cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Heuristic Techniques for Controlling Contagion.

Many strategic actions carry a ‘contagious’ component beyond the immediate locale of the effort itself. Viral marketing and peacekeeping operations have both been observed to have a spreading effect. In this work, we use counterinsurgency as our illustrative domain. Defined as the effort to block the spread of support for an insurgency, such operations lack the manpower to defend the entire population and must focus on the opinions of a subset of local leaders. As past researchers of security resource allocation have done, we propose using game theory to develop such policies and model the interconnected network of leaders as a graph. Unlike this past work in security games, actions in these domains possess a probabilistic, non-local impact. To address this new class of security games, recent research has used novel heuristic oracles in a double oracle formulation to generate mixed strategies. However, these heuristic oracles were evaluated only on runtime and quality scaling with the graph size. Given the complexity of the problem, numerous other problem features and metrics must be considered to better inform practical application of such techniques. Thus, this work provides a thorough experimental analysis including variations of the contagion probability average and standard deviation. We extend the previous analysis to also examine the size of the action set constructed in the algorithms and the final mixed strategies themselves. Our results indicate that game instances featuring smaller graphs and low contagion probabilities converge slowly while games with larger graphs and medium contagion probabilities converge most quickly.
Diagnostic Techniques in Head and Neck Cancer

The evaluation of a patient with a cancer in the head and neck should begin with a complete history. A thorough physical examination will aid in determining the tumor extent. Finally, diagnostic techniques have been outlined that can help in determining the extent of the primary tumor and metastases.
One-stage surgical correction of proximal hypospadias.

Introduction: Proximal hypospadias poses major problems in surgical correction owing to the complexity and severity of the abnormalities, leading to the use of staged repairs to correct this condition. However, with precise definition of the components of this deformity a single-stage operation can be developed and applied successfully for surgical correction of this condition. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six patients with severe proximal hypospadias were subjected to a one-stage repair. Excision of proximal fibrotic dartos tissue and removal of dysplastic urethral plate tissue corrected chordee completely. Urethral reconstruction was then performed by tubularising a flap of dorso-lateral preputial skin which was then anastomosed to the proximal urethra. The glandular part of the urethra was reconstructed using the distal part of the flap as an onlay graft over the meatal groove. The suture lines were covered with a layer of dartos tissue and skin closure was completed by transposing dorsal skin to surface the ventral penile shaft. A urethral catheter was left in for 10 days. Results: All patients have been followed up after surgery from 1 to 5 years with a median period of 2 years. There were no fistulas. Two patients had mild stenosis at the meatus which responded to dilatation. One patient developed a stricture at the proximal anastomosis which required secondary correction. All other patients achieved satisfactory correction, both in terms of voiding and in the cosmetic appearance of the genitalia. Conclusion: Single-stage repair ofhypospadias can be successfully applied in the correction ofsevere proximal hypospadias. It requires meticulous dissection and careful design of reconstructive techniques. The end results are comparable to staged procedures and morbidity is significantly lower.
Crime and Governance in Indian Country

Criminal jurisdiction in Indian country is defined by a central, ironic paradox. Recent federal laws expanding tribal criminal jurisdiction are, in many respects, enormous victories for Indian country, as they acknowledge and reify a more robust notion of tribal sovereignty, one capable of accommodating increased tribal control over safety and security on Indian reservations. At the same time, the laws make clear that sovereignty comes at a price, potentially working to effectuate further assimilation of tribal courts and Indian people. As a result, at the same time that tribal sovereignty gains ground in ways critical to autonomy and self-governance, it is simultaneously threatened by exogenous forces that have the potential to homogenize tribal justice systems legally, politically, and — in particular — culturally.This Article offers the first comprehensive assessment of the Tribal Law and Order Act and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, respectively, to show how they relate to one another on the ground and the implications for tribal sovereignty and self-determination. Ultimately, based on data compiled for the first time as well as extensive secondary sources, I argue that expanded criminal jurisdiction and punishment authority have, perhaps paradoxically, enhanced the ability of tribes to develop and enforce policies, laws, and procedures that are consistent with tribal custom and tradition. This presents a unique opportunity worthy of further exploration. In other words, rather than sovereignty and assimilation expanding in tension with one another, I find that the application of the laws has been experienced in tribal communities, as least anecdotally and preliminarily, as greatly enhancing — not threatening or destroying — tribal sovereignty and Indian cultural survival.
The impact of postpartum hemoglobin levels on maternal quality of life after delivery: a prospective exploratory study

Postpartum anemia has been associated with postpartum morbidities, such as depression and poor cognition. However, it is unclear whether postpartum anemia is associated with reduced health-related quality of life. We performed a prospective study to examine the relations between postpartum Hb levels with postpartum health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We collected data from 60 women intending vaginal delivery and assessed HRQoL and maternal fatigue on admission and on the first postpartum day using the RAND 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), respectively. Maternal Hb levels were measured on admission and on the first postpartum day. We also assessed patients for postpartum depression using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). We performed unadjusted and multivariate linear regression (adjusting for maternal age, parity, mode of delivery, and race) to assess the associations between postdelivery Hb with each subscale of the SF-36 and MFI. The mean predelivery and postpartum Hb levels were 12.3 (1.2) and 10.8 (1.4) g/dl, respectively. In our unadjusted and adjusted regression analyses, we observed no statistically significant associations between postpartum Hb levels with any SF-36 or MFI subscale (P > 0.05). Based on the EPDS, only one patient was depressed; her postpartum Hb was 11.2 g/dl. Our findings suggest that postpartum Hb levels may not influence HRQoL or fatigue. However, our findings may only apply to women without predelivery anemia, severe blood loss or moderate-to-severe anemia after delivery. Future studies are needed to determine whether postpartum Hb influences HRQoL among women with moderate or severe postpartum anemia.
A rare nasal cavity mass in a child: Accessory middle turbinate.

OBJECTIVES The accessory middle turbinate, a rare anatomical variation of the nasal cavity, have been systematically studied in adults. Presence of accessory middle turbinate and its clinical significance in a child has not been reported. We describe clinical appearance and radiologic features of accessory middle turbinate in a child. METHODS Retrospective chart review. RESULTS A 3-year-old boy presented to the otolaryngology clinic for evaluation of recurrent epistaxis. Anterior rhinoscopy revealed moist nasal mucosa without inflammation and bilateral prominent blood vessels on the anterior nasal septum. Nasal endoscopy showed turbinate like protuberances in bilateral middle meatus. CT images documented accessory middle turbinate in the bilateral nasal cavity. CONCLUSION Otolaryngologists should be cognizant of anatomical variations of middle turbinate to achieve correct diagnosis and avoid potential complications during surgical management.
Comorbid Deafblindness and Autism Spectrum Disorder—Characteristics, Differential Diagnosis, and Possible Interventions

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases, so has the escalation of the diagnosis of ASD individuals with deafblindness (DB). This literature review examines the characteristics of individuals with DB and those with ASD, overlapping characteristics of the two disorders, intervention practices used in each field, evidence-based practices (EBPs) used in each field, possibilities for differential educational diagnosis of comorbid DB and ASD, and educational implications.
Adaptive Isosurface Reconstruction Using a Volumetric-Divergence-Based Metric

This paper proposes a new adaptive isosurface extraction algorithm for 3D rectilinear volumetric datasets, with the intent of improving accuracy and maintaining topological correctness of the extracted isosurface against the trilinear interpolation isosurface while keeping the mesh triangle count from becoming excessive. The new algorithm first detects cubes where the extracted mesh has large error using a volumetric-divergence-based metric, which estimates the volume between the extracted mesh and the trilinear interpolation isosurface. Then, it adaptively subdivides those cubes to refine the mesh. A new strategy is developed to remove cracks in the mesh caused by neighboring cubes processed with different subdividing levels.
A method and implementation for the empirical study of deleted file persistence in digital devices and media

Digital devices are ubiquitous in modern society. Every action on a digital device, whether initiated by a user, an application, the operating system, or hardware, leaves behind evidence of the activity in the form of digital artifacts such as files, memory content, and network traffic. Such artifacts are used by digital forensics investigators to reconstruct past activity, and by criminals seeking to harvest private or sensitive information. The persistence of an artifact over time directly affects its ability to be recovered at a later date, yet a rigorous, comprehensive theory of digital artifact persistence does not exist. This research proposes and demonstrates a method to facilitate the studies necessary to develop such a theory. We implemented a differential analysis approach in which sequential digital media images are analyzed for deleted file persistence. The contents of files deleted between the first two images are tracked in the remaining images. This data forms a decay curve for each file over time and activity. Since we also have access to system and storage media properties, deleted file properties, and the details of actions taken between images, we can begin to form testable hypotheses about the factors affecting deleted file persistence. We have implemented prototype software to conduct this analysis, and we demonstrate the method on images generated in a controlled environment as well as on a series of realistic system images.
Knowledge and prevention practices among U.S. Pregnant immigrants from Zika Virus outbreak areas

We administered an anonymous survey to assess knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices related to the Zika virus among pregnant women residing in Texas. Multivariate logistic regression models controlling for age, race/ethnicity, education, and number of years in the United States assessed differences between women born in outbreak areas (N = 390) versus those born in the United States (N = 249). Results demonstrated that most women wanted more information on the Zika virus and desired to obtain it from their physician. The majority did not know that the Zika virus could be spread through sex with an asymptomatic partner or how often those infected were symptomatic. Few women took precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Only 40% reported frequently using repellent; 21% stated that cost was problematic and almost half were concerned about use during pregnancy. Three-fourths stated they would agree to vaccination, if available. Compared with U.S.-born women, those born in outbreak areas were more likely to have already discussed the Zika virus with their doctor (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27, 2.71) and identify microcephaly as the most common birth defect (aOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.78, 3.76). Moreover, women born in outbreak areas were less likely to desire to keep it a secret if they became infected (aOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.31, 0.71). This study found that, regardless of birthplace, pregnant women need more education on the Zika virus disease and assurance regarding the safety of using repellent during pregnancy. They also need financial assistance for repellent, especially if living in states where transmission by mosquitos has been reported.
Hydrogen Isotope Composition Of Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum Lipids: Comparing Wild Type To A nfn- Transhydrogenase Mutant

The 2H/1H ratio in microbial fatty acids can record information about the energy metabolism of microbes and about the isotopic composition of environmental water. However, the mechanisms involved in the fractionation of hydrogen isotopes between water and lipid are not fully resolved. We provide data aimed at understanding this fractionation in the Gram-positive obligately thermophilic anaerobe, Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum, by comparing a wild-type strain to a deletion mutant in which the nfnAB genes encoding electron-bifurcating transhydrogenase have been removed. The wild-type strain showed faster growth rates and larger overall fractionation (2•total -319 ± 4 ‰) than the mutant strain (2•total -298 ± 4 ‰). The overall trend in growth rate and fractionation, along with the isotopic ordering of individual lipids, is consistent with results reported for the Gram-negative sulfate reducer, Desulfovibrio alaskensis G20.
The Prediction of Learning Disabilities in the Preschool Child

Although neuropsychological measures have not been developed specifically for the preschool child, the early identification and prediction of learning problems are major challenges for the child neuropsychologist. Working with such young children presents any array of problems, including measurement difficulties, interpretive issues, and developmental questions. This latter concern is particularly important given that even a group of children having the same chronological age, gender, and ethnic background will show a wide range of “normal” developmental variation (Wolff, 1981). Assessment methods will need to be guided by a neurodevelopmental theoretical framework if the study of brain-behavior relationships in this age group is to be advanced.
Brain-computer interface combining eye saccade two-electrode EEG signals and voice cues to improve the maneuverability of wheelchair

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) largely augment human capabilities by translating brain wave signals into feasible commands to operate external devices. However, many issues face the development of BCIs such as the low classification accuracy of brain signals and the tedious human-learning procedures. To solve these problems, we propose to use signals associated with eye saccades and blinks to control a BCI interface. By extracting existing physiological eye signals, the user does not need to adapt his/her brain waves to the device. Furthermore, using saccade signals to control an external device frees the limbs to perform other tasks. In this research, we use two electrodes placed on top of the left and right ears of thirteen participants. Then we use Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to extract meaningful EEG signals associated with eye movements. A sliding-window technique was implemented to collect relevant features. Finally, we classified the features as horizontal or blink eye movements using KNN and SVM. We were able to achieve a mean classification accuracy of about 97%. The two electrodes were then integrated with off-the-shelf earbuds to control a wheelchair. The earbuds can generate voice cues to indicate when to rotate the eyeballs to certain locations (i.e., left or right) or blink, so that the user can select directional commands to drive the wheelchair. In addition, through properly designing the contents of voice menus, we can generate as many commands as possible, even though we only have limited numbers of states of the identified eye saccade movements.
Respiratory complications after colonic procedures in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: does laparoscopy offer a benefit?

Patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at a higher risk for postoperative respiratory complications. Despite the benefits of a minimally invasive approach, laparoscopic pneumoperitoneum can substantially reduce functional residual capacity and raise alveolar dead space, potentially increasing the risk of respiratory failure which may be poorly tolerated by COPD patients. This raises controversy as to whether open techniques should be preferentially employed in this population. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database from 2011 to 2014 was used to examine the clinical data from patients with COPD who electively underwent laparoscopic and open colectomy. Patients defined as having COPD demonstrated either functional disability, chronic use of bronchodilators, prior COPD-related hospitalization, or reduced forced expiratory reserve volumes on lung testing (FEV1 <75%). Demographic data and preoperative characteristics were compared. Linear and logistic regressions were utilized to perform multivariate analysis and determine risk-adjusted outcomes. Of the 4397 patients with COPD, 53.8% underwent laparoscopic colectomy (LC) while 46.2% underwent open colectomy (OC). The LC and OC groups were similar with respect to demographic data and preoperative comorbidities. Equivalent frequencies of exertional dyspnea (LC 35.4 vs OC 37.7%, P = 0.11) were noted. After multivariate risk adjustment, OC demonstrated an increased rate of overall respiratory complications including pneumonia, reintubation, and prolonged ventilator dependency when compared to LC (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.30–1.98, P < 0.01). OC was associated with longer length of stay (10 ± 8 vs. 6.7 ± 7 days, P < 0.01) and higher readmission (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.09–1.68, P < 0.01) compared to LC. Despite the potential risks of laparoscopic pneumoperitoneum in the susceptible COPD population, a minimally invasive approach was associated with lower risk of postoperative respiratory complications, shorter length of stay, and decrease in postoperative morbidity.
Relating to Three Dimensions

I've always been passionate about geometry and the study of three-dimensional forms. – Erno Rubik Introduction Most of the images we see are projections of surfaces in the three-dimensional world around us. They result from light reflected off surfaces in that 3D world, passing through the lens of a camera, and intersecting the focal plane of the camera. These images that result from light reflected in this way are called “luminance” or “brightness” images in this book. What was not described earlier in this book is the relationship between the 3D world and 2D images, including matching of one to another. We begin by reviewing the geometry of a simple projective camera and relating it to position of points in three dimensions. What we would really like is a range image from every scene, but that isn't always feasible, so we look at several aspects of the 2D–3D relationship: • (Section 12.2) It is necessary to determine the 3D position of a point in space that is seen by two cameras, assuming the two cameras are known. This is the problem commonly known as stereopsis . When we say a camera is “known” we mean we know where it is, which way it is pointing, and all its internal parameters like focal length, resolution, and others. • (Section 12.3) Actually it is not really necessary to know all about the cameras. Almost all the relevant information about both cameras can be determined if there are several points in each camera view that can be put into correspondence. An adequate solution to this problem leads to a wonderful little matrix called the fundamental matrix that contains all we need to know for the two-camera problem. Underlying this work is the correspondence problem, the problem of identifying which point in one image corresponds to which point in the other image. Finding a robust solution to the correspondence problem may be difficult. • (Section 12.4) Once we have an approach to the correspondence problem, we can do partial matching of images and image stitching. • (Section 12.5) If, instead of two cameras, we have one camera and a controllable light source, we can still find the 3D location of points in space. We address controllable lighting and how to achieve range imaging in this context.
Applications of Mass Cytometry in Clinical Medicine: The Promise and Perils of Clinical CyTOF

Mass cytometry is a novel technology similar to flow cytometry in which antibodies are tagged with heavy metal molecules rather than fluorophores and then detected with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This enables measurement of up to 50 simultaneous parameters with no autofluorescent background and little or no spillover or required compensation. Mass cytometry has tremendous potential for the analysis of highly complex clinical samples for the diagnosis and monitoring of malignant and autoimmune disorders. The technology also presents several unique challenges for clinical use and will require new approaches to analyze the large amounts of data generated.
The Antihistamine Action of Ascorbic Acid

Histamine is a critical messenger molecule in times of stress, promoting alertness, blood flow, and healing (Kahlson et al., 1960; Schayer, 1962; White and Rumbold, 1988). Excess histamine, however, has a negative impact on circulatory and immunologic homeostasis (Schayer, 1962; Falus and Meretey, 1992) and aggravates inflammatory conditions of the gut (Rangachari, 1992) and respiratory tract (Doyle et al., 1994). Thus, antihistamine therapy is used for systematic treatment of certain diseases, including acid-peptic disorders (Feldman and Burton, 1990b), allergy (howarth, 1983; Schata et al., 1991; Naclerio, 1993), and inflammatory skin disorders (Giacosa et al.,1978).
Acute Vision Loss and Diplopia

A 57-year-old female with past medical history of atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension presents to the emergency department for a brief episode of painless vision loss in her left eye shortly before arrival. She describes the vision loss as a curtain pulled over the eye with vision returning spontaneously minutes later. She denies trauma to the eye, headache, fever, history of migraines, or prior similar episodes.
Trajectory generation on SE(3) with applications to a class of underactuated vehicles

This paper addresses the problem of generating a continuous and differentiable trajectory on the Lie group of rigid body motions, se(3), for a class of underactuated vehicles modeled as rigid bodies. The three rotational degrees of freedom (DOF) are independently actuated, while only one translational DOF is actuated by a body-fixed thrust vector. This model is applicable to a large set of unmanned vehicles, including fixed-wing and rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The formulation utilizes exponential coordinates to express the underactuation constraint as an intrinsic part of the problem. It provides steps to generate a rest-to-rest trajectory after obtaining conditions that guarantee controllability. An attitude trajectory is selected to satisfy the given initial and final attitude state. The position trajectory generation is subsequently posed as an optimal control problem expressed as a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) in the exponential coordinates corresponding to position. As a result, an optimal position trajectory is obtained which ensures that the trajectory generated is feasible with realistic velocities and with given initial pose and final pose, while satisfying the underactuation constraint. Numerical simulation results are obtained that validate this trajectory generation scheme.
Performing Human Rights During The War On Terror: Great Small Works’ Rising Tide Parade

In the spring of 2006, Great Small Works was commissioned by theLower Manhattan Cultural Council to make an art parade to kick off the River to River Festival, a summer-long series of concerts and performances whose goal, it seems to me, was to bring back a sense of lively public culture to the still-traumatized environs of 2001’s “Ground Zero.” While previous years’ parades had been collections of New York City artists’ processional sculptures, we decided to make our River to River parade a street theater event, a politically themed meditation on rivers, streets, and the dynamics of power in communities faced with transformation and change. In this, of course, we were following the kinds of traditions which Bread and Puppet Theater, Welfare State International, and other groups in the seventies had pursued; as well as the rich processional traditions of the 1920s and 30s; centuries of outrageous carnival street performance, Renaissance outdoor spectacle; and even the origins of Greek tragedy in the wheel-mounted processional boats – the carre navalis – which some have considered the roots of European carnival.
The Ketogenic Diet

The use of starvation to treat various ailments has a long history, actually going back as far as Hippocrates, where starvation was used to treat epilepsy. There is a reference in the bible to Jesus’ curing an epileptic. The description of the epileptic child is reasonably accurate, with a description of symptoms including falling, gnashing of teeth, and wallowing. In the healing, a “spirit” is cast out of the epileptic child, resulting in a cure (St. Mark 9:17–27).
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis*

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which ultimately controls the secretion of glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortex, is simply one arm of a central CRH system that appears to be responsible for coordinated behavioral, neuroendocrine, autonomic, and immune responses to alterations in homeostasis. There are marked circadian rhythms in the HPA axis, well integrated with other circadian activity to optimize the daily release of CRH and AVP, and its primary function is to stimulate steroidogenesis by the adrenal cortex. In addition, the HPA axis is responsive to stimuli (stressors) that threaten homeostasis, either psychologically or physically. Responses to acute stressors are essential for life, and they turn on and off rapidly. Chronic stressors appear to change the response characteristics in the HPA axis, possibly through recruiting central neural pathways that normally contribute in only a minor fashion to the acute stress response. During chronic stress, both the CRH- and the glucocorticoid-regulatory components of the HPA axis serve to inhibit activity in other, energy-expending hormonal systems of the body, thus conserving energy stores for immediate use.
The Immunobiology of Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders (PTLD)

Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) are actually a myriad of conditions in recipients of bone marrow or solid organ transplants, ranging from an infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome to frank lymphoma. At its worst, PTLD is an aggressive B-cell malignancy afflicting approximately 2-7% of all transplant patients. In this most severe form, PTLD can result in up to 50-90% mortality1-3. Typically, PTLD is of recipient origin in solid organ transplant recipients, and of donor origin in bone marrow transplant patients. Approximately 80% of PTLD occur within 18 months of transplantation. PTLD appear to progress from mononucleosis-like hyperplasia to oligoclonal lesions, then to polyclonal lesions, and ultimately to monoclonal lymphomas. If diagnosed early, some PTLD can be successfully treated with a reduction in immunosuppressionl, 2’4. PTLD occurring late after transplantation tend to be monoclonal lymphomas, and are much more difficult to treat, often requiring cessation of immunosuppression and chemotherapy5, 6. Most PTLD are B-cell lymphomas associated with Epstein—Barr virus (EBV)7. However, isolated cases of EBV-positive T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas have been reported8. In addition, EBV-negative PTLD appear to be increasing in incidence, particularly among PTLD arising late after transplantations, 6 The overall incidence of PTLD varies according to the type of organ transplanted. Adult kidney recipients tend to have the lowest overall incidence, with only 1-2% of transplant recipients being affected. In contrast, approximately 10-20% of combined heart and lung recipients develop PTLD1-3. Given the life-threatening nature of PTLD, it is considered a serious clinical problem in transplantation.
Examining the impacts of mental workload and task-technology fit on user acceptance of the social media search system

Information overload has been an important issue in today’s big data era where a huge amount of unstructured user-generated content in different languages is being created on the Web in every minute. Social media search systems could help with it by effectively and efficiently collecting, storing, organizing and presenting user-generated content across the Web in an organized and timely manner. However, little research has been done to examine factors that could influence user acceptance on this new type of systems. To address it, this study develops a research model by integrating Mental Workload (MWL), Task-Technology Fit (TTF), and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The model is tested on a security-related social media search system. The results indicate that both MWL and TTF can significantly influence user acceptance. We also operationalize the multi-dimensional latent construct of MWL by developing survey-based measurement items for different dimensions.
Biogenic aldehydes influence extracellular matrix via fibroblast-mediated and collagen cross-linking mechanisms: Potential therapeutic role for RAGE antagonists and L-carnosine

Biogenic aldehydes are toxic byproducts of normal cellular metabolism and are known to contribute to chronic diseases. Oxidative deamination of norepinephrine and dopamine by monoamine oxidase (MAO) generates the ‘catecholaldehydes’ DOPEGAL and DOPAL, respectively, and H2O2. 4-Hydroxynonenal (HNE) is formed by oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These highly reactive electrophiles have been implicated as causal factors in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases and cardiac injury from ischemia and diabetes. In diabetics, we and others have documented increased aldehyde accumulation and carbonyl stress in the heart. A pathogenic role for these aldehydes in cardiac fibrosis has been proposed, but mechanisms by which they act in this manner remain unclear. We hypothesize that aldehydes act via two pathways- 1) by activating fibroblasts via receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE)-dependent mechanisms; and 2) by cross-linking extracellular matrix proteins. Treatment of cardiac fibroblasts with DOPAL-BSA conjugate resulted in a >2-fold increase in collagen secretion and a robust increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS), and these effects were abolished by FPS-ZM1, a RAGE antagonist. To explore non-cellular mechanisms of aldehyde’s role in fibrosis, collagen was incubated with DOPEGAL, DOPAL and 4HNE alone or in presence of a concentrated glucose solution (25 mM) to simulate hyperglycemia. Yet another set of these incubations were repeated in presence of 5 mM solution of carnosine, a dipeptide that detoxifies aldehydes via formation of benign adducts . As determined by the shear modulus within the visco-elastic range of the polymer, we found that when combined together, aldehydes catalyze collagen cross-linking, and specifically catecholaldehydes enhanced the collagen crosslinking effects of glucose (P
An estimate to the first approximation of microtubule rupture force

Microtubule mechanical properties are essential for understanding basic cellular processes, including cell motility and division, but the forces that result in microtubule rupture or breakage have not yet been measured directly. These forces are essential to understand the mechanical properties of the cytoskeleton and responses by cells to both normal conditions and stress caused by injury or disease. Here we estimate the force required to rupture a microtubule by analyzing kinesin-14 Ncd motor-induced microtubule breakage in ensemble motility assays. We model the breakage events as caused by Ncd motors pulling or pushing on single microtubules that are clamped at one end by other motors attached to the glass surface. The number of pulling or pushing Ncd motors is approximated from the length of the microtubule bound to the surface and the forces produced by the pulling or pushing motors are estimated from forces produced by the Ncd motor in laser-trap assays, reported by others. Our analysis provides an estimate, to the first approximation, of ~ 500 pN for the minimal force required to rupture a 13-pf microtubule. The value we report is close to the forces estimated from microtubule stretching/fragmentation experiments and overlaps with the forces applied by AFM in microtubule indentation assays that destabilize microtubules and break microtubule protofilaments. It is also consistent with the forces required to disrupt protein noncovalent bonds in force spectroscopy experiments. These findings are relevant to microtubule deformation and breakage caused by cellular tension in vivo.
Lewis and Brönsted acid catalyzed Friedel–Crafts hydroxyalkylation of mucohalic acids: a facile synthesis of functionalized γ-aryl γ-butenolides

Abstract A catalytic, green and practical method for Friedel–Crafts hydroxyalkylation of mucohalic acid has been accomplished. Reaction of mucohalic acids with various electron-rich aromatic compounds in the presence of catalytic (1 mol % to 10 mol %) In(OTf) 3 or Bronsted acid, such as H 2 SO 4 in acetic acid provides γ-aryl γ-butenolides in moderate to excellent yield.
TNF-α induces acyl-CoA synthetase 3 to promote lipid droplet formation in human endothelial cells

Chronic inflammation contributes to cardiovascular disease. Increased levels of the inflammatory cytokine, TNF-α, are often present in conditions associated with cardiovascular disease risk, and TNF-α induces a number of pro-atherogenic effects in macrovascular endothelial cells, including expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines, and lipoprotein uptake and transcytosis to the subendothelial tissue. However, little is known about the roles of acyl-CoA synthetases (ACSLs), enzymes that esterify free fatty acids into their acyl-CoA derivatives, or about the effects of TNF-α on ACSLs in endothelial cells. Therefore, we investigated the effects of TNF-α on ACSLs and downstream lipids in cultured human coronary artery endothelial cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We demonstrated that TNF-α induces ACSL1, ACSL3, and ACSL5, but not ACSL4, in both cell types. TNF-α also increased oleoyl-CoA levels, consistent with the increased ACSL3 expression. RNA-sequencing demonstrated that knockdown of ACSL3 had no marked effects on the TNF-α transcriptome. Instead, ACSL3 was required for TNF-α-induced lipid droplet formation in cells exposed to oleic acid. These results demonstrate that increased acyl-CoA synthesis as a result of ACSL3 induction is part of the TNF-α response in human macrovascular endothelial cells.
Beyond broadband: digital inclusion as a driver of inequities in access to rural cancer care

Rural cancer survivors have worse quality of life than their urban counterparts. Telemedicine is a potential solution to connecting rural residents with specialized cancer providers during the survivorship period, but limitations in broadband may stifle the impact. Using data from a feasibility study evaluating a telemedicine intervention aimed at connecting rural Virginia cancer survivors with their care team located at a cancer center associated with an academic medical center, we sought to evaluate the ability of rural survivors to access the intervention and suggest strategies for improving access to rural cancer survivorship care. We used a descriptive design with geospatial and quantitative methods to understand broadband access, driving time to a satellite telemedicine site, and ability to utilize a borrowed cellular-enabled tablet to participate in the intervention for cancer survivors living in Central Virginia. Our study participants resided in census tracts where an average of 58% of households have adequate broadband access necessary to support a telemedicine videoconferencing intervention. Average driving time to the nearest telemedicine site was 29.6 min. Those who utilized the borrowed tablet experienced considerable difficulty with utilizing the technology. Rural cancer populations do not have equal access to a cancer survivorship telemedicine intervention. Telemedicine interventions aimed at connecting cancer survivors with their academic medical center-based cancer providers may be ineffective if survivors do not have access to either fixed broadband or a satellite clinic. Future research needs to evaluate other sites from which rural survivors can connect, such as rural public libraries.
Incorporation of Morphing Theory to Aerodynamic Flows

AbstractThe research reported herein makes use of finite-volume simulations of morphing continuum theory (MCT) to reproduce critical relations of thin-airfoil theory for the simple configuration of...
Shedding light on environmentally transmitted parasites: lighter conditions within lakes restrict epidemic size.

Parasite fitness depends on a successful journey from one host to another. For parasites that are transmitted environmentally, abiotic conditions might modulate the success of this journey. Here we evaluate how light, a key abiotic factor, influences spatiotemporal patterns of zooplankton disease where light varies seasonally, across lakes, and with depth in a lake. In an in situ experiment using those three sources of variation, we tested sensitivity of spores of two parasites to ambient light. Infectivity of both parasites was lower when exposed to ambient light in comparison to parasites exposed to otherwise similar conditions in the dark. The more sensitive parasite (the fungus, Metschnikowia) was damaged even under lower ambient light during late fall (November). With this differential sensitivity established, we evaluated links between light environment and natural outbreaks in lakes. Consistent with the incubations, epidemics of the less sensitive parasite (the bacterium, Pasteuria) started earlier in the fall (under higher ambient light), and both parasites had smaller outbreaks in more transparent lakes. Overall, light environment may impact the timing and size of disease outbreaks. Outbreaks could thus become exacerbated by human activities which darken waters, including lake browning associated with climate change and eutrophication.
A Scan of Existing 50 State Survey and Policy Surveillance Resources

"Policy surveillance," the systematic tracking of policies of public importance, is an emerging practice within legal epidemiology that supports both scientific evaluation and the diffusion of policies the work for health. The emergence of policy surveillance as a distinct practice has been gradual. Although there is a long tradition of "50 state surveys" in public health, the use of scientific methods to create datasets of legal variables suitable for use in evaluation research has emerged in the last twenty years as a result of sustained research funding for legal evaluation in key areas, most notably alcohol and tobacco control. In contrast to "traditional" legal research, policy surveillance entails tracking policies over time, and the use of systematic quantitative or qualitative coding to create scientific datasets.This report describes the results of a panel of experts who requested PHLR to conduct a scan identifying currently available policy surveillance portals and 50 state surveys of public health law. Our process scanned over 10,500 individual internet search results, returning over 160 individual policy surveillance resources created in the past four years. Many of these resources are static surveys that are updated either not at all or inconsistently, with different levels of supporting documentation, and across a broad range of health-related topics. This represents a significant investment of resources in policy surveillance and demonstrates the need for standards and protocols that more efficiently allocate the resources used to conduct policy surveillance.
Alumno Prouni: El impacto en la institución de educación superior y en la sociedad

The social and economic development of a country is related to social inclusion, which is incorporated in the affirmatives actions that are currently being applied in Brazil, such as the University Program for Everyone (ProUni). The purpose of the research herein presented is to assess, on the one hand, the impact that the new profile of students who enroll through ProUni has on higher education institutions, and on the other, the impact of ProUni graduates on society. We used quantitative and qualitative methodology. The results outlined according to student diversity show significant and relevant associations among employability, work, remuneration, satisfaction, incentives, and other aspects that also show a positive impact, both in the academic setting (inclusion of a new profile) and on society (social inclusion of ProUni graduates).
Employee Wellness Pilot Program

BackgroundMental health professionals caring for the veteran population are at increased risk for compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress based on the nature of their work. Whil...
Dependent Randomization in Parallel Binary Decision Fusion

We consider a parallel decentralized detection system employing a bank of local detectors (LDs) to access a commonly-observed phenomenon. The system makes a binary decision about the phenomenon, accepting one of two hypotheses ( $H_{0}$ (“absent”) or $H_{1}$ (“present”)). The $k$ th LD uses a local decision rule to compress its local observations $y_{k}$ into a binary local decision $u_{k};\ u_{k}=0$ if the $k$ th LD accepts $H_{0}$ and $u_{k}=1$ if it accepts $H_{1}$ . The $k$ th LD sends its decision $u_{k}$ over a noiseless dedicated channel to a Data Fusion Center (DFC). The DFC combines the local decisions it receives from $n$ LDs ( $u_{1}, u_{2},\ldots, u_{n}$ ) into a single binary global decision $u_{0} (u_{0}=0$ for accepting $H_{0}$ or $u_{0}=1$ for accepting $H_{1}$ ). If each LD uses a single deterministic local decision rule (calculating $u_{k}$ from the local observations $y_{k}$ ) and the DFC uses a single deterministic global decision rule (calculating $u_{0}$ from the $n$ local decisions), the team receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is in general non-concave. The system's performance under a Neyman-Pearson criterion may then be suboptimal in the sense that a mixed strategy may yield a higher probability of detection when the probability of false alarm is constrained not to exceed a certain value, $\alpha > 0$ . Specifically, a “dependent randomization” detection scheme can be applied in certain circumstances to improve the system's performance by making the ROC curve concave. This scheme requires a coordinated and synchronized action between the DFC and the LDs. In this study, we specify when dependent randomization is needed, and discuss the proper response of the detection system if synchronization between the LDs and the DFC is temporarily lost.
Associations of exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances individually and in mixtures with persistent infections: Recent findings from NHANES 1999-2016.

Abstract Certain viruses and parasites can cause persistent infections that often co-occur and have been associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Separate lines of research indicate exposures to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) suppress the immune system. We hypothesized that PFAS exposures might systematically increase susceptibility to persistent infections resulting in a higher pathogen burden. We used data from 8,778 individuals (3,189 adolescents, 5,589 adults) in the nationally-representative U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2016 to examine cross-sectional associations between serum concentrations of four highly detected PFAS (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA) with the presence of antibodies to cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr virus, hepatitis C and E, herpes simplex 1 and 2, HIV, T. gondii, and Toxocara spp. Seropositivity was summed to calculate a pathogen burden score reflecting the total number of infections. Separate survey-weighted multivariable regression models were fitted to analyze PFAS individually and quantile g-computation was used to analyze PFAS mixtures. Among adolescents, 38.7% had at least one persistent infection while 14.9% had two or more; among adults, these percentages were 48.0% and 19.7%. Each PFAS was individually associated with significantly higher pathogen burdens and the most pronounced associations were observed in adolescents [e.g., among adolescents, a doubling of PFOS was associated with 30% (95% CI: 25-36%) higher pathogen burden]. Quantile g-computation revealed PFAS mixtures as a whole were also associated with higher pathogen burdens. Taken together, these results suggest PFAS exposure may increase susceptibility to and foster the clustering of persistent infections, particularly among adolescents. Since persistent infections are important contributors to long-term health, prospective data are needed to confirm these findings.
Religious Liberty in a Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic caused an unprecedented shutdown of the United States. The stay-at-home orders issued by most states typically banned large gatherings of any kind, including religious services. Churches sued, arguing that these bans violated their religious liberty rights by treating worship services more strictly than analogous activities that were not banned, such as shopping at a liquor store or superstore. This short Essay examines these claims, concluding that the constitutionality of the bans turns on the science of how the pathogen spreads, and that the best available scientific evidence supports the mass gathering bans.
Strengthening regulatory systems for medicines in a changed world: where do we go from here?

### Summary box National regulatory authorities (NRAs) play a vital role in the regulation of medicines globally. A diverse spectrum of NRAs exists, from those with less well-developed systems to those with well-established, advanced systems. Over the past several decades, great strides have been made to strengthen regulatory systems across the globe. For example, greater harmonisation of technical standards via The International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use,1 adoption of WHO initiatives such as Good Regulatory Practices2 and the Global Benchmarking Tool,3 greater use of digital tools and more international cooperation and collaboration–including regulatory reliance mechanisms—between regulatory authorities. These initiatives are essential because strong regulatory systems streamline the regulatory review and approval process, facilitating access to safe and effective medicines to patients.3 Never has this endeavour felt more critical. In December 2019, the first reports of a new virus began to emerge. Since then, over 60 million people globally have …