cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Keeping the illusion of control under control: Ceilings, floors, and imperfect calibration

Prior research has claimed that people exaggerate probabilities of success by overestimating personal control in situations that are heavily or completely chance-determined. We examine whether such overestimation of control persists in situations where people do have control. Our results suggest a simple model that accounts for prior findings on illusory control as well as for situations where actual control is high: People make imperfect estimates of their level of control. By focusing on situations marked by low control, prior research has created the illusion that people generally overestimate their level of control. Across three studies, we show that when they have a great deal of control, people under-estimate it. Implications for research on perceived control and co-variation assessment are discussed.
iPod-based in-home system for monitoring gaze-stabilization exercise compliance of individuals with vestibular hypofunction

Background: In the physical therapy setting, physical therapists (PTs) often prescribe exercises for their clients to perform at home. However, it is difficult for PTs to obtain information about their clients’ compliance with the prescribed exercises, the quality of performance and symptom magnitude. We present an iPod-based system for capturing this information from individuals with vestibular hypofunction while they perform gaze stabilization exercises at home. Method: The system’s accuracy for measurement of rotational velocity against an independent motion tracker was validated. Then a seven day in-home trial was conducted with 10 individuals to assess the feasibility of implementing the system. Compliance was measured by comparing the recorded frequency and duration of the exercises with the exercise prescription. The velocity and range of motion of head movements was recorded in the pitch and yaw planes. The system also recorded dizziness severity before and after each exercise was performed. Each patient was interviewed briefly after the trial to ascertain ease of use. In addition, an interview was performed with PTs in order to assess how the information would be utilized. Results: The correlation of the velocity measurements between the iPod-based system and the motion tracker was 0.99. Half of the subjects were under-compliant with the prescribed exercises. The average head velocity during performance was 140 deg/s in the yaw plane and 101 deg/s in the pitch plane. Conclusions: The iPod-based system was able to be used in-home. Interviews with PTs suggest that the quantitative data from the system will be valuable for assisting PTs in understanding exercise performance of patients, documenting progress, making treatment decisions, and communicating patient status to other PTs.
A Sociodemographic Analysis of Preventive Dental Behavior among White American Families

Data collected from a national family dental survey were used to study the relationships between the sociodemographic characteristics and the preventive dental behavior of wives, husbands, and children. A canonical correlational analysis showed that preventive dental be havior of family members including toothbrushing, flossing, and preventive dental visits, sig nificantly correlated with sociodemographic characteristics (level of education, income, occu pation, population density, age, family size, and presence of children). The relationships studied accounted for 11-15% of the variance in the preventive dental behavior of family members. However, the patterns of correlation for different family members varied. The extent of the effects of various sociodemographic variables on preventive dental behavior were not uniform and the degrees of responsiveness of toothbrushing, flossing, and dental visits to the influence of sociodemographic characteristics were also different. The results of the study are comp...
ALOHA/slotted-CSMA protocol for a very high-speed optical fiber local area network using passive star topology

A protocol for a multiuser very high-speed optical data network based on a passive star topology is presented and analyzed. The users' traffic is assumed to be bursty as in the case of computer communications. Tunable transmitters and receivers which are capable of tuning to N+1 relatively stable wavelengths are required to be cross-connected via a passive optical star coupler to the other users of the network. One of the N+1 wavelengths is used to provide the switching information to the receivers and the others are used for actual data transmission. The protocol employs the pure ALOHA random access scheme on the control channel and the slotted-CSMA (carrier sense multiple access). Numerical results for different values of wavelength number, propagation delay time and data packet length show that for large ratios of the length of a data packet to a control packet and for heavy traffic conditions, the protocol achieves a higher throughput and causes much less delay. >
Channel regulation of glucose sensing in the pancreatic β-cell

Mammalian β-cells are acutely and chronically regulated by sensing surrounding glucose levels that determine the rate at which insulin is secreted, to maintain euglycemia. Experimental research in vitro and in vivo has shown that, when these cells are exposed to adverse conditions like long periods of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, their capability to sense glucose is decreased. Understanding the normal physiology and identifying the main players along this route becomes paramount. In this review, we have taken on the task of looking at the role that ion channels play in the regulation of this process, delineating the different families, and describing the signaling that parallels the glucose sensing process that results in insulin release.
Multilevel modular decomposition for multistate systems

A multilevel modular decomposition method along with a judgement of cumulative efficiency for s-coherent multistate systems is presented as an extension of modular decomposition. The concept of state tree analysis (STA), generalized module, and modular decomposition are introduced. The cumulative efficiency index of this method is developed and is found to be satisfactory. The method is comprehensive, applicable and easy to use by professionals in engineering to compute and analyze reliability of complex s-coherent multistate systems. A hypothetical airborne radar system is used as a case study to illustrate, step-by-step, the multilevel modular decomposition approach. The results are compared with the binary model. >
The benefits of knowing what you know (and what you don’t): How calibration affects credibility

People tend to believe, and take advice from, informants who are highly confident. However, people use more than a mere ‘‘confidence heuristic.” We believe that confidence is influential because—in the absence of other information—people assume it is a valid cue to an informant’s likelihood of being correct. However, when people get evidence about an informant’s calibration (i.e., her confidence–accuracy relationship) they override reliance on confidence or accuracy alone. Two experiments in which participants choose between two opposing witnesses to a car accident show that neither confidence nor accuracy alone explains judgments of credibility; rather, whether a person is seen as credible ultimately depends on whether the person demonstrates good calibration. Credibility depends on whether sources were justified in believing what they believed.
B16F0 melanoma exosomes deliver a unique and complex biological payload that includes Ptpn11 to suppress T lymphocyte function

Meeting abstracts Host immunity is coordinated through a complex network of intercellular communication. Similar to the sculpting of tumor antigens during oncogenesis, a related hypothesis is that proteins secreted by malignant cells are shaped by somatic evolution. Malignant cells that then emerge
Commerciality and Fair Use

Congress adopted the common law doctrine of fair use as Section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act. A court’s determination of fair use under Section 107 is on a case-by-case basis. In its analysis, a court considers and weighs all of the nonexclusive four factors listed in Section 107. The first factor is a critical part of overall fair use analysis. This factor addresses “the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.”The purpose of this article is to review and reflect on the reference to “a commercial nature” in the phrase “including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes.” The article traces and assesses how courts have considered commerciality from the initial inclusion of the wording in Section 107 through recent cases applying “transformative” use analysis.
Dietary folate, B vitamins, genetic susceptibility and progression to advanced nonexudative age-related macular degeneration with geographic atrophy: a prospective cohort study

Background There is growing evidence of the importance of nutrition in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but few studies have explored associations with folate and B vitamins. No effective therapeutic strategy for geographic atrophy (GA) is available, and prevention could be of great value. Objective We investigated associations between dietary folate, B vitamins, and progression to GA and whether these associations might be modified by genetic susceptibility. Design Among 2525 subjects (4663 eyes) in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study, 405 subjects (528 eyes) progressed to GA over 13 y. Folate and B vitamins were log transformed and calorie adjusted separately for men and women. Ten loci in 7 AMD genes [complement factor H, age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2/high-temperature requirement A serine peptidase 1, complement component 2, complement component 3, complement factor B, collagen type VIII α 1, and RAD51 paralog B] were examined. Survival analysis was used to assess associations between incident GA and dietary intake of folate and B vitamins. Interaction effects between these nutrients and genetic variation on AMD risk were also evaluated. Subjects with at least one eye free of advanced AMD at baseline were included in these analyses. Results There was a reduced risk of progression to GA with increasing intake of thiamin, riboflavin, and folate after adjusting for age, sex, and total energy intake (P-trend = 0.01, 0.03, and 0.001, respectively). After adjustment for demographic, behavioral, ocular, and genetic covariates, trends remained statistically significant for folate (P-trend = 0.007) and were borderline for thiamin (P-trend = 0.05). Riboflavin did not retain statistical significance (P-trend = 0.20). Folate was significantly associated with lower risk of incident GA among subjects homozygous for the complement component 3 (C3) R102G rs2230199 nonrisk genotype (CC) (HR = 0.43; 95% CI: 0.27, 0.70; P = 0.0005) but not subjects carrying the risk allele (G) (P = 0.76). Neither folate nor any B vitamin was significantly associated with neovascular AMD. Conclusions High folate intake was associated with a reduced risk of progression to GA. This relation could be modified by genetic susceptibility, particularly related to the C3 genotype. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00594672.
Continuous Cultivation of Cells Arising from Human Case of Glioblastoma Multiforme (Glioma T.C. 178).

SummaryA line of tissue culture cells originally arising from a histologically verified human case of glioblastoma multiforme has been propagated in continuous subcultures for approximately 2 years. Morphological characteristics and preliminary observations concerning susceptibility of these cells to viruses are given. Rate of growth was measured by nuclei count and total protein determination and was compared with rate of growth of HeLa cells under identical conditions.
An Unusual Cause of Bilateral Mental Neuropathy in an AIDS Patient

A case is reported of a patient with sudden onset, generalized toothache accompanied with a numb chin and lower lip. A thorough oral examination was negative. A complete medical evaluation revealed a positive HTLV-III antibody titer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Burkitt's-type). An unexplained trigeminal neuropathy should prompt the dentist to refer the patient for complete medical evaluation. A high index of suspicion of a malignant process should be maintained in all cases of unexplained numb lower lip and/or chin.
Trademark Strategy Revisited

A sweeping change in trademark law has created benefits and pitfalls for marketing decision makers; recent court decisions on trademarks have had similar impact. Marketing managers should become fa...
Parity, Follicular Development, and Sugar Feeding in Culicoides melleus and C. hollensis

Vertebrate-host-seeking Culicoides melleus and C. hollensis were captured from 0930 to 2030 h in salt marshes and woodlands, dissected to determine stage of follicle development and panty, and were analyzed by an anthrone test for nectar sugars. Of the total 1,783 midges examined, 99.3% had completed the first gonotrophic cycle More than 65% of 1,022 C. melleus and 61% of 743 C. hollensis had stage I follicles. The remainder had stages I-II or stage II terminal follicles. The predominance of parous midges suggests autogeny in the first ovarian cycle. Anthrone tests detected fructose or sucrose in 66% of 1,078 C. melleus and in 64% of 773 C. hollensis ; sugar positivity approached or exceeded 50% for each species regardless of diel period or sampling site. Although definitive diurnal patterns of sugar presence were indiscernible, it is believed that these carbohydrates are important dietary supplements and are probably the chief energy sources for flight and maintenance activities.
“Instigating Women” and Initiation in Postmodern Male Identity: Women Mentoring Men in Michael Dorris's Short Fiction:

Two short stories from Working Men by the American fiction writer Michael Dorris enact romantic heterosexual relationships in which a woman becomes the mentor who helps carry a man stuck in delayed adolescence into initiated manhood. Dorris's stories update and make accessible the mythical and magical elements that Robert Bly has described in his Iron John as being able to renew a man stuck in his boyhood woundedness. Where Bly discusses the female mentor for men in terms of “meeting the god woman” and the wild woman guarding a sacred pond, Dorris fleshes out his female guides in the form of what Bly calls “instigating wom[en],” contemporary women who possess a certain wisdom. These women play a life-transforming role in establishing a more mature, differentiated identity in men.
Suppression of basal luteinizing hormone concentrations by melatonin in postmenopausal women

Une perfusion continue de melatonine diminue de facon significative les taux permatiques de LH chez des femmes menopausees. Cette experience plaide en faveur d'un effet antigonadotrope de la melatonine
Inseverability Clauses in Statutes

When holding a statutory provision unconstitutional, a court must determine whether to sever the defective provision or to invalidate the entire statute. In order to guide courts, lawmakers often include a severability clause' in legislation. The clause instructs a court that has held portions of a statute invalid to sever the invalid statutory provisions from the rest of the statute and to allow the statute's valid sections to remain operative.2 Less frequently, a statute will include an inseverability clause3 that invalidates an entire statute (or section of a statute) should a provision be held invalid.4 In part because severability clauses have become boilerplate, these clauses have had little effect on courts making severability determinations. Despite the explicit statutory language in severability and inseverability clauses, courts all but ignore the clauses and apply their own tests and presumptions to determine severability.5
Deep Sequencing Reveals Novel Genetic Variants in Children with Acute Liver Failure and Tissue Evidence of Impaired Energy Metabolism.

Background & Aims The etiology of acute liver failure (ALF) remains elusive in almost half of affected children. We hypothesized that inherited mitochondrial and fatty acid oxidation disorders were occult etiological factors in patients with idiopathic ALF and impaired energy metabolism. Methods Twelve patients with elevated blood molar lactate/pyruvate ratio and indeterminate etiology were selected from a retrospective cohort of 74 subjects with ALF because their fixed and frozen liver samples were available for histological, ultrastructural, molecular and biochemical analysis. Results A customized next-generation sequencing panel for 26 genes associated with mitochondrial and fatty acid oxidation defects revealed mutations and sequence variants in five subjects. Variants involved the genes ACAD9, POLG, POLG2, DGUOK, and RRM2B; the latter not previously reported in subjects with ALF. The explanted livers of the patients with heterozygous, truncating insertion mutations in RRM2B showed patchy micro- and macrovesicular steatosis, decreased mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content <30% of controls, and reduced respiratory chain complex activity; both patients had good post-transplant outcome. One infant with severe lactic acidosis was found to carry two heterozygous variants in ACAD9, which was associated with isolated complex I deficiency and diffuse hypergranular hepatocytes. The two subjects with heterozygous variants of unknown clinical significance in POLG and DGUOK developed ALF following drug exposure. Their hepatocytes displayed abnormal mitochondria by electron microscopy. Conclusion Targeted next generation sequencing and correlation with histological, ultrastructural and functional studies on liver tissue in children with elevated lactate/pyruvate ratio expand the spectrum of genes associated with pediatric ALF.
Adding tests to risk based guidelines: evaluating improvements in prediction for an intermediate risk group

Using an additional test in patients who are not at high enough risk of developing disease to confidently treat, or low enough risk to confidently not treat would seem to be a straightforward way to resolve the clinical equipoise and is recommended by many guidelines. However, clear methods for evaluating the population utility of additional tests in this group have not been established. This paper includes worked examples and simulation data to show that focus on the intermediate risk group alone can be misleading and that population utility is best evaluated across the full range of risk.
The State of Cell Blocks and Ancillary Testing: Past, Present, and Future

Cell blocks are an integral part of cytology, but their utility is recognized probably more now than ever before, largely owing to the significant role they play in ancillary testing, particularly molecular diagnostics. Modifications to improve the cell block method initially introduced more than a century ago have been made over the years. Though their value is acknowledged and they are widely used across laboratories, cell block preparations are not standardized and results of ancillary testing performed on them are inconsistent. This article reviews the state of cell blocks-summarizes the more common, currently available and used methods and their corresponding advantages and shortcomings, outlines the role of alternative techniques (eg, smears), and proposes methods to optimize results.
CDMA reverse link capacity with antenna arrays in a multipath fading environment

In this paper, reverse link capacity of a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) based power-controlled direct-sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) system, with the use of an antenna array and a RAKE receiver in a multiple cell environment, is investigated. Both transmit and receive beamforming in the reverse link are considered. Instead of using tedious iterative methods, reverse link user capacity represented by a simple closed-form expression is derived, which relates to the number of antennas, the number of RAKE receiver fingers, a target SIR, and the processing gain. The most efficient distribution of antenna elements between the base stations and the mobile stations to maximize the user capacity is observed through the numerical results, which also show significant capacity improvement by increasing the number of the antennas and RAKE receiver fingers.
Probing Single Helicase Dynamics on Long Nucleic Acids Through Fluorescence-Force Measurement

Helicases are nucleic acid-dependent ATPases which can bind and remodel nucleic acids, protein-nucleic acid complexes, or both. They are involved in almost every step in cells related to nucleic acid metabolisms, including DNA replication and repair, transcription, RNA maturation and splicing, and nuclear export processes. Using single-molecule fluorescence-force spectroscopy, we have previously directly observed helicase translocation on long single-stranded DNA and revealed that two monomers of UvrD helicase are required for the initiation of unwinding function. Here, we present the details of fluorescence-force spectroscopy instrumentation, calibration, and activity assays in detail for observing the biochemical activities of helicases in real time and revealing how mechanical forces are involved in protein-nucleic acid interaction. These single-molecule approaches are generally applicable to many other protein-nucleic acid systems.
B-Cell Receptor Signaling Suppresses TAp63-Induced Apoptosis Via PI3-K/mTOR Pathway and Upregulation of MiR-21 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Abstract 562 p63, an ancestral homolog of p53, encodes two major variants that have variable expression and context-specific functions in malignant tissues. We and others have shown that N-terminally truncated ΔNp63 promotes tumor growth in carcinomas. Meanwhile, the full-length TAp63 variant, which predominates in lymphoid malignancies, is anti-oncogenic in solid tumor models, where it mediates Ras-induced cellular senescence, suppresses anchorage-independent growth, and induces apoptosis. In hepatoma cells, TAp63 activates both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways and enhances chemosensitivity. CLL clonal B cells have a low proliferative potential and disrupted apoptotic mechanism as a result of intrinsic defects and interaction with the microenvironment. At the crossroads of those pathways, the B-cell receptor (BCR) serves as a key survival molecule in CLL. Little is known about whether p63 regulates B-cell survival in CLL. Here we sought to investigate the role of TAp63 in regulation of apoptosis in CLL B cells and lymphoma cell lines and determined whether B-cell receptor signaling modulates p63. Forty-eight patients with B-CLL were enrolled in this study. CLL B cells were isolated from peripheral blood using standard Ficoll-Hypaque technique and co-cultured with M210B4 murine stroma cell line layers in RPMI supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum (FBS). B-cell lymphoma cell lines Daudi, DOHH, Raji, OCI-LY3, OCI-LY19, SU DHL-4 and SUDHL-10 were maintained in RPMI with 10% FBS. CLL B cells and Raji cells were transfected with TAp63α expression vector or with siRNAs targeting p63 or miR-21 using Lonza Nucleofector with B-cell nucleofection solution (CLL B cells) and Solution V (Raji cells). Apoptosis was quantified by means of Annexin V/7-AAD staining and flow cytometry. B-cell receptor was engaged with 5 mg/mL (Raji cells) or 10 mg/mL IgM (CLL B cells). Expression of p63 and miR-21 was evaluated by immunoblotting and real-time RT-PCR. Median age of patients was 63 years. Median follow up was 3 years. Most patients presented in Rai stage 0–1 (80%). TAp63α was the predominantly expressed p63 variant in CLL cells and 7 lymphoma cell lines. Compared with normal B cells, TAp63 mRNA transcript levels were low in 28 CLL patient samples (using an arbitrary cutoff of TAp63α is the predominantly expressed p63 variant in the peripheral blood CLL cells and B-cell lymphoma cell lines, where it modulates the apoptosis program. BCR signaling repressed TAp63α via PI-3K/mTOR pathway and via upregulation of miR-21. This may be particularly relevant in U-CLL, where baseline p63 levels were higher. These data provide additional insights and rationale for targeting the BCR pathway and miR-21 in CLL and lymphoma. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Defining and Diagnosing Sepsis

Sepsis is a heterogeneous clinical syndrome that encompasses infections of many different types and severity. Not surprisingly, it has confounded most attempts to apply a single definition, which has also limited the ability to develop a set of reliable diagnostic criteria. It is perhaps best defined as the different clinical syndromes produced by an immune response to infection that causes harm to the body beyond that of the local effects of the infection.
A Multicore Path to Connectomics-on-Demand

The current design trend in large scale machine learning is to use distributed clusters of CPUs and GPUs with MapReduce-style programming. Some have been led to believe that this type of horizontal scaling can reduce or even eliminate the need for traditional algorithm development, careful parallelization, and performance engineering. This paper is a case study showing the contrary: that the benefits of algorithms, parallelization, and performance engineering, can sometimes be so vast that it is possible to solve "cluster-scale" problems on a single commodity multicore machine. Connectomics is an emerging area of neurobiology that uses cutting edge machine learning and image processing to extract brain connectivity graphs from electron microscopy images. It has long been assumed that the processing of connectomics data will require mass storage, farms of CPU/GPUs, and will take months (if not years) of processing time. We present a high-throughput connectomics-on-demand system that runs on a multicore machine with less than 100 cores and extracts connectomes at the terabyte per hour pace of modern electron microscopes.
Medicaid Waivers Targeting Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Reduce The Need For Parents To Stop Working

Several states have passed Medicaid home and community-based services waivers that expand eligibility criteria and available services for children with autism spectrum disorder. Although previous research has shown considerable variation in these waivers, little is known about the programs' impact on parents' workforce participation. We used nationally representative survey data combined with detailed information on state Medicaid waiver programs to determine the effects of waivers on whether parents of children with autism spectrum disorder had to stop working because of the child's condition. Increases in the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver cost limit and enrollment limit significantly reduced the likelihood that a parent had to stop working, although the results varied considerably by household income level. These findings suggest that the Medicaid waivers are effective policies to address the care-related needs of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Pope Francis and American Economics

Reaction among conservatives to Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium has most often been negative. Ross Douthat, however, in his 2013 New York Times op-ed, has offered a more nuanced critique. Our four Roundtable authors respond to Douthat's implied invitation to a discussion by responding from the viewpoint of Catholic social thought.
Equine ovarian tissue viability after cryopreservation and in vitro culture

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation allows the preservation of the female fertility potential for an undetermined period. The objectives of this study were to compare the efficiency of cryoprotective agents (CPAs; dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO; ethylene glycol, EG; and propylene glycol, PROH) using slow-freezing and vitrification methods, and evaluate the viability of cryopreserved equine ovarian tissue after 7 days of culture. Fresh and cryopreserved ovarian fragments were evaluated for preantral follicle morphology, stromal cell density, EGFR, Ki-67, Bax, and Bcl-2 protein expression, and DNA fragmentation. Vitrification with EG had the highest rate of morphologically normal preantral follicles, while DMSO had the lowest (76.1 ± 6.1% and 40.9 ± 14.8%, respectively; P 0.05) among treatments after thawing. After in vitro culture, the percentage of normal follicles was similar (P > 0.05) between slow-freezing and vitrification methods; however, vitrification had greater (P < 0.05) stromal cell density than slow-freezing. In summary, equine ovarian tissue was successfully cryopreserved, increasing the viability of the cells in the ovarian tissue after thawing when using DMSO and EG for slow-freezing and vitrification methods, respectively. Therefore, these results are relevant for fertility preservation programs.
A finite-strain homogenization model for viscoplastic porous single crystals: II – Applications

Abstract In part I of this work (Song and Ponte Castaneda, 2017a), a new homogenization-based constitutive model was developed for the finite-strain, macroscopic response of porous viscoplastic single crystals. In this second part, the new model is first used to investigate the instantaneous response and the evolution of the microstructure for porous FCC single crystals for a wide range of loading conditions. The loading orientation, Lode angle and stress triaxiality are found to have significant effects on the evolution of porosity and average void shape, which play crucial roles in determining the overall hardening/softening behavior of porous single crystals. The predictions of the model are found to be in fairly good agreement with numerical simulations available from the literature for all loadings considered, especially for low triaxiality conditions. The model is then used to investigate the strong effect of crystal anisotropy on the instantaneous response and the evolution of the microstructure for porous HCP single crystals. For uniaxial tension and compression, the overall hardening/softening behavior of porous HCP crystals is found to be controlled mostly by the evolution of void shape, and not so much by the evolution of porosity. In particular, porous HCP crystals exhibit overall hardening behavior with increasing porosity, while they exhibit overall softening behavior with decreasing porosity. This interesting behavior is consistent with corresponding results for porous FCC crystals, but is found to be more significant for porous HCP crystals with large anisotropy, such as porous ice, where the non-basal slip systems are much harder than the basal systems.
Epidemiology of antifungal resistance in human pathogenic yeasts: current viewpoint and practical recommendations for management

In this review, we describe the epidemiology and clinical significance of resistance in Candida spp. and other non-Cryptococcus yeasts. The rise in echinocandin resistance, azole resistance and cross-resistance to two or more antifungal classes [multidrug resistance (MDR)] has been a worrisome trend, mainly in US large tertiary and oncology centres, particularly as it relates to Candida glabrata. Candida kefyr is also a concern as it can be resistant to echinocandins and polyenes, especially in patients with haematological malignancies. Lately, Candida auris has drawn a lot of attention: this uncommon Candida spp. is the first globally emerging fungal pathogen that exhibits MDR and strong potential for nosocomial transmission. Its almost simultaneous spread in four continents could be indicative of increasing selection pressures from the use of antifungal agents. Echinocandin non-susceptibility is also common among non-Candida, non-Cryptococcus yeasts. As Candida resistance patterns reflect, in part, institutional practices of antifungal administration, the benefits of antifungal stewardship protocols are increasingly recognised and endorsed in recent guidelines. Development of rapid diagnostic methods for detecting or ruling out the presence of candidaemia and antifungal resistance, as well as discovery of novel antifungals, are key priorities in medical mycology research.
Molecular targets involved in the antiangiogenic activity of a polytherbal chemopreventive agent brahma rasayana

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005 5875 The current therapy for prostate cancer includes radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy and hormonal ablation. Chemotherapy also provides beneficiary results for some patients with advanced prostate cancer but with several harmful side effects. Hence there is a need to identify and develop alternate therapies, which can reduce the disease progression with minimal or few side effects. Earlier studies from our laboratory have shown a Polyherbal mixture, Brahma rasayna (BR) rich in anti-oxidant principles has a potential to be an anti-tumor agent. BR treatment of MAT-LyLu cell inoculated Copenhagen rats resulted in a decrease of palpable tumor incidence, delay in tumor occurrence and lower mean tumor volumes. Also a significant reduction in tumor weight and lung metastasis was observed in rasayana treated animals in comparison to untreated controls. As we observed a reduction in tumor volume and metastasis, we focused our present study to examine the effect of BR on angiogenesis and regulation of molecular markers involved in angiogenesis. Analysis included estimation of micro vessel density by Factor VIII staining and expression of angiogenic regulators such as VEGF, MMP-9 and MMP-2 by Western blotting and zymograms, in tumor tissues from rasayana treated and untreated animals. We also conducted in vitro angiogenesis assays to study the effect of BR on cell migration, invasion and differentiation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). BR treatment showed a significant reduction in Factor VIII expression compared to control indicating reduced angiogenesis. BR treated tumor specimens showed a decrease in the proangiogenic factors like VEGF, MMP-9 and MMP-2. Methanolic extract of BR was found to inhibit the proliferation, tube formation, cell migration and attachment of HUVEC on matrigel in a dose dependant manner. These findings suggest the possible mechanism(s) of action of Brahma rasayana in the reduction of tumor growth and metastatic spread.
Correlation Between Contrast Time-Density Time on Digital Subtraction Angiography and Flow: An in Vitro Study.

Background and Purpose Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) provides an excellent anatomic characterization of cerebral vasculature, but hemodynamic assessment is often qualitative and subjective. Various clinical algorithms have been produced to semiquantify flow from the data obtained from DSA, but few have tested them against reliable flow values. Methods An arched flow model was created and injected with contrast material. Seventeen injections were acquired in anterior–posterior and lateral DSA projections, and 4 injections were acquired in oblique projection. Image intensity change over the angiogram cycle of each DSA run was analyzed through a custom MATLAB code. Time–density plots obtained were divided into 3 components (time–density times, TDTs): TDT10%-100% (time needed for contrast material to change image intensity from 10% to 100%), TDT100%-10% (time needed for contrast material to change image intensity from 100% to 10%), and TDT25%-25% (time needed for contrast material to change from 25% image intensity to 25%). Time–density index (TDI) was defined as model cross-sectional area to TDT ratio, and it was measured against different flow rates. Results TDI10%-100%, TDI100%-10%, and TDI25%-25% all correlated significantly with flow (P Conclusions TDI on DSA correlates significantly with flow. Although in vitro studies might overlook conditions that occur in patients, this method appears to correlate with the flow and could offer a semiquantitative method to evaluate the cerebral blood flow.
Traditional vs. Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs: A Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis is presented of the academic achievement effects on students taught by teachers from alternative teacher preparation (ATP) programs, compared to students taught by teachers from traditional teacher preparation (TTP) programs. The literature has indicated mixed results on the student-level academic outcomes of ATP programs. Findings from this meta-analysis indicate an overall statistically significant, yet small, difference in ATP and TTP programs (g = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.04, p = 0.001), with the mean achievement of students who had ATP teachers was about 0.03 standard deviations above that of students who had TTP teachers. Further, there were differences in student achievement by type of ATP program, school level, and academic subject area. These results, as well as implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Fire Risk Assessment and Management

Approximately 18 test methods have been developed to examine the acute toxicity of thermal decomposition products produced in fires. However, the information obtained from these tests has not be integrated into a fire risk assessment. This paper presents a fire risk assessment methodology with the goal of enhancing risk management. The five steps presented are: (1) Hazard identification; (2) Calculation of the probability of human exposure to the smoke from a material; (3) Determination of the magnitude of the expected exposure for humans; (4) Determination of the toxic effects that may be caused by the smoke; and (5) Estimation of the likelihood of toxic injury resulting to humans in a fire. A concentration-time product method for estimating exposure was found most appropriate for comparing the toxicity of decomposition products with each other and to pure gases.
KININS AND NEUROPEPTIDES | Bradykinin

Bradykinin (BK) and Lys-BK are vasoactive peptides generated via the cleavage of kininogen by the action of kallikrein proteases. Both have a half-life of only seconds within the circulation, being rapidly hydrolyzed to biologically active des-Arg kinin derivatives. BK and Lys-BK cause the classical signs of inflammation – redness, local heat, swelling, and pain – whereas their des-Arg derivatives induce increased collagen synthesis, fibroblast proliferation, and cytokine release from macrophages. The effects of these peptides are mediated by two distinct G-coupled receptors. The kinin system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of human airway inflammation. Inhalation of BK by asthmatics results in chest tightness, cough, and bronchoconstriction. Furthermore, increased levels of BK and Lys-BK, their derivatives, and tissue kallikrein are observed within the human airway following allergen provocation, with levels of BK correlating with symptom severity. Respiratory viral infections are also associated with increase levels of BK and Lys-BK within the airway. Research has demonstrated that BK is intricately involved in the pathogenesis of allergic airway inflammation and respiratory viral infections; as such, therapeutic methods for intervening in the activation of the kinin system may alleviate airway inflammation and symptoms of respiratory infections.
Exaggerated arthropod assault: Eosinophilic dermatosis in a patient with small lymphocytic lymphoma

Dermatologic reactions are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Providers must be aware of both the common and uncommon etiologies leading to these eruptions, particularly in patients with underlying malignancies. Establishing the appropriate etiology directs treatment of these conditions, which may be therapy directed at the malignancy itself.
Sarcoidosis Presenting as Intramedullary Spinal Cord Lesions (P2.362)

Objective: NA Background: NA Design/Methods: Case Report Results: A 36-year-old male with no significant medical history presented with 4 weeks of worsening lower extremity numbness and paresthesias, left leg weakness, and difficulty with urination. Neurological exam was notable for decreased pinprick sensation to the right torso and lower extremity below the T5 dermatome and mild weakness on left hip extension, but reflexes were normal and there was no evidence of saddle anesthesia. Basic lab work revealed no abnormalities. MRI of the spine with contrast showed multiple enhancing intramedullary lesions throughout the thoracic spinal cord and diffuse edema through the cervicothoracic region. There was initial concern for metastatic disease. Patient was started on dexamethasone and further diagnostic imaging was pursued. MRI of the brain was noted to be normal. Chest CT showed left hilar lymphadenopathy with nodules in the right lower lobe and left lung fissure. Subsequent biopsy of the left lung nodule and mediastinal lymph node revealed non-necrotizing granulomas, increasing suspicion for sarcoidosis. Serum ACE, serum calcium, and urinary calcium levels were within normal limits. Lumbar puncture showed lymphocytic pleocytosis and positive oligoclonal bands, but NMO antibodies were absent . Patient was presumed to have spinal neurosarcoidosis, and continued on steroids at discharge due to improvement in paresthesias. Follow-up visit at 1 month showed significant improvement in leg weakness and urinary difficulty. Repeat MRI showed improvement of intramedullary lesions. Patient continued to follow up with Rheumatology and was started on weekly methotrexate, with continued improvement of symptoms over time. Conclusions: Spinal neurosarcoidosis has been seen in less than 1% of sarcoidosis cases, and can mimic primary CNS tumors, metastatic disease, and demyelinating disease. This case highlights the importance of recognizing spinal cord involvement as the first and only symptom of sarcoidosis, and the subsequent diagnostic challenge in the setting of intramedullary spinal cord lesions on MRI. Disclosure: Dr. Thatikunta has nothing to disclose. Dr. Khatib has nothing to disclose. Dr. Baar has nothing to disclose.
Assessing the Importance of the H2-H2O-H2O Three-Body Interaction on the Vibrational Frequency Shift of H2 in the sII Clathrate Hydrate and Comparison with Experiment.

The vibrational frequency shift of H2 in the 512 cage of the sII clathrate hydrate with and without surrounding water molecules is reported at 0 K, using diffusion Monte Carlo calculations for the ...
3D MRI measurements of the effects of wind direction on flow characteristics and contaminant dispersion in a model urban canopy

Three dimensional velocity fields and contaminant dispersion within an evenly spaced orthogonal array of cubic buildings (height = H) with a central tall building (height = 3H) were studied to examine the influence of tall buildings and wind orientation within an urban canopy. Mean velocity and contaminant data were collected using magnetic resonance velocimetry and magnetic resonance concentration methods. Two building orientations, each angled at 0° and 45° with respect to the bulk flow, were examined. The single tall building strongly influenced the distribution of the streamwise and vertical mass fluxes in both wind orientations. In particular, the tall building wake strongly influences how mass and momentum are transported downward into the building canopy. The contaminant dispersion pattern was dependent on the size of separation regions behind buildings and the wind orientation relative to the street canyons. A plume of contaminant trailed behind the tall building and was dispersed by the building wake turbulence. This dispersion was more rapid for the 45° wind orientation likely due to the wider wake in this case. The complex mean flow within the canopy plays a major role in controlling ground level dispersion when the wind is not aligned with the street canyons. The relatively simple geometry of the canopy and the detailed full field velocity and concentration data make this an ideal case for testing simulations.
A Team of Their Own: How an International Sisterhood Made Olympic History: by Seth Berkman, Toronto, Ontario, Hanover Square Press, 2019, 384 pp., $26.99, ISBN 978-1335005533

There were many storylines worth following in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics like any other Olympic Games: Chloe Kim (the youngest snowboarder to win Olympic gold), the Kenworthy-Wilkas kiss (the ic...
Power and Message Framing: the Case of Comparative Advertising

Two studies tested the hypothesis that power affects an individual’s likelihood to be influenced by positively vs. negatively framed comparative messages. Experiment 1 showed that individuals with a higher personal sense of power are more persuaded by positively framed messages than negatively framed messages. Experiment 2 showed that this effect is partly attributable to higher power individuals being more suspicious of the negatively framed communicator’s motivation. Message frame did not have a significant influence on individuals with lower levels of power. These results have important implications for tailoring comparative messages aimed at persuasion toward targets with different levels of power.
Formulation of water-insoluble antineoplastic agents as nanosuspensions using NANOEDGE formulation technology

632 Water-insoluble antineoplastic agents pose a formulation problem inasmuch as sufficient plasma levels of drug are required to achieve adequate efficacy and toxicity levels in suitable animal models and humans. For this purpose, a nanosuspension formulation platform (NANOEDGE) has been developed which potentially permits high drug loading, eliminates undesirable solvents, and allows administration of the same formulation through various routes, e.g., oral and injectable including I.V. The steps involved in formulating 3 different antineoplastic compounds, using this technology, to attain stable nanosupensions with mean particle size
A Probalistic Model for the Accumulation of Fatigue Damage in Composite Laminates

A stochastic model for the accumulation of fatigue damage in composite laminates in terms of stiffness loss is proposed. The model considers the accumulation of fatigue damage as an evolutionary stochastic process and represents the distribution of stiffness loss in a laminate as a function of the number of load cycles. Stiffness loss is modeled as an embedded discrete time, finite state, and nonstationary stochastic process; it utilizes a discrete time, finite state, stationary Markov model in conjunction with a time transformation-condensation method. The principle damage mechanisms associated with stiffness loss are examined within the framework of the so-called critical element model. The applicability of the proposed model is demonstrated by considering the accumulation of fatigue damage in terms of changes in the dynamic longitudinal secant modulus of graphite/epoxy laminates cycled under constant amplitude, sinusoidal, tension-tension fatigue loads.
The Big6 Approach to Information and Technology Literacy

Information and technology literacy is clearly the new “basic skill of the 21st century.” This paper explains the scope of information and technology literacy and the most widely used K-12 information and technology literacy program in the world - the Big6.
Two-server distributed ORAM with sublinear computation and constant rounds

Distributed ORAM (DORAM) is a multi-server variant of Oblivious RAM. Originally proposed to lower bandwidth, DORAM has recently been of great interest due to its applicability to secure computation in the RAM model, where circuit complexity and rounds of communication are equally important metrics of efficiency. All prior DORAM constructions either involve linear work per server (e.g., Floram) or logarithmic rounds of communication between servers (e.g., square root ORAM). In this work, we construct the first DORAM schemes in the 2-server, semi-honest setting that simultaneously achieve sublinear server computation and constant rounds of communication. We provide two constant-round constructions, one based on square root ORAM that has \(O(\sqrt{N}\log N)\) local computation and another based on secure computation of a doubly efficient PIR that achieves local computation of \(O(N ^\epsilon )\) for any \(\epsilon > 0\) but that allows the servers to distinguish between reads and writes. As a building block in the latter construction, we provide secure computation protocols for evaluation and interpolation of multivariate polynomials based on the Fast Fourier Transform, which may be of independent interest.