cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Where are the rest of us? Improving representation of minority faculty in academic medicine.

Objectives Low numbers of underrepresented minority faculty members in academic medicine (black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American/Alaskan) continue to be a concern for medical schools because there is higher attrition and talent loss among this group. Although much has been written on this topic, there has not been a systematic review of the indexed literature published. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Web of Knowledge, ProQuest, and Google Scholar for articles relating to minority faculty and identified relevant articles. We then graded the evidence using the Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy. The same criteria were applied to extract evidence-based observations of challenges faced by minority faculty and provide recommendations. Results Of the 548 studies identified and reviewed, 15 met inclusion criteria for this literature review. Of the 15, 9 were cross-sectional studies and 6 were analyses of existing Association of American Medical Colleges workforce data. The cross-sectional studies documented perceived bias in the recruitment of faculty, quantified the lack of minority mentors, and revealed that black and Hispanic faculty members are more prevalent in states with higher minority populations. Studies using the Association of American Medical College workforce data also documented evidence of promotion bias, the lack of diversity in academic plastic surgery, and the lack of minority researchers funded by the National Cancer Institute. Conclusions This systematic review provides evidence that racism, promotion disparities, funding disparities, lack of mentorship, and diversity pressures exist and affect minority faculty in academic medicine. Based on these observed challenges, this review also provides specific recommendations that could improve representation of minority faculty members in academic medicine. These recommendations include implementing proven pipeline programs to increase the number of minority medical students, a systemwide adoption of proven culture change initiatives, reexamination of assignments to ensure equitable time distribution, and a reduction of medical school debt.
Breast-conserving therapy in the setting of collagen vascular disease.

Background It is unclear whether the presence of collagen vascular disease should be considered a contraindication to irradiation. This study was undertaken to determine whether women with pre-existing collagen vascular disease have an increased incidence of complications after breast-conserving therapy. Methods and materials A cohort of 36 patients with documented collagen vascular disease was conservatively treated for early-stage breast cancer between 1975 and 1998. All of these patients were treated with conventional radiation therapy to a total medium dose of 64 Gy. Seventeen had rheumatoid arthritis; four, scleroderma; four, Raynaud's phenomenon; five, lupus erythematosus; two, Sjogren's disease; and four, polymyositis. Each of these patients was matched to two control patients without a history of collagen vascular disease on the basis of age, radiation therapytechnique, chemotherapy or hormone therapy use, tumor histology, and date of treatment. Acute and late complications were assessed using a six-point scale from the toxicity criteria of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. The scoring system for both acute and late reactions ranged from 0 (no change over baseline) to 5 (radiation led to death). For the purpose of statistical analysis, patients were classified as having a significant complication if they had a score of 3 or greater. Results With a median clinical follow-up time of 12.5 years (range, 3.0-22.5 years), no significant difference was detected between the collagen vascular disease and control groups with respect to acute complications (14% vs 8%). With respect to late complications, a significant difference was observed (17% vs 3%) between the two groups. However, when patients in the collagen vascular disease group were analyzed by specific disease, this significance disappeared in all but the scleroderma group. Conclusions Patients with scleroderma have a statistically significant increased incidence of radiation therapy complications after breast-conserving surgery and radiation therapy. The presence of other collagen vascular diseases should not be considered a contraindication for this treatment modality.
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy of Peptides

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy provides data that are widely used for secondary structure characterization of peptides. A wide array of available sampling methods permits structural analysis of peptides in diverse environments such as aqueous solution (including optically turbid media), powders, detergent micelles, and lipid bilayers. In some cases, side chain vibrations can also be resolved and used for tertiary structure and chemical analysis. Data from several low-resolution spectroscopic techniques, including FTIR, can be combined to generate an empirical phase diagram, an overall picture of peptide structure as a function of environmental conditions that can aid in the global interpretation of large amounts of spectroscopic data.
Nixon and his Doctrine

Richard Nixon had few ambivalences about the Third World. Unlike Eisenhower or Kennedy, Nixon was never attracted to the idea of a modus vivendi with radical nationalisms. Nor was his National Security Adviser (later Secretary of State) Henry Kissinger. For them, simple repression was the appropriate US response to currents of Third World change.
Making Children's Rights Widely Known

Since the advent of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the international community has witnessed significant progress on children’s rights in both law and practice. Yet as we reach the 30th anniversary of the CRC, children’s rights violations remain widespread. These abuses reinforce the fact that children’s rights — and human rights more generally — have yet to be fully embraced in all communities. A precursor to children’s rights being fully embraced and respected is to have them widely known and understood. This article asserts that a significant factor in the failure to achieve widespread acceptance of children’s rights is the insufficient attention given to implementation of Article 42 of the CRC and its obligation to make children’s rights “widely known.” Article 42 of the CRC is simultaneously one of the most important and most overlooked provisions of the treaty. Article 42 requires states to ensure that “the principles and provisions of the [CRC] are widely known, by appropriate and active means, to adults and children alike.” Despite the threshold nature of Article 42 — without knowledge that they have rights, individuals cannot seek to realize them — there has been surprisingly little meaningful work done to ensure that Article 42 is fully implemented. This article seeks to invigorate a discourse on Article 42 of the CRC, its meaning, and best practices for securing its full implementation. It includes an analysis of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child’s jurisprudence on Article 42. The article also discusses how Article 42’s mandate and the human rights education mandate found in CRC Article 29 and other treaties should be understood in relation to each other. Finally, the article maps the relevant stakeholders and their roles in the implementation of Article 42, with a view to building sustained support for law, policies, and programs that advance children’s rights and well-being.
Pathophysiology of Schizophrenia

Epidemiological and genetic studies have provided important clues that guide the study of the neurobiological basis and the cause of schizophrenia. Studies have revealed that schizophrenia is heterogeneous in phenomenology [1 2], age of onset [3], response to treatment [4] and outcome [5–[7] and illness course [8]. Consequently, etiological or pathophysiological theories of schizophrenia must account for this heterogeneity. One explanation is that schizophrenia may arise from multiple etiological and pathophysiological processes; prompting references to “the schizophrenias” rather than “schizophrenia”. Alternatively, this heterogeneity may be due to a common etiological process, and the variable disease expression due to neurobiological differences that act as modifying factors in affected individuals, or to altered disease expression due to environmental factors.
Cross layer attacks on GSM mobile networks using software defined radios

The ubiquitous adoption of cellular technologies, such as, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) has not diminished the impact of Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) technologies. Despite 20 years of deployment, GSM still poses significant security threats to its users due to adversaries exploiting protocol vulnerabilities. In this paper, we present an attack which leverages cross-layer information from network or data link layers to craft an attack vector targeting the physical layer. The cross-layer attack provides attacker sufficient knowledge to specifically target cells, control channels, and mobile stations (MS) with minimal investment of communication and energy resources. We have designed and implemented an experimental testbed, which comprises of, software defined radios (SDR) (USRP and gnuradio), open source GSM channel sniffer (gr-gsm), and distributed processing engine (Apache Spark). The experimental testbed will also facilitate cloning a base transceiver station (BTS) which will benefit from availability of cross-layer information to create customized attack vectors. The cross-layer attack capability on our experimental testbed provides a cost effective scheme to achieve desired benefits with optimal usage of communication and energy resources. Experimental results shows that the testbed can be used to successfully attack multiple mobile stations with minimal usage of power resources.
Developing a Unit-Based Family Advocacy Board on a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Context: The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Stony Brook University Hospital (Stony Brook, NY, USA) developed a family advocacy board to assist staff in providing patientand family-centered care. The PICU Family Advocacy Board works in partnership with the medical center’s leadership to promote and enhance family-centered pediatric care and services. The advocacy board is founded on the understanding that families play a vital role in ensuring the health and well-being of children. Methods: Using the “Are Families Considered Visitors in Our Hospital or Unit?” self-assessment developed by the Institute for Family-Centered Care, we asked pediatric critical care staff to assess how well family presence and participation is supported on the unit. The data obtained from the assessment was used to help determine priorities for the advocacy board. Results: The greatest improvement in the postimplementation assessment concerned questions related to patients and families as advisors. Answers for four questions in this category showed a statistically significant improvement (p ≤ 0.0001) in the postimplementation data in comparison with the preimplementation data. Staff perception of the level of family involvement during anesthesia induction and after induction increased from 42% before implementation to 78% after implementation (p = 0.0343). The perception of inclusion of family members during resuscitation increased from 28% before implementation to 90% after implementation (p ≤ 0.0001). Conclusions: Patients’ family members and unit staff have responded positively to the development of the parent advisory board and the deployment of board members’ recommendations. Family members bring valuable experience and insight into the development of unit processes. Patients’ and family members’ ideas and participation in decision making should be embraced, not feared.
Do changes to supply chains and procurement processes yield cost savings and improve availability of pharmaceuticals, vaccines or health products? A systematic review of evidence from low-income and middle-income countries.

Introduction Improving health systems performance, especially in low-resource settings facing complex disease burdens, can improve population health. Specifically, the efficiency and effectiveness of supply chains and procurement processes for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other health products has important implications for health system performance. Pharmaceuticals, vaccines and other health products make up a large share of total health expenditure in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), and they are critical for delivering health services. Therefore, programmes which achieve cost savings on these expenditures may help improve a health system9s efficiency, whereas programmes that increase availability of health products may improve a health system9s effectiveness. This systematic review investigates whether changes to supply chains and procurement processes can achieve cost savings and/or improve the availability of drugs in LMICs. Methods Using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and the Health Economic Evaluation Database to identify. Results We identified 1264 articles, of which 38 were included in our study. We found evidence that centralised procurement and tendering can achieve direct cost savings, while supply chain management programmes can reduce drug stock outs and increase drug availability for populations. Conclusions This research identifies a broad set of programmes which can improve the ways that health systems purchase and delivery health products. On the basis of this evidence, policymakers and programme managers should examine the root causes of inefficiencies in pharmaceutical supply chain and procurement processes in order to determine how best to improve health systems performance in their specific contexts.
X-ray Crystallographic Structure of a Compact Dodecamer from a Peptide Derived from Aβ16–36

The assembly of the β-amyloid peptide, Aβ, into soluble oligomers is associated with neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. The Aβ oligomers are thought to be composed of β-hairpins. Here, the effect of shifting the residue pairing of the β-hairpins on the structures of the oligomers that form is explored through X-ray crystallography. Three residue pairings were investigated using constrained macrocyclic β-hairpins in which Aβ30–36 is juxtaposed with Aβ17–23, Aβ16–22, and Aβ15–21. The Aβ16–22–Aβ30–36 pairing forms a compact ball-shaped dodecamer composed of fused triangular trimers. This dodecamer may help explain the structures of the trimers and dodecamers formed by full-length Aβ.
Photoelectrochemical Properties and Stability of Nanoporous p-Type LaFeO3 Photoelectrodes Prepared by Electrodeposition

LaFeO3 is a p-type oxide that has an ideal bandgap and band edge positions for overall solar water splitting. This study reports an electrochemical synthesis method to produce LaFeO3 as a high surface area, nanoporous photocathode. The resulting electrode generated a photocurrent density of −0.1 mA/cm2 at a potential as positive as 0.73 V vs RHE for photoelectrochemical oxygen reduction with a photocurrent onset potential very close to its flatband potential of 1.45 V vs RHE. Furthermore, without a protection layer, it showed stable photocurrent generation with no sign of photocorrosion. Due to the poor catalytic nature of the LaFeO3 surface for water reduction, the photocurrent obtained for water reduction was not substantial. However, its photostability and its ability to achieve a photovoltage for water reduction greater than 1.2 V encourage further studies on doping to enhance electron–hole separation as well as interfacing appropriate hydrogen evolution catalysts.
The microbiome beyond the horizon of ecological and evolutionary theory.

The ecological and evolutionary study of community formation, diversity, and stability is rooted in general theory and reinforced by decades of system-specific empirical work. Deploying these ideas to study the assembly, complexity, and dynamics of microbial communities living in and on eukaryotes has proved seductive, but challenging. The success of this research endeavour depends on our capacity to observe and characterize the distributions, abundances, and functional traits of microbiota, representing an array of technical and analytical challenges. Furthermore, a number of unique characteristics of microbial species, such as horizontal gene transfer, the production of public goods, toxin and antibiotic production, rapid evolution, and feedbacks between the microbiome and its host, are not easily accommodated by current ecological and evolutionary theory. Here we highlight potential pitfalls in the application of existing theoretical tools without careful consideration of the unique complexities of the microbiome, focusing particularly on the issue of human health, and anchoring our discussion in existing empirical evidence. Host–microbiome interactions may have unique characteristics that are not completely captured by existing ecological and evolutionary theories. Here, the authors highlight potential pitfalls in applying these frameworks to the human microbiome.
Hematuria in a Former Smoker.

A 75-year-old woman presented with painless, massive hematuria. She was a former smoker but had no history of a bleeding disorder. Laboratory studies revealed a hemoglobin level of 6.7 g/dL [reference interval (RI) 11.2–15.7], prothrombin time (PT)2 of 47.9 s (RI 12.5–15.5), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) of >160 s (RI 25–35), and a thrombin time of …
Toward Transformative Praxis: Fostering a Teacher|Leader|Learner Disposition

In Unlocking Silent Histories (USH), Indigenous youth participate in a pedagogical engagement with theoretical roots in critical pedagogy, media studies, and cultural sociology. These frameworks in...
Individual variation in avian avoidance behaviours in response to repeated, simulated vehicle approach

Birds exhibit variation in alert and flight behaviours in response to vehicles within and between species, but it is unclear how properties inherent to individuals influence variation in avoidance responses over time. We examined individual variation in avoidance behaviours of Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) in response to repeated presentation of a simulated vehicle approach in a video playback scenario. We modeled temporal alert and flight behaviours to determine whether overall behavioural variation resulted primarily from variation within individuals (i.e., intraindividual variation) or between individuals (i.e., interindividual variation). We examined reaction norms (individual × treatment day) and whether birds showed plasticity in responses via habituation or sensitization. Repeatability in the response metrics for individuals was low (∼0.22 for alert and flight), indicating that model variation was due primarily to within-individual variation rather than between-individual ...
Critical Care: Pulmonary

Pulmonary complications [atelectasis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, COPD exacerbation, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)] are common in geriatric trauma and acute care surgery patients. Pneumonia and acute respiratory failure are most common. Acute respiratory failure and ARDS are life-threatening pulmonary complications that require mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit admission, and are associated with increased risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia. This chapter reviews epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pulmonary complications in geriatric patients.
Ultrasound cavitation intensified amine functionalization: A feasible strategy for enhancing CO2 capture capacity of biochar

Abstract This paper describes a two-stage biochar activation process for CO2 capture, which includes acoustic treatment and amination. Contrarily to traditional carbon activation at temperatures above 700 °C, both stages of the current process are conducted at or near room temperature. It is known that CO2 can be fixed on the edge carbons of polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons (PAHs) through thermal and reductive photo-carboxylation. Our previous work on biochar suggested that carbon of CO2 could be chemically fixed on biochar through acoustic or photochemical treatment of biochar in water/CO2 systems under ambient conditions. Separately, the graphene oxide (GO) literature reveals that carboxylic acids, epoxy and hydroxyl groups on biochar surface often serve as the active sites for converting GO to a new family of chemicals; amines are commonly grafted on these groups in the functionalization. Biochar has graphite and graphitic oxide clusters that consist of the oxygen functional groups mentioned above. These oxygen functionalities can be utilized for CO2 adsorption when functionalized with amine. Thus, the present study focuses on maximizing the CO2 capture capacity by manipulating the physicochemical structure of a pinewood-derived biochar. In this two-stage process, 30 s sonication at ambient temperature was applied to physically activate biochar prior to functionalization. Low-frequency ultrasound irradiation exfoliates and breaks apart the irregular graphitic layers of biochar, and creates new/opens the blocked microspores, thus enhancing the biochar’s porosity and permeability that are the keys in functionalization and subsequent CO2 capture. The sono-modified biochar was then functionalized with tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) in the presence of two activating agents. The changes in surface characteristics, functional groups, graphene-like structure, and functionalization using activating agents were examined in detail and the capacity of the final products in CO2 removal was tested. The experimental results revealed that CO2 capture capacity, from a flow containing 10 and 15 vol% CO2, was almost 7 and 9 times higher, respectively, for ultrasound-treated amine-activated biochar, compared to raw biochar. The optimum capacity was 2.79 mmol/g at 70 °C and 0.15 atm CO2 partial pressure. Cyclic adsorption and desorption tests revealed that the CO2 capture capacity decreased 44% after 15 cycles.
Trip and Trip Pro

The Trip database began more than twenty years ago in an effort to simplify searching for clinically relevant, high-quality, evidence-based information.
Historical Background of Animal Cruelty

This section presents the long history of the link between animal cruelty and human violence. In addition, the chapter addresses the McDonald triad, which includes enuresis, firesetting and animal cruelty, from a historical perspective as well as the lack of empirical support for the theory.
Implications and Management of Obesity in Kidney Disease

The obesity crisis sweeping the globe in recent decades has not spared the chronic kidney disease population, and both patients and their nephrologists are now struggling with this formidable challenge. Of all the problems facing kidney disease patients, few have arisen with such rapidity to the forefront of health care, have the capacity to adversely influence health in such a wide variety of ways, and are as modifiable as obesity.
Thermomechanics: Non-isothermal Mechanics

The coupling between the thermal and mechanical fields leads to one of the most common types of multiphysics: thermomechanics. In this chapter, basic concepts in thermomechanics will be introduced first according to the direction of the coupling. The mathematical descriptions of two different types of couplings in thermomechanics will be laid out: thermal expansion/stress as the coupling from the thermal field to the mechanical field and heat generated by the mechanical processes as the coupling from the mechanical field to the thermal field. After that, a key material property in the thermomechanical field, i.e., thermal expansion coefficient, will be introduced. A practice problem modified from the two relevant monolithic physical fields, i.e., thermal and mechanical fields, will be provided in the end.
Primary Hyperparathyroidism: What Every Orthopedic Surgeon Should Know

The diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism should rarely by missed by the orthopedic surgeon. When a patient presents with a pathologic fracture, routine serum calcium should be obtained. If there is evidence of elevated serum calcium or any of the pathognomonic findings of primary hyperparathyroidism on plain radiographs, total and ionized calcium and an intact parathyroid hormone levels should be obtained to make the diagnosis (Figure 5). When patients require surgical treatment for an orthopedic condition and also need surgery for hyperparathyroidism, the procedures can be safely performed simultaneously. Simultaneous parathyroidectomy corrects the underlying endocrinopathy, thereby improving the outcome of the orthopedic procedure. In addition, these procedures can easily be performed simultaneously under one anesthetic and thereby minimize cost and length of hospitalization.
18 – Imaging Brain Function with Positron Emission Tomography

This chapter describes the basic principles of positron emission tomography (PET), discusses the production and characteristics of commonly employed PET tracers and probes, examines the design and performance of modern PET scanners, and discusses the process of image reconstruction and the use of tracer kinetic models to turn a time sequence of PET images into quantitative regional biological assays. PET—a powerful noninvasive imaging tool—embodies the modern concept of biological imaging, bringing together the highly specific assays of the biological sciences with sophisticated imaging technology. PET images can be fully quantitative, such that there is a linear relationship between the concentration of the labeled imaging probe and the count density measured in the PET images. The absolute concentration can then be determined by cross calibration to a known source. In order to make PET images fully quantitative, a number of correction procedures must be carefully applied. The largest of the correction factors is that required to correct for gamma-ray attenuation by the tissue. An important aspect of PET is the ability to monitor the spatial distribution of the imaging probe or tracer as a function of time. The rate of accumulation or clearance of the probe contains information about the rate of the biological processes or the characteristics of the molecular target involved. Advances in PET instrumentation and technology continue at a remarkable pace and have brought about an order of magnitude improvement in the resolving power and sensitivity of PET scanners over the past several years, resulting in a significantly clearer picture of the brain.
Wastewater Reuse — a Worldwide Issue

Water resource shortages are a problem that are plaguing the world. Wastewater recycling and reuse may be the solution to this worldwide problem. Recycled and properly treated wastewater is a safe alternative source for irrigation, industry, groundwater recharge, and miscellaneous subpotable uses. The biggest problem with wastewater recycling and reuse is the concern for potential health risks. Currently, there are wastewater recycling and reuse projects in Singapore, Israel, Colorado, California, Florida as well as others. While California leads the way in developing regulations for wastewater recycling and reuse and the US EPA has developed a manual on water reuse criteria, much debate exists regarding regulations, uses and appropriate levels.
Molecular orbital theory of electron donor-acceptor complexes: IV. A self-consistent linear combination of molecular orbitals approximation

The linear combination of molecular Orbitals (LCMO) approximation of electron donoracceptor (EDA) interactions [1] has been extended to a polyelectron treatment. This has been implemented by a self-consistent field formalism. Calculations have been performed within the π-electron approximation on a number of EDA complexes. For comparison, polyconfiguration calculations based on Mulliken's dative bond approximation have also been made using the same parameterization. It was found that for highly symmetrical systems such as benzene-TCNE the traditional approach of one orbital from the donor and one from the acceptor was sufficient to reproduce spectral transitions and to qualitatively predict orders of stability. For unsymmetrical systems, such as benzene-trinitrofluorenone, more than one orbital from the donor and acceptor are important. The SC LCMO treatment can handle these cases as well as cases involving multiple complexes in a straightforward manner.
Short Term Solar Irradiance Forecast Using Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) with Gradient Boost Regression

Currently, the energy market is facing the challenge of significant increase in demand and it is a well known fact that the availability of fossil fuels is limited. The solar generation has evolved as the most promising solution to meet the demand, but the integration of solar generation to the power grid poses a stability threat due to its intermittent nature. To ensure the legitimate operation of the grid, accurate solar power forecast is essential. Apart from stability, accurate forecasting can also help in maintaining economic operation of the grid since it would help in appropriate installation of storage resources. In this study, we present an approach for short term solar irradiance forecast at a given location based on numerical weather prediction in combination with gradient boosting regression and bootstrap aggregation machine learning models. We considered additional parameters such as spatial parameters (elevation, latitude, longitude) and seasonal parameters (day and month of the year). Effectiveness of the proposed method will be evaluated based on Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) indices.
PRMT5 Regulates DNA Repair by Controlling the Alternative Splicing of Histone-Modifying Enzymes.

Summary Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is overexpressed in many cancer types and is a promising therapeutic target for several of them, including leukemia and lymphoma. However, we and others have reported that PRMT5 is essential for normal physiology. This dependence may become dose limiting in a therapeutic setting, warranting the search for combinatorial approaches. Here, we report that PRMT5 depletion or inhibition impairs homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair, leading to DNA-damage accumulation, p53 activation, cell-cycle arrest, and cell death. PRMT5 symmetrically dimethylates histone and non-histone substrates, including several components of the RNA splicing machinery. We find that PRMT5 depletion or inhibition induces aberrant splicing of the multifunctional histone-modifying and DNA-repair factor TIP60/KAT5, which selectively affects its lysine acetyltransferase activity and leads to impaired HR. As HR deficiency sensitizes cells to PARP inhibitors, we demonstrate here that PRMT5 and PARP inhibitors have synergistic effects on acute myeloid leukemia cells.
NUT Carcinoma: Clinicopathologic features, pathogenesis, and treatment

NUT carcinoma (NC) is a rare, aggressive subtype of squamous cell carcinoma defined by rearrangement of the NUTM1 (aka NUT) gene. NC is driven by NUT-fusion oncoproteins resulting from chromosomal translocation, most commonly BRD4-NUT. This is a nearly uniformly lethal cancer affecting patients of all ages, but predominantly teens and young adults. The cell of origin is unknown, but NC most commonly arises within the thorax and head and neck. NC typically consists of sheets of monomorphic primitive round cells that can exhibit focal abrupt squamous differentiation. Diagnosis of NC is easy, and can be established by positive NUT nuclear immunohistochemical staining. Though characterization of the NUTM1-fusion gene is desirable by molecular analysis, it is not required for the diagnosis. The increasingly widespread availability of the NUT diagnostic test is leading to increasing diagnoses of this vastly underdiagnosed disease. The NUT midline carcinoma registry (www.NMCRegistry.org) serves as a central repository that has provided the main source of clinical and outcomes data for NC. Currently there is no effective therapy for NC, however small molecules directly targeting the BRD4 portion of BRD4-NUT, termed BET bromodomain inhibitors, have shown activity.
Abstract P191: Sexually Dimorphic Metabolic or Lethal Consequences of Disrupting Angiotensinogen in Agouti Related Peptide-Expressing Cells

Genetic disruption of angiotensin (ANG) type 1A receptors (AT1A) in cells which express Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) abolishes thermogenic sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and resting metabolic ra...
Determinants of exercise behaviour in persons with Parkinson's disease.

Exercise shows promise for improving physical and cognitive functioning, quality of life, and mood in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Structured interviews have suggested potential facto...
Accuracy, speed and repeatability of the voice assisted subjective refractor (VASR).

Purpose To compare the accuracy, speed and repeatability of the voice assisted subjective refractor (VASR) to traditional refractive methods. Methods Fifty healthy adult subjects were examined by autorefractor, followed by subjective phoropter refinement. Subjects were then evaluated using the VASR (Vmax Vision) to obtain an objective and subjective result. Three total assessments were performed for each subject using each of the methods described. Corrected visual acuity was recorded for each eye after each procedure. The total time was measured for both the traditional and VASR refraction. Results A comparison of the results obtained by traditional refraction and VASR revealed no statistically significant difference from the mean in equivalent sphere measurements (P=0.1383), and the datasets were highly correlated (r=0.993). The data comparisons for cylinder power and axis were similar (cylinder: P=0.6377, r=0.864) (axis: P=0.6991, r=0.738). VASR, on average, required 71 additional seconds to complete when compared to traditional phoropter refraction. In terms of repeatability, the average difference noted upon repeat of equivalent sphere power was 0.01 D for the phoropter (P=0.98) and 0.10 D for the VASR (P=0.23). For sphere power, the average difference was 0.02 D for the phoropter (P=0.55) and 0.07 D for the VASR (P=0.58). For cylinder power, the average difference was 0.02 D for the phoropter (P=0.11) and 0.03 D for the VASR (P=0.39). For all refractive methods, the differences between measurements amounted to ≤0.10 diopters, which is neither clinically nor statistically significant. Conclusion Refractive error results obtained with the VASR were not statistically different from those achieved using traditional phoropter methods. Time elapsed for the VASR was slightly longer than a more traditional refractive sequence. The VASR demonstrated clinically and statistically significant repeatability of measurement, consistent with traditional refraction.
Landsburg on Crime

Steven E. Landsburg, political economic maverick extraordinaire, and supposed advocate of free enterprise, has written a paper on theft and externalities entitled “Property Is Theft: When protecting your own property is stealing from others.” In it, he calls for greater government intervention into the economy, more taxing, regulating, and subsidizing; and he does so on the ground that only in this way may we become more economically efficient. Where was he when the Politburo needed commissars?
‘No Longer Required for Operations’: Troops’ Repatriation to West Africa after the Second World War, 1945–1950

This paper deploys the historical method to critically examine the delayed post-war repatriation of West African troops from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. This previously neglected theme in t...
Effective anti-sars-cov-2 rna dependent rna polymerase drugs based on docking methods: The case of milbemycin, ivermectin, and baloxavir marboxil

Background Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new virus with a global pandemic. Yet, no vaccine or efficient treatments are found against the disease. The viral RNA dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) is a suitable target for developing antiviral agents. SARS-CoV-2 RdRP was employed to test its binding activity with some drugs. Methods Using some docking methods, RdRP was targeted by Milbemycins (MMs), Ivermectin (IMT), Baloxavir Marboxil (BM), and Tadalafil (TF), a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor. Results MM-A3 5-oxime (MMA35O), MM-A3 (MMA3), MM-A4 5-oxime (MMA45O), IMT, BM, and TF showed the highest binding affinity to RdRp. Conclusion The drugs used in the present computational investigation are effective against the SARS-CoV-2 RdRP with high affinity values especially, milbemycins, ivermectin, and Baloxavir marboxil, which could further be studied in laboratory and clinical trials for saving millions of lives around the world.
Nonlinearity And The Forward Premium Anomaly

Speculative efficiency (the ability to profit without bearing commensurate risk in foreign exchange markets) is predicated on the forward premium anomaly. Market efficiency still manifests itself in the form of nonlinear adjustments, eroding excess profits. The returns on foreign exchange speculation may not behave in a market-efficient manner except at average values of interest-rate differentials. This study suggests that market efficiency holds as a result of a hedging relation between linear and nonlinear responses of returns.
Music education and distance learning during COVID-19: a survey

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic moved American schools to a distance learning modality for the duration of the school year. In an effort to document, examine, and learn from the variou...
Detecting the state of drowsiness induced by propofol by spatial filter and machine learning algorithm on EEG recording

Abstract To accurately measure the depth of anesthesia has been a challenge for both anesthesiologists and engineers who work on developing tools of measurements. This study aims to use a machine-learning algorithm to predict the drowsy state, a transitional depth of sedation during propofol anesthesia. The data used in this study were scalp EEG (electroencephalogram) recordings selected from the University of Cambridge Repository. Raw EEG recordings were preprocessed into power spectrum matrices one second per sample. A total of 170 samples (110 awake samples and 60 drowsy samples) were used. A CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) for the MNIST (Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology) dataset was applied on these EEG power spectrum matrices. Due to the small dataset volume, Leave-One-Out cross-validation was used to train the data. Results of the training accuracy reached 99.69%. And test accuracy averaged 96.47%. Overall, the model is able to predict the state of drowsiness during propofol anesthesia. This provides the potential to develop EEG monitoring devices with closed-loop feedback of such a machine learning algorithm that controls the titration of the dosage of anesthetic administration and the depth of anesthesia.
Warlords and Coalition Politics in Post-Soviet States

1. Revisionist history 2. Predator collusion: a high-stakes game 3. Kto kogo? 4. Warlord coalitions and militia politics 5. Coup-proofing 6. Implications Case selection and external validity Mathematical proofs Anonymous warlords.
Relationship of Hydrogen Peroxide Production by Mycoplasma pulmonis to Virulence for Catalase-deficient Mice

Mycoplasma pulmonis, an etiological agent of murine pneumonia, produced about 0.065 mumoles of hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) per hr per 10(10) colony-forming units. When glucose was present at a concentration of 0.01 m, H(2)O(2) production was increased by 50%. To determine if H(2)O(2) production by M. pulmonis could be correlated with virulence, normal, acatalasemic, and acatalatic mice were infected with the organism. Three days after infection with M. pulmonis significantly more acatalatic mice had pneumonia than did normal or acatalasemic mice. The pneumonia in acatalatic mice was also more severe than in the other two groups. Five days after infection, pneumonia in the acatalatic mice was resolved, whereas normal mice were severely affected. The presence of pneumonia and the severity were correlated with the recovery of M. pulmonis from the lesions. In vitro studies of the effect of catalase on M. pulmonis showed that exogenously supplied catalase stimulated the growth of M. pulmonis at 37 C and prolonged its survival at 25 C. Hemolysis of sheep blood, guinea pig blood, rabbit blood, and normal and acatalasemic mouse blood by M. pulmonis was inversely related to the catalase activity of the erythrocytes. These findings suggest that H(2)O(2) secretion contributes to the virulence of M. pulmonis and to the death of the microorganism in the absence of host catalase.
Normal Triglyceride Levels and Coronary Artery Disease Events: The Baltimore Coronary Observational Long-Term Study

Objectives. This study sought to evaluate long-term predictors of coronary events in men and women with arteriographically defined coronary artery disease (CAD). Background. There is conflicting evidence of the role of triglycerides (TGs) as a prognosticator of CAD, and no studies have examined the long-term outcome of “normal” levels in predicting new coronary events. Methods. This was a retrospective cohort study that evaluated 740 consecutive patients presenting for diagnostic coronary arteriography between 1977 and 1978. Beginning in 1988, patients with arteriographic CAD (n = 350) were recontacted and asked to complete detailed medical questionnaires. Case and control patients were stratified by development of new coronary events, including death from ischemic heart disease, nonfatal myocardial infarction and revascularization. Results. There were 199 events during the 18-year follow-up period. The mean high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower (35 vs. 39 mg/dl; p = 0.002) and TGs higher (160 vs. 137 mg/dl; p = 0.03) in case patients than in control patients; After adjusting for age, gender and beta-adrenergic blocking agent use, multiple logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent predictors of CAD events: diabetes mellitus (relative risk [RR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4% to 3.1%), HDL-C 100 mg/dl (RR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1% to 2.1%). A Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed significantly reduced survival from CAD events in patients with baseline TG levels ≥100 mg/dl compared with TG levels <100 mg/dl (p = 0.008). Conclusions. TG levels previously considered “normal” are predictive of new CAD events. The cutpoints established by the National Cholesterol Education Program for elevated TGs (>200 mg/dl) may need to be refined.
Immunological relationship among hydrogenases.

Abstract We examined the immunological cross-reactions of 11 different hydrogenase antigens with 9 different hydrogenase antibodies. Included were antibodies and antigens of both subunits of the hydrogenases of Bradyrhizobium japonicum and Thiocapsa roseopersicina. The results showed a strong relationship among the Ni-Fe dimeric hydrogenases. The two subunits of Ni-Fe dimeric hydrogenases appeared immunologically distinct: specific interactions occurred only when antibodies to the 60- and 30-kilodalton subunits reacted with the 60- and 30-kilodalton-subunit antigens. The interspecies cross-reactions suggested that at least one conserved protein region exists among the large subunits of these enzymes, whereas the small subunits are less conserved. Antibodies to the Fe-only bidirectional hydrogenase of Clostridium pasteurianum reacted with the Desulfovibrio vulgaris bidirectional hydrogenase. Surprisingly, antibodies to the clostridial uptake hydrogenase did not react with any of the Fe-only bidirectional hydrogenases but did react with several of the Ni-Fe dimeric hydrogenases. The two hydrogenases from C. pasteurianum were found to be quite different immunologically. The possible relationship of these findings to the structure and catalytic functions of hydrogenase are discussed.
Regarding Implementation of the Child Safe Viewing Act; Examination of Parental Control Technologies for Video or Audio Programming, Filing by Adam Thierer of the Progress & Freedom Foundation to the Federal Communications Commission Mb. Docket No. 09-26

The Federal Communications Commission should tread carefully in its new study of parental control tools and technologies. The agency has no authority over most of the media platforms and technologies described in the Commission's recent Notice of Inquiry. Moreover, any related mandates or regulatory actions could diminish future innovation in this field and would violate First Amendment rights.Provided are the following conclusions: * There exists an unprecedented abundance of parental control tools to help parents decide what constitutes acceptable media content in their homes and in the lives of their children.* There is a trade-off between complexity and convenience for both tools and ratings, and no parental control tool is completely foolproof.* Most homes have no need for parental control technologies because parents rely on other methods or there are no children in the home.* The role of household media rules and methods is underappreciated and those rules have an important bearing on this debate.* Parental control technologies work best in combination with educational efforts and parental involvement.* The search for technological silver-bullets and "universal" solutions represent a quixotic, Holy Grail-like quest and it will destroy innovation in this marketplace.* Enforcement of "household standards" made possible through use of parental controls and other methods negates the need for "community standards"-based content regulation.One might argue that merely studying the marketplace poses no harm, but what raises flags here are the Commission's regulatory powers, which often run afoul of the First Amendment's prohibition against content-meddling - even indirectly - with free speech and artistic expression. In order to avoid constitutional concerns, the FCC's role should be limited to educational efforts and examination of tools available.
Molecular origin of a loading-induced black layer in the deep region of articular cartilage at the magic angle.

Purpose To investigate the molecular origin of an unusual low-intensity layer in the deep region of articular cartilage as seen in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when the tissue is imaged under compression and oriented at the magic angle. Materials and Methods Microscopic MRI (μMRI) T2 and T1ρ experiments were carried out on 18 specimens, both native and degraded (treated with trypsin). The glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentrations in the specimens were quantified by both sodium ICP-OES and μMRI Gd(DTPA)2--contrast methods. The mechanical modulus of the specimens was also measured. Results Native tissue shows no load-induced layer, while the trypsin-degraded tissue shows clearly the low-intensity line at the deep part of tissue. The GAG reductions were confirmed by the sodium ICP-OES (from 81.7 ± 5.4 mg/mL to 9.2 ± 3.4 mg/mL), MRI GAG quantification (from 72.4 ± 6.7 mg/mL to 11.2 ± 2.9 mg/mL). The modulus reduction was confirmed by biomechanics (from 4.3 ± 0.7 MPa to 0.3 ± 0.1 MPa). Conclusion Both T2 and T1ρ profiles in native and degraded cartilage show strongly strain-, depth-, and angle-dependence using high-resolution MRI. The GAG reduction is responsible for the visualization of a low-intensity layer in deep cartilage when it is loaded and oriented at 55°. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;41:1281–1290. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.