cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
VHDL Motivation

The goals of the very high speed integrated circuit (or VHSIC) program are to reduce IC design time and effectively insert VHSIC technology into military systems. These goals, indicating the need for a standard means of communication to stream-line advanced digital design and documentation, motivated the development of a hardware description language. Requirements were analyzed during 1981; program organization was formulated during 1982; and the VHSIC hardware description language (or VHDL) program was launched in August, 1983. Acting as a standard design automation interface, VHDL will simplify complex digital system design. Acting as design documentation agent, it will facilitate design insertion into electronic systems. Organization of the VHDL program is detailed elsewhere.1 We will discuss elements motivating hardware description language use (VHDL in particular) and examine its impact on governmental, industrial, and academic participation in electronic research, business, and education.
Dictyostelium deminutivum, a new cellular slime mold.

A new species of Dictyostelium, isolated from leaf mold collected in Poza Rica, Mexico, is described. The slime mold is characterized by the relatively small dimensions of its spores and myxamoebae...
Responses of Pineapple Orange Trees to Selected Petroleum Oil Fractions

Differences in juice quality, when found, were usually very small among samples from pineapple orange trees following 4 selected spray oil fractions and a non-oil treatment applied in early July 1963-65. Juice quality was determined on all samples each fall. Percentage soluble solids did not differ following a heavier naphthenic or a “re-formed” oil fraction and non-oil treatment. In 9 comparisons, solids following heavier paraflinic and lighter naphthenic oil fractions were reduced slightly below that of the non-oil treatment 3 and 4 times, respectively. Percentage acid was greater in all samples checked in 1964 than in 1963 or 1965. The greater acid percentages were found with the lighter naphthenic oil treatment and the least acid with the non-oil treatment. Acid was intermediate for samples from other oil plots. Leaf drop generally was heaviest during the first 3 weeks after treatment, declined for 3 to 4 weeks and then increased again during weeks 8-10. The greatest leaf drop was recorded with the heavier paraffinic and naphthenic oils of comparable boiling temperatures, while leaf drop with the re-formed oil treatment was intermediate between the above-mentioned 2 oils and the lighter naphthenic oil treatment. Leaf drop from trees sprayed with the various oils was 37 to 65% greater than with the non-oil treatment, but in no case was it considered excessive.
Vilazodone's comparative merits yet to be demonstrated.

The 2010 American Psychiatric Association (APA) guidelines for treating patients with major depression state that the effectiveness of antidepressant medications is generally comparable among and within classes of medications. No antidepressant is considered more effective or faster-acting than
Hernias after transpubic urethroplasty

AbstractWe report 2 cases of herniation following repair of posterior urethral strictures. Both patients underwent transpubic bulboprostatic urethral anastomosis and omentoplasty, which resulted in a perineal hernia in one and a pubic hernia in the other.
Diagnostic Throughput Factor Analysis Tool for En-Route Airspace

Today’s National Airspace System (NAS) is facing a challenge of dealing with an increasingly larger number of flight operations. To address this, the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is introduced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve the efficiency and safety of the NAS. Currently, the performance of the NAS is mainly measured using the delay-based metrics that cannot capture the positive aspects of the performance and level of utilization of the NAS. To address this issue, a diagnostic throughput factor analysis tool is proposed to analyze and quantify the factors that have greater responsibility for poor/better regions/times of performance of the en-route airspace using the concept of throughput. Through a function-level comparison with other applications such as ground transportation, manufacturing, and wireless communication, major factors affecting the NAS’s throughput performance are identified as Monitor Alert Parameter violation, aircraft conflict, metering, c...
Modulation of vascular tone by neutrophils: dependence on endothelial integrity.

To determine the influence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) on vascular smooth muscle tone, isolated human PMNLs (10(4)–10(7) cells/ml) were suspended in a tissue bath with precontracted rat aortic rings with or without endothelium. PMNLs in low concentrations (10(4) and 10(5) cells/ml) caused a mild contraction, and in higher concentrations (10(6) and 10(7) cells/ml) caused a modest relaxation of aortic rings with intact endothelium. In contrast, PMNLs caused a potent concentration-dependent relaxation of deendothelialized rings (P less than 0.01 compared with rings with intact endothelium). The PMNL-induced vascular smooth muscle relaxation was abolished by both hemoglobin and methylene blue and potentiated by both superoxide dismutase and captopril. Although suspension of PMNLs caused release of eicosanoids, thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin, from rings with intact endothelium, neither indomethacin nor the TxA2-endoperoxide receptor antagonist SQ 29548 modified the effects of PMNLs on vascular smooth muscle tone. These observations suggest that unstimulated PMNLs generate a smooth muscle relaxant, which has biological characteristics similar to the endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Since the activity of this PMNL-derived smooth muscle relaxant is more pronounced in deendothelialized vascular segments, it appears that endothelium provides a barrier against vasorelaxation by high concentrations of PMNLs.
Gender differences in chronic headache in a treatment-seeking population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate gender differences in headache description, frequency, disability, and psychological distress in a treatment-seeking population. DESIGN: Consecutive treatment-seeking headache patients were questioned about headache characteristics and comorbid psychological distress. SUBJECTS: 37 males and 90 females seeking treatment at a university headache clinic. METHOD: Subjects were evaluated by a neurologist and assigned headache diagnoses according to International Headache Society criteria. Subjects also completed several psychological self-report measures. Gender comparisons were made for both headache characteristics and psychological measures using the Student t test and chi-square test. RESULTS: Headache characteristics and comorbid psychological symptoms were similar in men and women. Men were more likely than women to report headache-related disability. Headache triggers were similar in men and women, although exercise was reported as a more frequent trigger in men, and women were more likely to identify foods as usual headache triggers. Men and women reported similar responsivity to treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment recommendations for chronic headache should be similar for men and women. However, evaluation of disability and exercise as headache triggers should be actively sought in male patients, while women should be educated about dietary adjustments and avoidance of eating irregularities.
Coda in the Key of F2654hD4

As the US presidential election draws near, many of us can expect to find ourselves face to face with an electronic voting machine. It's time to re-examine the integrity of these machines.
Microbial Community Profiling for the Characterisation of Soil Evidence: Forensic Considerations

Soil contains a very rich and diverse array of microbial species. The observation by soil scientists that soil samples from different locales possess different microbial species’ profiles has suggested that this approach might have potential forensic utility for linking soil evidence samples to their sites of origin. This chapter outlines the biology and technology of microbial community profiling, particularly in relation to DNA analysis. Three research challenges are posed and discussed that must be addressed if this approach is to find a place in the forensic armamentarium: (i) it must be demonstrated that microbial population assemblages vary in such a way as to allow samples from a particular patch to be differentiated from samples deriving from other places; (ii) analytical approaches to microbial community profiling must be developed that combine discriminatory power, robustness and reliability; and (iii) statistical methods must be identified that provide objective measures for assessing the similarities and differences between samples.
One-Pot Synthesis of Monodisperse Colloidal Copper-Doped CdSe Nanocrystals Mediated by Ligand–Copper Interactions

We report a one-pot synthesis of high-quality colloidal copper-doped cadmium selenide nanocrystals (Cu+:CdSe NCs) by injection of a mixture of copper iodide (CuI) and trioctylphosphine (TOP) into solutions containing preformed CdSe NCs. This method allows NC doping to be separated from nucleation and growth, thereby simultaneously achieving large size tunability, narrow size dispersion, and exclusively copper-based photoluminescence (PL). The copper doping level is affected by both the reaction time and the relative concentrations of the cadmium precursor, CuI, and TOP. A correlation is demonstrated between the copper dopant concentration and the intensities of the characteristic near-IR PL and midgap absorption bands, both associated with metal-to-ligand (conduction band) charge-transfer (MLCBCT) excitation of Cu+ dopants. Mechanistic studies reveal that Cu2–xSe NCs are easily formed as kinetic intermediates under reaction conditions involving substantial copper and that these NCs then act as a copper so...
Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in a Treatment-Naive Patient With Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia is a known complication in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who are treated with fludarabine-based chemotherapy; however, it is extremely uncommon in treatment naive patients. Here we report a case of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in a patient with untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Point-of-Care Clinical Guide: Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma is a neoplasm arising from the epithelial lining of the biliary tree; the cholangiocytes. Cholangiocarcinoma encompasses three types based on anatomical location: intrahepatic (IHCC), extrahepatic (EHCC), and hilar (HiCC) type; with the hilar type being the most common. Although cholangiocarcinoma is a rare tumor, its incidence is rising worldwide. Late presentation of the disease contributes to the poor prognosis and occurs due to subtle symptoms that often initially go unrecognized. Although surgical resection remains the best available option for cholangiocarcinoma, late presentation can limit surgical resection as an option, stressing the need for alternative interventions. Current therapeutic options include resection, liver transplantation, systematic chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and liver directed therapies. Palliative care is a valuable tool for those entering a non-curative paradigm in order to potentially minimize symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life. In this chapter, we discuss factors most commonly associated with disease development, available treatments, and anticipated outcomes for cholangiocarcinoma.
Credit Value Adjustment and Funding Value Adjustment All Together

Credit value adjustment (CVA) and funding value adjustment (FVA) to the derivative contracts have been demonstrated to be important in the credit crisis after Lehman Brothers crash. Accurate valuations of CVA and FVA are essential to reflect the economic values of credit and funding risks. In the present article, we reviewed the concepts leading to definition of funding value adjustment, and discussed various implications due to the existence of CVA and FVA. We argue that FVA is consistent with the replication economics and DVA should not be used. The FVA asymmetry, the impact on no-arbitrage condition and trading competition are discussed. The general model for derivative pricing in the presence of CVA/FVA is also derived. Cross currency collateral posting and option on collateral selection is touched briefly.
Overcoming erlotinib resistance with STAT3 inhibition in pancreatic cancer.

304Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a major therapeutic challenge. Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard approach in PDAC, but results in minimal survival benefit for patients, highlighting a desperate need for novel treatment strategies. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in 25-90% of PDACs and has been shown to be an adverse prognostic marker for survival, making it a rational target. To date, the combination of the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, erlotinib, with gemcitabine remains the only approved targeted therapy based on a significant, yet modest, improved overall survival when compared to gemcitabine alone in a phase III clinical trial. We have previously shown that constitutively activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is a biomarker of resistance to both gemcitabine and erlotinib. Therefore, we hypothesized that combined STAT3 and EGFR inhibition would overcome resistance to erlotinib and gemcitabine in...
Social identity and support for counteracting tobacco company marketing that targets vulnerable populations.

Abstract Rationale Tobacco companies use advertising to target vulnerable populations, including youth, racial/ethnic minorities, and sexual minorities. Objective We sought to examine how personal identity affects support for population-specific anti-smoking advertisements that could serve as countermeasures to industry marketing practices. Methods In 2014–2015, we surveyed probability phone samples of adults and adolescents ( n = 6,139) and an online convenience sample of adults ( n = 4,137) in the United States. We experimentally varied the description of tobacco industry marketing practices (no description, general, or specific to a target group). The four prevention target groups were teens; African Americans; Latinos; and gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (GLBs). Participants were either members or non-members of their prevention target group. Results Support was highest for anti-smoking advertisements targeting teens, moderate for Latinos and African Americans, and lowest for GLBs. In-group members expressed higher support than out-group members when anti-smoking advertisements targeted African Americans, Latinos, and GLBs (all p p Conclusions Our findings suggest that the public strongly supports advertisements to prevent smoking among teens, but support for similar efforts among other vulnerable populations is comparatively low. Anti-smoking campaigns for vulnerable populations may benefit from a greater understanding of the role of social identity in shaping public support for such campaigns.
Numerical modeling and simulation of stable nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells

Nanowire CdS-CdTe solar cells have been fabricated and their reliability was measured in annealing furnace at 120 °C ambient air for 120 hours. The Numerical simulation models were established to simulate measured J-V characteristics of the nanowire solar cells after fabrication and after the 120 hour thermal annealing. Simulation models demonstrate that donor trap concentration in the CdTe layer is increased from 7.2∗1014/cm3 to 7.6∗1014/cm3 after 120 hour annealing. However, acceptor traps in the CdS nanowires maintain identical concentration after 120 hour annealing. Simulation models indicate that donor traps in the CdTe layer mainly contribute to efficiency loss of the nanowire solar cells. Low defect feature of the CdS nanowires plays a role in device reliability.
Room-Temperature Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Metal–Organic Frameworks with Controllable Size and Functionality for Enhanced CO2 Sorption

Two-dimensional (2D) metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), as a newly emerged member of 2D materials, have gained extensive attention due to their great potential in gas separation, sensing, and catalysis. However, it is still challenging to synthesize 2D MOFs with controllable size and functionalities using direct and scalable approaches at mild conditions (e.g., room temperature). Herein, we demonstrated one-step, room-temperature synthesis of a series of 2D MOFs based on Cu(II) paddle-wheel units, where the intrinsically anisotropic building blocks led to the anisotropic growth of 2D MOF nanoparticles, and the pillared structure led to high surface areas. The size of 2D MOFs can be adjusted by using a DMF/H2O mixed solvent. The thinnest particles were around 3 nm, and the highest aspect ratio was up to 200. The functionalization of 2D MOFs was also achieved by selecting ligands with desired functional groups. The gas sorption results revealed that amino and nitro-functionalized 2D MOFs showed higher CO2 sor...
The German “Occupying Ally”

Germany made lightning moves to dominate Italian affairs as soon as the ink had dried on the armistice of 8 September 1943. The Wehrmacht surged over the Alps following the Allied invasion of Sicily and southern Italy, and Hitler took over the Littorale Adriatico and Prealpi. To nail down German control, the Fuhrer appointed Rudolf Rahn as minister plenipotentiary in Italy. German ill-treatment of the RSI was constant and ongoing. The Wehrmacht held Mussolini on a tight leash; Field Marshal Kesselring proclaimed Italy a war zone; and German predators exploited factory production, agricultural goods, and Italian labor. Far from assembling a disciplined and unified team, the “occupying power” devolved into a policrazia in which Germans competed with one another in controlling the spoils. Mussolini protested against German high-handedness, but to no avail.
Common Strategies for Health and Human Rights: From Theory to Practice.

M y task is to encourage the participants in this Conference to think about the ways forward, to devise a strategy to move from theory to practice. In offering some thoughts about a common strategy for health and human rights, I am starting from two assumptions. The first assumption is that the health and human rights communities that the Fran~oisXavier Bagnoud Center has brought together at these two Conferences share a growing awareness of a common agenda. There are numerous indicators of this trend. One is the increase in the number of participants from the first Conference to the second. It is truly extraordinary that five hundred people have come to explore a theme that, a few short years ago, might have appeared esoteric and marginal. A second indicator is the spectacular growth in subscriptions to Health and Human Rights, truly remarkable for a scholarly journal. There is something that is capturing the attention of people. A third sign of this shared perception is the extraordinary number of relevant projects under way around the world, about which participants have reported at this Conference. The second assumption behind a strategy for the future is that the problems to which we would apply a common strategy of action are both numerous and urgent. The substantive program of this Conference is an excellent indicator of the quantity and urgency of the issues. The program lists eight or nine different forms of violence and interpretations thereof; it focuses on several emerging and existing diseases and approaches to dealing with them; it deals with a considerable number of health and society issues. Taken together, that list is itself an agenda calling for a common strategy.
A method for calculating time-dependent epicardial coronary blood flow

A computer model for calculating left epicardial coronary blood flow has been developed. This model employs a finite-branching geometry of the coronary vasculature together with the one-dimensional, unsteady equations for flow with friction. The epicardial coronary geometry includes the left main bifurcation and a selected number of smaller branches, each of which terminates in a resistance which is related to intramyocardial compression through a linear dependence on left ventricular pressure. The elastic properties of the epicardial arteries are taken to be non-linear and are prescribed by specifying the local small-disturbance wave speed. Calculations using this model predict pressure and flow waveform development and allow for the systematic investigation of the dependence of coronary flow on various parameters, e.g. peripheral resistance, wall properties, branching pattern, etc. Reasonable comparison between calculations and earlier experiments in horses has been obtained.
The effect of surface treatments on interfacial fatigue crack initiation in aluminum/epoxy bonds

The effect of different substrate surface pre-treatments on the initiation of interfacial fatigue cracks was studied for adhesive bonds. Aluminum-epoxy bimaterial specimens were used to investigate how surface pre-treatment affects resistance to fatigue crack initiation at the interface corner. A stress singularity approach was utilized to assess the effect of four different treatments; P2 etch, phosphoric acid anodization (PAA), sulfuric acid anodization (SAA), and sol-gel. A bimaterial system with a 90° epoxy wedge was tested under sinusoidal cyclic loading. The surface treatment effect was rather significant on the resistance to fatigue crack initiation at the interface. Results show that PAA generated the strongest interface, while SAA led to the weakest for the material system studied here.
Strain-induced variant selection in heterogeneous nucleation of α -Ti at screw dislocations in β -Ti

Heterogeneous nucleation of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ to $\ensuremath{\beta}$ phase transition at ${\ensuremath{\langle}1\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}1\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}1\ensuremath{\rangle}}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}$-type screw dislocations in pure titanium is examined through a combination of elasticity theory and molecular dynamics simulations using a modified embedded atom method potential. These screw dislocations act as heterogeneous nucleation sites and increase the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ phase growth rate but also restrict the orientation of the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ nuclei to certain directions, along which the strain field of the dislocation aligns with the strain required to complete the Burgers transformation path. Simulations and elasticity theory predict the same three $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ phase variants along the same preferential directions for $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ nucleus growth in the early stages of transformation. Previous elasticity theory calculations indicate that this growth does not result in the elastically preferred habit plane for the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ nucleus. Molecular dynamics simulations on many-layer supercells presented here show that large $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ plates will change their growth direction toward the predicted habit plane, but this rotation is resisted by the line tension of the dislocation until the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ precipitate detaches from the dislocation.
Single-cell integrative analysis of CAR-T cell activation reveals a predominantly TH1/TH2 mixed response independent of differentiation

We present the first comprehensive portrait of single-cell level transcriptional and cytokine signatures of anti-CD19 4-1BB/CD28/CD3ζ CAR-T cells upon antigen-specific stimulation. Both CD4+ ‘helper’ and CD8+ cytotoxic CAR-T cells are equally effective in directly killing target tumor cells and their cytotoxic activity is associated with the elevation of a range of TH1 and TH2 signature cytokines (e.g., IFNγ, TNFα, IL5, and IL13), as confirmed by the expression of master transcription factors TBX21 (T-bet) and GATA3. However, rather than conforming to stringent TH1 or TH2 subtypes, single-cell analysis reveals that the predominant response is a highly mixed TH1/TH2 function in the same cell and the regulatory T cell (Treg) activity, although observed in a small fraction of activated cells, emerges from this hybrid TH1/TH2 population. GM-CSF is produced from the majority of cells regardless of the polarization states, further contrasting CAR-T to classic T cells. Surprisingly, the cytokine response is minimally associated with differentiation status although all major differentiation subsets such as naive, central memory, effector memory and effector are detected. All these suggest that the activation of CAR-engineered T cells is a canonical process that leads to a highly mixed response combining both type 1 and type 2 cytokines together with GMCSF, supporting the notion that ‘polyfunctional’ CAR-T cells correlate with objective response of patients in clinical trials. This work provides new insights to the mechanism of CAR activation and implies the necessity for cellular function assays to characterize the quality of CAR-T infusion products and monitor therapeutic responses in patients.
Normal variation in size of the FMR1 gene is not associated with variation in intellectual performance

Abstract The fragile X mental retardation (FMR1) gene was examined as a potential single-gene candidate for variation in intelligence score, on the basis of its well established relation with mental retardation. The size of the normal FMR1 gene varies across individuals, and is measured by the number of cytosine-guanine-guanine (CGG) repeats of which it is comprised. In this study, the association between IQ score and the number of CGG repeats was examined among 917 school age children, including 455 Caucasian children and 462 African American children. Separate analyses were conducted with the entire sample, with girls and boys examined separately, and with Caucasian and African American subgroups. None of the models revealed a statistically significant association between IQ and number of CGG repeats. The results from this study provide strong evidence that variation in CGG size, among normal size FMR1 alleles, does not account for variation in intelligence.
Correcting for artifactual correlation between misreported month of birth and attained height-for-age reduces but does not eliminate measured vulnerability to season of birth in poorer countries

BACKGROUND Height-for-age z-scores (HAZ) are associated with month of birth (MOB) in many nutrition surveys, but that link could be an artifactual result of measurement error in child birthdates. OBJECTIVE We corrected estimates of the associations between HAZ and MOB for a common type of age misreporting, to measure the remaining seasonality in HAZ and identify country characteristics associated with vulnerability to seasonal changes in early life. DESIGN We used nationally representative repeated cross-sections from all available Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), totaling 1,363,806 children from 218 surveys in 72 countries over 1986-2016, to estimate the seasonal patterns in HAZ by MOB within each survey. Then, we corrected these estimates for each survey's random errors in recorded birth month implied by differences in attained height between children reported as born in December of one year versus January of the next. Indicators of seasonal variation between other months were modeled as functions of national-level incomes using linear regression, and visualizations were constructed using nonparametric local polynomial smoothing regressions. RESULTS Over all surveys, misreporting MOB accounted for about one-eighth of the gap in attained height between the worst and best months to be born, which averaged 0.41 HAZ in the raw data and 0.34 HAZ after correction for age misreporting. A linear correction reduced apparent seasonality of HAZ by MOB in 49 of 72 countries, and the remaining nonartifactual differences by season of birth were larger in countries with lower average income per capita. CONCLUSIONS Measurement error in child MOB helps to explain the association between attained height and seasonal variation in early life environments, but significant seasonality in HAZ by MOB remains in many poor countries. Higher national income is associated with smoother outcomes across birth months, and birth registration efforts would improve nutrition research.
Structural characterization of the gallosilicate TsG-1, K10Ga10Si22O64-5H2O, with the CGS framework topology

The synthetic gallosilicate TsG-1 with the CGS framework topology has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized via single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Unlike the cobalt−gallium phosphate analogue, this material shows the ideal topological symmetry of Pnma (a = 8.613(2) A, b = 13.813(3) A, c = 16.330(3) A), and extraframework cations are distributed over the buckled 8-ring sites of the interpenetrated double 6-rings as well as along the channels of the s-shaped 10-rings and elliptical 8-rings.
Epistemic Value Theory and the Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to inequalities in access to information technology. Those people who do not have access to information technology are at a significant economic and social disadvantage. As with any other policy decision, in order to evaluate policies for dealing with the digital divide, we need to know exactly what our goal should be. Since the principal value of access to information technology is that it leads to knowledge, work in epistemology can help us to clarify our goal in the context of the digital divide. In this paper, I argue that epistemic value theory can help us to determine which distribution of knowledge to aim for. Epistemic value theory cannot specify a particular distribution to aim for, but it can significantly narrow down the range of possibilities. Additionally, I indicate how the exercise of applying epistemic value theory to the case of the digital divide furthers work in epistemology.
Analysis of Free Acceleration and Steady State Characteristics of Line-Started Induction Motors with Shunt Capacitor Compensation

The steady state and dynamic performance of a three-phase induction motor directly line-started with shunt compensation is studied in this paper. The dynamic mathematical model of an induction machine connected to the network is presented. The influence of shunt compensation on machine terminal voltages, stator winding currents and the torque-speed characteristics of the induction machine are analyzed. The paper is aimed at highlighting some of the potential transient power network issues as well as interactions with shunt compensation at the point of common coupling from line-connected induction machines.
Mucosal inflammation predicts response to systemic steroids in immune checkpoint inhibitor colitis.

Background Immune-related colitis is a common, often serious complication of immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI). Although endoscopy is not strictly recommended for any grade of diarrhea/colitis, emerging evidence suggests that endoscopic evaluation may have important therapeutic implications. In this retrospective study, we sought to comprehensively characterize the clinical and histologic features of ICI-induced colitis with a specific focus on evaluating the prognostic role of endoscopy. Methods Data were collected from the medical records of 130 patients with confirmed ICI-induced colitis. In a subset of patients (n=44) with endoscopic and pathologic data, endoscopic data were scored using the Mayo Endoscopic Score (MES) with scores ranging from 0 (no inflammation) to 3 (colonic ulceration). The impact of infliximab on antitumor outcomes was evaluated using progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results We identified 130 patients with ICI-induced colitis across two institutions. All patients were treated with corticosteroids. Additional and/or alternative immunosuppression was employed in 59 cases, with 52 patients (42%) requiring at least one infusion of infliximab 5 mg/kg. Endoscopic assessment with biopsy was performed in 123 cases of suspected colitis (95%), with 44 cases available for MES tabulation. Presence of ulceration (MES 3) was associated with use of infliximab (p=0.008) and MES was significantly higher in patients who received infliximab compared with those who did not (p=0.003) with a median score of 2.5; conversely, those with an MES of zero rarely required secondary immunosuppression. Notably, symptoms of colitis based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade had no association with endoscopic findings based on MES classification. After adjustment for baseline patient and disease characteristics, there was no significant difference in steroid duration or cancer-related outcomes in patients treated with infliximab. Conclusions In our study, we demonstrate the association of endoscopic features, specifically the MES, with immunosuppressive needs. Importantly, we also show that MES was not related to severity of patient symptoms. The data suggest that endoscopic features can guide clinical decision-making better than patient symptoms, both identifying high-risk patients who will require infliximab and those who are likely to respond to initial corticosteroids.
Comparing and assessing the reported penetrance of cancer susceptibility genes for breast cancer.

1520Background: It is critical for oncologists to be aware of unbiased and interpretable cancer risks (i.e., penetrance) in carriers with germline pathogenic variants in cancer susceptibility genes...
The Influence of Ion Identity and Ionic Strength on Membrane Biofouling of a Binary Protein Solution

Abstract Studying biofouling is important for increased implementation of membrane-based water purification technologies. A binary protein solution (bovine serum albumin (BSA) and hemoglobin (Hb)) was used to study biofouling of hydrophilic and hydrophobic PVDF membranes. By fitting normalized plots of flux vs time to an exponential decay, the rate of fouling and long-term steady-state flux were compared in the presence of different ions and at different ionic strengths. The presence of ions causes a lower steady-state flux but rate effects are ion identity dependent. Equally important is membrane type. For the hydrophobic membrane, the charge of the cation dictates different mechanisms affecting the rate or steady-state flux. With the hydrophilic membrane, the presence of cations results in a direct correlation between the rate of fouling and steady-state flux while the presence of different anions leads to no apparent trends. Thus, the Hofmeister series does not explain the influence of ions on the fouling of the binary protein solution. Finally, studies at higher ionic strengths (150–600 mM) show that fouling rates decrease likely due to charge shielding. The ionic strength where this effect is apparent depends on ion identity. The limited flux model supports these conclusions, though membrane type is important. Therefore, while protein-protein interactions are crucial, ion-membrane interactions cannot be ignored either. Conclusions about the role of ions and ionic strength on fouling must be made with care as multiple factors contribute to the rate and extent of fouling of a binary protein solution.
Constraints on underspecified target trajectories

Much of the recent interest in artificial neural networks is founded on the development of supervised learning algorithms for nonlinear problems [1, 30, 39, 42, 47]. These algorithms, the most well-known being backpropagation, are able to model a large class of nonlinear transformations by assigning credit to internal “hidden” units. The remaining units—those connected directly to the environment—are generally assumed to be provided with target states. This assumption appears to be a liability; it is by no means clear that such desired outputs can always be provided. Consider, for example, a network serving as a feedforward controller for a robot. Such a network must produce torques as a function of the environmental goal and the current state of the robot. In general, however, the environment provides only the goal and not the torques that achieve the goal. Furthermore, if we assume the existence of an oracle that provides the torques as training data, then there appears to be little reason (other than perhaps speed) not to use the oracle as the controller in place of the network.
The microbiome and metabolome of pre-term infant stool is personalized, and not driven by health outcomes including necrotizing enterocolitis and late-onset sepsis

Abstract The assembly and development of the gut microbiome in infants has important consequences for immediate and long-term health. Preterm infants represent an abnormal case for bacterial colonization because of early exposure to bacteria and frequent use of antibiotics. To better understand the assembly of the gut microbiota in preterm infants, fecal samples were collected from 32 very low birthweight preterm infants over the first six weeks of life. Infant health outcomes included healthy, late-onset sepsis, and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). We characterized the bacterial composition by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolome by untargeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Preterm infant fecal samples lacked beneficial Bifidobacterium and were dominated by Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, and Staphylococcus due to the near uniform antibiotic administration. Most of the variance between the microbial community compositions could be attributed to which baby the sample came from (Permanova R2=0.48, p Importance Preterm infants face health problems likely related to microbial exposures including sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. However, the role of the gut microbiome in preterm infant health is poorly understood. Microbial colonization differs from healthy term babies because it occurs in the NICU and is often perturbed by antibiotics. We measured bacterial compositions and metabolomic profiles of 77 fecal samples from thirty-two preterm infants to investigate the differences between microbiomes in health and disease. Rather than finding microbial signatures of disease, we found the preterm infant microbiome and metabolome were both personalized, and that the preterm infant gut microbiome is enriched in microbes that commonly dominate in the presence of antibiotics. These results contribute to the growing knowledge of the preterm infant microbiome and emphasize that a personalized view will be important to disentangling the health consequences of the preterm infant microbiome.
Enhancing Dementia Education and Cognitive Screening in A Haitian Population: A Faith-based Approach

Ethnically diverse Americans experience 1.8-2.5 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than Whites (Mayeda, et al., 2016), yet cognitive screening is not routinely conducted among Hait...
Wall Distance Effects on Transition to Turbulence in Low-Reynolds-Number Separated Flows

Airfoils operating at Rec<50,000 suffer from laminar separation that degrades aerodynamic efficiency. Transition to turbulence improves performance but becomes difficult to achieve at low Reynolds ...
Identification of SARS-CoV-2 S RBD escape mutants using yeast screening and deep mutational scanning.

Here, we describe a protocol to identify escape mutants on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) receptor-binding domain (RBD) using a yeast screen combined with deep mutational scanning. Over 90% of all potential single S RBD escape mutants can be identified for monoclonal antibodies that directly compete with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 for binding. Six to 10 antibodies can be assessed in parallel. This approach has been shown to determine escape mutants that are consistent with more laborious SARS-CoV-2 pseudoneutralization assays. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Francino-Urdaniz et al. (2021).
Development and pilot testing of a conversation aid to support the evaluation of patients with thyroid nodules.

Objective To support patient-centred care and the collaboration of patients and clinicians, we developed and pilot tested a conversation aid for patients with thyroid nodules. Design, patient and measurements We developed a web-based Thyroid NOdule Conversation aid (TNOC) following a human-centred design. A proof of concept observational pre-post study was conducted (TNOC vs. usual care [UC]) to assess the impact of TNOC on the quality of conversations. Data sources included recordings of clinical visits, post-encounter surveys and review of electronic health records. Summary statistics and group comparisons are reported. Results Sixty-five patients were analysed (32 in the UC and 33 in the TNOC cohort). Most patients were women (89%) with a median age of 57 years and were incidentally found to have a thyroid nodule (62%). Most thyroid nodules were at low risk for thyroid cancer (71%) and the median size was 1.4 cm. At baseline, the groups were similar except for higher numeracy in the TNOC cohort. The use of TNOC was associated with increased involvement of patients in the decision-making process, clinician satisfaction and discussion of relevant topics for decision making. In addition, decreased decisional conflict and fewer thyroid biopsies as the next management step were noted in the TNOC cohort. No differences in terms of knowledge transfer, length of consultation, thyroid cancer risk perception or concern for thyroid cancer diagnosis were found. Conclusion In this pilot observational study, using TNOC in clinical practice was feasible and seemed to help the collaboration of patients and clinicians.
All-cause mortality and residential racial and ethnic segregation and composition as experienced differently by individual-level race, ethnicity, and gender: Mortality Disparities in American Communities data

Purpose Use a large nationally representative population to evaluate whether differences in mortality in relation to residential racial and ethnic segregation and diversity varied by gender, and race or Hispanic ethnicity in the United States. Methods The Mortality Disparities in American Communities (MDAC) was used to evaluate mortality risk in relation to segregation. MDAC is a nationally representative record linkage of the 2008 American Community Survey data with mortality outcomes derived from the National Death Index through 2015. Gender-stratified mortality risk for White, Black, and Hispanic groups in relation to quartiles of residential segregation, composition, and diversity were modeled using parametric survival regression with an exponential distribution, adjusted for individual-level socioeconomic characteristics. Results The study population included >3,950,000 individuals and >273,000 all-cause mortality outcomes. Statistically significant differences in associations were observed with Black segregation vs. Hispanic segregation across Black or Hispanic groups; some differences in stratification by gender for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Black groups, but gender-stratified associations were more similar in non-Hispanic Whites. Conclusion Future multidisciplinary and ethnographic research is needed to identify the specific structural mechanisms by which these associations differ to support means by which to more effectively target public health interventions.
Ecological Risk Assessment in Aquatic Populations and Communities: The Next Generation

While there have been established guidelines in the United States for projecting the effects of a chemical toxicant on humans for many years, only recently have efforts been made to develop a set of guidelines for ecological risk assessment. Human risk assessment addresses the most completely studied species in existence. Homo sapiens generally lives in a relatively clean environment because the species is able to control its environment to a large extent. Antipodally, ecological risk assessment must be concerned with numerous (for practical purposes, essentially infinitely many) species, most of which have been only sparsely investigated, and which generally live in heterogeneous, polluted environments over which they have little control. The problems of ecological risk assessment are more difficult by many orders of magnitude than those of human risk assessment, which are certainly nontrivial.
Recent Results on the Neuroendocrine System of Leucophaea

The elucidation of the neuroendocrine control mechanisms operating in insects started with the discovery by Kopec (1917) of a pupation hormone in the brain of a lepidopteran (Pieris). The contributions made by other pioneers in this active area of research, one of whom we honor by this symposium, have been centered around their laboratory insects of choice, Calliphora, Rhodnius, and Cecropia among them. Each of these efforts has yielded specific insights, and for a time it seemed difficult to recognize common denominators in the multitude of control mechanisms geared to the special needs of different insect species.
Highlights of the optical highlighter fluorescent proteins.

The development of super-resolution microscopy techniques using molecular localization, such as Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM), Fluorescence Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (F-PALM), Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy (STORM), PALM with Independent Running Acquisition (PALMIRA) and many others, has heightened interest in molecules that will be grouped here into a category referred to as “optical highlighter” fluorescent proteins. This review will survey many of the advances in fluorescent protein for optically highlighting molecule subsets within a population of fluorescently labeled molecules.
Teaching on a budget: agents advising agents in reinforcement learning

This paper introduces a teacher-student framework for reinforcement learning. In this framework, a teacher agent instructs a student agent by suggesting actions the student should take as it learns. However, the teacher may only give such advice a limited number of times. We present several novel algorithms that teachers can use to budget their advice effectively, and we evaluate them in two experimental domains: Mountain Car and Pac-Man. Our results show that the same amount of advice, given at different moments, can have different effects on student learning, and that teachers can significantly affect student learning even when students use different learning methods and state representations.
Factors associated with adverse outcomes during parenteral nutrition administration in dogs and cats

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is increasingly used to support hospitalized dogs and cats. Published assessments of outcome are limited. Objective: Evaluate type and prevalence of complications and risk factors for death and complications in dogs and cats receiving PN. Animals: Three hundred and nineteen dogs and 112 cats that received PN at a teaching hospital between 2000 and 2008. Methods: Retrospective case review. Diagnosis, duration of PN administration, concurrent enteral feeding, death, and mechanical, septic, and metabolic complications were abstracted from medical records. Association of each parameter with complications and death was analyzed by binary logistic regression. Results: Pancreatitis was the most common diagnosis (109/319 dogs, 34/112 cats), and 137/319 dogs and 51/112 cats died. Dogs and cats received 113 ± 40% and 103 ± 32% of resting energy requirement, respectively. Mechanical (81/319 dogs, 16/112 cats) and septic (20/319 dogs, 6/112 cats) complications were not associated with death (P > .05). Hyperglycemia was the most common metabolic complication (96/158 dogs, 31/37 cats). Hypercreatininemia in dogs (8/79) was the only complication associated with death (P < .01). Chronic kidney disease in dogs, hepatic lipidosis in cats, and longer duration of inadequate caloric intake before PN in both species were negatively associated with survival (P < .05). Factors positively associated with survival included longer duration of PN administration in both species, enteral feeding in cats with any disease, and enteral feeding in dogs with respiratory disease (P < .05). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: PN can be effectively used to provide the energy requirements of most critically ill dogs and cats. Most complications accompanying PN administration do not affect survival.