cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
KIT protein expression and analysis of c-kit gene mutation in adenoid cystic carcinoma.

The c-kit proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT), which is expressed in several normal human tissues, especially mast cells and interstitial cells of Cajal. Expression of KIT has been noted in several types of neoplasms and gene mutation has been shown as a mechanism of c-kit oncogene activation in some tumors. Recently, a single adnexal adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) was reported to demonstrate KIT expression, however, examination of KIT expression or c-kit mutation in ACC of salivary glands has not been performed. We examined archival tissue samples from 30 ACC of major and minor salivary glands for KIT protein expression by immunohistochemistry with a polyclonal antibody and c-kit gene mutation by polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing. KIT protein expression was noted in 90% of ACCs. An association between the presence of at least 50% KIT positive neoplastic cells and Grade 3 ACC or a solid growth pattern was observed (P < .05). KIT expression in normal or nonneoplastic salivary gland tissue was absent. No c-kit juxtamembrane domain (exon 11) or phosphotransferase domain (exon 17) mutations were found in any of the tumors examined. In conclusion, KIT protein expression is correlated with tumor grade of salivary ACC. However, gene mutation of exon 11 or exon 17 is not a mechanism of c-kit activation in these neoplasms.
A case report of Grover’s disease from immunotherapy-a skin toxicity induced by inhibition of CTLA-4 but not PD-1

Background Immune related adverse events (irAEs) are common side effects of checkpoint inhibitory (CPI) therapies targeting CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1. Grover’s disease is an uncommon dermatologic condition with unclear pathogenesis previously reported as an irAE with ipilimumab.
Protecting Women Against Human Papillomavirus Benefits, Barriers, and Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Vaccine Uptake

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection significantly impacts women, as it can cause cancers and precancers of the cervix, vulva, vagina, oropharynx, and anus. However, many of these cancers can be prevented by HPV vaccination. Despite evidence of vaccine effectiveness and safety, vaccination rates remain low. Evidence-based strategies should be utilized to reduce barriers and increase vaccination rates.
Ontology-based automated information extraction from building energy conservation codes

Abstract An ontology-based information extraction algorithm for automatically extracting energy requirements from energy conservation codes is proposed. The proposed algorithm aims to support fully-automated energy compliance checking in the construction domain by allowing automated extraction of the requirements from the codes instead of the status quo which relies on manual extraction of requirements from codes and manual formalization of those requirements in a computer-processable format. Automated information extraction from energy conservation codes, compared to other building codes, is a far complex task because many code provisions are long, hierarchically-complex, and with exceptions. A combination of text classification methods, domain-specific preprocessing techniques, ontology-based pattern-matching extraction techniques, sequential dependency-based extraction methods, and cascaded extraction methods is proposed to deal with such complexity in extraction. The proposed algorithm was tested in extracting energy requirements from Chapter 4 of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code, and the results showed 97.4% recall and 98.5% precision.
Sucrose transporter2 contributes to maize growth, development, and crop yield

During daylight, plants produce excess photosynthates, including sucrose, which is temporarily stored in the vacuole. At night, plants remobilize sucrose to sustain metabolism and growth. Based on homology to other sucrose transporter (SUT) proteins, we hypothesized the maize (Zea mays) SUCROSE TRANSPORTER2 (ZmSUT2) protein functions as a sucrose/H+ symporter on the vacuolar membrane to export transiently stored sucrose. To understand the biological role of ZmSut2, we examined its spatial and temporal gene expression, determined the protein subcellular localization, and characterized loss-of-function mutations. ZmSut2 mRNA was ubiquitously expressed and exhibited diurnal cycling in transcript abundance. Expressing a translational fusion of ZmSUT2 fused to a red fluorescent protein in maize mesophyll cell protoplasts revealed that the protein localized to the tonoplast. Under field conditions, zmsut2 mutant plants grew slower, possessed smaller tassels and ears, and produced fewer kernels when compared to wild-type siblings. zmsut2 mutants also accumulated two-fold more sucrose, glucose, and fructose as well as starch in source leaves compared to wild type. These findings suggest (i) ZmSUT2 functions to remobilize sucrose out of the vacuole for subsequent use in growing tissues; and (ii) its function provides an important contribution to maize development and agronomic yield.
Slaves to the Bottom Line: The Corporate Role in Slavery from Nuremberg to Now

Evidence of the inadequacy of our current legal system in dealing with the corporate role in slavery can be found on the docket of the U.S. Supreme Court from 2015. Tucked in among the blockbuster cases about abortion, affirmative action, and political corruption in the 2015–2016 Supreme Court term was a little‐noticed certiorari petition from Nestle U.S.A. asking, essentially, to be dismissed from a case that alleged the company had aided and abetted the slavery of children in Cote d’Ivoire. One of the troubling things about Nestle U.S.A.’s asking to be let out of the suit was that its legal argument was not an outrageous request given recent Supreme Court cases that make it nearly impossible for human rights plaintiffs to bring successful suits against multinational corporations in U.S. courts. This Article argues that, at a minimum, U.S. courts need to be reopened as proper fora for hearing civil human rights cases brought against multinational corporations that do significant business in the United States, regardless of where the harm occurred. The reason that American courts should be reopened is not just to give financial relief to victims, but also to change the calculus within corporations to make slave labor as financially unattractive as possible. But, further, this Article argues that we need to get back to the moral clarity of the Nuremberg trials of the industrialists and have the fortitude to actually prosecute corporate actors that knowingly perpetuate slavery.
Elastocapillary bundling of high aspect-ratio metallic glass nanowires

Collapsing and bundling of wet nanostructures can be a desirable or an unwanted phenomenon depending on the target application. We study the effect of the aspect-ratio and solvent surface tension on bundling of Pt-based metallic glass nanowires prepared by thermoplastic molding. The results show that the bundling can be quantitatively described by the competition between the Laplacian capillary force and the elastic restoring force. Supercritical CO2 drying can prevent bundling to form vertically aligned metallic glass nanowires with high aspect-ratios (>15). Optical measurements and simulations reveal that the diffuse reflectance of metallic glass nanowires strongly depends on their profile (vertical or bundled).
Association of Donor Tricuspid Valve Repair With Outcomes After Cardiac Transplantation

Background Tricuspid regurgitation after cardiac transplantation is associated with worse clinical outcomes. This study sought to determine the association of donor tricuspid valve repair (dTVR) with outcomes after cardiac transplantation. Methods Patients who underwent cardiac transplantation between January 20, 2002, and December 31, 2016, were included. Multivariable Cox regression modeling was performed to determine the association between dTVR and the composite outcome of death, posttransplant TVR, kidney transplant after cardiac transplant, or chronic dialysis, and included propensity scoring to control for baseline differences in likelihood of undergoing dTVR. Results The analysis included 330 patients, with 173 (52.4%) undergoing dTVR. dTVR performance varied by surgeon and also increased over time, with 71 (83.5%) performed during January 1, 2011, to November 30, 2013. Transplant year and surgeon were significantly associated with the baseline likelihood of undergoing dTVR. Although fewer composite outcomes occurred in the dTVR vs no dTVR group (39 [22.5%] vs 56 [36.4%], p = 0.006), dTVR was not significantly associated with the composite outcome in multivariable modeling. Lower risk for the composite outcome was associated with greater number of biopsies during the first posttransplant year, whereas higher risk was associated with more high-grade biopsy specimens and higher creatinine. Conclusions There was no significant benefit or harm with regards to the composite of death, posttransplant TVR, or dialysis associated with dTVR.
Output feedback reinforcement Q-learning control for the discrete-time linear quadratic regulator problem

Reinforcement learning belongs to a class of artificial intelligence algorithms which can be used to design adaptive optimal controllers learned online. These methods have mostly been based on state feedback, which limits their application in practical scenarios. In this paper, we present an output feedback Q-learning algorithm to solve the discrete-time linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem. An output feedback Q-learning scheme is proposed that learns the optimal controller online without requiring any knowledge of system dynamics, making it completely model-free. Both policy iteration (PI) and value iteration (VI) algorithms are developed, where the later does not require an initially stabilizing policy. The convergence of these algorithms has been shown. The proposed method does not require a discounting factor which is typically introduced in the cost function to trade-off between the excitation noise bias and system stability. The method is therefore exact and converges to the actual LQR control solution obtained by solving the Riccati equation. Simulation results have been used to show the effectiveness of the scheme.
Individual-Level Changes and Criminogenic Strain

This chapter examines how social changes have affected an individual’s life settings such as family life, school, and peer networks, and how the micro-level changes interplay to affect adolescents. This chapter focuses on the most common types of stressful events and strain at home, such as parental unemployment, divorce, and high pressure for academic achievement from parents. The chapter also discusses the stressful conditions at school, heightened competition among peers, and undesirable relationships with peers, especially for those who do not do well in school. These negative aspects in life signify different sources of strain likely leading to crime and delinquency.
The Spin Structure of the Proton at Low $Q^2$: A Measurement of the Structure Function $g^2_p$

Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the fundamental theory that describes the strong interaction. It has been verified in the asymptotically free region. However, the non-perturbative confinement of quarks within the nucleon is still not well understood within QCD. In the non-perturbative regime, low-energy effective field theories such as chiral perturbation theory provide predictions for the spin structure functions. The neutron spin structure functions, g1n and g2n, and the proton spin structure function, g1p, have been measured over a wide kinematic range and compared with the theoretical predictions. However, the proton spin structure function, g2p, remains largely unmeasured. The E08-027 collaboration successfully performed the first measurement of the inclusive electron-proton scattering in the Q2 range 0.02-0.2 GeV2. The results allow us to obtain the generalized spin polarizabilities and test the Burkhardtt-Cottingham (BC) sum rule. Chiral perturbation theory is expected to work in this kinematic range and this measurement of spin polarizabilities will give a benchmark test to chiral perturbation theory calculations. This thesis will discuss preliminary results from the E08-027 data analysis.
The Effect of Brief Tobacco Cessation Counseling in Veterans During Dental/Medical Visits

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, resulting in approximately $170 billion in medical care annually, and causes over 480,000 deaths per ye...
Optimizing patient selection for focal therapy—mapping and ablating the index lesion

As experience with FT for clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa) increases, well-defined clinical guidelines for patient selection continue to evolve (1-7).
Content, Domain, and Word Knowledge: Relationship to Comprehension of Narrative and Expository Text.

The influence of background knowledge on reader's comprehension of text has become a fundamental assumption associated with text processing. Background knowledge has been represented in a variety of constructs including specific text knowledge, general world knowledge, discourse knowledge, and domain knowledge. Our interest in the present study was to examine background knowledge and strategy knowledge from a broad view to better understand how they contribute to elementary-age students' reading comprehension of both narrative and expository texts. Constructs of domain, content, and word knowledge were developed based on the extant literature. These knowledge constructs were measured with researcher-developed tests consisting of both narrative and expository passages ranging from 1000 to 2000 words (2–4 pages) in length. Comprehension of each passage was measured with a 25-item subtest. All students in Grades 3 through 6 were administered the knowledge and comprehension tests. A two-stage analysis procedure was used. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine empirically the internal structures of the comprehension questions. Factor scores were constructed and then treated as a multivariate set, with a second set comprised of the background and strategy factors. A canonical analysis was then performed to relate the two sets and canonical functions and structure coefficients were interpreted substantively. Our findings indicated that background knowledge specific to the content of the text being read begins to diminish in importance at about Grade 4. Strategy knowledge and use in comprehension of text begin to play a more important role at Grade 4 and above. Grade 6 analyses support a conclusion that the reading development process in elementary grades has been completed, and that reading comprehension at this grade is primarily an indicator of students' proficiency in selecting efficient ways to gain meaning from text.
Frequency dependence of the vaporization threshold of sonosensitive perfluorocarbon droplets varying their liquid core and size

Phase shift liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) droplets vaporizable by ultrasound have received increasing attention for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The ultrasound activation pressure required for the phase change of these droplets into echogenic microbubbles is termed acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV). This study systematically investigates the effect of frequency of excitation¾2.25 MHz, 10 MHz and 15 MHz¾on ADV and inertial cavitation (IC) thresholds of a suspension of PFC droplets by varying the physical properties of the liquid droplets (size and boiling point) in a tubeless setup. We prepared lipid-coated droplets with three different liquid cores, perfluoropentane (PFP), perfluorohexane (PFH) and perfluorooctyle bromide (PFOB), of two different size ranges ¾ one with diameter smaller than 3 I¼m and the other with diameter larger than 10 I¼m. We found that the ADV threshold increases with frequency for the most volatile PFC liquid, PFP, for both large and small size droplets. While for the s...
Acute De Novo Multivessel Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an important cause of acute coronary syndrome, especially in young women. Recurrent SCAD can be due…
The Prognostic Value of Complete Blood Count among Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is fraught with a poor outcome despite advances in its therapy. Therefore, risk stratification of patients with HF patients with easy to measure indices such as complete blood count is important to direct targeted areas of research and therapies that may favorably alter the outcome of HF patients. Hypothesis: Lymphopenia may be a surrogate marker of HF severity as it occurs secondary to splanchnic congestion with resultant direct enteric loss of lymphocytes. Racial differences may play a role in predicating outcomes among patients with HF indicating the effect of genes. Adherence to guideline directed medical therapy should reduce readmission rates among patients with HF. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 191 patients admitted for HF over a period of 10 years. Patients 18 years and older admitted for acute decompensated HF (ADHF) were included. Patients with documented infection, hematologic and non-hematologic malignancies, advanced renal failure were excluded. Complete blood counts as well as other parameters were recorded at the time of admission for all the study participants. Data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS software version 24.0.Relevant statistics were applied to establish the objectives of this study. The level of significance was set at a p value of less than 0.05 and confidence interval of 95%. Results: The study was made up of 51 females and 140 males with age ranging from 27 to 96 years. Of the 191 patients with ADHF, 13 of them were re-hospitalized within 30 days while 52 of them were re-hospitalized within 6 months of discharge. After regression analysis, nonblacks (p = 0.036) had lower risk of re-hospitalization in 6 months. Lymphopenia (P =0.022) and infrequent use of beta blockers (P = 0.042) increased readmission within 6 months. After univariate analysis, the patients readmitted within 30 days post discharge had lower body mass index, lower hemoglobin, lymphopenia, higher leucocyte count and higher total bilirubin levels. However, after regression analysis, none of these were predictive of 30-day readmission. Conclusions: Lymphopenia may be one of the most potent hematological markers to predict readmission within 6 months. Black race and infrequent use of beta blockers predict readmission within 6 months. Genetics may play a role in outcomes among patients with ADHF
EP515 Fertility-sparing hysteroscopic resection of the endometrium for patients with stage IA endometroid endometrial cancer: farghaly´s technique

Introduction/Background Surgical treatment of Endometrial cancer is associated with loss of fertility in young women. For young patients who desire future fertility, conservative management of uterine cancer has been advocated as a safe alternative to hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Methodology Patients with Endometroid endometrial cancer who have progesterone receptor more than 50% positivity, and serum CA-125 less than 30IU/ml are enrolled. Patients had no evidence of myometrial/cervical invasion, retroperitoneal lymph nodes involvement, ovarian tumors or distant metastases on transvaginal sonography, abdomen-pelvis magnetic resonance, and chest X-Ray examinations. Female patients who are younger than 40 years and have early stage endometrioid endometrial cancer were selected for the procedure. Interventions: Under general anesthesia; the uterine cervix is dilated to 9/9.5 mm with Hagar9s dilators and an 8.5/9 mm resectoscope with a 0° lens is used. The uterine cavity is distended with 1.5% glycine solution with a pressure of 70 mm Hg. A 5-mm loop electrode and 100 W of pure cutting are used to resect the tumor. If the lesion is diffuse, multiple, large, electrode loop biopsy of both the endometrial mucosa and underlying myometrium are performed on the fundus, anterior, posterior, and lateral uterine walls. After one week, patients are prescribed Mega Acetate 120 mg daily for 6 months. Results In all patients, intrauterine adhesions are not detected. Relapse of the disease is very small and full-term pregnancies achieved after the end of progestin therapy. Conclusion Farghaly´s technique for hysteroscopic resection of the endometrium combined with progestin therapy for stage IA endometrioid endometrial cancer in young patients who wishes to preserve their fertility is safe and has satisfactory oncologic and reproductive outcomes. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.
A Machine Learning Approach for Prediction of Length of Stay for the Kid’s Inpatient Database

Due to a high mortality rate of children in the United States, there is an immediate need to analyze the pediatric patient care information. In this paper, we perform an exploratory and predictive analysis of the length of stay on kids’ inpatient data. For this study, we used the Kids’ 2016 inpatient database. In our study, we developed a prediction model using Random Forest Regression for the length of stay for inpatient kids. The accuracy of our model is 94.15%. We found that female children have longer length of stay as they are more at risk during hospitalization. Further, we found that the number of complicated births could lead to longer length of stay for unborn kids.
Assessing the adverse effects of flooding for the livelihood of the poor and the level of external response: a case study of Hazara Division, Pakistan

Flood is found to be a frequent phenomenon. Over the past few decades, Pakistan has been the home of climate-related disasters like floods. This paper attempts to examine the effect of floods on the rural communities; those are vulnerable to floods, and their livelihood patterns were damaged due to flooding events in Hazara Division. This research study assessed the causes, the impact, and the aftermath of flooding and their link with climate change in Hazara Division (Torghar, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur). The significance of environmental changes and flood's threats were discovered and examined through the logistic regressions and then pathway analysis. The findings showed that floods, directly and indirectly, affected the livelihood, social standing, and physical and economic status of rural communities. Rise in poverty level is also reported in already vulnerable communities that further increase their exposure to risks and hazards. This study calls for local government strengthening, early warning systems, and (non)financial assistance in times of needs to minimize the floods risk and disastrous impacts on localities and resources.
‘Don’t become a lost specimen!’: polygyny and motivational interconnectivity in Kyrgyzstan

Why would a woman agree to wed a legally married man when the state would neither recognize her marriage nor grant her alimony, child support or inheritance rights? Although the Communist Party cur...
Toxicity of herbal medications suggested as treatment for COVID-19: A narrative review

Abstract Objectives In the absence of a definitive cure, herbal medications are gaining increasing popularity in the general public for treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Although many herbal preparations are safe and can be used without complication, serious toxicities do occur This article focuses on the major characteristics and toxicities of herbal preparations that have been proposed as treatments for COVID-19 Methods A review was performed focusing on herbal preparations that have gained popularity as potential treatments for COVID-19 Some of these preparations have been directly recommended by government agencies, whereas others have gained popularity through various other news sources Results The herbal preparations covered in this paper include the cardiac glycoside oleandrin, plants of the Datura genus, and herbs commonly used in traditional Chinese Medicine including plants of the Aconitum genus, bitter apricot seeds, ephedra, and licorice root Conclusion Although herbal preparations have been reported to aid in the treatment of COVID-19 with success, few clinical trials have been performed to evaluate their efficacy and instead rely mainly on in vitro studies and anecdotal reports Furthermore, many of the herbal preparations suggested carry significant toxicities, and frontline healthcare workers should be aware of the common symptoms and toxidromes that result from these poisonings
Knowledge Base Model for Choking Detection in College Tennis as a Component of an Expert System

Expert system is a tool to transfer human expertise into specific domains by simulating human intelligence, behavior, and thinking. Choking under pressure in sports is characterized as suboptimal performance in certain actions. Expert systems have found their applications in various domains including sports and athletics. However, the concept of choking under pressure is yet to be tackled by the utilization of the expert system model. Therefore, this paper proposes an approach for choking detection in college tennis by designing an essential component of an expert system, knowledge base. The knowledge base model is formed based upon the expertise of tennis coaches with American college coaching experience. The model is designed for three detection levels: general, semi-personalized, and personalized. The detection of choking moments is done from racquet swing speed measurements collected by a swing speed sensor. Study data were collected with eight participants completing a total of 32 tennis sessions. Results suggest practicality of the proposed model and feasibility of choking detection in college tennis from swing speed measurements by showing that choking detection can reach 68% accuracy while keeping the error rate at 15%. The results reveal individual variations of choking patterns among college tennis players as individually oriented detection techniques return superior detection performance. Future plans for the research are to collect measurements with additional participants and to combine the gathered data with physiological parameter measurements such as heart rate and with other sport specific information such as footwork performance.
New EHR-integrated PRO module for electronic reporting and monitoring of symptoms improves care in the postoperative setting

Objectives: Post-operative morbidity can compromise patient outcome and require acute care services. Cancer patients who utilize the PRO-CTCAE - a standardized, validated method of capturing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) - to report their symptoms have been shown to reduce symptom burden, decrease the need for acute care, and preserve quality of life. Building off this work, a fully EHR-integrated PRO system capturing side effects from surgery could significantly improve health care delivery, particularly in rural populations which has been further challenged by the COVID-pandemic. Methods: Through the NCI's Moonshot-funded IMPACT consortium, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in collaboration with 5 other health systems and Epic designed eSyM, an EHR-integrated electronic symptom management program based on the PRO-CTCAE questionnaire. eSyM was deployed at DHMC, a large rural academic medical cancer center, systems beginning in spring 2020, for gynecologic oncology patients having surgery. Prompts to complete questionnaires were disseminated via the standard DHMC Epic-based patient portal (MyChart) on a tapered schedule averaging approximately twice/week for 90 days after surgery. Each survey included at least 6 PRO-CTCAE symptom items including pain, nausea/vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, wound redness and discharge as well items assessing overall wellbeing and functional status. Composite scores were generated for each symptom: 0 for no symptoms, 1-2 for mild/moderate symptoms, and 3 for severe symptoms. Reported severe symptoms automatically prompted an alert message sent directly to nursing staff. Results: Over the past 90 days, 134 women were eligible to participate in eSyM. 101 women were sent automated eSyM questionnaires after surgery through their patient portal. 69 (68%) activated their portal account and 48 (70%) completed at least 1 questionnaire electronically to report symptoms. Women who used eSyM were younger than those who did not activate their account, 54 vs. 61 years (p=0.05). Women completed a mean of 5 questionnaires over a mean of 19 days after surgery. 20% of patients reported severe symptoms, of which pain was the most common. Women who used eSyM were less likely to require hospitalization in the 90 days after surgery than women who did not participate (p Conclusions: Women with activated portal accounts had high rates of eSyM utilization to report symptoms after surgery. eSyM users tended to be younger than women who did not activate their accounts. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, an electronic platform to report and monitor symptoms following surgery alleviates some of the some of the burdens placed upon the patient and health care systems with in-person care, especially in rural settings. Future areas of research will include more robust patient cohorts from other institutions utilizing eSyM, and an evaluation of health care outcomes, including symptom burden, acceptability and acute care needs associated with eSyM.
Wide Complex Tachycardia in a Young Woman.

A 27-year-old woman presented with palpitations and was found to have episodes of a non-sustained wide complex tachycardia. In this report, we discuss a differential diagnosis for the patient's wide complex tachycardia and the important ECG findings which lead to her diagnosis. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Outcomes after endovascular embolization for the treatment of nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage: safety, efficacy, and rebleeding.

BackgroundIntractable nasal and oropharyngeal hemorrhage may be treated with endovascular embolization, but limited data are available. We sought to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and factors assoc...
Plate-Tensioned-Nail for Salvage of Failed Subtrochanteric Intramedullary Motorized Limb Lengthening: A Case Report.

CASE A 43-year-old insulin-dependent man with a 4.4-cm posttraumatic femoral limb length discrepancy sustained a subtrochanteric femur fracture associated with failure of a motorized intramedullary limb lengthening nail during distraction osteogenesis. The patient requested a single-stage salvage operation. After implant removal, the femur was stabilized and compressed with a plate-tensioned-nail construct consisting of 4.5-mm locking compression plate tensioned and linked to a femoral reconstruction nail through interlocking screws with immediate weight-bearing. CONCLUSION A plate-tensioned-nail construct is a single-stage salvage option for a length-unstable subtrochanteric nonunion which permits immediate full weight-bearing.
A Qualitative Examination of Emotional Experiences During Physical Activity Post-metabolic/Bariatric Surgery.

Purpose Physical activity is critical for weight loss maintenance and cardiometabolic disease prevention after metabolic/bariatric surgery (MBS), but few patients meet recommended levels. While difficulties meeting physical activity recommendations are common in the general population, those who have undergone MBS may have unique psychological barriers to activity that impede success, including negative associations with physical activity that are related to a long history with obesity, weight stigma, and physical limitations. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the positive and negative emotional experiences of post-MBS patients with regard to physical activity to inform the development of an emotion-focused intervention to increase physical activity after MBS. Methods Adults who had MBS in the past 2 years completed semi-structured interviews and psychological/behavioral questionnaires. After transcription, a codebook was developed using inductive and deductive methods. Coded data were analyzed using content analysis. Results Participants were 23 adults (78% female). Contexts that contributed to positive emotions during physical activity included an enjoyable type of exercise, social interaction, mindfulness during exercise, and mastery. Contexts that contributed to negative affect were more unique to the MBS population, including all-or-nothing thinking about exercise, using distraction, depression, negative body image, exercising only for weight loss, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion For most participants, emotional factors were relevant in the decision to be physically active and in their ability to maintain their habits. An intervention that encourages factors that lead to positive affect and addresses factors that lead to negative affect could be effective in increasing physical activity following MBS.
Comparative Studies on the 25-Hydroxylation of Vitamin D3 and Dihydrotachysterol3

Abstract Liver homogenates hydroxylate dihydrotachysterol3 in position 25 equally well whether they are prepared from rats low in vitamin D or from rats treated with vitamin D3. This contrasts with the liver homogenate 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D3 which is markedly reduced by pretreatment with vitamin D3. In addition, the rate of appearance of 25-hydroxy[3H]dihydrotachysterol3 in the blood following a dose of [3H]dihydrotachysterol3 is not reduced by prior treatment with unlabeled vitamin D3 or dihydrotachysterol in contrast to the effect of prior vitamin D3 treatment on in vivo vitamin D3 25-hydroxylation. Furthermore the rate of appearance of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the blood increases only about 2-fold with a 100-fold increase in vitamin D3 dose, while the rate of appearance of 25-hydroxydihydrotachysterol3 increases 100-fold with a 100-fold increase in dihydrotachysterol3 dose. These results strongly suggest that the 25-hydroxylation of dihydrotachysterol is not regulated in vivo as is the 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D3. They also support the idea that the regulation of calciferol-25-hydroxylase activity functions to maintain a low circulating level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the blood even when large amounts of vitamin D3 are being ingested.
Calixarenes 21: The conformations and structures of the products of aroylation of the, calix[4]arenes

Abstract The aroylatlon of eallx[4]arene (1), p-tert -butylealix[4]arene (2) and p -allylcalix[4]arene (3) with benzoyl chloride and a variety of p -substituted benzoyl chlorides has been carried out via AlCl3-catalyzed reaction and NaH-induced reaction. The products are tetra-aroylates that exist in the cone, partial cone, and/or 1,3-alternate conformation. It is shown that the distribution anong these conformers is dependent on a variety of factors including temperature, aroylating agent, calixarene, and solvent. When 1 is eaterified by the AlCl3 procedure lower temperature tends to slightly favor the partial cone conformation, while higher temperature favors the 1,3-alternate conformation. When 3 is esteritied by the NaH method aroyl chlorides carrying electron-releasing p -substituents favor the 1,3-alternate conformers; those carrying electron-withdrawing substituents favor the cone conformers, the distribution between the conformers correlating quite well with the Hammett σ constants for the p -substituents of the aroylating agents. When 2 is esterified by the NaH method it shows a greater tendency to produce the cone conformer than does 3, the former undergoing slower conformational inversion than the latter. On the basis of these observations it is postulated that the conformer distribution is dependent on the relative rates of the conformational inversion process and the aroylation process, viz. faster aroylation leading to cone conformers or partial cone conformers and slower aroylation leading to 1,3-alternate conformers.
Neuromorphic synapses for artificial dendrites

We describe neuromorphic, variable-weight synapses on artificial dendrites that facilitate experimentation with correlative adaptation rules. Attention is focused on those aspects of biological synaptic function that could affect a neuromorphic network‘s computational power and adaptive capability. These include sublinear summation, quantal synaptic noise, and independent adaptation of adjacent synapses. The diffusive nature of artificial dendrites adds considerable flexibility to the design of fast synapses by allowing conductances to be enabled for short or for variable lengths of time. We present two complementary synapse designs: the shared conductance array and the self-timed synapse. Both synapse circuits behave as conductances to mimic biological synapses and thus enable sublinear summation. The former achieves weight variation by selecting different conductances from an on-chip array, and the latter by modulating the length of time a constant conductance remains activated. Both work with our interchip communication system, virtual wires. For the present purpose of comparing various adaptation mechanisms in software, synaptic weights are stored off chip. This simplifies the addition of quantal weight noise and allows connections from different sources to the same dendritic compartment to have independent weights.
Web-animations: An interdisciplinary approach for biology and information technology students

Interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming increasingly important not only to the scientific community but also to the corporate environment since many real world problems involve collaboration from professionals across disciplines. In this work, we engaged students using a multidisciplinary project that encompassed students from two Information Technology (IT) courses and one Biology course. Students from these courses collaborated to create animations aimed to demonstrate biology concepts. Students worked in teams throughout the semester and presented the completed animation in class. The finished animations were later used in biology classes as teaching and learning tools. The purpose of this project is to create an active learning environment that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration. By the end of the project, students learn to collaborate and communicate effectively with peers of other STEM disciplines, by creating a biology web-based animation as end-product. In this way, they learn to appreciate the value of interdisciplinary teamwork and also realize that animations can be useful teaching and learning tools. Preliminary survey data show positive student feedback regarding learning from peers, using technology and interdisciplinary teamwork. This paper shares our experience in planning and implementing the project.
Impact of positive flow cytometry crossmatch on outcomes of intestinal/multivisceral transplantation: role anti-IL-2 receptor antibody.

Background. Positive crossmatch may be associated with an increased risk of acute rejection (AR) and worse overalloutcomes after intestinal/multivisceral (MV) transplantation. However, the evidence from published studies in thissetting is sparse and contradictory. This study reports the impact of positive flow cytometry crossmatch on clinicaloutcomes after intestinal/MV transplantation and the use of antiYinterleukin (IL)-2 receptor antibody as a mainte-nance immunosuppressant.Methods. Records of all intestinal/MV transplants from 2003 to 2010 were reviewed. Flow cytometry was used toevaluate T- and B-cell crossmatch status. Standard immunosuppression included rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin Yrituximabinduction with tacrolimus and steroid maintenance. From 2008 onwards (second era), monthly anti-IL-2 receptor antibodywas added to the maintenance immunosuppression in pa tients receiving liver-e xcluding transplants.Results. Of 131 intestinal/MV transplants, 27 (21%) had a positive crossmatch. Positive crossmatch was not asso-ciated with an increased incidence of AR and graft loss (30% and 37% vs. 29% and 47%; P=0.94 and 0.35, respec-tively). This effect was maintained in liver-excluding transplants. Overall rate of AR decreased from 39% to 22% inthe second era. In liver-excluding transplants, there was a significant decrease in AR from 75% to 44% with the use ofanti-IL-2 receptor antibody therapy.Conclusions. With rabbit anti-thymocyte globulinYrituximab induction, positive crossmatch status is not associatedwith worse outcomes after intestinal/MV transplantation. Use of anti-IL-2 receptor antibody as a part of maintenanceimmunosuppression may be beneficial in liver-excluding transplants.Keywords: Intestinal transplant, Crossmatch, Alloantibody, Acute rejection, Graft loss, Sensitized recipient, Rituximab.(Transplantation 2013;95: 1160Y1166)
III. Some causes and consequences of dependence and independence in the stock market

Abstract The fact that there are times when market movement is random and times when it is not is interpreted in terms of the hypothesis that the price of a stock is an aggregate opinion — the resultant of the opinions and decisions of a community of investors. Price, like any other opinion, will be most vulnerable to social and other sources of influence during times of uncertainty, an aggregate psychological state which can generate the kind of statistical dependence characteristic of non-random walks. Ramifications of this hypothesis are explored in a variety of stock market behaviors, such as the effect of tips, the impact of runs on trading volume during rising and falling markets, and the like.
In vitro clearance of chylomicron triglycerides containing(ω-3) eicosapentaenoate

Abstract Rat mesenteric lymph chylomicrons, containing triglycerides enriched with either [ 14 C]oleic acid or [ 14 C]eicosapentaenoic acid, were prepared by ultracentrifugation of lymph samples collected for 6 h after a single duodenal infusion of an emulsion containing 0.3 mmol of either fatty acid. After determination of protein and of total fatty acid content and composition, enriched chylomicrons were suspended in Krebs-bicarbonate buffer. Non-working hearts were perfused in a recirculating system for 45 min using the enriched chylomicron preparations. At 15 min intervals during perfusion, the media were assayed for total radioactivity, 14 CO 2 and 14 C-labeled fatty acids associated with triglycerides, unesterified fatty acids, phospholipids, mono- and diglycerides. After perfusion, the hearts were extracted and assayed for total lipid radioactivity and isotope distribution among heart lipid fractions. With this membrane-supported lipoprotein lipase system, clearances of chylomicron triglycerides containing either fatty acid were identical, as were the myocardial uptakes of the fatty acids and oxidations to 14 CO 2 . Furthermore, except for a significantly greater incorporation of eicosapentaenoate into myocardial phospholipids, tissue isotope distributions of the two labeled fatty acids were also the same. These studies suggest that at least the initial phases of peripheral clearance of chylomicrons enriched in ω-3 fatty acids is as efficient as with those containing oleate.
Chemical evidence for production of hydroxyl radicals during microsomal electron transfer

Rat liver microsomes generate methane from dimethyl sulfoxide and ethylene from either methional or 2-keto-4-thiomethylbutyric acid during electron transfer initiated by reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). Hydrocarbon gas production is suppressed by hydroxyl radical scavenging agents. Azide, an inhibitor of catalase, augments the production of hydrocarbon gases. These observations constitute chemical evidence for the generation of hydroxyl radicals by microsomes.
Numerical modeling of in situ gelation of biopolymers in porous media

Abstract An effort has been made to generate a numerical model of in situ gelation phenomena. The numerical model of the in situ gelation process was based on McCool's (1988) [McCool, C.S. 1988. An experimental study of the in situ gelation polyacrylamide/chromium(III)/thiourea system in porous media. Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas.] filtration hypothesis. The model fit for all three cases, polyacrylamide/redox, xanthan/Cr(III), and xanthan/borax systems, and the simulated permeability ratio fit very well for xanthan/Cr(III) and xanthan/borax systems. McCool's (1988) [McCool, C.S. 1988. An experimental study of the in situ gelation polyacrylamide/chromium(III)/thiourea system in porous media. Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas.] hypothesis was verified by our simulation results, providing insight into the phenomena of in situ gelation both in petroleum recovery and in subsurface heavy metal stabilization.
Synthesis and self-assembly of an amphiphilic poly(phenylene ethynylene) ionomer.

We have synthesized a conjugated amphiphilic polyelectrolyte, a poly(phenylene ethynylene) (PPE), and the structurally analogous neutral polymer. The solution-phase aggregation of the uncharged PPE can be reversibly controlled by varying the solvent polarity and concentration, while the charged polymer appears to self-assemble at any concentration in compatible solvents. These conclusions are based on a combination of absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Photoinduced absorption spectroscopy was also employed to investigate interchain electronic communication and the photoinduced production of free charge carriers. The uncharged PPE had a relatively high polaron yield, indicating π-stacking of adjacent PPE chains and efficient exciton splitting, while the charged polymer did not produce polarons, indicating that the polymers are not π-stacked despite their tendency to form aggregates. This is most likely due to the presence of the cationic trimethylammonium side chain...
A Middleware Architecture for Replica Voting on Fuzzy Data in Dependable Real-time Systems

Majority voting among replicated data collection devices enhances the trust-worthiness of data flowing from a hostile external environment. It allows a correct data fusion and dissemination by the end-users, in the presence of content corruptions and/or timing failures that may possibly occur during data collection. In addition, a device may operate on fuzzy inputs, thereby generating a data that occasionally deviates from the reference datum in physical world. In this paper, we provide a QoS-oriented approach to manage the data flow through various system elements. The application-level QoS parameters we consider are timeliness and accuracy of data. The underlying protocol-level parameters that influence data delivery performance are the data sizes, network bandwidth, device asynchrony, and data fuzziness. A replica voting protocol takes into account the interplay between these parameters as the faulty behavior of malicious devices unfolds in various forms during data collection. Our QoS-oriented approach casts the well-known fault-tolerance techniques, namely, 2-phase voting, with control mechanisms that adapt the data delivery to meet the end-to-end constraints - such as latency, data integrity, and resource cost. The paper describes a middleware architecture to realize our QoS-oriented approach to the management of replicated data flows.