cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heterometallic antenna-reactor complexes for photocatalysis

Metallic nanoparticles with strong optically resonant properties behave as nanoscale optical antennas, and have recently shown extraordinary promise as light-driven catalysts. Traditionally, however, heterogeneous catalysis has relied upon weakly light-absorbing metals such as Pd, Pt, Ru, or Rh to lower the activation energy for chemical reactions. Here we show that coupling a plasmonic nanoantenna directly to catalytic nanoparticles enables the light-induced generation of hot carriers within the catalyst nanoparticles, transforming the entire complex into an efficient light-controlled reactive catalyst. In Pd-decorated Al nanocrystals, photocatalytic hydrogen desorption closely follows the antenna-induced local absorption cross-section of the Pd islands, and a supralinear power dependence strongly suggests that hot-carrier-induced desorption occurs at the Pd island surface. When acetylene is present along with hydrogen, the selectivity for photocatalytic ethylene production relative to ethane is strongly enhanced, approaching 40:1. These observations indicate that antenna-reactor complexes may greatly expand possibilities for developing designer photocatalytic substrates.
Measuring the After-Effects of Disruption on Task Performance

In many settings, multi-tasking and interruption are commonplace. Multi-tasking has been a popular subject of recent research, but a multitasking paradigm normally allows the subject some control over the timing of the task switch. In this paper we focus on interruptions—situations in which the subject has no control over the timing of task switches. We consider three types of task: verbal (reading comprehension), visual search, and monitoring/situation awareness. Using interruptions from 30 s to 2 min in duration, we found a significant effect in each case, but with different effect sizes. For the situation awareness task, we experimented with interruptions of varying duration and found a non-linear relation between the duration of the interruption and its after-effect on performance, which may correspond to a task-dependent interruption threshold, which is lower for more dynamic tasks.
Fine-scale spatial genetic structure of a fungal parasite of coffee scale insects

The entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium lecanii persists in a highly dynamic network of habitat patches (i.e., a metapopulation) formed by its primary host, the green coffee scale Coccus viridis. Lecanicillium lecanii is an important biological control of both C. viridis and the coffee rust, Hemileia vastatrix. Successfully managing this biocontrol agent will depend on an increased understanding of the characteristics of its dispersal, as migration between occupied and unoccupied patches is essential for the persistence of this metapopulation. In the present study, we employ a population genetics approach, and show that in our study system, a coffee farm in the Soconusco region of southern Mexico, L. lecanii is characterized by clear spatial genetic structure among plots within the farm but a lack of apparent structure at smaller scales. This is consistent with dispersal dominated by highly localized transport, such as by insects or rain splash, and less dependence on longer distance dispersal such as wind transport. The study site was dominated by a few multi-locus microsatellite genotypes, and their identities and large-scale locations persist across both study years, suggesting that local epizootics (outbreaks) are initiated each wet season by residual propagules from the previous wet season, and not by long-distance transport of propagules from other sites. The index of association, a measure of linkage disequilibrium, indicates that epizootics are primarily driven by asexual, clonal reproduction, which is consistent with the apparent lack of a teleomorph in the study site and the presence of only a single mating type across the site (MAT-1-2-1). Although the same predominant clonal genotypes were found across years, a drastic difference in genotypic diversity was witnessed across two sites between the two years, suggesting that interclonal selection was occurring. In light of the dispersal limitation of L. lecanii, spatial structure may be an essential axis of management to ensure the persistence of L. lecanii and preserve the ecosystem services provided by this versatile biocontrol agent in this and similar coffee farms.
Combined Active/Passive Retrievals of Ocean Vector Wind and Sea Surface Salinity With SMAP

In this paper, we introduce the combined active/passive (CAP) data product for the Soil Moisture Active Passive mission. We develop the algorithms for a radiometer-only salinity product, a radar-only vector wind product, and a CAP vector wind and salinity product. We show that the performance of the radiometer-only salinity product nears but is still inferior to the Aquarius salinity accuracy performance when aggregated on a monthly timescale. Then, we show that the radar-only vector wind product has reasonable accuracy away from the nadir track while suffering from inadequate measurement geometry in the middle of the swath. Finally, we demonstrate that the CAP salinity and vector wind performance is superior to individual algorithms and provides wind vectors nearly as good as RapidScat for low-to-moderate winds and possibly superior to traditional scatterometers for wind speeds larger than 12.5 m/s.
Limited Abdominal Sonography for Evaluation of Children With Right Lower Quadrant Pain.

Objectives To determine whether a complete abdominal sonographic examination is necessary in the evaluation of children with right lower quadrant pain that is suspicious for appendicitis in the emergency department and whether performing a limited, more-focused study would miss clinically important disease. Methods With Institutional Review Board approval, a retrospective study was performed of 704 patients, from ages 5–19 years, presenting to the emergency department with right lower quadrant pain that was suspicious for appendicitis who underwent a complete abdominal sonographic examination. Data were extracted from the complete abdominal sonographic examination to see whether abnormalities were noted in the pancreas, spleen, and left kidney. Patients' medical charts were reviewed to see whether any positive findings in these organs were clinically important. Results Of the 65 studies with a finding that would have been missed with a limited study, only 6 were found to be clinically important. Of those, 5 were managed medically and 1 surgically. The chance of missing a potentially important finding using a limited study with our group of patients was 65 of 704 patients (9.2%), with a 95% confidence interval of 7.2% to 11.7%. The chance of missing an abnormality that was clinically important was 6 of 704 patients (0.85%), with a 95% confidence interval of 0.35% to 1.94%. Conclusions In children older than 5 years with abdominal pain that is suspicious for appendicitis, performing only a limited abdominal sonographic examination that excludes the pancreas, left kidney, and spleen will yield a miss rate for clinically important disease that is acceptably low to justify the savings of examination time.
The Economics of Nonsense Upon Stilts: Basic Human Rights and Economic Analysis

This chapter takes up the discussion on individual rights in modern economic theory. Taking Amartya Sen’s well-known impossibility theorem as a starting point, I discuss the various approaches to solve the underlying problem and to reconcile basic liberties with general notions of social welfare and economic efficiency. It is argued that the most promising approach to overcome the liberal paradox is to weight individual positions according to a commonly shared value function. Finally, I want to show that the well-established concept of “natural” basic human rights offers an appropriate way to operationalize this valuation function that is both sufficiently specific and flexible enough for applied ethics.
Is TAVR Ready for the Global Aging Population

The emergence of the global pandemic of chronic diseases necessitates critical assessment of interventions that can be targeted at both the individual and population levels. Among cardiovascular diseases, the increasing prevalence of valvular heart diseases such as aortic stenosis parallels the rising burden of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. As an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement, technological innovation has allowed development of minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). This review examines whether TAVR can be applicable in low-resource regions across the world. Although revolutionary, TAVR is currently complex and requires a "Heart Team" approach for optimized patient care. We propose the emergence of telemedicine networks, newer valve designs that allow implementation of minimal approaches, and the use of minimal numbers of specialists for adapting TAVR to settings where surgical backup is not available. With efforts to reduce resource utilization, these alternate strategies have the potential to affect implementation of TAVR globally.
How Similar Are Biosimilars? What Do Clinicians Need to Know About Biosimilar and Follow-On Insulins?

IN BRIEF As more patents on biological medicines expire, increased numbers of biologic copies, referred to as “biosimilars,” will likely become available in the United States in the coming years. With greater availability and the drive for health care savings, the use of biosimilars and of “follow-on” biological products is likely to increase in routine clinical practice. Health care practitioners need to be fully aware of these products and accompanying considerations if they are to make informed decisions together with their patients.
Academic Doping: Institutional Policies Regarding Nonmedical use of Prescription Stimulants in U.S. Higher Education

Academic integrity policies at 200 institutions of higher education (IHE’s) were examined for the presence of academic prohibitions against the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) or any other cognitive enhancing drug (CED). Researchers used online search tools to locate policy handbooks in a stratified random sample of IHE’s drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database, searching for NMUPS/CED use as violations of either academic integrity or alcohol and other drug (AOD) policies. Of 191 academic integrity policies found online, NMUPS/CED prohibitions were present in only one. However, NMUPS was addressed in all but two of the 200 IHE AOD policies, often with language referencing IHE adherence to federal or state law. NMUPS/CED prohibitions are predominantly absent in IHE academic integrity policies, raising questions about whether colleges and universities are concerned about the use of enhancement drugs as a form of cheating. Implications for fairness, health promotion, and future research are discussed.
Differential toxicity in patients with and without DNA repair mutations: Phase I Study of Carboplatin and Talazoparib in advanced solid tumors

Purpose: The PARP inhibitor, talazoparib, may potentiate activity of chemotherapy in cells vulnerable to DNA damage. Experimental Design: This phase 1 study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and efficacy of talazoparib and carboplatin. Pharmacokinetic-modeling explored associations between dosing and hematological toxicity. Results: 24 patients with solid tumors were enrolled in 4 cohorts at 0.75mg and 1mg daily talazoparib and weekly carboplatin (AUC 1 and 1.5, Q2W or Q3W). Dose-limiting toxicities included grade 3 fatigue and grade 4 thrombocytopenia; the maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Grade 3/4 toxicities included fatigue (13%), neutropenia (63%), thrombocytopenia (29%), and anemia (38%). Post-cycle 2 dose modifications were required in all patients. One complete and two partial responses occurred in germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) patients. Four patients showed stable disease beyond four months, three of which had mutations in DNA repair pathways. Pharmacokinetic-toxicity modeling showed that after 3 cycles of carboplatin AUC 1.5 Q3W and talazoparib 1mg daily, neutrophil counts decreased 78% (CI: 87 to 68%) from baseline in gBRCA carriers and 63% (CI: 72 to 55%) in non-carriers (p
Social Networks of HIV Positive Gay Men: Their Role and Importance in HIV Prevention

HIV positive gay men are embedded within diverse and rich social networks consisting of family, friends, romantic partners, medical providers, HIV negative gay men, persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), and others. These social connections and interactions play a significant role in numerous aspects of their physical and mental health. The unique set of issues faced by HIV positive gay men exist in a larger social context. The individuals with whom a person interacts can have a large impact on how HIV positive gay men understand and cope with these issues. As such, expanding scientific frameworks to include the social network is critical in designing more effective primary and secondary prevention interventions. In this chapter, we aim to (1) discuss the state of the evidence on social networks and health for HIV positive gay men and HIV positive men who have sex with men (MSM), (2) provide an overview of network-oriented intervention approaches that have been used with HIV positive gay men and MSM, and (3) conclude with recommendations for future research and practice.
Antimicrobial Drug Resistance in Fish Pathogens

Major concerns surround the use of antimicrobial agents in farm-raised fish, including the potential impacts these uses may have on the development of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in fish and the aquatic environment. Currently, some antimicrobial agents commonly used in aquaculture are only partially effective against select fish pathogens due to the emergence of resistant bacteria. Although reports of ineffectiveness in aquaculture due to resistant pathogens are scarce in the literature, some have reported mass mortalities in Penaeus monodon larvae caused by Vibrio harveyi resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, and streptomycin. Genetic determinants of antimicrobial resistance have been described in aquaculture environments and are commonly found on mobile genetic elements which are recognized as the primary source of antimicrobial resistance for important fish pathogens. Indeed, resistance genes have been found on transferable plasmids and integrons in pathogenic bacterial species in the genera Aeromonas, Yersinia, Photobacterium, Edwardsiella, and Vibrio. Class 1 integrons and IncA/C plasmids have been widely identified in important fish pathogens (Aeromonas spp., Yersinia spp., Photobacterium spp., Edwardsiella spp., and Vibrio spp.) and are thought to play a major role in the transmission of antimicrobial resistance determinants in the aquatic environment. The identification of plasmids in terrestrial pathogens (Salmonella enterica serotypes, Escherichia coli, and others) which have considerable homology to plasmid backbone DNA from aquatic pathogens suggests that the plasmid profiles of fish pathogens are extremely plastic and mobile and constitute a considerable reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes for pathogens in diverse environments.
Animal Welfare and Animal Rights

Veterinarians routinely position themselves as the professionals who are most knowledgeable about non-human animals, and the public turns to them for guidance in matters of animal health and welfare. However, as research indicates, there is a considerable gap between what the public thinks veterinarians know and the actual veterinary curriculum. This study investigates the perspectives of veterinary students towards issues of animal welfare and animal rights, based on the results of a 2012 survey. Results indicate that veterinary students have limited and narrow understandings of both concepts, and that their knowledge is shaped by their professional socialization in veterinary education. Despite the enormous ethical complexity and diversity of philosophical perspectives that are inherent to both animal welfare and animal rights positions, veterinary students typically are not adequately prepared for a career that is located at the very center of these debates.
Relationships between allostatic load, unhealthy behaviors, and depressive disorder in U.S. adults, 2005-2012 NHANES

Abstract Unhealthy behaviors may modify relationships between chronic stress and depression among diverse older adults. We analyzed nationally representative cross-sectional data from participants aged 40–79 years of the 2005–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Unhealthy behaviors included current smoking, excessive/binge drinking, insufficient physical activity, and fair/poor diet. Allostatic load was defined by 10 biomarkers indicating the cumulative physiologic burden of stress. Depressive disorder was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression examined whether current smoking, excessive/binge drinking, insufficient physical activitiy, and fair/poor diet modified relationships between allostatic load and depressive disorder. Mean age of 12,272 participants was 55.6 years (standard error = 0.19), 51.9% were women, and most had at least a high school education (81.8%). Latinos (11.3%) and African Americans (10.4%) were more likely than Whites (7.1%; p
Market performance implications of modularization: Evidence from global auto firms operating in China

Abstract Auto firms play an increasingly important role in national economies. However, their internationalization strategies, especially the trend towards modularization has been underexplored in the international business literature. Drawing on the resource based theory, we develop hypotheses on the link between modularization and market performance. Analyzing a sample of 262 auto parts suppliers in China, the study shows the positive influence of modularization on firm performance and the moderating role of knowledge sharing tools and physical proximity in this relationship. In addition, these relationships are channeled by firms’ strategic actions to maintain superior business performance against competitors (firm positional advantage).
Autonomic Nervous System and the Heart

Perturbations and dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system can lead to a variety of clinical syndromes with multiple manifestations including loss of appropriate homeostatic blood pressure control, syncope, tachycardia or bradycardia, and in some cases cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrest, and sudden cardiac death. Treatment of cardiac autonomic disorders requires an understanding of the underlying heart/brain pathophysiology. However, current theories regarding the genesis of multiple syndromes such as recurrent unprovoked vasovagal syncope, postural orthostatic tachycardia, and partial dysautonomia syndromes are inadequate and further investigation and research are required.
The Metaphysics of Invariance

Fundamental physics contains an important link between properties of elementary particles and continuous symmetries of particle systems. For example, properties such as mass and spin are said to be 'associated' with specific continuous symmetries. These 'associations' have played a key role in the discovery of various new particle kinds, but more importantly: they are thought to provide a deep insight into the nature of physical reality. The link between properties and symmetries has been said to call for a radical revision of perceived metaphysical orthodoxy. However, if we are to use claims about an 'association' between properties and symmetries in the articulation of metaphysical views, we first need to develop a sufficiently precise understanding of the content of these claims. The goal of this paper is to do just that.
A theological escape from the Cartesian Circle

Ce que l'A. appelle cercle cartesien et cercle theologique, c'est le raisonnement circulaire que Rene Descartes accomplit dans sa troisieme Meditation metaphysique, quand il s'agit pour lui de retrouver un fondement a l'existence de Dieu a la suite de la deconstruction intellectuelle des livres I et II. Dans un premier temps, il decrit ce cercle theologique. Ensuite, il propose une solution pour s'en echapper. Il distingue alors la specificite du cercle cartesien face au cercle theologique classique. Enfin, il demasque Descartes comme incroyant
Exploring the Relationship between Initial Mathematics Skill and a Kindergarten Mathematics Intervention.

This study examined the role of initial skill in moderating intervention effects of a 50-lesson mathematics intervention program, ROOTS, for at-risk kindergarten students focused on developing whol...
Development of a Flow-Free Magnetic Actuation Platform for an Automated Microfluidic ELISA.

There is a need to create an easily deployable and point-of-care (POC) diagnostic platform for disease outbreaks and for monitoring and maintenance of chronic illnesses. Such platforms are useful in regions where access to clinical laboratories may be limited or constrained using cost-effective solutions to quickly process high numbers of samples. Using oil and water liquid–liquid interphase separation, immunoassays developed for microfluidic chips can potentially meet this need when leveraged with electromagnetic actuation and antibody-coated superparamagnetic beads. We have developed a microfluidic immunoassay detection platform, which enables assay automation and maintains successful liquid containment for future use in the field. The assay was studied through a series of magnetic and fluid simulations to demonstrate these optimizations, and an optimized chip was tested using a target model for HIV-1, the p24 capsid antigen. The use of minimal reagents further lowers the cost of each assay and lowers the required sample volume for testing (<50 μL), that can offer easy turnaround for sample collection and assay results. The developed microfluidic immunoassay platform can be easily scaled for multiplex or multi-panel specific testing at the POC.
Association of influenza outbreak in each nursery school and community in a ward in Tokyo, Japan

In nursery schools, influenza outbreaks have occurred every year. However, influenza characteristics of its diffusion among nursery schools, within each nursery school, and among classes of different ages in nursery schools remains unclear. This paper presents an examination of these matters using the Nursery School Absenteeism Surveillance System (NSASSy). All nursery schools in ward A in Tokyo introduced to the NSASSy in 2015. The study period was November 2015 through March 2016. The data of influenza patients were extracted from NSASSy. We examined four definitions of 'starting date of community outbreak' (SDCO) of influenza: 1) the first recorded day of influenza patients (SDCO1), 2) the last day of influenza patients recorded for two consecutive days (SDCO2), 3) three consecutive days (SDCO3), and 4) four consecutive days (SDCO4). We evaluated those four definitions by duration of the initial case at each nursery school from SDCO and evaluated the proportion of nursery schools at which the initial case occurred before SDCO. The average durations of initial cases at respective nursery schools from SDCO1-4 were 40.3, 26.3, 23.1 and 13.3 days. The respective proportions of nursery schools at which the initial case occurred before SDCO1-4 were 3.1%, 6.4%, 9.4% and 40.6%. Results demonstrate that SDCO3 is an appropriate definition of SDCO. Robustness checks for other areas, seasons, and population size constitute the next challenge for research in this area.
Innate αβ T cells Mediate Antitumor Immunity by Orchestrating Immunogenic Macrophage Programming

Unconventional T-lymphocyte populations are emerging as important regulators of tumor immunity. Despite this, the role of TCRαβ+CD4-CD8-NK1.1- innate αβ T cells (iαβT) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has not been explored. We found that iαβTs represent ∼10% of T lymphocytes infiltrating PDA in mice and humans. Intratumoral iαβTs express a distinct T-cell receptor repertoire and profoundly immunogenic phenotype compared with their peripheral counterparts and conventional lymphocytes. iαβTs comprised ∼75% of the total intratumoral IL17+ cells. Moreover, iαβT-cell adoptive transfer is protective in both murine models of PDA and human organotypic systems. We show that iαβT cells induce a CCR5-dependent immunogenic macrophage reprogramming, thereby enabling marked CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell expansion/activation and tumor protection. Collectively, iαβTs govern fundamental intratumoral cross-talk between innate and adaptive immune populations and are attractive therapeutic targets. SIGNIFICANCE: We found that iαβTs are a profoundly activated T-cell subset in PDA that slow tumor growth in murine and human models of disease. iαβTs induce a CCR5-dependent immunogenic tumor-associated macrophage program, T-cell activation and expansion, and should be considered as novel targets for immunotherapy.See related commentary by Banerjee et al., p. 1164.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1143.
Constructing Multiple Subjectivities in Classroom Literacy Contexts.

This study demonstrates the ways in which students in a multi-age, literaturebased classroom were continually in the process of constructing and reconstructing their subjectivities based on the demands of the particular social setting. Using different theoretical lenses, I offer a critique of essentialist views of individuals by focusing on three students in a variety of classroom literacy contexts. Each of the three students responded quite differently in each of the settings; their participation was influenced not only by their own gender, social class, and ethnicity and that of the other participants, but also by the task in which they engaged. I argue that each theory adds another layer of interpretation of studentsO interactions; these interpretations may provide opportunities for developing a more sophisticated approach to multicultural education. In the process of conducting a year-long, ethnographic examination of teacher and student interactions in a multi-age, literature-based classroom, I was struck by the ways in which several students I was following as case studies responded quite differently in some classroom activities than in others. I decided to examine closely the interactions of particular students on different literacy tasks from several theoretical perspectives in an attempt to account for studentsO inconsistent interactions. As I tried on different lenses, I found that no single theoretical perspective explained studentsO actions. Therefore, in this article, I focus on three elementary-age students in different literacy contexts and provide a critique of all essentialist views. I examine the following questions: (a) How are students socially constructed within classroom settings? (b) How do social class, race, ethnicity, culture, and gender influence student interaction? and (c) In what ways might the task and classroom context influence student interaction? By using multiple lenses, I argue that students reconstructed their subjectivities (Dressman, 1997) as they encountered different tasks and changing group compositions. I argue further that viewing students as subjects who construct themselves and are constructed in different ways in different contexts can provide the opportunity to transform current literacy practices.
Predictors of blunt abdominal aortic injury in trauma patients and mortality analysis.

Abstract Objective Blunt abdominal aortic injury (BAAI) occurs in less than 0.1% of blunt traumas. A previous multi-institutional study found an associated mortality rate of 39%. We sought to identify risk factors for BAAI and risk factors for mortality in patients with BAAI using a large national database. We hypothesized that an Injury Severity Score of 25 or greater, and thoracic trauma would both increase the risk of mortality in patients with BAAI. Methods The Trauma Quality Improvement Program (2010-2016) was queried for individuals with blunt trauma. Patients with and without BAAI were compared. Covariates were included in a multivariable logistic regression model to determine mechanisms of injury, examination findings, and concomitant injuries associated with increased risk for BAAI. An additional multivariable analysis was performed for mortality in patients with BAAI. Results From 1,056,633 blunt trauma admissions, 1012 (0.1%) had BAAI. The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle accident (MVA; 57.5%). More than one-half the patients had at least one rib fracture (54.0%), or a spine fracture (53.9%), whereas 20.8% had hypotension on admission and 7.8% had a trunk abrasion. The average length of stay was 13.4 days and 24.6% required laparotomy, with 6.6% receiving an endovascular repair and 2.9% an open repair. The risk of death in those treated with endovascular vs open repair was similar (P = .28). On multivariable analysis, MVA was the mechanism associated with the highest risk of BAAI (odds ratio [OR], 4.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.87-5.65; P Conclusions In the largest nationwide series to date, BAAI continues to have a high mortality rate with hemopneumothorax and IVC injury associated with the highest risk for mortality. The mechanism most strongly associated with BAAI is MVA followed by pedestrian struck. Other risk factors for BAAI include rib fracture and trunk abrasion. Providers must maintain a high suspicion of injury for BAAI when these mechanisms of injury, physical examination or imaging findings are encountered.
Liver-Directed but Not Muscle-Directed AAV-Antibody Gene Transfer Limits Humoral Immune Responses in Rhesus Monkeys.

A number of publications have described the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) for the delivery of anti-HIV and anti-simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to rhesus monkeys. Anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) have been frequently observed, and long-term AAV-mediated delivery has been inconsistent. Here, we investigated different AAV vector strategies and delivery schemes to rhesus monkeys using the rhesus monkey mAb 4L6. We compared 4L6 immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) delivery using the AAV1 versus the AAV8 serotype with a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and the use of a muscle-specific versus a liver-specific promoter. Long-term expression levels of 4L6 IgG1 following AAV8-mediated gene transfer were comparable to those following AAV1-mediated gene transfer. AAV1-mediated gene transfer, using a muscle-specific promoter, showed robust ADAs and transiently low 4L6 IgG1 levels that ultimately declined to below detectable levels. Intravenous AAV8-mediated gene transfer, using a liver-specific promoter, also resulted in low levels of delivered 4L6 IgG1, but those low levels were maintained in the absence of any detectable ADAs. Booster injections using AAV1-CMV allowed for increased 4L6 IgG1 serum levels in animals that were primed with AAV8 but not with AAV1. Our results suggest that liver-directed expression may help to limit ADAs and that re-administration of AAV of a different serotype can result in successful long-term delivery of an immunogenic antibody.
19 Improving handoff efficiency in the pediatric intensive care unit

Background Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) handoffs are vital to safe patient care. Lengthy and inefficient handoffs can cause delayed patient care and faculty dissatisfaction. In our university-based tertiary care PICU, observation of handoffs showed that only 50% concluded by schedulded time. In a survey, only 40% of PICU faculty expressed satisfaction with this handoff process. Objectives We sought to improve efficiency of handoffs, with the aim of at least 75% of attending evening handoffs completed on time after project completion. Using Lean Six Sigma methodology, a quality improvement project to improve efficiency of evening attending handoff was implemented in a tertiary care PICU. Methods Pre-intervention processes were studied using workflow mapping and data collection using observation and self-reported handoff times. Root causes of inefficiencies were identified, and low-effort, high-benefit interventions were sequentially implemented: 1) minimizing interruptions from PICU nurses during handoff; 2) ensuring on-time handoff initiation; 3) discussing expectations of efficient handoff at weekly PICU faculty meetings. Results After implementation of lean management principles, evening faculty handoff efficiency was improved; 85% of handoffs were completed on-time. In addition, faculty satisfaction with the handoff process increased. The PICU census was monitored throughout the intervention period. There was no correlation between increased census and longer handoff duration. Conclusions We successfully improved efficiency of the handoff process. While implemenataions required buy-in from stakeholders, they resulted in increased faculty satisfaction with relatively low cost and effort. Continued assessment is necessary to maintain the improvements. Future studies could investigate any association between the imporved efficiency, patient safety and outcomes.
Palliative Care in Children With Heart Disease Treated in an ICU.

OBJECTIVES Describe pediatric palliative care consult in children with heart disease; retrospectively apply Center to Advance Palliative Care criteria for pediatric palliative care consults; determine the impact of pediatric palliative care on end of life. DESIGN A retrospective single-center study. SETTING A 16-bed cardiac ICU in a university-affiliated tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS Children (0-21 yr old) with heart disease admitted to the cardiac ICU from January 2014 to June 2017. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Over 1,000 patients (n = 1, 389) were admitted to the cardiac ICU with 112 (8%) receiving a pediatric palliative care consultation. Patients who received a consult were different from those who did not. Patients who received pediatric palliative care were younger at first hospital admission (median 63 vs 239 d; p = 0.003), had a higher median number of complex chronic conditions at the end of first hospitalization (3 vs 1; p < 0.001), longer cumulative length of stay in the cardiac ICU (11 vs 2 d; p < 0.001) and hospital (60 vs 7 d; p < 0.001), and higher mortality rates (38% vs 3%; p < 0.001). When comparing location and modes of death, patients who received pediatric palliative care were more likely to die at home (24% vs 2%; p = 0.02) and had more comfort care at the end of life (36% vs 2%; p = 0.002) compared to those who did not. The Center to Advance Palliative Care guidelines identified 158 patients who were eligible for pediatric palliative care consultation; however, only 30 patients (19%) in our sample received a consult. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric palliative care consult rarely occurred in the cardiac ICU. Patients who received a consult were medically complex and experienced high mortality. Comfort care at the end of life and death at home was more common when pediatric palliative care was consulted. Missed referrals were apparent when Center to Advance Palliative Care criteria were retrospectively applied.
3D-printed headrest for frameless Gamma Knife radiosurgery: Design and validation.

Purpose Frameless Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) uses a moldable headrest with a thermoplastic mask for patient immobilization. An efficacious headrest is time consuming and difficult to fabricate due to the expertise required to mold the headrest within machine geometrical limitations. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a three-dimensional (3D)-printed headrest for frameless Gamma Knife SRS that can overcome these difficulties. Materials and methods A headrest 3D model designed to fit within the frameless adapter was 3D printed. Dosimetric properties of the 3D-printed headrest and a standard-of-care moldable headrest were compared by delivering a Gamma Knife treatment to an anthropomorphic head phantom fitted with an ionization chamber and radiochromic film. Ionization measurements were compared to assess headrest attenuation and a gamma index was calculated to compare the film dose distributions. A volunteer study was conducted to assess the immobilization efficacy of the 3D-printed headrest compared to the moldable headrest. Five volunteers had their head motion tracked by a surface tracking system while immobilized in each headrest for 20 min. The recorded motion data were used to calculate the average volunteer movement and a paired t-test was performed. Results The ionization chamber readings were within 0.55% for the 3D-printed and moldable headrests, and the calculated gamma index showed 98.6% of points within dose difference of 2% and 2 mm distance to agreement for the film measurement. These results demonstrate that the headrests were dosimetrically equivalent within the experimental uncertainties. Average motion (±standard deviation) of the volunteers while immobilized was 1.41 ± 0.43 mm and 1.36 ± 0.51 mm for the 3D-printed and moldable headrests, respectively. The average observed volunteer motion between headrests was not statistically different, based on a P-value of 0.466. Conclusions We designed and validated a 3D-printed headrest for immobilizing patients undergoing frameless Gamma Knife SRS.
Intersectional targeting of defined neural circuits by adeno-associated virus vectors.

The mammalian nervous system is a complex network of interconnected cells. We review emerging techniques that use the axonal transport of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to dissect neural circuits. These intersectional approaches specifically target AAV-mediated gene expression to discrete neuron populations based on their axonal connectivity, including: (a) neurons with one defined output, (b) neurons with one defined input, (c) neurons with one defined input and one defined output, and (d) neurons with two defined inputs or outputs. The number of labeled neurons can be directly controlled to trace axonal projections and examine cellular morphology. These approaches can precisely target the expression of fluorescent reporters, optogenetic ion channels, chemogenetic receptors, disease-associated proteins, and other factors to defined neural circuits in mammals ranging from mice to macaques, and thereby provide a powerful new means to understand the structure and function of the nervous system.
Countering counterterrorism: defending human rights and challenging curfews in Turkey

Turkey imposed open-ended blanket curfews beginning in 2015, resulting in gross human rights violations. This article analyzes strategies employed by domestic activists to address violations. It ex...
Exploring Image Segmentation Techniques to Detect High Latitude Dust on Satellite Images

This paper presents a proposal to detect the High-Latitude Dust (HLD) events on the images captured by NASA satellites. We plan to use semantic segmentation techniques [1] to identify the HLD regions at the pixel level. The proposed model would distribute labels to specific pixels that we need to identify. After analyzing and learning those attributes, the trained model would identify the regions in new images with HLD events. However, in model training, the imbalanced data leads to a gap in the model’s performance in coastal areas and sea areas, which means that even though the performance of dust detection over the ocean is good, the model cannot correctly detect the dust near or over the coast. Moreover, a gap exists between the different areas with different dust density. Thus, in this paper, we summarize the shortcomings of basic semantic segmentation models for HLD detection and propose a couple of solutions to improve such semantic segmentation models’ performance.
Risk Management for Jet Propulsion Laboratory Flight Projects

The Risk Management process is assuming greater influence in the process of Project and Program Management.
Sizing Up Democratic Systems

Rich Democracies Political Economy, Public Policy, and Performance. Harold L. Wilensky. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2002. 923 pp. $85. ISBN 0-520-23176-7. Paper, $45. ISBN 0-520-23279-8. Capping some 30 years of comparative research, Wilensky addresses the question of what taxing, spending, and public policies mean for the well-being of people.
Protoswarm: a language for programming multi-robot systems using the amorphous medium abstraction

Multi-robot systems are becoming increasingly prevalent, but programmability is a major barrier to their deployment. Present systems force programmers to think in terms of individual agents. Application code becomes entangled with details of coordination and robustness and often does not compose well or translate to other domains. We offer an alternate approach whereby the programmer controls a single virtual spatial computer which fills the environment space. The computations on this spatial computer are actually performed by a large number of locally-interacting individual agents. This abstracts the actual computational hardware behind the spatial computer interface, and allows the programmer to focus on a single model of global computation. We achieve this abstraction with two components: a language that embodies continuous space and time semantics and a runtime library that implements these semantics approximately. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach with multi-agent algorithms in both simulation and on a group of 40 robots
Disorders of Hemoglobin: Molecular and Cellular Basis of Hemoglobin Switching

INTRODUCTION Hemoglobin switching is characteristic of all animal species that use hemoglobin for oxygen transport. Most species have only one switch, from embryonic to adult globin formation. Humans and a few other mammals have two globin gene switches, from embryonic to fetal globin coinciding with the transition from embryonic (yolk sac) to definitive (fetal liver) hematopoiesis and from fetal to adult globin formation, occurring around the perinatal period (Fig. 5.1; see Chapters 1 and 2). The switch from e- to γ-globin production begins very early in gestation, as fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is readily detected in 5-week-old human embryos, and it is completed well before the 10th week of gestation. β-globin expression starts early in human development, and small amounts of adult hemoglobin (HbA) have been detected by biosynthetic or immunochemical methods even in the smallest human fetuses studied. In these fetuses γ- and β-globins are present in the same fetal red cells. β-chain synthesis increases to approximately 10% of total hemoglobin by 30–35 weeks of gestation. At birth, HbF comprises 60%–80% of the total hemoglobin. It takes approximately 2 years to reach the level of 0.5%–1% HbF that is characteristic of adult red cells. HbF in the adult is restricted to a few erythrocytes called “F cells” (see chapter 7). Approximately 3%–7% of erythrocytes are F cells and each contains approximately 4–8 pg of HbF. Hemoglobin switching has been the target of intensive investigation for two reasons.
Multiple control mechanisms for pyrimidine-mediated regulation of pyrBI operon expression in Escherichia coli K-12.

Abstract Expression of the pyrBI operon of Escherichia coli K-12, which encodes the subunits of the pyrimidine biosynthetic enzyme aspartate transcarbamylase, is negatively regulated over a several-hundredfold range by pyrimidine availability. This regulation occurs, at least in large part, through a UTP-sensitive attenuation control mechanism in which transcriptional termination at the pyrBI attenuator, a rho-independent transcriptional terminator located immediately upstream of the pyrB structural gene, is regulated by the relative rates of transcription and translation within the pyrBI leader region. There is suggestive evidence that an additional, attenuator-independent control mechanism also contributes to this regulation. To measure the level of regulation that occurs through the attenuation and attenuator-independent control mechanisms, we constructed a mutant strain in which a 9-base-pair deletion was introduced into the attenuator of the chromosomal pyrBI operon. This deletion, which removes the run of thymidine residues at the end of the attenuator, completely abolishes rho-independent transcriptional termination activity. When the mutant strain was grown under conditions of pyrimidine excess, the level of operon expression was 51-fold greater than that of an isogenic pyrBI+ strain. Under conditions of pyrimidine limitation, operon expression was increased an additional 6.5-fold in the mutant. These results demonstrate that the attenuation control mechanism is primarily responsible for pyrimidine-mediated regulation but that there is a significant contribution by an attenuator-independent control mechanism.
Juízes profissionais? Padrões de carreira dos integrantes das Supremas Cortes de Brasil (1829-2008) e Estados Unidos (1789-2008)

O artigo compara os perfis de carreira dos magistrados integrantes das supremas cortes do Brasil e dos Estados Unidos ao longo de toda historia politica dos dois paises. Para tanto, o artigo analisa dados relativos a experiencia profissional e juridica e a circulacao em cargos junto aos demais poderes do Estado, inclusive de natureza eletiva, previamente a investidura no posto de magistrado da Corte Suprema. Particularmente, esse exame expoe as diferencas e semelhancas quanto aos padroes de profissionalizacao dos integrantes dos orgaos de cupula do poder Judiciario nos dois paises, permitindo a discussao sobre os fundamentos politicos desse fenomeno no campo juridico. Em especial, o artigo sugere que periodos de incremento no recrutamento de individuos vinculados a profissoes propriamente juridicas ocorrem como respostas ao fortalecimento de tais tribunais. Ante um novo periodo de elevada proeminencia destas instituicoes, individuos reconhecidamente qualificados na area passam crescentemente a ser alternativas de legitimacao de tais orgaos, seja em contextos de competicao, seja em contextos de hegemonia politica de determinados grupos.
Novel Therapies for Renal Cell Cancer

The discovery of diverse details of the genetics, cell biology, and pathology of disease and the extensive infrastructure for synthesis and testing of targeted drugs or immune strategies are a basis to be hopeful that innovative, effective, widely applicable therapies can be realized for metastatic kidney cancer. High-dose interleukin-2 had been the sole medical therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of metastatic renal cancer, and interferon-a, also in widespread use, has had approval in Europe. More than 100 published single-arm/single-drug kidney cancer trials, many based on sound preclinical hypotheses, would seem to be a basis for pessimism. Partial response and disease stabilization at high frequency led to the approval of sorafenib and sunitinib. Whereas progress in conventional cytotoxics has largely bypassed renal cancer, and immune therapies have had dramatic success limited to a minority of patients, some therapies may turn out to be broadly tolerated and efficacious. This is an era for optimism for the application of new technology to kidney cancer therapy.
Wyburn-Mason Syndrome (Racemose Hemangioma)

In Wyburn-Mason disorder there are arteriovenous communications of the retina and brain that begin during adolescence or early adulthood. Patients may demonstrate a visual loss, strabismus, pulsating exophthalmos, and ptosis. The racemose aneurysm of the retina is accompanied by an arteriovenous malformation in the brain. The communication is between an artery and a vein, bypassing a capillary bed. Intracranial calcifications can be seen on radiographic studies, and perivascular retinal atrophy can be demonstrated on fluorescein angiography. Systemic clinical manifestations include epilepsy, neurological defects, and intracranial hemorrhage. The retinal aneurysms are ipsilateral to the cranial lesions and do not have an associated exudation in the retina.