cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Cooperative Autonomous System for Heterogeneous Unmanned Aerial and Ground Vehicles

Today’s military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions routinely employ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) as versatile, real-time, remote sensing platforms. One of the main challenges of deploying such unmanned systems for large-scale military operations is the lack of interoperability among different types of unmanned systems. This constraint introduces even greater problems as we move toward unmanned missions that require multiple platforms to work cooperatively, even in environments where human operators cannot readily provide any mission inputs. If we expect cooperative unmanned systems technologies to advance rapidly in the future, it is essential that we, the unmanned systems community, remove this interoperability constraint. To this end, we developed a scalable, onboard unmanned system called cooperative autonomous system (CAS) capable of mounting on multiple vehicle types to address key aspects of the interoperability problem. The CAS includes a comprehensive collection of hardware and software modules designed for real-time coordination of unmanned aircraft and autonomous ground vehicles. These modules are essential capabilities to perform cooperative missions: to navigate and control the platform, to communicate with other unmanned systems, to process information transmitted by neighboring unmanned systems, and to fuse data collected from other unmanned systems with its local sensor data. We created CAS interfaces for several commercially available autopilots, mobile robot platforms, and industry-standard sensor and communication devices. The CAS software is based on an open-source, multi-threaded, event-driven framework that combines cross-platform compatibility with object-oriented software that encapsulates a variety of asynchronous control, sensing, and communication mechanisms. The hardware of CAS is made of modular units to allow a plug-and-play ability, depending on a particular mission application. We successfully demonstrated the interoperability of CAS by implementing the system on two different unmanned aircraft and an unmanned mobile ground platform. We show results from an ISR experiment with three different mobile platforms and a set of stationary sensors. Sensors employed were electro-optical and infrared cameras as well as radio frequency receivers.
Explaining Location Patterns of Suburban Offices

Suburban office markets exhibit a pattern of variegated clustering that is little explained by the conventional theories of urban form based on agglomeration effects and the cost of distance. To explain the pattern, this paper introduces industry economies of scale for “Class A” offices. Empirical tests for industry economies of scale are reported, based on data from the office market of Houston, Texas. The models presented, under conditions typical of North American cities in recent decades, imply the patterns of variegated clustering that are observed. They suggest a sequence of clusters, increasing in size and distance from the central business district. Further, they imply the potential for mass movement by tenants from older clusters to new.
Soybean NDR1‐like proteins bind pathogen effectors and regulate resistance signaling

Nonrace specific disease resistance 1 (NDR1) is a conserved downstream regulator of resistance (R) protein-derived signaling. We identified two NDR1-like sequences (GmNDR1a, b) from soybean, and investigated their roles in R-mediated resistance and pathogen effector detection. Silencing GmNDR1a and b in soybean shows that these genes are required for resistance derived from the Rpg1-b, Rpg3, and Rpg4 loci, against Pseudomonas syringae (Psg) expressing avrB, avrB2 and avrD1, respectively. Immunoprecipitation assays show that the GmNDR1 proteins interact with the AvrB2 and AvrD1 Psg effectors. This correlates with the enhanced virulence of Psg avrB2 and Psg avrD1 in GmNDR1-silenced rpg3 rpg4 plants, even though these strains are not normally more virulent on plants lacking cognate R loci. The GmNDR1 proteins interact with GmRIN4 proteins, but not with AvrB, or its cognate R protein Rpg1-b. However, the GmNDR1 proteins promote AvrB-independent activation of Rpg1-b when coexpressed with a phosphomimic derivative of GmRIN4b. The role of GmNDR1 proteins in Rpg1-b activation, their direct interactions with AvrB2/AvrD1, and a putative role in the virulence activities of Avr effectors, provides the first experimental evidence in support of the proposed role for NDR1 in transducing extracellular pathogen-derived signals.
Welfare Effects of Spectrum Management Regimes

We build a model where consumers have preferences, over a range of varieties, for communications devices and device qualities. Devices use radio spectrum and are produced and sold in a competitive device market. In such a model, the choice on the spectrum management regime greatly affects market outcomes and consumer welfare. The choice on the spectrum management regime effectively determines the final number of firms in the market and the electromagnetic noise levels firms become subject to when deciding on the information transmission capabilities of their devices. We simulate such a model over a wide range of model parameters. We find that the commons regime where the access to and the use of spectrum is not restricted to license holders creates consumer welfare for a wider and more reasonable model parameters than the licensing regime where the access to and the use of spectrum is granted to predetermined number of licensees.
Optimal regularized image restoration with constraints

A method for estimating the optimal degree of regularization in the presence of constraints on the restored image is presented. While regularization is a powerful method for obtaining satisfactory solutions to the image restoration problem, the optimal degree of regularization is seldom known ahead of time. Furthermore, the optimal degree of regularization changes when constraints are enforced in the restoration process. The generalized cross-validation criterion is modified to estimate the optimal degree of regularization in the presence of constraints on the solution. In addition, an efficient estimation procedure is used that makes it possible to evaluate the criterion with a computational complexity on the same order as the constrained restoration. The benefit of this procedure is demonstrated with examples. >
Intravenous Iloprost Infusion in Patients with Raynaud Phenomenon Secondary to Systemic Sclerosis: A Multicenter, Placebo-controlled, Double-Blind Study

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of iloprost, a prostacyclin analog, administered intravenously in patients with Raynaud phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis. Design: Multicente...
Reliable navigation using landmarks

Building a truly reliable mobile robot system-one that can navigate without failures for long periods of time (weeks or months)-requires making clear assumptions bounding uncertainty and enforcing those assumptions by appropriately engineering the robot and its workspace. Weak assumptions may result in low-cost engineering but make the navigation problem intractable. On the other hand, strict assumptions may simplify navigation but reduce the flexibility of the resulting system. The work presented in this paper investigates the tradeoff between "computational complexity" and "physical complexity" and advocates landmarks as a way of managing this tradeoff. We first define a formal navigation problem which incorporates enough assumptions to make it computationally tractable. We then use landmarks to enforce those assumptions. By implementing this system on our mobile robot we show that the assumptions are enforceable, that the engineering costs of using landmarks are acceptable, and that the resulting navigation system is both efficient and robust.
Chemically distinct ligands promote differential CB1 cannabinoid receptor-Gi protein interactions.

To understand how structurally distinct ligands regulate CB 1 receptor interactions with Gi1, Gi2, and Gi3, we quantified the Gαi and βγ proteins that coimmunoprecipitate with the CB 1 receptor from a detergent extract of N18TG2 membranes in the presence of ligands. A mixture of A, R, G GDP (or G_), and ARG GDP (or ARG_) complexes was observed in the presence of aminoalkylindole ( R )-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl)pyrrolo[1,2,3- de ]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-naphthalenylmethanone (WIN 55,212-2) for all three RGαi complexes, cannabinoid desacetyllevonantradol for Gαi1 and Gαi2, and eicosanoid ( R )-methanandamide for Gαi3. Desacetyllevonantradol maintained RGαi3 complexes and ( R )-methanandamide maintained RGαi1 and RGαi2 complexes even in the presence of a nonhydrolyzable GTP analog. The biaryl pyrazole antagonist N -(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1 H -pyrazole-3-carboximide hydrochloride (SR141716) maintained all three RGαi complexes. Gβ proteins, and to a certain extent Gγ2, exhibited the same association/dissociation pattern as the Gα proteins. A GDP analog had no influence on any of these association/dissociation reactions and failed to promote sequestration of G proteins. These results can be explained by invoking the existence of an inverse agonist-supported inactive state in the ternary complex equilibrium model. WIN 55,212-2 behaves as an agonist for all three Gi subtypes; SR141716 behaves as an inverse agonist for all three Gi subtypes; desacetyllevonantradol behaves as an agonist for Gi1 and Gi2, and an inverse agonist at Gi3; and ( R )-methanandamide behaves as an inverse agonist at Gi1 and Gi2, and an agonist at Gi3. These ligand-selective G protein responses imply that multiple conformations of the receptor could be evoked by ligands to regulate individual G proteins.
Interpretive proteomics--finding biological meaning in genome and proteome databases.

The 1990s was the decade of the genome. Today, complete draft sequences are available for the genomes of many eubacteria, several archaebacteria, several unicellular eukaryotes, several plants, and a growing collection of animals, including C. elegans (a worm), the fruit fly and mosquito, the mouse, and human. As these sequences have accumulated, it has become increasingly apparent that new methods are needed to exploit the information that they (must) contain. Organic chemistry has always been driven by the discovery of new natural products, elucidation of their structures, and exploration of their behaviors. Gene sequences are no more (and no less) than the structures of natural products responsible for inheritance. The genome database, and the corresponding protein sequence database, therefore provide a new collection of natural product structures to study. These display every behavior of interest to chemists: conformation, supramolecular organization, combinatorial assembly, and catalysis are just a few. At the same time, biomedical scientists are hoping that new insights into biology, disease, and treatment will be extracted from this collection of sequence data. They are adding to the data, comparing the expressed genetic inventory of diseased and normal tissues, and attempting to correlate genomic data with physiological function. Biomedical science should be revolutionized by genomic data. But how? Genomic projects also present opportunities for the emerging fields of Geobiology, Planetary Biology and Astrobiology. Geobiology and Planetary Biology seeks to understand the relation between living organisms and their global environment. The history of life on Earth cannot be separated from the history of the planet. Each has defined the structure of the other. A major, almost visionary (at this
Adherence to Medical Regimens Understanding the Effects of Cognitive Appraisal, Quality of Life, and Perceived Family Resiliency

Adherence studies have taken center stage due to the life-threatening risks associated with nonadherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens for people with HIV/AIDS. This stud...
Workshop - training faculty to train students in Peer-Led Team Learning

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is an innovative active-learning curriculum intervention for improving student success, retention, and leading to more timely graduation in the engineering and science disciplines. dasiaPlus Twopsila PLTL has been successfully integrated into six courses in three disciplines at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). dasiaPlus Twopsila substitutes two hours of Workshop: small-group, active, collaborative learning guided by an undergraduate STEM student (Peer Leader) for one hour of large section lecture per week. Since fall 2000, the C-or-better passing rate in first semester general chemistry here has improved from the historic average near 53% to the current rate above 70%, translating into an additional 160 students successfully progressing each year into their engineering, science, and mathematics majors. Over the past six years the authors have trained many groups of students to become successful peer leaders at their respective institutions. The three-hour workshop proposed is designed for faculty members who want to learn how to train students to adopt the active learning strategies and pedagogical skills to be successful leaders in PLTL Workshops. Participants will become practitioners by dasialearning by doingpsila in this session.
History of Anti-inflammatories in Headache: Acetanilid, Antipyrin, Phenacetin and Salicyclic Acid (P1.291)

OBJECTIVE: To review the chemistry, pharmacology and history of several early anti-inflammatory medications discovered and popularized through the 19th century as well as the data collected in early 20th century demonstrating poisonings, deaths and habitual usage associated with several of them. BACKGROUND: The industrial revolution fueled the development of several early synthesized anti-inflammatories. These were used in a wide range of patented and popularized headache remedies that were available nationally and internationally in pharmacies. After the pure food and drug act of 1906, data was collected by the department of agriculture showing poisonings, death and habitual usage of several of these drugs. This data may also be the first published work on medication overuse and rebound headache and was published in the Farmer9s Bulletin of 1909 DESIGN/METHODS: Data was collected from a range of primary and secondary sources about the development of medications. Photos were obtained from a collection of original headache remedies collected by the study investigator. Early data from the department of agriculture was reviewed in the context of our current understanding of the mechanism of these medications. RESULTS: Original information about early development and usage of anti-inflammatories demonstrate the danger of these compounds. Data reviewed from the department of agriculture in 1909 also suggests the risks of medication overuse and rebound headaches was evident even with early standardized anti-inflammatory medications. CONCLUSIONS: The lessons learned from early medication use are still relevant today. Common over the counter medications may still be dangerous depending upon their usage. There is a strong relationship between habitual medication use, poisonings and death associated with Victorian era anti-inflammatory compounds. Study Supported by: noone Disclosure: Dr. Noah has nothing to disclose. Dr. Thornton has nothing to disclose.
Engaging Preservice Teachers in Critical Dialogues on Race

1. Joanna E. Durham-Barnes[1][1] 1. 1Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, USA 1. Joanna E. Durham-Barnes, Middle Tennessee State University, COE Box 69, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA. Email: joanna.durham-barnes{at}mtsu.edu Rarely do White, middle-class Americans, the population from which most teachers are drawn, have the opportunity to consider themselves as racialized beings. Although personal experience is usually the best teacher, our increasingly homogeneous teaching population oftentimes lacks experience with diversity, and schools of education often struggle to find appropriate and meaningful diverse field experiences for their teacher candidates. This study uses a documentary in an attempt to provoke thoughtful conversations about race and racism in the United States among the mostly White teacher candidates. The study identifies racial themes that emerge from the conversations, explores the ways the groups’ racial diversity alters conversations on race, and explores how the race of the group’s facilitator may affect the conversations. The study suggested that racially diverse groups are more likely to explore greater numbers of racial themes and engage each other more deeply through polite disagreement. Although racial diversity of any kind seemed to promote deeper conversations, participants reported greater satisfaction from the conversations when the students themselves were racially diverse rather than with the facilitator alone. [1]: #aff-1
Relative contributions of neutral and niche-based processes to the structure of a desert grassland grasshopper community

Whether neutral or deterministic factors structure biotic communities remains an open question in community ecology. We studied the spatial structure of a desert grassland grasshopper community and tested predictions for species sorting based on niche differentiation (deterministic) and dispersal limitation (neutral). We contrasted the change in species relative abundance and community similarity along an elevation gradient (i.e., environmental gradient) against community change across a relatively homogeneous distance gradient. We found a significant decrease in pairwise community similarity along both elevation and distance gradients, indicating that dispersal limitation plays a role in structuring local grasshopper communities. However, the distance decay of similarity was significantly stronger across the elevational gradient, indicating that niche-based processes are important as well. To further investigate mechanisms underlying niche differentiation, we experimentally quantified the dietary preferences of two common species, Psoloessa texana and Psoloessa delicatula, for the grasses Bouteloua eriopoda and Bouteloua gracilis, which are the dominant plants (~75% of total cover) in our study area. Cover of the preferred host plant explained some of the variation in relative abundances of the two focal species, although much variance in local Psoloessa distribution remained unexplained. Our results, the first to examine these hypotheses in arid ecosystems, indicate that the composition of local communities can be influenced by both probabilistic processes and mechanisms based in the natural histories of organisms.
Polyelectrolytes. II. Poly-4-vinylpyridonium chloride and poly-4-vinyl-N-n-butylpyridonium bromide†

Poly-4-vinylpyridine was precipitated from a toluene solution of the monomer after addition of benzoyl Peroxide. The sample used in these experiments had a molecular weight of 77,000, (DP 730) as determined by osmotic pressure in alcohol solution, and an intrinsic viscosity of 0.36 in this solvent. The hydrochloride is water soluble and behaves like the salt of an extremely weak base with an over-all average base dissociation constant of 0.011 × 10−9, about one thousandth that of 4-ethylpyridine. The decrease in apparent base strength is ascribed to the chain structure which produces high local concentrations of pyridine groups, independent of the total concentration. By addition of butyl bromide to the polymer in nitromethane, a long chain quaternary ammonium salt is formed which is also water soluble. Its conductance is not sensitive to concentration down to about 0.003 N, after which the conductance rises sharply with further dilution. Dissociation, calculated by the classical Arrhenius method, indicates that a minimum of about 20% of the bromide ions are free, the remainder being associated by Coulomb attraction to the chainlike positive ion. As the dielectric constant of the solvent is decreased by addition of ethanol, the relative amount of free bromide ions decreases. The viscosity of the polyelectrolyte in aqueous or alcoholic solution, when plotted in the conventional way (ηsp/c versus c), approaches infinity at zero concentration instead of approaching a limiting constant linearly. A plot of versus is, however, linear; this behavior is characteristic of strong electrolytes. The coefficient of the square root term in concentration for the polymer is larger, by orders of magnitude, than that for ordinary electrolytes. The coefficient of the linear term in the square root function is about equal to the intrinsic viscosity of the parent polymer.
RingSTM: scalable transactions with a single atomic instruction

Existing Software Transactional Memory (STM) designs attach metadata to ranges of shared memory; subsequent runtime instructions read and update this metadata in order to ensure that an in-flight transaction's reads and writes remain correct. The overhead of metadata manipulation and inspection is linear in the number of reads and writes performed by a transaction, and involves expensive read-modify-write instructions, resulting in substantial overheads.We consider a novel approach to STM, in which transactions represent their read and write sets as Bloom filters, and transactions commit by enqueuing a Bloom filter onto a global list. Using this approach, our RingSTM system requires at most one read-modify-write operation for any transaction, and incurs validation overhead linear not in transaction size, but in the number of concurrent writers who commit. Furthermore, RingSTM is the first STM that is inherently livelock-free and privatization-safe while at the same time permitting parallel writeback by concurrent disjoint transactions.We evaluate three variants of the RingSTM algorithm, and find that it offers superior performance and/or stronger semantics than the state-of-the-art TL2 algorithm under a number of workloads.
Errata: Time-resolved fluorescence and ultrafast energy transfer in a zinc (hydr)oxide–graphite oxide mesoporous composite

Ultrafast energy decay kinetics of a zinc (hydr)oxide–graphite oxide (GO) composite is studied via time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The time-resolved emission is spectrally decomposed into emission regions originating from the zinc (hydr)oxide optical gap, surface, and defect states of the composite material. The radiative lifetime of deep red emission becomes an order of magnitude longer than that of GO alone while the radiative lifetime of the zinc optical gap is shortened in the composite. An energy transfer scheme from the zinc (hydr)oxide to GO is considered.
Amenities, Amenities, Amenities? How Policymakers Can SWOT Their Way to Better Entrepreneurial Facility Options

Across the country, policymakers from both the public and private sector regardless of their level of responsibility turn to entrepreneurial ventures as an opportunity to drive economic activity within their sphere of influence. They develop and implement strategies that encourage new business ventures but fail to consider a fundamental aspect of the organizing process of a business, which is finding a suitable facility. As such, this article seeks to consider and evaluate the various forms and types of facilities available to entrepreneurs in order to provide policymakers with an insight as to the best methods to assist in facilitating their success while providing a template for a SWOT analysis as a tool for developing a robust policy strategy.
A biologic study of aciduric bacteria

The aciduric group of bacteria consists of those micro-organisms that are able to live and multiply in degrees of acidity unfavorable for the development of most microbes. These bacteria are widely distributed in nature, being found in the intestinal tracts of many animals, in milk, silage and other fermentable materials. Detailed information in regard to their biologic properties and their significance is relatively meager, however, due largely to the fact that they do not grow well on many laboratory mediums. Consequently, there has been much confusion in the past in separating different types, and not until recent years have adequate cultural tests for their differentiation been made. In view of these facts, it seemed desirable to make a somewhat systematic biologic survey of certain of these bacteria, with particular attention to their fermentative properties. The principal types of aciduric bacilli found in the animal body are B. acidophilus (Moro 1 and Finkelstein 2), B. bifidus (Tissier3), and B. acidophil-aerogenes (Torrey and Rahe4). Moro originally believed that B. acidophilus was an acid lover, hence the name. Rodella,5 however, showed that many of these organisms grow well in an alkaline medium, and are more acid resisting than acid loving. Later, Kendall6 proposed the term aciduric, meaning organisms capable of enduring considerable degrees of acidity, and most workers in this field have adopted this term as best expressing the main characteristics of the group. The activities of these organisms are particularly interesting and important as certain of them are normal inhabitants of the human intestinal tract, and in infants are the predominant bacterial types in the lower bowel. Being acidogenic with slight proteolytic powers, they are apparently beneficial in their activities, and probably are desirable
Role of a Noninnocent Pincer Ligand in the Activation of CO2 at (PNN)Ru(H)(CO)

This communication describes the activation of CO2 at the Ru pincer complex (PNN)Ru(H)(CO) (PNN = 6-(di-tert-butylphosphinomethylene)-2-(N,N-diethylaminomethyl)-1,6-dihydropyridine). The reaction proceeds to completion within minutes at room temperature to form a C–C bond between the pincer ligand and the electrophilic carbon atom of CO2. The characterization of both the kinetic and thermodynamic products of CO2 activation and the reversibility of this C–C bond formation are discussed.
The Bionomics of Anastatus Albitarsis Ashm., Parasitic in the Eggs of Dictyoploca Japonica Moore (Hymen.).

During the late winter months of 1920 the writer observed numerous large, conspicuous egg-masses of the Saturniid moth Dictyoploca ( Caligula ) japonica Moore upon the trunks and larger branches of various deciduous forest trees in the vicinity of Yokohama and Tokyo, Japan, and further observations showed it to be a pest of Prunus spp. as well as chestnut and camphor. A number of these egg-clusters were collected at the time and set aside for parasite rearings, with the result that a considerable number of a Eupelmid, later determined by Mr. A. B. Gahan of the U. S. Bureau of Entomology as Anastatus albitarsis Ashm., emerged, accompanied by a smaller number of an undetermined Trichogrammid.
Research on Contamination Deposition Characteristics of Post Insulator Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics

In order to study the factors influencing insulators' contamination deposition, we gathered the dimensions of some post insulators and set up numerical models for wind tunnel simulation. On the basis of the theory of computational fluid dynamics, we discussed four factors that affect the trapped mass of insulators. It is concluded that the concentration of particles has a linear function on the taped mass of the insulator surface. Higher wind velocity will lead to more trapped mass on both the top surfaces and the bottom surfaces of insulators, though different profiles of the top and bottom surfaces can result in distinct tends. Meanwhile, growth in the mean diameter of particles will increase the trapped mass of the top surfaces but barely affects the bottom surface. Moreover, for any certain shape of insulator, increasing the diameter of insulator rod significantly will reduce the density of contamination deposition. Further comparison indicates a considerable difference between the simulation results and some reported experimental data from wind tunnel tests, which is probably due to the insufficient consideration of the adhesion effect in the simulations.
Perinatal mortality. A review of 450 consecutive perinatal deaths.

Abstract A 10 year analysis of 450 consecutive perinatal deaths in Perinatal Period I among 24,097 births at The Jewish Hospital of St. Louis (1958 to 1968) revealed an over-all perinatal mortality rate of 18.8 per 1,000 live births. This analysis confirmed the national observation of increased perinatal mortality in Negro births with a Negro perinatal mortality rate of 28.6 per 1,000 live births in contrast to a white perinatal mortality rate of 16.9 per 1,000 live births. The difference in perinatal mortality rates could not be related entirely to differences in prenatal care, incidence of prematurity, specific causes of death, or preventable factors. It is suggested that other determinants, perhaps nonmedical, are yet to be identified. Highest research priority should be given to the three major groups which comprised 51 per cent of all perinatal deaths in the study: abnormal pulmonary function, congenital malformations, and “no demonstrable cause.” Present achievement falls short of what can be accomplished, as evidenced by an 11.3 per cent incidence of preventable perinatal deaths.
Lasers : state of the art in dermatology

The unique properties of lasers create an enormous potential for specific therapy of skin diseases. As with any new device, the most efficacious and appropriate use requires an understanding of the mechanisms of light interaction with tissue as well as the properties of the laser itself. Modification of current lasers and innovative advances with biomedical laser instrumentation may eventually allow the physician to match optimally the laser and the treatment procedure with the lesion.
Telemedicine for Trauma and Emergency: the eICU

The purpose of this study was to describe the current use of telemedicine in the intensive care units (ICUs), particularly as it relates to trauma and emergency. Telemedicine in the ICU has been validated through several large before-after studies with positive effects on mortality, morbidity, and length of stay. New research agendas looking at how best to utilize it and to prove efficacy are required. The USA and most of the Western world face several major healthcare challenges including an aging population, lack of critical care physicians, and importantly a lack of financial resources. Telemedicine in the ICU makes possible to use intensivists from major medical centers to provide critical care services in small hospitals in remote areas that otherwise will not be able to care for their sick and injured patients.
The impact of obesity on outcomes and complications after top-down retropubic midurethral sling.

AIMS Obese women (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) have been considered at higher risk for postoperative complications and failure in efficacy after SUI surgery. We compare the outcomes in this population with non-obese women (BMI < 30 kg/m2) undergoing top-down retropubic polypropylene midurethral sling (RPM). METHODS We retrospectively identified 328 non-obese women and 294 obese women who underwent RPM. Evaluation included SEAPI (stress incontinence, emptying, anatomy, protection, inhibition) assessment and validated QoL questionnaires. Cure was defined as absence of subjective and objective SUI and no additional procedures to correct SUI. Perioperative details were abstracted from the hospital and clinic charts. Groups and outcomes were statistically compared. RESULTS All women had a minimum follow up of 12 months. Preoperative demographic variables, SEAPI scores, and QoL indices were similar between BMI groups. SUI cure rates were significantly higher for non-obese women (82.9% vs. 74.5%; P < 0.01). When controlling for concomitant pelvic surgery, cure rates were not statistically different (76.9% vs. 73.7%; P = 0.65). Statistically significant improvement in SEAPI scores and QoL indices was achieved in both groups. Overall, obese women had no increase in complications compared with the non-obese. The chance of passing an initial postoperative voiding trial was statistically higher in the obese group. CONCLUSIONS Obese women have similar success rates and significant improvement in QoL as non-obese women after RPM. Obesity alone does not appear to be a risk factor for additional complications during sling surgery and obese women may have earlier return to normal voiding after surgery.
Movement distances and activity of introduced flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) in the upper Gila River basin, New Mexico, and potential impacts on native fishes

Abstract Quantifying movement of nonnative fish predators is needed to understand the spatial and temporal scale of their impacts on native species. We used radiotelemetry to document nonnative flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) movement at hourly, daily, and seasonal time scales from May 2014 to June 2015 in the upper Gila River basin, New Mexico. Movement varied among individuals, with a large proportion (45%) moving 80 m in one night. Archival radiotags recovered from three individuals indicated that activity was greatest in summer and autumn during the evening, but we also observed some late-afternoon activity. Additionally, abnormally high activity during 8–12-h periods often coincided with increases in river discharge. Temperature was exponentially correlated with activity, with sh...
Model framework for integrating multiple exposure pathways to chemicals in household cleaning products

We present a screening-level exposure assessment method which integrates exposure from all plausible exposure pathways as a result of indoor residential use of cleaning products. The exposure pathways we considered are (1) exposure to a user during product use via inhalation and dermal, (2) exposure to chemical residues left on clothing, (3) exposure to all occupants from the portion released indoors during use via inhalation and dermal, and (4) exposure to the general population due to down-the-drain disposal via inhalation and ingestion. We use consumer product volatilization models to account for the chemical fractions volatilized to air (fvolatilized) and disposed down the drain (fdown-the-drain) during product use. For each exposure pathway, we use a fate and exposure model to estimate intake rates (iR) in mg/kg/day. Overall, the contribution of the four exposure pathways to the total exposure varies by the type of cleaning activities and with chemical properties. By providing a more comprehensive exposure model and by capturing additional exposures from often-overlooked exposure pathways, our method allows us to compare the relative contribution of various exposure routes and could improve high-throughput exposure assessment for chemicals in cleaning products. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Abstract A54: Possible targets of metformin in colorectal cancer

Background: Growing evidence suggests metformin improves survival in diabetic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. However, the mechanism of action remains unclear. In order to explore the mechanistic relationship between metformin and colon cancer, we examined the expression levels of several proteins implicated in metformin9s action. Methods: We collected clinical-pathological and outcomes data on all CRC patients treated at the University of Chicago (UC) from 2006-2010. The data was collected through UC cancer registry and chart review. Diabetic CRC patients and matched controls (matched on race and stage) were selected for immunostaining (IHC). Tissues blocks (FFPE) were retrieved and tissue microarray (TMA) were constructed. IHC was performed for pAMPK, pmTOR, p70S6K, 4E-BP1, pAKT, IGF1R, beta-Catenin and Ki-67. Total score was calculated from the intensity and percentage scoring. The results were analyzed in two groups: diabetic CRC patients on metformin (group 1) and diabetic or non-diabetic CRC patients not on metformin (group 2). Chi-square test was done for estimating statistical significance between groups keeping a level of significance at 10% (alpha Results: The mean age of CRC patients was 62.7 years, 49% were males. Out of a total of 700 patients, 79 (11.21%) were diabetic. Metformin was prescribed to 40.5% of diabetic patients. Only 52 diabetics have FFPE block available so TMA was constructed with 104 patients in total (52 cases and 52 controls). Immunostaining was analyzable for a total of 84 patients. There were 18 and 66 patients in group 1 and 2, respectively. We found a lower expression of Ki-67 in the metformin group (group 1; 39%) as compared to non-metformin group (group 2; 64%) which was statistically significant (p = 0.04). IGF1R and beta-Catenin showed a higher expression in non-metformin group (89% and 95%, respectively) as compared to metformin group (72% and 83%, respectively) which was close to significance (p=0.12 and p=0.13, respectively). There was no significant difference between the expression of pAMPK, pmTOR, p70S6K, 4E-BP1 and pAKT in the two groups. Conclusions: Metformin appears to improve the survival of CRC patients by decreasing proliferation. The results need to be validated in a larger study. Citation Format: Amikar Sehdev, Galina Khramtsova, Nora Joseph, Blase P. Polite, Marc B. Bissonnette, Olopade I. Olufunmilayo. Possible targets of metformin in colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr A54.
Reconceptulizing Language Discordance: Meanings and Experiences of Language Barriers in the U.S. and Taiwan

Individuals with language barriers may face challenges unique to a host society. By examining and comparing the sociocultural conditions that can result in providers and patients not sharing the same language in the United States and in Taiwan, I argue that (a) language discordance is a social phenomenon that may entail diverging meanings and experiences in different countries; (b) language-discordant patients may not share similar experiences even if they are in the same country; and (c) disparities in language concordance may be confounded with other disparities and cultural particulars that are unique to a host society. In addition, because English is a dominant language in medicine, language-discordant patients' quality of care in Taiwan can be moderated by their fluency in English.
Impact of schoolchildren's involvement in the design process on the effectiveness of healthy food promotion materials

Abstract Marketing techniques may improve children's vegetable consumption. However, student participation in the design of marketing materials may increase the material's salience, while also improving children's commitment and attitudes towards healthy eating. The impact of student-led design of vegetable promotional materials on choice and consumption was investigated using 1614 observations of students' vegetable choice and plate waste in four public elementary schools in Kearney, Nebraska. Data were collected on children's vegetable choice and consumption in four comparison groups: 1) control; 2) students designed materials only; 3) students were exposed to promotional materials only; and 4) students designed materials that were then posted in the lunchroom. Vegetable choice and consumption data were collected through a validated digital photography-based plate-waste method. Multivariate linear regression was used to estimate average treatment effects of the conditions at various time periods. Dependent variables were vegetable choice and consumption, and independent variables included the condition, time period, and interaction terms, as well as controls for gender and grade. Relative to baseline, students in group 4 doubled their vegetable consumption ( p p p p
A high-quality annotated transcriptome of swine peripheral blood

High throughput gene expression profiling assays of peripheral blood are widely used in biomedicine, as well as in animal genetics and physiology research. Accurate, comprehensive, and precise interpretation of such high throughput assays relies on well-characterized reference genomes and/or transcriptomes. However, neither the reference genome nor the peripheral blood transcriptome of the pig have been sufficiently assembled and annotated to support such profiling assays in this emerging biomedical model organism. We aimed to assemble published and novel RNA-seq data to provide a comprehensive, well-annotated blood transcriptome for pigs by integrating a de novo assembly with a genome-guided assembly. A de novo and a genome-guided transcriptome of porcine whole peripheral blood was assembled with ~162 million pairs of paired-end and ~183 million single-end, trimmed and normalized Illumina RNA-seq reads (~6 billion initial reads from 146 RNA-seq libraries) from five independent studies by using the Trinity and Cufflinks software, respectively. We then removed putative transcripts (PTs) of low confidence from both assemblies and merged the remaining PTs into an integrated transcriptome consisting of 132,928 PTs, with 126,225 (~95%) PTs from the de novo assembly and more than 91% of PTs spliced. In the integrated transcriptome, ~90% and 63% of PTs had significant sequence similarity to sequences in the NCBI NT and NR databases, respectively; 68,754 (~52%) PTs were annotated with 15,965 unique gene ontology (GO) terms; and 7618 PTs annotated with Enzyme Commission codes were assigned to 134 pathways curated by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Full exon-intron junctions of 17,528 PTs were validated by PacBio IsoSeq full-length cDNA reads from 3 other porcine tissues, NCBI pig RefSeq mRNAs and transcripts from Ensembl Sscrofa10.2 annotation. Completeness of the 5’ termini of 37,569 PTs was validated by public cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE) data. By comparison to the Ensembl transcripts, we found that (1) the deduced precursors of 54,402 PTs shared at least one intron or exon with those of 18,437 Ensembl transcripts; (2) 12,262 PTs had both longer 5’ and 3’ termini than their maximally overlapping Ensembl transcripts; and (3) 41,838 spliced PTs were totally missing from the Sscrofa10.2 annotation. Similar results were obtained when the PTs were compared to the pig NCBI RefSeq mRNA collection. We built, validated and annotated a comprehensive porcine blood transcriptome with significant improvement over the annotation of Ensembl Sscrofa10.2 and the pig NCBI RefSeq mRNAs, and laid a foundation for blood-based high throughput transcriptomic assays in pigs and for advancing annotation of the pig genome.
Systemic evidence of acute seizure-associated neuronal injury in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Patients with drug refractory temporal lobe epilepsy frequently accumulate cognitive impairment over time, suggesting neuronal loss induced by seizures. We measured serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a neuronal injury marker, relative to levels of S100β, a marker of glial injury, at 6 AM, 9 AM, noon, 3 PM, and 6 PM over the course of several days in 7 epilepsy patients and 4 healthy controls. All epilepsy patients exhibited significant deviations in NSE levels through time, and 4 of the epilepsy patients exhibited large sample entropy values and large signal variation metrics for NSE relative to S100β. Controls did not exhibit such changes. Correlation analysis revealed that NSE levels were significantly elevated after clinical seizure events. There was also a highly significant relationship between increased EEG spike frequency and an increase in serum NSE levels measured 24 hours later. The detection of large but transient post-ictal increases in NSE suggests that even self-limited seizures may cause an injury to neurons that underlies cognitive decline in some patients. Post-ictal assessment of serum NSE may serve as a biomarker for measuring the efficacy of future acute neuroprotective strategies in epilepsy patients.
G376 Reducing prescribing errors: making electronic prescribing work for our children with cystic fibrosis, with multi-discipline collaboration

Aims We noted a pattern of multiple prescribing errors for cystic fibrosis (CF) inpatients, a high-risk group where polypharmacy is unavoidable. Errors persisted despite the introduction of electronic prescribing (EP) in our Children’s hospital in 2016, and a subsequent CF prescribing care set. EP is often seen by clinicians as a fixed unalterable system contributing to rather than ameliorating errors. We wanted to demonstrate increased use of the care set alongside an expected reduction in prescribing errors, through a process of multi-disciplinary quality improvement in liaison with EP programmers. Methods We met monthly, process mapping how the team interacts with our EP system. Sequential Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles were carried out and functionality added and optimised so they were used reliably, including care sets, automatic admission notification and judicious pop-up alerts. The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention score (NCC MERP) was used to categorise error severity (A-I). Results In total, 20 patients (320 medication orders) were evaluated. The most common prescribing errors were: omission of a regular medicine (27%), wrong formulation (19%) and wrong dose (14%). One third of prescriptions with error(s) were non-CF specific drugs that could not be prescribed using the care set. These errors would require different error reduction strategies to be tested and were excluded from further analysis. Through our interventions, we demonstrated increased utilisation of the CF care set, from 42% to 70%, alongside a reduction in prescriptions with ≥1 error, from 43% to 27%. The highest severity category seen in this study (D: errors that required intervention to preclude harm, or extra monitoring) was reduced from 27% to 15%. Conclusion It is important to recognise that clinical teams can significantly reduce medication errors, and their severity, by working closely with EP programmers to change and adapt EP functions, and evaluate their subsequent utilisation and efficacy.