cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling Contagion Through Social Networks to Explain and Predict Gunshot Violence in Chicago, 2006 to 2014

Importance Every day in the United States, more than 200 people are murdered or assaulted with a firearm. Little research has considered the role of interpersonal ties in the pathways through which gun violence spreads. Objective To evaluate the extent to which the people who will become subjects of gun violence can be predicted by modeling gun violence as an epidemic that is transmitted between individuals through social interactions. Design, Setting, and Participants This study was an epidemiological analysis of a social network of individuals who were arrested during an 8-year period in Chicago, Illinois, with connections between people who were arrested together for the same offense. Modeling of the spread of gunshot violence over the network was assessed using a probabilistic contagion model that assumed individuals were subject to risks associated with being arrested together, in addition to demographic factors, such as age, sex, and neighborhood residence. Participants represented a network of 138 163 individuals who were arrested between January 1, 2006, and March 31, 2014 (29.9% of all individuals arrested in Chicago during this period), 9773 of whom were subjects of gun violence. Individuals were on average 27 years old at the midpoint of the study, predominantly male (82.0%) and black (75.6%), and often members of a gang (26.2%). Main Outcomes and Measures Explanation and prediction of becoming a subject of gun violence (fatal or nonfatal) using epidemic models based on person-to-person transmission through a social network. Results Social contagion accounted for 63.1% of the 11 123 gunshot violence episodes; subjects of gun violence were shot on average 125 days after their infector (the person most responsible for exposing the subject to gunshot violence). Some subjects of gun violence were shot more than once. Models based on both social contagion and demographics performed best; when determining the 1.0% of people (n = 1382) considered at highest risk to be shot each day, the combined model identified 728 subjects of gun violence (6.5%) compared with 475 subjects of gun violence (4.3%) for the demographics model (53.3% increase) and 589 subjects of gun violence (5.3%) for the social contagion model (23.6% increase). Conclusions and Relevance Gunshot violence follows an epidemic-like process of social contagion that is transmitted through networks of people by social interactions. Violence prevention efforts that account for social contagion, in addition to demographics, have the potential to prevent more shootings than efforts that focus on only demographics.
Breastfeeding Exposure, Attitudes, and Intentions of African American and Caucasian College Students.

Background:African American mothers lag behind in breastfeeding initiation. Research is needed to gain an understanding of potential reasons for breastfeeding disparities.Research aim:This study ex...
Abstract 185: Infliximab Suppresses TNF-a Induced Inflammatory Phenotype in Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells: Implications for Cerebral Aneurysm Formation

Background Cerebral Aneurysm rupture results in significant morbidity and mortality. TNFα has been associated with cerebral aneurysms, but potential mechanisms have not been established, and its role in phenotypic modulation is unknown. Therapy targeting TNFα may represent a novel treatment strategy for cerebral aneurysms. Hypothesis Infliximab inhibits TNFα induced phenotypic modulation and upregulation of pro-inflammatory mediators. Methods Cultured cerebral VSMC were incubated with increasing concentrations of TNFα and gene expression measured with qPCR. Cerebral aneurysm induction surgery was performed in rats. Animal were euthanized at 4 wks for qPCR and immunohistochemical analysis of the circle of Willis. Animals undergoing aneurysm induction and Infliximab (5mg/kg) treatment were compared to animals undergoing aneurysm induction alone and untreated controls. Results In vitro experiments demonstrated suppression of differentiation markers and induction of pro-inflammatory genes. In vivo, TNFα mRNA and protein expression was significantly elevated following aneurysm induction compared to untreated controls. Expression of inflammatory markers including chemokines (MCP1 and VCAM1), transcription factors (NF-κB, KLF4), matrix remodeling proteins (MMP-2 & 3), IL-1β and iNOS was also increased. Furthermore, aneurysm induction resulted in phenotypic modulation by decreasing expression of SMC differentiation marker gene SM-α−Actin. Treatment with Infliximab significantly suppressed TNFα expression, inhibited expression of inflammatory markers, and decreased the number of CD68+ cells during aneurysm formation. Infliximab also reversed phenotypic modulation in vascular SMC following aneurysm induction. Conclusions TNFα plays a pivotal role in SMC phenotypic modulation with induction of pro-inflammatory genes and inhibition of SMC differentiation marker genes both in cultured cerebral vascular SMC and in vivo following cerebral aneurysm induction. Infliximab promotes anti-inflammatory effects in cerebral vessels by inhibiting TNFα and suppressing a pro-inflammatory cascade, which has important implications for the mechanisms behind intracranial aneurysm formation and potential therapeutic options.
Estimating landfill leachate BOD and COD based on rainfall, ambient temperature, and waste composition: Exploration of a MARS statistical approach

Abstract Municipal solid waste generation is increasing rapidly globally. Increasing storage of waste in landfills means increased production of liquid landfill leachate. Leachate contains organic and inorganic pollutants which must be treated to reduce its potential impact on surrounding water supplies. To design landfill leachate treatment, its chemical composition must be known; however, the composition of leachate can vary widely depending on waste composition. Measuring leachate constituents can be expensive and time consuming, and is not possible for a landfill under construction. A global model able to forecast leachate quality parameters based on a landfill’s waste composition, ambient temperature, and rainfall rate is critically needed. This research represents a first step in development of such a model. Laboratory data on leachate biochemical and chemical oxygen demand (BOD, COD) was collected as functions of waste composition (food, paper, yard, textile), temperature (70, 85, 100 °F), and rainfall rates (2, 6, 12 mm/day), according to a statistical experimental design. Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models were developed for BOD and COD, with adjusted- R 2 of 0.92 and 0.95, respectively. This exploratory research demonstrated the usefulness of MARS in capturing complex relationships among waste composition, temperature, and rainfall rate in order to forecast leachate quality parameters over time.
The Sagnac Effect in the Global Positioning System

In the Global Positioning System (GPS) the reference frame used for navigation is an earth-centered, earth-fixed rotating frame, the WGS-84 frame. The time reference is defined in an underlying earth-centered locally inertial frame, freely falling with the earth but non-rotating, with a time unit determined by atomic clocks at rest on earth’s rotating geoid. Therefore GPS receivers must apply significant Sagnac or Sagnac-like corrections, depending on how information is processed by the receiver. These corrections can be described either from the point of view of the local inertial frame, in which light travels with uniform speed c in all directions, or from the point of view of an earth-centered rotating frame, in which the Sagnac effect is described by terms in the fundamental scalar invariant that couple space and time. Such corrections are very important for comparing time standards world-wide.
Digital Assays Part II: Digital Protein and Cell Assays:

A digital assay is one in which the sample is partitioned into many containers such that each partition contains a discrete number of biological entities (0, 1, 2, 3, . . .). A powerful technique in the biologist's toolkit, digital assays bring a new level of precision in quantifying nucleic acids, measuring proteins and their enzymatic activity, and probing single-cell genotype and phenotype. Where part I of this review focused on the fundamentals of partitioning and digital PCR, part II turns its attention to digital protein and cell assays. Digital enzyme assays measure the kinetics of single proteins with enzymatic activity. Digital enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISAs) quantify antigenic proteins with 2 to 3 log lower detection limit than conventional ELISA, making them well suited for low-abundance biomarkers. Digital cell assays probe single-cell genotype and phenotype, including gene expression, intracellular and surface proteins, metabolic activity, cytotoxicity, and transcriptomes (scRNA-seq). These methods exploit partitioning to 1) isolate single cells or proteins, 2) detect their activity via enzymatic amplification, and 3) tag them individually by coencapsulating them with molecular barcodes. When scaled, digital assays reveal stochastic differences between proteins or cells within a population, a key to understanding biological heterogeneity. This review is intended to give a broad perspective to scientists interested in adopting digital assays into their workflows.
Bringing functional status into a big data world: Validation of national Veterans Affairs functional status data

Author(s): Brown, Rebecca T; Komaiko, Kiya D; Shi, Ying; Fung, Kathy Z; Boscardin, W. John; Au-Yeung, Alvin; Tarasovsky, Gary; Jacob, Riya; Steinman, Michael A; Hernandez-Boussard, Tina
TCT-316 Radiation Exposure to Interventional Echocardiographers and Interventional Cardiologists during Structural Heart Interventions – Impact of Shielding

Structural heart interventions are increasing in complexity with reliance on Interventional Echocardiography (IE). Recent reports have demonstrated concerning exposure and higher radiation to IE. We investigated radiation exposure during structural heart interventions with the use of external
Estimating Measurement Uncertainty from Calibration Testing Data

During a calibration test, a unit under test (UUT) is compared with a test instrument to determine if the error in the UUT is smaller than some predefined tolerances. Generally, the resultant data ...
Targeting Myocardial Energetics in the Failing Heart: Are We There Yet?

See Article by Daubert et al It has long been recognized that key components of the cardiac energetic system are downregulated in the failing heart. Under normoxic conditions, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation generates ≈95% of the ATP content in the heart,1 which is essential for the process of excitation contraction, as well as maintenance of membrane transport systems. Studies in patients with end-stage cardiomyopathy have shown that the total adenine nucleotide pool (ATP, ADP, and AMP), creatine kinase activity (required for ATP synthesis), creatine phosphate concentration, and the Cr/ATP ratio (a marker of impaired energy metabolism) are all decreased in the failing heart, which has given rise to the notion that the failing heart is an engine out of fuel.1,2 Although multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain the profoundly abnormal energetics in the failing heart, recent advances in our understanding of mitochondrial biology3 have raised the intriguing possibility that mitochondria-targeted therapeutics may lead to improved energy production in the heart.4 Accordingly, a study in this issue of the Circulation: Heart Failure by Daubert et al,5 which evaluates the safety of elamipretide, a novel mitochondria-targeted peptide, in heart failure patients with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is of considerable interest.5 Daubert et al5 conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled ascending-dose trial with elamipretide in patients with HFrEF (<35%) who were receiving evidence-based medical therapies for heart failure. Patients were randomized to a single 4-hour intravenous infusion of …
Storying Teacher Education Policy: Critical Counternarratives of Curricular, Pedagogical, and Activist Responses to State-Mandated Teacher Performance Assessments.

The rise of high-stakes, standardized, teacher performance assessments (TPAs) is central to the industry being created out of the regulation, policing, and evaluation of university-based teacher education In addition to reinforcing a narrow and counter-critical framework, TPAs can shift responsibility for the evaluation of teacher candidates from university-based teacher educators with a comprehensive and nuanced fluency in candidates' preparedness to external scorers trained to standardize and depersonalize effective practice. In this article, four social justice-oriented teacher educators from three different states examine the practical and political effects of TPAs in their local contexts. By analyzing the curricular, pedagogical, and political implications of this high-stakes standardization of their field, they speak back to a policy landscape that too often marginalizes the voices of the teachers and students it purports to serve. Throughout, they examine the dilemmas of practice created by TPAs, as teachers and teacher educators seek to redefine what it means to enact justice-oriented professional agency in an increasingly regulated context. A critical counternarrative methodological approach was used to collect and process the authors’ lived stories and then to collaboratively reflect upon each other’s personal/professional experiences with TPAs. Several strategies are identified for enacting agency in response to TPAs, including curricular acts of resistance, resistance through participation in state legislative processes, policymaking within teacher education programs, the production of activist scholarship, and refusal to participate at all. Ways are suggested for teacher educators to minimize, mitigate, and resist unjust policy through curricular, political, and scholarly activism.
Design of broadband Luneburg lens feed manifold

Design of broadband feed manifolds for Luneburg lenses requires intensive numerical calculations that can be time and memory consuming. This paper presents a simple and fast numerical procedure for the estimation of the field of view (FOV) coverage by a lens antenna. Details of the routine are described and the example of the lens having at least 12 dBi directivity within the FOV from 18 to 45 GHz is shown. The lens is fed by a 6×6 feed manifold made of phase center stabilized horns.
Post-operative Management of Surgeries Aimed at Correcting Patellofemoral Instability: Results of an International Surgeon Survey

When possible, the responsible health care practitioner bases intervention on the best available evidence in the peer reviewed literature. Unfortunately, the literature is often insufficient to guide all aspects of treatment. When the literature is lacking for a given condition, treatment must be based on the opinions of experts in the field and on sound biomechanical and biological principles. Unfortunately, despite the prevalence of surgeries aimed at managing recurrent patellofemoral dislocation, high quality research concerning postoperative care is not available. Therefore, we must base our decisions on the recommendation of experts and the biomechanics and dynamics of the patellofemoral joint.
Journalism Education Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Examination of the Norwegian Model in Ethiopia

Recent trends in journalism education in Africa indicate a substantial increase both in scope and specialisation. While this increase is usually attributed to higher education institutions’ respons...
Varieties of issue incompleteness and coordination: An example from ecosystem management

The paper discusses the most under-researched feature of policy analysis, issue incompleteness. A framework is presented from ecosystem management. Implications are drawn for important topics in public policy, especially interorganizational coordination.
A Black Teen, a White Cop, and a City in Turmoil: Analyzing Newspaper Reports on Ferguson, Missouri and the Death of Michael Brown:

Understanding how newspapers depict fatal shootings of minority men by police, and how this affects implicit biases, may offer insight into why such shootings continue to occur. Through an analysis...
Estimating canopy fuel characteristics for predicting crown fire potential in common forest types of the Atlantic Coastal Plan

We computed four stand-level canopy stratum variables important for crown fire modelling – canopy cover, stand height, canopy base height and canopy bulk density – from forest inventory data. We modelled the relationship between the canopy variables and a set of common inventory parameters – site index, stem density, basal area, stand age or stand height – and number of prescribed burns. We used a logistic model to estimate canopy cover, a linear model to estimate the other canopy variables, and the information theoretic approach for model selection. Coefficients of determination across five forest groups were 0.72–0.91 for stand height, 0.36–0.83 for canopy base height, 0.39–0.80 for canopy cover, and 0.63–0.78 for canopy bulk density. We assessed crown fire potential (1) for several sets of environmental conditions in all seasons, and (2) with increasing age, density and number of prescribed burns using our modelled canopy bulk density and canopy base height variables and local weather data to populate the Crown Fire Initiation and Spread model. Results indicated that passive crown fire is possible in any season in Atlantic coastal plain pine stands with heavy surface fuel loads and active crown fire is most probable in infrequently burned, dense stands at low fuel moistures.
Single-Dose Perioperative Antibiotics Do Not Increase the Risk of Surgical Site Infection in Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is commonly performed as an outpatient procedure. To facilitate this process, a single-dose intravenous (IV) perioperative antibiotic administration is required compared to 24-hour IV antibiotic dosing schedules that are typical of most inpatient arthroplasty procedures. There is a paucity of literature to guide surgeons on the safety of single-dose perioperative antibiotic administration for arthroplasty procedures, particularly those that will be performed in the outpatient setting. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a large series of UKA performed with single-dose vs 24-hour IV antibiotic coverage to determine the impact on risk for surgical site infection (SSI). Methods All UKA cases were evaluated from 2007 to 2017 performed by a single surgeon at an academic institution. There were 296 UKAs in the cohort: 40 were outpatient procedures receiving single-dose antibiotics and 256 were inpatient procedures receiving 24-hour antibiotics. No patients were prescribed adjuvant oral antibiotics. Mean age was 64 years, 50% were female, mean body mass index was 32 kg/m2, and mean follow-up was 4.1 years (range 1.0-10.4). Perioperative antibiotic regimen was evaluated and SSI, defined as occurring within 1 year of surgery, was abstracted through a prospective total joint registry and manual chart review. Results SSI occurred in 2 of 296 cases (0.7%) in the entire cohort, 2 of 256 inpatient UKAs (0.8%), and 0 of 40 outpatient UKAs (0%) (P = 1.00). One SSI was a deep infection occurring 6 weeks postoperatively that required 2-stage exchange and conversion to total knee arthroplasty. The other was a superficial infection treated with 2 weeks of oral antibiotics. Conclusion This study demonstrates a low SSI risk (0.8% or less) following UKA with both single-dose and 24-hour IV antibiotics. Administering single-dose perioperative antibiotics is safe for UKA, which should alleviate that potential concern for outpatient surgery. Level of Evidence Level III, Therapeutic.
Arab, Asian, and Muslim Feminist Dissent: Responding to the “Global War on Terror” in Relational Frameworks

(2018). Arab, Asian, and Muslim Feminist Dissent. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 1-25.
Latent feature disentanglement for 3D meshes.

Generative modeling of 3D shapes has become an important problem due to its relevance to many applications across Computer Vision, Graphics, and VR. In this paper we build upon recently introduced 3D mesh-convolutional Variational AutoEncoders which have shown great promise for learning rich representations of deformable 3D shapes. We introduce a supervised generative 3D mesh model that disentangles the latent shape representation into independent generative factors. Our extensive experimental analysis shows that learning an explicitly disentangled representation can both improve random shape generation as well as successfully address downstream tasks such as pose and shape transfer, shape-invariant temporal synchronization, and pose-invariant shape matching.
MRI Volume Changes of Axillary Lymph Nodes as Predictor of Pathologic Complete Responses to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer.

Abstract Introduction Longitudinal monitoring of breast tumor volume over the course of chemotherapy is informative of pathologic response. This study aims to determine whether axillary lymph node (aLN) volume by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could augment the prediction accuracy of treatment response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Materials and Methods Level-2a curated data from the I-SPY-1 TRIAL (2002-2006) were used. Patients had stage 2 or 3 breast cancer. MRI was acquired pre-, during, and post-NAC. A subset with visible aLNs on MRI was identified (N = 132). Prediction of pathologic complete response (PCR) was made using breast tumor volume changes, nodal volume changes, and combined breast tumor and nodal volume changes with sub-stratification with and without large lymph nodes (3 mL or ∼1.79 cm diameter cutoff). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to quantify prediction performance. Results The rate of change of aLN and breast tumor volume were informative of pathologic response, with prediction being most informative early in treatment (area under the curve (AUC), 0.57-0.87) compared with later in treatment (AUC, 0.50-0.75). Larger aLN volume was associated with hormone receptor negativity, with the largest nodal volume for triple negative subtypes. Sub-stratification by node size improved predictive performance, with the best predictive model for large nodes having AUC of 0.87. Conclusion aLN MRI offers clinically relevant information and has the potential to predict treatment response to NAC in patients with breast cancer.
Advanced Wound Healing: Neuropathic Foot

Advanced wound healing options for DFUs are emerging and evolving regularly. However, while the array of advanced wound healing options for DFUs is plentiful, patient specific needs can always guide therapy. It is important to utilize evidence based medicine and effective treatment algorithms for the most predictable results. While all advanced wound healing modalities are unique and have individual guidelines, risks, and benefits, the underlying goal consistently remains to heal the wounds, prevent new ulcerations, reduce amputations, decrease mortality, and preserve both limb salvage and quality of life.
Do firms use corporate social responsibility to insure against stock price risk? Evidence from a natural experiment

Research Summary To examine whether firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) to insure against stock price risk, we exploit an exogenous shock in stock price risk associated with Regulation SHO whereby the SEC randomly selected pilot firms for which the uptick restriction on short sales no longer applied. A difference‐in‐differences test reveals that pilot firms increased CSR more than nonpilot firms and that in particular they reduced CSR concerns and increased CSR that impacts stakeholders involved in direct resource exchange. We also find that pilot firm CSR reduced short positions against them and that the effect is stronger for CSR concerns and CSR that impacts directly connected stakeholders. Overall, we document a causal effect of stock price risk on managerial incentives to invest in CSR for risk management. Managerial Summary Corporate social responsibility has many purported benefits, one of which is that it can insure against the adverse stock price effects of negative events. But do managers purposefully use CSR in this way and do such investments provide intended insurance‐like benefits? By taking advantage of a natural experiment where a randomly selected set of pilot firms were exposed to elevated short‐sale risk unleashed by the SEC regulation, we find evidence that they do. Once the SEC initiated the regulatory change, firms that faced greater risk increased CSR more than firms that did not. In addition, increased CSR lowered short interests in pilot firms' stocks and this reduction is attributable to the insurance‐like effect of CSR rather than simply prevention of adverse events. A video abstract is available at https://youtu.be/zajeSbhlwhc
Inconvenient truths: pluralism, pragmatism, and the need for civil disagreement

Environmental philosophers and ethicists who have advocated for “environmental pragmatism” have been right to insist on the importance of pluralism in environmental debates and on the utility of pragmatism in navigating them. But they have tended to rest their claims too heavily on the premise that consensus is a necessary, and readily achievable, condition of pragmatic thought and action. Recent developments within environmental studies and sciences (ESS) suggest a similar trend. What the pragmatist tradition requires, by contrast, is a commitment to the disagreement that necessarily accompanies ideological diversity and to the conservation of the conditions, structures, and institutions within which that disagreement can exist and even thrive. Ultimately, pragmatism prioritizes dissent as the basis for a healthy and rigorously democratic community. With environmental problems, this prerogative becomes even more pronounced, given their invariably complex social, political, and scientific dimensions, which require intellectually and ideologically diverse responses. Environmental discourse, education, and politics would benefit from the recognition that conflict among pluralistic constituencies, when considered through the lens of pragmatism, becomes not a problem to be solved but a fact to be lived with, and a tool to be used.
HPV Immunization in High School Student-Athletes Receiving Preparticipation Physical Evaluations at Mass Event Versus Other Venues

Background:The preparticipation physical evaluation (PPE) is a requirement for high school sport participation in most states, but its location and role in preventive health care for adolescents is...
Molecular evidence for impoverished mycorrhizal communities of Agropyron cristatum compared with nine other plant species in the Northern Great Plains

Abstract Invasive plants may alter arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities on which resident plants depend. To determine if the invader crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.) associates with different AMF than resident plants, we compared AMF communities of six A. cristatum−dominated sites to five sagebrush steppe and three mixed-grass prairie sites in the Northern Great Plains. Consistent with findings on some other invaders, roots of A. cristatum were without AMF and supported fewer AMF operational taxonomic units than seven native species and two nonnative species. Restoring natives to A. cristatum sites is notoriously difficult. Our findings suggest a lack of soil mutualists may contribute to the difficulty.
Effect of Heterodera schachtii female age on susceptibility to three fungal hyperparasites in the genus Hyalorbilia.

Three closely related nematophagous fungi in the genus Hyalorbilia were compared for their ability to parasitize females and eggs of Heterodera schachtii at different developmental stages. DoUCR50, StM, and ARF were originally isolated from Heterodera schachtii, Meloidogyne incognita, and Heterodera glycines, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis and pairwise sequence analysis showed that DoUCR50 and StM are more closely related to each other than they are to ARF. DoUCR50 parasitism suppressed 100% of the J2 hatch from 3-week-old H. schachtii females and 75% of the hatch from 4-week-old females. Eggs within 5-week-old females were resistant to parasitism, and hatch of J2 was unaffected by exposure to DoUCR50. StM and ARF did not reduce the hatch of J2 from H. schachtii females of any age. Eggs removed from females and spread onto water agar cultures of the fungi were mostly resistant to parasitism. DoUCR50 parasitized only 16% of such eggs from 3-week-old females. Extracellular hydrolytic enzyme production by the three fungal strains grown on PDA or parasitized H. schachtii females was evaluated using API ZYM (bioMerieux) test strips. All three fungi produced extracellular hydrolytic enzymes when grown on PDA or H. schachtii females. Trypsin-like protease activity was uniquely detected in DoUCR50 grown on PDA and H. schachtii females, with the highest activity associated with the fungus grown on parasitized females.
Clinical Variation Reduction in Propensity-matched Patients Treated for Malignant Pleural Effusion.

Background The potential advantages of clinical variation reduction are improved patient outcomes and cost reduction through optimizing and standardizing care. Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common condition encountered by thoracic surgeons that has significant variation in cost and outcomes. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the opportunity of improving patient outcomes and reducing cost by using a standardized treatment algorithm based on evidenced-based care. Methods Patients treated for MPE using a standardized treatment algorithm at the study institution over a 2 year period were identified and propensity matched to MPE patients from 1 of 6 affiliated hospitals with comprehensive oncology and thoracic surgery services. Matched patients were treated at their physicians’ discretion. Factors used in propensity matching were age, performance status, and tumor histology. The 2 cohorts were then compared for interventions, admissions and readmissions, morbidity, and pleural effusion–associated costs. Patients who desired only comfort or hospice care were excluded. Results From 2016 through 2018, 60 patients were treated using the standardized algorithm. These patients were propensity matched and the 2 cohorts compared. Patients treated with the algorithm experienced significantly fewer hospital admissions, readmissions, interventions, and costs while having a comparable procedural morbidity. Conclusions An evidence-based treatment algorithm for MPE produces superior clinical outcomes to individualized therapy while significantly reducing the costs of care.
Virtual immunofluorescence staining from reflectance microscopy by deep learning

A computational alternative to standard immunofluorescence (IF) imaging based on deep learning model is proposed for transforming morphological information from reflectance microscopy to specific and accurate IF predictions with high multiplicity.
Aminosilane-Grafted Bismuth-Alumina Adsorbents: Role of Amine Loading and Bismuth Content in Iodine Immobilization from Aqueous Solutions

Abstract Development of adsorbent materials that can efficiently remove radioactive species, in particular, iodine from aqueous waste streams is of great importance to prevent the discharge of these highly toxic chemicals into waterways, while providing a means for a safe disposal of nuclear wastes. In this study, we present a detailed investigation of the performance of a series of bismuth-loaded alumina adsorbents (Bi/Al) grafted with three different aminosilanes including 3-Aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APS), N-methylaminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (MAPS), and 3-N,N-dimethylaminopropyl-trimeth-oxysilane (DMAPS), in the removal of iodine from aqueous solutions. Specifically, we studied the effects of bismuth loading, amine type and content, as well as iodine concentration and capture temperature to determine the best performing material and removal conditions for iodine immobilization from caustic scrubber solutions. Our results indicated that amine grafting can enhance the iodine removal performance of Bi-Al, with DMAPS giving rise to highest capacity. It was also found that iodine capture over amine-grafted Bi/Al changes dramatically with amine content. Among the materials investigated, Bi5/Al-DMAPS with an amine content of 60 wt% exhibited the highest iodine capture capacity of 215.7 mg/g at 50 °C. Moreover, amine grafting improved the retention of adsorbed iodine species within the adsorbent over time with no degree of leaching after 24 h, unlike Bi/Al2O3 analogue.
Turbulence in space plasmas: Who needs it?

The complex nonlinear dynamical phenomenon described as turbulence, is known to have a great impact on fluids, magnetohydrodynamic systems, and on plasmas. This paper reviews selected topics on turbulence in these systems, emphasizing the multiscale space-time properties of the turbulence cascade as it transfers energy from large scale reservoirs, through the inertial range, finally dissipating at kinetic scales and producing internal or thermal energy. Application to space and astrophysical plasmas is a pervasive theme. This paper is based on the Maxwell Prize address given at the 2019 American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics meeting in Fort Lauderdale.
Randomized trial of exercise on depressive symptomatology and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in ovarian cancer survivors: The Women's Activity and Lifestyle Study in Connecticut (WALC).

Abstract Objectives Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders, and rates are higher among cancer survivors than the general population, and higher in ovarian cancer patients compared to cohorts of other cancer survivors. Physical activity has been associated with lower depressive symptoms in cancer survivors, yet no trial has examined this association in women with ovarian cancer. We examined the effect of exercise on depression symptomatology and serum brain derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF) which has been associated with depression, in women with ovarian cancer. Methods We conducted a 6-month home-based randomized trial of exercise vs. attention-control (AC) in 144 ovarian cancer survivors. Depressive symptomatology was measured via the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Serum total and free BDNF was measured at baseline and 6-months. Student's t-statistic and mixed-model repeated measures analysis was used to evaluate six-month change between arms in CES-D scores and BDNF. Results Women were 57.3 ± 8.6 (mean ± SD) years old, 1.7 ± 1.0 years post-diagnosis with a baseline CES-D score of 11.79 ± 10.21. The majority (55%) were diagnosed with stage III/IV ovarian cancer. CES-D scores decreased in the exercise arm by 2.7 points (95% CI: −4.4, −0.9) or a 21% decrease compared to a 0.3 point decrease (−2.2, 1.5) (3% decrease) in the AC arm (P = 0.05). There was no difference in change in total or free BDNF between the exercise and AC arms. Conclusions Ovarian cancer survivors are able to exercise at recommended levels, and exercise was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptomatology.
The Effect of Subsidizing Dental Care Costs on Demand and Intra-Household Allocation of Dental Care

The study examines the effect of a dental-care reform for children in Israel on the use of dental care and intra-household allocation of dental treatments. Using seven-year administrative panel data on patients’ dental treatments at a large clinic in Jerusalem that serves one of the target populations of the reform (ultra-Orthodox Jews, a population typically characterized by low income and education), the treatment patterns of reform-eligible children and ineligible household members are analyzed, using a difference-in-differences empirical strategy. The reform is found to have increased access to dental care substantially, particularly in terms of preventive treatments, and therefore enhanced oral health. It also created a substantial spillover effect for households that have eligible children, as evidenced by a change in the treatment mix and the intensity of recourse to treatments by ineligible household members.
Plasma Sphingomyelins in Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease.

Background Altered plasma levels of sphingolipids, including sphingomyelins (SM), have been found in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and in AD patient plasma samples. Objective This study assesses fourteen plasma SM species in a late-onset AD (LOAD) patient cohort (n = 138). Methods Specimens from control, preclinical, and symptomatic subjects were analyzed using targeted mass-spectrometry-based metabolomic methods. Results Total plasma SM levels were not significantly affected by age or cognitive status. However, one metabolite that has been elevated in manifest AD in several recent studies, SM OHC14:1, was reduced significantly in pre-clinical AD and MCI relative to normal controls. Conclusion We recommend additional comprehensive plasma lipidomics in experimental and clinical biospecimens related to LOAD that might advance the utility of plasma sphingomyelin levels in molecular phenotyping and interpretations of pathobiological mechanisms.
Parallelization and Optimization of a Large Eddy Simulation Code using OpenMP for SGI Origin2000 Performance

Publisher Summary Large eddy simulation (LES) is currently one of the popular approaches for the numerical simulation of turbulent flows. This code, written in FORTRAN, has been well optimized for use on vector processor machines such as the CRAY C90/T90. Increasing popularity and availability of relatively cost-effective machines using the RISC based NUMA architecture such as the Origin2000 make it necessary to migrate codes from the CRAY C90/T90. It is well known that CFD codes are among the toughest class of problems to port and optimize for RISC based NUMA architectures. This chapter discusses strategies adopted towards the creation of a shared memory version of the code and its optimization. Large eddy simulations of the turbulent flow in a channel are then performed on an Origin2000 system, and the corresponding results compared with those from simulations on a CRAY T90, to check for their accuracy. Scaling studies from the parallel version are also presented, demonstrating the importance of cache optimization on NUMA machines.
Mechanism of acute apoptosis induced by vinblastine in ML-1 leukemia cells

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004 5437 Vinblastine and paclitaxel cause mitotic arrest and apoptosis in cells. The decision as to whether to live or die reflects a balance between the cytotoxic insult and activation of survival signaling pathways. We previously showed that inhibition of MEK/ERK signaling with PD98059 can acutely sensitize ML-1 leukemic cells to vinblastine with more than 70% of the cells dying within 3 h (Cancer Res. 61:1533, 2001). PD98059 did not sensitize cells to paclitaxel, and this difference was attributed to the ability of vinblastine, but not paclitaxel, to activate JNK. Hence, acute apoptosis induced by vinblastine occurs when JNK is activated and ERK is inhibited. To further investigate the mechanism underlying this acute apoptosis, we incubated cells with cycloheximide or actinomycin D, and found that both agents also sensitized ML-1 cells to vinblastine but not paclitaxel. We hypothesized that incubation with vinblastine caused rapid upregulation of proteins that limited apoptosis, and that this upregulation was dependent upon both ERK and JNK signaling. Accordingly, we performed a microarray experiment (Affymetrix, 22,000 genes) to determine the spectrum of genes induced by vinblastine. We observed that 271 genes were elevated >3 fold by a 4 h incubation with vinblastine; of these, 46 genes were inhibited >50% by both PD98059 and the JNK inhibitor SP600125. Two genes of particular interest were the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, Mcl-1 and Bfl-1. Induction of Mcl-1 protein by vinblastine, and inhibition by both PD98059 and SP600125 was confirmed by western blotting. We propose that incubation with vinblastine leads to a protective response in which Mcl-1 is rapidly induced in an ERK and JNK co-regulated manner. This prevents cells from dying during G1, S or G2 phase of the cell cycle. When Mcl-1 expression is inhibited by PD98059, cells succumb to vinblastine at all phases of the cell cycle. This suggests a therapeutic strategy in which the MEK/ERK pathway needs to be suppressed for only a short period of time to cause significant cell death. Interestingly, we find this strategy works in only some leukemic cell lines, suggesting that other cell lines use alternate survival pathways to suppress vinblastine-induced apoptosis.
Nitric oxide and AMPK cooperatively regulate PGC-1α in skeletal muscle cells

Nitric oxide (NO) induces mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle cells via upregulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α). Further, we have shown that nitric oxide interacts with the metabolic sensor enzyme, AMPK. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide and AMPK act synergistically to upregulate PGC-1α mRNA expression and stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis in culture. L6 myotubes treated with nitric oxide donors, S-nitroso-N-penicillamine (SNAP, 25 μM) or diethylenetriamine-NONO (DETA-NO, 50 μM), exhibited elevated AMPK phosphorylation, PGC-1α mRNA and protein, and basal and uncoupled mitochondrial respiration (P < 0.05). Pre-treatment of cultures with the AMPK inhibitor, Compound C, prevented these effects. Knockdown of AMPKα1 in L6 myotubes using siRNA reduced AMPKα protein content and prevented upregulation of PGC-1α mRNA by DETA-NO. Meanwhile, siRNA knockdown of AMPKα2 had no effect on total AMPKα protein content or PGC-1α mRNA. These results suggest that NO effects on PGC-1α expression are mediated by AMPKα1. Paradoxically, we found that the AMPK-activating compound, AICAR, induced NO release from L6 myotubes, and that AICAR-induced upregulation of PGC-1α mRNA was prevented by inhibition of NOS with N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 1 mM). Additionally, incubation of isolated mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles with 2 mM AICAR for 20 min or electrical stimulation (10 Hz, 13 V) for 10 min induced phosphorylation of AMPKα (P < 0.05), which was completely prevented by pre-treatment with the NOS inhibitor, L-N(G)-monomethyl arginine (L-NMMA, 1 mM). These data identify the AMPKα1 isoform as the mediator of NO-induced effects in skeletal muscle cells. Further, this study supports a proposed model of synergistic interaction between AMPK and NOS that is critical for maintenance of metabolic function in skeletal muscle cells.
Systematic comparison of data-processing options for kinetic-based single-component determinations of non-catalysts: Part 1. Review, systematic classification, mathematical descriptions, performance characteristics and perspectives

Abstract This paper addresses several aspects of the applications of kinetic-based methods for single-component determinations of non-catalysts. One goal is to review many of the different approaches to these kinetic-based determinations. A second goal is to organize many of these different approaches into a systematic classification scheme. A third goal is to present mathematical descriptions that help to differentiate among the different approaches. A fourth goal is to differentiate among important features of the different approaches with emphasis on the ruggedness of the different options. In this context, ruggedness is defined as the ability of a method to resist changes in experimental variables. It is concluded that available options can be grouped into one or more of four general categories in this regard, namely those with no ability to resist changes in experimental variables, those that resist such changes via temporal optimization, those that can be used in modes that compensate for changing variables extrinsically and those that have built-in (intrinsic) variable compensation. A fifth goal is to place the many different options to kinetic-based determinations into a somewhat broader and more consistent perspective than may have been done previously. In particular, an aim is to identify similarities among measurement and data-processing options applied to transient (kinetic) aspects of chemical, physico-chemical and physical processes.
Population Diversity in an Immune System Model: Implications for Genetic Search

Abstract In typical applications, genetic algorithms (GAs) process populations of potential problem solutions to evolve a single population member that specifies an “optimized” solution. The majority of GA analysis has focused these optimization applications. In other applications (notably learning classifier systems and certain connectionist learning systems), a GA searches for a population of cooperative structures that jointly perform a computational task. This paper presents an analysis of this type of GA problem. The analysis considers a simplified genetics-based machine learning system: a model of an immune system. In this model, a G A must discover a set of pattern-matching antibodies that effectively match a set of antigen patterns. Analysis shows how a GA can automatically evolve and sustain a diverse, cooperative population. The cooperation emerges as a natural part of the antigen-antibody matching procedure. This emergent effect is shown to be similar to fitness sharing , an explicit technique for multi-modal GA optimization. The results imply that procedures like those in the immune system model could promote diverse, cooperative populations without the explicit, global calculations required by fitness sharing.
Use of hematoporphyrin derivative in detection and management of cervical cancer.

Abstract A fluorescent technique utilizing the accumulation of hematoporphyrin derivative in cervical lesions and its subsequent fluorescence have been evaluated for the detection and management of cervical cancer in 44 patients. A good correlation between fluorescence and histologic findings was observed. The method has potential in assisting the clinician in detecting anaplasia in an apparently normal cervix or vagina and in defining the limits of invasive or in situ lesions. The necessity for standardization of materials and equipment has been demonstrated.