity have been observed in mice lacking retinal pigment epithelium (Rpe65−/−), a mouse model of leber congenital amaurosis (LCA-type 2), retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy animal models. This enhanced PTP1B activity could downregulate the IR signaling which may contribute to the death of photoreceptor neurons and ultimately lead to retinal degenerations. The potential therapeutic agents that specifically reduce or inhibit the PTP1B activity could be beneficial in protecting or delaying the photoreceptor cell death in the retinal degenerative diseases.
High intensity muon/pion beam with time structure at PSI

A new initiative is presented to develop a high intensity muon/pion beam with a time structure optimized to the muon lifetime. Such a facility would provide exciting physics opportunities for dramatically improved fundamental experiments, e.g., in the field of muon capture, muon lifetime and muonium spectroscopy. The high primary beam intensity at PSI allows intense chopped muon beams by installing a fast electrostatic kicker in a secondary channel. Two modes of operation are foreseen: a muon-on-request scheme, which uses active feedback from a beam counter in the experimental area and a periodic pulsed mode with about 5–20% duty factor.
Geometric Allocation Approach in Markov Chain Monte Carlo

The general improvement of the Markov chain Monte Carlo method, which is a powerful tool for investigating systems with multiple degrees of freedom, will be shown in this chapter. There are three key points for the method to be effective: the choice of the ensemble, the selection of candidate configurations, and the determination of the transition probability (kernel). We focus our interest on the third optimization problem. After reviewing the previous work, we will invent a novel method that constructs a transition kernel by a geometric approach. This method finds solutions through a graphical procedure, namely weight allocation, instead of solving the detailed balance equation algebraically as before. Surprisingly, it is always possible to find a solution that minimizes the average rejection rate. Later, this geometric approach will be extended to continuous state space. We will assess the convergence and the autocorrelations for the ferromagnetic q-state Potts models and some simple models with continuous state variables. Then we will see the significant improvement by the new method, comparing to the conventional methods, such as the Metropolis and the heat bath algorithm. Our method is the first versatile scheme that satisfies the total balance without imposing the detailed balance.
Bipyramidal and Related Molecules

In this chapter we will consider molecules having trigonal and pentagonal bipyramidal symmetry. The tetragonal bipyramid appears to have been skipped here but it should be noted that this geometry is the same as an octahedron if all six vertex atoms are identical. Molecules having trigonal bipyramidal (tbp) symmetry include the cluster anion B5H5 2- and PF5, depicted in Figure 10-la and b, respectively. Other examples of trigonal bipyramidal molecules are PCl5(gas), AsF5, and SbCl5. Related to PF5 are SF4 and BrF3 (Figure 10-lc and d) which can be viewed as having, respectively, one and two vertex atoms in the equatorial plane of the tbp replaced by lone pairs. Additional examples of such species are SeF4, TeCl4, PCl4, SbCl4, ClF3, and XeF3 +. Of pentagonal bipyramidal symmetry are B7H7 2- and IF7 (Figure 10-le and f). Several metal fluoride complexes also appear to possess this geometry [e.g., MF7 3- (M = Zr, Hf, Nb, U) and ReF7]. Species of higher-order bipyramidal geometries do not appear to have been characterized.
Exchange stiffness as a function of composition in Cux(Ni0.80Fe0.20)1-x alloys

Abstract Permalloy ( Ni 0.80 Fe 0.20 , or Py) is one of the most thoroughly studied magnetic materials, with well documented properties. By fabricating ferromagnetic alloys between Copper and Py, the values of the exchange stiffness parameter, A ex , and the saturation magnetization, 4 π M s , can be controllably adjusted. This proves a simple method for engineering the magnetic properties of materials. Using Brillouin Light Scattering and Broadband Ferromagnetic Resonance techniques, we show that varying the concentration x of Cu in an alloy Cu x Py 1 - x from x = 0.00 to x = 0.37 , the saturation magnetization, 4 π M s , can be adjusted from 9.46 kOe to 4.21 kOe. Simultaneously, the exchange stiffness parameter, A ex , can be adjusted from 1.115 μerg cm−1 to 0.122 μerg cm−1.
The Chemistry of Water in Ambient-Temperature Chloroaluminate Ionic Liquids: NMR Studies

17O NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the species formed upon addition of water to room-temperature molten salts composed of mixtures of AlCl3 with 1-methyl, 3-ethyl imidazolium chloride (ImCl) at various mole ratios.In basic melts, a single resonance peak is observed; in acidic melts, 3 separate peaks are observed and the nature of the various 17O sites can be deduced.2H NMR has been employed to study the chemistry of protons in these melts. DCl interacts with a second chloride ion in basic melts whereas it interacts only weakly in acidic melts.
WHAT TO MAKE OF A STOMACH ACHE

Fungal infections are a known complication following transplant however clinical presentation can be atypical and aggressive. The patient is a 21 year old male with mitochondrial complex 1 deficiency and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy status post heart transplant. His post-transplant course was
A new benchmark illustrates that integration of geometric constraints inferred from enzyme reaction chemistry can increase enzyme active site modeling accuracy.

Enzymes play a critical role in a wide array of industrial, medical, and research applications and with the recent explosion of genomic sequencing, we now have sequences for millions of enzymes for which there is no known structure. In order to utilize modern computational design tools for constructing inhibitors or engineering novel catalysts, the ability to accurately model enzymes is critical. A popular approach for modeling enzymes are comparative modeling techniques which can often accurately predict the global structural features. However, achieving atomic accuracy of an active site remains a challenge and is an issue when trying to utilize the molecular details for designing inhibitors or enhanced catalysts. Here we explore integrating knowledge about the required geometric orientation of conserved catalytic residues into the comparative modeling process in order to improve modeling accuracy. In order to investigate the utility of adding this information, we first carefully construct a benchmark set of reference structures to use. Consistent with previous findings, our benchmark demonstrates that the geometry between catalytic residues across an enzyme family is conserved and does not tend to deviate by more than 0.5A. We then find that by integrating these geometric constraints during modeling, we can double the number of atomic level accuracy models (<1A RMSD to the crystal structure ligand) within our benchmarking dataset, even for targets with templates as low as 20-30% sequence identity. Catalytic residues within an enzyme family are highly conserved and can often be readily identified through comparative sequence analysis to a known structure within the enzyme family. Therefore utilizing this readily available information has the potential to significantly improve drug design and enzyme engineering efforts for which there is no known structure for the enzyme of interest.
Can the Microbiome Deliver? A Proof-of-Concept Engineered E. coli PKU Therapeutic.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic disorder that causes phenylalanine toxicity in the brain. Two studies, Crook et al. (2019), in this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, and Isabella et al. (2018), employ synthetic biology to develop a live bacterial therapeutic to treat PKU and potentially other metabolic diseases.
Renal T cell infiltration occurs despite attenuation of development of hypertension with hydralazine in Envigo’s female Dahl rat maintained on a low-Na+ diet

Many studies have suggested that renal T cell infiltration contributes to the pathogenesis of salt-sensitive hypertension. To investigate this mechanism further, we determined T cell profiles in th...
Effects of Pain and Audiovisual Stimulation on the Hypoxic Ventllatory Response

The non-chemoreflex drive to breathe is complex and influenced by the cortical, limbic and reticular activating systems. This reflex can be facilitatory or inhibitory and may have different modulating effects on normoxic ventilation and the acute hypoxic response (AHR). This interaction can be particularly important when considering the effects of the non-chemoreflex drive on anesthetic induced ventilatory depression.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 This study clarifies the effects of pain and audiovisual stimulation (AVS) on ventilation and on the AHR.
Exploring the Needs and Preferences of Underrepresented Minority Students for an Intelligent Virtual Mentoring System

Many reports highlight a significant lack of minority representation in graduate computing programs. However, effective mentorship has been heavily documented in research as pivotal for students aspiring to persist and excel in computing. Research suggests that virtual mentoring, a form of mentorship between a human user and a computer/software agent, viably supplements existing mentoring practices, which removes the inconveniences of meeting in-person and addresses the lack of willing and suitable mentors. The aim of this research is to develop an intelligent virtual mentoring system (VMS) and to help prepare minority students for matriculation through graduate computing school. In order to design and develop an effective intelligent virtual mentoring system, it is critical to improve the understanding of existing mentoring relationships and user preferences. This paper presents findings from focus groups with minority graduate students and explores their needs and preferences in a mentor.
FOXO1 Negates the Cooperative Action of FOXL2C134W and SMAD3 in CYP19 Expression in HGrC1 Cells by Sequestering SMAD3.

Author(s): Belli, Martina; Secchi, Christian; Stupack, Dwayne; Shimasaki, Shunichi | Abstract: Adult granulosa cell tumor (aGCT) is a rare type of ovarian cancer characterized by estrogen excess. Interestingly, only the single somatic mutation FOXL2 C134W was found across virtually all aGCTs. We previously reported that FOXL2C134W stimulates CYP19 transcription synergistically with SMAD3, leading to elevated estradiol synthesis in a human granulosa cell line (HGrC1). This finding suggested a key role for FOXL2C134W in causing the typical estrogen overload in patients with aGCTs. We have now investigated the effect of FOXO1, a tumor suppressor, on CYP19 activation by FOXL2C134W in the presence of SMAD3. Intriguingly, FOXO1 antagonized the positive, synergistic effect of FOXL2C134W and SMAD3 on CYP19 transcription. Similar to FOXL2C134W, FOXO1 binds SMAD3 but not the proximal FOXL2C134W binding site (-199 bp) of the CYP19 promoter identified in our earlier studies. The results of a competitive binding assay suggested a possible underlying mechanism in which FOXO1 sequesters SMAD3 away from FOXL2C134W, thereby negating the cooperative action of FOXL2C134W and SMAD3 in inducing CYP19 expression. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the ability of FOXO1 to restore an altered CYP19 expression by FOXL2C134W and SMAD3 and provides insight as to why FOXO1 deficiency promotes GCT development in mice.
Waves in Collections of Circular Shoals and Bathymetric Depressions

Abstract New approximate analytic solutions are developed to study wave propagation through collections of coastal features. Solutions are developed for circular shoals formed by a submerged cylind...
Using hormone therapy with salvage radiotherapy according to presalvage PSA levels

A subgroup analysis of the RTOG 9601 trial, which stratified participants according to their pretreatment serum PSA levels, suggests disparate responses to therapy and potentially concerning cardiac and neurological effects in some men. However, subgroup analyses are notoriously difficult to interpret and the data should be considered with caution before changes are made to clinical practice.
The acute porphyrias

Abstract Heme is the prosthetic group for essential molecules including hemoglobin and cytochromes. It is synthesized through eight steps, starting with the formation of the porphyrin precursors δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and porphobilinogen (PBG). Each step is catalyzed by a specific enzyme. Mutations that lead to partial defects in enzymatic function result in the eight inherited porphyrias. When this occurs, pathway intermediates preceding the defective step accumulate in abnormal amounts. The biochemical hallmark of acute hepatic porphyria (AHP) is elevated levels of the porphyrin precursors ALA and PBG in urine or plasma. In an acute attack of porphyria the main presenting symptom is abdominal pain, which is thought to represent intestinal dysmotility due to autonomic neural injury. Other manifestations of an acute attack, including seizures, weakness, and mood changes, point to neural injury involving motor and sensory nerves, and the CNS. Although the clinical presentation of porphyria in some cases suggests the diagnosis, the symptoms and signs are typically nonspecific, resulting in long delays in diagnosis. When the screening test for elevated PBG is positive, it is followed by genetic testing for confirming the gene involved and the exact mutation. Treatment involves administration of heme, which downregulates production of ALA and PBG. Long-term management centers on screening the family members of an index case and educating mutation carriers on circumstances that increase the risk of an acute attack.
High-Throughput Screening: today’s biochemical and cell-based approaches

High-throughput screening (HTS) provides starting chemical matter in the adventure of developing a new drug. In this review, we survey several HTS methods used today for hit identification, organized in two main flavors: biochemical and cell-based assays. Biochemical assays discussed include fluorescence polarization and anisotropy, FRET, TR-FRET, and fluorescence lifetime analysis. Binding-based methods are also surveyed, including NMR, SPR, mass spectrometry, and DSF. On the other hand, cell-based assays discussed include viability, reporter gene, second messenger, and high-throughput microscopy assays. We devote some emphasis to high-content screening, which is becoming very popular. An advisable stage after hit discovery using phenotypic screens is target deconvolution, and we provide an overview of current chemical proteomics, in silico, and chemical genetics tools. Emphasis is made on recent CRISPR/dCas-based screens. Lastly, we illustrate some of the considerations that inform the choice of HTS methods and point to some areas with potential interest for future research.
Temperature Trajectory Subphenotypes Correlate With Immune Responses in Patients With Sepsis.

OBJECTIVES We recently found that distinct body temperature trajectories of infected patients correlated with survival. Understanding the relationship between the temperature trajectories and the host immune response to infection could allow us to immunophenotype patients at the bedside using temperature. The objective was to identify whether temperature trajectories have consistent associations with specific cytokine responses in two distinct cohorts of infected patients. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Large academic medical center between 2013 and 2019. SUBJECTS Two cohorts of infected patients: 1) patients in the ICU with septic shock and 2) hospitalized patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. INTERVENTIONS Clinical data (including body temperature) and plasma cytokine concentrations were measured. Patients were classified into four temperature trajectory subphenotypes using their temperature measurements in the first 72 hours from the onset of infection. Log-transformed cytokine levels were standardized to the mean and compared with the subphenotypes in both cohorts. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The cohorts consisted of 120 patients with septic shock (cohort 1) and 88 patients with S. aureus bacteremia (cohort 2). Patients from both cohorts were classified into one of four previously validated temperature subphenotypes: "hyperthermic, slow resolvers" (n = 19 cohort 1; n = 13 cohort 2), "hyperthermic, fast resolvers" (n = 18 C1; n = 24 C2), "normothermic" (n = 54 C1; n = 31 C2), and "hypothermic" (n = 29 C1; n = 20 C2). Both "hyperthermic, slow resolvers" and "hyperthermic, fast resolvers" had high levels of G-CSF, CCL2, and interleukin-10 compared with the "hypothermic" group when controlling for cohort and timing of cytokine measurement (p < 0.05). In contrast to the "hyperthermic, slow resolvers," the "hyperthermic, fast resolvers" showed significant decreases in the levels of several cytokines over a 24-hour period, including interleukin-1RA, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, G-CSF, and M-CSF (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Temperature trajectory subphenotypes are associated with consistent cytokine profiles in two distinct cohorts of infected patients. These subphenotypes could play a role in the bedside identification of cytokine profiles in patients with sepsis.
A study of pClust settings: obtaining accurate cluster results

Recently, high-throughput approaches to DNA sequencing such as massive parallel sequencing have resulted in the availability of a vast number of whole genome sequences. This availability has presented scientists with an unprecedented opportunity to gain knowledge by means of datamining and data analysis. A number of our datamining and data analysis strategies are based on the use of a fast and accurate software tool, pClust, to group protein sequences into homologous clusters. However, pClust has a number of parameters with values that must be chosen, and the choice of these values affects the accuracy of the clustering results. In this paper, we present a study of the most significant parameters: alignment length, match similarity, and optimal score. In addition, we study both local and semi-global alignments.
A Modern Implementation of System Call Sequence Based Host-based Intrusion Detection Systems

Much research is concentrated on improving models for host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS). Typically, such research aims at improving a model’s results (e.g., reducing the false positive rate) in the familiar static training/testing environment using the standard data sources. Matching advancements in the machine learning community, researchers in the syscall HIDS domain have developed many complex and powerful syscall-based models to serve as anomaly detectors. These models typically show an impressive level of accuracy while emphasizing on minimizing the false positive rate. However, with each proposed model iteration, we get further from the setting in which these models are intended to operate. As kernels become more ornate and hardened, the implementation space for anomaly detection models is narrowing. Furthermore, the rapid advancement of operating systems and the underlying complexity introduced dictate that the sometimes decades-old datasets have long been obsolete. In this paper, we attempt to bridge the gap between theoretical models and their intended application environments by examining the recent Linux kernel 5.7.0-rc1. In this setting, we examine the feasibility of syscall-based HIDS in modern operating systems and the constraints imposed on the HIDS developer. We discuss how recent advancements to the kernel have eliminated the previous syscall trace collect method of writing syscall table wrappers, and propose a new approach to generate data and place our detection model. Furthermore, we present the specific execution time and memory constraints that models must meet in order to be operable within their intended settings. Finally, we conclude with preliminary results from our model, which primarily show that in-kernel machine learning models are feasible, depending on their complexity.
Mucociliary Clearance Differs in Mild Asthma by Levels of Type 2 Inflammation.

Background Although mucus plugging is a well-reported feature of asthma, whether asthma and type 2 inflammation affect mucociliary clearance (MCC) is unknown. Research Question Does type 2 inflammation influence mucus clearance rates in patients with mild asthma who are not receiving corticosteroids? Study Design and Methods The clearance rates of inhaled radiolabeled particles were compared between patients with mild asthma with low (n = 17) and high (n = 18) levels of T2 inflammation. Fraction exhaled nitric oxide (F eno ) was used to prospectively segregate subjects into T2 Lo (F eno eno > 35 ppb) cohorts. Bronchial brush samples were collected with fiber-optic bronchoscopy, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure expression of genes associated with T2 asthma. MCC rate comparisons were also made with a historical group of healthy control subjects (HCs, n = 12). Results The T2 Lo cohort demonstrated increased MCC when compared with both T2 Hi and historic HCs. MCC within the T2 Hi group varied significantly, with some subjects having low or zero clearance. MCC decreased with increasing expression of several markers of T2 airway inflammation (CCL26, NOS2, and POSTN) and with F eno . MUC5AC and FOXJ1 expression was similar between the T2Lo and T2Hi cohorts. Interpretation Increasing T2 inflammation was associated with decreasing MCC. High rates of MCC in T2 Lo subjects may indicate a compensatory mechanism present in mild disease but lost with high levels of inflammation. Future studies are required to better understand mechanisms and whether impairments in MCC in more severe asthma drive worse clinical outcomes.
The Mitral Annular Disjunction of Mitral Valve Prolapse: Presentation and Outcome

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to assess in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) mitral annular disjunction (MAD) prevalence, phenotypic characteristics, and long-term outcomes (clinical arrhythmic events and excess mortality). Background Clinical knowledge regarding MAD of MVP remains limited and controversial, and its potential link with untoward outcomes is unsubstantiated. Methods A cohort of 595 (278 women, mean age 61 ± 16 years) consecutive patients with isolated MVP, with comprehensive clinical, rhythmic, Doppler echocardiographic, and consistent MAD assessment, were examined. MAD prevalence, associated MVP phenotypes, and outcomes (survival, clinical arrhythmic events) starting at diagnostic echocardiography were analyzed. To balance important baseline differences, propensity scoring matching was conducted among patients with and those without MAD. Results The presence of MAD was common (n = 186 [31%]) in patients with MVP, generally in younger patients, and was not random but was independently associated with severe myxomatous disease involving bileaflet MVP and marked leaflet redundancy (both P ≤ 0.0002). The presence of MAD was also independently associated with a larger left ventricle (P = 0.005). Age-matched cohort survival after MVP diagnosis was not worse with MAD (10-year survival 93% ± 2% for patients without MAD and 97% ± 1% for those with MAD; P = 0.40), even adjusted comprehensively for MVP characteristics (P = 0.80) and accounting for time-dependent mitral surgery (P = 0.60). During follow-up, 170 patients had clinical arrhythmic events (ventricular tachycardia, n = 159; arrhythmia ablation, n = 14; cardioverter-defibrillator implantation, n = 14; sudden cardiac death, n = 3). MAD was independently associated with higher risk for arrhythmic events (adjusted HR: 2.60; 95% CI: 1.87-3.62; P Conclusions This large cohort with MVP comprehensively characterized shows that MAD is frequent at MVP diagnosis and is strongly linked to advanced myxomatous degeneration. The presence of MAD was independently associated with long-term excess incidence of clinical arrhythmic events. However, within the first 10 years post-diagnosis, MAD was not linked to excess mortality, and although reassurance should be provided from the survival point of view, careful monitoring for arrhythmias is in order for MAD.
Patient-Reported Functional Outcomes Thirty Days after Hospitalization for COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Many coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survivors experience persistent symptoms, such as fatigue, dyspnea, and musculoskeletal pain. However, less is known about the impact of COVID-19 on longer term functional outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient-reported activity of daily living (ADL) function and fatigue symptoms 30 days after hospitalization for COVID-19. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Tertiary care university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Adults 18 years or older hospitalized for COVID-19 and survived to 30 days after discharge. METHODS: A standardized telephone questionnaire was administered 30 days after hospital discharge. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Ability to perform basic and instrumental ADLs and fatigue symptoms severity (Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System [PROMIS] Fatigue Short Form 7a) were assessed by self-report. RESULTS: Participants (n = 55) were 22-95 years old. Compared to pre-COVID hospitalization, 52% developed new difficulty and 6% new dependence with performing basic ADLs (bADLs), 48% developed new difficulty and 11% new dependence with instrumental ADLs (iADLs), and 69% experienced a clinically significant worsening in their fatigue symptom severity. The average fatigue symptom severity T-score before hospitalization was 44.2 ± 7.4 and after hospitalization was 54.5 ± 9.8. In exploratory multivariate analyses, each additional COVID symptom at presentation was associated with a predicted increase of 1.43 units (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-2.42) in the 30-day fatigue symptom severity T-score, each additional day of hospitalization was associated with an 1.2 times increased odds of worsening fatigue (95% CI, 0.98-1.5; p = .08), and each unit increase in baseline body mass index was associated with 0.8 times decreased odds of new bADL or iADL dependence at 30 days (95% CI, 0.65-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: New functional impairments are common at 30 days after discharge among survivors of hospitalization for COVID-19. Early rehabilitation, advance care planning, and referrals to appropriate therapies should be considered in postacute COVID-19 care to maximize patients' functional outcomes. However, ongoing research is still needed regarding management of these patients.
The May 19, 2020, Failure of Edenville Dam near Midland, Michigan

On May 19, 2020, after several days of heavy precipitation, two earth dams failed (Edenville and Sanford) and two other dams were damaged (Secord and Smallwood), north of the town of Midland, MI. The failures resulted in about $100M in damages and the evacuation of about 11,000 people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this destructive event, the Geo-Institute Embankment, Dams, and Slopes Technical Committee organized a team with the main objective of capturing perishable data. The Edenville Dam site was of interest because the slope failure was captured on video and occurred prior to the dam being overtopped. Based on our observations, investigation and analyses, two failure mechanisms were considered likely for Edenville Dam: (1) static liquefaction (similar to 2019 failure of Brumadinho Dam in Brazil);and (2) slope instability, where the slide debris which was contractive in nature, expelled pore water in the form of water jets and flowed as it became liquefied along the toe of the dam. © 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). All rights reserved.
Allocation of Errors in Hierarchical Calibration or Assembly

The propagation of errors in hierarchical systems of calibration or assembly is well known. It is often required to determine the allowable error at each level of assembly or calibration, if the limit on the final error (or tolerance) is specified. A dy..
Updating USDA's Key Foods List for what we Eat in America, NHANES 2011–12

The Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses the Key Foods approach to select foods for nutrient analyses, allowing NDL to concentrate analytical resources on foods that contribute significant amounts of nutrients of public health interest to the diet.The Key Foods approach uses food composition data from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR26) for 14 nutrients of public health significance identified in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, intake data from NHANES, What We Eat in America (WWEIA) 2011–12, and the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS 2011–2012) to connect food composition with consumption data. For each food, NDL multiplies the nutrient content by the grams consumed. NDL then ranks all Key Foods for each nutrient and divides the foods into quartiles. The current Key Foods list contains 576 food items, similar to the list generated from NHANES-WWEIA 2007–08,although the number of foods per quartile and rankings of some foodshave changed slightly. Key Foods help NDL provide current, representative data for researchers, policy makers, the food industry, and consumers. This article describes the Key Foods list that NDL developed using data from SR26 and 2011-12 consumption data from NHANES-WWEIA.
Structure—Function Relationships in Escherichia coli Promoter DNA

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the structure of Escherichia coli promoter DNA, emphasizing the aspects of that structure consistent with this notion. It begins with a general summary of E. coli RNA polymerase, its promoter DNA sequences, and the kinetic nature of their interaction, followed by a detailed discussion of promoter structure and what it infers for the structure of RNA polymerase. Features of the transcription cycle in E. coli represent fairly well the processes in the Enterobacteriaceae, other eubacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts, and may also illustrate principles common to archaeobacteria and eukaryotes. E . coli RNA polymerase participates in the initiation of DNA synthesis. Transcription in the vicinity of the E. coli chromosomal origin of replication, oriC, creates a short hybrid RNADNA “R-loop” that distorts the helix and facilitates the separation of DNA strands by the replication-associated dnaA protein, needed for the assembly of replication forks. RNA polymerase may also synthesize the primer required for the initiation of replication of some extrachromosomal elements.
Physical and antimicrobial properties of chitosan films incorporated with lauric arginate, cinnamon oil, and ethylenediaminetetraacetate

Lauric arginate (LAE) and cinnamon oil (CO) combination results in synergistic antimicrobial effect on Gram-positive bacteria but antagonistic effect on Gram-negative bacteria. We recently observed that ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) enhanced the activity of LAE and overcame the antagonistic effect of LAE-CO combination. The objective of this work was to study physical and antimicrobial properties of chitosan films with LAE, CO, and EDTA. A significant increase in the thickness was detected after incorporating antimicrobials in chitosan films. The yellowness of films increased, while water solubility decreased as the concentration of CO increased. Water vapor permeability of films increased with the addition of the antimicrobials. Incorporation of antimicrobials in chitosan films lowered the tensile strength but did not affect elongation%. CO content in the films was significantly higher with at a higher LAE content. Much larger inhibition zones of film discs with antimicrobials against foodborne pathogens were detected compared to those of films with chitosan only. Addition of EDTA enhanced the antimicrobial activity of films with LAE, while binding by CO reduced the amount LAE diffusing from films to the media to inhibit bacteria. Overall, these novel antimicrobial films with LAE, CO, and EDTA showed potential to improve the safety of food products.
Chapter 1.8 Emotion and episodic memory

Abstract In the present chapter, we propose that emotion is an important contextual cue (or marker) for episodic memory. In past research and theory, temporal and spatial contexts have been discussed, but emotional context has been largely omitted from the literature on episodic memory. Based on the neural circuitry of incoming sensory information in the brain, we provide evidence that cognition is either moderated or mediated by basic affective processing. We review the evidence for a neural model in which the amygdala (affective processing – particularly negative emotions such as fear and anger), the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (emotional decision-making), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (executive control and selective attention) are all involved in encoding and retrieval of episodic memory information. This view is largely based on an embellished version of Damasio and Bechara's somatic marker hypothesis with an evolutionary, survival emphasis. Finally, the research reviewed on episodic memory (mood induction, mood congruence, major depression, and the emotional mediation of age differences in episodic memory) is largely consistent with this view that emotions serve as contextual cues for episodic memories.
Towards an Agent-Based Distributed Hierarchical Network Management System for All-Optical Networks

This paper describes the design and implementation of Optiprism, an agent-based network management system (NMS) providing configuration and fault management services for all-optical networks. Optiprism is designed to support (1) a scalable architecture consisting of a distributed hierarchy of software agents, or managers (2) the ability to alter the hierarchy as the network evolves by adding, removing or upgrading managers (3) reorganization of physical deployment for better responsiveness (4) an innovative browser agent providing scalable end-user interaction with the distributed NMS.
Intra-agent modality and nonmonotonic epistemic logic

It is plausible to think that simulation is perhaps the most important reasoning tool that we have for user modeling. This is behind what we mean when we say that a superlative fisherman can "think like a fish." The fisherman decides where the fish must be by imaging where he would be in this river if he were a fish.
Mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix — differentiation from endocervical adenocarcinoma

Abstract 1. 1. The demonstration of a definite basement membrane surrounding both normal mesonephric structures and well-differentiated areas of glandular cervical carcinomas and its absence beneath normal endocervical glands and adenocarcinoma of endocervical origin is possible supportive evidence of mesonephric origin. 2. 2. Three cases of adenocarcinoma of the cervix of definite mesonephric origin and one case of clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the cervix of possible mesonephric origin were studied. 3. 3. An analysis is made of the reported instances of mesonephric carcinoma of the cervix.
Purification and properties of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase from rat liver.

Abstract Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase has been purified extensively from rat liver. Gel filtration studies indicate that the enzyme is a complex of large molecular weight. On electron microscopy, stacking of enzyme molecules into long, linear aggregates is observed. The subunit molecular weight is 40,500, as measured by disc gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate. MgATP appears to be the required form of ATP as substrate, and excess free Mg2+ stimulates the reaction at low MgATP concentrations. The enzyme is highly specific for ribose 5-phosphate, and substrate inhibition occurs at ribose 5-phosphate concentrations above 1.5 mm. Like phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetases from other sources, the rat liver enzyme requires inorganic phosphate for catalytic activity, but is not inactivated by dialysis against phosphate-free buffer. In the presence of optimal levels of phosphate and free Mg2+, the apparent Km is 0.22 mm for MgATP and 0.29 mm for ribose 5-phosphate.
A Determinizing Compiler

The advent of multicores mandates parallel programming. While parallelism presents a panoply of problems, few are as pernicious and prevalent as nondeterminism, in which the output of a program is affected by more than just its inputs, e.g., uncontrollable scheduling choices made by the operating system. A few parallel languages do guarantee determinism, but do so through draconian restrictions. It is time for a new era of bug-free parallel programming that will enable programmers to shift easily from sequential to parallel worlds. We propose a determinizing compiler: starting from a non-deterministic program, our compiler inserts just enough additional synchronization to guarantee deterministic behavior, even in the presence of nondeterministic scheduling choices. A brute-force solution would simply generate sequential code, but our compiler will strive to preserve parallelism to impose a minimal loss of performance.
Dopamine Signaling in the Nucleus Accumbens of Animals Self-Administering Drugs of Abuse

Abuse of psychoactive substances can lead to drug addiction. In animals, addiction is best modeled by drug self-administration paradigms. It has been proposed that the crucial common denominator for the development of drug addiction is the ability of drugs of abuse to increase extracellular concentrations of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Studies using in vivo microdialysis and chronoamperometry in the behaving animal have demonstrated that drugs of abuse increase tonic dopamine concentrations in the NAcc. However, it is known that dopamine neurons respond to reward-related stimuli on a subsecond timescale. Thus, it is necessary to collect neurochemical information with this level of temporal resolution, as achieved with in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV), to fully understand the role of phasic dopamine release in normal behavior and drug addiction. We review studies that investigated the effects of drugs of abuse on NAcc dopamine levels in freely moving animals using in vivo microdialysis, chronoamperometry, and FSCV. After a brief introduction of dopamine signal transduction and anatomy and a section on current theories on the role of dopamine in natural goal-directed behavior, a discussion of techniques for the in vivo assessment of extracellular dopamine in behaving animals is presented. Then, we review studies using these techniques to investigate changes in phasic and tonic dopamine signaling in the NAcc during (1) response-dependent and -independent administration of abused drugs, (2) the presentation of drug-conditioned stimuli and operant behavior in self-administration paradigms, (3) drug withdrawal, and (4) cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. These results are then integrated with current ideas on the role of dopamine in addiction with an emphasis on a model illustrating phasic and tonic NAcc dopamine signaling during different stages of drug addiction. This model predicts that phasic dopamine release in response to drug-related stimuli will be enhanced over stimuli associated with natural reinforcers, which may result in aberrant goal-directed behaviors contributing to drug addiction.
Ambiguity diagram performance for clutter-limited detectors

This paper address the ambiguity diagram performance of a discrete time clutter-limited detector. These detectors are different from matched filters and have very low range-time sidelobes. The ambiguity function is presented for two versions of the clutter-limited detectors and the ambiguity diagrams are plotted and compared to the standard matched filter ambiguity diagram.