cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Systolic Heart Failure in the Elderly.

Appropriate therapy of systolic LV dysfunction in the elderly depends on the stage of the disease process. Evidence of systolic dysfunction is best detected by clinical assessment and echocardiographic exam. While one seeks to define and treat the factors that initiated the process, one also attempts to reduce symptoms and prolong life. Therefore, with initial damage (e.g., following a large myocardial infarction), ACE inhibition or angiotensin II receptor blockade is indicated. A -Adrenergic receptor blockade is also indicated at this stage because of mortality reduction. As failure progresses to more symptomatic phases, A -blockers also appear along with ACE inhibition. Once symptoms increase and peripheral edema and central congestion occur, loop diuretics become useful to maintain dry weight. In order to prevent further myocardial cell loss, other measures, such as cessation of smoking and treatment of hypertension, are essential. Digitalis glycosides, especially in modest doses, are indicated when NYHA Class II and III symptoms occur. Surgical approaches, such as coronary revascularization, may be performed to improve LV function in ischemic disease. Therapy of heart failure seeks the reversal or attenuation of the process that initiated the syndrome, while treating the patient to relieve symptoms and prolong life. Even in very late stages of the disease, relief of symptoms can now be accomplished with modest gains in life expectancy.
Measuring Ligand-Dependent Transport in Nanopatterned PbS Colloidal Quantum Dot Arrays Using Charge Sensing

Colloidal quantum dot arrays with long organic ligands have better packing order than those with short ligands but are highly resistive, making low-bias conductance measurements impossible with conventional two-probe techniques. We use an integrated charge sensor to study transport in weakly coupled arrays in the low-bias regime, and we nanopattern the arrays to minimize packing disorder. We present the temperature and field dependence of the resistance for nanopatterned oleic-acid and n-butylamine-capped PbS arrays, measuring resistances as high as 1018 Ω. We find that the conduction mechanism changes from nearest neighbor hopping in oleic-acid-capped PbS dots to Mott’s variable range hopping in n-butylamine capped PbS dots. Our results can be understood in terms of a change in the interdot coupling strength or a change in density of trap states and highlight the importance of the capping ligand on charge transport through colloidal quantum dot arrays.
Research note: An evaluation of the Elo algorithm for pairwise visual assessment surveys

Abstract A growing number of online visual preference surveys are conducted which ask respondents to make pairwise comparisons between visual stimuli, raising questions about how to best analyze the resulting data. This research note directly compares three potential methods for analyzing such data, two which have been previously described (Win Ratio and Q Score) and one newly applied to this context (Elo Score). Drawing on a dataset of 103,200 votes among 362 randomly selected streets in Philadelphia, the note finds that although the three metrics are highly correlated overall, the Elo Score results in more dispersed standardized scores and a somewhat different rank order than the Win Ratio (Kendall’s tau-b 0.864). Although the Win Ratio may be adequate for some research designs, the Elo Score provides a more discriminating measure for images that elicit strong responses. The note discusses how studies using pairwise comparisons might incorporate respondent demographics, and recommends further investigation of respondent demographics for online preference surveys.
Factors controlling oxygen migration barriers in perovskites

Abstract Perovskites with fast oxygen ion conduction can enable technologies like solid oxide fuel cells. One component of fast oxygen ion conduction is low oxygen migration barrier. Here we apply ab initio methods on over 40 perovskites to produce a database of oxygen migration barriers ranging from 0.2 to 1.6 eV. Mining the database revealed that systems with low barriers also have low metal-oxygen bond strength, as measured by oxygen vacancy formation energy and oxygen p-band center energy. These correlations provide a powerful descriptor for the development of new oxygen ion conductors and may explain the poor stability of some of the best oxygen conducting perovskites under reducing conditions. Other commonly-cited measures of space, volume, or structure ideality showed only weak correlation with migration barrier. The lowest migration barriers (
Sources of the Data

The original “ARS pesticide database” was compiled by ARS Soil Scientist Ralph Nash for research purposes but was never published. The data were compiled on paper forms by Nash and, after conversion to electronic records, became the nucleus of this database. Hornsby and Rao and their colleagues of the University of Florida have collected a large amount of data [129,223,234–237]. In addition to the primary literature, excellent compilations of some of the parameters are available, and these publications remain the only source of some values. The Weed Science Society of America Herbicide Handbook [325–327], a result of voluntary industry submissions of information on herbicides, has data on solubilities, vapor pressures, and, in some cases, persistences. The Royal Society of Chemistry Agrochemicals Handbook [245,246], and the British Crop Protection Council Pesticide Manual [32–34] continue the British tradition of pesticide science with a physical-chemical emphasis, giving high-quality solubilities, vapor pressures, Chemical Abstract Service Reference Numbers, molecular weights, and formulas for most pesticides. Trademark, formulation, and detailed use information are available from the Crop Protection Chemicals Reference [47], which is a collection of product labels. However, all manufacturers are not included. The Farm Chemicals Handbook [195,196] is the most complete cross-referenced listing of pesticides new and old and their uses and properties. These handbooks also contain much toxicological, chemical, and other information not covered here.
Preemptive warfarin dose reduction after initiation of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim or metronidazole

To evaluate the utility of a preemptive warfarin dose reduction at the time of initiation of either sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim or metronidazole, a retrospective chart review of patients who received an outpatient prescription for warfarin and either sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and/or metronidazole from July 1, 2011 to July 1, 2015 was conducted. Clinical outcomes compared Veterans who had a warfarin dose reduction and those who did not within 120 h (5 days) of antibiotic initiation. The primary outcome compared the pre-and post-antibiotic International Normalized Ratio (INR) of patients in the intervention group (warfarin dose reduction) with those in the control group (no intervention). Secondary outcomes assessed incidence of thromboembolic and major bleeding events within 30 days of antibiotic completion. Fifty patients were assessed. Forty-nine patients had at least one follow-up appointment; 126 follow-up visits were evaluated. There was a statistically significant difference for the change in therapeutic INR at the first follow-up appointment (p = 0.029) for those patients in the control group. On average, the patients in the intervention group required fewer follow-up visits (p = 0.019). There were no statistically significant differences for the overall rate of therapeutic INR values between groups, as well as no instances of a thromboembolic or major bleeding events during the follow-up period. Clinically significant differences were observed for patients who received a preemptive warfarin dose reduction upon initiation of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim or metronidazole. Patients in the intervention group required fewer follow-up appointments and were more likely maintain a therapeutic INR within the 30 days following the antibiotic course. Results of this study will be presented the at Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee in an effort to seek approval for policy development to initiate a local preemptive warfarin dose adjustment as a standard of practice.
Marker-assisted molecular profiling, deletion mutant analysis, and RNA-seq reveal a disease resistance cluster associated with Uromyces appendiculatus infection in common bean Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important legume, useful for its high protein and dietary fiber. The fungal pathogen Uromyces appendiculatus (Pers.) Unger can cause major loss in susceptible varieties of the common bean. The Ur-3 locus provides race specific resistance to virulent strains or races of the bean rust pathogen along with Crg, (Complements resistance gene), which is required for Ur-3-mediated rust resistance. In this study, we inoculated two common bean genotypes (resistant "Sierra" and susceptible crg) with rust race 53 of U. appendiculatus, isolated leaf RNA at specific time points, and sequenced their transcriptomes. First, molecular markers were used to locate and identify a 250 kb deletion on chromosome 10 in mutant crg (which carries a deletion at the Crg locus). Next, we identified differential expression of several disease resistance genes between Mock Inoculated (MI) and Inoculated (I) samples of "Sierra" leaf RNA within the 250 kb delineated region. Both marker assisted molecular profiling and RNA-seq were used to identify possible transcriptomic locations of interest regarding the resistance in the common bean to race 53. Identification of differential expression among samples in disease resistance clusters in the bean genome may elucidate significant genes underlying rust resistance. Along with preserving favorable traits in the crop, the current research may also aid in global sustainability of food stocks necessary for many populations.
Customizing controls for DER interconnection analysis using open source simulation tools

Nowadays, planning studies for distribution power systems require the inclusion of non-conventional loads. These loads refer to devices that converts energy integrating multiple functionalities not included in traditional simulation tools. These technologies are continuously changing and adding new functionalities that need to be tested before being implemented by utilities. However, most available simulation tools cannot respond to the rate of these changes because of either inadequate information on the power system equipment, several release of various versions of power system equipment, and some of these newly developed power system equipment/devices are too specialized; hence difficult to interface with the existing power system, among other issues. This paper presents a methodology for modeling new power system equipment technologies using Open Source Simulation Tools. The simulation tool proposed in this paper is EPRI Open Source Distribution System Simulator OpenDSS. By using OpenDSS, we discuss the implementation of a new energy storage device, which has smart inverter capabilities, and how to model it for a fast implementation in detailed daily simulations. The proposed methodology is a simple co-simulation technique to incorporate recent technologies on an existing distribution system; within existing simulation packages.
Logiken urbaner Polarisierung

Im abschliesenden Kapitel sollen die zentralen Modalitaten der neuen Formen stadtischer Ungleichheit und Marginalitat in fortgeschrittenen Gesellschaften des kapitalistischen Westens zusammenfassend noch einmal einer vertieften Betrachtung unterzogen werden. Es handelt sich dabei um Prozesse, die einerseits eine Polarisierung „von unten“ beschleunigen, indem sie zu einer Vermehrung von Positionen in den unteren sozialen Lagen fuhren und verwundbare Bevolkerungsgruppen dazu verdammen, sich dauerhaft von den mittleren und oberen Lagen der Klassen- und Raumstruktur zu entfernen.
Fishery Cooperatives as a Management Institution

Cooperative fishery management assigns management rights, formally or informally, to a group of users. Assigning rights to groups rather than individuals can be advantageous, given the shared, common-pool nature of fish stocks. Efficiency can potentially be improved by coordinating harvests over space and time, providing public good inputs, sharing information, and setting quality standards. Management by groups rather than individuals can also enhance stewardship incentives. In countries that suffer from ineffective governance, user-based management can fill voids governments might otherwise occupy. Case studies from around the globe demonstrate that these advantages can be important in practice and indicate that fishery cooperatives deserve increased attention from researchers and policy makers as a management option.
Transparent result caching

The goal of this work is to develop a general framework for transparently managing the interactions and dependencies among input files, development tools, and output files. By unobtrusively monitoring the execution of unmodified programs, we are able to track process lineage---each process''s parent, children, input files, and output files, and file dependency---for each file, the sequence of operations and the set of input files used to create the file. We use this information to implement Transparent Result Caching (TREC) and describe how TREC is used to build a number of useful user utilities. Unmake allows users to query TREC for file lineage information, including the full sequence of programs executed to create a particular output file. Transparent Make uses TREC to automatically generate dependency information by observing program execution, freeing end users from the need to explicitly specify dependency information (i.e., Makefiles can be replaced by shell scripts). Dynamic Web Object Caching allows for the caching of certain dynamically generated web pages, improving server performance and client latency.
Cardiovascular manifestations of posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves the onset of psychiatric symptoms after exposure to a traumatic event. PTSD has an estimated lifetime prevalence of 7.8% among adult Americans, and about 15.2% of the men and 8.5% of the women who served in Vietnam suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) > or =15 years after their military service. Physiological responses (increase in heart rate, blood pressure, tremor and other symptoms of autonomic arousal) to reminders of the trauma are a part of the DSM-IV definition of PTSD. Multiple studies have shown that patients suffering from PTSD have increased resting heart rate, increased startle reaction, and increased heart rate and blood pressure as responses to traumatic slides, sounds and scripts. Some researchers have studied the sympathetic nervous system even further by looking at plasma norepinephrine and 24-hour urinary norepinephrine and found them to be elevated in veterans with PTSD as compared to those without PTSD. PTSD is associated with hyperfunctioning of the central noradrenergic system. Hyperactivity of the sympathoadrenal axis might contribute to cardiovascular disease through the effects of the catecholamines on the heart, the vasculature and platelet function. A psychobiological model based on allostatic load has also been proposed and states that chronic stressors over long durations of time lead to increased neuroendocrine responses, which have adverse effects on the body. PTSD has also been shown to be associated with an increased prevalence of substance abuse. With this review, we have discussed the effects of PTSD on the cardiovascular system.
Esketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression - First FDA-Approved Antidepressant in a New Class.

Esketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression The FDA has approved esketamine, the first antidepressant in a new class, for treatment-resistant depression. The agency weighed the drug’s rapid onset...
A Closed-Form Learned Pooling for Deep Classification Networks.

In modern computer vision tasks, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are indispensable for image classification tasks due to their efficiency and effectiveness. Part of their superiority compared to other architectures, comes from the fact that a single, local filter is shared across the entire image. However, there are scenarios where we may need to treat spatial locations in non-uniform manner. We see this in nature when considering how humans have evolved foveation to process different areas in their field of vision with varying levels of detail. In this paper we propose a way to enable CNNs to learn different pooling weights for each pixel location. We do so by introducing an extended definition of a pooling operator. This operator can learn a strict super-set of what can be learned by average pooling or convolutions. It has the benefit of being shared across feature maps and can be encouraged to be local or diffuse depending on the data. We show that for fixed network weights, our pooling operator can be computed in closed-form by spectral decomposition of matrices associated with class separability. Through experiments, we show that this operator benefits generalization for ResNets and CNNs on the CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100 and SVHN datasets and improves robustness to geometric corruptions and perturbations on the CIFAR-10-C and CIFAR-10-P test sets.
P450 Enzymes in Lipid Oxidation

Through gene duplication and natural selection, the ancestral cytochrome P450 gene evolved to perform many essential functions in higher organisms. The role of P450 enzymes in metabolizing steroids, hormones, and xenobiotic chemicals is well established. More recently, members of several P450 subfamilies were found to be expressed in cardiovascular tissues and active in the metabolism endogenous fatty acids to oxidized lipids. These fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, are released from cell membranes by phospholipases and mono-oxidized to epoxides called epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) or hydroxyls called hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) by CYP2 and CYP4 family members. After generation of prostaglandin H2 by cyclooxygenases, CYP5 and CYP8 enzymes perform isomerase reactions to act as terminal synthases for thromboxane and prostacyclin production. The biologically active eicosanoids and related compounds play important roles in cardiovascular homeostasis and pathology. This chapter discusses the reactions, regulation, localization, and physiological consequences of this extrahepatic cytochrome P450 expression and activity.
Assessment of progress in education for children and youth with disabilities in Afghanistan: A multilevel analysis of repeated cross-sectional surveys

Recent study shows that 617 million children and adolescents–or six out of 10 globally- are not acquiring minimum levels in literacy and mathematics, indicating the magnitude of the learning acquisition problem. For children with disabilities in context of conflict, the situation is arguably even worse: the literature shows that they face difficulties to access the education system due to multiple barriers, and when they do access, they are not learning. Our paper examines if an active education policy promoting inclusion since 2005 in Afghanistan, a protracted crisis context, has been effective. Using two cross sectional household surveys carried out eight years apart (2005–2013), our study shows that access to school and literacy did not improve between 2005 and 2013 for children and youth with disabilities. Both access and literacy outcomes were worse for girls with disabilities, those with a mental, learning or associated disability and those living in household where the head was uneducated. Finally, odds of being mentally distressed significantly declined between 2005 and 2013 indicating that schools might play a protective role for children with disabilities in Afghanistan. Our findings suggest that a multilevel multi-pronged adaptation of the existing system to improve the learning experience and promote children’s resilience, particularly for children with disabilities, in conflict context such as Afghanistan, is required.
Discrete adjoint of fractional-step incompressible Navier-Stokes solver in curvilinear coordinates and application to data assimilation

Abstract The discrete adjoint of an incompressible Navier-Stokes algorithm in generalized coordinates is derived and applied to estimate the states of saturated and turbulent circular Couette flows. The forward Navier-Stokes model is based on the fractional-step algorithm in curvilinear coordinates on a structured grid [1] , which has been widely adopted in direct numerical simulations of transitional and turbulent flows. The discrete adjoint equations adopt the same stencil and temporal scheme as the forward discretization, and expressions are derived that relate the discrete adjoint variables to their continuous counterpart. The key ingredients of the forward algorithm can be retained in the adjoint, including the computation of the cell geometry, the approximate factorization method, and the parallelization strategy. The accuracy, efficiency, and stability of the adjoint solver are also commensurate with the forward model. In addition, a novel symmetric projector is proposed to guarantee that the outcome of the adjoint algorithm is divergence free. The implementation of the algorithm in double precision satisfies the forward-adjoint relation up to eight significant figures, and further validation is performed using circular Couette flow. The forward and adjoint growth rates of instability modes from linear theory are accurately reproduced. In addition, an adjoint-variational data-assimilation algorithm (4DVar) is adopted to reconstruct the initial condition of circular Couette flows from limited measurements, obtained from an independent simulation. When the flow is comprised of saturated wavy vortices, wall measurements are sufficient to reconstruct an initial condition that latches onto the target state after a short time. For the more challenging turbulent case, coarse-grained velocity data are used to estimate the initial condition.
Bilateral Porokeratosis Ptychotropica on the Gluteal Cleft: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Porokeratosis ptychotropica (PP) is a rare variant of porokoretosis that is distinctive based on its clinical presentation of pruritic, verrucous papules and plaques that often form a “butterfly” shape, commonly located on the perinatal cleft with extension to the buttocks. Similar to other variants of porokeratosis, it is histologically distinguished by the presence of cornoid lamellae. Proper diagnosis is necessary as some studies suggest that PP may predispose to squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, there are limited evidence-based treatment options.We report the case of a47 year-old-male who presented with a rash on the buttocks and legs for 3 years. Physical exam revealed erythematous, annular, and verrucous plaques on the bilateral periglueteal area and bilateral distal lower extremities. The patient felt that lesions on the legs were disfiguring but otherwise asymptomatic. Biopsy results demonstrated hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis suggestive of cornoid lamellae. Clinical and histologic findings were suggestive of PP. Lesions on the legs were treated with cryotherapy, which resulted in resolution at a 3-month follow-up.PP remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to its rarity. No standard of care has been established, though topical calcipotriol, topical imiquimod, topical tretonoin, and cryotherapy have been used with success in the literature. This case highlights unique characteristics of PP in order to aid in early detection and cancer prevention while also describing various treatment modalities.
Confidence Spillovers: Evidence from Entrepreneurship

Evaluating the market for potential entrepreneurs, we test whether interacting with confident agents encourages entry into competitive environments. Under an experimental setting, we find that young managers confident in their entrepreneurial potential, despite no prior experience, increase the likelihood their peers become entrepreneurs or join startups. As our results are driven by less confident individuals, primarily women, starting businesses, these firms perform no worse than other new firms. Through multiple surveys, we verify treated managers report increased entrepreneurial confidence, and reject alternative explanations including increased entrepreneurial knowledge and risk tolerance. Our results support a theory of entrepreneurship where individuals evaluate their potential relative to nearby peers rather than the population.
Development of inhalable quinacrine loaded bovine serum albumin modified cationic nanoparticles: Repurposing quinacrine for lung cancer therapeutics

Abstract Drug repurposing is on the rise as an atypical strategy for discovery of new molecules, involving use of pre-existing molecules for a different therapeutic application than the approved indication. Using this strategy, the current study aims to leverage effects of quinacrine (QA), a well-known anti-malarial drug, for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). For respiratory diseases, designing a QA loaded inhalable delivery system has multiple advantages over invasive delivery. QA-loaded nanoparticles (NPs) were thus prepared using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as a cationic stabilizer. While the use of PEI provided cationic charge on the particles, it also mediated a burst release of QA and demonstrated potential particle toxicity. These concerns were circumvented by coating nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (BSA), which retained the cationic charge, reduced NP toxicity and modulated QA release. Prepared nanoparticles were characterized for physicochemical properties along with their aerosolization potential. Therapeutic efficacy of the formulations was tested in different NSCLC cells. Mechanism of higher anti-proliferation was evaluated by studying cell cycle profile, apoptosis and molecular markers involved in the progression of lung cancer. BSA coated QA nanoparticles demonstrated good aerosolization potential with a mass median aerodynamic diameter of significantly less than 5 µm. Nanoparticles also demonstrated improved therapeutic efficacy against NSCLC cells in terms of low IC50 values, cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and autophagy inhibition leading to increased apoptosis. BSA coated QA NPs also demonstrated enhanced therapeutic efficacy in a 3D cell culture model. The present study thus lays solid groundwork for pre-clinical and eventual clinical studies as a standalone therapy and in combination with existing chemotherapeutics.
Academic Electronic Health Record Implementation: Tips for Success

Abstract Many nursing programs use simulation experiences to augment or replace clinical experiences. Use of an electronic health record (EHR) in the educational setting extends the realism. A task force reviewed EHR programs, selected an EHR, and created an implementation plan with successful rollout over 2 years.
Local corruption and corporate social responsibility

Abstract This paper introduces a new impact of corruption on corporate policies by examining the effect of local corruption on corporate social responsibility (CSR). We propose a novel mechanism governing the local public corruption and CSR relation based on conditional corruption and signal extraction uncertainty. We show that firms located in areas with high corruption rates have lower levels of CSR scores. Furthermore, this result is not captured by corporate governance differences across firms. The negative relationship between local corruption and CSR remains significant after addressing potential endogeneity and using alternative corruption measures. Our findings remain robust after a series of robustness checks. This paper introduces a novel role of local corruption in the firms’ CSR outcomes.
Features of material surfaces affecting virus adhesion as determined by nanoscopic quantification

Abstract The transmission of foodborne viral gastroenteritis is associated with virus adhesion on food-contact surfaces. In this work, we aimed to identify the key features of a contact surface material that invoke preferential virus adhesion via nanoscopic and quantitative measurements by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on the nano-Newton level. The adhesion strength of MS2 (a virus surrogate) on the surfaces of glass, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was measured; in a neutral (pH 7) aqueous environment, positively charged, hydrophobic surfaces demonstrated stronger interactions. The strength of MS2 adhesion was twice higher on porous than non-porous surfaces. High-resolution imaging of MS2-inoculated PVC surfaces revealed that the 60−80 nm wide and 20−30 nm deep pores on PVC acted as nano-containers to retain and trap the virions, resulting in eight times faster adsorption and longer term retention of MS2 in the porous areas than in the smooth areas of the same substrate. Thus, in addition to choosing a material with low chemical affinity to virus particles, tailoring a material’s physical features with respect to a virion’s dimension can be an alternative way to reduce/interfere virus adhesion.
Deliberate Exploration Supports Navigation in Unfamiliar Worlds.

To perform tasks well in a new domain, one must first know something about it. This paper reports on a robot controller for navigation through unfamiliar indoor worlds. Based on spatial affordances, it integrates planning with reactive heuristics. Before it addresses specific targets, however, the system deliberately explores for high-level connectivity and captures that data in a cognitive spatial model. Despite limited exploration time, planning in the resultant model is faster and better supports successful travel in a challenging, realistic space.
E-waste legislation in the US: An analysis of the disparate design and resulting influence on collection rates across States

Electronic waste management in the US has been characterized as ‘inconsistent’, ‘disparate’, and a ‘patchwork’. While there is currently no federal leadership on the regulation of e-waste, 25 state...
Predictive Modeling for Voxel-Based Quantification of Imaging-Based Subtypes of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC): A Multi-Institutional Study.

Previously, we characterized qualitative imaging-based subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) on computed tomography (CT) scans. Conspicuous (high delta) PDAC tumors are more likely to have aggressive biology and poorer clinical outcomes compared to inconspicuous (low delta) tumors. Here, we developed a quantitative classification of this imaging-based subtype (quantitative delta; q-delta). Retrospectively, baseline pancreatic protocol CT scans of three cohorts (cohort#1 = 101, cohort#2 = 90 and cohort#3 = 16 [external validation]) of patients with PDAC were qualitatively classified into high and low delta. We used a voxel-based method to volumetrically quantify tumor enhancement while referencing normal-pancreatic-parenchyma and used machine learning-based analysis to build a predictive model. In addition, we quantified the stromal content using hematoxylin- and eosin-stained treatment-naive PDAC sections. Analyses revealed that PDAC quantitative enhancement values are predictive of the qualitative delta scoring and were used to build a classification model (q-delta). Compared to high q-delta, low q-delta tumors were associated with improved outcomes, and the q-delta class was an independent prognostic factor for survival. In addition, low q-delta tumors had higher stromal content and lower cellularity compared to high q-delta tumors. Our results suggest that q-delta classification provides a clinically and biologically relevant tool that may be integrated into ongoing and future clinical trials.
Sacred and Profane Dress

The Sacred is represented by the abstract angel over the heart space. The Profane is symbolized by the same motif reversed, a flame over the area of a woman’s greatest power and femininity. Devotion is communicated using the artwork of the beloved and transforming it into a dress that conveys the creativity of both partners—the male inspired by femininity and the female by love. Spirit is expressed by the abundance of handwork performed to embellish and energize the dress.Celebrating color and exploring its expression in texture, pattern, and form, this design integrates 2D textile design with 3D fashion design. A balance of old and new practices—hand painting, digital printing, draping, and sewing by hand and machine—are featured in this one-of-a-kind dress.
Insanity Step Zero: A Modern Application of M’Naghten’s Question Four Test

Defendants suffering from delusion currently are subject to inequitable treatment in our criminal justice system. They can genuinely believe, due to a delusion, that a person right in front of them has a gun and is about to kill them. Acting in what they believe is self-defense, they can draw a gun and kill their would-be assailant. Many in their same situation, facing what they believe to be an imminent threat against their life with no ability to escape, would do the exact same thing. In fact, the law in all fifty states would allow a defendant actually facing such a threat to raise a self-defense claim. However, under many states’ laws, the delusional defendant still will be found guilty of murder. Mistake of fact doctrines generally require mistakes to be reasonable, so the defendant will not be entitled to a self-defense claim because delusions are inherently unreasonable. Yet, only seven states have insanity defenses that explicitly account for delusions. Thus, the jury may still find them guilty under that jurisdiction’s insanity test. This creates a paradox: defendants are too insane to qualify for the mistake of fact doctrine, yet too sane to escape punishment under the insanity defense. This paradox has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, as many jurisdictions seek to abolish or modify their insanity tests—often leaving defendants suffering from delusions behind in the process. This Note proposes a novel test to fix this paradox: the step zero test. It is built off of the fourth answer the Justices gave in the famous M’Naghten Case. While that answer has largely fallen to historical obscurity, my proposed test revives that answer and repurposes it to solve this modern problem. The test operates as follows: the jury is to accept the facts as the delusional defendant believed them to exist. Accepting those facts as true, if the defendant would otherwise have an affirmative defense, the jury is required to acquit by reason of insanity. This instruction would be given before any other insanity instruction. After the jury performs this test, they would proceed to the jurisdiction’s usual insanity test. Requiring the jury to go through this preliminary step to any insanity defense ensure that defendants suffering from delusions are, at a bare minimum, treated equally before the law as everybody else.
Simulating regional grain yield distributions to support agricultural drought risk assessment

Most food insecure countries do not have long-term records of either agricultural drought or the impacts of agricultural drought on food security. This lack of data impedes famine early warning and crop insurance programs. One recent paper addresses this issue by using resampled rainfall data, a basic crop yield model, and linear regression to simulate distributions of grain yield. We expand on this process by incorporating flexible regression models and defining a set of criteria to test model performance. We also examine how well a model fit on national data can emulate yield distributions at regions within a country. We find that models with spatially varying coefficients are better able to simulate distributions than basic linear regression models. Generalized additive models also perform well but do not offer substantial improvement over varying coefficient models. We also find that simulated yield distributions are most accurate in higher producing regions that have lower within region diversity of yields.
Preliminary assessment of hepatitis B-specific cellular immunity amongst a longitudinal vaccine cohort demonstrates evidence of natural exposure. (VAC11P.1110)

Duration of protection after hepatitis B (HB) vaccination is unknown; therefore, we examined humoral and cellular immunity among persons living in an area endemic for HBV, 30 years post-vaccination. Measurement of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) indicated 51% (n=217) of persons retained anti-HBs titer ≥10mIU/mL. However, of persons who lost anti-HBs ( reg , PD-1, CD57, NK/NKT). PD-1 hi CD3 + lymphocytes were significantly increased (p = 0.047) in persons who maintained anti-HBs titer ≥10mIU/mL. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMC) were stimulated directly ex vivo with whole HB Core Antigen or HB Surface Antigen and assessed for cytokine response. Results indicated no significant difference in the magnitude of HB Surface Antigen-specific responses in persons who maintained anti-HBs ≥10mIU/mL and those who did not. HB Core Antigen-specific TNFα responses were significantly higher (p=0.01) in persons who had lost anti-HBs titer. The observed cellular responses to HB Core suggest natural exposure amongst the cohort. Understanding cellular immunity afforded by the HB vaccine is critical to determining long-term protection.
Chemical modification of mitochondria. Uncoupler binding by mitochondria in different metabolic states.

Abstract At low uncoupler concentrations the binding of carbonyl-cyanide-m-chlorophenyl-hydrazone to mitochondria was found to depend sensitively on the metabolic state of mitochondria. The binding data are consistent with the assumption that at low concentrations and pH 7.4 the uncoupler is bound mainly in anionic form to the inner mitochondrial membrane and that upon energization the inner membrane undergoes conformation change, exposes buried ionizable groups and hence acquires a negative net membrane charge. Deenergization of the inner membrane by a small amount of uncoupler removes the negative net membrane charge and consequently increases the apparent binding constants. Based upon the present results on uncoupler binding and previous observations on the physiological properties of alkylating uncouplers, a possible molecular mechanism involving electron carriers and coupling factors is suggested for coupling electron transport to phosphorylation.
Anti-Aliased volume extraction

We present a technique to extract regions from a volumetric dataset without introducing any aliasing so that the extracted volume can be explored using direct volume rendering techniques. Extracting regions using binary masks generated by contemporary segmentation approaches typically introduces aliasing at the boundary of the extracted regions. This aliasing is especially visible when the dataset is visualized using direct volume rendering. Our algorithm uses the binary mask only to locate the boundary. The main idea of the algorithm is to retain the natural fuzziness at the boundary of a region even after it is extracted. To achieve that, intensities of the boundary voxels are flipped so that they are now representing a fuzzy boundary with the empty region surrounding it, while preserving the boundary position.
Independent Initiation of Calcium Dependent Glycosidase Release and Cortical Contractions during the Activation of Ascidian Eggs. (Ascidian, Ryanodine, Thimerosal, Thapsigargin, N-acetylglucosaminidase)

During fertilization or ionophore induced activation, ascidian eggs rapidly release cell surface N-acetylglucosaminidase activity used in the block against polyspermy and undergo cortical contractions before they re-initiate meiosis. To better understand the activation process, we probed the relationship between these two processes in Ascidia ceratodes eggs by activating with different agents that increase intracellular Ca levels and under different ionic conditions. Glycosidase activity release was followed by the use of a fluorogenic substrate, and cortical contractions were followed by examining changes in cell shape with light microscopy. Ionomycin (2.7 μM) and thimerosal (1 mM) initiate glycosidase release and cortical contractions when administered in complete sea water (SW) but only the contractions in low Ca SW. Ryanodine (0.67 mM), known to raise free intracellular Ca in a number of cell types by release from the endoplasmic reticulum, causes glycosidase release but fails to initiate cortical contractions in complete SW. Thapsigargin (10 μM), which inhibits Ca dependent ATPase in the ER, causes glycosidase release but induces the contractions only about 50% of the time. These experiments show that, although glycosidase release normally precedes the ooplasmic shape changes that accompany the resumption of meiosis in ascidian eggs, they are not obligately coupled. That both processes can be induced by treatments known to raise intracellular Ca in other systems but under different conditions indicates that there may be a multiplicity of Ca requiring but functionally independent events during egg activation.
Interference effects in transient Kerr spectra of a semiconductor multilayer structure

The spectral dependences of transient Faraday and Kerr effects near exciton resonances in a GaAs multiple quantum well do not obey a Kramers-Kronig relationship. This is due to multiple reflection effects on the Kerr spectra.
Florida Best Practice Psychotherapeutic Medication Guidelines for Adults With Bipolar Disorder: A Novel, Practical, Patient-Centered Guide for Clinicians

OBJECTIVE This report describes the 2014 update of the Florida Best Practice Psychotherapeutic Medication Guidelines for Adults With Bipolar Disorder, intended to provide frontline clinicians with a simple, evidence-based approach to treatments for 3 phases of bipolar disorder: acute depression, acute mania, and maintenance. PARTICIPANTS The consensus meeting included representatives from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, pharmacists, health care policy experts, mental health clinicians, and experts in bipolar disorder. The effort was funded by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. EVIDENCE The available published and nonpublished data from trials in the treatment of bipolar I disorder were reviewed. Evidence for efficacy and harm from replicated randomized clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, or non-replicated randomized clinical trials was included. No recommendations were made with evidence from other sources. CONSENSUS PROCESS Decisions regarding the structure of the guidelines were made during a stakeholder meeting in Tampa, Florida, on September 20 and 21, 2013. Better proven and safer/more efficacious treatments were to be utilized before using those with less evidence and/or greater risk. Safety and risk of harm were balanced against potential benefit. Lower-quality evidence was recommended only if higher-level treatments were found to be ineffective or not tolerated, because of patient preference, or because of past treatment success. While respecting patient and clinician choice, the guidelines are structured to encourage evidence-based, safe prescribing first. CONCLUSIONS This iteration of the Florida guidelines for the treatment of bipolar disorder is a practical, simple, patient-focused guide to treatment for acute mania and acute bipolar depression and maintenance treatment that considers safety and harm in the hierarchy of treatment choices. While using strict evidence-based criteria for inclusion in recommendations, it eliminates expert opinion as a level of evidence while respecting clinician and patient choice in treatment decision-making.
Pulmonary hypertension: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a hemodynamic and pathophysiologic state that can be found in multiple conditions with associated symptoms of dyspnea, decreased exercise tolerance, and progression to right heart failure. The World Health Organization has classified PH into five groups. The first group is pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which can be idiopathic, heritable, due to drugs and toxins, or associated with conditions such as connective tissue diseases, congenital heart disease, portal hypertension, and others. The development of PAH is believed to result from smooth muscle cells and endothelial dysfunction that impairs production of vasodilators, including nitric oxide and prostacyclin. The importance of distinguishing this group from the other groups of PH is that there are PAH-specific drugs that target the molecular pathways that are pathogenic in the vascular derangements, leading to arterial hypertension, which should not be used in the other forms of PH. Other groups of PH include PH due to left heart disease, lung disease, chronic thromboembolic disease, as well as a miscellaneous category. Echocardiography is used to screen for PH and has varying sensitivity and specificity in detecting PH. Additionally, the right heart pressures estimated during echocardiogram often differ from those obtained during confirmatory testing with right heart catheterization. The most challenging PH diagnosis is in a case that does not fit one group of PH, but meets criteria that overlap between several groups. This also makes the treatment challenging because each group of PH is managed differently. This review provides an overview of the five groups of PH and discusses the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of each.
The impact of migration on fertility: An ‘own children’ analysis for Thailand

Abstract Reflecting a growing concern with high rates of urban growth in less developed countries, increasing attention focuses on the fertility of migrants to such places. The present study explores the relations between fertility, migration, and urbanization, using ‘own children’ data from the 1970 Census of Thailand. Information on ‘own children’ less than one year old is used to approximate fertility levels in the year before the census, and that on ‘own children’ aged 1–4 fertility levels during the four preceding years. Since migration was defined as a move to current residence between 1965 and 1970, the statistics on ‘own children’ less than five years old allow scrutiny of fertility during the period immediately before and after migration. Controlling for a variety of socio-economic characteristics of currently married women aged 20–49, and using several analytical approaches, the current fertility of migrants was consistently found to be higher than their own earlier fertility and higher than tha...
Prevention of food-drug interactions with special emphasis on older adults

Purpose of the reviewAdverse drug interactions may be the fourth leading cause of death in hospitalized patients. In children and older adults undetected food-drug interactions may lead to serious morbidity and mortality and be misdiagnosed as chronic disease progression. Recent recognition of the e
Trivalent Chromium has no Effect on Delaying Azoxymethane-Induced Colorectal Cancer in FVB/NJ Mice.

As Cr(III) compounds have been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and decrease plasma cholesterol and triglycerides in rodent models of diabetes and insulin resistance and as colorectal cancer risk has been associated with insulin resistance and diabetes, the effects of the Cr(III) compound Cr3 ([Cr3O(O2CCH2CH3)6(H2O)3]+) were investigated in male and female FVB/NJ mice with azoxymethane-induced colorectal cancer. In contrast to a previous study on the effects of Cr3 on 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced colorectal cancer in Sprague Dawley rats, no effects of Cr3 at daily doses of 1 and 10 mg Cr/kg body mass were observed, leaving in question whether administration of Cr(III) compounds can delay or prevent the onset of colorectal cancer.