cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Circulating Cathelicidin Concentrations in a Cohort of Healthy Children: Influence of Age, Body Composition, Gender and Vitamin D Status.

Cathelicidin is an antimicrobial peptide whose circulating levels are related to vitamin D status in adults. This study sought to determine if circulating cathelicidin concentrations in healthy children are related to the age of the child, body composition and vitamin D status at birth and at the time of the study visit. Blood samples were obtained during yearly visits from 133 children, ages 2–7, whose mothers had participated in a pregnancy vitamin D supplementation RCT. Radioimmunoassay and ELISA were performed to analyze 25(OH)D and cathelicidin, respectively. Statistical analyses compared cathelicidin concentrations with concentrations of 25(OH)D at various time points (maternal levels throughout pregnancy, at birth, and child’s current level); and with race/ethnicity, age, gender, BMI, percent fat, and frequency of infections using Student’s t-test, χ2, Wilcoxon ranked-sum analysis, and multivariate regression. The cohort’s median cathelicidin concentration was 28.1 ng/mL (range: 5.6–3368.6) and did not correlate with 25(OH)D, but was positively correlated with advancing age (ρ = 0.236 & p = 0.005, respectively). Forty patients evaluated at two visits showed an increase of 24.0 ng/mL in cathelicidin from the first visit to the next (p<0.0001). Increased age and male gender were correlated with increased cathelicidin when controlling for race/ethnicity, percent fat, and child’s current 25(OH)D concentration (p = 0.028 & p = 0.047, respectively). This study demonstrated that as children age, the concentration of cathelicidin increases. Furthermore, male gender was significantly associated with increased cathelicidin concentrations. The lack of association between vitamin D status and cathelicidin in this study may be due to the narrow range in observed 25(OH)D values and warrants additional studies for further observation.
The hand that rocks the cradle.

This essay responds to Donald Hope's proposal that a woman's right to reproductive choice under the U.S. Constitution should end after she has been pregnant for eight weeks, because before that point science shows the developing embryo lacks human form, while after that point the fetus possesses physical characteristics that make it uniquely human. Hope's line purporting to determine when the fate of developing life becomes a matter of public concern rather than a strictly private decision is drawn both too early and too late. Eight weeks is too early because it imposes coerced motherhood on those least able to bear it while impugning the moral integrity of all women, and it is too late because this rule measures the value of human life by the utility of our physical features. Instead, no line need be drawn at all; the state can give effect to its concern for developing human life by valuing and supporting mothers who make it possible.
Neumann’s dynamical system

In classical mechanics, one encounters the class of problems: M = real 2n-dimensional manifold, with a closed non-degenerate differential 2-form ω $$ \hat \omega = {\text{dual skew - symmetric form on T}}_{\text{M}}^{\text{*}} $$ $$ {\rm H} = e^\infty - {\text{function on M, called the Hamiltonian}}{\text{.}} $$ $$ {\rm X}_{\rm H} = \left\{ {\begin{array}{*{20}c} {the vector field on M defined by} \\ {\omega \left( {{\rm X}_{\rm H} ,Y} \right) = \left\langle {Y,dH} \right\rangle for all vectors Y} \\ {or} \\ {\hat \omega \left( {dH,\alpha } \right) = \left\langle {{\rm X}_{\rm H} ,\alpha } \right\rangle for all 1 - forms \alpha } \\ \end{array} } \right\} $$
Comparison of 13C and 15N discrimination factors and turnover rates between congeneric crayfish Orconectes rusticus and O. virilis (Decapoda, Cambaridae)

Ecological applications of stable isotope analysis are dependent on knowing consumer-diet discrimination factors (Δ) and consumer metabolic turnover rates (m). We used an 80-day laboratory experiment to test for differences in the δ13C, δ15N and m of two species of crayfish (Orconectes rusticus and O. virilis) fed one of two diets (algae wafers and bloodworms). Over the course of the experiment, the δ13C and δ15N signatures of the crayfish approached equilibrium with those of their diets. We fit our data to a growth-based model and found δ13C, δ15N, and m to be largely indistinguishable between species, except in the case of δ15N and m of crayfish on the algae diet. We thus pooled parameters to calculate Δ13C (algae diet: 1.57‰ [95% confidence interval: 0.86–2.35]; bloodworm diet: 0.8‰ [0.14–1.55]) and Δ15N (bloodworm diet: 1.2‰ [0.32–2.11]), and used species-specific data to calculate Δ15N for the algae diet (O. rusticus: 2.54‰ [2.06–3.08]; O. virilis: 3.35‰ [2.53–4.51]). Our results provide values of stable isotope Δ and m for applications to crayfish, and offer a rare comparison of these values between two closely related species and to commonly used literature values.
Molecular Topology and Local Dynamics Govern the Viscosity of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids

A series of branched ionic liquids (ILs) based on the 1-(iso-alkyl)-3-methylimidazolium cation from 1-(1-methylethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide to 1-(5-methylhexyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide and linear ILs based on the 1-(n-alkyl)-3-methylimidazolium cation from 1-propyl-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide to 1-heptyl-3-methylimidazolum bistriflimide were recently synthesized and their physicochemical properties characterized. For the ILs with the same number of carbons in the alkyl chain, the branched IL was found to have the same density but higher viscosity than the linear one. In addition, the branched IL 1-(2-methylpropyl)-3-methylimidazolium bistriflimide ([2mC3C1Im][NTf2]) was found to have an abnormally high viscosity. Motivated by these experimental observations, the same ILs were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the current work. The viscosities of each IL were calculated using the equilibrium MD method at 400 K and the nonequilibrium MD method at 298 K. The results agree with the experimental trend. The ion pair (IP) lifetime, spatial distribution function, and associated potential of mean force, cation size and shape, and interaction energy components were calculated from MD simulations. A quantitative correlation between the liquid structure and the viscosity was observed. Analysis shows that the higher viscosities in the branched ILs are due to the relatively more stable packing between the cations and anions indicated by the lower minima in the potential of mean force (PMF) surface. The abnormal viscosity of [2mC3C1Im][NTf2] was found to be the result of the specific side chain length and molecular structure.
Detecting off-topic pages within TimeMaps in Web archives

Web archives have become a significant repository of our recent history and cultural heritage. Archival integrity and accuracy is a precondition for future cultural research. Currently, there are no quantitative or content-based tools that allow archivists to judge the quality of the Web archive captures. In this paper, we address the problems of detecting when a particular page in a Web archive collection has gone off-topic relative to its first archived copy. We do not delete off-topic pages (they remain part of the collection), but they are flagged as off-topic so they can be excluded for consideration for downstream services, such as collection summarization and thumbnail generation. We propose different methods (cosine similarity, Jaccard similarity, intersection of the 20 most frequent terms, Web-based kernel function, and the change in size using the number of words and content length) to detect when a page has gone off-topic. Those predicted off-topic pages will be presented to the collection's curator for possible elimination from the collection or cessation of crawling. We created a gold standard data set from three Archive-It collections to evaluate the proposed methods at different thresholds. We found that combining cosine similarity at threshold 0.10 and change in size using word count at threshold ?0.85 performs the best with accuracy = 0.987, $$F_{1}$$F1 score = 0.906, and AUC $$=$$= 0.968. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method on several Archive-It collections. The average precision of detecting off-topic pages in the collections is 0.89.
ASCP's Partners for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in Africa

Abstract 38A primary goal of any health care system should be to attain universal access for all patients within a catchment area. The cancer care model requires that physicians encountering patients who they suspect of having a malignancy have access to a system that ensures rapid, accurate, and reliable pathology for primary diagnosis of cancer. Sub-Saharan Africa faces immense challenges in providing adequate coverage. Each region, country, and district has unique obstacles to overcome when meeting the health needs of the population. The American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), in partnership with the White House Office of Science Technology Policy and the Clinton Global Initiative, recently launched a $26.5 million multi-year initiative. The initiative begins with assessment of potential countries with the greatest need--including collaboration and capacity program building with local officials and staff--to deploy full service pathology infrastructure for eligible countries to strategically mee...
Creating collar-sensed motion gestures for dog-human communication in service applications

Working dogs are dogs with one or more specific skills that enable them to perform essential tasks for humans. In this paper we examined motion gestures that working dogs could use to unambiguously communicate with their human companions. We analyzed these gestures in terms of true positives and propensity for false positives by comparing their dynamic time warping distances against a set of everyday gesture libraries (EGL) representing their daily movements. We found four gestures that could be concretely defined, trained, and recognized. These gestures were recognized with 75--100% accuracy, and their false positive rate averaged to less than one per hour.
Information-Seeking Behavior of Clergy: The Research, the Results, and the Future

This article examines information-seeking studies carried out on the professional roles of the clergy, their use of information resources, the place of the Internet in their information-seeking behavior, and the amount of studies conducted on the clergy across different religions. Results show significant relationship between clergy's doctrinal position and their information-seeking behavior, which changes with work roles of the clergy. The clergy use both formal and informal sources depending on the particular work role they assume. However, not many models of information-seeking behavior have been tested in studies of religious professionals. This article argues that most previous studies of the information-seeking behavior of clergy resulted in similar findings because the areas of focus have been limited in scope. Hence, there is a need to look at the issue from different perspectives using diverse methods and contexts to broaden the understanding of the clergy and their information-seeking habits. Th...
Histone deacetylase inhibitors provoke a tumor supportive phenotype in pancreatic cancer associated fibroblasts

// Andrew H. Nguyen 1 , Irmina A. Elliott 1 , Nanping Wu 1 , Cynthia Matsumura 1 , Maria Vogelauer 2 , Narsis Attar 2 , Amanda Dann 1 , Razmik Ghukasyan 1 , Paul A. Toste 1 , Sanjeet G. Patel 1 , Jennifer L. Williams 3 , Luyi Li 1 , David W. Dawson 4 , Caius Radu 5 , Siavash K. Kurdistani 2 , Timothy R. Donahue 1, 5 1 Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA 2 Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA 3 Department of Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA 4 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA 5 Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA Correspondence to: Timothy R. Donahue, email: tdonahue@mednet.ucla.edu Keywords: histone deacetylase inhibitor, SAHA, AP-1, pancreatic cancer, cancer-associated fibroblasts Received: October 04, 2016 Accepted: November 07, 2016 Published: November 24, 2016 ABSTRACT Although histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are a promising class of anti-cancer drugs, thus far, they have been unsuccessful in early phase clinical trials for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). One potential reason for their poor efficacy is the tumor stroma, where cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a prominent cell type and a source of resistance to cancer therapies. Here, we demonstrate that stromal fibroblasts contribute to the poor efficacy of HDACi’s in PDAC. HDACi-treated fibroblasts show increased biological aggressiveness and are characterized by increased secretion of pro-inflammatory tumor-supportive cytokines and chemokines. We find that HDAC2 binds to the enhancer and promoter regions of pro-inflammatory genes specifically in CAFs and in silico analysis identified AP-1 to be the most frequently associated transcription factor bound in these regions. Pharmacologic inhibition of pathways upstream of AP-1 suppresses the HDACi-induced inflammatory gene expression and tumor-supportive responses in fibroblasts. Our findings demonstrate that the combination of HDACi’s with chemical inhibitors of the AP-1 signaling pathway attenuate the inflammatory phenotype of fibroblasts and may improve the efficacy of HDACi in PDAC and, potentially, in other solid tumors rich in stroma.
Racial-Ethnic Differences in Fall Prevalence among Older Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Falls are the leading cause of hip fracture in older women, with important public health implications. Fall risk increases with age and other clinical factors, and varies by race/ethnicity. International studies suggest that fall risk is lower in Asians, although data are limited in U.S. populations. This study examines racial/ethnic differences in fall prevalence among older U.S. women within a large integrated healthcare delivery system. This cross-sectional study used data from 6277 women ages 65–90 who responded to the 2008 or 2011 Kaiser Permanente Northern California Member Health Survey (KPNC-MHS). The KPNC-MHS is a mailed questionnaire sent to a random sample of adult members stratified by age, gender, and geographic location, representing a population estimate of >200,000 women age ≥65 years. Age, race/ethnicity, self-reported health status, presence of diabetes, arthritis or prior stroke, mobility limitations and number of falls in the past year were obtained from the KPNC-MHS. The independent association of race/ethnicity and recent falls was examined, adjusting for known risk factors. The weighted sample was 76.7% non-Hispanic white, 6.2% Hispanic, 6.8% black and 10.3% Asian. Over 20% reported having fallen during the past year (28.5% non-Hispanic white, 27.8% Hispanic, 23.4% black and 20.1% Asian). Older age was associated with greater fall risk, as was having diabetes (OR 1.24, CI 1.03–1.48), prior stroke (OR 1.51, CI 1.09–2.07), arthritis (OR 1.61, CI 1.39–1.85) and mobility limitations (OR 2.82, CI 2.34–3.39), adjusted for age. Compared to whites, Asian (OR 0.64, CI 0.50–0.81) and black (OR 0.73, CI 0.55–0.95) women were much less likely to have ≥1 fall in the past year, adjusting for age, comorbidities, mobility limitation and poor health status. Asians were also less likely to have ≥2 falls (OR 0.62, CI 0.43–0.88). Among older women, the risk of having a recent fall was substantially lower for black and Asian women when compared to white women. This may contribute to their lower rates of hip fracture. Future studies should examine cultural and behavioral factors that contribute to these observed racial/ethnic differences in fall risk among U.S. women.
Mindfulness in Teacher Education: A Constructivist Approach to Stress Reduction for Teacher Candidates and Their Students.

Mindfulness in teacher education, and especially early childhood special education, offers new teachers self-help methodologies that can relieve their personal stress while passing along these same strategies to the special education students in their classrooms. This study explores a constructivist approach to learning mindfulness in teacher candidates' first graduate early childhood special education class and asks these pre-service teachers to infuse mindfulness and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques (MBSR) into their own classrooms.
Offshore Platforms and Mariculture in the US

Global demand for seafood is increasing. Supply from wild caught sources has been essentially flat for twenty years and, depending on the specific fishery, in decline for many species that are considered fully exploited or over-exploited. As the fastest growing sector of world food production, aquaculture is increasingly playing a major role and currently accounts for nearly half of the total aquatic production worldwide. Marine cage culture in particular provides an opportunity to utilize vast amounts of the world’s surface area to produce fish, shellfish, and plants, while avoiding land-use conflicts in crowded coastal regions. Currently in the US, very small volumes of marine fish are produced and very large volumes are imported. This trend shows no signs of slowing down with an ever increasing annual seafood trade deficit. In an effort to initiate more domestic production, private companies, research institutions, and government agencies have all been involved in various types of aquaculture production. Aquaculture can be generally categorized as land-based, near shore, or offshore. Offshore marine fish culture utilizing cages has been conducted on both the east and west coast of the US as well as in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Specifics on the projects in the GoM are described in the following sections.
CX3CR1 expression associated with cellular migration, metastasis, and prognosis in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma

4666 Recent papers suggest that tumor cells from different cancer types have different profiles of chemokine receptor expression, might respond to chemokine gradients and contribute to metastatic spread. Oligonucleotide microarray results showed a significantly increased expression of CX3CR1 in Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) relative to normal kidney tissue, and promoted us to investigate whether fractalkine-CX3CR1 axis was involved in cell migration and distant metastasis in human CCRCC. The expression level and localization of CX3CR1 in human CCRCC cell lines 786-O, A-498, Caki-1, SN12C and human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293T was realized by western-blotting and immunofluorescence. Wound healing assay and chemotaxis assay were performed to assess cellular migratory ability induced by fractalkine. To assess the signaling pathways involved, cells were incubated with 50nM fractalkine for different time periods, and then, the phosphorylation of p44/p42 MAPK and Akt were tested by western-blotting method. Fractalkine induced cellular migration was done after the cells were treated with the neutralizing antibody to CX3CR1, GPCR (G-protein couple receptor) inhibitor pertussis toxin (PTX), and the blockade of MEK UO126, respectively. Finally, both the expression of CX3CR1 and fractalkine were evaluated using immunohistochemical analysis on tissue microarray (TMA) composed of 78 primary CCRCC individual samples, 16 nonmalignant kidney cortex tissue samples and 16 metastatic lesions of CCRCC. Western blotting showed the expression of CX3CR1 protein in 4 tested cell lines was superior to that in 293T cells. Wound healing assay suggested that fractalkine enhanced the migratory activity in the cells present with membranous CX3CR1. The directed migration activity of cancer cells was induced by fractalkine in a dose-dependent manner. Extracellular signal-related kinases (ERK1 and ERK2) were activated under soluble fractalkine stimulation, whereas the neutralizing antibody of CX3CR1, PTX, and UO126 prevented fractalkine-mediated cellular migration. Statistical analysis of TMA results revealed a significant correlation of high level of CX3CR1 membranous expression with metastasis status (P In this present study, for the first time, we show that CX3CR1 expressed on cellular membrane of human CCRCC is associated with cellular migration, metastasis and poor prognosis.
The Effects of Supination and Pronation on Oblique Fractures

The purpose of this research is to determine how the landing orientation of an outstretched arm affects the fracture of the ulna and radius. In this study, three left arms and three right arms were dissected for testing. Distally, the wrist, and proximally, the ulna and radius, were set in place using a two-part fiberglass epoxy resin. For consistency, all left arms were fractured in a supinated position using an MTS machine to apply a specific load to test stiffness and cause fractures. These results were then compared to fracture angles and forces found in the right arms which were tested in a pronated position. The expectations were that a pronated orientation would lead to a shallower fracture angle. Based on the tests and analyzed data, the experiment data showed no major correlation between orientation and a significant difference in stiffness or fracture force namely due to a small sample size. Further research would involve further testing beyond the three sets of paired arms to gather more data to find a possible correlation as well as relating the forces to possible damage to ligaments in the elbow and shoulder.
Non-conventional Mechanical Ventilation

Improvement in pediatric critical care has resulted in a population of patients surviving illnesses that previously were fatal. Mechanical ventilation is one of the major supportive therapeutic modalities used in pediatric critical care that has resulted in these improved outcomes. This enhanced survival has led to the development of PICU survivors with residual lung disease, in part, secondary to the techniques used to ventilate them. The desire to improve ventilator-patient synchrony, enhance patient comfort, ease weaning from support, minimize pulmonary trauma and to further improve patient outcomes has resulted in the introduction of many non-conventional modes of ventilation. Additionally, the desire to achieve these stated goals has also sparked interest in the use of less invasive forms of mechanical ventilation. Unfortunately, many of these modes of support were introduced without sufficient data regarding their use for respiratory failure. Few randomized, controlled studies have assessed these less conventional modes of ventilation. A clear understanding of these non-­conventional forms of ventilation including their potential benefits and limitations is essential to their appropriate implementation in the pediatric critical care setting.
A history of cancer of the male breast

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the history of cancer of the male breast. The twentieth century of the clinical and pathologic features of the disease, the hormonal influences, and genetic factors are discussed. Male breast cancer remains an interesting rarity, which unlike female breast cancer, is not increasing in incidence in the United States. The disease in the two sexes is remarkable for its similarities rather than its differences. These include not only the clinical and morphologic appearances but also tumor markers. While estrogen stimulation, either endogenous or exogenous, may play a role in some cases, it is clear that this is not necessary for breast cancer to develop in men. The association with Kleinfelter's syndrome suggests that one or more factors associated with the X chromosome may be involved. The earliest reference to a tumor in the male breast is to be found in Case 45 of the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus, which dates from 1600 BC. The discovery of specific breast cancer genes, particularly BRCA2 with its strong association with male breast cancer, makes more likely the hope that the study of breast cancer in men will contribute to the understanding of the much more prevalent cancer in women.
Linear Stapled Technique for Gastrojejunal Anastomosis

Since its first description by Dr. Allan Wittgrove et al. (1) in 1994, the technique of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has undergone a number of modifications. In the original description, the gastrojejunostomy was created with a 21-mm circular stapler, with the anvil introduced transorally. While there were no esophageal injuries in the first 1400 patients (2), there has been some concern about esophageal injuries and a reported higher incidence of gastrojejunal anastomotic strictures (3).
Integrative oncology consultations at a comprehensive cancer center: Analysis of patient reported outcomes.

e21690Background: Patients (pts) receiving cancer care are increasingly interested in complementary health approaches. We report on demographics and patient reported outcomes in an integrative onco...
Prevalence of eosinophilic colitis and the diagnoses associated with colonic eosinophilia.

Pediatric eosinophilic colitis (EC) is a rare disease with a prevalence of ~1/63,000 individuals, and at our tertiary care pediatric medical center, only 2% of patients with the ICD-9/10 code for EC likely have the disease.
Proceedings of the 12th annual international conference on Mobile systems, applications, and services

Welcome to MobiSys 2014, the 12th Conference on Mobile Systems, Applications, and Services. This year's technical program covers a wide range of topics in mobile systems. The program both deepens our understanding of several long-standing problems and explores an expanding set of emerging mobile applications and technologies. Topics include automated user-interface exploration, efficient resource usage, gesture recognition, localization, privacy and security, wearable computing, wireless networks, and more. We are thrilled to begin the technical program with a keynote talk by Professor James Landay of Cornell NYC Tech. Dr. Landay has been a leading researcher on human-computer interaction and ubiquitous computing for over twenty years. After the keynote, we have an exciting technical program that includes 25 full-length technical papers chosen by the technical program committee (TPC) from 185 submissions. As interest in the conference has grown over the last several years, so too has the review load for MobiSys TPCs. To reduce the number of reviews each TPC member had to write, we augmented the TPC with an external review committee (ERC) of experts. Most ERC members reviewed six papers during the initial round of the review process. Our review process consisted of three rounds of decisions. During the first round, all submissions received three or four reviews, each written by a member of the TPC or ERC. If a reviewer recommended that a paper be accepted, the paper advanced to the second round. During the second round, papers received three or four additional reviews, almost entirely from the TPC. At the end of the second round, reviewers discussed each remaining paper online to determine whether it should advance to the third round of decisions. The third round of decisions occurred during an all-day face-to-face meeting of the TPC. By the conclusion of this meeting, the TPC had identified the 25 papers in the program. Finally, all accepted papers were shepherded by a TPC member to ensure that the final manuscripts met the standards of the committee. We took strict precautions throughout the review process to avoid conflicts of interest. Furthermore, as the TPC chairs, we did not submit papers to avoid conflicts of interest.
A New Generation of Minor-Groove-Binding—Heterocyclic Diamidines That Recognize G·C Base Pairs in an AT Sequence Context

We review the preparation of new compounds with good solution and cell uptake properties that can selectively recognize mixed A·T and G·C bp sequences of DNA. Our underlying aim is to show that these new compounds provide important new biotechnology reagents as well as a new class of therapeutic candidates with better properties and development potential than other currently available agents. In this review, entirely different ways to recognize mixed sequences of DNA by modifying AT selective heterocyclic cations are described. To selectively recognize a G·C base pair an H-bond acceptor must be incorporated with AT recognizing groups as with netropsin. We have used pyridine, azabenzimidazole and thiophene-N-methylbenzimidazole GC recognition units in modules crafted with both rational design and empirical optimization. These modules can selectively and strongly recognize a single G·C base pair in an AT sequence context. In some cases, a relatively simple change in substituents can convert a heterocyclic module from AT to GC recognition selectivity. Synthesis and DNA interaction results for initial example lead modules are described for single G·C base pair recognition compounds. The review concludes with a description of the initial efforts to prepare larger compounds to recognize sequences of DNA with more than one G·C base pairs. The challenges and initial successes are described along with future directions.
LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE OUTFLOW GRAFT STENOSIS TREATED WITH PERCUTANEOUS TRANSCATHETER STENTING

Outflow graft (OG) obstruction is an uncommon complication of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) that has historically required surgical intervention. In an attempt to avoid surgical intervention, advances have been made in percutaneous strategies to alleviate this unique problem. A 79-year-
Ergodic control of diffusions with compound Poisson jumps under a general structural hypothesis

Abstract We study the ergodic control problem for a class of controlled jump diffusions driven by a compound Poisson process. This extends the results of Arapostathis et al. (2019) to running costs that are not near-monotone. This generality is needed in applications such as optimal scheduling of large-scale parallel server networks. We provide a full characterizations of optimality via the Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman (HJB) equation, for which we additionally exhibit regularity of solutions under mild hypotheses. In addition, we show that optimal stationary Markov controls are a.s. pathwise optimal. Lastly, we show that one can fix a stable control outside a compact set and obtain near-optimal solutions by solving the HJB on a sufficiently large bounded domain. This is useful for constructing asymptotically optimal scheduling policies for multiclass parallel server networks.
Using human-in-the-loop synthesis to author functional reactive programs.

Programs that respond to asynchronous events are challenging to write; they are difficult to reason about and tricky to test and debug. Because these programs can have a huge space of possible input timings and interleaving, the programmer may easily miss corner cases. We propose applying synthesis to aid programmers in creating programs more easily and with a higher degree of confidence in their correctness. We have written an efficient encoding of functional reactive programming (FRP) semantics based on functional programming over lists lifted in Rosette. We demonstrate that this technique is state-of-the-art by first comparing its performance against two existing synthesis tools that produce list manipulation programs, and then by synthesizing a suite of benchmarks given complete specifications. We also propose an interactive tool in which a programmer provides some initial partial specification in the form of input/output examples or invariants; the tool finds ambiguity in the specification by synthesizing two candidate programs and gives the user an input that distinguishes them; the user updates the specification and continues iterating until the correct program is found. As evaluation, we demonstrate the use of the tool on a suite of benchmarks from the web programming and Internet of Things domains and walk through a sample interaction on a realistic web benchmark, showing that we can converge on the target program with a tractable number of interactions. As future work, we discuss encoding additional FRP languages to in order to explore metalinguistic features, strategies for decomposition that would allow the synthesis of larger programs, and improved programmer tools such as a GUI to more easily elicit specifications.
Bioanalytical method development and validation of corynantheidine, a kratom alkaloid, using UPLC-MS/MS, and its application to preclinical pharmacokinetic studies

Abstract Corynantheidine, a minor alkaloid found in Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil, has been shown to bind to opioid receptors and act as a functional opioid antagonist, but its unique contribution to the overall properties of kratom remains relatively unexplored. The first validated bioanalytical method for the quantification of corynantheidine in rat plasma is described. The method was linear in the dynamic range from 1–500 ng/mL, requires a small plasma sample volume (25 μL), and a simple protein precipitation method for extraction of the analyte. The separation was achieved with Waters BEH C18 2.1 × 50 mm column and the 3-minute gradient of 10 mM ammonium acetate buffer (pH = 3.5) and acetonitrile as mobile phase. The method was validated in terms of accuracy, precision, selectivity, sensitivity, recovery, stability, and dilution integrity. It was applied to the analysis of the male Sprague Dawley rat plasma samples obtained during pharmacokinetic studies of corynantheidine administered both intravenously (I.V.) and orally (P.O.) (2.5 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg, respectively). The non-compartmental analysis performed in Certara Phoenix® yielded the following parameters: clearance 884.1 ± 32.3 mL/h, apparent volume of distribution 8.0 ± 1.2 L, exposure up to the last measured time point 640.3 ± 24.0 h*ng/mL, and a mean residence time of 3.0 ± 0.2 h with I.V. dose. The maximum observed concentration after a P.O. dose of 213.4 ± 40.4 ng/mL was detected at 4.1 ± 1.3 h with a mean residence time of 8.8 ± 1.8 h. Absolute oral bioavailability was 49.9 ± 16.4 %. Corynantheidine demonstrated adequate oral bioavailability, prolonged absorption and exposure, and an extensive extravascular distribution. In addition, imaging mass spectrometry analysis of the brain tissue was performed to evaluate the distribution of the compound in the brain. Corynantheidine was detected in the corpus callosum and some regions of the hippocampus.
Careful currency conversion

International energy economic analysis frequently involves conversion of all monetary figures to a single currency, typically the US dollar. This can cause significant variation in estimation of values that change over time such as learning rates for new energy technologies.
Foundations Research in Physics

Permit me to begin with a sort of sociological point, and this is the lack of communication between professional scientists and professional philosophers. As you all undoubtedly know, philosophy has prided itself for centuries for being “the queen of the sciences” Unfortunately, there has been a long period during which this particular queen has shared the fate of her human colleagues; it has reigned rather than governed. Only, in recent times something worse has happened to her: University communities have begun to question the need for her “civil list”, that is her emoluments. Today, humanities departments are frequently poorly supported, and their chief usefulness is often that they provide a number of “gut” courses, in which undergraduates can acquire a number of credit points required for “distribution” without having to memorize foreign vocabularies or being required to exert themselves otherwise. This is, of course, a situation which has hurt the former “subjects” also, though perhaps not in the pocketbook, but certainly in terms of spiritual impoverishment.
Behavioural variation and learning across the lifespan in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys.

Natural selection has evidently mediated many species characteristics relevant to the evolution of learning, including longevity, length of the juvenile period, social organization, timing of cogni...
Systems genetics analyses in Diversity Outbred mice inform human bone mineral density GWAS and identify Qsox1 as a novel determinant of bone strength

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) for osteoporotic traits have identified over 1000 associations; however, their impact has been limited by the difficulties of causal gene identification and a strict focus on bone mineral density (BMD). Here, we used Diversity Outbred (DO) mice to directly address these limitations by performing the first systems genetics analysis of over 50 complex skeletal phenotypes. We applied a network approach to cortical bone RNA-seq data to discover 46 genes likely to be causal for human BMD GWAS associations, including the novel genes SERTAD4 and GLT8D2. We also performed GWAS in the DO for a wide-range of bone traits and identified Qsox1 as a novel gene influencing cortical bone accrual and bone strength. Our results provide a new perspective on the genetics of osteoporosis and highlight the ability of the mouse to inform human genetics.
Neonatal lensectomy and intraocular lens implantation: effects in rhesus monkeys.

PURPOSE To compare the effects of a lensectomy with and without intraocular lens (IOL) implantation on a neonatal rhesus monkey eye. METHODS A lensectomy and anterior vitrectomy was performed on 75 monkeys during the first 16 days of life; 21 of these monkeys also had an IOL implanted into the posterior chamber. The eyes were examined at regular intervals using biomicroscopy, applanation tonometry, and ophthalmoscopy. RESULTS The pseudophakic monkeys were studied until they were 92.5 +/- 5.8 weeks of age and the aphakic monkeys until they were 80.4 +/- 5.7 weeks of age. Pupillary membranes (100% versus 55.5%; P < 0.01) and lens regeneration into the pupillary aperture (28.6% versus 5.6%; P = 0.02) occurred more often in the pseudophakic than the aphakic eyes. As a result, the pseudophakic eyes required more reoperations than the aphakic eyes to keep the visual axis clear (P < 0.01). There was not a significant difference in the incidence of ocular hypertension between the pseudophakic and aphakic eyes (9.5% versus 12.7%; P = 0.34). Pupillary capture of the IOL optic occurred in 52% and haptic breakage in 33% of the pseudophakic eyes. All of the eyes with broken haptics had a prominent Soemmerring's ring varying in maximum thickness from 0.6 to 2 mm. Nine of the haptics from the seven eyes with broken IOLs had eroded into the iris, two into the ciliary body, and one into the anterior chamber. CONCLUSIONS Implanting an IOL into a neonatal monkey eye after a lensectomy and anterior vitrectomy increases the likelihood of a reoperation being necessary. Haptics frequently erode into the iris and ciliary body and may break because of stress placed on the optic-haptic junction by forward movement of the IOL.
From 2SFCA to i2SFCA: integration, derivation and validation

Uneven distributions of population and service providers lead to geographic disparity in access for residents and varying workload for staff in facilities. The former can be captured by spatial acc...
Amino Acid Nutrition and Reproductive Performance in Ruminants.

Amino acids (AAs) are essential for the survival, growth and development of ruminant conceptuses. Most of the dietary AAs (including L-arginine, L-lysine, L-methionine and L-glutamine) are extensively catabolized by the ruminal microbes of ruminants to synthesize AAs and microbial proteins (the major source of AAs utilized by cells in ruminant species) in the presence of sufficient carbohydrates (mainly cellulose and hemicellulose), nitrogen, and sulfur. Results of recent studies indicate that the ruminal microbes of adult steers and sheep do not degrade extracellular L-citrulline and have a limited ability to metabolize extracellular L-glutamate due to little or no uptake by the cells. Although traditional research in ruminant protein nutrition has focused on AAs (e.g., lysine and methionine for lactating cows) that are not synthesized by eukaryotic cells, there is growing interest in the nutritional and physiological roles of AAs (e.g., L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-glutamine and L-glutamate) in gestating ruminants (e.g., cattle, sheep and goats) and lactating dairy cows. Results of recent studies show that intravenous administration of L-arginine to underfed, overweight or prolific ewes enhances fetal growth, the development of brown fat in fetuses, and the survival of neonatal lambs. Likewise, dietary supplementation with either rumen-protected L-arginine or unprotected L-citrulline to gestating sheep or beef cattle improved embryonic survival. Because dietary L-citrulline and L-glutamate are not degraded by ruminal microbes, addition of these two amino acids may be a new useful, cost-effective method for improving the reproductive efficiency of ruminants.
Mechanical behavior of actin and spectrin subjected to high strain rate: A molecular dynamics simulation study

Recent nanoscopy and super-resolution microscopy studies have substantiated the structural contribution of periodic actin-spectrin lattice to the axonal cytoskeleton of neuron. However, sufficient mechanical insight is not present for spectrin and actin-spectrin network, especially in high strain rate scenario. To quantify the mechanical behavior of actin-spectrin cytoskeleton in such conditions, this study determines individual stretching characteristics of actin and spectrin at high strain rate by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The actin-spectrin separation criteria are also determined. It is found that both actin and spectrin have high stiffness when susceptible to high strain rate and show strong dependence on applied strain rate. The stretching stiffness of actin and forced unfolding mechanism of spectrin are in harmony with the current literature. Actin-spectrin model provides novel insight into their interaction and separation stretch. It is shown that the region vulnerable to failure is the actin-spectrin interface at lower strain rate, while it is the inter-repeat region of spectrin at higher strain rate.
Cardiovascular-related pregnancy complications: Associations with health behaviors and mental health during the covid-19 pandemic

Pregnancies with cardiovascular (CV) complications are more likely to involve additional complications, poorer short and long-term health, and worse fetal outcomes. Additionally, CV complications a...
A Study of Big Data Analytics in Internal Auditing

As the world is progressing towards an era of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), the use of data is becoming more valuable than ever before. Many professions and organizations have already incorporated automation and AI into their work to increase their productivity and efficacy. Auditing firms are not an exception in this regard as these firms are also using many data analytics processes to plan and perform audit. This paper provides a systematic review of big data analytics application in auditing with primary focus on internal auditing. The paper contemplates the advantages of incorporating big data analytics in internal auditing. The paper further discusses the state-of-the-art and contemporary trends of big data analytics in internal auditing while also summarizing the findings of notable researches in the area. Finally, the paper outlines various challenges in incorporating big data analytics in internal auditing and provides insights into future trends.
Evaluation of current additive manufacturing systems for orthodontic 3-dimensional printing

Introduction The objective of this research was to evaluate and compare linear and surface accuracy of dental models fabricated using 3 different vat photopolymerization printing units: digital light synthesis (M2 Printer; Carbon, Redwood City, Calif), digital light processing (Juell 3D Flash OC; Park Dental Research, New York, NY), and stereolithography apparatus (Form 2; Formlabs Inc, Somerville, Mass), and a material jetting printing unit: PolyJet (Objet Eden 260VS; Stratasys, Eden Prairie, Minn). Methods Maxillary and mandibular dental arches of 20 patients with the American Board of Orthodontics Discrepancy Index scores ranging between 10 and 30 were scanned using an intraoral scanner. Stereolithographic files of each patient were printed via the 3-dimensional (3D) printers and were digitized again using a 3D desktop scanner to enable comparisons with the original scan data. One-sample t test and linear regression analyses were performed. To further graphically examine the accuracy between the different methods, Bland-Altman plots were computed. The level of significance was set at P Results Bland-Altman analysis showed no fixed bias of one approach vs the other, and random errors were detected in all linear accuracy comparisons. When a 0.25 mm tolerance level was deemed acceptable for any positive or negative surface changes, only the models manufactured from digital light processing and PolyJet units showed more than 97% match with the original scans. Conclusion The surface area of 3D printed models did not yield an utterly identical match to the original scan data and was affected by the type of printer. The clinical relevance of the differences observed on the 3D printed dental model surfaces requires application-specific judgments.
In Every Man, There Is a Child: Henoch-Schönlein Purpura in an Adult With Liver Cirrhosis.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP), also known as immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis, is a small-vessel vasculitis characterized by IgA deposits in various organs in the body producing a unique constellation of symptoms. This disease predominantly affects the skin (palpable purpura), joints (arthritis/arthralgia), gut (abdominal pain), and kidneys (nephritic syndrome-IgA nephropathy [IgAN]). The pathogenesis of HSP in children is usually secondary to an immune reaction after viral infections. In adults, few cases of HSP/IgA vasculitis have been reported secondary to altered metabolism of IgA in patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Here, we report an unusual case of HSP/IgA vasculitis. The patient presented with signs of alcoholic liver cirrhosis with abdominal pain and ascites along with a lower extremity purpuric rash. The patient had significant findings of liver cirrhosis with radiographic evidence of cirrhotic liver with esophageal varices and splenorenal shunt and elevated serum ascites albumin gradient. Urinalysis revealed proteinuria with microscopic hematuria, further evaluated with a kidney biopsy. Microscopic analysis revealed focal segmental endocapillary and extracapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis with focal necrotizing features, consistent with IgAN/HSP nephritis. Treatment was initiated with high-dose steroids and cyclophosphamide infusions. Alcohol-induced endotoxin release and inflammation lead to high amounts of circulating IgA due to increased intestinal permeability and reduced hepatic clearance. Further disease development is caused by IgA deposits in affected organs (skin and kidney in our case). We hypothesize that the development of disease for the patient was secondary to altered IgA processing in decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis.