cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chirp-free tunable PMD compensation using Hi-Bi nonlinearly-chirped FBGs in a dual-pass configuration

We demonstrate chirp-free tunable PMD compensation for a l0 Gbit/s signal by using an adjustable high-birefringence nonlinearly-chirped FBG in a novel dual-pass configuration that significantly reduces the chirp induced by the FBG. We show PMD compensation with tunability from 250 to 600 ps in which the power penalty due to fiber dispersion in a 45 km link interacting with the FBG induced chirp is reduced from 4 to 0.5 dB.
BioDMET: a physiologically based pharmacokinetic simulation tool for assessing proposed solutions to complex biological problems

We developed a detailed, whole-body physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling tool for calculating the distribution of pharmaceutical agents in the various tissues and organs of a human or animal as a function of time. Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) represent the circulation of body fluids through organs and tissues at the macroscopic level, and the biological transport mechanisms and biotransformations within cells and their organelles at the molecular scale. Each major organ in the body is modeled as composed of one or more tissues. Tissues are made up of cells and fluid spaces. The model accounts for the circulation of arterial and venous blood as well as lymph. Since its development was fueled by the need to accurately predict the pharmacokinetic properties of imaging agents, BioDMET is more complex than most PBPK models. The anatomical details of the model are important for the imaging simulation endpoints. Model complexity has also been crucial for quickly adapting the tool to different problems without the need to generate a new model for every problem. When simpler models are preferred, the non-critical compartments can be dynamically collapsed to reduce unnecessary complexity. BioDMET has been used for imaging feasibility calculations in oncology, neurology, cardiology, and diabetes. For this purpose, the time concentration data generated by the model is inputted into a physics-based image simulator to establish imageability criteria. These are then used to define agent and physiology property ranges required for successful imaging. BioDMET has lately been adapted to aid the development of antimicrobial therapeutics. Given a range of built-in features and its inherent flexibility to customization, the model can be used to study a variety of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic problems such as the effects of inter-individual differences and disease-states on drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, dosing optimization, and inter-species scaling. While developing a tool to aid imaging agent and drug development, we aimed at accelerating the acceptance and broad use of PBPK modeling by providing a free mechanistic PBPK software that is user friendly, easy to adapt to a wide range of problems even by non-programmers, provided with ready-to-use parameterized models and benchmarking data collected from the peer-reviewed literature.
Error‐based adaptive non‐linear control and regions of feasibility

The nonlinear adaptive algorithm of Kanellakopoulos et al. (1991) was modified to produce an error-based algorithm. This permits global stabilizability for a large subset of pure-feedback nonlinear systems. The algorithm was demonstrated on the single-input stabilization problem, but extends easily to the multiple input tracking problems.
The Rawls–Harsanyi Dispute: A Moral Point of View

Central to the Rawls–Harsanyi dispute is the question of whether the core modeling device of Rawls' theory of justice, the original position, justifies Rawls' principles of justice, as Rawls suggests, or whether it justifies the average utility principle, as Harsanyi suggests. Many commentators agree with Harsanyi and consider this dispute to be primarily about the correct application of normative decision theory to Rawls' original position. I argue that, if adequately conceived, the Rawls–Harsanyi dispute is not primarily a dispute about the correct application of normative decision theory to Rawls' original position. Instead, Rawls and Harsanyi aim to model different moral ideals, and this difference in their moral assumptions leads them to significantly different conclusions about justice. There is no winner in the Rawls–Harsanyi dispute. Instead, the dispute merely clarifies the moral ideals and their formal representations that need to be assumed in order to justify either Rawls' contractualist principles of justice or the average utility principle. Thus understood, the Rawls–Harsanyi dispute offers a promising starting point for future research that can deepen and enrich our understanding of the demands of justice.
Hepatic Cytochrome P-450 Expression in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Receptor (p55/p75) Knockout Mice After Endotoxin Administration

Hepatic cytochromes P-450 (CYP) are well characterized drug and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes that are extensively regulated by genetic and environmental factors. Inflammatory mediators, including interleukins (ILs), interferons (IFNs), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), have been shown to down-regulate several CYP isoforms; however, elucidation of the inflammatory mediators that are responsible for specific CYP down-regulation is difficult. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the role endogenous TNF-α plays in the regulation of liver CYP expression after endotoxin administration. Mice deficient in the p55 and p75 TNF receptors and wild-type mice were given Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and killed 24 h after administration. CYP analysis indicates that LPS decreases CYP1A, CYP2B, CYP3A, and CYP4A independently of TNF-α. CYP2D9 and CYP2E1 activities show differential responses to LPS between wild-type and TNF p55/p75 receptor knockout mice, indicating the down-regulation of CYP2D9 and CYP2E1 is differentially modulated by TNF-α expression. Furthermore, TNF-α appears to affect the constitutive expression of CYP2D9 and CYP2E1. To date, this is the first evidence suggesting that a proinflammatory cytokine is involved in the constitutive regulation of drug-metabolizing enzymes.
A Semantics for English Nominalization

I am going to present a semantics for nominals of kind (1)–(3): (1) the performance of the song (2) the performing of the song (3) his performing the song
NMR of Tissues Exposed to Polysiloxane Gels

Abstract Silicone (polysiloxanes) gel-filled implants have been widely used for biomedical applications, mainly because they were considered to be nonbiodegradable. However, increasing concern about the health implications of polysiloxane exposure for women with silicone gel-filled breast implants has prompted interest to study the biochemistry of implanted polysiloxanes. The purpose of this work is to investigate the migration of polysiloxanes from the implant to local and distant sites and their chemical modification in living systems. Tissues from animals and humans exposed to polysiloxane gel implants are studied in vivo using proton NMR localized spectroscopy, and in vitro with proton and 29Si magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. This work demonstrates that free polysiloxanes present in the gel-filled implants migrate to surrounding tissues and distant organs, such as the liver. In addition, 29Si NMR spectra of metabolically active tissues (liver) show the presence of chemically unchanged pol...
Platelets in the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Platelets have an emerging and incompletely understood role in a myriad of host immune responses, extending their role well beyond regulating thrombosis. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is a complex disease process characterized by a range of pathophysiologic processes including oxidative stress, lung deformation, inflammation, and intravascular coagulation. The objective of this review is to summarize existing knowledge on platelets and their putative role in the development and resolution of lung injury.
Interpretive Critical Ideologies for Research Methodologies

To document successful transformation processes of the American educational system, we need to explore and develop new paradigms of research inquiry and methodology. Much of our current thinking of research design is based on a static model of system dynamics. C.W. Churchman explains that research for American socio-cultural systems should become evolutionary rather than regulatory, with design for a viable “mode for simultaneous and multitudinous interacting relationships” (Churchman, in Jantsch, 1975). Furthermore, the ideological underpinnings of scientific inquiry must be defined when extrapolating from Churchman’s paradigmatic proposition. The new definitions will carve outlets for inquiry and move us towards a view of evolutionary and transformational paradigms.
Structure-activity relationships in nucleotide oligomerization domain 1 (Nod1) agonistic γ-glutamyldiaminopimelic acid derivatives.

N-Acyl-γ-glutamyldiaminopimelic acid is a prototype ligand for Nod1. We report a detailed SAR of C12-γ-d-Glu-DAP. Analogues with glutaric or γ-aminobutyric acid replacing the glutamic acid show greatly attenuated Nod1-agonistic activity. Substitution of the meso-diaminopimelic (DAP) acid component with monoaminopimelic acid, l- or d-lysine, or cadaverine also results in reduced activity. The free amine on DAP is crucial. However, the N-acyl group on the d-glutamyl residue can be substituted with N-alkyl groups with full preservation of activity. The free carboxylates on the DAP and Glu components can also be esterified, resulting in more lipophilic but active analogues. Transcriptomal profiling showed a dominant up-regulation of IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, and IL-24, which may explain the pronounced Th2-polarizing activity of these compounds and also implicate cell signaling mediated by TREM-1. These results may explain the hitherto unknown mechanism of synergy between Nod1 and TLR agonists and are likely to be ...
Haemolysis induced by tyrosine crystals: Modifiers and inhibitors.

Tyrosine as a solid, but not in solution, caused human erythrocyte haemolysis. Haemolysis was increased with higher tyrosine concentrations and extended incubation times; it was greater at 37degrees than 4degreesC, and decreased by higher erythrocyte concentrations. Titration of phenolic groups on the surface of di-iodotyrosine crystals altered the extent of di-iodotyrosine-induced haemolysis. Haemolysis induced by tyrosine was inhibited by polyethylene glycol (mol.wt. 6000 or 20000) in a competitive fashion; polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene non-ionic detergents, polyvinylpyrrolidone (mol.wt. 40000 or 360000), 0.25--1.0M-NaC1, 0.25--1.0 M-KC1 and 0.25 M-NaSCN also inhibited haemolysis. H+-ion donation from the phenolic groups of tyrosine is suggested as part of the mechanism of haemolysis. Non-ionic detergents may inhibit tyrosine-crystal-induced haemolysis by binding the phenolic groups at the surface of the crystal.
PROGRESS OF RESEARCH OF METALLIC TAILNGS GLASS-CERAMICS

It is important thing to make glass-ceramics from metallic tailings. In connection with metallic tailingscompositions, the current status, developing tendency, and some problems to be solved for the glass-ceramicsare reviewed by means of analysis of its components, structures and properties.
Hybrid analyses of neuronal spike train data for pre- and post-cross intervals in relation to interspike interval differences

Two new hybrid spike train analysis methods called (1) pre-Cross-Interval/ InterspikeInterval-Difference (pre-CI/ISID) and (2) Interspike-Interval-Difference/ post-Cross-Interval (ISID/post-CI) phase plane analyses are introduced. They examine the dependency relationship between (1) the pre-cross-interval (pre-CI) and the interspike interval difference (ISID), and (2) the ISID and the post-cross-interval (post-CI) defined at a given reference spike. This allows for inferences to be made about how 1SIDs in a spike train are related to the last cross interval and the next cross interval with respect to a compared spike train. Both methods were applied to simulated spike trains to display the capabilities of this new technique. The co-varying relationship between the pre-CI and post-CI with respect to the ISID can be revealed as clusters of bands and points in these phase plots.
MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION OF BOTTOM SEDIMENT MOTION BY WAVES

A mathematical model is developed to calculate the amount of bottom sediment moved by wave action. The simplified case of a horizontal bottom and spherical material of uniform size is presented here; however, with some further groundwork it is thought that the model may be extended to actual field conditions without too much difficulty.
Neuroanatomical Prediction of Anhedonia in Adolescents.

Anhedonia is a transdiagnostic risk factor implicated in mental illness onset, treatment non-response, and suicidal behaviors. Prior cross-sectional research in adults has shown that anhedonia is associated with reduced dorsal striatal volume, but it is unknown whether this relationship extends to adolescents and whether reduced striatal volume prospectively predicts anhedonia. To address these gaps, the current study investigated whether striatal volume predicted anhedonia severity in adolescents. At baseline, healthy female adolescents aged 12–14 years (n=50) completed a clinical assessment, and structural MRI data were acquired on a 3 Tesla MR scanner. While in the scanner, participants also completed a peer feedback task where subjective ratings following peer ‘acceptance’ or ‘rejection’ were obtained. At the three-month follow-up, participants provided self-report assessments of anhedonia, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Three main findings emerged. First, in cross-sectional analyses, right nucleus accumbens volume was inversely related to anhedonia severity. Second, reduced bilateral putamen volume prospectively predicted anhedonia severity while controlling for baseline anhedonia, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Third, a blunted subjective response to peer acceptance (ie, neutral response to positive feedback), but not a more negative subjective response to peer rejection, contributed to anhedonia severity, but only among youth with smaller putamen volume. Collectively, these results suggest that smaller volume in striatal regions critically implicated in reward processing is associated with current and future anhedonic symptoms among healthy female youth. These anatomical features may confer vulnerability to anhedonia and thus, may inform early identification of individuals at high risk for mental illness.
Abstract 063: Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibition Improves Insulin Sensitivity and Disposition Index in Prediabetes without Altering Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion

Chronic administration of the PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil citrate improves insulin sensitivity in high fat-fed mice. A small study in patients with metabolic syndrome found that one-month treatment with tadalafil with or without ACE inhibition improves disposition index (DI) and β-cell function, as measured by IVGTT. We report the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effect of 3-month treatment with sildenafil (25mg t.i.d.) on insulin sensitivity and secretion assessed using hyperglycemic clamps in individuals with impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance. Among 51 subjects randomized, 21 subjects completed sildenafil treatment [8 men, 2 black Americans, body mass index (BMI) 35.7±6.8 Kg/m2], and 21 completed placebo treatment (8 men, 6 black Americans, BMI 36.4±6.6 Kg/m2). There was no significant difference in acute- or late-phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) between groups. In contrast, insulin sensitivity index (ISI) and DI were significantly higher in the sildenafil group ( Figure , adjusted means and 95% CI after controlling for baseline measurements and BMI, *P<0.05). Sildenafil did not significantly affect blood pressure or heart rate compared to placebo. These data suggest that pharmacological strategies to increase cGMP enhance insulin sensitivity. Additional studies are needed to determine whether PDE5 inhibition prevents incident diabetes in high risk populations. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Carceral Citizenship: Race, Rights and Responsibility in the Age of Mass Supervision:

Scholars have shown how formal processes of legal exclusion coupled with ubiquitous criminal justice contact relegate the largely black poor targets of the carceral state to second-class citizenshi...
An Andragogical Approach to Teaching Leadership

Students in today’s college classroom are diverse in age and work, leadership, and life experiences; hence, students transitioning into adulthood may understand and relate core leadership knowledge...
Using Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) data for targeted instructional support: Learning profiles and instructional needs in Indonesia

Abstract For many years, education researchers have grouped students into categories based on their skills and abilities. This research can help teachers and curriculum developers to understand the transition through the overlapping stages of reading acquisition, and can provide opportunities for appropriate instruction and targeted interventions for students who are struggling with certain aspects of reading acquisition. Using Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) data on a nationally representative sample of second grade students in Indonesia, we have developed a new approach for categorizing students into learning profiles, which are directly tied to their particular instructional needs. We divided students into five learning profiles based on their reading ability (Grade 3 Ready, Fluent, Instructional, Beginner, and Nonreader) and then examined the relationship among these profiles and their reading skills on a variety of EGRA subtasks in order to determine the instructional need required to promote students from one profile to the next. Although the exact cuts points will differ by orthography, the framework laid out in this paper is tied directly to two EGRA subtasks in order for it to be easily adjusted for use regardless of the language or country. Accordingly, this approach significantly increases the value of EGRA results in terms of their practical implications and can be used to provide clear guidance to researchers, ministry officials, aid organizations and policy makers aiming to address educational shortcomings and improve student performance across countries.
Social Support and Physical Health: Links and Mechanisms

A lack of social connections has long been noted as a risk factor for poor physical health outcomes. A burgeoning body of research also suggests that the positive or negative qualities of our social relationships are linked to our physical well-being. We review evidence for the salutary benefits of both giving and receiving social support. We also highlight potential health risks associated with negative relationship qualities, such as relationships characterized by conflicts and demands. The potential psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways through which qualitative relationship characteristics may influence physical well-being are reviewed, as are individual difference factors which may moderate associations between social support and health. We conclude with a discussion of the successes and failures that have been observed in intervention research and provide some recommendations for future advances in our understanding of how the quality of our social relationships can impact our physical health.
An Overview of the Effectiveness and Efficiency of HIV Prevention Programs

Because of the enormity of the HIV-AIDS epidemic and the urgency for preventing transmission, HIV prevention programs are a high priority for careful and timely evaluations. Information on program effectiveness and efficiency is needed for decision-making about future HIV prevention priorities. General characteristics of successful HIV prevention programs, programs empirically evaluated and found to change (or not change) high-risk behaviors or in need of further empirical study, and economic evaluations of certain programs are described and summarized with attention limited to programs that have a behavioral basis. HIV prevention programs have an impact on averting or reducing risk behaviors, particularly when they are delivered with sufficient resources, intensity, and cultural competency and are based on a firm foundation of behavioral and social science theory and past research. Economic evaluations have found that some of these behaviorally based programs yield net economic benefits to society, and others are likely cost-effective (even if not cost-saving) relative to other health programs. Still, specific improvements should be made in certain HIV prevention programs.
Nonlinear Voter Models

We investigate generalizations of the voter model in which the flip rates are a nonlinear function of the number of neighbors with a different opinion. These new models exhibit a wide variety of limiting behavior from clustering to ergodicity.
Complications of Laparoscopic Urologic Surgery

The role of laparoscopy in the field of urology has continued to evolve over the last decade with the ever increasing complexity of operations performed. This chapter will summarize reported complications and provide a concise summary and clinical pathway to prevent, identify, and manage complications associated with laparoscopic urologic surgery.
Über Das Vorzeichen Des Restgliedes im Primzahlsatz

[Vorbemerkung. Abgesehen von einigen Abanderungen und einem Zusatz ist das Nachfolgende der redigierte Wiederabdruck einer Abhandlung, welche von E. Landau vorgelegt wurde in der am 24. Januar 1930 gehaltenen Sitzung der Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Gottingen und in deren Nachrichten erschien (Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse, 1930, S. 19–27).
Tax Expenditures and Employee Benefits: Estimates from the FY 2007 Budget

The federal government supports the provision of employee benefits through preferential tax treatment in the Internal Revenue Code. There are three types of tax treatments for employee benefits: tax exemption, tax deferral, and other preferential treatment. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-344) requires that a list of tax expenditures (federal tax revenue forgone due to preferential provisions) be included in the budget. This paper includes a listing of the employee benefits tax expenditures, as published in President Bush's Fiscal Year 2007 budget, prepared by the White House Office of Management and Budget, using a methodology that is flawed but mandated by Congress.
Hair Proteome Variation at Different Body Locations on Genetically Variant Peptide Detection for Protein-Based Human Identification

Human hair contains minimal intact nuclear DNA for human identification in forensic and archaeological applications. In contrast, proteins offer a pathway to exploit hair evidence for human identification owing to their persistence, abundance, and derivation from DNA. Individualizing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are often conserved as single amino acid polymorphisms in genetically variant peptides (GVPs). Detection of GVP markers in the hair proteome via high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry permits inference of SNPs with known statistical probabilities. To adopt this approach for forensic investigations, hair proteomic variation and its effects on GVP identification must first be characterized. This research aimed to assess variation in single-inch head, arm, and pubic hair, and discover body location-invariant GVP markers to distinguish individuals. Comparison of protein profiles revealed greater body location-specific variation in keratin-associated proteins and intracellular proteins, allowing body location differentiation. However, robust GVP markers derive primarily from keratins that do not exhibit body location-specific differential expression, supporting GVP identification independence from hair proteomic variation at the various body locations. Further, pairwise comparisons of GVP profiles with 8 SNPs demonstrated greatest interindividual variation and high intraindividual consistency, enabling similar differentiative potential of individuals using single hairs irrespective of body location origin.
Poplar as Biofiber Reinforcement in Composites for Large-Scale 3D Printing

The economic viability of the biofuel industry could be improved by adding a high-value revenue stream for biomass supply chains: bioderived composites for the rapidly expanding large-scale additiv...
How to think about analogical inferences: A reply to Norton.

Abstract In this paper, I raise some worries with John D. Norton's application of his material theory of induction to the study of analogical inferences. Skeptical that these worries can be properly addressed, I propose a principle to guide the philosophical research on analogical inferences and argue for its usefulness.
Deflection of an elliptically loaded vortex sheet by a flat plate

We investigate the behavior of vortex flows in the presence of obstacles using numerical simulations. Specifically, we simulate the evolution of an elliptically loaded vortex sheet in the presence of a stationary flat plate in its path. The plate is represented by a number of point vortices whose strength is such that they cancel the normal fluid velocity on the plate. The sheet is approximated by a number of smoothed point vortices called vortex blobs. The resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved using the 4th order Runge-Kutta method. In our simulations, we vary the initial distance d from the vortex sheet to the plate, the angle φ of the plate relative to the sheet, and the numerical smoothing parameter δ. We study the effects these parameters have on the vortex sheet evolution, including the positions of the vortex centers and the vortex sheet midpoint. We also compare with results derived from a simpler model using only two point vortices instead of a whole sheet. Our main conclusions regard the effect of the distance d, which reduces the total distance traveled as it is increased, and the angle φ, which significantly affects the vortex trajectory after it encounters the plate. Acknowledgements: I thank Professor Monika Nitsche for her guidance in this research. I also thank Professor Robert Krasny for suggesting the problem studied, and Dr. Robert Niemeyer for comments on the manuscript. Finally, I thank the National Science Foundation for supporting this research through the NSF-MCTP program, Mentoring through Critical Transition Points, at the University of New Mexico, via the NSF Award # DMS-1148801. Page 108 RHIT Undergrad. Math. J., Vol. 15, No. 1
Elizabeth I and the Dancing Stuart Queens: Female Agency and Subjectivity in Early Modern English Court Drama

This chapter argues that Elizabeth I’s positioning of herself as an agent in dramatic court entertainments, especially tiltyard entertainments, had a significant influence on her immediate successors, the Stuart queens consort Anna of Denmark and Henrietta Maria, and goes on to explore the ways these early Stuart queens intentionally diverged from Elizabeth I in their own court performances. Tiltyard entertainments often positioned Elizabeth as a figure who had to intervene in the dramatic action in order to effect resolution and their success hinged upon her good-humoured participation. Unlike Elizabeth, Anna of Denmark and Henrietta Maria positioned themselves as performers in increasingly provocative ways directly linked to their gender, but like their predecessor they acted as subjects rather than objects of the drama in which they performed. In examining the circumstances around Anna of Denmark’s masquing in Samuel Daniel’s The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses in 1604 and Henrietta Maria’s acting in Racan’s L’Artenice in 1626, this chapter seeks to examine the structural links between the three queens’ varied roles as actors or agents in court performances, emphasizing, in particular, ways that their positions in these dramatic works challenged previously held notions of performative queenship.
Covid-19 Presenting as Acute Limb Ischemia

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and represents a potentially fatal disease. COVID-19 is associated with a hypercoagulable state leading to increased incidence of venous thromboembolism. Arterial thrombosis has been reported, but the prevalence is not known. Herein, we report an unusual presentation of a 77-year-old male who presented with dyspnea and pain in left leg and was found to have acute limb ischemia. Our case adds to the limited literature regarding arterial thrombosis in COVID-19.
Assessment Tools and Guidelines in Community Corrections

This chapter provides an introduction to various assessment tools used in many probation and parole agencies. The increasing number of assessment tools developed recently, however, prevents us from discussing all of them. Instead, we focus on the few that are used by multiple probation and parole agencies across the United States. The processing officers fill out these forms and scales based on their evaluation of the offender. The forms and scales in this chapter are presented in the order that officers in the field encounter them. That is, offenders fill out the social history questionnaire before meeting the officer assigned to the case; the officer then may make use of the structured interview schedule, after which he or she will complete the sentencing guideline. The risk and needs scales are completed after the offender is sentenced to probation or granted parole, as are the treatment plans. The chapter also presents the American Correctional Association’s Policy on Sentencing. The chapter concludes with assessment exercises that the reader can use to gain practical experience in conducting correctional assessments. The actual forms and scales discussed in this chapter are included in the appendices.
Trigonometric Commutative Conformable Fractional Korovkin Approximation for Stochastic Processes

Here we research from the trigonometric point of view expectation commutative stochastic positive linear operators acting on \(L^{1}\)-continuous stochastic processes which are Conformable fractional differentiable. Under some mild, general and natural assumptions on the stochastic processes we produce related trigonometric Conformable fractional stochastic Shisha-Mond type inequalities pointwise and uniform.
Demyelinating Disease Associated with Parkinsonism: A Case Report (P5.2-109)

Objective: To report a case of parkinsonism developed in the context of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Background: Movement disorders, most commonly action tremor, can develop in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, parkinsonism occurring coincidentally with MS is uncommon and there is debate on whether this co-occurrence is causal or coincidental. Single photon emission computed tomography with Ioflupane I123 (conventionally known as a DaTscan) has not been reported as part of this evaluation. Herein, we demonstrate a case of parkinsonism with verified dopamine dysfunction on DaTscan that may be attributable to RRMS. Design/Methods: A chart review was performed of a patient who had clinical and radiographic features of parkinsonism and demyelinating disease. Results: A 59-year-old woman presented for increased tone and dystonia in the right lower extremity after a fall. Neurological exam revealed mild action tremor on right, no resting tremor, pronounced bradykinesia bilaterally, shuffling gait, rigidity and hyperreflexia in upper and lower extremities, right leg spasticity. UPDRS score was 39. There was no improvement with dopaminergic agents. MRI brain revealed T2 hyperintensities in the periventricular white matter and left lentiform nuclei without contrast enhancement. CSF analysis revealed the presence of oligoclonal bands and an IgG index of 1.34. DaTscan demonstrated scintigraphic evidence of a pre-synaptic striatal dopaminergic deficit in the left caudate and bilateral putamen. With additional history of attacks of weakness prior to her presentation, her clinical presentation fit the criteria for RRMS. Conclusions: We present an unusual case of parkinsonism co-occurring with multiple sclerosis, and the only reported case to our knowledge confirming dopamine dysfunction via radiographic study. We postulate that dopamine dysfunction may be the result of demyelinating disease targeting the deep cortical gray matter of the basal ganglia or the nigrostriatal pathways embedded in the white matter. Disclosure: Dr. Jordan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Changizi has nothing to disclose.
Engineering Tissue-Informed Biomaterials to Advance Pulmonary Regenerative Medicine

Biomaterials intentionally designed to support the expansion, differentiation, and three-dimensional (3D) culture of induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may pave the way to cell-based therapies for chronic respiratory diseases. These conditions are endured by millions of people worldwide and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there are no effective treatments for the majority of advanced lung diseases and lung transplantation remains the only hope for many chronically ill patients. Key opinion leaders speculate that the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, may lead to long-term lung damage, further exacerbating the need for regenerative therapies. New strategies for regenerative cell-based therapies harness the differentiation capability of human iPSCs for studying pulmonary disease pathogenesis and treatment. Excitingly, biomaterials are a cell culture platform that can be precisely designed to direct stem cell differentiation. Here, we present a closer look at the state-of-the-art of iPSC differentiation for pulmonary engineering, offer evidence supporting the power of biomaterials to improve stem cell differentiation, and discuss our perspective on the potential for tissue-informed biomaterials to transform pulmonary regenerative medicine.
Differentiation of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis from Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Lung Disease Using Quantitative Imaging.

A usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) imaging pattern can be seen in both idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). The purpose of this multicenter study was to assess whether quantitative imaging data differ between IPF and CTD-ILD in the setting of UIP. Patients evaluated at two medical centers with CTD-ILD or IPF and a UIP pattern on CT or pathology served as derivation and validation cohorts. Chest CT data were quantitatively analyzed including total volumes of honeycombing, reticulation, ground-glass opacity, normal lung, and vessel related structures (VRS). VRS was compared with forced vital capacity percent predicted (FVC%) and percent predicted diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO%). There were 296 subjects in total, with 40 CTD-ILD and 85 IPF subjects in the derivation cohort, and 62 CTD-ILD and 109 IPF subjects in the validation cohort. VRS was greater in IPF across the cohorts on univariate (p < 0.001) and multivariable (p < 0.001–0.047) analyses. VRS was inversely correlated with DLCO% in both cohorts on univariate (p < 0.001) and in the derivation cohort on multivariable analysis (p = 0.003) but not FVC%. Total volume of normal lung was associated with DLCO% (p < 0.001) and FVC% (p < 0.001–0.009) on multivariable analysis in both cohorts. VRS appears to have promise in differentiating CTD-ILD from IPF. The underlying pathophysiological relationship between VRS and ILD is complex and is likely not explained solely by lung fibrosis.
Dimensionality Reduction and Clustering Analysis of Daily PV Power Signals

This paper presents a methodology for performing dimensionality reduction and clustering on daily photovoltaic (PV) power generation signals. However, the author has found that the proposed approach does not provide the desired performance or improvement over other, simpler algorithms. In this manuscript, we provide documentation of the original proposed method, a discussion of the issue and deficiencies, and a direction for future work.
Increased Risk of Postoperative Wound Complications Among Obesity Classes II & III After ALIF in 10-year ACS-NSQIP Analysis of 10,934 Cases.

Abstract BACKGROUND CONTEXT Anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) procedures for lumbar spine disease have been increasing amid a growing obese patient population with limited studies available focusing exclusively on risk-factors for post-operative ALIF complications. PURPOSE The objective of this study was to compare 30-day post-operative complications among different obesity World Health Organization (WHO) classes according to body mass index (BMI) in comparison to non-obese patients who underwent an ALIF procedure. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective cohort study of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) from 2009 to 2019. PATIENT SAMPLE A total of 10,934 patients undergoing an ALIF. OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome measures include 30-day cardiac, pulmonary, urinary, infectious, and wound complications. Secondary outcomes included rates of blood transfusion, reintubation, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, 30-day return to the operating room (OR), and 30-day mortality. METHODS Patients were identified by use of the current procedural terminology codes 22558 & 22585 from 2009 to 2019. Patients were divided into the following groups: non-obese (BMI 18.5–29.9 kg/m2), Obese I (BMI 30–34.9 kg/m2), Obese II (BMI 35–39.9 kg/m2), and Obese III (BMI ≥40 kg/m2). Age, gender, race, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, smoking status, hypertension requiring medication, steroid used, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), history of a bleeding disorder, & diabetes were identified as risk factors after a univariate analysis conducted for demographic variables and pre-operative comorbidities. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was then performed to adjust for these preoperative risk factors and compare obesity classes I-III to non-obese patients. RESULTS Obesity classes II and III had a significant odds ratio (OR) for superficial infection (OR:2.7, 95%CI(1.7-4.5); OR:2.8, 95%CI(1.5-5.2) respectively), organ space infection (OR:3.8, 95%CI(1.6-7.4); OR:3.2, 95%CI(1.1-9.9) respectively), wound disruption (OR:2.8, 95%CI(1..1-7.4); OR:4.6, 95%CI(1.6-13.6) respectively), and total wound complication (OR:2.6, 95%CI(1.8-3.9); OR:3.4, 95%CI(2.2-5.4) respectively) following a multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS Risk for post-operative wound complications following an ALIF were found to be significantly higher for obesity classes II-III in comparison to non-obese patients. These findings can further support the use of additional wound care in the perioperative setting for certain levels of obesity.
Mechanisms of Homothallism in Fungi and Transitions between Heterothallism and Homothallism

Sexual systems are classified into heterothallism or homothallism in fungi. This chapter focuses on examples of homothallic fungi and how their sexuality is governed. Conversions between heterothallic and homothallic sexual cycles are common evolutionary transitions in fungi, and whether homothallism evolved from heterothallism or vice versa is a controversial topic, and there is evidence supporting both hypotheses. The structural analyses of MAT sequences from homothallic and heterothallic Cochliobolus species support the hypothesis that heterothallism is the ancestral state in this genus. This unique arrangement of the Aspergillus nidulans MAT locus led to the proposal that homothallism is the ancestral state and that a transition from homothallism to heterothallism could have occurred in A. oryzae and A. fumigatus by gene loss, although neither species has a defined sexual cycle. Homothallic species may originate from heterothallic predecessors, and the homothallic lifestyle may have a selective advantage under certain ecological pressures. This hypothesis is consistent with the repeated occurrence of homothallism within numerous genera and the fact that many heterothallic fungi achieve homothallism in the form of pseudohomothallism by mating-type switching or packaging two compatible nuclei into one spore. Homothallic individuals contain all of the necessary genetic information for full sexual expression.
A Portrait of Local News Reporting of Civil Litigation

What is the nature of the coverage of civil litigation by local newspapers and local television? That is the question considered in this paper. Drawing upon news clips from 2004 (11 media markets around the U.S.), 2006 (9 media markets in the Midwest), and 2007 (9 media markets in the Midwest), we present a portrait of litigation as locally reported. We find (a) torts make up a minority of reports, (b) very few verdicts are reported, and (c) dollar figures are mentioned in a modest proportion of cases but when mentioned tend to be large. We also find significant differences in the reporting practices of local television and local newspapers, particularly with regard to the types of cases discussed (more torts on television and more cases against government in the newspapers). We conclude with some speculations about the implications of our analysis for debates over civil justice “reform.”
Neural Basis of Language Development

The neural basis of language development is understood through studies of children with brain injuries and functional imaging of healthy children. Children with injuries to cortical areas that serve language in adults demonstrate that many different brain networks can support language development. However, children with injuries to cortex, white matter, or cerebellum may be deficient in multiple subdomains of language, indicative of the limits of plasticity and recovery. Healthy children show structural and functional lateralization for language processing in infancy. Increasing left lateralization occurs over development and is affected by age, language proficiency, and the nature of the task.
Impaired antibody effector function during persistent viral infection (VIR7P.1049)

Persistent viral infections are associated with dysfunctional B cell responses including polyclonal B cell activation, non-virus-specific hypergammaglobulinemia, and ultimately the inability to control infection. Using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) system of murine infection, we addressed whether similar to other antiviral mechanisms, the suppressive immune environment generated during persistent infection impacted antibody effector function. We demonstrate that high levels of circulating antibodies generated during persistent infection (termed hypergammaglobulinemia) impede antibody dependent phagocytosis and cell killing. As a result, otherwise highly efficacious cell killing antibodies are ineffective during persistent virus infection. Since antibodies are essential to the control of persistent infection, these observations have important implications immunologically for understanding the complex control of viral replication by antibodies as well as therapeutically for antibody immunotherapies aimed at viral clearance and secondary co-infections. Thus, we have identified a previously unrecognized mechanism of immune dysfunction during viral persistence with important implications for understanding the mechanisms of antibody function/dysfunction and affecting their ability to kill infected cells to control persistent virus infection.
Brentuximab in the Treatment of CD30-Positive Enteropathy-Associated T-Cell Lymphoma

Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL) is a rare aggressive lymphoma that confers a poor prognosis with current treatment strategies. Given the rarity of this disease, prospective randomized trials are limited, and thus a standard validated treatment strategy is lacking. This report presents the disease course of a patient with EATL who was treated with single-agent brentuximab vedotin, an anti-CD30 conjugated antibody.
Clinical Applications of Proteomics

Proteomics, the systematic evaluation of changes in the protein constituency of a cell, is more than just the generation of lists of proteins that increase or decrease in expression as a cause or consequence of disease. The ultimate goal is to characterize the information flow through protein pathways that interconnect the extracellular microenvironment with the control of gene transcription. The nature of this information can be a cause or a consequence of disease processes. Clinical applications of proteomics involve the use of proteomic technologies at the bedside. The analysis of human cancer as a model for how proteomics can have an impact at the bedside is now employing several new proteomic technologies that are being developed for early detection, therapeutic targeting and finally, patient-tailored therapy.
A comparative study of seed dormancy and germination in an annual and a perennial species of Senna (Fabaceae)

Seed dormancy and germination of Senna marilandica and S. obtusifolia were compared in greenhouse and laboratory studies. About 90% of the S. obtusifolia seeds were green and had hard seed coat dormancy, whereas the other 10% were brown and nondormant. Seed-colour morphs did not occur in S. marilandica, and nearly 100% of the seeds had hard seed coat dormancy. Seeds of S. obtusifolia were significantly heavier than those of S. marilandica. Mechanical scarification was very effective in overcoming dormancy in seeds of both species. However, concentrated sulfuric acid, absolute ethanol and boiling water were less effective in breaking dormancy in seeds of S. marilandica than in those of S. obtusifolia. Further, incubating seeds at 30/15 to 40/25°C and dry-heat treatments at 80–100°C were ineffective in breaking dormancy in S. marilandica, but significantly increased germination percentages in S. obtusifolia. In neither species were simulated daily/seasonal temperature shifts effective in breaking dormancy. Scarified seeds of both species germinated over a wide range of temperatures in both light and darkness. Under near-natural temperature conditions, seeds of S. marilandica germinated in spring only, whereas those of S. obtusifolia emerged in late spring and throughout summer. Both species can form a long-lived seed bank. Dormancy break by high field temperatures in seeds of S. obtusifolia allows this species to germinate throughout the warm growing season and thus contributes to its success as a weed in arable crops.