cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atherosclerotic Coronary Disease

Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease is a complex biological process resulting in narrowing of the arterial vessels that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients. Despite major advances in the understanding of this process and its clinical management, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In the United States, coronary artery disease accounts for about 500,000 deaths each year, of which about half are sudden. This chapter reviews the clinical presentation and treatment of this condition, focusing on advances and the biological insights they provide. Some of the leading hypotheses regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying this incompletely understood condition are considered.
Adrenal oncoctyoma of uncertain malignant potential: A rare etiology of adrenal incidentaloma

Key Clinical Message A rare cause for rapid adrenal enlargement is adrenal oncocytoma of uncertain malignant potential. A full biochemical evaluation is warranted to screen secreting adrenal adenomas as well as to evaluate adrenal cortical carcinoma. Careful pathologic evaluation is required as the diagnosis of AOC cannot be made by imaging.
Notes on Health Care Financing and Free Markets

This article applies economic theory to the financing of health care. The authors point out that rent-seeking and government intervention into the health care market raise the cost of health care and reduce its quality. The authors call for health care to be financed privately without government intervention.
Transfer articulation agreements in the computer science and information technology disciplines: panel discussion

More and more, high school students after graduation are electing to attend two-year schools before transferring to a four-year institution instead of going to a four-year school directly out of high school. This is due to many factors, such as lower costs of attending college, ability to stay closer to immediate family, opportunity to continue in part-time employment, opportunity to establish good grades, time to strengthen the four-year college application, and time to experiment with different interests in order to determine the major they want to earn. This nationwide trend is consistent across all disciplines.
The Decay of Ho 166

The disintegration of ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{166}$ (27.3 hr) has been studied by scintillation counter coincidence techniques. Gamma rays of 1.53 Mev and 1.61 Mev are present in low intensity, in addition to the previously identified 80-kev and 1.36-Mev transitions. Both the 1.36-Mev and the 1.53-Mev gamma rays are in coincidence with the 80-kev transition. For the 80-kev $E2$ transition the $K$-conversion coefficient has been measured as 1.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 and the total conversion coefficient as 7.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1.5. The $\ensuremath{\beta}$ branching has been determined from $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidence measurements and by a comparison of the $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ coincidences with ${\mathrm{Tm}}^{170}$. The results indicate a ground state branch of \ensuremath{\sim}25 percent, a branch of \ensuremath{\sim}74 percent to the 80-kev state, a branch of \ensuremath{\sim}1 percent to a state at 1.44 Mev and a branch of \ensuremath{\sim}0.3 percent to a state at 1.61 Mev in ${\mathrm{Er}}^{166}$. The spin of ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{166}$ is probably 2-.
Influence of oxidation products of epinephrine upon adenosinetriphosphatase activity of uterine muscle preparation.

SummaryOxidation products of epinephrine, estimated as adrenochrome, inhibited ATPase activity of a uterine muscle preparation. The effects were observed with amounts approaching physiological concentrations (10-6M to 10-7M). No inhibition attributable to epinephrine alone was observed in the range of epinephrine concentrations studied (6 × 10-5 to 6 × 10-6M).
Symposium The Dismal (Delusional and Dangerous) “Science” of Economics and the “Capture” of Public Administration: Toward a Public-Spirited Public Management Economics

Economics shares with other approaches to human governance the potential to be “dismal, delusional, or dangerous” when dogma replaces reason in decisions about when to apply economic principles. A reading of the classical economic literature shows that even classical economics has not supported the indeed dismal, delusional, and dangerous turn that contemporary mainstream economics has adopted. What economists (and especially public administrators who engage the discipline) have forgotten is the original welfare economics tradition that has its roots at least in Adam Smith and other classic works in the field, and is far more relevant to public administration.
Why Is the Emperor SHUN Called CHONGHUA

Who is SHUN? Which of the two appellations SHUN and CHONGHUA appeared first? What's the meaning of the word SHUN as well the word CHONGHUA? Is there any connection between the two words? In this paper,the author proposes that the word CHONGHUA appeared prior to the word SHUN,and both the words are related with vert and have the meaning of bright,especially as a noun the word SHUN reflects the attribute of CHONGHUA best.
"Ma la ma wie Ga" ("I will sing and speak of Ga"): Wulomei and the articulation of Ga identity in stylized form

In 2001 Dan Kermah, a documentary film maker based in Ghanaâ€™s capital Accra, succeeded in arranging a video-taped performance of the pioneering Ga folk group1 Wulomei at their founder Nii Tei Ashiteyâ€™s house, located in the Accra suburb of Mamprobi and in anticipation of Ghanaâ€™s 50th anniversary celebration as an independent nation. What made this particular recording unique were the individuals assembled that day, consisting of Wulomeiâ€™s foundational members who began performing together in the early 1970s. Despite some reunion concerts scattered over the years, Wulomei in its original form started to splinter with the exodus of their lead vocalist Naa Amanua and guitarist Nene Acquah around 1975 when they left to form their own ensemble Suku Troupe.
TPN (II): A Traumatic Case of Increased Metabolism

This case discusses increased clearance of the antiepileptic drug valproic acid in patients with traumatic brain injury during administration of total parenteral nutrition, resulting in subtherapeutic valproic acid levels.
Persistence of a Severe Drought Increases Desertification but not Woody Dieback in Semiarid Savanna

Abstract Increases in precipitation variability, coupled with higher temperatures, will lead to greater frequencies of severe, prolonged droughts for many regions with the expectation of attendant increases in woody plant die-off events. We took advantage of a 2-yr extension of a severe drought following an initial study of woody plant dieback in a woody-encroached semiarid savanna in west-central Texas, United States. This study tests for the emergence of alternative vegetation trajectories as a result of continued drought persistence: 1) whether additional woody plant dieback occurred following the initial study, leading to a grass-dominated community, or 2) whether desertification became a major feature (defined as a loss of herbaceous cover and increase in bare ground). Neither the emergence of a grass-dominated community nor the prevalence of desertification was observed during the initial study. After 2 additional yr of drought, we found that dieback of woody plants did not increase above previously observed levels, suggesting that the prolongation of drought did not cause the emergence of a grass-dominated community in this heavily encroached rangeland. However, drought severity did lead to increases in desertification, with increases in bare ground owed to declines in grass cover. While previous research at this long-term research site suggests that desertification is transient with grasses rebounding once precipitation returns to predrought levels, rangeland managers should be aware of lags in vegetation response to drought and the increased potential for a shift toward a bare-ground dominated community following extended extreme drought. In this Texas semiarid savanna, major losses in herbaceous cover lagged behind woody plant dieback, so dieback of the woody component might hold promise as an indicator for near-term potential of desertification.
In Situ Magnetite Formation and Long-Term Arsenic Immobilization under Advective Flow Conditions

In situ precipitation of magnetite and other minerals potentially sequesters dissolved arsenic (As) in contaminated aquifers. This study examines As retention and transport in aquifer sediments using a multistage column experiment in which magnetite and other minerals formed from added nitrate and ferrous iron (Fe). Sediments were collected from the Dover Municipal Landfill Superfund site. Prior to nitrate–Fe(II) addition, As was not effectively retained within the sediments in the column. The combination of nitrate (10 mM) and Fe(II) (4 mM), resulted in mineral precipitation and rapidly decreased effluent As concentrations to <10 μg L–1. Mineralogical analyses of sectioned replicate columns using sequential extractions, magnetic susceptibility and X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicate that magnetite and ferrihydrite formed in the column following nitrate–Fe(II) addition. This magnetite persisted in the column even as conditions became reducing, whereas ferrihydrite was transformed to more stable Fe oxid...
Good God, Bad God

By virtue of their intelligence and close relationship with large numbers of people, super-intelligent machines will have enormous power over humanity. Will they be a force for good or bad? All tools can be used for good or bad. Medicine can be used to harm people or to cure disease. Metal can be used to make weapons or tools. Industrial machines can disenfranchise workers or lighten the burden of work. And the computer network can be used to control people or to empower them. Over history tools and their uses have generally enhanced life, demonstrating that good tool use outweighs bad in the long run. People learn how to control the consequences of tools.
Abstract B22: Loss of LncRNA XIST induces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer

Brain is one of the major sites of metastasis of breast cancer, and approximately 20% of patients with aggressive breast cancer eventually develop the metastatic disease in the brain. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have recently drawn much attention due to their wide functional variations and potential roles in tumor progression. By performing lncRNA array analysis comparing non-metastatic primary tumors with brain metastatic tumors from breast cancer patients, we identified that lncRNA XIST expression was significantly down-regulated in brain metastatic tumors. The result of Taqman PCR validated the results in tumor samples and also indicated that XIST expression was down-regulated in brain metastatic cell lines compared to non-brain metastatic cell lines. Moreover, we found that the XIST expression was negatively correlated with breast cancer stage and brain metastasis-free survival. XIST is located on the q arm of the X chromosome (Xq13-2) and plays a critical role in the X inactivation, thus providing dosage equivalence between males and females. Importantly, XIST has been found to be down-regulated in several types of tumors including breast cancer. Loss of XIST facilitates escape of some X chromosome genes from inactivation. To further study the effect of XIST down-regulation on tumor cells, we knocked down XIST expression in MCF7 by siRNA. We found that the knockdown of XIST drastically altered the morphology of MCF7 cell from epithelial to mesenchymal type. Furthermore, several epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes including ZEB2 and SNAIL were upregulated in the XIST knockdown cells. In addition, the results of qPCR, western blot and immunocytochemical analysis showed that the epithelial marker E-cad was significantly down-regulated, while mesenchymal markers N-cad and Vimentin were upregulated in MCF7-siXIST, SKBR-siXIST and ZR751-siXIST cells compared to the control cells. To further examine the effect of XIST knockdown in vivo, we transplanted MCF7-siXIST, SKBR3-siXIST and their control cells by intra-cardiac injection into nude mice. We found that knockdown of XIST significantly enhanced tumor metastasis, especially in the brain. Our results strongly suggest that lncRNA XIST plays a critical role in tumor progression and metastasis by inducing EMT. Citation Format: Yin Liu, Fei Xing, Kerui Wu, Sambad Sharma, Kounosuke Watabe. Loss of LncRNA XIST induces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Metastasis; 2015 Nov 30-Dec 3; Austin, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B22.
Investigating the negative fan behaviors of a branded collegiate basketball student section

Branded collegiate student sections (e.g., the Cameron Crazies at Duke University) have been identified as the most committed supporters of the team. The marketing benefits of these groups have been documented yet the potential negative consequences have gone unexplored in the literature. This study aimed to understand what types of behavior fans in this context engaged in, why they engaged in these actions, and attempts to link some of these observations to relevant theory on fan violence. A multiple method design was employed in order to obtain both breadth and depth of the phenomenon as well as for data triangulation. Ten members of a large, collegiate basketball fan group participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews and extensive fieldwork of the fan group was conducted over the course of a season. Finally, 197 members of the same college basketball fan group responded to a survey questionnaire. The results of this study indicated there are negative consequences linked to the behavior of members of the branded student section. University officials should be aware of the potential danger of these branded student sections and strengthen relations and authority over these groups to minimize the likelihood of negative fan behavior.
Flt3-Ligand Plays a Critical Role in Restoring Function of NOD Facilitating Cells.

CD8 + /TCR − facilitating cells (FC) enhance engraftment of purified hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in syngeneic and allogeneic recipients. FC also induce the production of regulatory T cells (T reg ) in vivo and in vitro . The B220 + /CD11c + /CD11b − precursor plasmacytoid dendritic cell (p-preDC) subpopulation in FC (p-preDC FC) is critical to FC function. However, p-preDC FC are significantly less efficient in function compared to FC total. In this study, we evaluated the phenotype and function of FC from diabetes-prone nonobese diabetes (NOD) mice. We found that NOD FC contain subpopulations similar to those previously described in B6 FC, including p-preDC, CD19 + , NK1.1 + DX5 + and myeloid cells. P-preDC represent the major FC subpopulation in NOD mice. The CD19 + , DX5 + and B220 − /CD11c + /CD11b + subpopulations were significantly decreased in NOD FC compared to those from B6 or NOR mice (Figure 1a; * = P P + /Sca-1 + /Lin − ) were sorted and transplanted with or without 30,000 FC into conditioned 950 cGy recipients. MHC-matched diabetes-resistant NOR mice were served as a control strain for NOD mice. 5 (31%) of 16 recipients of NOR HSC were engrafted and survived up to 130 days. 7 (70%) of 10 recipients of NOR HSC plus FC have long-term engraftment and survival over 130 days, indicating that the NOR FC significantly enhanced engraftment of NOR HSC compared to HSC alone. In striking contrast, NOD FC were functionally impaired and did not enhance HSC engraftment in NOD recipients as evidenced by similar engraftment of HSC with FC (31%, n = 13) compared to the HSC alone (24%, n = 17; P = 0.579). Notably, when NOD mice were treated with Flt3 ligand (FL; 10 μg/ subcutaneous/daily, 10 days), FC were expanded in peripheral blood (PB). The DX5 + and B220 − /CD11c + /CD11b + subpopulations were significantly increased (Figure 1b). The FL-PB FC significantly facilitate engraftment of allogeneic HSC in vivo in the NOD → B10 model (Figure 1c; P = 0.02). These data demonstrate that NOD FC exhibit significantly impaired function and FL plays an important role in regulation and development of FC function. We propose that the defective function of NOD FC is mechanistically due either to the abnormal activation status of the p-preDC FC population and/or the absence of collaborative subpopulations in FC such as NK FC. This hypothesis offers an attractive explanation for the mechanism of FC to enhance HSC engraftment and to induce tolerance. Studies are underway to evaluate the mechanism by which FC contribute to diabetes-pathogenesis and/or prevention.
Toward neuroprotective treatments of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is, after Alzheimer’s disease, the second most-common neurodegenerative disorder affecting 1–2% of the global population over the age of 65 (1, 2). Aging being a primary risk factor for PD (3), its economic burden on our society in terms of medical care will escalate with our aging population. The major pathophysiological features of PD include selective and progressive degeneration of A9 midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons in the substantia nigra and widespread accumulation of intraneuronal proteinaceous inclusions, called Lewy bodies, whose major component is misfolded α-synuclein. A9 DA neurons project to the dorsal striatum and form the nigrostriatal pathway, which controls voluntary movements. Degeneration of this pathway in PD patients results in decreased dopamine levels in the striatum, leading to clinical manifestations, such as resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and gait dysfunctions (1, 2). Since its introduction in the 1960s, dopamine replacement therapy through levodopa (l-dopa) and DA agonist administration remain the standard treatment for PD (4). Although this pharmacological treatment dramatically improves the quality of life of numerous PD patients, its efficacy wanes over time and the need for increased dosage eventually induces severe side effects, such as dyskinesia. Although there are alternative surgical treatments, such as deep brain stimulation (5), both forms of treatment are symptomatic and cannot stop or modify the disease progression. Therefore, there is a significant unmet need for the development of novel neuroprotective and disease-modifying therapeutics for PD. In PNAS, Spathis et al. (6) introduce a novel compound, BRF110, which is a unique Nurr1: retinoid X receptor-α (RXRα)-selective “agonist” that can prevent DA neurons’ demise and striatal DA denervation in vivo in several preclinical models of PD. Remarkably, this study shows that BRF110 is not only neuroprotective in sparing mDA neurons, but also upon a single administration led to significant … [↵][1]1Email: kskim{at}mclean.harvard.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Anti-GD2 immunotherapy for neuroblastoma.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Current therapeutic approaches for high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) include high-dose chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy; interventions that are associated with long and short-term toxicities. Effective immunotherapy holds particular promise for improving survival and quality of life by reducing exposure to cytotoxic agents. GD2, a surface glycolipid is the most common target for immunotherapy.Areas covered: We review the status of anti-GD2 immunotherapies currently in clinical use for neuroblastomas and novel GD2-targeted strategies in preclinical development.Expert commentary: Anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies are associated with improved survival in patients in their first remission and are increasingly being used for chemorefractory and relapsed neuroblastoma. As protein engineering technology has become more accessible, newer antibody constructs are being tested. GD2 is also being targeted by natural killer cells and T-cells. Active immunity can be elicited by anti-GD2 vaccines....
Ab initio calculations of spectroscopic constants and vibrational state lifetimes of diatomic alkali-alkaline-earth cations

We investigate the lifetimes of vibrational states of diatomic alkali-alkaline-earth cations to determine their suitability for ultracold experiments where long decoherence time and controllability by an external electric field are desirable. The potential energy and permanent dipole moment curves for the ground electronic states of LiBe+, LiMg+, NaBe+, and NaMg+ are obtained using the coupled cluster with singles doubles and triples and multireference configuration interaction methods in combination with large all-electron cc-pCVQZ and aug-cc-pCV5Z basis sets. The energies and wave functions of all vibrational states are obtained by solving the Schrodinger equation for nuclei with the B-spline basis set method. To predict the lifetimes of vibrational states, the transition dipole moments, as well as the Einstein coefficients describing spontaneous emission, and the stimulated absorption and emission induced by black body radiation are calculated. Surprisingly, in all studied ions, the lifetimes of the hi...
Your responses guide me: Decreased attachment anxiety through an online relationship-building paradigm

This study aims to improve self-reported attachment anxiety and avoidance through an online relationship-building paradigm. Seventy-seven undergraduate participants completed an online attachment-focused paradigm in which they developed a relationship with a virtual partner, and fifty participants successfully completed a second laboratory-based phase of the study. During the online phase, all participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships―Revised questionnaire (ECR-R), the experimental group engaged in an interactive relationship-formation story with a virtual partner designed to enhance secure attachment, and control participants engaged in the program without guidance. Participants then visited the laboratory, were asked to recall the online interaction, and again completed the ECR-R. Overall, participants exhibited a significant decrease in their attachment anxiety, but not avoidance; however, change in attachment security did not differ based on study group. Change in the experimental condition was attributed to the secure focus of the guided interaction with the virtual partner. Change in the control condition, on the other hand, was attributed to general relationship practice and behavioral principles of operant conditioning. These results provide preliminary evidence for the effect of a virtual practice relationship on attitudes towards real-life attachments to significant others.
Photocatalytic activity of transition metal substituted AM-6 under UV and visible light irradiation

Abstract The photocatalytic activity of isomorphously substituted transition metal (TM) ions into the vanadosilicate AM-6 framework, at TM/V ratios of 0.025-0.10, has been investigated. All 0.025TM-substituted AM-6 products showed enhanced photocatalytic activity under UV light irradiation which was attributed to the bandgap photoexcitation of these products. The photocatalytic activity decreased with increasing TM concentrations (TM > 0.025). Under visible light irradiation, only 0.025Cr-AM-6 showed enhanced photocatalytic activity (k = 4.6 × 10−3 min−1 ± 4.0 × 10−4 min−1). This was attributed to the electron excitation for the interfacial charge-transfer in the visible light region. 0.025Fe-AM-6 (k = 3.1 × 10−3 min−1 ± 4.0 × 10−4 min−1), 0.025Co-AM-6 (k = 3.4 × 10−3 min−1 ± 6.0 × 10−4 min−1), and unmodified AM-6 (k = 2.9 × 10−3 min−1 ± 7.0 × 10−4 min−1) were inactive towards the photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light irradiation (direct photolysis k = 2.8 × 10−3 min−1 ± 4.0 × 10−4 min−1). This was likely attributed to the ineffectiveness of the electron excitation for the interfacial charge-transfer, as suggested by the UV–vis spectroscopic analyses.
A parallel algorithm for mining maximal frequent subgraphs

Frequent graph mining has received a lot of attention from the research community because of the increasing availability of graph data in several domains, including bioinformatics, social networks, and cyber security. On large graphs such as protein-protein interaction and gene coexpression networks, frequent subgraph mining algorithms take hours to finish. In this paper, we propose a parallel algorithm for mining maximal frequent subgraphs from edge-attributed networks. Experiments on two real tissue-specific RNA-seq expression networks and synthetic data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Moreover, biological enrichment analysis of the reported patterns show that the patterns are biologically relevant and enriched with known biological processes and KEGG pathways.
Barriers to Employment Participation of Individuals With Disabilities: Addressing the Impact of Employer (Mis)Perception and Policy:

Although progress has been made toward the objective of increased employment for people with disabilities, the 17.2% employment rate of people with disabilities stands in distressing contrast to th...
Pain and immunosuppression

The effects of painful experiences on immunity have been well studied in both humans and animals over the past 15 years, beginning with a seminal paper examining the impact of inescapable footshock [1]. Similarly, the impact of surgery on immune function in both animals and humans has been studied extensively. In general, both acute experimental pain and undergoing surgery have been shown to suppress the immune functions that are assessed [2, 3, 4].
Alcohol consumption increases the risk of fatal breast cancer (United States)

Objective: To investigate the hypothesis that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer mortality. Methods: We examined breast cancer mortality in relation to self-reported alcohol consumption in women from the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study (CPS)-II. After 14 years of follow-up, 1,442 eligible breast cancer deaths were observed among 242,010 women. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed for total alcohol consumption and for beer, wine, and liquor separately. Results: Total alcohol consumption was associated with increased risk of fatal breast cancer among post- but not pre- or perimenopausal women. Even less than one drink/day was associated with up to a 30% increase in breast cancer mortality among postmenopausal women compared to non-drinkers (RR = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.6 for women drinking 0.26-<1 drink/day). When examined separately, consumption of beer, wine, and liquor each increased the risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women. We found no evidence that alcohol consumption was more deleterious among women at high risk for breast cancer compared to average-risk women. Conclusion: This study adds to the evidence that postmenopausal women can reduce their risk of breast cancer by avoiding or minimizing their use of alcohol.
The Role of the Nurse Practitioner in the Care of Young Women with Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women age 40-55. Of the 215,990 new cases identified in 2004, 7% of patients are less that 40, with 2.5% age 35 and younger. Young women may present with biologically more aggressive tumors, translating into a more unfavorable prognosis. In general, the traditional nursing contributions to the care of women with breast cancer are limited to the specific practice domains within surgery, medical and radiation oncology. Identifying the unique aspects of nursing care for this group will have special emphasis on age specific developmental tasks for these women. These tasks include: finding a mate, starting a family, managing a household, professional development and finding a social network within society. Interference of these tasks by the treatments for breast cancer is seen not only in the physical changes of body image and fertility, but in the psychosocial areas that impact cognitive functioning and coping with the threats of the disease as they strive towards survivorship. The advanced practice role of the nurse practitioner in the care of young women with breast cancer is characteristically poised to integrate and synthesize all aspects of breast cancer management.
Heidegger’s Question: An Exposition

The first task in seeking to understand Heidegger’s work is, as Poeggeler has reminded us, “... first to hear the one question meditated on by Heidegger.”1 This question is the question of being (die Seinsfrage). I shall here attempt an exposition of this question as construed by Heidegger at and around the time of the publication of Sein und Zeit.
Regular Transfusions, Iron, and Teenage Pregnancy

A 15-year-old female with sickle cell disease has received regular transfusions every 3–4 weeks since suffering ischemic stroke at the age of 10 years. She had no recurrences, and her physical and mental development was adequate for age. She initially received deferoxamine via subcutaneous infusion pump for 5 days weekly, but the drug was stopped because of poor compliance. Her serum ferritin was 1,910 ng/ml; liver iron concentration determined by magnetic resonance was 13 mg/g dry weight.
A high-fidelity realization of the Euclid code comparison N-body simulation with ABACUS

National Science Foundation [AST-1313285]; U.S. Department of Energy [DE-SC0013718]; Simons Foundation
Toward 3D imaging of corrosion at the nanoscale: Cross-sectional analysis of in-situ oxidized TEM samples.

Abstract Understanding the effect of microstructural features on corrosion behavior will allow for significant improvements to alloy design for harsh environments. Recently, in-situ TEM has been recognized to offer significant data on corrosion behavior at the nanoscale, but in order for the best information to be acquired, a three dimensional view of the oxidation process is needed so that oxide structure and phase can be identified. Described herein is a new method of sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a focused ion beam (FIB) to cross-section a previously FIB prepared sample. In-situ TEM was used to oxidize a sample using an environmental cell, and this in-situ sample is cross-sectioned to study oxide depth and oxide structure. This technique provides a new method to investigate in-situ TEM samples in 3D.
FIRST PRINCIPLES CALCULATIONS ON ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS

The evolution of first principles theories capable of describing the electronic structure of actinide compounds is reviewed. Particular emphasis is placed upon molecular orbital and cluster models for gas phase and solid state systems respectively. Comparisons are made between “direct” methods based upon Dirac-Fock (DF) and local density Dirac-Slater (DS) schemes, and “indirect” pseudopotential or perturbative schemes. Prospects for basing a full many-electron treatment upon the self-consistent DS single particle orbitals are discussed. The nature and magnitude of relativistic effects on chemical bonding and valence electron level structures have been subjects of perennial interest. DF studies on heavy atom hydrides, using a one-center expansion technique, have been used to study the relativistic contraction of bond lengths. Early beliefs that the bond contraction was simply due to contraction of the underlying atomic orbitals; i.e. an overlap effect, have turned out to be incorrect. Recent results which throw light on this aspect are discussed. The development of reliable pseudopotential methods in a relativistic framework gives hope that rather large systems (both in terms of atomic number, and number of nuclear sites) can be treated by considering only valence electron states explicitly. It is possible at present to carry out all-electron calculations on actinide complexes in local density models, so interesting comparisons between direct and indirect methods become feasible. Self-consistent DS energy levels and charge distributions are presented for a number of (AcOm)q complexes, where Ac=Th,U,Np, Pu, representative of oxide compounds and spectroscopically accessible “free” complexes. An effort is made to correlate the f-electron occupation and bonding interactions to the variables; coordination number, formal valency, and bond lengths. The magnetization density in UO2 is discussed, and preliminary results on some halide compounds are presented.
Rapid and Reliable Differential Display from Minute Amounts of Tissue: Mass Cloning and Characterization of Differentially Expressed Genes from Loblolly Pine Embryos

Performing RNA differential display analysis on small tissue samples is difficult since much RNA, the initial template for the reaction, is lost during conventional isolation procedures. We have developed a rapid method which employs oligo-dT beads to capture mRNA from cell lysates. Subsequent reactions are primed directly from the beads, thus RT and PCR reactions can be completed within a few hours of tissue harvest. This approach allows us to perform differential display on a single pine embryo. We describe strategies for distinguishing classes of co-migrating bands excised from differential display gels and outline a PCR-based method for confirming differential expression of large numbers of cloned bands in cases where RNA quantities are limiting.
No Stratification Without Representation

Sortition is an alternative approach to democracy, in which representatives are not elected but randomly selected from the population. Most electoral democracies fail to accurately represent even a handful of protected groups. By contrast, sortition guarantees that every subset of the population will in expectation fill their fair share of the available positions. This fairness property remains satisfied when the sample is stratified based on known features. Moreover, stratification can greatly reduce the variance in the number of positions filled by any unknown group, as long as this group correlates with the strata. Our main result is that stratification cannot increase this variance by more than a negligible factor, even in the presence of indivisibilities and rounding. When the unknown group is unevenly spread across strata, we give a guarantee on the reduction in variance with respect to uniform sampling. We also contextualize stratification and uniform sampling in the space of fair sampling algorithms. Finally, we apply our insights to an empirical case study.
Outcome of IgD Myeloma After Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Abstract 4354 BACKGROUND Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a clonal disorder of plasma cells characterized by monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion. Immunoglobulin D (IgD) MM constitutes METHODS Between August 1988 and June 2008, 15 patients with IgD MM (13 males, 2 females) received autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto HCT) at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Twelve patients received high-dose melphalan (200 mg/m 2 ) as preparative regimen; 3 patients received high-dose melphalan in combination with other agents. RESULTS At diagnosis 7/15 (47%) patients had Durie-Salmon stage III disease, 6/15 (40%) had serum creatinine ≥2 mg/dl and 6/15 (40%) had hypercalcemia. Median age at the time of auto HCT was 53 yrs (range 38–64 yrs) and median interval between diagnosis and auto HCT was 12.6 months (range 3-75 months). Prior to auto HCT 11 patients achieved a partial remission (PR), one had a very good partial remission (VGPR), 2 had minimal response (MR) and one patient had no response to induction. Median follow-up in surviving patients was 25 months. Median time to neutrophil engraftment (ANC > 500/dl) was 10 days (range 9–15 days) and for platelet engraftment (>20,000/dl) was 11 days (range 8–16 days). Non-relapse mortality at 100 days was 0%. Complete responses were seen in 6/15 (40%) patients; 3 converted from PR to CR, 2 from MR to CR and one from VGPR to CR. Only one patient progressed within 3 months of auto HCT. Kaplan-Meiers estimates of 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 38% and 64%, respectively. Median time to progression was 18 months. One patient with complex cytogenetics including deletion 13q had disease progression 7 months following an auto HCT. He subsequently received an allogeneic transplant, achieved stable disease status and died 11 months later due to progressive disease. Another patient received a second auto HCT for relapse, but died 3 months later due to progressive disease. CONCLUSIONS Patients with IgD MM, despite a higher incidence of renal insufficiency and hypercalcemia at diagnosis, can safely receive auto HCT, with overall response rates, PFS and OS comparable to other MM subtypes. Disclosures: Shah: Celgene, Amgen, Novartis, Elan: Consultancy, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.
Real-Time Visualization of Neural Network Training to Supplement Machine Learning Education

In machine learning, neural networks have excelled at performing tasks at a high level with a simple and flexible implementation. Neural networks are particularly well-suited for novice programmers due to the availability of open-source libraries like TensorFlow and Caffe. However, novice programmers often neglect to learn beyond the black-box behaviors that these libraries provide. Introductory college students often lack the understanding of neural network internals, such as hidden layers and activation functions, and their interactions during training, which are crucial to efficiently solving more complex problems. Here, we present Omega3, a device that opens up the black-box of neural networks by visually representing how hidden layers behave during training in real-time. In addition, Omega3 provides an engaging tactile and visual educational experience to students, and waives the requirement for a strong programming background in order to learn about neural networks. In this paper, we will discuss the fabrication and set-up of Omega3 as well as evaluate and compare Omega3 to traditional lecture-based learning.
Performance Trade-offs in IoT Uplink Networks under Secrecy Constraints

We investigate the performance of uplink communications in Internet-of-Things (IoT) networks under passive attacks from eavesdroppers capable of intercepting individual links. An industrial IoT network is studied where multiple sensor classes, each with a dedicated local access point (LAP), are connected to one or more small cell access points (SAP) which in turn are connected to a central server. The server interfaces the IoT network to industrial sensor monitoring systems which periodically request sensor readings. We propose a unique attack resilient IoT sensor reporting model and study the performance of this system under strict latency as well as secrecy constraints. We show through simulation results how the proposed model behaves in different scenarios and compare the resilience to attack capability for the different cases.
Cavity Tightness Preferences of Overwintering Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (Stal) is a household nuisance pest that seeks shelter in buildings during the winter months. It has been found in a variety of cavities and spaces between building elements, as well as in the objects stored within buildings. This experiment examined the cavity tightness preferences for these insects as they settled in winter refugia. Adult overwintering H. halys were placed in two types of simulated refugia made from rigid material. Each type had a cavity of constant width, while one had a flat lid and constant tightness, and the other had a sloped lid that became tighter as insects moved inside. Adults were allowed to enter and settle, then their locations were recorded. In sloped lid cavities, H. halys tended to settle where the cavity tightness was between 4.5 and 5.5 mm. In the flat lid cavity boxes, H. halys tended to move all the way back. In both configurations, H. halys had a significant tendency to orient their heads towards the cavity entrance. A field comparison of cavity tightness in refugia with less rigid cardboard substrates was also performed, with spacers consisting of one or two layers of 3-mm cardboard. This comparison found differences in cavity selection by sex, with males more likely to pick single-spaced layers, and females more likely to select double-spaced layers. Understanding these preferences could be useful for collection, pest management, trap design, and study of impacts on structures.
Chronic Ocular Graft Versus Host Disease: An Update and Review

An updated comprehensive literature review was completed of chronic ocular graft versus host disease (oGVHD) to identify current and future considerations as to the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of this complication after allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Graft-versus-host disease involves multiple organ systems, including the eye, and is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in these patients. This review consisted a comprehensive search of the PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov and NIH.gov databases. oGVHD is a debilitating and potentially sight threatening condition. Commonly involved ocular structures include the cornea, conjunctiva, meibomian glands, eyelids, lacrimal gland and tear film. Identifying and treating the ocular complications at the early stages may improve final outcomes and quality of life in these patients. Aggressive lubrication, preservation of tear film and inflammation control, including minimizing surface scarring, are treatment goals. Co-management with HCT and other pertinent health care providers is critical for early diagnosis and to initiate prompt therapy to minimize the ocular damage. Stepped therapy, including the use of emerging systemic treatments can be useful in the management of oGVHD with stable visual function, quality of life and complication management as goals of treatment.
Parenchymal Lung Disease

Occupational parenchymal lung diseases are serious disorders usually caused by inhalation of mineral dusts, metals, or organic dusts.
A Multimetric Health Literacy Analysis of Online Information for Gluteal Augmentation With Fat Grafting.

Background and objectives According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons the number of gluteal augmentations with fat grafting, colloquially known as the "Brazilian buttock lift" (BBL), doubled from 2014 to 2018. Recent studies have demonstrated that gluteal augmentation with fat grafting has a higher mortality rate when compared with other esthetic surgeries. We hypothesize that online patient-directed information for gluteal augmentation are overly complex, written at an elevated reading grade level, with incomplete or no information regarding associated surgical risks. Objective To perform an objective appraisal of the most popular online patient education materials for gluteal augmentation surgery and explore potential interventions for improving material quality. Methods An online Google search using the term "Brazilian butt lift" was performed and the top 10 websites providing relevant information were identified. Readability for each website was determined using Readability Studio. Understandability, actionability and cultural sensitivity was assessed with validated tools by 2 independent raters. Results The top 10 websites were written at a mean reading grade level of 13.0, appropriate for a high school graduate. No website was written at the American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health recommended 6th to 8th grade reading level. Mean understandability and actionability scores of 51% and 18.9%, respectively, suggest significant room for improvement. The average cultural sensitivity assessment tool score was 2.30, below the recommended threshold for acceptability of 2.5. Ninety percent of all websites did not meet the threshold for cultural acceptability. Conclusions Online patient education materials for gluteal augmentation with fat grafting were written at an inappropriately elevated reading grade level and were overly complex, did not promote reader action, and were not sensitive to the needs of the target demographic.
SSA2D: Single Shot Actor-Action Detection in Videos (Student Abstract).

We propose a single-shot approach for actor-action detection in videos. The existing approaches use a two-step process, which rely on Region Proposal Network (RPN), where the action is estimated based on the detected proposals followed by post-processing such as non-maximal suppression. While effective in terms of performance, these methods pose limitations in scalability for dense video scenes with a high memory requirement for thousand of proposals, which leads to slow processing time. We propose SSA2D, a unified end-to-end deep network, which performs joint actor-action detection in a single-shot without the need of any proposals and post-processing, making it memory as well as time efficient.
Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS): A Rare Childhood Neurological Syndrome

ABSTRACT.Landau-Kleffner Syndrome (LKS) is an uncommon condition in which a child between the ages of 3 to 9 years loses the ability to speak and understand speech. These children may also have autistic-like behavior. This condition is accompanied by an abnormal EEG with epileptiform discharges generally in the dominant hemisphere in the speech areas of the brain. LKS usually evolves into electrical status epilepticus during sleep (ESES) characterized by continuous spike and wave activity in the majority of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. The outcome of this syndrome varies according to the onset of the disease. The epileptic aspect of Landau-Kleffner Syndrome is treated with antiepileptic medication and sometimes surgery; and the speech disability is treated with intensive language therapy. The success of each treatment is dependent on the age and advancement of the disease and varies with each patient.
Fabrication of Superconducting Detectors for Studying the Universe

Superconducting detectors offer unparalleled means of making astronomical/cosmological observations. Fabrication of these detectors is somewhat unconventional; however, a lot of novel condensed matter physics/materials scientific discoveries and semiconductor fabrication processes can be generated in making these devices.
Gas Turbine Engines: Nozzles

This chapter describes the exhaust nozzle and its application to aircraft gas turbine engines. The nozzle's two primary functions are to generate thrust and to act as a control valve for the engine. Nozzle performance parameters, discharge coefficient, and thrust coefficient are defined. The basic fluid dynamics and performance of convergent and convergent-divergent nozzles are discussed. Types of nozzles for subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic vehicles are described. Secondary nozzle functions thrust reversing, thrust vectoring, noise suppression, and infrared signature suppression are described. Finally nozzle design, analysis, and testing methods are described. Keywords: nozzle; exhaust; ejector; nacelle; thrust; convergent; convergent-divergent; plug nozzle; SERN