cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digital Microfluidic Platform for Multiplexing Enzyme Assays: Implications for Lysosomal Storage Disease Screening in Newborns

BACKGROUND: Newborn screening for lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) has been gaining considerable interest owing to the availability of enzyme replacement therapies. We present a digital microfluidic platform to perform rapid, multiplexed enzymatic analysis of acid α-glucosidase (GAA) and acid α-galactosidase to screen for Pompe and Fabry disorders. The results were compared with those obtained using standard fluorometric methods. METHODS: We performed bench-based, fluorometric enzymatic analysis on 60 deidentified newborn dried blood spots (DBSs), plus 10 Pompe-affected and 11 Fabry-affected samples, at Duke Biochemical Genetics Laboratory using a 3-mm punch for each assay and an incubation time of 20 h. We used a digital microfluidic platform to automate fluorometric enzymatic assays at Advanced Liquid Logic Inc. using extract from a single punch for both assays, with an incubation time of 6 h. Assays were also performed with an incubation time of 1 h. RESULTS: Assay results were generally comparable, although mean enzymatic activity for GAA using microfluidics was approximately 3 times higher than that obtained using bench-based methods, which could be attributed to higher substrate concentration. Clear separation was observed between the normal and affected samples at both 6- and 1-h incubation times using digital microfluidics. CONCLUSIONS: A digital microfluidic platform compared favorably with a clinical reference laboratory to perform enzymatic analysis in DBSs for Pompe and Fabry disorders. This platform presents a new technology for a newborn screening laboratory to screen LSDs by fully automating all the liquid-handling operations in an inexpensive system, providing rapid results.
Surgery for pediatric invasive fungal sinonasal disease

Objectives/Hypothesis To evaluate the management and outcomes of children with invasive fungal sinonasal disease treated with radical surgery. Study Design Retrospective case series. Methods From 1994 to 2007, 11 pediatric patients were identified with invasive fungal sinonasal disease treated surgically by the same pediatric otolaryngologist. Collected data included demographics, oncologic diagnoses, absolute neutrophil counts, symptoms, computed tomography scan findings, biopsy and culture results, surgical procedures, concurrent medical therapies, complications, and survival. Results The studied patient population consisted of four males and seven females with an average age of 10 years (range, 2–14 years). Six patients were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and five with acute myeloid leukemia, which included 10 cases of relapsed disease. The average number of severely neutropenic days prior to diagnosis of an invasive fungal infection was 18 (range, 8–41 days). Culture results demonstrated Alternaria in seven patients and Aspergillus in four. Nine patients underwent an external medial maxillectomy, five of which were bilateral, and six underwent septectomy. All 11 patients (100%) were cured of their invasive fungal sinonasal disease without relapse. Three patients eventually died from unrelated causes. Conclusions Invasive fungal sinonasal disease is a life-threatening problem in immunocompromised children, especially with relapsed leukemia. Successful treatment depends on timely and aggressive surgical, antifungal, and supportive therapies. To our knowledge, this study represents the largest series of pediatric patients with invasive fungal sinonasal disease managed via an aggressive surgical approach with the best outcomes to date. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:1008–1012, 2014
Allocation of emergency ambulances to fire stations

The use of a computer model for relocating ambulances in fire stations resulted in a significant reduction in mean response time compared to the initial allocation plan.
Multi-User Detection of DS-CDMA Based on Improved-FastICA

Multi-user detection (MUD) is used to control multiple access interference (MAI) and promote system performance and capacity, which is one of the key technology for CDMA system. Independent component analysis (ICA) aims to recover a set of unknown mutually independent source signals from theirs observed mixtures without knowledge of the mixing coefficients. FastICA, one of the ICA methods, has been successfully applied in various fields. But the classical FastICA does not converge quickly. In multi-user detection of direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) system, we proposes an Improved-FastICA algorithm to reduce multiple access interference (MAI). The improved-FastICA algorithm uses a new Fifth-order Newton iterative method to estimate the negentropy. The experimental results show that the improved algorithm has the advantages of smaller bit error rate than traditional algorithm. The Improved-FastICA is more suitable for applications in DS-CDMA system.
Megaoesophagus and glucocorticoid-deficient hypoadrenocorticism in a dog

A seven-year-old German shepherd dog was referred for acute onset regurgitation. Muscle weakness and severe dermatological disease were present. Thoracic radiographs revealed generalised megaoesophagus. Diagnostic testing revealed glucocorticoid deficiency, and rapid resolution of the megaoesophagus followed appropriate supplementation. The dog made a full recovery. Unique features of this case include a transiently positive antinuclear antibody titre and clinical features of myasthenia gravis.
The Role Of School Life Expectancy And Urbanization On Adult Literacy Rates In Sub-Saharan Africa

It is important to examine the role of urbanization, government, and school life expectancy (the years of schooling a child is expected to have) on adult literacy because literacy contributes to economic success. Using cross-sectional data on 46 Sub-Saharan African countries, this study examines 1) the impact of school life expectancy on adult literacy, 2) the influence of urban population on adult literacy, and 3) the effectiveness of government educational expenditure on adult literacy. OLS regression analysis showed that the percentage of the population residing in urban centers and the school life expectancy were positively significant at the 5 percent level. Government expenditure, as a percentage of GDP, was positively significant at the 1 percent level.
Exponential Convergence on a Continuous Monte Carlo Transport Problem

For more than a decade, it has been known that exponential convergence on discrete transport problems was possible using adaptive Monte Carlo techniques. An adaptive Monte Carlo method that empirically produces exponential convergence on a simple continuous transport problem is described.
Prevalence, Course And Associations Of Depression In ALS: Lack Of Worsening With Disease Progression. (S36.002)

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence, longitudinal course, and associations of depression in a cohort of ALS patients. BACKGROUND: Depression is a treatable complication of ALS. Depression may adversely affect survival in ALS. DESIGN/METHOD: PHQ9 (a validated depression instrument) and other self-reported measures were prospectively collected from ALS patients on tablet devices prior to their appointments at Cleveland Clinic using software developed in-house (Knowledge Program). Categorical data methods, logistic regression, and random effects models were used for analysis. RESULTS: Of 805 patients seen at Cleveland Clinic between 2007 and 2013, 713 patients had at least 1 PHQ9 measurement, and 393 had 2 or more PHQ9 measurements at least 30 days apart. Moderate (PHQ9 蠅10), moderately severe (PHQ9 蠅15) and severe depression (PHQ9蠅20) occurred in 43.5%, 20.1% and 8.1% of patients respectively. In patients with repeated measurements, a trend for worsening depression was not seen despite disease progression. Predictors of at least moderate depression in univariate analyses were female gender (unadjusted OR 1.46, p p p p -8 ), higher rate of decline of ALSFRS-R ( p p -5 ). Using stepwise logistic regression with multiple covariates, the only significant predictors of depression to emerge were initial ALSFRS-R and its rate of decline. CONCLUSIONS: Depression is prevalent in ALS and is associated with disease severity at initial assessment. Paradoxically however, worsening depression is not observed during follow-up despite disease progression. ALS patients who are female, older, have pseudobulbar affect, or respiratory onset of symptoms are more prone to depression and should be screened for early intervention. Disclosure: Dr. Thakore has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pioro has nothing to disclose.
Seismicity in the Area Surrounding Two Mesozoic Rift Basins in the Northeastern United States

Seismologists have long sought to discern the cause(s) of earthquakes in the greater New York City (NYC) area. After decades of research on this topic, however, there are still many unanswered questions. Seismicity in the NYC area seems to be related in some way to the locations of Mesozoic rift basins (MRBs). This pattern might be a localized expression of the more global tendency of large earthquakes in stable continental interiors to occur in crust that has been stretched or extended at some time in the geologic past. This paper has three objectives: (1) It is a review of some of the well-known hypotheses that have been proposed to explain why earthquakes occur in the northeastern United States in general, and in the NYC area in particular. This review provides a background, and places this study of earthquakes in the NYC area in a more general context. (2) It is also a summary of the network seismicity in the NYC area. The network data are compared with the historical record of seismicity, and we demonstrate that there is a correlation between the network and historical seismicity. The earthquake process in the study area, therefore, appears to be stationary on the time scale of a couple of centuries. (3) Given this result, we use the network data as a “snapshot” of this earthquake process to test the hypothesis that there is a correlation between earthquake locations and the two MRBs in the study area, the Newark and Hartford basins.
Density Controlled Growth of ZnO Nanowall−Nanowire 3D Networks

This paper presents the synthesis of wafer scale 3D ZnO nanoarchitectures composed of an array of 1D nanowires (NWs) embedded in 2D nanowalls by the vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) method. The effects of oxygen concentration and growth temperature on the density of nanostructures were studied. The 3D ZnO nanostructures were synthesized on c-plane GaN-on-sapphire substrate utilizing high purity ZnO powder and oxygen (O2) as source materials, and argon (Ar) as carrier gas. ZnO materials were also grown on c-plane sapphire and Si (111) substrates for comparison. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) diffraction pattern showed the nanostructures are high quality single crystals having wurtzite crystal structure. High resolution trans- mission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed the growth direction of ZnO nanowires is along ⟨0001⟩ c-plane orientation. The growth mechanism of such 3D nanostructures was proposed. The understanding of the formation mechanism of the unique ZnO 3D nanostructures will provide guidance for controlled growth of other semiconductor-based nanostructures suitable for surface related applications such as sensing, energy harvesting, and catalyzing.
Utilization of kidneys from donation after circulatory determination of death.

Purpose of reviewThe present review describes the recent experience with kidney transplantation using donation after circulatory determination of death (DCDD) including efforts to expand the potential pool of DCDD donors.Recent findingsThe use of DCDD kidneys represents a growing source of kidneys f
Thermal inactivation of heat-shocked Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes in dairy compost.

Thermal resistance of heat-shocked Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes was compared with that of non–heat-shocked (control) strains in finished dairy compost. A three-strain mixture of each pathogen was heat shocked at 47.5°C for 1 h and inoculated into the compost at a final concentration of 107 CFU/g. The inoculated compost was placed inside an environmental chamber set at 50, 55, or 60°C with humidity at ca. 70%. The heat-shocked E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes survived better (P < 0.05) at 50°C, with reductions of 2.7, 3.2, and 3.9 log CFU/g within 4 h compared with reductions of 3.6, 4.5, and 5.1 log CFU/g, respectively, in control cultures. The heat-shocked cultures of E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and L. monocytogenes had 1.2-, 1.9-, and 2.3-log reductions, respectively, within 1 h at 55°C, whereas the corresponding control cultures had 4-, 5.6-, and 4.8-log reductions, respectively. At 60°C, a rapid population reduction was observed during the come-up ...
Effect of Pelleting and β-Glucanase Supplementation on the Ileal and Fecal Digestibility of a Barley-Based Diet in the Pig

The influences of pelleting and beta-glucanase supplementation on the digestibility of dietary components in a barley-based diet were investigated in pigs fitted with cannulas in the terminal ileum. The diet contained 49.0% starch, 18.9% crude protein and 14.8% dietary fiber, with arabinoxylans (4.9%), mixed-linked beta-glucans (3.4%) and cellulose (3.3%) as the main fiber components. Pelleting increased mixed-linked beta-glucan solubility from 45 to 62%. Neither treatment influenced the ileal or fecal apparent digestibilities of dry matter (64 and 80%, respectively), energy (62 and 79%), crude protein (53 and 75%), crude fat (26 and 27%) or dietary fiber (58 and 72%). However, pelleting increased (P less than .01) the pre-ileal apparent digestibility of starch from 91.5 to 95.3% and decreased (P less than .03) that of ash from -10 to -23%, while increasing (P less than .005) the fecal apparent digestibility of starch from 98.6 to 99.7%. The solubility of mixed-linked beta-glucans in ileal digesta was lower (P less than .001) in pelleted (26%) than in unpelleted (58%) diets. beta-glucanase supplementation also increased (P less than .05) the ileal apparent digestibility of starch, from 92.6 to 94.3%, and of mixed-linked beta-glucans, from 95.7 to 97.1%. Significant between-pig differences in the apparent digestibility of dietary components were observed. In conclusion, treatments that disrupt the endosperm cell walls in barley can increase the proportion of the diet digested prior to the large intestine.
Planning a meeting.

It is time for the interdepartmental meeting to start, but only half of the participants are present and they appear lethargic and unprepared. As the meeting ends, you leave frustrated from spending too much time to accomplish too little.
Mathematics: Analysis of point-to-set mappings

Correspondences We will call a point-to-set mapping a correspondence . A function maps points into points. A correspondence (or point-to-set mapping) maps points into sets of points. Let A and B be sets. We would like to describe a correspondence from A to B . For each x ∈ A we associate a nonempty set β ⊂ B by a rule ϕ. Then we say β = ϕ( x ), and ϕ is a correspondence. The notation to designate this mapping is ϕ : A → B . For example, suppose A and B are both the set of human population. Then we could let ϕ be the cousin correspondence ϕ( x ) = { y | y is x 's cousin}. Note that if x ∈ A and y ∈ B , it is meaningless or false to say y = ϕ( x ), rather we say y ∈ ϕ( x ). The graph of the correspondence is a subset of A × B : {( x, y ) | x ∈ A, y ∈ B and y ∈ ϕ( x )}. For example, let A = B = R . We might consider ϕ( x ) = { y | x - 1 ≤ y ≤ x + 1}. The graph of ϕ(·) appears in Figure 23.1. Upper hemicontinuity (also known as upper semicontinuity) In the balance of this chapter and the next, we concentrate on mappings from one real Euclidean space into another, from R N into R K , for N ≥ 1 and K ≥ 1.
MPTP: A Parkinsonism-causing Neurotoxic Substance

The past six years have witnessed an intense research effort centred around MPTP, l-methyl-4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. This research was triggered by the appearance in 1983 of a paper by Langston et al. implicating MPTP as a causative agent in a Parkinson’s disease-like condition found among drug abusers in northern California who had self-administered a street drug sold as a ‘synthetic heroin’. Langston et al. (1983) initially described four affected individuals who had developed severe parkinsonism soon after intravenous self-administration of a few doses of the street drug preparation. The preparation was intended to contain l-methyl-4-phenyl-4-propionoxypiperidine (MPPP), a compound resembling meperidine chemically and pharmacologically (Figure 1). The intended compound can be classed as a ‘designer drug’, an agent with pharmacological activity (in this case, narcotic activity) like that of an abused drug but chemically distinct from drugs that are controlled substances. MPTP was a by-product of the synthesis; it has no narcotic activity. The difference in structure between MPPP and meperidine is slight, and their pharmacological effects are similar. However, esterolysis of MPPP produces a compound that can undergo dehydration to form MPTP. Meperidine itself has a carbon-carbon bond off the piperidine ring instead of the carbon-oxygen bond in MPPP, so meperidine would not form the degradation product MPTP.
Improved Sample Preparation and Surface Analysis Methodology for Contact Angle Measurements on Coal ( Heterogeneous) Surfaces

Abstract An improved experimental procedure to measure contact angle has been consolidated with coal surface preparation involving polishing with abrasive paper, alumina powder,and a cloth, followed by ultrasonic and mechanical cleaning. Specifically, the captivebubble measuring technique has been compared with the sessile-drop technique and the former has been recommended for the examination of the hydrophobic properties of coal surfaces. Results of the research program, which is currently under way, on the effect of the nature. amount, size, and distribution of mineral inclusions in coal on its wettability are briefly reviewed.
It’s All in the Eyes: How Language Dominance, Salience, and Context Affect Eye Movements During Idiomatic Language Processing

This paper reports an eye movement study and the effects of salience, context, and language dominance on the processing of idiomatic expressions by Spanish–English bilinguals. Salient meanings of figurative expressions are those which are processed first and accessed automatically from the mental lexicon, regardless of contextual bias (Giora 2003). The research conducted so far with second language (L2) learners and bilingual participants has shown that the literal meaning of L2 idioms might be more salient than the figurative one in the course of their processing by non-native language users (e.g. Kecskes 2000; Liontas 2002; Cieślicka 2006; Cieślicka and Heredia 2011). In addition, research findings suggest that the degree of language dominance, or which language is more readily accessible due to usage (Heredia 1997; Heredia and Altarriba 2001; Altarriba and Basnight-Brown 2007), might be a factor in bilingual processing. To investigate whether the degree of literal and figurative activation in bilingual idiom processing may be modulated by language dominance (i.e. dominant vs. nondominant), we recorded eye movements of Spanish–English bilinguals, dominant either in Spanish or in English, while they were reading ambiguous (literally plausible, such as ‘kick the bucket’) English idioms. Each idiom was used either in its figurative or literal meaning and embedded in a sentence with neutral preceding context, in which case its figurative (‘Within seconds she realized she was in deep water, and that she would very soon come to regret her words’) or literal (‘Within seconds she realized she was in deep water, and that she would very soon have to swim back towards the shore’) meaning became clear due to the subsequent disambiguating information, or the preceding supportive context clearly biasing one of the meanings (e.g. figurative biased: ‘Since both of us were equally guilty of causing the overspend, we both knew we were in deep water, and very likely to lose our jobs’). As predicted, the results indicated that the effects of salience and context on eye movement patterns are modulated by language dominance.
Venetoclax: A First-in-Class Oral BCL-2 Inhibitor for the Management of Lymphoid Malignancies:

Objective: To review the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of venetoclax for treatment of lymphoid malignancies. Data Sources: A literature search was performed of PubMed and MEDLINE databases (20...
UCH-L1, a Potent Oncogene That Drives the Development of B-Cell Lymphoma, Promotes Akt Signaling by Regulating Mtor Complex Assembly

Abstract Abstract 4182 De-ubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) are important regulators of many cellular processes through their ability to reverse the modifications installed by ubiquitin ligases. Several members of the DUB family are implicated in human cancers, where they may act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. There is little direct in vivo evidence, however, for their roles in cancer. We recently reported that the DUB UCH-L1 is a potent oncogene that drives the development of spontaneous B-cell lymphoma in transgenic mice, and is required for the survival of malignant B-cells in vitro. The mechanism of these effects involves the strong induction of Akt signaling that is observed in culture and in lymphoid tissues of Uchl1 transgenic mice. Akt is phosphorylated on two distinct sites by the kinases PDK1 and mTOR, with both phosphorylation events required for maximal signaling. The activity of mTOR towards its substrates is dependent on the binding partners to which it is bound. When mTOR binds to raptor, it forms mTORC1, an important regulator of nutrient sensitive protein translation, whereas when complexed with rictor and SIN1, it forms mTORC2, a critical regulator of Akt signaling. It is unclear how the cell regulates the formation of mTORC1/2. Here we show a novel mechanism by which UCH-L1 regulates mTOR-dependent Akt signaling. By co-immunoprecipitating mTOR and its binding partners, we find that UCH-L1 expression promotes the binding of mTOR with rictor at the expense of raptor, without changing the level of either protein. These data suggest a novel ubiquitin-dependent regulatory step in mTOR complex assembly. In addition, UCH-L1 expression leads to a reduction in the levels of the Akt antagonist phosphatase PHLPP1 in vitro and in vivo. This decline is completely dependent on UCH-L1 DUB activity as expression of a catalytic mutant does not affect levels of PHLPP1. We find that the mechanism of this decline is not due to proteasome degradation, nor transcriptional control. We therefore hypothesize that the UCH-L1 associated shift in cellular mTOR activities leads to reduced mTORC1-dependent translation of PHLPP1. To test this, we inhibited mTORC1 activity by depleting raptor using shRNA and found a dramatic decline in PHLPP1 levels, whereas depletion of rictor had no effect on PHLPP1. We conclude that UCH-L1 boosts Akt signaling through a novel two-step mechanism by which it promotes the generation of mTORC2, reduces the levels of mTORC1, and thereby impairs the translation of PHLPP1. These data have important implications for understanding the roles of ubiquitin, mTOR, and Akt, in lymphoma biology and may lead to more intelligent use of next generation mTOR inhibitors in the treatment of lymphoma. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Single Counter Queueing Models Involving Multiple Servers

In this paper, two single-counter queueing models are considered. In both models, a pool of R servers is available for service, Servers take vacations when they find the system idle, or when some other server is busy. In the first model, the server who initiates the busy period continues to operate until its completion. In the second model, there is a priority ranking system assigned to the servers. Any server with a hingher priority, after returning from a vacation, immediately replaces any busy server with a lower priority. In the first model, in addition to the queue length distribution, several other results of interest are obtained, including the distribution of time between any two consecutive service activations for each server. For the second model, we have developed an algorithm to obtain the state probabilities and the mean queue length. The arrival process is assumed to be Poission; lengths of services and vacations are independent exponentially distributed random variables.
Process-Based Assignments: How Promoting Information Literacy Prevents Plagiarism

Abstract The authors argue that close attention to the research process will enhance student learning and campus ethos. Assignments designed to require accountability and scrutiny can relieve both students and faculty of some of their most dreaded and unproductive tasks. The rein forcing role of Information Literacy guidelines in this process-based approach is outlined. In building assignments that focus on the information gathering process, information competencies are addressed and plagiarism is prevented.
Spanning Portfolios, Multiple-Factor Beta Models, and Systematic Risk

This chapter studies spanning portfolios, the multiple-factor beta model, and characterizes systematic risk. This is done for an incomplete market with asset prices that can have discontinuous sample paths. Multiple-factor beta models are used for active portfolio management and the determination of positive alphas. These models can be derived using only the Third Fundamental Theorem 2.5 of asset pricing. A special case of this chapter is Ross’s APT, which illustrates the notion of portfolio diversification.
Status of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Guidelines for Assessing Impacts of Anthropogenic Sound on Marine Mammals

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in the process of developing acoustic guidelines for assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on marine mammal species under NOAA’s jurisdiction. The guidelines will provide a summary of past policies and updated basic science-based guidance. The guidelines are intended for use by NOAA analysts/managers and relevant stakeholders, including federal agencies, and will increase the transparency and consistency of how acoustic effects on marine mammals are assessed in the context of our authorizations, permits, consultations, and exemptions under the various environmental statutes NOAA administers (e.g., Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Marine Sanctuaries Act).
Floral Homeotic Genes for Genetic Engineering of Reproductive Sterility in Poplars

Many floral homeotic genes are expressed early in floral development and exhibit floral-specific expression, making them excellent candidates for use in engineering reproductively sterile plants. We have cloned and partially characterized Populus trichocarpa cDNAs and genes homologous to the Arabidopsis/Antirrhinum genes LEAFY (LFY)/ FLORICAULA (FLO), APETALA3 (AP3)/DEFICIENS (DEF), and AGAMOUS (AG)I PLENA (PLE). The P. trichocarpa LFY homolog, PtFL, shares 75% amino acid identity with LFY. PtD shows 81% amino acid similarity with DEF, and PtAG shows 85% homology withAG. PtFL is expressed in immature inflorescences on which floral primordia are developing. PtD is expressed strongly in stamen primordia from the onset of organogenesis, and is expressed at low levels in carpel primordia.
Mitochondrial respiratory metabolism and performance of cattle.

Two groups of cows were sampled to study variation of mitochondrial metabolism. The first group included 10 lactating and five gestating Holstein cows, representing available phenotypic extremes for milk yield. The second group included 13 Angus, 13 Brangus and 13 Hereford cows, representing available extremes within breeds for growth breeding value ratios. Consistently poor mitochondrial samples were obtained from gestating cows; these were excluded from analyses. Linear correlations of Holstein mitochondrial respiratory activities with sire-predicted difference for milk and milk fat ranged from -.35 to .15. Correlations of dam and cow indices and cow yields for milk with acceptor-stimulated mitochondrial respiration, oxidative phosphorylation efficiency (adenosine diphosphate:oxygen ratio [ADP:O ratio]) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis rate were .25 to .48, consistently higher than for milk fat, -.06 to .17. No differences among beef breeds in mitochondrial respiration rates, coupling of respiration to phosphorylation, ADP:O ratio or ATP synthesis rate were detected by repeated measures analyses of variance. No patterns were evident among correlations of the mitochondrial characteristics and growth and milk traits in beef cattle. These initial findings indicate that variability in the mitochondrial respiratory activities measured has less relation to weaning and yearling growth traits of beef cattle than to milk yield of Holstein cattle.
Patient Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Vasoactive Intracavernous Pharmacotherapy for Impotence

Patient acceptance of and satisfaction with a trial of vasoactive intracavernous pharmacotherapy for impotence among 372 men were retrospectively analyzed. Drop out from the dosage determination phase and the training for injection phase was similar, 9.7 and 8.4 per cent, respectively, while 31.4 per cent of the patients dropped out of the home injection phase. Tachyphylaxis, inconvenience of the procedure or the frequent followup visits required, side effects and concern about unknown long-term effects were the main reasons patients cited for dropping out of the trial. The degree of satisfaction among patients who entered the home injection phase was high. Only 55 patients who dropped out of the trial chose implantation of a penile prosthesis. Vasoactive intracavernous pharmacotherapy is an effective treatment for impotence of various etiologies, and in a carefully selected group of patients the acceptance of and satisfaction with this therapy are high.
HIV Vaccine Efficacy Trials: RV144 and Beyond

Despite progress in antiretroviral therapy, pre-exposure prophylaxis, microbicides, and other preventive strategies, a vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection remains desperately needed. Development of an effective vaccine is challenged by several immunologic features of HIV-1 evidenced by the failure of five of the six HIV-1 candidate vaccine efficacy trials to date. This chapter reviews these efficacy trials with a focus on the Phase 3 RV144 trial in Thailand, the only HIV-1 vaccine efficacy trial to show a moderate protective effect of 31% with respect to placebo administration. Although modest, this protection has allowed for the study of potential immunologic correlates of protection to improve development of future HIV-1 pox-protein and other vaccine strategies. Trials in Thailand and South Africa have built upon the RV144 framework to provide additional immunologic insights which enable current and future efficacy testing of related vaccine candidates.
Improving Ventriculostomy Management: Risk and Cost Reduction Through a Multidisciplinary Approach.

Objective Infection is a life-threatening complication of ventriculostomy. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop a cost-effective, evidence-based intervention to reduce ventriculostomy-associated infection (VAI) rates. Methods In this retrospective study, patients undergoing ventriculostomy insertion between June 2008 and December 2016 were identified, and charts were reviewed. The study period between June 2008 and August 2010 constituted the baseline (phase 1) in which non–antibiotic-coated ventriculostomy catheters were used and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling was done daily. Then, 2 sequential interventions were implemented. Between September 2010 and January 2013, antibiotic-coated ventriculostomy catheters (AC-Vs) were used (phase 2). Then, between February 2013 and December 2016, the frequency of CSF sampling was minimized to twice a week (phase 3). The rates of VAI and operational costs, or cost incurred for the external ventricular drain catheter, antibiotics, laboratory analysis, and CSF sampling supplies, were compared for each phase. Results The average infection rate for phase 1 was 3.3 infections per 1000 device-days. The VAI rates for phases 2 and 3 were 1.6 and 0.8, respectively. The use of AC-Vs and reduced CSF sampling resulted in a VAI rate decrease of 75.8% (P = 0.01). During 2014, there were no VAIs. The intervention produced an estimated $1.02 million in savings for the institution during phase 3. The average projected savings of this intervention was $175 per patient per day and reduced cost by 72%. Conclusions The use of AC-Vs in combination with decreased frequency of CSF sampling was cost saving and resulted in a significant reduction in device-related infections.
On Resolving Ambiguous Anaphoric Expressions in Imperative Discourse.

Anaphora resolution is a central problem in natural language understanding. We study a subclass of this problem involving object pronouns when they are used in simple imperative sentences (e.g., “pick it up.”). Specifically, we address cases where situational and contextual information is required to interpret these pronouns. Current state-of-the art statisticallydriven coreference systems and knowledge-based reasoning systems are insufficient to address these cases. In this paper, we introduce, with examples, a general class of situated anaphora resolution problems, propose a proof-of-concept system for disambiguating situated pronouns, and discuss some general types of reasoning that might be needed.
Why Women: Judging Transnational Courts and Tribunals

Calls for greater representation of women on the bench are not new. Many people share the intuition that having more female judges would make a difference to the decisions that courts might reach or how courts arrive at those decisions. This hunch has only equivocal empirical support, however. Nevertheless legal scholars, consistent with traditional feminist legal methods, persist in asking how many women judges there are and what changes might bring more women to the bench. This essay argues that achieving diversity in international courts and tribunals – indeed on any bench – will not happen simply by having more female judges. Instead, judges with diverse perspectives and life experiences, regardless of their gender, will make a difference in the substance and form of judicial decisions. This essay makes two contributions to the dialogue about judicial diversity. First, the essay posits that the overall justice project would be better served by abandoning binary categories like “men” and “women” in favor of recognizing that there is great diversity in both sex (however measured) and gender identity (however expressed). Framing any policy discussion in terms of “men” and “women” will fail to account for biological variety, individual difference, diverse gender identities, multiple sexual orientations, and the significant role that law and society play in constructing these identifiers. The essay’s second intervention employs an expansive view of feminism as a broad justice project to consider that multiple facets of a judge’s lived experience, identity and perspective inform decision-making. Bias and elitism in legal education and the legal profession occlude the judicial pipeline. Instead of carrying a flag for more “women” in the judiciary, advocates for more diverse courts and tribunals should focus on elevating those with the least professional capital: people of color, low-income people, immigrants, graduates of non-elite schools, professionals from rural areas, and people with non-cisgender identities, to name a few groups. Adding more women to the bench may seem to be an immediate solution, but it will not achieve the goal. Attaining true diversity will be more difficult.
Accounting for Slavery: Masters and Management. By Caitlin Rosenthal. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2018. Pp. xiv, 295. $35.00.)

Around 1854 Thomas Affleck, a planter in Mississippi, started publishing his Plantation Record and Account Book. The book, which was printed in several editions for plantations of various sizes, al...
Indirect Effects of Iron Oxide on Stream Benthic Communities: Capturing Ecological Complexity with Controlled Mesocosm Experiments.

Ferric iron (Fe(III)) oxyhydroxides commonly precipitate at neutral pH and in highly oxygenated conditions in waterways receiving acid mine drainage, degrading stream benthic communities by smother...
Carbon stock trends of baldcypress knees along climate gradients of the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley using allometric methods

Abstract Carbon stock trends of the knees of Taxodium distichum likely vary across climate gradients of the southeastern United States and contribute an unknown quantity of “teal” carbon to inland freshwater wetlands. Knee metrics (e.g., density, height, biomass) were measured in mixed T. distichum swamps across the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (MRAV) from Illinois to Louisiana. Based on their geometric similarity to a cone, the biomasses of field knees were estimated by relating the volume of their measured field dimensions to lab-measured water displacement volume and biomass via volume/mass regressions (biomass (g) = 7.2230149 + 0.292902 × volume). Knees had greater height in flooded conditions (maximum height = 163 cm; Goose Lake, Arkansas), and also in climate normal environments of mid-range precipitation and temperature (p
Deep Learning Imaging through Specialty Multi-Mode Fibers

We demonstrate a cost-effective, highly accurate, and fast-speed cell sensing system enabled by the combination of the disordered optical fiber and the deep-learning classifier. It is compatible with both coherent and incoherent illumination.
Does the Expiratory Disproportion Index Remain Predictive of Airway Stenosis in Obese Patients

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The expiratory disproportion index (EDI) is the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second divided by peak expiratory flow rate multiplied by 100. An elevated EDI (>50) can help differentiate upper airway stenosis from other dyspnea etiologies, but this has not been verified when considering body habitus. We hypothesize that the predictive value of elevated EDI in diagnosing airway stenosis will be lower in obese patients as compared to nonobese patients. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. METHODS Patients >18 years old with recorded pulmonary function test values, body mass index (BMI), and airway imaging were reviewed retrospectively from January 2011 to October 2018. EDI was recorded for four cohorts: nonobese and nonstenotic, obese and nonstenotic, nonobese and stenotic, and obese and stenotic, to determine the mean EDI and the sensitivity and specificity of an elevated EDI. RESULTS Mean EDI values were 66.53 ± 17.66 and 49.55 ± 2.04 in the nonobese stenotic and nonstenotic groups, respectively (P 50, EDI had a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 56.2% in differentiating between stenotic and nonstenotic cases in the nonobese cohort and 50.0% and 71.9% in the obese cohort. CONCLUSIONS As previously established, mean EDI values were significantly different in stenotic and nonstenotic patients in both BMI cohorts. However, at the established threshold of >50, EDI was not as sensitive at identifying stenotic cases in obese patients as in nonobese patients. This suggests that the EDI remains useful in obese patients when elevated but should not be relied upon to rule out stenosis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:606-609, 2021.
Impact of Early Tracheostomy on Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery: A National Analysis.

Background Despite evidence supporting its early use in respiratory failure, tracheostomy is often delayed in cardiac surgical patients given concerns for sternal infection. This study assessed national trends in tracheostomy creation among cardiac patients and evaluated the impact of timing to tracheostomy on postoperative outcomes. Methods We used the 2005 to 2015 National Inpatient Sample to identify adults undergoing coronary revascularization or valve operations and categorized them based on timing of tracheostomy: early tracheostomy (ET) (postoperative days 1-14) and delayed tracheostomy (DT) (postoperative days 15-30). Temporal trends in the timing of tracheostomy were analyzed, and multivariable models were created to compare outcomes. Results An estimated 33,765 patients (1.4%) required a tracheostomy after cardiac operations. Time to tracheostomy decreased from 14.8 days in 2005 to 13.9 days in 2015, sternal infections decreased from 10.2% to 2.9%, and in-hospital death also decreased from 23.3% to 15.9% over the study period (all P for trend Conclusions In cardiac surgical patients, ET yielded similar postoperative outcomes, including sternal infection and in-hospital death. Our findings should reassure surgeons considering ET in poststernotomy patients with respiratory failure.
Hardware Acceleration for Container Migration on Resource-Constrained Platforms

The computing capabilities of client devices are continuously increasing; at the same time, demands for ultra-low latency (ULL) services are increasing. These ULL services can be provided by migrating some micro-service container computations from the cloud and multi-access edge computing (MEC) to the client devices. The migration of a container image requires compression and decompression, which are computationally demanding. We quantitatively examine the hardware acceleration of container image compression and decompression on a client device. Specifically, we compare the Intel® Quick Assist Technology (QAT) hardware acceleration with software compression/decompression. For scenarios with a local container image registry (i.e., without network bandwidth constraints), we find that Intel QAT speeds up compression by a factor of over 7 compared to the single-core GZIP software and reduces the CPU core utilization by over 15% for large container images. These Intel QAT benefits come at the expense of Input/Output (IO) memory access bitrates of up to 900 Mbyte/s (while the software compression/decompression does not require IO memory access). For scenarios with a remote container image registry, we find that the container push (compression) time savings increase with the network bandwidth, while the container pull (decompression) time savings level out for moderately high network bandwidths and slightly decrease for a very high network bandwidth. Furthermore, Intel QAT acceleration achieves substantial power consumption reductions for container push compression for low to moderately high network bandwidths. Our evaluation results give reference performance benchmarks of the achievable latencies for container image instantiation and migration with and without hardware acceleration of the compression and decompression of container images.
New Drugs Regulatory Program Modernization: Vision, Strategic Objectives, and Impact

In response to a rapid increase in drug development activity during the past two decades, the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research launched a multi-year effort in 2017 to modernize the program by which new drug products are regulated, known as the New Drugs Regulatory Program. Following a detailed analysis of FDA activities in new drug development, premarket review, and postmarket monitoring, the Office of New Drugs was restructured to therapeutically align its clinical offices and to add new cross-functional offices for regulatory support. An interdisciplinary review process for new drug and biologics applications was rolled out to reduce redundancy and produce review documents that effectively communicate the scientific basis for the regulatory decision. The investigational new drug (IND) review process was also streamlined. During the next 2 years, the modernization initiative will seek to attract and retain new scientific and regulatory staff, improve postmarket safety monitoring, increase efficiency of drug review via technology-enabled workflows, and standardize the capture and use of scientific data to inform future regulatory decisions. The modernization effort will position the New Drugs Regulatory Program to continually improve and adapt to innovations in science, technology, and drug development.
Neotypification of the Interspecific Hybrid Pterocarya ×rehderiana (Juglandaceae) Originating at the Arnold Arboretum

The interspecific hybrid Pterocarya × rehderiana C. K. Schneid. was first described in 1903 but there is no record of typification. A neotype is designated here from among the earliest collections of the nothospecies stored at the Herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum (A).
A Surge in Pediatric Coronavirus Disease 2019 Cases: The Experience of Texas Children's Hospital from March to June 2020.

Background An understanding of the clinical characteristics of children with coronavirus disease 2019 in diverse communities is needed to optimize the response of healthcare providers during this pandemic. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all children presenting to the Texas Children's Hospital system with testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from March 10, 2020, through June 28, 2020. Demographics were recorded for all patients undergoing testing and clinical characteristics and outcomes were recorded for children with positive tests. Results Of 16 554 unique patients ≤ 21 years of age who were tested for SARS-CoV-2, 1215 (7.3%) patients tested positive. Infants under 1 year of age and patients aged 18-21 years had the highest percent of positive tests at 9.9% (230/2329) and 10.7% (79/739), respectively. Hispanic children accounted for 66% (802/1215) of positive tests, though they only represented 42.1% (6972/16 554) of all children tested for SARS-CoV-2. Of the 1215 children with a positive test, 55.7% had fever, 40.9% had cough, 39.8% had congestion or rhinorrhea, 21.9% had gastrointestinal complaints, and 15.9% were asymptomatic. Only 97 (8%) patients were hospitalized (of which 68% were Hispanic). Most of the hospitalized patients had underlying medical conditions (62/97, 63.9%), including obesity. Thirty-one hospitalized patients (31/97, 32%) required respiratory support and 9 patients (9/97, 9.3%) received SARS-CoV-2 antiviral therapy. Two patients died. Conclusions A relatively high percentage of Hispanic children tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and were hospitalized. Most of the children with detection of SARS-CoV-2 had uncomplicated illness courses; some children were critically ill; and 2 patients died.
Predicting the effects of climate change on incubation in reptiles: methodological advances and new directions.

ABSTRACT The unprecedented advancement of global climate change is affecting thermal conditions across spatial and temporal scales. Reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) are uniquely vulnerable to even fine-scale variation in incubation conditions and are a model system for investigating the impacts of shifting temperatures on key physiological and life-history traits. The ways in which current and predicted future climatic conditions translate from macro- to ultra-fine scale temperature traces in subterranean nests is insufficiently understood. Reliably predicting the ways in which fine-scale, daily and seasonally fluctuating nest temperatures influence embryonic development and offspring phenotypes is a goal that remains constrained by many of the same logistical challenges that have persisted throughout more than four decades of research on TSD. However, recent advances in microclimate and developmental modeling should allow us to move farther away from relatively coarse metrics with limited predictive capacity and towards a fully mechanistic model of TSD that can predict incubation conditions and phenotypic outcomes for a variety of reptile species across space and time and for any climate scenario.