cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Sickle Cell Disease on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Function and the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.

Gene therapy and stem cell transplantation are attractive potential therapies for sickle cell disease (SCD). Previous studies have shown that the sickle environment is highly enriched for reactive oxygen species (ROS), but have not addressed whether or not the increased ROS may alter the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment or affect stem cell function. Using the Berkeley sickle mouse model, we examined the effects of sickle cell disease on hematopoietic stem cell function and the bone marrow microenvironment. We transplanted C57BL/6 (control) BM into C57BL/6 and homozygous sickle mice. Recipients received 2 × 106 BM cells and a conditioning regimen consisting of busulfan, anti-asialo GM1, and co-stimulation blockade (anti-CD40L and CTLA4-Ig). Following transplantation, sickle mice demonstrated increased donor cell engraftment in the peripheral blood compared to normal mice (58.3% vs. 33.1%, respectively). Similarly, BMT in a fully allogeneic system also resulted in enhanced engraftment in sickle recipients. Next we analyzed whether or not engraftment defects exist within the BM stem cell population of sickle mice. In vitro colony forming assays showed a significant decrease in progenitor colony formation in sickle compared to control BM. By flow cytometry, we determined that there was a significant decrease in the KSL (c-Kit+, Sca-1+, Lineage−) progenitor population within the BM of sickle mice. Cell cycle analysis of the KSL population demonstrated that significantly fewer sickle KSL cells were in G0 phase compared to control, suggesting that there are fewer quiescent stem cells in the BM of sickle mice. To assess the potential role of ROS and glutathione depletion in sickle mice, we tested the engraftment efficiency of KSL cells from untreated and n-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) treated control, hemizygous sickle (hemi), and sickle mice in a competitive repopulation experiment. Peripheral chimerism showed an engraftment defect from both hemizygous and homozygous sickle mice such that control KSL cells engrafted > hemi > sickle at a ratio of 1 : 0.4 : 0.25. Treatment with NAC for four months prior to transplantation partially restored KSL engraftment (control : hemi : sickle; 1 : 0.97 : 0.56 ). We have demonstrated that congenic and allogeneic BMT into sickle mice result in increased donor cell engraftment in the sickle recipients. Both the decreased number of KSL cells and the decreased percentage of quiescent KSL cells in the sickle mice indicate that more stem cells in the transgenic sickle mouse model are mobilized from the BM environment. The engraftment defect of sickle KSL cells that was partially ameliorated by NAC treatment suggests that an altered redox environment in sickle mice may contribute to the engraftment deficiencies that we observed.
In Vitro and In Vivo Comparison of Gemcitabine and the Gemcitabine Analog 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabinofuranosyl) Cytosine (FAC) in Human Orthotopic and Genetically Modified Mouse Pancreatic Cancer Models

Although gemcitabine is a mainstay of pancreatic cancer therapy, it is only moderately effective, and it would be desirable to measure drug uptake in patients. 1-(2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroarabinofuranosyl) cytosine (FAC), is an analog of gemcitabine, and when labeled with F-18, it may be a potential surrogate PET tracer for the drug. [18F]FAC was synthesized to a radiochemical purity of >96 %. The human tumor lines AsPC1, BxPC3, Capan-1, Panc1, and MiaPaca2 were grown orthotopically in nude mice. KPC mice that conditionally express oncogenic K-ras and p53 mutations in pancreatic tissue were also used. The intra-tumoral distributions of [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC were mapped with autoradiography. The inter-tumor correlation between [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC was established in the orthotopic tumors. Expression of the equilibrative and concentrative nucleoside transporters (ENT, CNT) in vitro was detected by western blotting. Drug uptake was characterized in vitro using [3H]gemcitabine and the effect of transporter inhibition on gemcitabine and FAC uptake was investigated. The relative affinity of cells for gemcitabine and FAC was tested in competition assays. The cell lines differed in sensitivity to transport inhibitors and in competition studies. There was a good in vivo correlation between the total uptake of [18F]FAC and [14C]gemcitabine, measured across all orthotopic tumors. Using the KPC and BxPC3 models, we found that [14C]gemcitabine and [18F]FAC were largely co-localized. In the lines examined here, [18F]FAC uptake correlates well with gemcitabine in vivo, supporting the notion that [18F]FAC can serve as a PET radiotracer surrogate to determine the uptake and distribution of gemcitabine within pancreatic tumors.
Recent changes in channel morphology of a highly engineered alluvial river – the Lower Mississippi River

Changes in channel morphology provide relevant insights into sediment transport and deposition in alluvial river systems. This study assessed three to four decades of morphological changes at seven...
Axion Gauge Field Inflation and Gravitational Leptogenesis: A Lower Bound on B Modes from the Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry of the Universe

We present a toy model of an axion gauge field inflation scenario that yields viable density and gravitational wave spectra. The scenario consists of an axionic inflaton in a steep potential that is effectively flattened by a coupling to a collection of non-Abelian gauge fields. The model predicts a blue-tilted gravitational wave spectrum that is dominated by one circular polarization, resulting in unique observational targets for cosmic microwave background and gravitational wave experiments. The handedness of the gravitational wave spectrum is incorporated in a model of leptogenesis through the axial-gravitational anomaly; assuming electroweak sphaeleron processes convert the lepton asymmetry into baryons, we predict an approximate lower bound on the tensor-to-scalar ratio r ~ 3-4e-2 for models that also explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe.
Physical distance vs. clustering as influences on contracting complexity for biopharmaceutical alliances

AbstractWe examine whether the presence of alliance firms in the same regional cluster or in close physical proximity influences contracting behaviour of biopharmaceutical companies by enhancing co...
Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage in the Term Infant: Lessons from the Laboratory

Term infants who have sustained brain damage from intrauterine asphyxia can often be classified into one of two distinct clinical and radiologic syndromes. The first consists of damage to the cerebral hemispheres. The second consists of damage predominantly involving the basal ganglia and thalamus. Results of studies of asphyxia in experimental animals are presented.
Photoelastic investigation on the crack-arrest capability of a hole

Dynamic photoelasticity employing a 16-spark gap Cranz-Schardin camera system was used to determine certain conditions leading to fracture arrest by a circular hole ahead of a propagating crack. Photoelastic models of 3/8×10×10-in. Homalite-100 plates with a 1/2-in. edge crack were loaded in a fixed-grip configuration and crack arrest was made possible by central holes of 1/2, 1/4, and 0.15-in. diameters. In one test of a uniformly loaded plate with a central hole of 0.15-in. diameter, the propagating crack continued through this hole. Changes in dynamic-stress-intensity factors, as the crack tip approaches the hole, as well as changes in the dynamic-stress-concentration factors at the far side of the hole were studied, and these results were compared with the corresponding static results determined by finite-element analysis. This comparison shows that the static analysis can be used to qualitatively assess the arrest capability of the hole using the maximum static-stress concept or the proposed concept of strain energy released as the crack penetrates the hole.
A Classical Construction for the Digital Fundamental Group

A version of topology‘s fundamental group is developed for digital images in dimension at most 3 in [7] and [8]. In the latter paper, it is shown that such a digital image X ⊂ {\cal Z}k, k ≤ 3, has a continuous analog C(X) ⊂ Rk such that X has digital fundamental group isomorphic to Π1(C(X)). However, the construction of the digital fundamental group in [7] and [8] does not greatly resemble the classical construction of the fundamental group of a topological space. In the current paper, we show how classical methods of algebraic topology may be used to construct the digital fundamental group. We construct the digital fundamental group based on the notions of digitally continuous functions presented in [10] and digital homotopy [3]. Our methods are very similar to those of [6], which uses different notions of digital topology. We show that the resulting theory of digital fundamental groups is related to that of [7] and [8] in that it yields isomorphic fundamental groups for the digital images considered in the latter papers (for certain connectedness types).
Fast and Precise Black and White Ball Detection for RoboCup Soccer

In 2016, UT Austin Villa claimed the Standard Platform League’s second place position at the RoboCup International Robot Soccer Competition in Leipzig, Germany as well as first place at both the RoboCup US Open in Brunswick, USA and the World RoboCup Conference in Beijing, China. This paper describes some of the key contributions that led to the team’s victories with a primary focus on our techniques for identifying and tracking black and white soccer balls. UT Austin Villa’s ball detection system was overhauled in order to transition from the league’s bright orange ball, used every year of the competition prior to 2016, to the truncated icosahedral pattern commonly associated with soccer balls.
Ensuring Stability and Fidelity of Recursively Identified Control-Relevant Models

Abstract In this work, a recursive system identification algorithm is extended to improve reliability and better handle stochastic disturbances, measurement noise, and other adverse phenomena. The proposed approach involves the modification of the recursive predictor-based subspace identification (PBSID) algorithm to incorporate constraints on the fidelity and accuracy of the identified models, correctness of the sign of the input-to-output gains, and the integration of heuristics to ensure stability of the recursively identified models. The efficacy of the proposed approach is demonstrated using case studies involving the modeling of time-varying glucose–insulin dynamics.
Watermarking deep neural networks for embedded systems

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have become an important tool for bringing intelligence to mobile and embedded devices. The increasingly wide deployment, sharing and potential commercialization of DNN models create a compelling need for intellectual property (IP) protection. Recently, DNN watermarking emerges as a plausible IP protection method. Enabling DNN watermarking on embedded devices in a practical setting requires a black-box approach. Existing DNN watermarking frameworks either fail to meet the black-box requirement or are susceptible to several forms of attacks. We propose a watermarking framework by incorporating the author's signature in the process of training DNNs. While functioning normally in regular cases, the resulting watermarked DNN behaves in a different, predefined pattern when given any signed inputs, thus proving the authorship. We demonstrate an example implementation of the framework on popular image classification datasets and show that strong watermarks can be embedded in the models.
Interprofessional education in a student clinic: Curricular integration of a model workflow for medical, pharmacy, social work and undergraduate learners

Abstract Interprofessional education (IPE) has become a cornerstone within the health sciences as a strategy to enhance communication and collaboration among health professions students. The Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) partners with the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (PCP) of the University of Sciences to deliver free healthcare to uninsured residents of Camden, NJ at the Cooper Rowan Clinic (CRC). The clinic incorporates a longitudinal workflow model that seeks to deliver high-quality patient care and serve as a platform for IPE. This article describes the organization of the CRC, which accommodates close to 400 learners in a restricted space while maintaining the IPE component. The quality of the learning experience was evaluated by comparing data from medical student course evaluations over a 3 year time period. Data suggests that the current model resulted in a statistically significant improvement in medical student satisfaction and can therefore be used as an example for other student clinics looking to implement IPE within their workflow system.
Spinal fracture complications

Abstract Traumatic spinal fractures are a leading cause of morbidity in the trauma population. They must be assessed and managed differently than other spinal pathology including degenerative, neoplastic or infectious. Establishing stability, restoring alignment and decompression of neural elements are critical to the successful management of traumatic spinal injury. In this chapter, we will review the relevant anatomy, biomechanics of injury and principles of management to avoid complications in the treatment of traumatic spinal fractures.
The Mystic Group

By way of a set of suggestions W. R. Bion offers in “The Mystic and the Group,” this essay begins to consider the relationship between ideas concerning the necessity of deprivation for proper psych...
Nonlinear Modeling of Ground Motions at Lotung LSST Site with Nested Surface Soil Constitutive Model

Seismic analyses of nuclear facilities require the use of validated numerical models that can realistically reproduce the response of soils during earthquakes. The nested surface nonlinear, hystere...
Correlation of Force to Deformation of the Anterior Bundle of the Medial Collateral Ligament Through Consideration of Band Laxity

The anterior bundle of the medial collateral ligament (AMCL) resists the loads that arise at the elbow during overhand throwing and has commonly been divided into posterior and anterior bands. While these anterior and posterior bands have been thought to bear the load at different flexion angles, any transition of the load distribution between the two bands is poorly understood and has not considered laxity (slack). This study considers the AMCL as three bands and quantifies the mechanical response to vertical distraction, simulating valgus-load joint opening, through the sequential superposition of the band responses after the elimination of inherent laxity. Eight cadaveric elbow specimens were used for the study. The intact AMCL of each specimen was tested under vertical distraction in a specialized load frame at four elbow flexion angles and then subsequently retested after two longitudinal transections. The greatest laxity at full extension and full flexion belonged to the posterior (1.9 mm) and anterior (2.4 mm) band, respectively. At the lesser and higher flexion angles, the greatest structural stiffness belonged to the anterior and middle band. The overall AMCL was the most structurally stiff at 60°, with approximately 150 N of force required for 2% elongation. This study shows that the different bands of the AMCL may have different load bearing properties at different flexion angles, causing each band to support different proportions of an imposed load. The presence of the laxity may impose a load-bearing delay, causing load-bearing in each band to begin asynchronously. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 37:2027-2034, 2019.
Quarter BPS operators in Script N = 4 SYM

Chiral primary operators annihilated by a quarter of the supercharges are constructed in the four dimensional = 4 Super-Yang-Mills theory with gauge group SU(N). These 1/4-BPS operators share many non-renormalization properties with the previously studied 1/2-BPS operators. However, they are much more involved, which renders their construction nontrivial in the fully interacting theory. In this paper we calculate (g2) two-point functions of local, polynomial, scalar composite operators within a given representation of the SU(4) R-symmetry group. By studying these two-point functions, we identify the eigenstates of the dilatation operator, which turn out to be complicated mixtures of single and multiple trace operators. Given the elaborate combinatorics of this problem, we concentrate on two special cases. First, we present explicit computations for 1/4-BPS operators with scaling dimension Δ ≤ 7. In this case, the discussion applies to arbitrary N of the gauge group. Second, we carry out a leading plus subleading large N analysis for the particular class of operators built out of double and single trace operators only. The large N construction addresses 1/4-BPS operators of general dimension.
“I Guess I’ll Never Know…”: Non-Initiators Account-Making After Being Ghosted

Ghosting describes a popular contemporary dating disengagement strategy that abruptly ends communication using technological medium(s). For the target of ghosting, the non-initiator, the action usu...
Effects of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Human KCNMA1 on BK Current Properties

BK Ca2+-activated K+ channels are important regulators of membrane excitability. Multiple regulatory mechanisms tailor BK current properties across tissues, such as alternative splicing, posttranslational modifications, and auxiliary subunits. Another potential mechanism for modulating BK channel activity is genetic variation due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The gene encoding the human BK α subunit, KCNMA1, contains hundreds of SNPs. However, the variation in BK channel activity due to SNPs is not well studied. Here, we screened the effects of four SNPs (A138V, C495G, N599D, and R800W) on BK currents in HEK293T cells, selected based on predicted protein pathogenicity or disease linkage. We found that the SNPs C495G and R800W had the largest effects on BK currents, affecting the conductance-voltage relationship across multiple Ca2+ conditions in the context of two BK channel splice variants. In symmetrical K+, C495G shifted the V1/2 to more hyperpolarized potentials (by -15 to -20 mV) and accelerated activation, indicating C495G confers some gain-of-function properties. R800W shifted the V1/2 to more depolarized potentials (+15 to +35 mV) and slowed activation, conferring loss-of-function properties. Moreover, the C495G and R800W effects on current properties were found to persist with posttranslational modifications. In contrast, A138V and N599D had smaller and more variable effects on current properties. Neither application of alkaline phosphatase to patches, which results in increased BK channel activity attributed to channel dephosphorylation, nor bidirectional redox modulations completely abrogated SNP effects on BK currents. Lastly, in physiological K+, C495G increased the amplitude of action potential (AP)-evoked BK currents, while R800W had a more limited effect. However, the introduction of R800W in parallel with the epilepsy-linked mutation D434G (D434G/R800W) decreased the amplitude of AP-evoked BK currents compared with D434G alone. These results suggest that in a physiological context, C495G could increase BK activation, while the effects of the loss-of-function SNP R800W could oppose the gain-of-function effects of an epilepsy-linked mutation. Together, these results implicate naturally occurring human genetic variation as a potential modifier of BK channel activity across a variety of conditions.
Spiders’ webs of doughnuts

If f:R3→R3 is a uniformly quasiregular mapping with Julia set J(f), a genus g Cantor set, for g≥1, then for any linearizer L at any repelling periodic point of f, the fast escaping set A(L) consists of a spiders' web structure containing embedded genus g tori on any sufficiently large scale. In other words, A(L) contains a spiders' web of doughnuts. This type of structure is specific to higher dimensions, and cannot happen for the fast escaping set of a transcendental entire function in the plane. We also show that if f:Rn→Rn is a uniformly quasiregular mapping, for n≥2, and J(f) is a Cantor set, then every periodic point is in J(f) and is repelling.
Emulating round-robin for serving dynamic flows over wireless fading channels

Motivated by the Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), we consider dynamic wireless fading networks, where each incoming flow has a random service demand and leaves the system once its service request is completed. In such networks, one of the primary goals of network algorithm design is to achieve short-term fairness that characterizes how often each flow is served, in addition to the more traditional goals such as throughput-optimality and delay-insensitivity to the flow size distribution. In wireline networks, all of these desired properties can be achieved by the round-robin scheduling algorithm. In the context of wireless networks, a natural extension of round-robin scheduling has been developed in the last few years through the use of a counter called the Time-Since-Last-Service (TSLS) that keeps track of the time that passed since the last service time of each flow. However, the performance of this round-robin-like algorithm has been primarily studied in the context of persistent flows that continuously inject packets into the network and do not ever leave the network. The analysis of dynamic flow arrivals and departures is challenging since each individual flow experiences independent wireless fading and thus, flows cannot be served in a strict round-robin manner. In this paper, we overcome this difficulty by exploring the intricate dynamics of TSLS-based algorithm and show that flows are provided round-robin-like service with a very high probability. Consequently, we then show that our algorithm can achieve throughput-optimality. Moreover, through simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed TSLS-based algorithm also exhibits desired properties such as delay-insensitivity and excellent short-term fairness performance in the presence of dynamic flows over wireless fading channels.
Estimated Risk Reduction to Packaged Food Reactions by Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) for Peanut Allergy

B Remington, T Krone, E Kim. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol . 2019;123(5):488–493.e2 To estimate the relative risk reduction (RRR) when consuming peanut-contaminated packaged food products in children treated with epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) for 12 months versus placebo. A double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study population of children ( n = 356) treated with EPIT for 12 months with either a patch containing 250 μg peanut protein ( n = 238) or a placebo patch ( n = 118). The probability of an allergic reaction to packaged food products was modeled using Monte Carlo simulations. Study-population threshold dose …
Endogenous Maternal Lipids and Supplementation with Vitamin E Isoform Regulate Neonatal Dendritic Cells during Development of Allergic Disease

Background and Hypothesis: CDllb+CDllc+ dendritic cells (DCs) play a role in the development of allergic disease. It has been shown that of the vitamin E isoforms, α-Tocopherol decreases and γ-Tocopherol increases the generation of bone marrow-derived CD11b+CD11c+ DCs in vivo. And, in vivo experiments have also shown that β-glucosylceramides, endogenous maternal lipids, increase the neonate proliferation of this same subset of DCs. The mechanism for β-glucosylceramide regulation of these specific DC subsets is not known. Furthermore, it is also not known how vitamin E isoforms regulate DC development and differentiation. We determined whether α-tocopherol decreases and γ-tocopherol increases responses to β-glucosylceramide by regulating Protein Kinase C (PKC) activation during CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation. Project Methods: Cultured bone marrow cells (harvested from mice) were treated with lipid metabolites with and without supplementation of tocopherol isoforms, immunolabeled with antibodies that define DCs and with antibodies that detect active auto phosphorylated forms of PKC. Then, these cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results: In vitro β-glucosylceramide elevated DC PKCα/β activity during CDllb+CDllc+ DC differentiation and proliferation/activation. Furthermore, these effects of β-glucosylceramide on DC PKCα/β activity were blocked by α-Tocopherol and elevated by γ-Tocopherol. Potential Impact: These data provides a better understanding of how maternal β-glucosylceramide and dietary supplementation with vitamin E isoforms regulate DC proliferation and differentiation and ultimately development of allergic inflammation in offspring of allergic mothers.
Court fairness and firm level export decisions

Abstract This paper is the first micro-level study in the international trade literature to examine the causal relationship between court fairness and the firm-level export decisions (propensity and intensity). The paper uses firm-level data from South Asian countries collected and maintained by the World Bank for empirical analysis. Methodologically, the study uses IVprobit and 2SLS models to analyze the pooled cross-sectional data. I estimate various specifications to show that court fairness increases the export share as well as the likelihood that a firm becomes an exporter. Results are robust for both intensive and extensive margins of trade.
Zebrafish irritant responses to wildland fire-related biomass smoke are influenced by fuel type, combustion phase, and byproduct chemistry.

Human exposure to wildfire-derived particulate matter (PM) is linked to adverse health outcomes; however, little is known regarding the influence of biomass fuel type and burn conditions on toxicit...
LSD’s effects are differentially modulated in arrestin knockout mice

ABSTRACT Recent evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs can exert beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, and ethanol and nicotine abuse in humans. However, the hallucinogenic side-effects of psychedelics often preclude their clinical use. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a prototypical hallucinogen and its psychedelic actions are exerted through the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor (5-HT2AR). 5-HT2AR activation stimulates Gq- and β-arrestin-(βArr) mediated signaling. To separate effects of these signaling modes, we have used βArr1 and βArr2 mice. We find that LSD stimulates motor activities to similar extents in WT and βArr1-KO mice, with non-significant effects in βArr2-KOs. LSD robustly stimulates many surrogates of psychedelic drug actions including head twitches, grooming, retrograde walking, and nose poking in WT and βArr1-KO animals. In contrast, LSD only slightly stimulates head twitches in βArr2-KO mice, without effects on retrograde walking or nose poking. The 5-HT2AR antagonist MDL100907 (MDL) blocks these LSD effects. LSD also disrupts prepulse inhibition (PPI) in WT and βArr1-KOs; PPI is unaffected in βArr2-KOs. MDL restores PPI in WT mice, but this antagonist is without effect and haloperidol is required in βArr1-KOs. LSD produces a biphasic body-temperature response in WT mice, a monophasic response in βArr1-KOs, and is without effect in βArr2 mutants. Both MDL and the 5-HT1AR antagonist, WAY 100635 (WAY), block the effects of LSD on body temperatures in WT mice, whereas WAY is effective in βArr1-KOs. Collectively, these results reveal that LSD produces diverse behavioral effects through βArr1 and βArr2, and that LSD’s psychedelic drug-like actions appear to require βArr2.
Consumer behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of food purchasing and management behaviors in U.S. households through the lens of food system resilience

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated considerable interest in the resilience of the U.S. food system. Less attention has been paid to the resiliency characteristics of the final link in the food system – individual households. We use national survey data from July 2020 to understand the food acquisition, preparation, and management strategies that households implemented in response to the pandemic. We find a substantial increase in the amount of food prepared and consumed at home which scales with respondents’ time availability, perceived risks of dining out, and pandemic-induced income disruption. We then identify several household responses to support this increase in home food consumption that are in line with practices suggested to enhance resiliency at other links in the food supply chain, including increased cold storage capacity and enhanced in-house capability via improved cooking and food management skills. We discuss how responses such as improved food skills can reduce the propagation of shocks through the supply chain by allowing greater flexibility and less waste, while actions such as increased home cold storage capacity could undermine system resilience by exacerbating bullwhip effects, i.e., amplifying consumer demand shocks that are propagated to upstream food supply chain actors.
Frequency and characteristics of falls in people living with and without multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional online survey.

Abstract Background Public health responses to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) including lockdowns may negatively impact physical and mental functioning in clinical populations. People living with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be more susceptible to physical function deterioration while practicing social distancing. Recent reports have suggested that about 50% of people with MS (pwMS) decreased their leisure physical activity during COVID-19, and upwards of 30% reported decreased physical fitness levels. However, the impact of social distancing on adverse health-related outcomes such as falls has not received much scrutiny. Therefore, we explored the frequency and characteristics of falls experienced by people living with and without MS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Two-hundred and thirty-nine individuals, including 106 pwMS (median age: 59 years) and 133 people living without MS (median age: 66 years) were recruited for this cross-sectional study. A snowball sampling strategy was used for online recruitment. Participants completed a customized falls questionnaire and the number of falls experienced (if any) during COVID-19 was recorded. Fall-related characteristics such as the timing, locations, activities undertaken before falling and consequences, as well as self-reported physical activity were also recorded. Results Overall, participants reported 232 falls (1.67 falls/person in pwMS and 0.41 falls/person in non-MS participants). People living with MS (pwMS) had a significantly higher frequency of falls (58.5% vs 21.8%; p Conclusion This cross-sectional study revealed that pwMS remain at high risk of falls and fall-related outcomes during COVID-19. The high number of falls experienced by pwMS is of clinical concern considering the current strain on the healthcare system. Findings from this study highlight the importance of monitoring falls and the potential for telerehabilitation in persons with MS during COVID-19.
Survival outcomes and toxicity in patients 40 years old or older with relapsed metastatic germ cell tumors treated with high-dose chemotherapy and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND High-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) plus peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) is effective salvage therapy for relapsed metastatic germ cell tumors (GCTs) but has potential toxicity. Historically, an age of ≥40 years has been associated with greater toxicity and worse outcomes. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of 445 consecutive patients with relapsed GCT treated with HDCT and PBSCT with tandem cycles at Indiana University from between 2004-2017 per our institutional regimen. Kaplan-Meier methods and log-rank tests were used for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) analysis. RESULTS A total of 329 patients were <40 years of age, whereas 116 patients were ≥40 years of age; HDCT was used as second-line therapy in 85% and 79%, respectively. Median follow-up time was 42.5 months (range, 0.3-173.4 months). Grade ≥3 toxicities were similar between either group, except for greater pulmonary (P = .02) and renal toxicity (P = .01) in the ≥40-years-of-age group. Treatment-related mortality was similar between both age groups: 10 patients (3%) in the <40-years-of-age group and 4 patients (3.5%) in ≥40-years-of-age group died from complications of HDCT. Two-year PFS for <40 years of age versus ≥40 years of age was 58.7% versus 59.6% (P = .76) and 2-year OS was 63.9% versus 61.5% (P = .93). Factors predicting worse PFS included Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥1, platinum refractory disease, nonseminoma histology, and not completing 2 cycles of HDCT. Age was not an independent predictor of worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS HDCT plus PBSCT is effective salvage therapy in patients ≥40 years of age with relapsed metastatic GCT. Patients ≥40 years of age experience similar rates of toxicity and treatment-related mortality as those <40 years of age.
115-Gbps/λ Fiber/FSO Transmission with Supervised and Semi-supervised Nonlinearity Correction Using Lasso

We leverage supervised/semi-supervised methods and Lasso to perform nonlinearity compensations in a fiber/FSO system. A proof-of-concept experiment has demonstrated up to 3.1dB power-margin improvement and significantly reduced pilot symbol ratio.
Malignant gliomas

Gliomas are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms that comprise the majority of tumors originating in the central nervous system (CNS). In adults, the most frequently encountered of these are high-grade or malignant neoplasms of astrocytic and oligodendrocytic lineage, ie, anaplastic astrocytoma (AA), glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), respectively. Tumors of mixed lineage are also seen, the most common of which is designated anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA). Standard treatment for these tumors is typically surgery, followed by radiation then chemotherapy. Surgery is required for a definitive histopathologic diagnosis, which in turn will dictate subsequent therapy options. Moreover, aggressive tumor resection improves survival outcomes, and in many cases, the patient's neurologic function. We generally advocate the safest, maximal resection attainable for patients with these tumors as a way to improve prognosis. In almost all cases, surgery is followed by radiation therapy.
Evaluation of MRSA surveillance nasal swabs for predicting MRSA infection in SICU patients

ABSTRACT Background We aimed to examine the clinical value of serial MRSA surveillance cultures to rule out a MRSA diagnosis on subsequent cultures during a patient's surgical intensive care unit (SICU) admission. Material and Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study to evaluate patients who received a MRSA surveillance culture at admission to the SICU (n = 6,915) and collected and assessed all patient cultures for MRSA positivity during their admission. The primary objective was to evaluate the transition from a MRSA negative surveillance on admission to MRSA positive on any subsequent culture during a patient's SICU stay. Percent of MRSA positive cultures by type following MRSA negative surveillance cultures was further analyzed. Measurements and Main Results 6,303 patients received MRSA nasal surveillance cultures at admission with 21,597 clinical cultures and 7,269 MRSA surveillance cultures. Of the 6,163 patients with an initial negative, 53 patients (0.87%) transitioned to MRSA positive. Of the 139 patients with an initial positive, 30 (21.6%) had subsequent MRSA positive cultures. Individuals who had an initial MRSA surveillance positive status on admission predicted MRSA positivity rates for cultures in qualitative lower respiratory cultures (64.3% versus. 3.1%), superficial wound (60.0% versus 1.6%), deep wound (39.0% versus 0.8%), tissue culture (26.3% versus 0.6%), and body fluid (20.8% versus 0.7%) cultures when compared to MRSA negative patients on admission. Conclusion Following MRSA negative nasal surveillance cultures patients showed low likelihood of MRSA infection suggesting empiric anti-MRSA treatment is unnecessary for specific patient populations. SICU patient's MRSA status at admission should guide empiric anti-MRSA therapy.
Radio Number for Fourth Power Paths

A path on n vertices, denoted by Pn, is a simple graph whose vertices can be ordered so that two vertices are adjacent if and only if they are consecutive in the order. A fourth power path, P 4 n , is obtained from Pn by adding edges between any two vertices, u and v, whose distance in Pn, denoted by dPn(u, v), is less than or equal to four. The diameter of a graph G, denoted diam(G) is the greatest distance between any two distinct vertices of G. A radio labeling of a graph G is a function f that assigns to each vertex a label from the set {0, 1, 2, ...} such that |f(u)−f(v)| ≥ diam(G)−d(u, v)+1 holds for any two distinct vertices, u and v in G (i.e., u, v ∈ V (G)). The greatest value assigned to a vertex by f is called the span of the radio labeling f , i.e., spanf =max{f(v) : v ∈ V (G)}. The radio number of G, rn(G), is the minimum span of f over all radio labelings f of G. In this paper, we provide a lower bound for the radio number of the fourth power path.
Fecal electrolyte testing for evaluation of unexplained diarrhea: Validation of body fluid test accuracy in the absence of a reference method.

Abstract Background Validation of tests performed on body fluids other than blood or urine can be challenging due to the lack of a reference method to confirm accuracy. The aim of this study was to evaluate alternate assessments of accuracy that laboratories can rely on to validate body fluid tests in the absence of a reference method using the example of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and magnesium (Mg2 +) testing in stool fluid. Methods Validations of fecal Na+, K+, and Mg2 + were performed on the Roche cobas 6000 c501 (Roche Diagnostics) using residual stool specimens submitted for clinical testing. Spiked recovery, mixing studies, and serial dilutions were performed and % recovery of each analyte was calculated to assess accuracy. Results were confirmed by comparison to a reference method (ICP-OES, PerkinElmer). Results Mean recoveries for fecal electrolytes were Na+ upon spiking = 92%, mixing = 104%, and dilution = 105%; K+ upon spiking = 94%, mixing = 96%, and dilution = 100%; and Mg2 + upon spiking = 93%, mixing = 98%, and dilution = 100%. When autoanalyzer results were compared to reference ICP-OES results, Na+ had a slope = 0.94, intercept = 4.1, and R2 = 0.99; K+ had a slope = 0.99, intercept = 0.7, and R2 = 0.99; and Mg2 + had a slope = 0.91, intercept = − 4.6, and R2 = 0.91. Calculated osmotic gap using both methods were highly correlated with slope = 0.95, intercept = 4.5, and R2 = 0.97. Acid pretreatment increased magnesium recovery from a subset of clinical specimens. Conclusions A combination of mixing, spiking, and dilution recovery experiments are an acceptable surrogate for assessing accuracy in body fluid validations in the absence of a reference method.
Multi-physics modeling and simulations of reactive melt infiltration process used in fabrication of ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs)

Purpose – A multi-physics process model is developed to analyze reactive melt infiltration (RMI) fabrication of ceramic-matrix composite (CMC) materials and components. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach – Within this model, the following key physical phenomena governing this process are accounted for: capillary and gravity-driven unsaturated flow of the molten silicon into the SiC/SiC CMC preform; chemical reactions between the silicon melt and carbon (either the one produced by the polymer-binder pyrolysis or the one residing within the dried matrix slurry); thermal-energy transfer and source/sink phenomena accompanying reactive-flow infiltration; volumetric changes accompanying chemical reactions of the molten silicon with the SiC preform and cooling of the as-fabricated CMC component to room temperature; development of residual stresses within, and thermal distortions of, the as-fabricated CMC component; and grain-microstructure development within the SiC matrix during R...
Functional fish protein isolates prepared using low ionic strength, acid solubilization /precipitation

Abstract A technique was developed, whereby proteins from animal muscle tissue were solubilized under conditions of low ionic strength and low pH, that retained high yields of proteins, which when precipitated and neutralized were capable of producing gels with good functional properties. Gels made from acid-solubilized proteins commenced gelation at a substantially lower temperature when compared to washed muscle. Fluorescence data suggests extensive protein unfolding at pH values between 5.0 and 3.0, whereupon further acid addition in the range 3.0-2.0 resulted in a re-folding of the proteins. Extensive unfolding of the protein appears to be crucial to the development of a gel upon precipitation and neutralization.
The hypercube and the Caltech concurrent computation program: a microcosm of parallel computing

Publisher Summary This chapter is a personal impression of the research of the Caltech Concurrent Computation Program. The progress of the Caltech Concurrent Computation Program can be divided into four stages. Birth and early struggles to survive occupied 1981-1983. Carefree youth and unblemished success lasted from mid-1983 to the end of 1984. Middle age with difficult bittersweet choices was successfully weathered in 1985 and 1986. In the current stage, one looks to fresh beginnings with new initiatives starting in 1986 and 1987. The chapter provides an overview of these four stages. One initially disappointing feature of parallel computing is that, in some sense, it is trivial. Namely, there is essentially only one way of using such machines. One can view problems as an algorithm applied to a dataset. Concurrency is achieved by decomposing the dataset into parts or sub-domains and acting concurrently on each part. Each part is called a grain and the feature of the hypercube is its large grain size; each node contains enough memory to hold quite large sub-domains.
DNA repair genes of mammalian cells

In the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, various mutations affecting DNA repair have been obtained. Mutants that belong to 5 genetic complementation groups for ultraviolet (UV) sensitivity and resemble the cells from individuals having the cancer-prone genetic disorder xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) were previously identified. Each mutant is defective in the incision step of nucleotide excision repair and hypersensitive to bulky DNA lesions. These UV mutants can be divided into two subgroups; only Groups 2 and 4 are extremely sensitive to mitomycin C and other DNA crosslinking agents.
Depression and religiosity and/or spirituality in college: A longitudinal survey of students in the USA

The aim of this study was to conduct a longitudinal test of an explanatory model of depression, where religiosity and/or spirituality (R/S) represents a potentially protective factor in college students in the USA. A Web-based survey was administered monthly to 214 students from religious and public colleges. At 1 month and 6 months, the measures of R/S, depression, stress, and cognitive vulnerability were administered. Between 2 and 5 months, only the measures of stress and depression were administered. The data were analyzed to test the hypothesis that R/S buffers the effect of stress on depression over time in the context of cognitive vulnerability. The results supported a direct and protective effect over time between R/S and depression, but a buffering effect on the relationship between stress and depression was not found. Although all aspects of R/S were demonstrated to protect the participants from depression, it did not appear that the relationship between R/S and stress or R/S and cognitive vulnerability explains this relationship. Nurses who are working with college students should take holistic approaches to their emotional difficulties, realizing the potentially beneficial effects of students' religiousness or spirituality.
Resident utilization of information technology.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a simple educational intervention can increase resident physician literature search activity.
Regulatory Competition and Regulatory Jurisdiction in International Securities Regulation

This paper uses the Tiebout model, theories of allocation of prescriptive jurisdiction and theories of antitrust or competition law to analyze the question of regulatory competition in the context of international securities regulation. While showing that there is already substantial scope for regulatory competition in international securities regulation, it argues that the question of how to design regulatory competition cannot be considered separately from the questions of horizontal and vertical allocation of regulatory jurisdiction, and in fact is only a sub-question of those larger questions. The appropriate methodology for comparing different allocations of horizontal and vertical jurisdiction is comparative institutional analysis. This paper then engages in a suggestive comparative analysis of the three main alternative allocational regimes: (a) "rootless recognition," as recommended by proponents of increased regulatory competition, which would call on states simply to accept application of securities regulation by a foreign jurisdiction selected by the issuer, excluding application of the host state's law; (b) territoriality-based national treatment, which is the system generally practiced today, whereby foreign issuers must comply with host country law in order to effect an offering in host country territory; and (c) "managed recognition" with essential harmonization, as practiced in the European Union to require a negotiated level of harmonization of law as a predicate for limited recognition. This paper's suggestive comparative analysis examines the following main factors: i. Discipline of Government/Avoidance of Risk of Cartelization/Preference Revelation ii. Potential Innovation iii. Government Close to People/Customization/Consumer Choice iv. Economies of Scale and Network Externalities v. Externalization and Commons Problems vi. Costs of Overlapping and Unpredictable Application of Jurisdiction vii. Facilitation of Transactions in Jurisdiction, Including Creation of Organizations, in Appropriate Cases However, this paper recognizes that decisions aggregating these analyses are best made by political institutions or their delegates. This paper suggests that political institutions may be designed and allocated authority to enhance their ability to manage competition, and allocation of jurisdiction. They may do so by applying national treatment, recognition and harmonization to particular legal rules and in particular circumstances. The EU provides a leading example, and efforts at the International Accounting Standards Committee and the International Organization of Securities Commissions are similarly aimed at essential harmonization as a predicate to recognition.