cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Fragment 1 Region of Prothrombin Facilitates the Favored Binding of Fragment 12 to Zymogen and Enforces Zymogen-like Character in the Proteinase.

Thrombin is produced from the C-terminal half of prothrombin following its proteolytic activation. The N-terminal half, released as the propiece Fragment 12 (F12), is composed of an N-terminal γ-carboxyglutamate domain (Gla) followed by two kringles (K1 and K2). The propiece plays essential roles in regulating prothrombin activation and proteinase function. The latter results from the ability of F12 to reversibly bind to the (pro)catalytic domain through K2 with high affinity and highly favorable thermodynamic constants when it is a zymogen in comparison to proteinase. Such discrimination is lost for K2 binding after proteolytic removal of the N-terminal Gla-K1 region of F12. The Ca2+-stabilized structure of the Gla domain is not required for F12 to bind the zymogen form more favorably. Enhanced binding to zymogen versus proteinase correlates with the ability of the propiece to enforce zymogen-like character in the proteinase. This is evident in variants of meizothrombin, an intermediate of prothrombin activation that contains the propiece covalently attached. This phenomenon is also independent of the Gla domain. Thus, the presence of K1 in covalent linkage with K2 in the propiece governs the ability of K2 to bind the (pro)catalytic domain in favor of zymogen, thereby enforcing zymogen-like character in the proteinase.
Off-Center Force Gage on a Tristable MEMS Device

This photo shows a force gage attached to a tristable microelectromechanical (MEMS) device. While the force gage is common in Microsystems, this photo shows how movement during shipping can jostle the device out of its manufactured position.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Thermally Driven Switch of Binding Configuration of 3-Pyrroline on Si(111)-7 × 7

The chemical binding of 3-pyrro-line at low temperature and its thermal evolution up to 900 K were studied with high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). At a temperature lower than 350 K, 3-pyrroline adsorbs on Si(111)-7 × 7 mainly through the formation of a Si···N dative bond. For a temperature higher than 350 K, surface reaction takes place through two simultaneous reaction channels. Some of the dative-bonded molecules dissociate into a 3-pyrrolinyl-like product bound to the surface through a Si−N σ bond. The others convert into pyrrolidinyl-like product bonded with Si−C sigma bonds via radical-abstraction. This result suggests that the temperature-dependent selectivity of products is an important factor to be considered in functionalization of semiconductor surfaces with multifunctional organic molecules.
Epidemiological Analysis of Epidemic Meningitis in Gaoxian County,1976-2013

Objective To analyze the epidemic trend of meningitis in Gaoxian county,Sichuan province,and thus to provide scientific basis for effective prevention and control strategies. Methods Descriptive epidemiology method was employed to analyze the reported meningitis cases during 1976-2013 in Gaoxian county. Results During 1976-2013,altogether 2066 cases were reported,with 57 deaths. The annual average incidence rate,mortality rate and fatality rate was respectively 11. 60 /105,0.32/105 and 2. 76%. With trend test,the incidence rate showed statistical significance( χ2= 2916. 60,P0. 01). All the 19 townships in the county reported meningitis cases each. The top three townships with the highest incidence were Wenjiang,Qingfu and Luochang,with the constituent ratio of 46. 22%,16. 99% and 5. 61%,respectively. The high incidence season was Feb. to Apr,accounting for 75. 99% of the total cases. The top three age groups with the highest incidence was respectively 0-4 years old( 21. 70 /105),5-9 years old( 58.75/105) and 10-14( 34. 24/105) years old. The sex ratio of male to female was 1.25: 1. Peasants took the greatest portion of the cases( 58. 13%),followed by preschool children( 19. 80%) Conclusion The incidence of meningitis is decreasing,yet the potential risk of prevalence still exits. The incidence shows obvious seasonal features and children under 15 years old are the vulnerable population. To improve the vaccination rate is the key measure to control this disease.
A Quantum Electrodynamic View of Superradiance as a Competition Between Stimulated and Spontaneous Atomic Decay

A number of treatments of cooperative, or “superradiant”, spontaneous decay of N similarly excited two-level atoms have been presented lately. [1]–[7] In broad outline all of these treatments give the same result: The peak emitted power is proportional to N2 and the system’s radiative lifetime is shortened by a factor 1/N. In some details, however, marked differences have been noted. In particular, fully quantum electrodynamic and fully semiclassical treatments differ widely in several respects. Consider these two, for example: (1) Time to peak emission of a system completely excited. QED says the time to reach peak emission is finite, while semiclassical theory says that it is infinite. (2) Frequency modulation of the emitted field. QED in general does not account for it, while semiclassical theory says it is present, possibly even large, and describes it in detail.
WE-DE-BRA-07: Megavoltage Spectral Imaging with a Layered Detector

Purpose: The aim of the current work is to investigate the feasibility of megavoltage spectral imaging using a multiple layered detector for enhancement of low contrast detectability through material segmentation and discrimination (such as bone, markers and metal implants). Potentially the technique can be applied to improve detection and reduce dose in Megavoltage Cone Beam Computed Tomography (MV-CBCT). Methods: Experiments were performed with a prototype multi-layer imager (MLI) which has higher detective efficiency and lower noise characteristics than conventional Electronic Portal Imaging Devices (EPIDs). Images of a solid water phantom were acquired at 2.5 MV, 6MV and 6MV without flattening filter (FFF). The following materials were placed within a stack of solid water: aluminum, copper and gold. Material separation was assessed based on Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR) of the weighted image, formed by a weighted subtraction of the images from two layers of the MLI. A range of weighting factors were investigated for material separation. Results: CNR can be minimized for each material by appropriate selection of the subtraction weighting factor. This is equivalent to a selective subtraction of specific materials from the image. Using multiple layers simultaneously also decreases the dose requirement and removes any registration errors. The minimum CNR for aluminum, copper and gold at the weighted image formed with 2.5MV was obtained at weighting factors equal to 0.92, 0.76 and 0.64 respectively. The corresponding values at 6MVFFF were 0.99, 0.92 and 0.78 respectively. Conclusion: In the current work, an MV spectral imaging feasibility study was attempted using a novel multi-layer prototype EPID imager. Initial results suggest that material separation based on spectral differences between different layers is possible. This spectral imaging technique has potential advantages in MV-CBCT for real-time target tracking, patient set-up imaging and adaptive radiotherapy. The project was supported, partially, by a grant from Varian Medical Systems, Inc., and Award No. R01CA188446-01 from the National Cancer Institute. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Cancer Institute or the National Institutes of Health
Kinanthropometric Research in Human Auxology

Kinanthropometry is a variously defined field of study which attempts to relate anthropometry, broadly conceived, to human movement and physical performance. Kinanthropometric research has along history in a number of disciplines, but the name kinanthropometry is quite recent. This report briefly considers the origin of kinanthropometry and related terms, and then offers a selective overview of kinanthropometric research in the area of human auxology.
Impact of Hot Yoga on Arterial Stiffness and Quality of Life in Normal and Overweight/Obese Adults.

Background:Obesity is associated with arterial stiffening and diminished quality of life. Bikram yoga may be a feasible alternative to traditional exercise among obese individuals. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Bikram yoga, a heated style of hatha yoga, on arterial stiffness in normal and overweight/obese adults.Methods:Forty-three (23 normal body mass index or BMI; 20 overweight/obese) apparently healthy participants completed an 8-week Bikram yoga intervention. Body composition was estimated via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, arterial stiffness was measured via brachialankle pulse wave velocity, and health-related quality of life was assessed via RAND 36-Item Short Form survey at baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.Results:After the intervention, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity decreased (P < .05) in overweight/obese participants while no such changes were observed in normal BMI participants. In the quality of life measures, emotional well-b...
Chemical and physical characteristics of the Salton Sea, California

A 1-year sampling program was conducted to assess current chemical and physical conditions in the Salton Sea. Analyses included general physical conditions and a suite of water quality parameters, including nutrients, trophic state variables, major cations and anions, trace metals and organic compounds. Samples were collected from three locations in the main body of the lake and from the three major tributaries. Nutrient concentrations in the Salton Sea are high and lead to frequent algal blooms, which in turn contribute to low dissolved oxygen concentrations. The tributaries consist primarily of agricultural return flows with high nutrient levels. Concentrations of trace metals and organic compounds do not appear to be of major concern. Two geochemical models, PHRQPITZ and PHREEQC, were used to evaluate potential chemical reactions limiting the solubility of selected water quality variables. Modeling indicated that the Salton Sea is supersaturated with respect to calcite, gypsum, and other minerals. Precipitation of these minerals may serve as a sink for phosphorus and limit the rate of salt accumulation in the Salton Sea.
Obiora Udechukwu, Ojemba: A Fifty-Year Retrospective: Selected Drawings And Prints

Far too few retrospectives of the work of individual African artists occur in the United States, compared, say, to their numbers even in art-resource-starved cities such as Lagos or Nairobi, if we ...
AKRON: An algorithm for approximating sparse kernel reconstruction

Abstract Exact reconstruction of a sparse signal for an under-determined linear system using the l0-measure is, in general, an NP-hard problem. The most popular approach is to relax the l0-optimization problem to an l1-approximation. However, the strength of this convex approximation relies upon rigid properties on the system, which are not verifiable in practice. Greedy algorithms have been proposed in the past to speed up the optimization of the l1 problem, but their computational efficiency comes at the expense of a larger error. In an effort to control error and complexity, this paper goes beyond the l1-approximation by growing neighborhoods of the l1-solution that moves towards the optimal solution. The size of the neighborhood is tunable depending on the computational resources. The proposed algorithm, termed Approximate Kernel RecONstruction (AKRON), yields significantly smaller errors than current greedy methods with a controllable computational cost. By construction, the error of AKRON is smaller than or to equal the l1-solution. AKRON enjoys all the error bounds of l1 under the restricted isometry property condition. We benchmarked AKRON on simulated data from several under-determined systems, and the results show that AKRON can significantly improve the reconstruction error with slightly more computational cost than solving the l1 problem directly.
Lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 promotes triple negative breast cancer progression

We identified SMYD2, a SMYD (SET and MYND domain) family protein with lysine methyltransferase activity, as a novel breast cancer oncogene. SMYD2 was expressed at significantly higher levels in breast cancer cell lines and in breast tumor tissues. Silencing of SMYD2 by RNAi in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines or inhibition of SMYD2 with its specific inhibitor, AZ505, significantly reduced tumor growth in vivo. SMYD2 executes this activity via methylation and activation of its novel non-histone substrates, including STAT3 and the p65 subunit of NF-κB, leading to increased TNBC cell proliferation and survival. There are cross-talk and synergistic effects among SMYD2, STAT3, and NF-κB in TNBC cells, in that STAT3 can contribute to the modification of NF-κB p65 subunit post-translationally by recruitment of SMYD2, whereas the p65 subunit of NF-κB can also contribute to the modification of STAT3 post-translationally by recruitment of SMYD2, leading to methylation and activation of STAT3 and p65 in these cells. The expression of SMYD2 can be upregulated by IL-6-STAT3 and TNFα-NF-κB signaling, which integrates epigenetic regulation to inflammation in TNBC development. In addition, we have identified a novel SMYD2 transcriptional target gene, PTPN13, which links SMYD2 to other known breast cancer associated signaling pathways, including ERK, mTOR, and Akt signaling via PTPN13 mediated phosphorylation.
Family-related Disparities in College Enrollment across the Great Recession.

The economic crisis of the Great Recession in the late 2000s had implications for the intergenerational transmission of inequality within families. Studying patterns of college enrollment across th...
Ethanolamine Utilization in Bacteria.

ABSTRACT Ethanolamine (EA) is a valuable source of carbon and/or nitrogen for bacteria capable of its catabolism. Because it is derived from the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine, it is particularly prevalent in the gastrointestinal tract, which is membrane rich due to turnover of the intestinal epithelium and the resident microbiota. Intriguingly, many gut pathogens carry the eut (ethanolamine utilization) genes. EA utilization has been studied for about 50 years, with most of the early work occurring in just a couple of species of Enterobacteriaceae. Once the metabolic pathways and enzymes were characterized by biochemical approaches, genetic screens were used to map the various activities to the eut genes. With the rise of genomics, the diversity of bacteria containing the eut genes and surprising differences in eut gene content were recognized. Some species contain nearly 20 genes and encode many accessory proteins, while others contain only the core catabolic enzyme. Moreover, the eut genes are regulated by very different mechanisms, depending on the organism and the eut regulator encoded. In the last several years, exciting progress has been made in elucidating the complex regulatory mechanisms that govern eut gene expression. Furthermore, a new appreciation for how EA contributes to infection and colonization in the host is emerging. In addition to providing an overview of EA-related biology, this minireview will give special attention to these recent advances.
Establishing in vitro–in vivo correlation for antibody drug conjugate efficacy: a PK/PD modeling approach

The objective of this manuscript was to establish in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVC) between the in vitro efficacy and in vivo efficacy of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), using a PK/PD modeling approach. Nineteen different ADCs were used to develop IVIVC. In vitro efficacy of ADCs was evaluated using a kinetic cell cytotoxicity assay. The cytotoxicity data obtained from in vitro studies was characterized using a novel mathematical model, parameter estimates from which were used to derive an in vitro efficacy matrix for each ADC, termed as ‘in vitro tumor static concentration’ (TSCin vitro). TSCin vitro is a theoretical concentration at continuous exposure of which the number of cells will neither increase nor decrease, compared to the initial cell number in the experiment. The in vivo efficacy of ADCs was evaluated using tumor growth inhibition (TGI) studies performed on human tumor xenograft bearing mice. The TGI data obtained from in vivo studies was characterized using a PK/PD model, parameter estimates from which were used to derive an in vivo efficacy matrix for each ADC, termed as ‘in vivo tumor static concentration’ (TSCin vivo). TSCin vivo is a theoretical concentration if one were to maintain in the plasma of a tumor bearing mouse, the tumor volume will neither increase nor decrease compared to the initial tumor volume. Comparison of the TSCin vitro and TSCin vivo values from 19 ADCs provided a linear and positive IVIVC. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for TSCin vitro and TSCin vivo was found to be 0.82. On average TSCin vivo was found to be ~ 27 times higher than TSCin vitro. The reasonable IVIVC for ADCs suggests that in vitro efficacy data was correctly able to differentiate ADCs for their in vivo efficacy. Thus, IVIVC can be used as a tool to triage ADC molecules in the discovery stage, thereby preventing unnecessary scaling-up of ADCs and waste of time and resources. An ability to predict the concentration of ADC that is efficacious in vivo using the in vitro data can also help in optimizing the experimental design of preclinical efficacy studies. As such, the novel PK/PD modeling method presented here to establish IVIVC for ADCs holds promise, and should be evaluated further using diverse set of cell lines and anticancer agents.
Light-Actuated Electrohydrodynamics in Plasmonic Nanofluids

The light-actuated electrohydrodynamics in plasmonic nanofluids represent harvestable exergy in an open system. Here we demonstrate thermoelectric responses and analyze the energy conversion. Future efforts will require scrutiny of the negative-Soret-coefficient thermophoretic dynamics.
The effects of site selection, opportunity costs and transportation costs on bioethanol production

Abstract Policy and legislative initiatives, along with volatility in agricultural commodity prices, have encouraged farmers to consider alternative crops, such as potential advanced biomass feedstock for bioenergy, including energy beets. This paper employs an integrated biophysical, economic and transportation GIS-based model to examine the production of beet-bioethanol from five sites in North Dakota. The study finds that beet-bioethanol could provide net benefits to farmers and ethanol producers in the state, under current market conditions, but only if the bioethanol plant site is carefully selected. Specifically, a 75 million litre plant could produce a profit at capacity offering a beet price of $33/t at an ethanol price of $0.40/L at one of five analyzed sites. Policy initiatives that increase the price of ethanol could make production attractive at all of the investigated sites. Both increased agricultural opportunity costs and decreased transportation costs move feedstock production away from the plant site to higher quality lands. This result implies that, in some cases, to pursue biomass production on marginal lands, policy initiatives would need to increase transportation costs, lower agricultural commodity prices, or increase biomass prices. Therefore, assumptions about land quality should be carefully considered in biomass and bioenergy policy.
Analysis of coupled chaoscillators embedded within thalamocortical and corticocortical reentrant loops encompassing dyanamics on multiple time scales

The dynamical behavior of reciprocal thalamocortical and corticocortical interactions was analyzed using a large-scale GENESIS simulation consisting of interconnected networks of reconstructed neuron models with active kinetics and firing modes. Connections between cortical areas were based upon neuroanatomical tracing and intracellular neurophysiological experiments. Over a wide range of connection parameters, this system generated chaotic activity including regions of fractal activity identified by fractal exponents, an event-counting statistic derived from Fano- and Allan-factor analyses. This neural system can be described in terms of coupled “chaoscillators” within an extensively reentrant architecture with multiple time scales.
Measurement of Parathyroid Hormone

Interpretation of serum immunoreactive PTH measurements requires an understanding of the secretion, metabolism, and heterogeneity of circulating immunoreactive PTH. Both intact hormone and biologically inactive carboxyl fragments containing the middle and C-terminal regions are secreted by the parathyroid glands. Inactive fragments also are produced peripherally by metabolism of intact hormone by liver and kidney. Inactive fragments represent 75 to 95% of the total immunoreactivity in serum, a consequence of their long half-life in vivo as compared with intact hormone. Immunoassays for PTH can be divided into those measuring intact hormone (N-terminal, intact) and those measuring both inactive fragments and intact hormone (mid-region, C-terminal, polyvalent). The latter principally measures inactive fragments because of their greater concentration as compared with intact hormone in peripheral serum. The clinical utility of PTH assays varies considerably because of differences in their specificity and sensitivity. Serum PTH levels have been more often observed to be elevated in individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism with the use of research quality radioimmunoassays that recognize both inactive fragments and intact hormone than with conventional N-terminal or intact assays. Homologous mid-region assays have provided exceptional clinical sensitivity in confirming primary hyperparathyroidism. Comparison of a sensitive mid-region radioimmunoassay with a recently developed two-site, noncompetitive chemiluminescent immunoassay for intact PTH indicated that both methods were highly useful in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia. The mid-region assay provided the best diagnostic sensitivity in primary hyperparathyroidism with more elevated levels of PTH. The sensitivity of the intact assay was good, a significant improvement over conventional N-terminal and intact assays. The specificity of the intact assay was clearly superior, with measured PTH levels found to be suppressed to below normal in most subjects with hypercalcemia associated with malignancy. In contrast, measured levels were primarily normal with the mid-region assay. The higher levels of immunoreactive PTH observed in nonparathyroid hypercalcemia with the mid-region assay are in agreement with the measurement of biologically inactive carboxyl fragments, which continue to be secreted in hypercalcemia.
Preventive pediatric cardiology: Tobacco, cholesterol, obesity, and physical activity

The importance of preventive cardiology in youth has been established by several critical observations: the presence of atherosclerosis as early as the second decade of life, the association of this atherosclerosis with known cardiovascular disease risk factors, and the ability to identify and modify these risk factors. 15,21,29 Because children and adolescents are not at immediate risk for myocardial infarction, the concept of promoting cardiovascular health through encouraging healthful behavior rather than the medical treatment of risk factors has been given greater priority. 29 Five major risk factors have been identified in children and adolescents: tobacco use, dyslipidemia (elevated low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol and decreased high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol), elevated blood pressure, obesity, and physical activity. 29 In the past decade, major consensus statements addressing the status of these risk factors have been published or endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Heart Association. 10,11,17,23,24,25,29,30 This article reviews, for tobacco use, high LDL or low HDL cholesterol levels, obesity, and lack of physical activity, the causes of these risk factors in the United States population, the medical evaluation of these risk factors, public health strategies for the promotion of cardiovascular health, and the identification and treatment of high-risk individuals. Findings and conclusions of these consensus statements are emphasized with support from recent research. Blood pressure and hypertension are addressed in another article in this issue.
Social-Spatial Effects in Pricing: When and How Vertical Orientations Shape Processing of Price Comparisons

Marketers frequently compare a product’s sale price against its regular price to accentuate perceptions of value. The effectiveness of these price comparisons is predicated on consumers sufficiently processing the deal’s depth (i.e., the regular price − sale price differential). Although research indicates consumers can generally make such assessments, we document an exception when price comparisons are presented in a format that aligns with the vertical orientation of consumers. The correspondence between vertical price comparisons and the mindsets of individuals who value social hierarchies (i.e., who are vertically oriented) induces a sense of “fit” that reduces processing and leads to similar responses to the offer regardless of deal depth. This effect manifests regardless of whether vertical orientations are measured as a chronic state or temporarily primed. Supporting our theorizing, vertically oriented participants report paying less attention and being less motivated to process price comparisons. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed as are suggestions for future research examining how social views may shape consumer processing of product attribute and point-of-purchase information.
Promoting resilience after childhood adversity

Engaging prefrontal control regions during reappraisal promotes resilience to depression after childhood maltreatment.
Use of a Patient Portal for Engaging Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Patterns and Prediction.

Abstract Background: Patient portals empower patients by providing access to their health information and facilitating communication with care providers. This study aimed to examine the usage patte...
From non-cyclists to frequent cyclists: Factors associated with frequent bike share use in New York City

Abstract Introduction New York City's bike share system (Citi Bike) is the largest of its kind in the U.S. and has the potential to provide population-level health benefits. Bike share members who were not regular cyclists before membership may experience health benefits given an opportunity for physical activity that had not previously been available. Little is known about the characteristics of those who become frequent bike share users among those who had not previously cycled. Methods Data from a Citi Bike member survey, as well as data from trips were used for this analysis. Frequent bike share users were defined as members in the upper quartile of total trips among survey respondents who lived in a neighborhood with a Citi Bike station and had taken at least one trip in their first year of membership. Analyses were restricted to those who reported not having ridden a bicycle in NYC in the 12 months before their membership. Logistic regression was used to calculate crude and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) to determine the characteristics of frequent bike share users. Results Factors independently associated with becoming a frequent bike share user within the first year of Citi Bike membership included male sex; lower household income; lack of car ownership; being physically active; and reported their primary reason for membership of a faster way to get around town, or to save money on transportation. Conclusions The results of this study highlight that motivations not related to health, such as wanting a less expensive and more efficient form of transportation, might contribute to the use of active transportation like cycling. Frequent use among those with lower household incomes provides additional rationale for expansion of bike share to low-income neighborhoods.
Photocatalysis with Transition Metal Based Photosensitizers

Photocatalysis under visible-light irradiation has many applications in organic synthesis and solar fuels. Out of the many photosensitizers that have been used in photocatalysis applications, metal...
Altering attention to split-belt walking increases the generalization of motor memories across walking contexts

Little is known about how attention affects the generalization of motor recalibration induced by sensorimotor adaptation paradigms. We showed that altering attention to movements on a split-belt tr...
A 97% Peak Efficiency and 308 A/in 3 Current Density 48-to-4 V Two-Stage Resonant Switched-Capacitor Converter for Data Center Applications

Resonant switched-capacitor (SC) converters have shown great potential in achieving high efficiency and high current/power density, due to their better passives and switch utilization compared to the conventional switched inductor and SC converters. The series-parallel (SP) topology has excellent passive component utilizations, since all flying capacitors sustain the same lowest voltage (i.e. the output voltage) with the minimum voltage derating factors. In this work, a 48 V-to- 4V two-stage hybrid SC converter, cascading a 2-to-1 resonant SC converter (highvoltage stage, using 40 V switches) and a 6-to-1 hybrid series-parallel SC converter (high-current stage, using 25 V switches), is designed, built and tested. The hardware prototype achieves 97% peak system efficiency (including gate driver losses) through the use of zero voltage switching (ZVS) control techniques for both stages. A peak current density of 308 A/in3 or a peak power density of 1154 W/in3 is achieved.
ClinicNet: machine learning for personalized clinical order set recommendations.

Objective This study assesses whether neural networks trained on electronic health record (EHR) data can anticipate what individual clinical orders and existing institutional order set templates clinicians will use more accurately than existing decision support tools. Materials and methods We process 57 624 patients worth of clinical event EHR data from 2008 to 2014. We train a feed-forward neural network (ClinicNet) and logistic regression applied to the traditional problem structure of predicting individual clinical items as well as our proposed workflow of predicting existing institutional order set template usage. Results ClinicNet predicts individual clinical orders (precision = 0.32, recall = 0.47) better than existing institutional order sets (precision = 0.15, recall = 0.46). The ClinicNet model predicts clinician usage of existing institutional order sets (avg. precision = 0.31) with higher average precision than a baseline of order set usage frequencies (avg. precision = 0.20) or a logistic regression model (avg. precision = 0.12). Discussion Machine learning methods can predict clinical decision-making patterns with greater accuracy and less manual effort than existing static order set templates. This can streamline existing clinical workflows, but may not fit if historical clinical ordering practices are incorrect. For this reason, manually authored content such as order set templates remain valuable for the purposeful design of care pathways. ClinicNet's capability of predicting such personalized order set templates illustrates the potential of combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches to delivering clinical decision support content. Conclusion ClinicNet illustrates the capability for machine learning methods applied to the EHR to anticipate both individual clinical orders and existing order set templates, which has the potential to improve upon current standards of practice in clinical order entry.
The Johnson homomorphism and the second cohomology of IAn

Let Fn be the free group on n generators. Define IAn to be group of automorphisms of Fn that act trivially on first homology. The Johnson homomorphism in this setting is a map from IAn to its abelian- ization. The first goal of this paper is to determine how much this map contributes to the second rational cohomology of IAn. A descending central series of IAn is given by the subgroups K (i) n which act trivially on Fn/F (i+1) n , the free rank n, degree i nilpotent group. It is a conjecture of Andreadakis that K (i) n is equal to the lower central series of IAn; indeed K (2) n is known to be the commutator subgroup of IAn. We prove that the quotient group K (3) n /IA (3) is finite for all n and trivial for n = 3. We also compute the rank of K (2) n /K (3) n . AMS Classification 20F28, 20J06; 20F14
Observations of Nonlinear Processes in Surface Wave Generation

Arguments are presented that suggest the possible existence of an air-sea interaction soliton, that is a wave group of permanent type envelope, of a significant half-life, and which consist of coupled disturbances in the air and water velocity fields It is argued that instabilities are modulationally unstable, and thus, to a linear approximation, favor the generation of groups. The phase between wind and sea surface disturbances for a disturbance of permanent type is shown to be consistent with observations. Other experimental evidence is cited in support of the interaction soliton. The possible usefulness of such a description of wind generation is also discussed.
Choosing a Cluster Sampling Design for Lot Quality Assurance Sampling Surveys

Lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) surveys are commonly used for monitoring and evaluation in resource-limited settings. Recently several methods have been proposed to combine LQAS with cluster sampling for more timely and cost-effective data collection. For some of these methods, the standard binomial model can be used for constructing decision rules as the clustering can be ignored. For other designs, considered here, clustering is accommodated in the design phase. In this paper, we compare these latter cluster LQAS methodologies and provide recommendations for choosing a cluster LQAS design. We compare technical differences in the three methods and determine situations in which the choice of method results in a substantively different design. We consider two different aspects of the methods: the distributional assumptions and the clustering parameterization. Further, we provide software tools for implementing each method and clarify misconceptions about these designs in the literature. We illustrate the differences in these methods using vaccination and nutrition cluster LQAS surveys as example designs. The cluster methods are not sensitive to the distributional assumptions but can result in substantially different designs (sample sizes) depending on the clustering parameterization. However, none of the clustering parameterizations used in the existing methods appears to be consistent with the observed data, and, consequently, choice between the cluster LQAS methods is not straightforward. Further research should attempt to characterize clustering patterns in specific applications and provide suggestions for best-practice cluster LQAS designs on a setting-specific basis.
Oxidative Stress in Acute Liver Failure

Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rapid-onset condition that is characterized by coagulopathy and encephalopathy. Although rare, mortality is high and liver transplantation is often the only available cure. ALF is not itself a liver disease, but is a severe outcome of several forms of acute liver injury. Importantly, it has been suggested that oxidative stress has a role in the mechanisms of liver injury in several of these etiologies. This is especially true in acetaminophen hepatotoxicity and viral hepatitis, for which there is clear evidence that mitochondrial oxidative stress is important in the pathophysiology. Interestingly, although oxidative stress is generally considered detrimental in liver disease, it has recently been shown to promote liver regeneration in some preclinical models. This may open new avenues of exploration for future research. A better understanding of the role of oxidative stress in liver injury and repair may lead to the development of new therapeutic interventions to combat ALF.
Design and implementation of AC/DC active power load emulator

This paper introduces the design and implementation of a programmable AC/DC active load emulator that has the capability to emulate a very wide range of active power with the ability to change the power with small steps to give flexible load emulation. The developed load emulator can mimic the real time active power characteristic of a daily load pattern which can be used in testing power management algorithms. It gives an easy tool to test the performance of the utility grid by emulating different load profiles like random residential loads and electric vehicle charging stations. Furthermore, it can be used in the shipboard power system to emulate pulsated load. A friendly user GUI is developed in LabVIEW to facilitate the control of the load emulator. Actual hardware implementation steps are explained in details. The initial experimental results show the validity of the developed active power emulator and its capability to mimic different load profiles.
New Bounds for Axions and Axion-Like Particles with keV-GeV Masses

We give updated constraints on hypothetical light bosons with a two-photon coupling such as axions or axion-like particles (ALPs). We focus on masses and lifetimes where decays happen near big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), thus altering the baryon-to-photon ratio and number of relativistic degrees of freedom between the BBN epoch and the cosmic microwave background's (CMB) last scattering epoch, in particular such that ${N}_{\text{eff}}^{\mathrm{CMB}}l{N}_{\text{eff}}^{\mathrm{BBN}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{\mathrm{CMB}}l{\ensuremath{\eta}}^{\mathrm{BBN}}$. New constraints presented here come from Planck measurements of the CMB power spectrum combined with the latest inferences of primordial $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ and D/H abundances. We find that a previously allowed region in parameter space near $m=1\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ and $\ensuremath{\tau}=100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{ms}$, consistent with a QCD axion arising from a symmetry breaking near the electroweak scale, is now ruled out at $g3\ensuremath{\sigma}$ by the combination of $\mathrm{CMB}+D/H$ measurements if only ALPs and three thermalized neutrino species contribute to ${N}_{\text{eff}}$. The bound relaxes if there are additional light degrees of freedom present which, in this scenario, have their contribution limited to $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{N}_{\text{eff}}=1.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3$. We give forecasts showing that a number of experiments are expected to reach the sensitivity needed to further test this region, such as Stage-IV CMB and SUPER-KEKB, the latter a direct test insensitive to any extra degrees of freedom.
Abstract 4111: Vitamin D for prevention of liver cancer in the setting of disrupted TGF-β signaling pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer related death worldwide. Vitamin D (VD) has been implicated in the prevention of multiple cancers- some with inactivation of TGF-β signaling. Recently, inactivation of TGF-β signaling has been associated with HCC. We analyzed whole genome data for TGF-β signaling and examined the role of VD in the context of TGF-β inactivation in HCC. Methods: Databases of HCC Genomics (COSMIC) and transcriptomics (TCGA) were analyzed. The effect of calcitriol on cell proliferation was measured in HCC cell lines; Hep-G2 and MEF cells, with knocked down TGF-β/β2-spectrin (β2SP). Wild-type (WT), Sptbn1+/- and Smad3+/- mice were fed with diets containing 200 IU VD/kg or 10,000 IU VD/kg for 9 weeks. Hepatocyte proliferation was analyzed through Ki67 staining. The expression of cyclin D1 was evaluated by Western blotting. A whole genome gene expression profiling array was performed from liver samples of those mice using Illumina MouseWG-6 v2.0 gene expression arrays®. Lastly, liver samples from patients with HCC who had received VD supplementation were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Whole genome data revealed aberrant TGF-β signaling in ∼70% of HCCs. Treatment with calcitriol suppressed the growth of HCC cell lines, regardless of their TGF-β pathway status. Inhibition of proliferation was noted in WT MEFs as well as in the Sptbn1+/- and Sptbn1-/- cells. High dose VD reduced hepatic proliferation and cyclin D1 levels in Sptbn1+/- and Smad3+/- mutants, and in WT mice. The microarray data demonstrated the most significant changes in gene expression were associated with acute phase inflammatory response (p Citation Format: Lior H. Katz, Andrea Cortes, Vivek Shukla, Keigo Machida, Hidekazu Tsukamoto, Kirty Shetty, Aiwu R. He, Lynt B. Johnson, Jian Chen, Randa El-Zein, Ju-Seog Lee, Lopa Mshra. Vitamin D for prevention of liver cancer in the setting of disrupted TGF-β signaling pathway. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4111. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4111
Community action to prevent childhood obesity: lessons from three US case studies.

Abstract Background: A 2005 Institute of Medicine report argues that “prevention of obesity in children and youth is, ultimately, about community,” yet the literature lacks empirical research on what communities are doing to prevent childhood obesity. This research helps fill this gap and highlights promising practices. Cases: This research entailed exploratory analysis of three descriptive case studies of community efforts to prevent childhood obesity in the northeastern United States: Shape Up Somerville in Massachusetts, MA (urban), Whole Community Project in New York, NY (semiurban), and Eat Well Play Hard Chemung in NY (semirural). Data included stakeholder interviews (n=23), participant observation (n≥7 events and meetings/case), and document analysis (n≈100/case) from project inceptions until March, 2010. Meeting participation was tracked. Data were coded for actions and strategies. Actions were mapped to an adapted version of the ANalysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework....
Last Endemic Mammals in Hispaniola

After searching many remote regions in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, the author discovered that the island's last two endemic mammals, formerly believed to be rare, are in fact common in some areas. But human pressures on the hutia Plagiodonria aedium and the solenodon S. paradoxus are such that, unless the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic take effective steps both could soon become extinct.
Fold recognition and accurate query‐template alignment by a combination of PSI‐BLAST and threading

A homology-based structure prediction method ideally gives both a correct fold assignment and an accurate query-template alignment. In this article we show that the combination of two existing methods, PSI-BLAST and threading, leads to significant enhancement in the success rate of fold recognition. The combined approach, termed COBLATH, also yields much higher alignment accuracy than found in previous studies. It consists of two-way searches both by PSI-BLAST and by threading. In the PSI-BLAST portion, a query is used to search for hits in a library of potential templates and, conversely, each potential template is used to search for hits in a library of queries. In the threading portion, the scoring function is the sum of a sequence profile and a 6x6 substitution matrix between predicted query and known template secondary structure and solvent exposure. "Two-way" in threading means that the query's sequence profile is used to match the sequences of all potential templates and the sequence profiles of all potential templates are used to match the query's sequence. When tested on a set of 533 nonhomologous proteins, COBLATH was able to assign folds for 390 (73%). Among these 390 queries, 265 (68%) had root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) of less than 8 A between predicted and actual structures. Such high success rate and accuracy make COBLATH an ideal tool for structural genomics.
Less Invasive Surfactant Administration (LISA) — Ways to deliver surfactant in spontaneously breathing infants

Abstract The idea to deliver surfactant to spontaneously breathing premature infants is not new. The spectrum of methods reported reaches from aerosol administration over pharyngeal deposition, the use of laryngeal masks, short term intubation, surfactant administration and rapid extubation (INSURE) to an approach of keeping premature neonates on spontaneous breathing with continuous positive airway pressure support and administering surfactant by laryngoscopy via a small diameter tube. This way of Less Invasive Surfactant Administration (LISA) is in increasing use in the last decade in Germany. More than 1000 babies have been included in clinical studies on LISA by now. A first prospective randomized controlled trial (AMV-trial) demonstrated a significant reduction in the use of mechanical ventilation in LISA patients compared to standard treatment with intratracheal bolus administration of surfactant. Another recent study (Take Care study) indicates, that LISA may even be superior to INSURE. The search for even more “gentle” methods (e.g. nebulization) to deliver surfactant continues.
Metabolism of Tween-Fatty Acid Esters by Cultured Soybean Cells: Kinetics of Incorporation into Lipids, Subsequent Turnover, and Associated Changes in Endogenous Fatty Acid Synthesis

Uptake of Tween-fatty acid esters and incorporation of the fatty acids into lipids by soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) suspension cultures was investigated, together with subsequent turnover of the incorporated fatty acids and associated changes in endogenous fatty acid synthesis. Tween uptake was saturable, and fatty acids were rapidly transferred from Tweens to all acylated lipids. Patterns of incorporation into glycerolipids were similar in cells treated with Tweens carrying [1-14C]-fatty acids and in cells treated with [1-14C]acetate, indicating that exogenous fatty acids were used for glycerolipid synthesis essentially as if they had been made by the cell. In Tween-treated cells neutral lipids (which include Tweens) initially accounted for the majority of lipid radioactivity. Radioactivity was then rapidly transferred to glycerolipids. A transient pool of free fatty acids accounting for up to 10% of lipid radioactivity was observed. This was consistent with the hypothesis that fatty acids are transferred from Tweens to lipids by deacylation of the Tweens, creating a pool of free fatty acids which are then used for lipid synthesis. Sterols were only slightly labeled in cells treated with Tweens, but accounted for nearly 50% of lipid radioactivity in cells treated with acetate. This suggested very little degradation and reutilization of the radioactive fatty acids in cells treated with Tweens. In cells treated with either [1-14C]acetate or Tween-[1-14C]-18:1, 70% of the initial fatty acid radioactivity remained in fatty acids after a 100 hour chase. By contrast, fatty acids not normally present disappeared more rapidly, suggesting differential treatment of such fatty acids compared with those normally present. Cells which had incorporated large amounts of exogenous fatty acids altered fatty acid synthesis in three distinct ways: (a) amounts of [1-14C]acetate incorporated into fatty acids were reduced; (b) cells incorporating exogenous unsaturated fatty acids increased the proportion of [1-14C]acetate partitioned into saturated fatty acids, while the converse was true of cells which had incorporated exogenous saturated fatty acids; (c) desaturation of 18:1 to 18:2 and 18:3 was reduced in cells which had incorporated unsaturated fatty acids. These results suggest that Tween-fatty acid esters will be useful for supplying fatty acids to cells for a variety of studies related to fatty acid or membrane metabolism.