cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Negative Banquet of Odysseus and the Cyclops

Banquet scenes abound in Homer’s Odyssey and they contribute significantly to a sense of human community by engendering bonds of guest and host (xenia) and the virtues of sharing, equality, and moderation; in the encounters between Odysseus and alien peoples, the type of food and the means of taking it serve as a touchstone for civilized life. Another theme is the conflict of humans with the barbarism of nature, as in the central encounter between Odysseus’ men and the Cyclops Polyphemus, which presents a conflict between civilized humanity and a subhuman culture trapped in a primitive pastoral stage, narrated through the medium of a perverted banquet ritual. The conflict is expressed through a set of dichotomies: wine, the beverage of settled life vs. milk, the drink of nomadic barbarism; community vs. antisocial isolation; self-control vs. drunkenness and gluttony; wits vs. brute strength; xenia vs. cannibalism. The last theme merits special attention as the cannibalism taboo is strong in Greek culture, as mythology attests, and wherever cannibalism emerges it represents a blasphemous inversion of xenia and/or a regression to primal chaos. The Cyclops, a shepherd subsisting on milk and cheese, enacts a parody of the feasting rites in which he dines alone rather than sharing with his visitors, he literally dines on his visitors rather than feeding them, and then makes a mockery of the guest’s and host’s exchange of gifts. But the Cyclops lacks one crucial quality which distinguishes men from children or savages: self-control, sophrosyne. His heedless swillage of the choice wine which Odysseus has given him effectively emasculates him and allows Odysseus and his crew to defeat him by planning and teamwork. In this exemplary clash of mankind with its barbaric negative image, the former has won through community, intelligence, and self-control, all virtues fostered and strengthened by the shared meal, one of the most exemplary scenes in Homer’s Odyssey.
Conductivity Relaxation Studies On La0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Ga0.2O3−δ

The surface exchange coefficient, ki, of the mixed ionic electronic conductor perovskite, La0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Ga0.2O3−δ, was determined in the temperature range 600-900°C by electrical conductivity relaxation on thin plate and long bar samples, using four probe dc conductivity measurements. The normalized conductivity could be fitted by the equation corresponding to surface limited relaxation, (σ(t) − σ1) / (σ2 − σ1) = 1 − exp(−t / τ), where τ = l1l2 / [(l1 + l2)Γki], σ(t), σ1 and σ2 are the time dependent, initial and final conductivities, Γ is the thermodynamic factor and 2l1, and 2l2 are the lateral sides of the bar. Numerical simulation shows that the shape of the relaxation curve for the plate geometry changes only little in going from surface limited to diffusion limited transport, the change is significantly larger for the bar geometry.
Hydroxylated derivatives of NPC1161: theoretical insights into their potential toxicity and the feasibility and regioselectivity of their formation.

For antimalarial 8-aminoquinoline (8-AQ) drugs, the ionization potential (energy required to remove an electron) of their putative metabolites has been proposed to be correlated in part to their he...
Measurement of Phencyclidine in Saliva

Following intraperitoneal injection of phencyclidine in the rat, concentrations ranged from 148 to 1364 ng/mL in saliva (mean +/- SD, 567 +/- 415) and from 196 to 1016 ng/mL in corresponding serum samples (mean +/- SD, 502 +/- 231). Phencyclidine concentrations in saliva showed no significant correlation with those in serum, and saliva concentrations were occasionally higher than serum concentrations. The saliva:serum concentration ratios ranged from 0.4 to 3.0. Since hypersalivation is common in man and animals after phencyclidine ingestion, measurement of the compound in saliva may provide a useful alternative to serum and urine which are not always available for analysis.
Moving For Medicaid? Recent Eligibility Expansions Did Not Induce Migration From Other States

Starting in 2014, many low-income adult residents of states that forgo the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid would be eligible for that program if they moved to a state that had chosen to expand its coverage. Some of these people may migrate to receive coverage, thereby increasing costs for states that have expanded the program. This is known as the “welfare magnet” hypothesis, a claim that geographic variation in social programs induces the migration of welfare recipients to places with more generous benefits or eligibility. To investigate whether such spillover effects are likely, we used data from the Current Population Survey to examine the migration patterns of low-income people before and after recent expansions of public insurance in Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York. Using difference-in-differences analysis of migration in expansion and control states, we found no evidence of significant migration effects. Our preferred estimate was precise enough to rule out net migration effe...
Comments on: A random forest guided tour

We discuss future challenges in developing statistical theory for Random Forests. In particular, we suggest that an analysis of bias and extrapolation is vital to understanding the statistical properties of variable importance measures. We further point to the incorporation of random forests within larger statistical models as an important tool for high-dimensional statistical inference.
Configuration Principle of Last Breaker Trip Equipment in Inverter Station of HVDC

The last breaker trip equipment is a very important control device in inverter station of HVDC system, whose main function is to prevent overvoltage at the AC side of the converter station and other parts. The overvoltage caused by sudden trip-out of all AC loads in the inverter station while the DC system still being in operation, will lead to damage of the AC and DC equipments. Taking the Lingbao back-to-back HVDC project for example, which is the first fully home-produced HVDC project in China, the last breaker trip equipment is analyzed in detail. Learning from the practical design and commissioning experiences in this project, the control functions of last breaker trip equipment are optimized, and the design principle and commissioning experiences are summarized. These experiences can be referred to other HVDC projects and are also helpful for improving the design, commissioning and operation level of HVDC projects in China.
The role of single occupancy effects on integrase dynamics in a cell-free system

Phage integrase-based circuits are an alternative approach to relying on transcriptional and translational repression for biomolecular circuits. Previous research has shown that circuits based on integrases can perform a variety of functions, including counters, Boolean logic operators, memory modules and temporal event detectors. It is therefore essential to develop a principled theoretical and experimental framework for the design, implementation and study of such circuits. One of the fundamental questions that such a framework should address concerns the functionality limitations and temporal dynamics of the integrases as regulatory elements. Here, we test the functionality of several large serine integrases from a recently published library in a cell-free transcription-translation (TX-TL) platform. Additionally, we use a combination of experimental data and models to investigate integrase dynamics as a function of enzyme concentration and number of binding sites. We report that sequestration of integrase molecules, either in the form of monomers or dimers, by the integrase's own binding sites dominates integrase dynamics, and that the delay in the activation of the reporter is negatively correlated with integrase plasmid concentration. We have validated our sequestration hypothesis by building a model with MATLAB’s SimBiology toolbox, and running simulations with various integrase and binding sites concentrations. The simulation results qualitatively match the experimental results, and offer further insights into the system.
An x-ray absorption spectroscopy study of Cd binding onto a halophilic archaeon

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and cadmium (Cd) isotherm experiments determine how Cd adsorbs to the surface of halophilic archaeon Halobacterium noricense. This archaeon, isolated from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico could be involved with the transport of toxic metals stored in the transuranic waste in the salt mine. The isotherm experiments show that adsorption is relatively constant across the tolerable pH range for H. noricense. The XAS results indicate that Cd adsorption occurs predominately via a sulfur site, most likely sulfhydryl, with the same site dominating all measured pH values.
Persistent eosinophilia in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma and TP53 deletion is a potential predictor of variant Richter’s transformation

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) progression to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Richter’s syndrome) is noted in approximately 3 - 16% of the patients. However, transformation to classical Hodgkin lymphoma occurs in only 0.5% of the patients and has no clinically well-defined predictors. We report three patients with CLL/SLL and TP53 deletion in whom persistent eosinophilia preceded the Hodgkin lymphoma transformation
Abstract P060: VDAC2 and 3, but Not VDAC1, Are Required for HK2-Mediated Protection Against Cell Death

The glycolytic enzyme hexokinase-2 (HK2) has been shown to protect several cell types including cardiomyocytes against death. However, the mechanisms of this HK2-mediated protection have not been e...
Multicenter Evaluation of Ceftazidime-Avibactam and Ceftolozane-Tazobactam Inhibitory Activity against Meropenem-Nonsusceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Blood, Respiratory Tract, and Wounds

The recent escalation of occurrences of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been recognized globally and threatens to erode the widespread clinical utility of the carbapenem class of compounds for this prevalent health care-associated pathogen. Here, we compared the in vitro inhibitory activity of ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam against 290 meropenem-nonsusceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa nonduplicate clinical isolates from 34 U.S. hospitals using reference broth microdilution methods. Ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam were active, with ceftolozane-tazobactam having significantly higher inhibitory activity than ceftazidime-avibactam. The heightened inhibitory activity of ceftolozane-tazobactam was sustained when the site of origin (respiratory, blood, or wound) and nonsusceptibility to other β-lactam antimicrobials was considered. An extensive genotypic search for enzymatically driven β-lactam resistance mechanisms revealed the exclusive presence of the VIM metallo-β-lactamase among only 4% of the subset of isolates nonsusceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, or both. These findings suggest an important role for both ceftazidime-avibactam and ceftolozane-tazobactam against carbapenem-nonsusceptible Pseudomonas aeruginosa Further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to better define the clinical utility of these novel therapies against the increasingly prevalent threat of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
A micro-mechanical modeling approach for dynamic fragmentation in brittle multi-phase materials

Abstract Understanding the response of structures exposed to high rate mechanical loading is important for improved protection and security. Modeling the behavior of these structural materials and components can be performed at different scales. However, a detailed picture of the behavior of the material under high strain rates can only be gained by treating each of its components independently. In this work, we present a one-dimensional finite element model to study dynamic fragmentation in multi-phase materials, and we applied it to study masonry as an example of multi-phase material for structural applications. The model follows a micro-mechanical approach where the matrix (brick), inclusions (mortar), and interfaces between matrix and inclusions are represented separately. Within each constituent, the heterogeneity in the material is introduced through a critical strength distribution. A cohesive zone model has also been incorporated to model progressive damage. Results show the influence of the volume fraction and the inclusion size on the average fragment-size and fragment-size distributions for strain rates between 102 and 105 s − 1 . Based on these results, a mathematical expression that captures the dependence of the average fragment-size on the strain rate, volume fraction and inclusion size has also been formulated. The observed increase on the average fragment-size with decreasing the inclusion size suggests the existence of a critical length that depends on the strain rate and material properties below which, no additional fragments of the inclusion-material are created.
p16 Immunohistochemistry in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using the E6H4 Antibody Clone: A Technical Method Study for Optimal Dilution.

Routine testing for p16 immunohistochemistry (with selective HPV-specific test use) has been recommended for clinical practice in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Data suggests that the E6H4 clone performs best for this purpose, yet no studies have evaluated the optimal antibody concentration for OPSCC testing. We evaluated three concentrations (undiluted, 1:5, and 1:10) of the primary antibody solution for E6H4 using tissue microarrays from a cohort of 199 OPSCC patients with a > 70% staining cutoff for positivity. Concordance was evaluated using percent agreement and Cohen’s kappa. The concentrations were evaluated for sensitivity and specificity using high risk HPV RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) and also correlated with Kaplan–Meier overall survival analysis. Inter-rater agreement was very high between p16 results at each concentration and also with RNA in situ hybridization (p < 0.0001 for all). Agreement between p16 undiluted and 1:5 dilution (agreement 98.2%; Kappa 0.943; p < 0.0001) was very high and between p16 undiluted and 1:10 dilution (agreement 79.2%; Kappa 0.512; p < 0.0001) much lower. Intensity of the staining did decrease with the 1:5 and 1:10 dilutions compared to undiluted, but not in a manner that obviously would change test interpretation or performance. Results suggest that the E6H4 antibody performs well at dilutions of up to 1:5 fold with a minor decrease in staining intensity, minimum loss of sensitivity, and no loss of specificity in OPSCC patients. This could result in reagent and cost savings.
Development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for quantitation of fosfomycin - Application to in vitro antimicrobial resistance study using hollow-fiber infection model.

Extensive use and misuse of antibiotics over the past 50 years has contributed to the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, rendering them as a global health concern. To address this issue, a dynamic in vitro hollow-fiber system, which mimics the in vivo environment more closely than the static model, was used to study the emergence of bacterial resistance of Escherichia coli against fosfomycin (FOS). To aid in this endeavor we developed and validated a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay for quantitative analysis of FOS in lysogeny broth. FOS was resolved on a Kinetex HILIC (2.1 × 50 mm, 2.6 μm) column with 2 mm ammonium acetate (pH 4.76) and acetonitrile as mobile phase within 3 min. Multiple reaction monitoring was used to acquire data on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The assay was linear from 1 to 1000 μg/mL. Inter- and intra-assay precision and accuracy were <15% and between ±85 and 115% respectively. No significant matrix effect was observed when corrected with the internal standard. FOS was stable for up to 24 h at room temperature, up to three freeze-thaw cycles and up to 24 h when stored at 4°C in the autosampler. In vitro experimental data were similar to the simulated plasma pharmacokinetic data, further confirming the appropriateness of the experimental design to quantitate antibiotics and study occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in real time. The validated LC-MS/MS assays for quantitative determination of FOS in lysogeny broth will help antimicrobial drug resistance studies.
Transcriptional control of intestinal cholesterol absorption, adipose energy expenditure and lipid handling by Sortilin

The sorting receptor Sortilin functions in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. Dysfunctional lipid uptake, storage, and metabolism contribute to several major human diseases including atherosclerosis and obesity. Sortilin associates with cardiovascular disease; however, the role of Sortilin in adipose tissue and lipid metabolism remains unclear. Here we show that in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr-/-) atherosclerosis model, Sortilin deficiency (Sort1-/-) in female mice suppresses Niemann-Pick type C1-Like 1 (Npc1l1) mRNA levels, reduces body and white adipose tissue weight, and improves brown adipose tissue function partially via transcriptional downregulation of Kruppel-like factor 4 and Liver X receptor. Female Ldlr-/-Sort1-/- mice on a high-fat/cholesterol diet had elevated plasma Fibroblast growth factor 21 and Adiponectin, an adipokine that when reduced is associated with obesity and cardiovascular disease-related factors. Additionally, Sort1 deficiency suppressed cholesterol absorption in both female mice ex vivo intestinal tissue and human colon Caco-2 cells in a similar manner to treatment with the NPC1L1 inhibitor ezetimibe. Together our findings support a novel role of Sortilin in energy regulation and lipid homeostasis in female mice, which may be a potential therapeutic target for obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Crossing the Digital Divide: Monism, Dualism and the Reason Collective Action is Critical for Cyber Theory Production

In studying topics in cyber conflict and cyber-security governance, scholars must ask—arguably more so than has been the case with any other emergent research agenda—where the epistemological and ontological value of different methods lies. This article describes the unique, dual methodological challenges inherent in the multifaceted program on global cyber-security and asks how problematic they are for scholarly efforts to construct knowledge about digital dynamics in world affairs. I argue that any answer to this question will vary depending on how one perceives the social science enterprise. While traditional dualistic perspectives on social science imply unique challenges for researcher, a monistic perspective of Weberian objectivity does not. Regardless of one’s perspective, however, the most important steps to be taken at the level of the research program are clearly those focused on constructing the trappings of community. To this end, I outline steps that might be taken to develop a range of community-building and -supporting mechanisms that can simultaneously support a micro-foundational approach to research and expose community elements to one another. Doing this stands to better opportunities for the production of knowledge and direct researchers towards fruitful avenues whilst shortening gaps between the ivory tower and the real world.
Barriers to adherence in hematologic malignancies in a rural regional hospital network.

e18189Background: Adherence to complex oral medication regimens is important to achieving optimal clinical outcomes in patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM) and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). As par...
Increased SOX9 Expression in Premalignant and Malignant Pancreatic Neoplasms.

SOX9, a progenitor cell marker, is important for pancreatic ductal development. Our goal was to examine SOX9 expression differences in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) and ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) compared with benign pancreatic duct (BP). SOX9 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry performed on 93 specimens: 37 BP, 24 low grade (LG) IPMN, 12 high grade (HG) IPMN, and 20 PDAC. A linear mixed-effects model was used to compare the percentage of cells expressing SOX9 by specimen type. A separate linear mixed-effects model evaluated differences in SOX9 expression by staining intensity in pancreatic epithelial cells. Nuclear SOX9 expression was detected in the epithelial cells of 98% HG IPMN, 93% LG IPMN, 83% PDAC, and 60% BP. Compared with BP, SOX9 was expressed from a significantly greater percentage of cells in LG IMPN, HG IMPN, and PDAC (p 0.05). PDAC had significantly higher expression of SOX9 compared with BP but significantly lower SOX9 expression compared with LG or HG IPMN (p < 0.001 for each). IPMNs demonstrated the highest expression levels of SOX9. SOX9 expression in BP and PDAC demonstrated much more heterogeneity compared with the strong, uniform expression in IPMN.
Courting Two-Timers: Multi-Homing Users’ Preferences for Two-Sided Exchange Networks

Our research analyzes users’ preferences for two-sided exchange networks that serve distinct but inter-dependent types of users (e.g. buyers and suppliers). To do this we look at multi-homing users...
Correlating the Relationship Between U.S. News & World Report Rankings and Social Media Efficiency of the Top 10 Ranked Private Universities at the State Level (Massachusetts), the United States and the World (U.S. News & World Report, 2019)

This analysis will provide an overview of the top 10 ranked (U.S. News 2019) universities at the state level (Massachusetts), U.S. national, and the world. For each of the universities being analyzed in this study, data will be collected from university-centralized social media accounts. The following types of social media channels will be represented: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This study will report on the gross number of followers for each of these channels along with total institutional operating expense. The rationale is to establish a baseline for return on investment (ROI) pertaining to social media efficiency/influence by drawing correlations to current (2019) university rankings by U.S. News & World Report. For the state level assessment, Massachusetts was selected simply based upon the proximity to where the study was being conducted, Boston College.
Current Understanding of the Pathophysiology of Disorganization of the Retinal Inner Layers and Relationship to Visual Acuity

In clinical practice, visual acuity (VA) outcomes after treatment may be associated with multiple optical coherence tomography (OCT) variables including central subfield thickness (CST), ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption , epiretinal membrane, vitreoretinal interface abnormalities, and disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRIL). Since CST has shown only a modest correlation with VA, additional OCT-based prognostic factors can be useful. DRIL is an OCT derived variable that may be a prognostic factor. Ischemia and inflammation may explain the pathogenesis of DRIL but are not well understood. Visual transmission pathways may be interrupted and affect VA. This review highlights the various studies on DRIL and VA, specifically within diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, and Uvetic macular edema (ME). Based on the current literature review, DRIL’s prognostic value in predicting VA is not well elucidated but shows potential to be utilized in clinical practice.
Status of the Topeka Shiner in Iowa

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is native to Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota and has been federally listed as endangered since 1998. Our goals were to determine the present distribution and qualitative status of Topeka shiners throughout its current range in Iowa and characterize the extent of decline in relation to its historic distribution. We compared the current (2016–2017) distribution to distributions portrayed in three earlier time periods. In 2016–2017 Topeka shiners were found in 12 of 20 HUC10 watersheds where they occurred historically. Their status was classified as stable in 21% of the HUC10 watersheds, possibly stable in 25%, possibly recovering in 8%, at risk in 33%, and possibly extirpated in 13% of the watersheds. The increasing trend in percent decline evident in earlier time periods reversed, going from 68% in 2010–11 to 40% in the most recent surveys. Following decades of decline, the status of Topeka shiners in Iowa appears to be improving. One potential reason for the reversal in the distributional decline of Topeka shiners in Iowa is the increasing number of oxbow restorations. Until a standardized monitoring program is established for Iowa, periodic status assessments such as this will be necessary to chronicle progress toward conserving this endangered fish species.
Feasibility Study of Robotic Needles with a Rotational Tip-Joint and Notch Patterns

In this paper, we present the design of a steerable needle with proximal notch patterns for compliance and an embedded rotational tip joint for articulation. The device is fabricated by laser machining NiTi tube so that an inner working channel exists (to enable delivery of fluids, drugs or microtools) and no assembly is required for the joints. We formulate its model based on the classical Cosserat Rod theory. This is extended with incremental state prediction and a simple spring model for tissue reaction to integrate into a planning algorithm based on Dynamic Region RRT which efficiently explores the needle’s state space. The planner was initialized with a target zone and arbitrary anatomical obstacles before running simulations which propagated incremental state changes at every step while adhering to constraints based on the physical system. Finally, we demonstrate the steering capability of the needle through insertion tests into a phantom.
ARFI and shear wave imaging of the prostate to delineate clinically-significant cancers

Current prostate cancer screening methods involve non-targeted needle biopsies and the detection of clinically-insignificant lesions that receive excessive treatments, exposing patients to unnecessary adverse side effects and placing a burden on our health care systems. There is a strong clinical need for improved prostate imaging methods that are sensitive and specific for clinically-significant prostate cancer lesions to guide needle biopsies, target focal treatments, and improve overall patient outcomes. We have developed a 3D, in vivo Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging and Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging (SWEI) system using a side-fire endorectal linear array with a custom rotation stage to collect prostate imaging volumes to identify regions of suspicion that should be targeted during biopsy procedures. We have validated that ARFI imaging can reliability identify regions of clinically-significant prostate cancer by comparing our imaging volumes with whole-mount histology in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy; however, there was opportunity to improve the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity by combining ARFI imaging data with SWEI. While ARFI images contain regions of relative contrast (decreased displacement) to delineate regions of suspicion, we hypothesized that SWEI could provide absolute shear wave speeds that could quantify the degree of suspicion of an identified lesion, with more aggressive lesions being stiffer and having higher shear wave speeds. In an ongoing clinical study of over 30 patients, we have demonstrated that the combination of ARFI and SWEI data can improve the diagnostic accuracy of clinically-significant lesion identification, while the inclusion of B-mode echogenicity was not found to improve diagnostic accuracy. More complex classification models to identify clinically-significant prostate cancer using ARFI and SWEI metrics are being developed using Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support-Vector Machines (SVMs). These classification models will be further extended to explore the diagnostic value of additional quantitative ultrasound metrics derived from the raw radiofrequency (RF) data and other imaging methods commonly used in the diagnostic workup of prostate cancer patients, such as multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI).
Reframing our pursuit of life balance.

During our time in the 2013 Academic Leadership Fellows Program, we explored what it takes to achieve life balance through a framework presented in a Harvard Business Review article. In this Statement, we describe 5 different areas from the article that provide infrastructure for reflecting on how we have learned to approach life balance in academia. We also provide brief messages based on this reading and others to help academics’ pursuit of life balance.
Factors Influencing Patient Selection of Urologists.

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To describe the factors affecting patients’ selection of a urologist, and the utilization of the Internet and social media. MATERIALS AND METHODS All new patients presenting to a single-institution for evaluation were invited to complete an anonymous 26-item questionnaire between April 2018 and October 2018, including demographic information, use of Internet and social media resources, and relative importance of factors when selecting a urologist. Descriptive statistics were reported, and a stratified analysis was performed for age, gender, and education. RESULTS A total of 238 patients responded. More than half (53%) of patients searched their medical condition prior to presentation. When stratified by age, younger patients were 3 times as likely to utilize Internet resources (Group 1 vs Group 2; OR 3.3, 95%CI 1.5-7.2, P CONCLUSION This study suggests a significant proportion of patients search the Internet regarding their medical condition prior to presenting to clinic. Further, younger patients utilize this methodology significantly more than the senior population. Important factors when selecting a urologist may be driven by a hospital's reputation, in addition to scheduling convenience.
Towards Predicting Progression to Severe Dengue.

There is an urgent need for prognostic assays to predict progression to severe dengue infection, which is a major global threat. While the majority of symptomatic dengue patients experience an acute febrile illness, 5–20% progress to severe infection associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early monitoring and administration of supportive care reduce mortality and clinically usable biomarkers to predict severe dengue are needed. Here, we review recent discoveries of gene sets, anti-dengue antibody properties, and inflammatory markers with potential utility as predictors of disease progression. Upon larger scale validation and development of affordable sample-to-answer technologies, some of these biomarkers may be utilized to develop the first prognostic assay for improving patient care and allocating healthcare resources more effectively in dengue endemic countries.
Ingrid de Kok’s “Small Passing”

South African poet Ingrid de Kok’s poem “Small Passing” is an example of a political poem that transcends the immediate political circumstances that prompted it. Originally written in the midst of ...
LONG TERM FOLLOW-UP OF PATIENTS WITH COARCTATION OF THE AORTA

With improvements in care, an increasing number of patients with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) are surviving into adulthood. Little is known about the management of late complications in adulthood. A retrospective study of 115 adult patients with a history of CoA was performed at a single
Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the leading cause of inherited intellectual disability and the best understood single-gene cause of autism. It is most often caused by a trinucleotide repeat expansion in the FMR1 (fragile X mental retardation 1) gene on the X chromosome, first identified in 1991, resulting in the transcriptional repression of the gene. Intellectual disability, autistic traits, abnormal facial features, and macroorchidism are among the most common clinical features in affected individuals. Although the brains of individuals with FXS have few gross anatomical defects, at the cytological level there is an overabundance of immature dendritic spines of neurons in the cerebral cortex. Similar spine defects are reproduced in the Fmr1 knockout mouse model of FXS. In addition to spine dysgenesis, diminished inhibition and excessive metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling in the brain are the most widely studied alterations in the mutant mice. A major area of investigation is the identification of signaling pathways regulated by the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is an mRNA-binding protein that represses the translation of key synaptic proteins, presumably by stalling ribosomal translocation on its target RNAs. Through this work, a variety of molecules implicated in the structural and functional synaptic abnormalities in Fmr1 null mice have already been identified as potential therapeutic targets and are now being pursued in several FXS clinical trials.
Closing the loop: Forging high-quality agile virtual enterprises in a reverse supply chain via solution portfolios

Reverse supply chains are receiving increased attention for business and sustainability opportunities. As few organizations are adept at both forward and reverse supply chains, subcontracting vario...
The Impact of Exploratory French Instruction on Child and Family Attitudes and Aptitudes for Learning World Languages in Preschool

While the demographic diversity of children served in early childhood classrooms continues to grow, world language learning opportunities for English-speaking preschoolers remain a rarity. Efforts to teach world languages in addition to English at the preschool level may be hampered by limited early childhood educator expertise, lack of programmatic fit, and uncertain expectations from participating families. This study used a foreign language exploratory (FLEX) program design for French language learning to examine whether these barriers could be overcome through a collaborative partnership between a world languages specialist, the classroom teacher, and the children’s families. The 10-week study involved twelve 3-year-old children from varied home language backgrounds attending an English-only preschool. Results showed that following the world language specialist’s weekly classroom visits, all participating children demonstrated some level of French language learning, and that learner engagement as a variable was strongly correlated with the child’s ability to acquire French, rather than variables of age, gender, or language used at home. Furthermore, while statistically significant differences in language learning beliefs existed between families who did and did not speak a language other than English at home prior to the study, no significant belief differences between these families were found following participation in the French program. Based on the results of this programmatic effort, the authors posit that a language ladder of supports wherein the childcare center and families form parallel sides of ongoing support while the WL specialist provides the rungs that unite both sides, may be a useful model of collaboration.
It’s Time to Go! Unfolding Interprofessional Simulations to Promote Health Team Communications

Interprofessional education provides an opportunity for allied health professions to gain knowledge of health care team roles, and how discrete disciplines collaborate to contribute to a healthcare team. This interprofessional activity used simulation scenarios with simulated patient actors to introduce students in three healthcare disciplines to the communication and collaboration skills used by teams for hospital discharge planning and follow-up care in a home setting. Participation in the simulations was voluntary and open to students majoring in either social work, recreation therapy, and nursing. Three, two-person teams, representing each discipline, participated in a two-part, unfolding simulation to assist with the discharge of an older adult from the hospital, and an assessment and care/teaching one week later in his home. Following the simulation, students wrote reflective journals about their experiences, and completed a brief survey. Post simulation responses to the RIPLS Questionnaire, and one of its subscales, yielded positive results in relation to improved attitudes towards interprofessional learning and positive professional identity. Students’ reflective journals reinforced the impact of interprofessional educational activities on acquiring knowledge about other disciplines. Lessons learned from this activity are being used to develop future interprofessional scenarios to augment the academic preparation of pre-professional healthcare workers in multiple disciplines.
Analysis of defects in In2O3:H synthesized in presence of water vapor and hydrogen gas mixture

Using hybrid functional-based density functional theory calculations, we analyze the structure and kinetics of defects formed in two competing synthesis routes to prepare hydrogen-doped In 2O 3 films, using a hydrogen and oxygen gas mixture vs synthesis in the presence of water vapor. For both of these synthesis routes, we find that H + is the dominant defect species: when the Fermi level is close to the conduction band, H + has a lower formation energy than other intrinsic or extrinsic defects. Our results also suggest that water molecules spontaneously split into H + (which occupies octahedral voids) and OH − interstitials (which occupies vacant oxygen lattice sites or oxygen vacancies). From the analysis of the binding energies between these different defects, we conclude that these defects do not cluster and are most likely to stay spatially distributed throughout the films. In addition, the sum of formation energies of an oxygen (i.e., O i 2 −) and a H + interstitial is close to the formation energy of a OH − interstitial, meaning that water molecules are completely split into 2H + and O i 2 − at the synthesis conditions. Further, in the presence of H 2 + O 2 gas mixture, oxygen interstitials occupy oxygen vacancies while hydrogen interstitials occupy vacant oxygen lattice sites and form bonds with lattice oxygens. Our analysis of the defect equilibria suggests that the hydrogen content in films synthesized in the presence of water vapor is higher than films synthesized in the presence of a hydrogen gas mixture. At high dopant concentrations, a hydrogen bond network is formed in the system and this leads to large distortions in the lattice.
Precautionary saving and partially observed income

Abstract I propose an intertemporal precautionary saving model in which the agent's labor income is subject to (possibly correlated) shocks with different degrees of persistence and volatility. However, he only observes his total income, not individual components. I show that partial observability of individual components of income gives rise to additional precautionary saving due to estimation risk, the error associated with estimating individual components of income. This additional precautionary saving is higher, when estimation risk is greater. Compared with a precautionary agent who is otherwise identical, but ignores estimation risk, the rational agent consumes less at the beginning of his life, but consumes more later, because of larger wealth accumulated from savings for estimation risk. The utility cost of ignoring estimation risk is also quantified in closed form.
Deep Learning in Latent Space for Video Prediction and Compression

Learning-based video compression has achieved substantial progress during recent years. The most influential approaches adopt deep neural networks (DNNs) to remove spatial and temporal redundancies by finding the appropriate lower-dimensional representations of frames in the video. We propose a novel DNN based framework that predicts and compresses video sequences in the latent vector space. The proposed method first learns the efficient lower-dimensional latent space representation of each video frame and then performs inter-frame prediction in that latent domain. The proposed latent domain compression of individual frames is obtained by a deep autoencoder trained with a generative adversarial network (GAN). To exploit the temporal correlation within the video frame sequence, we employ a convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) network to predict the latent vector representation of the future frame. We demonstrate our method with two applications; video compression and abnormal event detection that share the identical latent frame prediction network. The proposed method exhibits superior or competitive performance compared to the state-of-the-art algorithms specifically designed for either video compression or anomaly detection.1
MO-B-304-02: Preparing a Manuscript for the JACMP

The JACMP began publication in February, 2000 and is the world’s oldest open-access medical specialty journal. Today it publishes about 200 articles in six issues annually. The JACMP archive experiences about 400,000.pdf downloads annually and a typical JACMP.pdf article is downloaded about 600 or 700 times during the first year after publication. Anyone with web access can reach these articles, having wide distribution and benefiting as many patients as possible. Preparing a manuscript for publication in the JACMP (or any other journal) is a straightforward process. The primary purpose of a manuscript is to communicate knowledge and experience. A relatively fixed format has been developed to meet this goal; this format consists of an Abstract, Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results, and Conclusions. In addition to fitting your experience into that format, it is important to recognize your audience and direct your manuscript to that audience. Finally, it is important to write your manuscript in clear English, enlisting the aid of a copyeditor, if such an individual is available. Reviewing the articles submitted to JACMP is a rewarding yet difficult task. A reviewer must evaluate submitted articles critically, objectively, and express opinions diplomatically regarding work presented to the journal. A perspective from a JACMP section editor and experienced reviewer will describe the key points that progress a journal article to publication. As a reviewer, the difficulties experienced as a reviewer such as an incomplete or incorrect citations, incorrect formats, etc. will also be described. Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will learn the history and philosophy behind the development of the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics. 2. After attending this presentation, the participant will be able to prepare a well-written manuscript suitable for publication in the JACMP or any other peer-reviewed journal. 3. Attendees will learn what typical submission mistakes and difficulties are from the perspective of a section editor and experienced article reviewer.
Phosphorylation and steroid hormone action.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the different aspects of phosphorylation and steroid hormone action. Group A receptors form complexes with heat-shock proteins in the absence of hormone. After hormone binding, the receptors dissociate from some of the heat-shock proteins and are transformed into complexes in which the receptors dimerize, bind DNA, and activate or repress the transcription of target genes. In the absence of hormone, group B receptors usually bind to DNA. Most steroid receptors are phosphorylated in vivo at multiple sites, suggesting that phosphorylation may play multiple roles in receptor function. Several features of chicken progesterone receptor (cPR) phosphorylation are common to the members of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily, especially the group A receptors. First, the phosphorylation sites can be basal, ligand-dependent, or DNA-dependent. Both cPR and human progesterone receptor (hPR) are phosphorylated in a DNA-dependent manner during cell-free transcription in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. The phosphorylation is increased in vivo after the activation of either protein kinase A (PKA) or protein kinase C (PKC) pathways, and treatment with H7, which can inhibit several kinases, including PKA and PKC, resulted in both a dose-dependent inhibition of the phosphorylation and the induction of terminal differentiation of the erythroblasts.
Reproductive and post-reproductive hormone levels in the lizard Sceloporus virgatus

Plasma leveis of six hormones (estradiol, progestsrone, testosterona, dihydrotestosterone, androstenediona, and corticosterons) were obtainad for males and femalea of Sceloporus virgatus (Phrynosomatidae) during and after the seasonal peak of mating activity. Seasonal variation in hormone levels was found. Females had higher corticosterone levels in August (well after oviposition) than in April (soon after emergance), but male corticosterona levels were lowest in August. Seasonal variation in basal corticosterone levels may reflect between-sex differences in the time of peak physiological stress. Male androgen levels peaked in April and May, coinciding with the peak of mating activity. Ventral coloration is exhibited during the social displays of many phrynosomatid lizards. Androganic influences on ventral coloration have been documentad in some lizards. Males and famales of S. virgatus have a greatly reduced amount and intensity of blue ventral coloration relativo to most other species in the genus. Variation in the size and color intensity of the blue ventral throat patch in males was not asociated with vanation in male hormone levels. Male peak testosterone levels in S. vigratus were comparable to those reported for other Scelopurus species with larger and brighter blue patches
Differences in the regulation of protein synthesis, cyclin B accumulation, and cellular growth in response to the inhibition of DNA synthesis in chinese hamster ovary and HeLa S3 cells

We have shown previously that there are significant differences between mammalian cell lines in response to disruption of the assembly of the mitotic spindle apparatus (Kung, A. L., Sherwood, S. W., and Schimke, R. T. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 87, 9553-9557). In this paper we report that there are also significant differences between mammalian cell lines in response to the inhibition of DNA synthesis. In HeLa S3 cells protein synthesis is down-regulated, and cellular growth is arrested in response to the inhibition of DNA synthesis. Upon release from inhibition and resumption of normal growth, cellular viability is maintained near untreated control levels. In contrast, Chinese hamster ovary cells continue to accumulate protein and continue to undergo cellular growth during the period of DNA synthesis inhibition. Cyclin B levels accumulate throughout the period of inhibition and rapidly exceed normal levels at mitosis. The degree of aberrant growth during the period of transient DNA synthesis inhibition is directly related to the degree of subsequent cytotoxicity. If protein accumulation and cellular growth are limited with partially inhibitory levels of cycloheximide during the period of DNA synthesis inhibition, the cytotoxic effects are abolished. These results support the concept that aberrant growth and accumulation of proteins during a transient period of DNA synthesis inhibition are primary determinants of subsequent cell killing.