cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum Protein Synthesis TARGETING THE PLASTID-LIKE ORGANELLE WITH THIOSTREPTON

The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum has two extrachromosomal DNAs associated with organelles whose function is unclear. Both genomes encode ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) that are distinct from the nuclear-encoded rRNAs. Secondary structure analysis of all the P. falciparum rRNAs indicates that only the large subunit (LSU) rRNA encoded by the plastid-like genome is the target for thiostrepton. Indeed we find that thiostrepton inhibits growth of the parasite in the micromolar range which is 10-fold below concentrations with observable effects on total protein synthesis. We have further examined selective effects of thiostrepton on the plastid function by comparing differential effects of the drug on cytoplasmic and organellar encoded transcripts. Treatment with either thiostrepton or rifampin, an inhibitor of organellar and eubacterial RNA polymerase, both showed disappearance of organellar-encoded RNA transcripts within 6 h of treatment while transcripts of a nuclear-encoded mRNA remained constant for at least 8 h of treatment. Hence, we show a selective effect on organelle function that is suggestive of interference in the protein synthesis apparatus of the plastid. Sensitivity of P. falciparum to thiostrepton confirms that the plastid-like genome is essential for the erythrocytic cycle and presents a novel therapeutic site for this class of antibiotics.
Optimizing Katsevich image reconstruction algorithm on multicore processors

The Katsevich image reconstruction algorithm is the first theoretically exact cone beam image reconstruction algorithm for a helical scanning path in computed tomography (CT). However, it requires much more computation and memory than other CT algorithms. Fortunately, there are many opportunities for coarse-grained parallelism using multiple threads and fine-grained parallelism using SIMD units that can be exploited by emerging multi- core processors. In this paper, we implemented and optimized Katsevich image reconstruction based on the previously proposed pi- interval method and cone beam cover method and parallelized them using OpenMP API and SIMD instructions. We also exploited symmetry in the backprojection stage. Our results show that reconstructing a 1024 times 1024 times 1024 image using 5120 512 times 128 projections on a dual-socket quad-core system took 23,798 seconds on our baseline and 642 seconds on our final version, a more than 37 times speedup. Furthermore, by parallelizing the code with more threads we found that the scalability is eventually hinged by the limited front-side bus bandwidth.
Antibacterial activity of beta-lactam antibiotics in experimental meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae

In order to define the characteristics of the antibacterial activity of beta-lactam antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial meningitis, the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drug concentrations and the rate of bacterial killing was investigated for penicillin G and four new cephalosporins in an animal model of meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. All five drugs showed a significant correlation between increasing drug concentrations in CSF and increasing bactericidal rates. Minimal activity was observed in CSF at drug concentrations of approximately the broth minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC). Maximal activity occurred with CSF concentrations 10-30 times higher. In vitro tests did not reproduce the unique correlation of increasing drug concentrations and killing activity found in vivo. When evaluating new beta-lactam antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial meningitis, it is reasonable to establish a minimum standard of CSF drug concentrations of greater than or equal to 30 times the MBC against the infecting organism.
Fluorescence anisotropy of oligomeric proteins

Previous studies of protein oligomerization using time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy assumed a single fixed probe per oligomeric complex and an identical probe orientation in complexes of different stoichiometry. However, an oligomer consisting of “n” singly labeled monomers must necessarily have “n” probes. Moreover, in the expression for the anisotropy decay, the molecular axes from which the probe orientation is defined are different for complexes that differ in stoichiometry. Here, we derive an expression for the decay of the anisotropy for molecules with any number of fixed probes, and show how an explicit understanding of the probe orientation is necessary to properly assess oligomerization.
Adenylyl Cyclase 6 Deficiency Ameliorates Polycystic Kidney Disease

cAMP is an important mediator of cystogenesis in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Several adenylyl cyclase (AC) isoforms could mediate cAMP accumulation in PKD, and identification of a specific pathogenic AC isoform is of therapeutic interest. We investigated the role of AC6 in a mouse model of PKD that is homozygous for the loxP-flanked PKD1 gene and heterozygous for an aquaporin-2-Cre recombinase transgene to achieve collecting duct-specific gene targeting. Collecting duct-specific knockout of polycystin-1 caused massive renal cyst formation, kidney enlargement, and severe kidney failure, with a mean survival time of 2 months. In contrast, coincident collecting duct-specific knockout of polycystin-1 and AC6 (also homozygous for the floxed ADCY6 gene) markedly decreased kidney size and cystogenesis, improved renal function, reduced activation of the B-Raf/ERK/MEK pathway, and greatly increased survival. Absence of collecting duct AC6 did not alter urinary cAMP excretion or kidney cAMP concentration. In conclusion, AC6 is a key mediator of cyst formation and renal injury in a model of PKD.
Performance of linear interpolation-based MIMO detection for MIMO-OFDM systems

Detection of MIMO signals presents a formidable computation challenge due to the inherent complexity incurred by matrix-type wireless fading channels. When combined with OFDM, the MIMO detection over frequency-selective fading channels is divided into that over each flat-fading subchannel. Since this is usually done on per subchannel basis, it implies significant hardware cost. This work proposes the use of linear interpolation to exploit the correlation among adjacent subchannels. Since the weight matrices on non-pilot subchannels are linearly interpolated from those of pilot subchannels, the computation overhead is greatly reduced. This is particularly effective when the subchannel bandwidth is much smaller than the coherence bandwidth of the channel. Simulation using MMSE MIMO detection shows that, by keeping the product of interpolation factor and normalized RMS delay spread within a certain limit, linear interpolation can result in minimum degradation of system performance up to a practical SNR level of 20 dB to 25 dB.
Protein-losing nephropathy in small animals.

Genetic and acquired defects of glomerular permselectivity may lead to proteinuria and protein-losing nephropathy (PLN). Morbidity and mortality from complications of PLN may be severe even before progression to azotemia and renal failure. Leakage of plasma proteins into the glomerular filtrate can damage tubular cells and the function of the entire nephron. Detection, localization, and treatment of proteinuria are important to decrease the clinical signs and complications of PLN and the likelihood of progression to renal failure. Thorough diagnostic work-ups help to identify subsets of glomerular disease and their response to specific treatment protocols.
Geochemical evidence for possible natural migration of Marcellus Formation brine to shallow aquifers in Pennsylvania

The debate surrounding the safety of shale gas development in the Appalachian Basin has generated increased awareness of drinking water quality in rural communities. Concerns include the potential for migration of stray gas, metal-rich formation brines, and hydraulic fracturing and/or flowback fluids to drinking water aquifers. A critical question common to these environmental risks is the hydraulic connectivity between the shale gas formations and the overlying shallow drinking water aquifers. We present geochemical evidence from northeastern Pennsylvania showing that pathways, unrelated to recent drilling activities, exist in some locations between deep underlying formations and shallow drinking water aquifers. Integration of chemical data (Br, Cl, Na, Ba, Sr, and Li) and isotopic ratios (87Sr/86Sr, 2H/H, 18O/16O, and 228Ra/226Ra) from this and previous studies in 426 shallow groundwater samples and 83 northern Appalachian brine samples suggest that mixing relationships between shallow ground water and a deep formation brine causes groundwater salinization in some locations. The strong geochemical fingerprint in the salinized (Cl > 20 mg/L) groundwater sampled from the Alluvium, Catskill, and Lock Haven aquifers suggests possible migration of Marcellus brine through naturally occurring pathways. The occurrences of saline water do not correlate with the location of shale-gas wells and are consistent with reported data before rapid shale-gas development in the region; however, the presence of these fluids suggests conductive pathways and specific geostructural and/or hydrodynamic regimes in northeastern Pennsylvania that are at increased risk for contamination of shallow drinking water resources, particularly by fugitive gases, because of natural hydraulic connections to deeper formations.
Tantalum Oxide Nanoparticles for the Imaging of Articular Cartilage Using X‐Ray Computed Tomography: Visualization of Ex Vivo/In Vivo Murine Tibia and Ex Vivo Human Index Finger Cartilage

The synthesis and characterization of tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) nanoparticles (NPs) as new X-ray contrast media for microcomputed tomography (μCT) imaging of articular cartilage are reported. NPs, approximately 5–10 nm in size, and possessing distinct surface charges, were synthesized using phosphonate (neutral), ammonium (cationic), and carboxylate (anionic) ligands as end functional groups. Assessment of a cartilage defect in a human cadaver distal metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint with the ammonium nanoparticles showed good visualization of damage and preferential uptake in areas surrounding the defect. Finally, an optimized nontoxic cationic NP contrast agent was evaluated in an in vivo murine model and the cartilage was imaged. These nanoparticles represent a new type of contrast agent for imaging articular cartilage, and the results demonstrate the importance of surface charge in the design of nanoparticulate agents for targeting the surface or interior zones of articular cartilage.
Characterizing an effective hospital admissions scheduling and control management system: a genetic algorithm approach

Proper management of hospital inpatient admissions involves a large number of decisions that have complex and uncertain consequences for hospital resource utilization and patient flow. Further, inpatient admissions has a significant impact on the hospital's profitability, access, and quality of care. Making effective decisions to drive high quality, efficient hospital behavior is difficult, if not impossible, without the aid of sophisticated decision support. Hancock and Walter (1983) developed such a management system with documented implementation success, but for each hospital the system parameters are "optimized" manually. We present a framework for valuing instances of this management system via simulation and optimizing the system parameters using a genetic algorithm based search. This approach reduces the manual overhead in designing a hospital management system and enables the creation of Pareto efficiency curves to better inform management of the trade-offs between critical hospital metrics when designing a new control system.
ESD protection for high-speed receiver circuits

ESD-induced gate oxide breakdown is studied in high-speed receiver circuits. A novel biasing circuit increases the breakdown voltage by modulating the potential of the input transistor's source during ESD. The effectiveness of dual-diode and DTSCR protection of high-speed receiver circuits is examined under various bias conditions.
Bleaching of the isolated retina

Our theory for photoreceptor bleaching (Leibovic and Kurtz, 1975; Leibovic, 1975) is extended to the isolated retina, a preparation often used in experimental research. Experimental data are presented which demonstrate good agreement with the theory, and it is shown that bleaching history can affect the final result. Since our theory includes a lumped intermediate state of bleaching, it is superior to theories which only consider end products. On the other hand, our theory is more tractable than others which specify several intermediates.
The RHIC Project-status and plans

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) Project is in the 4th year of an estimated 8 year construction cycle at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The accelerator complex is designed to collide a variety of ion species at center-of-mass energies up to 100 GeV/nucleon in a two ring superconducting structure. Industrial magnet production is in progress as well as the other accelerator systems. This presentation will outline the status of the construction effort, near and long term goals.
Aggressive surgical treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: predictors of outcomes

Abstract Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer and constitutes 10% of primary liver malignancies. Surgery is the optimal therapy; the majority of the patients will require extensive resections that are associated with significant morbidity. Methods: We retrospectively studied the records of 26 patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma between June 1991 and December 1997 at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Patients with perihilar (Klatskin) tumors were excluded. All patients were considered resectable based on CT or MRI findings. Patients with positive margins or nodal invasion received adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. Results: Sixteen patients underwent 18 resections; in 10 patients the tumors were unresectable at laparotomy and only biopsy was performed. The mean age (62 versus 53 years) was significantly higher, and the mean total bilirubin level (0.71 versus 6.17 mg/dL) was significantly lower in the resected group (p = 0.031 and 0.017, respectively). No patient with a total bilirubin over 1.2 mg/dL was found to be resectable. Median actuarial survivals were 42.9 ± 8.9 months for resectable and 6.7 ± 3.6 months for unresectable patients (p = 0.005). Positive margins were associated with significantly shorter disease-free survival. But resected patients with positive margins survived significantly longer than those who were unresectable. Tumor size, presence of satellite nodules, and degree of tumor necrosis on histologic examination were significant predictors of outcomes. Survival among patients receiving adjuvant therapy was not significantly altered. Conclusions: We conclude that an aggressive surgical approach is warranted in patients with ICC because resection offers the only hope for longterm survival. Our findings emphasize the importance of achieving tumor-free margins. Noncurative resection offers a survival advantage over no resection. Histologic examination of resected specimens can help select patients with poor prognoses.
Final state effects in VUV and soft X-ray absorption spectra of transition metal oxides and silicate alloys: comparisons between experiment and ab initio calculations

This paper uses X-ray absorption spectroscopy and vacuum ultra-violet spectroscopic ellipsometry to study the electronic structure of high-k transition metal (TM) oxide gate dielectrics. The results are applicable to TM and rare earth (RE) silicate and aluminate alloys, as well as complex oxides comprised of mixed TM/TM and TM/RE oxides. These studies identify the nature of the lowest conduction band d * states, which define the optical band gap, including their relationship to the band gap, Eg, of the oxide.
Microwave-assisted rapid synthesis of hexagonal α-zirconium phosphate nanodisks as a Pickering emulsion stabilizer

Abstract It is the first time that a rapid microwave-assisted method was developed to synthesize alpha phase of zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP). The dimension and thickness of α-ZrP nanodisks were varied by altering the concentration of added phosphoric acid. In addition, laminar structure of α-ZrP can be exfoliated into monolayers to provide with more surface area by intercalating tetrabutylammonium hydroxide. The results revealed that uniform and highly-crystallized α-ZrP nanodisks were obtained in an efficient manner and could be utilized as a Pickering emulsion stabilizer after exfoliation.
By all measures: an examination of the relationship between segregation and health risk from air pollution

A great deal of evidence suggests that African-Americans in more racially segregated communities are at a higher risk for a variety of health problems. Scholars have argued that these health inequalities might be explained by racial differences in exposure to air toxins. However, there are a number of ways to measure segregation, each representing different pathways of exposure. There has yet to be a systematic evaluation of how exposure to air toxins varies by these different measures, making it difficult to begin to theorize about the causal story linking segregation, pollution and health. This paper addresses this gap by examining how the health risk from industrial toxins varies by the 19 most commonly used segregation measures. Results show that, with the exception of two segregation measures, living in metro areas with relatively higher segregation levels, is associated with significantly greater health risk from industrial air toxins for all racial groups. Moreover, African-Americans in more segregated metro areas typically experience an added risk of exposure compared to non-Hispanic whites.
Occurrence of Gluconic Acid and 2-Hexenal in the Defensive Secretions of Three Species of Eurycotis (Blattaria: Blattidae: Polyzosteriinae)

The main constituents of an acidic, milky secretion from the sternal glands of both adult sexes of Eurycotis decipiens (Kirby) and E. biolleyi Rehn are water, gluconic acid in equilibrium with its lactones, and 2-hexenal. The defensive secretion of E. floridana (Walker), if aqueous, contains gluconic acid as well as 2-hexenal.
Critical Role of Screw Dislocation in the Growth of Co(OH)2 Nanowires as Intermediates for Co3O4 Nanowire Growth

In our prior studies, we reported the growth of Co3O4 nanowire arrays via the ammonia-evaporation-induced growth in solution and their promising applications in a Li-ion battery and oxygen evolution. Although we had identified that the growth of Co3O4 nanowire went through the β-Co(OH)2 intermediate, the growth mechanism of Co(OH)2 nanowire was still elusive. The problem seemed to be rooted in its layered brucite crystal structure, which was not previously known to grow one-dimensionally (1D) perpendicular to the layers. In this paper, we present our recent discovery that axial screw dislocation is responsible for such longitudinal growth. Through bright-field transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterizations, the screw dislocation was directly observed as a dark-contrasted line along Co(OH)2 nanowires. Emergent spiral growth steps provide active sites for immediate adsorption of incoming molecules, resulting in a fast spiral advance rate along the c-axis of the brucite crystal. This study shows a ...
Metabolism of an Organothiocyanate Allelochemical by Glutathione Transferase in Three Lepidopterous Insects

Glutathione transferase metabolism of the organothiocyanate allelochemical benzyl thiocyanate was studied in larvae of three lepidopterous species—the fall army worm (Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith)), cabbage looper ( Trichoplusia ni (Hubner)), and velvet bean caterpillar ( Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner)—using the midgut soluble fraction as the enzyme source. Glutathione transferase from all three species metabolized benzyl thiocyanate, with the cabbage looper being more active. Enzyme activity was inducible by dietary indole 3-acetonitrile, indole 3-carbinol, flavone, xanthotoxin, and benzyl thiocyanate. The insecticide Lethane 384 (2-(2-butoxyethoxy) ethyl thiocyanate) was also a substrate for the transferase in the fall army worm, but activity could only be detected after induction with indole 3-acetonitrile. Toxicity tests revealed that benzyl thiocyanate was acutely toxic to neonate larvae of the three lepidopterans; the velvet bean caterpillar was the most susceptible of the three.
A simplified method for sporangial production by Phytophthora cinnamomi.

(1975). A Simplified Method for Sporangial Production by Phytophthora Cinnamomi. Mycologia: Vol. 67, No. 6, pp. 1233-1234.
High Temperature Elastic Constants and the Evaluation of Effective Pair Potentials.

It is s hown by example that the predi cted temperature depe nde nce of the elasti c co nstants is a useful measur e of th e ability of an effective pair potential to estimate th e high temperatur e th ermal properti es of a metal. Our example is based on a mode l pair potential constructed for aluminum. This potential predi cts th e low temperature elastic co nstants and phonon di sper s ion relations with good accuracy (± a few pe rcent). The high temperature ela sti c constants for thi s mo de l potential are determined usi ng the Mo nt e Carlo method and are found to be a pproximate ly independe nt of temperatur e . Since th e elas ti c co nstants of aluminum are s tr ongl y decreasing functions of t emperature, thi s potential is seen to be a poor o ne for de termining th e properti es of aluminum. We conclude that th e te mperature dependence of th e elasti c co ns tants is a useful furth er tes t of p air pote nti als whi ch sati sfy th e lo w te mperatur e tests c urrently employed .
Revised growth charts for children.

In May, 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published revised growth charts for children. For the first time, the charts include body mass index (BMI) for children two to 20 years of age.
Patterns of Internet use by gastroenterologists in the management and education of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Aims To define the patterns of Internet use among physicians who treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and physicians' perceptions of their patients' Internet use. Methods An online survey about physician and patient use of the Internet was created and e-mailed to gastroenterologists nationwide. Surveys were distributed and collected via an online database and a subsequent statistical analysis was performed. Results Of the 1000 e-mail invitations sent to practicing gastroenterologists in the United States, 223 participants (22.3%) completed the survey. A total of 183 (82.1%) physicians reported using an Internet-based reference to assist them in deriving management strategies for their patients with IBD, with the most commonly utilized resource being UpToDate followed by PubMed and the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America Web site. Although nearly 80% of gastroenterologists believed that using the Internet helped them facilitate clinical discussions, 183 participants (82.1%) believed that inaccurate information found online could sometimes result in increased clinic time because physicians must spend more time dispelling misleading information. Conclusions Despite a study design biased toward selecting gastroenterologists who commonly used the Internet, we demonstrated that only 60% of the providers routinely refer their patients to the Internet. This underscores the fact that it is important to have a centralized "physician-certified" online resource to which physicians could readily refer their patients to navigate through various disease-specific resources without concern that their patients are receiving unreliable or misleading information.
Relationship between bile composition and gallstone formation in squirrel monkeys.

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) fed a commercial diet (group 1) do not develop gallstones and their gallbladder biles have low concentrations of cholesterol relative to bile acids and phospholipids. On the other hand, monkeys fed a semipurified diet containing corn oil and no cholesterol (group 2) occasionally had gallstones and a higher concentration of cholesterol. Monkeys on semipurified diets containing butter and cholesterol (group 3) had a high incidence of gallstones and very high concentrations of cholesterol relative to phospholipid and bile acids. The animals in group 3 with gallstones had higher cholesterol concentrations in bile than monkeys in that group without stones. The presence of gallstones in individuals was predicted from gallbladder bile compositions using any one of several indices of the maximum level of cholesterol that could be stabilized in micellar forms. Regardless of whether stones were present, concentrations of cholesterol relative to bile acids and phospholipids were higher in hepatic than in gallbladder bile. Gallbladder and hepatic biles of monkeys with gallstones and abnormal bile composition contained flat, rhomboid microscopic crystals. Occasionally, crystals as large as 500 p were in the gallbladder biles. Deoxycholic acid was present in relatively low concentrations in the biles of animals from group 1 and of those monkeys from group 3 that had gallstones, although deoxycholic and lithocholic acids predominated in the large intestine of all animals. The ratios of taurocholic to taurochenodeoxycholic acid in gallbladder biles were highest in the monkeys of group 3 with stones. The pool size of taurocholic acid and total bile acids were much higher in monkeys from group 1 than in the other monkeys.
User-Centric QoE-Driven Power and Rate Allocation for Multimedia Rebroadcasting in 5G Wireless Systems

Multimedia broadcasting applications become increasingly popular in future user-centric 5G networks. However, traditional multimedia data broadcasting scheme from the base station to devices is hard to satisfy the highly diversified Quality of Experience (QoE) requirement from users' perspectives. In this paper we propose a user-centric multimedia rebroadcasting scheme leveraging the device-to- device (D2D) communication model with strict energy constraint. Our method first optimizes the transmission energy of each rebroadcasting user device at physical layer, by taking modulation rate scaling under power limitation. Then we propose a cross-layer optimal method to improve the multimedia QoE for user applications by jointly considering the physical layer parameters and different channel information factors. The simulation results show the proposed rebroadcasting resource allocation approach achieves significant multimedia quality gain by allocating optimal transmission power and modulation rate under strict energy limitation. Performance gain of QoE is further enhanced when the differences of channel information between transmitting and receiving devices are available and leveraged.
Reassessing the Justifiability of the Criminalization of Prostitution in the United States of America

The Supreme Court of the United States has interpreted individual liberty as provided for in the Constitution to include certain intimate conduct, and upheld its protection from unwarranted government intrusions into private places, while observing that adults may choose to enter upon a personal relationship in the confines of their homes and their own private lives and still retain their dignity as free persons. The Supreme Court has further stated that the fact that the governing majority in a State has traditionally viewed a particular practice as immoral is not a sufficient reason for upholding a law prohibiting the practice. Nonetheless, prostitution remains a crime in most of the United States, with Nevada as the only state that allows some legal prostitution.This paper discusses the history of prostitution - specifically consensual adult female prostitution - in the United States and assesses the justifiability of the [continued] criminalization of prostitution in the United States. It analyzes whether the classification of prostitution as a crime is supported by any of the major theories of criminalization or legal punishment. The analysis is done in the specific context of the United States taking into account, inter alia, the history of prostitution in the United States and the place of morality in United States law. The analysis leads to the conclusion that neither the consequentialist nor the deontological and moralistic theories of criminalization and punishment support the continued criminalization of prostitution in the United States, and that there are therefore plausible arguments for decriminalization.There is a recognition, regardless of the conclusions on the justifiability of criminalization, that there are deep-seated convictions within sections of society that prostitution is immoral. While there are philosophical arguments both ways on whether prostitution is immoral, and whether morality should inform criminal law (debates that this paper gets into to some degree), the author ultimately take the position that these debates are not the most effective and efficient way to bridge the divide and resolve the problem. The solution, in the author's view, lies in striking a compromise. The author propose that it is possible to, on the one hand, respect the legitimate conviction held by a section of society that prostitution is morally wrong and still, on the other hand, attain general consensus on the need for reform to eradicate or at least reduce the negative effects of the blanket criminalization of prostitution.
A Dual Perturbation Approach for Differential Private ADMM-Based Distributed Empirical Risk Minimization

The rapid growth of data has raised the importance of privacy-preserving techniques in distributed machine learning. In this paper, we develop a privacy-preserving method to a class of regularized empirical risk minimization (ERM) machine learning problems. We first decentralize the learning algorithm using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), and propose the method of dual variable perturbation to provide dynamic differential privacy. The mechanism leads to a privacy-preserving algorithm under mild conditions of the convexity and differentiability of the loss function and the regularizer. We study the performance of the algorithm measured by the number of data points required to achieve a bounded error. To design an optimal privacy mechanism, we analyze the fundamental tradeoff between privacy and accuracy, and provide guidelines to choose privacy parameters. Numerical experiments using the real-world database are performed to corroborate the results on the privacy and utility tradeoffs and design.
Impact of iterative reconstructions on objective and subjective emphysema assessment with computed tomography: a prospective study.

To prospectively evaluate the impact of iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms on pulmonary emphysema assessment as compared to filtered back projection (FBP). One hundred ten unenhanced chest CT examinations were obtained on two different scanners. Image reconstructions from a single acquisition were done with different levels of IR and compared with FBP on the basis of the emphysema index (EI), lung volume and voxel densities. Objective emphysema assessment was performed with 3D software provided by each manufacturer. Subjective assessment of emphysema was performed as a blinded evaluation. Quantitative and subjective values were compared using repeated ANOVA analysis, Bland-Altman analysis and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W). Lung volumes are stable on both units, throughout all IR levels (P ≥ 0.057). EI significantly decreases on both units with the use of any level of IR (P < 0.001). The highest levels of IR are responsible for a decrease of 33-36 % of EI. Significant differences in minimal lung density are found between the different algorithms (P < 0.003). Intra- and inter-reader concordance for emphysema characterisation is generally good (W ≥ 0.77 and W ≥ 0.86, respectively). Both commercially available IR algorithms used in this study significantly changed EI but did not alter visual assessment compared to standard FBP reconstruction at identical radiation exposure. • Objective quantification of pulmonary emphysema is sensitive to iterative reconstructions • Subjective evaluation of pulmonary emphysema is not influenced by iterative reconstructions • Consistency in reconstruction algorithms is of paramount importance for pulmonary emphysema monitoring
Peripheral Immune System Adaptations and Motivation for Alcohol in Non-Dependent Problem Drinkers.

Background Increasing evidence suggests that levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines are dysfunctional in alcohol dependence. Moreover, some initial findings demonstrate that these adaptations in peripheral inflammation may contribute to motivation for alcohol and problem drinking via possible direct effects or the indirect effects of stress responsivity. Importantly, the role of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the progression from healthy to problem drinking is not well understood. The aim of this study was to assess whether alcohol-related peripheral immune system changes affect stress and alcohol cue-induced craving and anxiety and behavioral alcohol motivation and intake in the laboratory among problem drinkers compared with socially drinking controls. Methods Twenty-six problem drinkers and 38 moderate, social drinkers participated in a laboratory challenge procedure during which they were exposed to 3 personalized 5-minute imagery conditions (stress [S], relaxing [R], and alcohol cue [C]), followed by the “alcohol taste test” (ATT) as a measure of implicit alcohol motivation and intake, presented across 3 consecutive days, 1 per day in a randomized and counterbalanced order. Measures of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), alcohol craving, and anxiety were assessed at baseline, immediately following imagery exposure and at discreet beer cue presentation in the ATT. Results Compared with moderate drinkers, problem drinkers demonstrated tonic attenuation of IL-6 and IL-1ra. In problem drinkers, these changes also accompanied elevated levels of stress- and cue-induced alcohol craving and anxiety and were predictive of provoked alcohol craving, behavioral alcohol motivation and intake, and severity of problem drinking. Conclusions Current findings indicate that selective immunosuppression in problem drinkers may play a key role in motivation for alcohol intake.
Neuronal Cell Adhesion

Investigations in a variety of systems have shown that dissociated single cells will, under appropriate conditions, aggregate and, if maintained in culture, will morphologically differentiate to resemble the original organ or tissue (23, 33, 34). It can further be shown that in mixed aggregates of cells prepared from different organs (for example, neural retina and liver) there occurs cell segregation such that cells originally derived from the same organ attached to each other and separate from the cells derived from a different organ. The simplest explanation for this observation is that cells have a preferential or higher affinity for homologous cells, and if free to move within the aggregate, will rearrange so as to be adjacent to homologous rather than hetero-logous cells. This simple view is probably an oversimplification, because not only do cells migrate to be adjacent to homologous cells, but they also take up characteristic positions within the aggregate which cannot be explained simply by differential affinities (33).
Quantum simulation of topologically protected states using directionally unbiased linear-optical multiports

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation EFRI-ACQUIRE Grant No. ECCS-1640968, NSF Grant No. ECCS-1309209, and by the Northrop Grumman NG Next. (ECCS-1640968 - National Science Foundation EFRI-ACQUIRE; ECCS-1309209 - NSF; Northrop Grumman)
Rural/Urban Disparities in Adolescent Nonfatal Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempt: A Population‐Based Study

Adolescent suicide rates exhibit stark geographic disparities, with rates highest in rural areas. The causes of this disparity remain unclear. We investigated whether adolescent nonfatal suicidal ideation and attempt-leading risk factors for suicide-demonstrate the same rural/urban disparity. Using adolescent data from the 2011-2014 waves of the population-representative California Health Interview Survey (CHIS; N = 4,616), we estimated associations between residence in a rural area and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt, as well as access to psychological care. Survey-weighted logistic regression models controlled for individual- and family-level covariates. Results showed that rural adolescents were, compared to urban adolescents, substantially less likely to report recent suicidal ideation (OR = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.10, 0.61) and suicide attempt (OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.66). Suicidal youths in rural and urban areas were equally likely, however, to report receiving psychological care. In this study, rural adolescents in California reported lower rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior compared to urban peers. This pattern contrasts with rates of adolescent suicide fatality, which are higher in rural areas. Results suggest that reducing geographic disparities in youth suicide may require multifaceted public health approaches, in addition to better identification and treatment for high-risk adolescents.
Peroxidase versus Peroxygenase Activity: Substrate Substituent Effects as Modulators of Enzyme Function in the Multifunctional Catalytic Globin Dehaloperoxidase

The dehaloperoxidase-hemoglobin (DHP) from the terebellid polychaete Amphitrite ornata is a multifunctional hemoprotein that catalyzes the oxidation of a wide variety of substrates, including halo/nitrophenols, haloindoles, and pyrroles, via peroxidase and/or peroxygenase mechanisms. To probe whether substrate substituent effects can modulate enzyme activity in DHP, we investigated its reactiviy against a panel of o-guaiacol substrates given their presence (from native/halogenated and non-native/anthropogenic sources) in the benthic environment that A. ornata inhabits. Using biochemical assays supported by spectroscopic, spectrometric, and structural studies, DHP was found to catalyze the H2O2-dependent oxidative dehalogenation of 4-haloguaiacols (F, Cl, and Br) to 2-methoxybenzoquinone (2-MeOBQ). 18O labeling studies confirmed that O atom incorporation was derived exclusively from water, consistent with substrate oxidation via a peroxidase-based mechanism. The 2-MeOBQ product further reduced DHP to its o...
Japan’s War in China

If I were asked to sum up in one sentence the present conditions in my country, I would not hesitate to say that China is literally bleeding to death.
The effect of imperceptible Gaussian tendon vibration on the Hoffmann reflex.

Abstract Imperceptible vibratory Gaussian noise stimulation to the periphery is frequently being applied to humans to enhance motor performance. It is commonly theorized that this stimulation creates a Stochastic Resonance-like effect across both sensory and motor systems, but this idea has no empirical support. In contrast, there is substantial work showing that tendon vibration can be both excitatory and inhibitory on the lower motor neuron output. In this work, we demonstrate that delivery of imperceptible vibratory Gaussian noise stimulation to the wrist flexor tendons results in a 27% increase in excitability of the lower motor neuron pool in the median nerve, as evidenced by changes in the Hoffmann reflex. We argue that the well-documented tonic vibration reflex is a sufficient mechanistic explanation for the behavioral changes observed during the introduction of vibratory noise stimulation.
Upstaging of melanoma in situ and lentigo maligna treated with Mohs micrographic surgery rarely results in additional surgical management.

As Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is more widely utilized for melanoma in situ (MIS) and lentigo maligna (LM), there is increasing concern over whether the procedure can negatively affect the treatment of upstaged tumors. Previous studies have shown that about 1–2% of MIS/LM treated with MMS require sentinel lymph node biopsy, but little is still known regarding surgical outcomes. We performed a retrospective chart review of 117 MIS/LM lesions treated with MMS at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. We found a low rate of tumor upstaging (8.5% or 10/117), and only 1.7% (2/117) required wide local excision and sentinel lymph node biopsy. In both patients, there was successful location of the sentinel nodes by surgical oncologists. This study highlights the low risk of MIS/LM upstaging, with the majority changing to T1a, and the low need for further surgical management after MMS. Collaboration with other surgical specialties ensures appropriate management of patients with upstaged tumors.
Education on the Social Determinants of Mental Health in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowships

This article describes survey results from child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) fellowship program directors regarding attitudes of their programs’ capacity to effectively educate fellows on the social determinants of mental health and program directors’ perceived importance of doing so. A survey asking about six topics within the social determinants of mental health was disseminated to all CAP program directors with email addresses found in the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA) (n = 134). Data were exported using the Qualtrics survey platform. Fifty-three program directors (40%) responded to the survey. Overall, 98% of program directors felt education on the social determinants of mental health was “essential” for fellowship training, but there were significant differences in perceived relative importance and effectiveness of education provided across topics. Familial factors were rated as significantly more important than structural, historical, and economic factors. Structural and historical factors were viewed as being taught less effectively than other factors. Educational, structural, and historical factors and neighborhood factors were allotted significantly less instructional time than familial factors. While there is near-universal consensus that social determinants of mental health education are critical for fellowship training, program directors feel that social determinants of mental health topics differ in importance and are taught at varying levels of effectiveness. These findings highlight the need for intra-institutional and or inter-institutional collaboration for social determinants of mental health educational content development if CAP programs are to prepare trainees to best serve their most vulnerable patients.
Wireless Threats and Key Management Issues

Secure routing in wireless sensor networks and secure key management for mobility in non-cellular wireless and mobile networks are discussed in the light of threats that have to be addressed by networks connected to the mobile Internet. Current solutions involve large computation and communication overhead in the calculation of trust levels, expected outcomes or behaviors, and key handovers which compromise confidentiality and availability. These problems further motivate the need for a more efficient and flexible trust model that reflects human social interaction. A virtue-based trust model can be used to support the cooperation and collaboration required between network nodes in local information sharing schemes to securely route packets and distribute secret keys to target networks. In addition to protecting source and location confidentiality, such schemes can help ensure availability through energy-efficient information diffusion techniques.
Circadian metric variability measures for tunable LED light sources

Circadian metrics quantify the non-image forming effects of light. Circadian metrics are based on the spectral power distribution (SPD) and intensity of a light source and human visual and non-image forming response to optical radiation. However, circadian metrics can only estimate static SPDs. Multi-primary LED systems generate a vast number of SPD combinations. A single metric cannot characterize the metric variation enabled by tunable solid-state lighting devices. There are no known metrics to quantify the capabilities of tunable lighting systems in terms of circadian metrics. A three-dimensional metric is proposed to quantify the variability in circadian metrics. The dimensions of the proposed circadian metric variability (CMV) are (a) a circadian metric, (b) energy efficiency metric, and (c) a lighting quality metric. Sample CMV measures are provided by generating SPDs in a seven-channel tunable lighting system at 20% dimming steps. Resulting in 279,936 test SPD combinations are filtered for nominal “whiteness” according to ANSI C78.377-2017 specifications. Each dimension of CMV is discretized by rounding the metric to significant figures. Each discretized unit of the CMV space can be considered significant or detectable different. The total volume of CMV represents the number of unique SPDs that can be created within a multi-primary LED system. A graphical representation of CMV shows the interrelation between different measures. CMV quantifies variation at the product level rather than in-situ variability of biological stimuli.
Exploiting Causal Structure for Robust Model Selection in Unsupervised Domain Adaptation

In many real-world settings, such as healthcare, machine learning models are trained and validated on one labeled domain and tested or deployed on another where feature distributions differ, i.e., there is covariate shift. When annotations are costly or prohibitive, an unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) regime can be leveraged requiring only unlabeled samples in the target domain. Existing UDA methods are unable to factor in a model's predictive loss based on predictions in the target domain and therefore suboptimally leverage density ratios of only the input covariates in each domain. In this work we propose a model selection method for leveraging model predictions on a target domain without labels by exploiting the domain invariance of causal structure. We assume or learn a causal graph from the source domain, and select models that produce predicted distributions in the target domain that have the highest likelihood of fitting our causal graph. We thoroughly analyze our method under oracle knowledge using synthetic data. We then show on several real-world datasets, including several COVID-19 examples, that our method is able to improve on the state-of-the-art UDA algorithms for model selection.
Assessing escalator pedestrian traffic dynamics amid COVID-19 pandemic using hybrid simulation

Pedestrian behaviour in urban spaces has abruptly changed amidst the COVID-19 pandemic due to government-issued restrictions such as social distancing. It is unclear whether pedestrian behaviour wi...