cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the Era of Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents.

Abstract There is paucity of literature regarding hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. In the study described herein we evaluated several aspects of HCV infection in HCT recipients, including the impact of this infection on cancer status, liver-related outcomes, mortality, and the role of antiviral treatment (AVT), including direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). The medical records of HCV-infected allogeneic and autologous HCT recipients, seen at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from August 2009 to November 2015, were reviewed. Patients seen from August 1, 2009 to October 30, 2012 were reviewed retrospectively, whereas those seen from November 1, 2012 to November 30, 2015 were analyzed prospectively in an observational study. Of 434 HCV-infected cancer patients evaluated, 64 underwent 69 HCTs. Most (78%) underwent autologous transplantation. Thirteen percent of patients became HCV-seronegative post-HCT. Compared with patients who did not receive AVT, treated patients had fewer relapses of HCV-associated non-Hodgkin lymphomas (20% versus 86%; P = .015), higher 5-year survival rates (75% versus 39%; P = .02), and a trend toward lower rate of progression to cirrhosis (5% versus 21%; P = .06). AVT discontinuation rate post-HCT was 71% in those receiving IFN-containing regimens and 0% in those receiving DAAs (P
Fifty Years of Farm Records in Minnesota

ARM management research in the United States has passed its fiftieth milestone. On January 1, 1902 W. M. Hays and Andrew Boss started some cost accounts on Minnesota farms. This was the first organized continuing project in farm management research in the United States. It was also the first research project in the general field of agricultural economics in this country. Early interest in farm management and the events leading up to the inauguration of organized research work in the field have been ably reviewed in earlier numbers of This Journal by Warren' and Boss.2 This article will serve to supply some additional details of that history. It will be confined to the development of farm records as a research tool in a single state, pointing out the development and evolution of farm records as a source of basic data for farm management research over the past half century. It is written with the thought that a knowledge of past experience may prove a useful guide to workers now developing programs of farm management research. It is also the hope of the author that other readers of This Journal, familiar with the history of farm records as a source of research data in other states, may be induced to contribute their observations and experiences as a basis for a more comprehensive appraisal of the place and most effective use of farm records in farm management research methodolgy. The early cost accounts at Minnesota represent the beginnings of an economic study of farm management that has been in continuous operation ever since. It has not only formed the basis and backbone of the farm management research program in the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, but has served as a pattern for similar studies elsewhere. The author wishes to outline the development and evolution of methodology in record keeping and analysis that has occurred, in this institution, to point out changes in the results secured and in methods of presenting them, and to make some general appraisal of the adaptations and limitations of the program.
Complications and Management of Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) Injections to the Midface

Background Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) has been used as an injectable filler to treat hollows and reduce rhytids. PMMA injections have been associated with several side effects, however, the literature is scarce on periorbital complications and their treatments. Objectives The purpose of this study is to report a series of complications after periorbital PMMA injections to the midface and to describe their management. Methods Retrospective chart review, including photography and histopathology when available. Results The authors identified 11 cases of complications of PMMA injections to the midface. Patient ages ranged from 36 to 62 years (mean, 47 years; median, 44 years). Two (18%) were males and 9 (82%) were females. Adverse effects began between 2 to 24 months after injection (mean, 7.2 months; median, 6 months). All patients had edema, erythema, and contour irregularity. Seven (64%) patients had nodules, 4 (36%) had yellow, xanthomatous skin changes, and 2 (18%) had eyelid malposition. Histopathology demonstrated a giant cell inflammation in 5 of 6 cases. Corticosteroid injection was tried in 6 cases but was associated with minimal clinical improvement. Surgical debulking of the implanted material was performed in 9 (82%) cases and was effective in improving edema, erythema, and nodularity. Conclusions PMMA injection to the midface may be associated with chronic inflammation, fibrotic nodules, yellowing of the skin, and eyelid malposition. Intralesional corticosteroid injections yielded minimal or no improvement; surgical debulking achieved favorable results. Level of Evidence 4 ![Graphic][1] Therapeutic [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Towards a Socio-Economic Paradigm

This paper contains three parts. The first outlines the reasons I believe the time has come to develop a shared disciplinary core for socio-economics. It then turns to the principles that ought to guide us in developing such a core, and finally, suggests several specific elements for such a discipline. While my discussion benefits from a document formulated when SASE, a society founded to advance socio-economics, was first founded, all that follows reflected my current views as to on what is to be done and to feed into a dialogue on this subject. Clearly, the only way such a core can be developed is through an extended and extensive dialogue among those of us who are concerned about the future of socio-economics as an academic discipline, as a basis for public policy, and as a source for our fellow persons to better understand and guide the social and economic world in which we all live.
Lecture: Second Founding: The Story of the Fourteenth Amendment

The story of the Framing of the Fourteenth Amendment is a lost story of American history, covered over by Southern inspiring myth making and an unwillingness to grapple with the central role of slavery in American history. Americans can take new inspiration from that story and use it as an example of how our popular democracy can be perfected. Even today, nearly a century and a half after the Second Founders did their work, their words and example move before us as a people, a cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night.
Two Famous Problems

In the first section of this chapter two new graph-theoretical parameters are introduced, and their relationship to the vertex independence number α0 and the vertex chromatic number χ0 are discussed.
Self-Setting Calcium Phosphate Cements with Tunable Antibiotic Release Rates for Advanced Antimicrobial Applications.

Osteomyelitis, an infectious disease predominantly tied to poor sanitary conditions in underdeveloped regions of the world, is in need of inexpensive, easily in situ synthesizable and administrable materials for its treatment. The results of this study stem from the attempt to create one such affordable and minimally invasive therapeutic platform in the form of a self-setting, injectable cement with a tunable drug release profile, composed of only nanoparticulate hydroxyapatite, the synthetic version of the bone mineral. Cements comprised two separately synthesized hydroxyapatite powders, one of which, HAP2, was precipitated abruptly, retaining the amorphous nature longer, and the other one of which, HAP1, was precipitated at a slower rate, more rapidly transitioning to the crystalline structure. Cements were made with four different weight ratios of the two hydroxyapatite components: 100/0, 85/15, 50/50, and 0/100 with respect to HAP1 and HAP2. Both the setting and the release rates measured on two diffe...
Understanding user engagement in immersive and interactive stories

Popular science fiction often proffers the Holodeck vision for future immersive media: a seamless and transparent interface connecting users to a virtual world where they transform into a story character and influence unfolding events. In my dissertation, I offer empirical observations on a discussion that has been largely theoretical to this point. I explore the psychological concept of user engagement through an immersive and interactive story experience called AR Facade. In the experience, the “player” interfaces with an animated married couple through an augmented reality (AR) interface that allows for unconstrained body movement and speech communication. The player finds herself in the middle of a marital conflict and can influence how the social scenario plays out through her actions and statements. I have studied the AR Facade experience from the user perspective by conducting mixed-method investigations in two instantiations: our proof of concept lab demo at Georgia Tech and an eleven-week gallery installation at the Beall Center for Art and Technology in Irvine, CA. My thesis challenges the assumptions ingrained in the Holodeck vision by offering empirical evidence that immersive display technology both supports and counteracts the experiential pleasures sought by proponents of the Holodeck medium. Focusing on the experiential aspects of the human-computer interface, I examine how a media experience changes when going from traditional desktop interaction to immersive augmented reality. While the goal of many presence researchers is to strive for an “illusion of non-mediation,” I conclude that explicit mediation may be required for reaching embodied narrative engagement. An immersive interface should be mediated to provide clear mechanics to support player agency (the feeling of empowerment over events) and allow the player to manage their distance from the designated character role. In the process of presenting evidence for my claim, I clarify the terminology across the stakeholder disciplines and present an empirical case study that spans media theory, design practice, and computer science.
Microbiological Cultures of Heart Valves and Valve Tags Are Not Valuable for Patients Without Infective Endocarditis Who Are Undergoing Valve Replacement

We evaluated the significance of the results of microbiological cultures of heart valves and identification tags from newly inserted prosthetic valves that were removed from patients with valvular heart disease; none of these patients had a preoperative diagnosis of endocarditis. We reviewed the charts of patients with positive cultures for evidence of infections before or after surgery. Cultures were positive for 11.9% of 219 valves (206 native valves and 13 prosthetic or bioprosthetic valves) and 11.6% of 224 tags. The most common isolates were coagulase-negative staphylococci. Typical agents of endocarditis--viridans streptococcus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus--were cultured from five specimens, and Mycobacterium avium complex was identified in six valves. None of the patients with positive valve or tag cultures developed postsurgical endocarditis or wound infection. Findings on histopathologic examination of the valves were not consistent with endocarditis. We conclude that the results of cultures of valves from patients without preoperative diagnoses of endocarditis lack clinical significance, and positive tag cultures are not predictive of postsurgical infection. Positive cultures are most likely a result of contamination during surgery or thereafter.
Attorney Advertising: A Consumer Perspective:

Supreme Court decisions that have established the consumer's right to receive commercial speech are reviewed, followed by survey results showing substantial discrepancies between the attorney selec...
A Potter's Wheelhead from Askut and the Organization of the Egyptian Ceramic Industry in Nubia

For the most part, the ceramic assemblage at Askut and the other Nubian fortresses tracks well with pottery from Egypt, and it is clear from the ubiquitous presence of pottery made from marl clays that ceramic vessels were regularly imported from Egyptian workshops in both Upper and Lower Egypt. Large-scale pottery production of Nile Silt vessels, however, is attested during the Middle Kingdom in the Nubian colony at both Mirgissa and Serra East. Wasters and unfired fragments of Nile Silt vessels from Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom contexts in the Southeast Sector at Askut demonstrate that smaller-scale production also existed in the colony. Additionally, a ceramic potter’s wheelhead, the actual flywheel/throwing surface as opposed to the wheel’s stone pivots, was recently identified from the late Middle Kingdom (Thirteenth Dynasty) deposits, the only one attested from Pharaonic Nubia and only the second from a Pharaonic Egyptian context. This evidence points towards a complex system of production and distribution that included industrial workshops at major sites complemented by localized production on a much smaller scale to meet local demand. Ceramic production on the scale seen at Askut would serve modest community needs for the fortress and perhaps the surrounding area in a multi-scalar system of ceramic production.
Gap Junction Channels: The Electrical Conduit of the Intercellular World

The concept of an intercellular channel that mediates the direct intracellular passage of ions, second messengers, and metabolites between adjacent cells was born from the observations of electrical coupling within cellular excitable and nonexcitable tissues in the 1950s and 1960s. Originally called the “nexus”, the term gap junction was applied to this membrane structure after the observation of 1–2 nm gap between adjacent cell membranes populated with hexameric protein bridges containing a central aqueous pore in 1967. Molecular structural models of the gap junction channel evolved in 1977 and approximately every 20 years since with increasing resolution. The first junction channel current records and the cloning of the connexin subunits occurred in the mid-1980s, ushering in the molecular era of gap junction channel research. This atypical intracellular double membrane channel is now known to be formed by 20 different mammalian connexins with 60 % of them linked to inherited human diseases. Once thought to be a large static channel, gap junction channels exhibit with conductances that vary from 10 to 300 pS with ionic and molecular permeabilities that defy the simple principles of a nonselective large aqueous pore. Their activity is modulated by numerous mechanisms including calcium signaling, intracellular pH, post-translation modifications (PTMs) like protein phosphorylation and acetylation, and a variety of lipophiles. Despite knowledge of the connexin membrane topology and primary amino acid sequences for three decades, precise identification of the molecular pore composition of this unconventional ion channel remains poorly understood. Recent development of a 3.5 A three-dimensional structure and molecular dynamic simulations have facilitated development of precise hypotheses for the origin of cationic and anionic pore permeability barriers amenable to experimental verification.
Comparison of the GPCP 1DD Precipitation Product and NEXRAD Q2 Precipitation Estimates over the Continental United States

AbstractThis study compares the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP) 1 Degree Daily (1DD) precipitation estimates over the continental United States (CONUS) with National Mosaic and Multi-Sensor Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (NMQ) Next Generation (Q2) estimates. Spatial averages of monthly and yearly accumulated precipitation were computed based on daily estimates from six selected regions during the period 2010–12. Both Q2 and GPCP daily precipitation estimates show that precipitation amounts over southern regions (<40°N) are generally larger than northern regions (≥40°N). Correlation coefficients for daily estimates over selected regions range from 0.355 to 0.516 with mean differences (GPCP − Q2) varying from −0.86 to 0.99 mm. Better agreements are found in monthly estimates with the correlations varying from 0.635 to 0.787. For spatially averaged precipitation values averaged from grid boxes within selected regions, GPCP and Q2 estimates are well correlated, especially for monthly ac...
INVESTIGATION ON OPEN LINE TEST PRINCIPLE OF HVDC

The influences of the variation of firing angle of the converter on open line voltage, energization current and valve voltage are researched under the condition of open line test (OLT) with DC line, and the obtained conclusions are as follows: when the firing angle of the converter is reduced to less than 60°, the DC voltage can be still risen to its rated value; the energization current under the OLT will be constant while the firing angle of the converter is less than 60° and this current mainly depends on the structural parameters of DC transmission line and the intensity of the corona discharge; the lower the firing angle of the converter is, the smaller the voltage aberrance of valve arm will be. The personnel who engaged in the commissioning test of Three Gorges to Guangzhou HVDC projet approve these conclusions. In the OLT carried out at a certain converter station, when the firing angle of the converter is reduced to 35.7°, the open line voltage can be risen to rated value 500kV.
Isometric torque of the finger extensors at the metacarpophalangeal joints

A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the isometric torque produced at the metacarpophalangeal joint during finger extension. Fifteen women with normal right hands, aged 21 to 29 years, participated. Each subject was tested for maximal force of isometric extension at the metacarpophalangeal joint angles of 0, 30, and 60 degrees on each of the four fingers. Torque was computed by multiplying the recorded tension and measured length of the proximal phalanx (lever arm). The mean torque for the long finger was significantly greater than the average torque for each of the other three fingers. The mean torque at the joint angle of 60 degrees was significantly greater than at 0 degrees but not at 30 degrees. Reasons for the findings are discussed.
Do women choose their obstetric providers based on risks at entry into prenatal care? A study of women in washington state

OBJECTIVE: To study risk factors in a large population of women over a broad geographic area as they entered obstetric care, and to assess how they distributed themselves among the specialties. METHODS: Data from 1 year were gathered through a retrospective chart review of all women initiating care with randomly selected urban and rural obstetricians, urban and rural family physicians, and urban certified nurse midwives. RESULTS: The majority of women had at least one risk factor at entry into care. When a scoring system was applied to the data, 13.5% of the women were designated "high risk," which is consistent with findings of other studies. However, women did not distribute themselves to provider types according to risk. Higher-risk women were more likely to choose family physicians, especially in rural areas. Much of this difference can be attributed to young maternal age, late entry into care, and lack of health insurance or Medicaid sponsorship. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that economics and geography are more likely to influence a woman's initial choice of provider than medical and obstetric risk.
Flow-cytochemical differential leukocyte analysis with quantitation of neutrophil left shift. An evaluation of the Cobas-Helios analyzer.

The Cobas-Helios (Roche Diagnostic Systems, Inc., Branchburg, NJ) is a new, fully automated hematology analyzer that performs a complete blood count and differential leukocyte count (DLC), classifying leukocytes by flow-cytochemical technology. The DLC component of the Cobas-Helios was evaluated according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards H20-A protocol. Instrument performance was acceptable with respect to all parameters investigated, including imprecision, inaccuracy and clinical sensitivity for the identification of quantitative and qualitative leukocyte abnormalities. In a minority of samples with neutrophil left shift, neutrophils tended to overlap the monocyte domain, resulting in overestimation of monocytes and underestimation of neutrophils. This problem did not affect clinical sensitivity and was generally associated with a positive instrumental left-shift flag. Flags for the identification of specific qualitative abnormalities of the leukocyte population (atypical lymphoid cells, nucleated red cells, blast cells, immature granulocytes and neutrophil left shift) performed well. In addition to a conventional five-part DLC, the Cobas- Helios also identifies and quantitates atypical lymphoid cells and “large immature cells,” the latter corresponding to bands and immature granulocytes. Counts of atypical lymphoid cells and large immature cells correlated well with the equivalent cell classes as enumerated by the reference method of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards. The Cobas-Helios offers the most reliable quantitative index of neutrophil left shift currently available in a commercial automated DLC analyzer.
GPU accelerated Discrete Element Method (DEM) molecular dynamics for conservative, faceted particle simulations

Abstract Faceted shapes, such as polyhedra, are commonly found in systems of nanoscale, colloidal, and granular particles. Many interesting physical phenomena, like crystal nucleation and growth, vacancy motion, and glassy dynamics are challenging to model in these systems because they require detailed dynamical information at the individual particle level. Within the granular materials community the Discrete Element Method has been used extensively to model systems of anisotropic particles under gravity, with friction. We provide an implementation of this method intended for simulation of hard, faceted nanoparticles, with a conservative Weeks–Chandler–Andersen (WCA) interparticle potential, coupled to a thermodynamic ensemble. This method is a natural extension of classical molecular dynamics and enables rigorous thermodynamic calculations for faceted particles.
Local Density Fluctuations Predict Photoisomerization Quantum Yield of Azobenzene-Modified DNA

Azobenzene incorporated into DNA has a photoisomerization quantum yield that depends on the DNA sequence near the azobenzene attachment site. We use Molecular Dynamics computer simulations to elucidate which physical properties of the modified DNA determine the quantum yield. We show for a wide range of DNA sequences that the photoisomerization quantum yield is strongly correlated with the variance of the number of atoms in close proximity to the outer phenyl ring of the azobenzene group. We infer that quantum yield is controlled by the availability of fluctuations that enable the conformational change. We demonstrate that these simulations can be used as a qualitative predictive tool by calculating the quantum yield for several novel DNA sequences, and confirming these predictions using UV–vis spectroscopy. Our results will be useful for the development of a wide range of applications of photoresponsive DNA nanotechnology.
Methods, Models, and Algorithms for Modern Speech Processing

This chapter addresses digital speech processing, one of the most important applications of modern signal processing (SP). Speech technologies have become fundamental to the development of many products and services that influence the way one lives and works. The enormous commercial potential for speech-based products is a major impetus for research and development of two broad application areas: speech communications and speech recognition. Speech-processing engineers view speech production in terms of an acoustic filtering operation. The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of some salient methods and tools of modern speech processing with the key vocabulary and main concepts and the most important models and algorithms. This chapter starts by giving a brief introduction of the anatomical structures that comprise the human speech production system. Then, with the aid of some primitive processing of a speech waveform, it discusses the physiology of speech production. The principal aim of this cursory treatment of speech “biology: is to provide justification for the discrete-time (DT) model used pervasively in contemporary speech processing.
Sequential Topoisomerase I (Topo I) and Topoisomerase II (Topo II) Inhibitors in Relapsed/Refractory Aggressive NHL: Results of CALGN 59906, a Phase II Study of Doxorubicin and Topotecan.

Abstract Topoisomerase enzymes are critical components of genomic replication and function to minimize torsional stress on DNA. Inhibition of topoisomerase function leads to DNA strand breaks followed by apoptosis. In malignant lymphomas, topo II inhibitors (anthracyclines, epidophyllotoxins) are part of many active regimens, and topo I inhibitors (camptothecins) show modest single agent activity. Supported by preclinical data, we hypothesized that the sequential administration of a topo II inhibitor followed by a topo I inhibitor would be potentially synergistic, with enhanced cytotoxicity of the topo I inhibitor due to increased target enzyme levels following topo II inhibition. The treatment regimen consisted of doxorubicin 25 mg/m2 IV on day 1 and topotecan 1.75 mg/m2/d IV on days 3–5, repeated at 21 day intervals. The primary objective of this phase II study was to determine the overall response rate, time to progression, and toxicity in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive NHL. Eligible patients had recurrent or refractory aggressive NHL, no prior camptothecins, and limited prior anthracycline exposure (
Inability to replete white adipose tissue during recovery phase of sepsis is associated with increased autophagy, apoptosis, and proteasome activity

Adipose tissue is an important energy depot and endocrine organ, and the degree of adiposity impacts the host response to infection. However, little is known regarding the mechanisms by which white adipose tissue (WAT) is lost acutely and then restored after the resolution of sepsis. Therefore, the signaling pathways governing protein synthesis, autophagy, apoptosis, and the ubiquitin-proteasome were investigated to identify potential mechanisms mediating the acute (24 h) loss of WAT after cecal ligation and puncture as well as the failure to replenish WAT during recovery (day 10). While whole body fat mass was decreased equally in pair-fed control and septic mice at 5 days after cecal ligation and puncture, fat mass remained 35% lower in septic mice at day 10 During sepsis-recovery, protein synthesis in epididymal WAT was increased compared with control values, and this increase was associated with an elevation in eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF)2Be but no change in mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 activity (eIF4E-binding protein-1 or S6 kinase 1 phosphorylation). Protein breakdown was increased during sepsis-recovery, as evidenced by the elevation in ubiquitin-proteasome activity. Moreover, indexes of autophagy (light chain 3B-II, autophagy-related protein 5/12, and beclin) were increased during sepsis-recovery and associated with increased AMP-activated kinase-dependent Ser555-phosphorylated Unc-51-like autophagy activating kinase-1. Apoptosis was increased, as suggested by the increased cleavage of caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. These changes were associated with increased inflammasome activity (increased NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3; TMS1; and caspase-1 cleavage) and the endoplasmic reticulum stress response (increased eIF2α and activating transcription factor-4) and browning (uncoupling protein-1) in epididymal WAT. Our data suggest that WAT stores remain depleted during recovery from sepsis due to sustained inflammation and elevations in protein and cellular degradation, despite the increase in protein synthesis.
Preventing readmissions through transitional care.

FREQUENT HOSPITAL readmissions of patients with heart failure and other chronic and advanced illnesses aren't acceptable in today's healthcare environment. Not only are readmissions an indicator of suboptimal care, they also cause unnecessary expense because hospitals are penalized for “prev
Structured and Surface-Modified Carbon Xerogel Electrodes for Capacitive Deionization

The use of porous carbon materials for desalination and water treatment applications has been a heavily studied topic over the last few decades. In particular, the field of capacitive deionization (CDI) has become an increasingly popular method for the desalination of brackish water streams with carbon electrode design and porosity defined as key metrics in addition to operating parameters. In this chapter, carbon xerogel electrodes are reviewed and the effect porosity, surface charge, and the potential of zero charge are highlighted for their impact on the salt adsorption process. Ultimately, all of these parameters predict the desalination performance of a CDI cell, and assessments are made for future electrode needs in this field.
Interleukin-6 increases resistance to anti-androgen therapy via TIF2

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 12-16, 2008; San Diego, CA 697 Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a critical role in the development and progression of prostate cancer. The levels of IL-6 in serum are significantly elevated in many men with advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Numerous studies have suggested the role of IL-6 in the growth and androgen responsiveness of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo . To study the role of IL-6 in prostate cancer cells in response to androgen deprivation therapy, series of lower and higher passages of LNCaP cell sublines were generated by a long-term exposure of LNCaP cells in IL-6 containing culture media. The higher passages of LNCaP cells treated with IL-6 are more resistant to bicalutamide treatment compared to parental LNCaP cells. To understand the mechanisms of IL-6 mediated resistance to bicalutamide treatment, we compared the expression of coactivator TIF2 expression in IL-6 treated LNCaP cells and parental LNCaP cells. The levels of TIF2 in IL-6 treated LNCaP cells were found significantly higher than the parental LNCaP cells. Down regulation of TIF2 expression via siRNA in IL-6 treated LNCaP cells decreased resistance of these cells to bicalutamide treatment; while over expression TIF2 in the parental LNCaP cells increased resistance of these cells to bicalutamide treatment. Collectively, these results suggest that overexpression of IL-6 increases prostate cancer cells resistance to bicalutamide treatment via overexpression of TIF2.
The effect of backfill cohesion on seismic response of cantilever retaining walls using fully dynamic analysis

Abstract The analyses of retaining walls in California showed many backfills are coarse material with some cohesion. In this investigation, seismic response of cantilever retaining walls, backfilled with dirty sandy materials with up to 30 kPa cohesion, is evaluated using fully dynamic analysis. The numerical simulation procedure is first validated using reported centrifuge test results. The validated methodology is then used to investigate the effects of three earthquake ground motions including Kobe, Loma Prieta, and Chi-Chi on seismic response of retaining walls. In addition, the input peak ground acceleration values are varied to consider a wide range of earthquake acceleration intensity.
Verifiable Outsourced Computation: A Survey

I will review recent (and not so recent) research on the topic of Verifiable Outsourced Computation. The problem of verifying the correctness of computations done by untrusted parties was a driving motivation behind some of the most celebrated results in Complexity Theory in the 90's, from Interactive Proofs to the PCP Theorem. More recently this problem has received renewed attention from more applied corners of Computer Science, due to the rise of the Cloud Computing paradigm, where data and computation is outsourced to external "providers" who may not be necessarily trusted. Current research is focused on making some of those old theoretical results applicable in practice, a task that ultimately will require both theoretical and more applied systems breakthroughs.
Uses of Bayesian Probability Models in Game Theory

Operationally, we can distinguish between objective and subjective probabilities as follows. Some probabilities are assigned the same numerical values by virtually all expert observers: for example, virtually all experts will agree that a fair coin will show either side with the same probability 1/2; or that a fair die will show any one of its six sides with the same probability 1/6; etc. Other probabilities will typically be assessed differently by different people: for example, different experts on horse racing will usually assign different numerical probabilities to a particular horse coming in first in a given race. Probabilities of the former type may be called objective probabilities, while those of the latter type may be called subjective probabilities.
Satellite data for the social sciences: measuring rural electrification with night-time lights

Remote-sensing data has the potential to revolutionize social science. One of the most prominent examples of this is the Nighttime Lights data set, which provides digital measures of night-time luminosity from 1992 to 2013. This study evaluates the Nighttime Lights data against detailed rural electrification data from the 2011 Census of India. The results suggest that many night-time luminosity measures derived from satellite data are surprisingly accurate for measuring rural electrification, even at the village level and using simple statistical tools. We also demonstrate that this accuracy can be substantially improved by using of better GIS maps, basic geoprocessing tools, and particular aggregations of night-time luminosity. Night-time luminosity performs worse in measuring financial inclusion or proxies of poverty, however, and detects rural electrification less accurately when the supply of power is intermittent. These results offer guidelines for when and how remote-sensing data can be used when administrative data is absent or unreliable.
Clinical aspects of intravascular ultrasound

Coronary angiography has been the gold standard for imaging in the diagnostic and interventional catheterization laboratory. This modality depicts coronary arteries as a silhouette of the lumen. The information regarding the vessel wall and its contents are obtained inferentially when they encroach upon the lumen. Recent technological advances have led to the development of miniature intra-coronary ultrasound catheters. This new modality of imaging provides cross-sectional images of the coronary lumen as well as it’s wall. Thus, intravascular ultrasound allows accurate measurement of vessel and atherosclerotic plaque dimensions as well as dimensions of other wall components. Moreover, it can characterize the composition and distribution of the atheroma. Experience with intravascular ultrasound imaging has revealed significant limitations of angiographic assessment of the coronary anatomy.
Climate Change as Seen by Trees and by Climate Modelers

Over the last few years, several attempts have been made to model how climatic warming due to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses will affect forest distribution. One of the questions raised about such studies, that of whether forests can migrate fast enough to keep up with anticipated climate change, is probably not as serious as it seems. In our human-dominated world, if forests are considered desirable, trees will be planted in tundra that has warmed enough for them to survive, even if the nearest seed source is several thousand kilometers away. The best species and provenance of trees is addressed in a number of the other papers in this Proceedings. The question examined in this paper is more basic: How trustworthy are the results of climate change models? In particular, can the results of the models be used as a guide for planting seedings that will mature 50 to 100 years in the future?
An Overview of Agent Based Models

It is sometimes difficult to convey to those outside of complexity studies what exactly is meant by emergence, agents, bottom-up processes, or even the phrase agent-based models itself. Part of this is due to these terms (and others) being overused. They have differing definitions across disciplines – sometimes overlapping, sometimes not – reflecting different scopes, purposes, and perspectives prevalent in these fields of study. Sometimes these terms are only vaguely defined. At other times they are defined precisely, but too narrowly to be very useful in other fields.
Aneuploidy, stem cells and cancer

Telomeres which protect the individual chromosomes from disintegration, end-to-end fusion and maintain the genomic integrity during the somatic cell divisions play an important role in cellular aging. Aging and cancer development are linked with each other because cancer is considered a group of complex genetic diseases that develop in old cells and, in both, telomere attrition is involved. Numeric chromosome imbalance also known as aneuploidy is the hallmark of most solid tumors, whether spontaneous or induced by carcinogens. We provide evidence in support of the hypothesis that telomere attrition is the earliest genetic alteration responsible for the induction of aneuploidy. Dysfunctional telomeres are highly recombinogenic leading to the formation of dicentric chromosomes. During cell divisions, such complex chromosome alterations undergo breakage fusion bridge cycles and may lead to loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and gene amplification. Furthermore, we have provided evidence in support of the hypothesis that all types of cancer originate in the organ- or tissue-specific stem cells present in a particular organ. Cancer cells and stem cells share many characteristics, such as, self-renewal, migration, and differentiation. Metaphases with abnormal genetic constitution present in the lymphocytes of cancer patients and in some of their asymptomatic family members may have been derived from the organ-specific stem cells. In addition, evidence and discussion has been presented for the existence of cancer-specific stem cells. Successful treatment of cancer, therefore, should be directed towards these cancer stem cells.
Nematode Infections of Minor Medical Importance

Several nematode infections of low to moderate prevalence warrant mention. With one exception, their clinical manifestations are of minor importance. Table 12.1 lists their geographic distribution, major pathologic effects, mode of infection, method of diagnosis, and therapy. A brief description of those preceded by an asterisk is given in the text that follows.
Progress and Problems in the Study of Protein Dynamics by X-Ray Diffraction

It is now generally accepted that proteins are dynamic systems and undergo a rich variety of motions that cause them to explore a large region of parameter space in the neighborhood of their equilibrium conformation (1,2). This equilibrium conformation in solution seems to be well approximated by the average structure determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction (3). Motions of atoms in the protein crystal leave their trace in the diffraction pattern, and can be investigated by careful refinement of simple motional models against high resolution diffraction data (4,5). Since the first reports of interpretation of protein crystal Debye-Waller factors in terms of intramolecular motion appeared in 1979 (6,7), dozens of studies have been done to evaluate the validity of this approach and to use the method to investigate the changes in mobility that result from ligand binding and other structural perturbations. These studies allow us to assess the progress and limitations of X-ray crystallography as a tool for the investigation of protein internal dynamics.
An examination of the BET bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 in comparison with histone deacetylase and aurora kinase inhibitors in human cancers.

e14114Background: Up to 70% of human cancers overexpress MYC oncogenes, many via mutation, amplification or translocation, yet MYC has remained a challenging target for therapeutic intervention. MY...
PW 2271 Photovoice and youth: a systematic review of violence and related topics

Background Photovoice is a powerful qualitative method for community-based participatory research (CBPR), identifying violence and related risk behaviors that affect community safety through the eyes of residents, including youth. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore how photovoice has been applied to violence and related studies among youth. Methods A protocol was developed to specify the search strategies, inclusion criteria and data extraction methods. Then, a search including three concepts (photovoice, youth and violence-related topics) was conducted across five databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science, resulting in 254 records. After the removal of duplicates in EndNote, 150 records were screened on the titles and abstracts. Then full texts of eligible studies were screened for a second-round assessment. Results A total of 19 articles were identified, of which, 14 studies used qualitative design while others used mixed-methods design. Most studies had no more than 20 participants (n=10). Moreover, 13 articles described the use of the SHOWeD method to facilitate their group discussion or photo explanation and 9 studies addressed the methods of dissemination: Photo exhibits (n=7), video (n=2), PowerPoint presentation (n=2), colored newsletter (n=1). Of the 19 articles, 13 addressed their reasons of using photovoice to youth: 1) photovoice is a powerful tool in youth participatory action research (YPAR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) by capturing community-level information through the eyes of youth (n=7); 2) photovoice allows youth, especially vulnerable youth to express their opinions, identify issues important to them and develop their critical thinking for social action (n=7); 3) photovoice is not constrained by languages and therefore more attuned to youth culture (n=1). Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of photovoice in violence and related topics. It provides the evidence and rationale of using photovoice to youth participants.
Evaluating Improvements to Exposure Estimates from Fate and Transport Models by Incorporating Environmental Sampling Effort and Landscape-level Contaminant Use

The Pesticide in Water Calculator (PWC) is a fate and transport model used by the Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada to estimate pesticide exposures in lentic freshwater ecosystems and make pesticide registration decisions. We leverage over 600,000 field measurements of 31 common insecticides and herbicides to test whether incorporating environmental sampling effort (number of times a pesticide is sampled) and landscape-level contaminant use (national application amount) can improve PWC validation and prediction, respectively. We found that maximum measured concentrations of 38% of herbicides and 42% of insecticides exceeded maximum estimated environmental concentrations (EECs) generated by the PWC, suggesting that EECs often do not represent worst-case exposure. For lentic systems, variance in pesticide field measurements explained by EECs increased by 50% when sampling effort was included. For lotic systems, variance explained increased by only 4%, most likely because lotic systems are sampled over 4.9 times as much as lentic systems. Including landscape-level use more than doubled the ability of the PWC to predict maximum pesticides concentrations in lentic systems. Exposure characterization in risk assessment can be improved by including sampling effort in model validation and landscape-level use in predictions, thus providing more defensible environmental standards and regulations.
Predictors of Survival in Patients with Advanced Gastrointestinal Malignancies Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit

Background Patients with cancer have a high use of health care utilization at the end of life, which can frequently involve admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU). We sought to evaluate the predictors for outcome in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer admitted to the ICU for nonsurgical conditions. Patients and methods The primary objective was to determine the predictors of hospital mortality. Secondary objectives included investigating the predictors of ICU mortality and hospital overall survival (OS). All patients with GI cancer admitted to the ICU at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between November 2012 and February 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Cancer characteristics, treatment characteristics, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores were analyzed for their effects on survival. Results The characteristics of the 200 patients were as follows: 64.5% male, mean age of 60 years, median SOFA score of 6.7, and tumor types of intestinal (37.5%), hepatobiliary/pancreatic (36%), and gastroesophageal (24%). The hospital mortality was 41%, and overall 6-month mortality was 75%. In multivariate analysis, high admission SOFA score > 5, poor tumor differentiation, and duration of metastatic disease ≤7 months were associated with increased hospital mortality. For OS, high admission SOFA score > 5, poor tumor differentiation, and patients who were not on active chemotherapy because of poor performance had worse outcome. In multivariate analysis, SOFA score remained significant for OS even after excluding patients who died in the ICU. Conclusion For patients with metastatic GI cancer admitted to the ICU, SOFA score was predictive for both acute and long-term survival. A patient's chemotherapy treatment status was not predictive for hospital mortality but was for OS. The SOFA score should be utilized in all patients with GI cancer upon ICU admission for prognostication. Implications for practice Patients with cancer have a high use of health care utilization at the end of life, which can frequently involve admissions to the intensive care unit (ICU). Although there have been substantial increases in duration of survival for patients with advanced metastatic cancer, their mortality after an ICU admission remains high. GI malignancy is considered one of the top three lethal cancers estimated in 2017. Survival of critically ill patients with advanced GI cancer should be evaluated to help guide treatment planning.
TRANSFORMING INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION: THRESHOLD CONCEPTS IN THEORY AND PRACTICE

Since the development and subsequent adoption of the ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education in early 2016, threshold concepts have become objects of focus, as well as subjec...