cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reactive Landing of Gramicidin S and Ubiquitin Ions onto Activated Self-Assembled Monolayer Surfaces

Using mass-selected ion deposition combined with in situ infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), we examined the reactive landing of gramicidin S and ubiquitin ions onto activated self-assembled monolayer (SAM) surfaces terminated with N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester (NHS-SAM) and acyl fluoride (COF-SAM) groups. Doubly protonated gramicidin S, [GS + 2H]2+, and two charge states of ubiquitin, [U + 5H]5+ and [U + 13H]13+, were used as model systems, allowing us to explore the effect of the number of free amino groups and the secondary structure on the efficiency of covalent bond formation between the projectile ion and the surface. For all projectile ions, ion deposition resulted in the depletion of IRRAS bands corresponding to the terminal groups on the SAM and the appearance of several new bands not associated with the deposited species. These new bands were assigned to the C=O stretching vibrations of COOH and COO- groups formed on the surface as a result of ion deposition. The presence of these bands was attributed to an alternative reactive landing pathway that competes with covalent bond formation. This pathway with similar yields for both gramicidin S and ubiquitin ions is analogous to the hydrolysis of the NHS ester bond in solution. The covalent bond formation efficiency increased linearly with the number of free amino groups and was found to be lower for the more compact conformation of ubiquitin compared with the fully unfolded conformation. This observation was attributed to the limited availability of amino groups on the surface of the folded conformation. Our results have provided new insights on the efficiency and mechanism of reactive landing of peptides and proteins onto activated SAMs. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.
UTD: Determining Relational Similarity Using Lexical Patterns

In this paper we present our approach for assigning degrees of relational similarity to pairs of words in the SemEval-2012 Task 2. To measure relational similarity we employed lexical patterns that can match against word pairs within a large corpus of 12 million documents. Patterns are weighted by obtaining statistically estimated lower bounds on their precision for extracting word pairs from a given relation. Finally, word pairs are ranked based on a model predicting the probability that they belong to the relation of interest. This approach achieved the best results on the SemEval 2012 Task 2, obtaining a Spearman correlation of 0.229 and an accuracy on reproducing human answers to MaxDiff questions of 39.4%.
Weak Forces in Mixed Chelate and Macrocyclic Systems

The influences of noncovalent forces have been investigated in two systems, one involving the operation of electrostatic attraction in a mixed chelate and the other the operation of hydrogen bond attraction in the synthesis and the comformational and complexing properties of a macrocycle. The function of the mixed chelate system is to transfer the acetyl group from acetyl phosphate to an acceptor nucleophile via the intermediacy of a triethylenetetramine containing a micellizing side chain and an acetyl accepting nucleophilic group. Through the application of 31P NMR measurements on a model system it has been ascertained that a mixed chelate does form and that the rate of exchange of the phosphate moiety with the mixed chelate is fast enough that it is not a rate determining factor. An appropriately substituted triethylenetetramine-type compound has been synthesized and has been shown to be an effective acetyl phosphate hydrolysis catalyst, thus acting as a phosphatase mimic.
Maximal heart rate differs between laboratory and field conditions among female athletes

The purpose of this study was to determine if maximal heart rate (MHR) varies between laboratory testing, field testing, training, competitive matches and an agepredicted MHR equation among female collegiate soccer players. 21 female NCAA Division 1 soccer players had MHR determined during a maximal treadmill test (MHRGXT), a 20-meter shuttle run test (MHRFIELD), 4 weeks of early season training (MHRTRAIN), 5 competitive matches (MHRMATCH), and an age prediction equation (MHRPRED). Participants were excluded if they were injured during the data collection period or failed to obtain at least 2 out of 3 criteria during treadmill testing: 1) RER ≥ 1.1, 2) plateau in VO2, and 3) attainment of ≥90% of MHRPRED. MHR was compared across different methods by ANOVA and Spearman correlation coefficients were determined between the different methods. 15 athletes satisfied the inclusion criteria. MHRGXT (190 ± 3.1 bpm) was significantly lower than MHRFIELD (197.9 ± 7.0 bpm, p<0.001), MHRTRAIN (198.9 ± 5.3bpm, p<0.001), and MHRMATCH (196.8 ± 4.4bpm, p=0.004), but not MHRPRED (193.8 ± 0.7bpm, p=0.12). Significant correlations were found between MHRGXT and MHRFIELD(r=0.89, p<0.001), MHRTRAIN (r=0.822, p<0.001), and MHRMATCH (r=0.584, p=0.02). No differences were identified between MHRFIELD, MHRTRAIN, or MHRMATCH, but all three measures were significantly correlated (r=0.63 to 0.81). MHRPRED was not significantly correlated with any of the other methods (r=-0.216 to 0.137). MHR from laboratory testing was significantly lower than field testing, training, and Powered by Editorial Manager® and ProduXion Manager® from Aries Systems Corporation competition, although all 4 methods were highly correlated. The differences in these methods should be taken into account when using MHR to prescribe exercise intensity.
Comment Regarding Increasing Price Competition for Title Insurers

Title insurance is unique among insurance products because it provides coverage for unknown past acts. Other insurance products provide coverage for future events. Title insurance also requires just a single premium payment whereas other insurance products generally have premiums that are paid at regular intervals to keep the insurance in effect. Premiums for title insurance in New York State are jointly filed with the Department by the Title Insurance Rate Service Association (TIRSA) on behalf of the dominant title insurers. This joint filing ensures that title insurers do not compete on price. In states where such a procedure is not followed, title insurance rates are generally much lower. Instead of competing on price, insurers compete on service. “Service” has been interpreted widely to include all sorts of gifts — fancy meals, hard-to-get tickets, even vacations. The real customers of title companies are the industry’s repeat players — often real estate lawyers and lenders who recommend the title company — and they get these goodies. The people paying for title insurance — owners and borrowers — ultimately pay for these “marketing” costs without getting the benefit of them. These expenses are a component of the filings that TIRSA submits to the New York State Department of Financial Service to justify the premiums charged by TIRSA’s members. As a result of this rate-setting method, New York State policyholders pay among the highest premiums in the country. Instead of continuing on its current course, the Department should seek to create a regulatory regime that best balances increased price competition with adequate safety and soundness regulation.
Using wearable physiological sensors to predict energy expenditure

Lower-limb assistive robotic devices are often evaluated by measuring a reduction in the user's energy cost. Using indirect calorimetry to estimate energy cost is poorly suited for real-time estimation and long-term collection. The goal of this study was to use data from wearable sensors to predict energy cost with better temporal resolution and less variability than breath measurements. We collected physiological data (heart rate, electrodermal activity, skin temperature) and mechanical data (EMG, accelerometry) from three healthy subjects walking on a treadmill at various speeds on level ground, inclined, and backwards. Ground truth energy cost was established by averaging steady-state breath measurements. Raw physiological signals correlated well with ground truth energy cost, but raw mechanical signals did not. Correlation of mechanical signals was improved by calculating accelerometer magnitudes and linear envelope EMG signals, and further improved by averaging the signals over several seconds. A multiple linear regression including physiological and mechanical data accurately predicted ground truth energy cost across all subjects and activities tested, with less variability and better temporal resolution than breath measurements. The sensors used in this study were fully portable, and such algorithms could be used to estimate energy cost of users in the real world. This could greatly improve the design, control, and evaluation of lower-limb assistive robotic devices.
Environmental Engineering of Pd Nanoparticle Catalysts for Catalytic Hydrogenation of CO2 and Bicarbonate

The extraordinary catalytic properties of enzymes are derived not only from their catalytic groups but also the unique properties of the active site. Tuning the microenvironment of synthetic catalysts is expected to enhance their performance if effective strategies can be developed. Interfacially cross-linked reverse micelles were prepared from three different cross-linkable surfactants. Pd nanoparticles were deposited in the core of the micelle for the catalytic hydrogenation of bicarbonate and CO2. The catalytic performance was found to depend heavily on the nature of the headgroup of the surfactant. Quaternary ammonium-based surfactants through ion exchange could bring bicarbonate to the catalytic center, whereas tertiary amine-based surfactants worked particularly well in CO2 hydrogenation, with turnover numbers an order of magnitude higher than that of commercially available Pd/C. The amines were proposed to bring CO2 to the proximity of the catalysts through reversible formation of carbamate, in the...
Marijuana Use and Organ Transplantation: a Review and Implications for Clinical Practice.

Physicians of all disciplines must rapidly adjust their clinical practices following the expansion of marijuana legalization across the country. Organ transplantation teams are uniquely struggling in this gray zone with eight states having passed laws explicitly banning the denial of transplant listing based on a patient’s use of medical marijuana. In this review, we examine the clinical evidence of marijuana use in transplant patients to enable psychiatric providers to meaningfully contribute to the relevant medical and psychiatric aspects of this issue in a unique patient population. There is no consensus among experts regarding marijuana use in transplantation patients. There are extant case reports of post-transplant complications attributed to marijuana use including membranous glomerulonephritis, ventricular tachycardia, and tacrolimus toxicity. However, recent studies suggest that the overall survival rates in kidney, liver, lung, and heart transplant patients using marijuana are equivalent to non-users. Transplant teams should not de facto exclude marijuana users from transplant listing but instead holistically evaluate a patient’s candidacy, integrating meaningful medical, psychiatric, and social variables into the complex decision-making process. Psychiatric providers can play a key role in this process. Appropriate stewardship over donor organs, a limited and precious resource, will require a balance of high-clinical standards with inclusive efforts to treat as many patients as possible.
An adaptive method for solving stochastic equations based on interpolants over Voronoi cells

Abstract An adaptive collocation-based surrogate model is developed for the solution of equations with random coefficients, referred to as stochastic equations. The surrogate model is defined on a Voronoi tessellation of the samples of the random parameters with centers chosen to be statistically representative of these samples. We investigate various interpolants over Voronoi cells in order to formulate surrogates and analyze their convergence properties. Unlike Monte Carlo solutions, relatively small numbers of deterministic calculations are needed to implement surrogate models. These models can be used to generate large sets of solution samples with a minimum computational effort. In this work, we propose a framework for an adaptive construction of the surrogate such that by refining the Voronoi cells, the mapping between the random parameters and the solution is incorporated. A rigorous refinement measure which is quantitatively indicative of the performance of the surrogate is used to drive adaptivity. We present numerical examples that compare this surrogate with other collocation-based surrogates and demonstrate the theoretical aspects of the adaptive method.
Somatostatin and parvalbumin inhibitory synapses onto hippocampal pyramidal neurons are regulated by distinct mechanisms

Excitation-inhibition balance is critical for optimal brain function, yet the mechanisms underlying the tuning of inhibition from different populations of inhibitory neurons are unclear. Here, we found evidence for two distinct pathways through which excitatory neurons cell-autonomously modulate inhibitory synapses. Synapses from parvalbumin-expressing interneurons onto hippocampal pyramidal neurons are regulated by neuronal firing, signaling through L-type calcium channels. Synapses from somatostatin-expressing interneurons are regulated by NMDA receptors, signaling through R-type calcium channels. Thus, excitatory neurons can cell-autonomously regulate their inhibition onto different subcellular compartments through their input (glutamatergic signaling) and their output (firing). Separately, while somatostatin and parvalbumin synapses onto excitatory neurons are both dependent on a common set of postsynaptic proteins, including gephyrin, collybistin, and neuroligin-2, decreasing neuroligin-3 expression selectively decreases inhibition from somatostatin interneurons, and overexpression of neuroligin-3 selectively enhances somatostatin inhibition. These results provide evidence that excitatory neurons can selectively regulate two distinct sets of inhibitory synapses.
Lynch Syndrome: Genomics Update and Imaging Review.

Lynch syndrome is a long-recognized hereditary cancer syndrome associated with a high risk of colorectal cancer and, to a lesser extent, endometrial, ovarian, stomach, urinary tract, and small-bowel cancers
Regulations Expressed As Logical Models (REALM)

Recent years have seen a number of high-profile incidents of corporate accounting fraud, security violations, terrorist acts, and disruptions of major financial markets. This has led to a proliferation of new regulations that directly impact businesses. As a result, businesses, in particular publicly traded companies, face the daunting task of complying with an increasing number of intricate and constantly evolving regulations. Together with the growing complexity of today's enterprises this requires a holistic compliance management approach with the goal of continually increasing automation. We introduce REALM (Regulations Expressed as Logical Models), a metamodel and method for modeling regulations and managing them in a systematic lifecycle in an enterprise. We formalize regulatory requirements as sets of compliance rules in a novel real-time temporal object logic over concept models in UML, together with metadata for traceability. REALM provides the basis for subsequent model transformations, deployment, and continuous monitoring and enforcement of compliance in real business processes and IT systems.
Personality types among experienced military pilots.

Three distinct personality subtypes were empirically identified in a sample of 170 experienced U.S. Army pilots, using a new measure of personality developed for use in occupational settings. The subtypes are similar to those previously derived in a sample of military aviation trainees. No significant differences across the clusters were found for the types of missions flown, years of aviation or military service, or number of flight hours. A significantly greater number of instructor pilots was found among a cluster which comprised the smallest percentage of pilots in the sample. Overall, the results support the notion that no one type of personality is a prerequisite for success in military aeronautics, and highlight the need for additional studies of personality type in military and commercial aviation, using more sophisticated measures of aeronautical adaptability.
The Study of Inorganic Ions

The majority of tunneling studies to date have focused on the adsorption of organic alcohols, acids, and amines on alumina and, less frequently, magnesia. This preoccupation with reactive organics is probably due to (a) the existence of a large body of ir, ESR, and chemical information concerning the adsorption of these materials on bulk oxides; (b) the desire of the experimenter to control the cleanliness of the surface by using vapor phase adsorption within the confines of the vacuum system whenever possible; (c) the high C-C and C-H bond energies of most of the systems studied preclude “backbone” reactions of the adsorbates and limit chemical modifications on adsorption to changes associated with the reactive group (OH, CO2H, NH2). This last factor, coupled with the rather large heats of formation of metal-oxygen and metal-amine bonds, limits the breadth of chemical and physical changes which can occur in adsorption and with deposition of the top metal electrode. For example, one does not usually observe a large (≥1%) change in C-C or C-H motions of adsorbed organics once the image-dipole correction has been made. The chemical specificity of reaction evidenced by these organic systems tends, therefore, to provide a somewhat simplistic picture of the processes which occur in the production of doped tunnel junction.
Urban Housing: A Strategic Role for the States

The author argues that states have both the capacity and the opportunity to play a leading role in revitalizing national housing policy. At a time when federal housing programs were declining, state administered housing programs came to the forefront. Detailing the growth of state administered housing policies, the article notes that creative, diverse, flexible, and community planned affordable housing programs being funded by states. States also have opportunities for leadership in housing through coordinated application of state zoning powers in conjunction with state administration of federal housing programs. In conclusion, the article recommends gradually phasing out centralized federal housing in favor of state coordinated programs. Such a goal could be achieved through a national housing policy in which the states would become the centerpiece of a coordinated, multilayered strategy for providing well designed and well managed, neighborhood based, affordable housing.
Comment on “Ichnological analysis of contourites: Past, present and future” by Francisco J. Rodríguez-Tovar and F. Javier Hernández-Molina [Earth-Science Reviews, 182 (2018), 28–41]

Abstract By their impressive paper title “Ichnological analysis of contourites: Past, present and future”, Rodriguez-Tovar and Hernandez-Molina (2018) have implied that the paper is about a comprehensive review of the topic in space (i.e., global) and time (i.e., past, present, and future). But in reality, the paper has covered only three case studies in Europe. In the real world, bioturbation and burrows are not unique to contourites; they are equally abundant in turbidites, hyperpycnites, tempestites, and even in deformed seismites. Therefore, the immediate challenge is in distinguishing contourite facies from other facies (e.g. hyperpycnites with intense bioturbation). Disappointingly, the review has neglected to address this fundamental issue. Without resolving the basic issue of distinguishing contourites, any ichnological analysis of “contourites” is purely academic and has no relevance in advancing contourite research.
Dose uncertainty from calculation grid resolution and its alignment with MLC

Abstract The aims are (1) to present a clinical brain case where the dose distribution calculated at 2.5-mm grid resolution was significantly different from that of 1.0 mm with Varian HD120 multileaf collimator (MLC; 2.5-mm central leaf width), and (2) to present our analysis results to better understand the influence of dose calculation grid resolution and its spatial alignment with MLC. A simulation using a static MLC pattern with 10 open strips was conducted to demonstrate the possibility that the characteristics of MLC dose profiles can be completely hidden. The effects of the spatial MLC alignment with the dose grid were investigated for grid resolutions from 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm. In the end, 20 recent stereotactic radiotherapy plans (5 brain, 5 lung, 5 spine, and 5 other) were retrospectively selected, and their dose distributions were recalculated at 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.5 mm resolutions for comparisons. Film dosimetry results were used as references. At 2.5-mm grid resolution, the MLC open-strip patterns were not visible in the dose distribution when the MLC leaf interspaces were at exact alignment with the dose grid. The effects were smaller at 1.0-mm grid resolution. The dose error at the centers of the open strips varied significantly (7% to 39%) depending on the alignments. Overall, the planning target volume mean dose of 1.5-mm plans was higher than 1.0-mm plans by 1.3 ± 0.3% (mean ± 1SD) with a maximum of 2.6%, while the mean dose of 2.5-mm plans was lower by −0.5 ± 0.5% with a maximum mean dose of −3.7%. In conclusion, the choice of dose calculation grid resolution can affect the plan dose distribution significantly. The dose grid resolution must be smaller than the width of MLC leaf at a minimum. A finder resolution is expected to produce less uncertainty in the calculated dose and influenced less by the MLC-grid spatial alignment.
Robotic Assisted Radical Nephroureterectomy with Bladder Cuff Excision and Regional Lymphadenectomy

Radical nephroureterectomy is a challenging operation as it combines both an extirpative and reconstructive procedure in both the upper and lower urinary tracts. In the past, most surgeons elected to do this procedure either entirely open or with a large open incision to peform the bladder cuff excision and reconstruction. In this chapter, we aim to describe our technique for completely robotic assisted nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision and regional lymphadenectomy with tips and tricks to help surgeons perform this procedure easily and efficiently.
Intersection of Sexual Violence against Women and Sectarian Agendas in India

ABSTRACT Using on-line newspaper reports, this paper examines how the narratives and counter narratives of the highly publicised gang rape of Pandey in 2012 reproduce rape myths. Using thematic analysis techniques, this research examines how gang rape is used in sectarian agendas in India. It demonstrates that the responses of government, the main opposition political party, and prominent leaders of Hindu nationalist forces to rape cannot be separated from the intersection of gender, misogynist culture and politics. Findings indicated that violated women’s bodies became a space for political debates between a conservative, opposition political party’s claims about Indian traditions and the government of India. These findings have important implications if we want to challenge rape myths that obscure the need for social and political transformation to stop rape. The highly publicised rape of Pandey marked a turning point for the anti-rape movement in India.
SMOTE Implementation on Phishing Data to Enhance Cybersecurity

Phishing is a form of cybersecurity threat where the criminal tries to gain access to users personal information by infecting their system using malware and viruses. Appearing to come from legitimate sources, it is very easy to fall in the phishing scam. As each phishing data contains features that are consistently different from another, using a predefined set of rules makes a system useless. Data mining techniques can be applied to collected network traffic and build models to predict future attacks. However, since most of the data packets are legitimate, the model tends to produce a bias towards positive results in this imbalanced dataset. In this study, we investigate how prediction accuracy varies in a balanced dataset against an imbalanced one. SMOTE is applied to balance the dataset. XGBoost, Random Forest and Support Vector Machines have been applied on the phishing dataset. Results show much higher accuracy rates with SMOTE application. The highest jump in accuracy has been recorded in XGBoost from 89.87% to 97.17% showing that SMOTE is an effective tool in phishing data monitoring.
New Treatments for Female Sexual Dysfunction: Are they Safe and Effective for Older Post-Menopausal Women?

Purpose of Review Several new modalities for treatment of female sexual function problems have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This review summarizes current evidence about recently approved medications to inform treatment of sexual function problems in women older than 65 years.
Direct Anti-Markovnikov Addition of Water to Olefin To Synthesize Primary Alcohols: A Theoretical Study

Anti-Markovnikov addition of water to olefins has been a long-standing goal in catalysis. The [Rh(COD)(DPEphos)]+ complex was found as a general and regioselective group 9 catalyst for intermolecular hydroamination of alkenes. The reaction mechanism was adapted for intermolecular hydration of alkenes catalyzed by a [Rh(DPEphos)]+ catalyst and studied by DFT calculations. Olefin hydration pathways were analyzed for anti-Markovnikov and Markovnikov regioselectivity. On the basis of the DFT results, the operating mechanism can be summarized as follows: styrene activation through nucleophilic attack by OHδ- of water to alkene with simultaneous Hδ+ transfer to the Rh; this is then followed by formation of primary alcohol via reductive elimination. The competitive formation of phenylethane was studied via a β-elimination pathway followed by hydrogenation. The origin of the regioselectivity (Markovnikov vs anti-Markovnikov) was analyzed by means of studying the molecular orbitals, plus natural atomic charges, and shown to be primarily orbital-driven rather than charge-driven.
Analyzing Evolving Trends of Vulnerabilities in National Vulnerability Database

As the world approaches a state of greater dependence on technology, many products face increasing threats from malicious attackers who are attempting to take advantage of vulnerabilities in software design. Most of the known vulnerabilities are already aggregated, stored in text format, and are readily accessible to the public, making such an aggregated database a prime corpus for analysis using data mining methods. A multitude of research efforts have been deployed analyzing individual aspects of such cyber-security corpora to create taxonomies, assess vulnerability impact, and even predict future vulnerabilities. However, minimal effort has been committed to analyze cyber-security corpora to explore correlations between vulnerabilities and study the evolution of a vulnerability from its genesis. In this paper, we propose an integrated data mining framework to automatically lay out how vulnerabilities develop over time and detect the evolution of a specific cyber-security threat. We use (1) a Supervised Topical Evolution Model (STEM), which discovers temporal themes from a text corpus and (2) a diffusion-based storytelling technique that sifts through past vulnerability reports to describe how a current threat evolved. The STEM gives a holistic evolution structure of the vulnerabilities, while diffusion-based storytelling provides the precise genealogy of a specific threat. A considerable series of experiments demonstrate that the proposed framework can discover evolutionary patterns in today’s most pressing vulnerabilities with a high degree of precision. As case studies, we explore the development of vulnerabilities in certain products, providing a unique insight into the correspondence between seemingly unrelated vulnerabilities and the impact of that correspondence on overall software security.
Generation of aerosol-particle light-scattering patterns from digital holograms.

The similarity between the light-scattering pattern of a particle in the near-forward direction and diffraction from the particle’s silhouette is investigated. Images of irregularly shaped free-flowing aerosol particles are obtained from digital hologram measurements, which are then binarized to yield a silhouette. Application of Huygens’s principle to the silhouette generates an approximate scattering pattern, which when compared to the true measured pattern shows good agreement for particles much larger than the wavelength of light.
Mexico City as an Urban Laboratory: Oscar Lewis, the “Culture of Poverty” and the Transnational History of the Slum:

This paper examines U.S. anthropologist Oscar Lewis’s research in Mexico City in the 1950s to reflect on how urban poverty has been construed in the United States and Latin America in the twentieth...
Review: Engineering the Eternal City: Infrastructure, Topography, and the Culture of Knowledge in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome, by Pamela O. Long

Pamela O. Long Engineering the Eternal City: Infrastructure, Topography, and the Culture of Knowledge in Late Sixteenth-Century Rome Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018, 368 pp., 73 b/w illus. $135 (cloth), ISBN 9780226543796; $45 (paper), ISBN 9780226591285 Giacomo Della Porta (1532–1602) was a northern Italian sculptor and stucco worker by training who moved to Rome in the late 1550s. He remade himself in the years that followed as an architect and surveyor, receiving several notable commissions, especially for civic building projects. He eventually became a leading architect and overseer of one of the era's most complicated hydraulic engineering works, the restoration of Rome's Acqua Vergine, the last ancient Roman aqueduct that still partially functioned in the sixteenth century. Stefano Duperac (ca. 1525–1604) was a Parisian painter and engraver who lived and worked in Rome in the 1560s–70s. During his successful career there as an artist, Duperac, like Della Porta, became fascinated with the study of Roman antiquities. He cultivated friendships with prominent antiquarians, ultimately becoming one himself. He also applied his extensive knowledge and experience to the study of cartography, which led to his producing innovative antiquarian maps of the city; after he returned to Paris, he continued to practice as a painter, architect, and garden designer. Domenico Fontana (1543–1607) was a stonemason and stucco worker who arrived in Rome in 1563 to join family members in a large architectural workshop. He eventually headed the family business and received building commissions from prominent church officials. As papal architect to Pope Sixtus V, he planned and coordinated the tricky project to move the Vatican obelisk to its present location in Saint Peter's Square and then published a definitive (if self-serving) treatise on the subject. These are just a few examples from the ambitious and protean cast of characters populating Pamela O. Long's Engineering the Eternal City . The story Long tells is firmly rooted in time and place: this is a book about later sixteenth-century Rome, concentrating on the roughly three …
Recognizing Experts on Social Media: A Heuristics-Based Approach

Knowing who is an expert on social media is a challenging yet important task, especially in a world where misleading information is commonplace and where social media is an important information source for knowledge seekers. In this paper we investigate expertise heuristics by comparing features of experts versus non-experts in big data settings. We employ a large set of features to classify experts and non-experts using data collected on two social media platform (Twitter and reddit). Our results show a good ability to predict who is an expert, especially using language-based features, validating that heuristics can be developed to differentiate experts from novices organically, based on social media use. Our results contribute to the development of expertise location and identification systems as well as our understanding on how experts present themselves on social media.
Molecular evolution of genes encoding allergen proteins in the peanuts genus Arachis: Structural and functional implications.

Food allergies are severe immune responses to plant and animal products mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE). Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) are among the top 15 crops that feed the world. However, peanuts is among the “big eight food allergens”, and allergies induced by peanuts are a significant public health problem and a life-threatening concern. Targeted mutation studies in peanuts demonstrate that single residue alterations in these allergen proteins could result in substantial reduction in allergenicity. Knowledge of peanut allergen proteins is confined to the allotetraploid crop and its two progenitors. We explored frequencies and positions of natural mutations in the hyperallergenic homologues Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 in newly generated sequences for 24 Arachis wild species and the crop species, assessed potential mutational impact on allergenicity using immunoblots and structural modeling, and evaluated whether these mutations follow evolutionary trends. We uncovered a wealth of natural mutations, both substitutions and gaps, including the elimination of immunodominant epitopes in some species. These molecular alterations appear to be associated with substantial reductions in allergenicity. The study demonstrated that Ara h 2 and Ara h 6 follow contrasting modes of natural selection and opposing mutational patterns, particularly in epitope regions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a progressive trend towards immunodominant epitope evolution in Ara h 2. The findings provide valuable insight into the interactions among mutations, protein structure and immune system response, thus presenting a valuable platform for future manipulation of allergens to minimize, treat or eliminate allergenicity. The study strongly encourages exploration of genepools of economically important plants in allergenicity research.
Who is Winning the War on Drugs? A Case in Marketing and Demarketing

The production and use of illicit drugs are age-old activities. At different times societies have been more or less tolerant of these activities according to prevailing laws and attitudes. More recently and for several decades the government of the United States has engaged in a “war on drugs.” Part of this war involves the employment of anti-drug advertising to discourage drug use, an activity in which the government has enlisted allies such as advertising agencies to assist in combating drug use. This case contrasts these demarketing efforts with the highly successful use of basic marketing tactics by a group of Mexican drug dealers. The case is appropriate for in-class discussions or the preparation of a short report in undergraduate courses such as marketing management, consumer behavior, and promotional strategy.
Incorporation of a mock drug information telephone call exercise in a health-systems pharmacy laboratory

Abstract Background and purpose Hospital pharmacists routinely receive and answer drug information questions via telephone while performing order verification. This report describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a mock learning experience for student performance of these tasks in a health-systems pharmacy laboratory course. Educational activity and setting An active learning skills-based exercise involving students receiving and answering a standardized drug information question via telephone during an order verification activity, referred to as a cold-call exercise, was developed and implemented. Data collected included student grades on a baseline assessment, the cold call exercise, order verification exercises, and student perceptions from a voluntary post-exercise survey. Student performance on the cold-call exercise was further evaluated via individual sections of the cold-call rubric. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis of student opinion and an estimate of faculty time were also executed. Findings Student grades on the cold call and order verification exercises were 86.14% and 88.8%, respectively. Students often failed to ask category-specific questions because they did not categorize the ultimate question appropriately. Students found the activity organized and applicable. Time dedicated to creation was extensive, but execution and grading were reasonable. Summary Students performed well on the drug information exercise as well as the order verification component. Students and faculty enjoyed the experience, and students found the exercise relevant and challenging. This exercise could be implemented into any pharmacy curriculum in order to prepare students using authentic learning experiences.
Enzymatically crosslinked silk and silk-gelatin hydrogels with tunable gelation kinetics, mechanical properties and bioactivity for cell culture and encapsulation

Silk fibroin (SF) was enzymatically crosslinked with tyramine-substituted silk fibroin (SF-TA) or gelatin (G-TA) to fabricate hybrid hydrogels with tunable gelation kinetics, mechanical properties and bioactivity. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) mediated crosslinking of SF in physiological buffers results in slow gelation and limited mechanical properties. Moreover, SF lacks cell attachment sequences, leading to poor cell-material interactions. These shortcomings can limit the uses of enzymatically crosslinked silk hydrogels in injectable tissue fillings, 3D bioprinting or cell microencapsulation, where rapid gelation and high bioactivity are desired. Here SF/SF-TA and SF/G-TA composite hydrogels were characterized for hydrogel properties and the influence of conjugated cyclic arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptide or G-TA content on bioactivity was explored. Both SF-TA and G-TA significantly increased gelation kinetics, improved mechanical properties and delayed enzymatic degradation in a concentration-dependent manner. β-Sheet formation and hydrogel stiffening were accelerated by SF-TA content but delayed by G-TA. Both cyclic RGD and G-TA significantly improved morphology and metabolic activity of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured on or encapsulated in composite hydrogels. The hydrogel formulations introduced in this study provide improved control of gel formation and properties, along with biocompatible systems that can be utilized in tissue engineering and cell delivery applications.
Achieving Independent Control over Surface and Bulk Fluid Flows in Microchambers

To fully realize the potential of microfluidic platforms as useful diagnostic tools, the devices must be sufficiently portable that they function at the point-of-care, as well as remote and resource-poor locations. Using both modeling and experiments, here we develop a standalone fluidic device that is driven by light and operates without the need for external electrical or mechanical pumps. The light initiates a photochemical reaction in the solution; the release of chemical energy from the reaction is transduced into the spontaneous motion of the surrounding fluid. The generated flow is driven by two simultaneously occurring mechanisms: solutal buoyancy that controls the motion of the bulk fluid and diffusioosmosis that regulates motion near the bottom of the chamber. Consequently, the bulk and surface fluid flows can be directed independently of one another. We demonstrate that this exceptional degree of spatiotemporal control provides a new method for autonomously transporting different-sized particles in opposite directions within the chamber. Thus, one device can be used to both separate the particles and drive them to different locations for further processing or analysis. This property is particularly useful for analyzing fluids that contain multiple contaminants or disease agents. Because this system relies on intrinsic hydrodynamic interactions initiated by a portable, small-scale source of light, the device provides the desired level of mobility vital for the next generation of functional fluidic platforms.
0041 Coping and wellbeing for emergency department workers who experience workplace violence

Statement of purpose The impact of workplace violence (WPV) to emergency department (ED) workers’ psychological wellbeing and coping is not known. Our study purpose was to describe coping and wellbeing of ED workers who have experienced WPV. The theoretical framework guiding our research was Neuman’s Systems Model, specifically the constructs of basic human structure (wellbeing), lines of resistance (coping), and stressors (WPV). Methods/Approach We used a cross-sectional survey design with ED workers from six Midwestern EDs. A convenience sample completed the Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) and Freidman Wellbeing Scale (FWBS). Survey domains were coded using instrument guidebooks including reverse coding to generate overall survey scores. Sample scores were compared to national normative scores (CRI female: 176.96, CRI male: 1701.6, FWBS: 63.34) using two-tailed t-tests. Results The majority of the 208 respondents were registered nurses (58.3%), full-time employees (79.1%), female (74.5%), and White (89.9%). Their mean years of experience was 12 years and age was 37 years. The sample’s CRI score was 123.05. After comparing sample scores to their national normative sex-based scores, the sample’s mean difference of 52.17 was significantly lower than the national normative score, t(207)=34.011, p Conclusion Although use of coping skills after experiencing WPV was significantly lower than the general population, participants’ overall wellbeing remained high. These findings can be explained by Neuman’s System Model where wellbeing is part of the basic human structure, which develops across the lifespan and would remain intact following intermittent WPV incidents. Significance Our findings represent ED workers’ need to learn effective coping skills prior to and after exposures to WPV in order to maintain wellbeing. Stress inoculation training can aid EDs in developing workers’ skills.
Abstract 1087: CXCR2 and its ligands modulate chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has one of the lowest survival rates of cancers, with a five-year relative survival of 9%. The significant factor contributing to low survivorship is the intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy. In the present study, we elucidate a targetable pathway that facilitates resistance in these cells. One inflammatory pathway used in cancer progression is CXCR2, which binds chemokines CXCL 1-3 and 5-8. Our group and others have shown an association of CXCR2 with tumor progression, angiogenesis and metastasis in PDAC, and chemotherapy resistance in other cancers. In this study, we test the hypothesis that CXCR2 is integral in PDAC chemotherapy resistance. We generated gemcitabine resistant cell lines (GemR) from the parent cell lines of T3M4 (WT KRAS) and CD18/HPAF (Mutant KRAS) with 40- and 67-fold higher resistance in comparison to the parent cell lines, respectively. Using qRT-PCR and ELISA, we profiled chemokines9 expression, CXCL1, 5, and 8, on parent- and GemR-cell lines. We observed a higher basal level expression of CXCL1, 5, and 8 ligands in GemR cells than the parent cell lines. Further treatment with gemcitabine, the parent cell lines had a higher increase in CXCL1 and 8 ligand expression in comparison with GemR cell lines. With further investigation of T3M4, we found a dose-dependent and time-dependent increase for CXCL1 and CXCL8. CXCL5 had a constant high expression with all doses of gemcitabine. With our initial observations of gemcitabine treatment enhancing CXCR2 ligands in PDAC cells, we evaluated the effects of the small molecule CXCR2 antagonist SCH 479833 (SCH 47) in combination with gemcitabine treatment on the parent and GemR cell lines. We used the relative IC50 and half the relative IC50 for both the gemcitabine and SCH 47 treatment doses. We observed that a lower concentration of gemcitabine in the presence of the SCH 47 was more effective than the higher concentration of gemcitabine without SCH 47 for the GemR-cell lines. Together, our observations show chemotherapy-resistant PDAC cell lines express higher CXCR2 ligand levels at baseline, with parent cell lines increasing expression with chemotherapy treatment. We also show an advantageous combination treatment of CXCR2 antagonist with lower gemcitabine concentration. Overall, these results show a promising future for CXCR2 antagonism in the treatment of resistant PDAC tumors. Citation Format: Caitlin Molczyk, Dipakkumar R. Prajapati, Sugandha Saxena, Paran Goel, Michelle Varney, Rakesh K. Singh. CXCR2 and its ligands modulate chemotherapy resistance in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1087.
Estimation of a Time-Varying Parameter from Long Range Dependent Data

We consider a time series regression with a time-varying parameter and long-range dependent data. No restriction is placed on the behavior of the time-varying parameter, allowing for both smooth changes and abrupt breaks.The time-varying parameter is estimated by a nonlinear orthogonal series estimator which is shown to have mini max estimation error and no spurious jumps in the large sample limit.
Property/Morphology Relationships in Glasses

Many properties of glasses are sensitive to the morphology of the particular samples studied1–4. These properties can he subdivided into three classes: those which are only slightly sensitive to the presence of phase separation and insensitive to the details of the microstructure (density, refractive index, thermal expansion coefficient), those which are very sensitive to the presence of phase separation, but are relatively insensitive to the details of the microstructure (light scattering, glass transformation temperature), and those which are sensitive indicators of both the presence and the details of the microstructure (dilatometric softening temperature, viscosity, chemical durability, diffusion, and electrical conductivity). Shelby3 has recently shown that the proper choice of property measurements will allow the determination of both the phase separation boundaries and the limits of interconnectivity of each phase for a binary glassforming system such as PbO-B2O3. This paper will review the technique described by Shelby3 and present results of the application of this method for determining morphology for other glassforming systems.
University of Washington Department of Biostatistics

The Departments of Biostatistics and Statistics at the University of Washington both had their origins in the interdisciplinary Biomathematics Group established during the early 1960s. During his tenure as Biostatistics Chair (1973–1983), Donovan Thompson developed the department into a major national resource, recruiting many of its current senior faculty and establishing important relationships with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Group Health Cooperative. The curriculum combines rigorous training in statistical theory with applications to biomedicine and public health. The department faculty have played a major role in the development of statistical methods in epidemiology, clinical trials, and genomics. The department graduates are highly valued and many have achieved leadership positions as heads of academic departments and government research units or as founders of corporations. Recent recruitment of outstanding junior faculty bodes well for maintenance of the department's national prominence as Biostatistics focuses increasingly on high-dimensional data produced by the genomics revolution.