cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of cover crop presence, cover crop species selection and fungicide seed treatment on corn seedling growth

Cover crops can offer erosion protection as well as soil and environmental quality benefits. Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) is the most commonly used winter cover crop in corn–soybean rotations in the upper Midwest of the USA because of its superior winter hardiness and growth at cool temperatures. Cereal rye cover crops, however, can occasionally have negative impacts on the yield of a following corn crop, which discourages broader adoption and introduces substantial risk for corn farmers employing cover crops. We hypothesized that because cereal rye shares some pathogens with corn, it may be causing increased disease in corn seedlings planted soon after cereal rye termination. To test this, we performed a series of experiments in a controlled environment chamber to assess the response of corn seedlings with and without a commercial fungicide seed treatment to the presence of cereal rye or other species of cover crops that were terminated with herbicide prior to corn planting. Our results indicate that under cool and wet conditions, cereal rye reduces corn seedling growth performance and increases incidence of corn seedling root disease. Fungicide seed treatment had limited efficacy in preventing these effects, perhaps because environmental conditions were set to be very conducive for disease development. However, hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and winter canola (Brassica napus L.) cover crops had fewer negative impacts on corn seedlings compared with cereal rye. Thus, to expand the practice of cover cropping before corn, it should become a research priority to develop alternative management practices to reduce the risk of corn seedling root infection following cereal rye cover crops. Over the longer term, testing, selection and breeding efforts should identify potential cover crop species or genotypes that are able to match the winter hardiness, growth at cool temperatures and the conservation and environmental quality benefits of cereal rye, while avoiding the potential for negative impacts on corn seedlings when environmental conditions are suitable for disease development.
Scribe: deep integration of human and machine intelligence to caption speech in real time

Quickly converting speech to text allows deaf and hard of hearing people to interactively follow along with live speech. Doing so reliably requires a combination of perception, understanding, and speed that neither humans nor machines possess alone. In this article, we discuss how our Scribe system combines human labor and machine intelligence in real time to reliably convert speech to text with less than 4s latency. To achieve this speed while maintaining high accuracy, Scribe integrates automated assistance in two ways. First, its user interface directs workers to different portions of the audio stream, slows down the portion they are asked to type, and adaptively determines segment length based on typing speed. Second, it automatically merges the partial input of multiple workers into a single transcript using a custom version of multiple-sequence alignment. Scribe illustrates the broad potential for deeply interleaving human labor and machine intelligence to provide intelligent interactive services that neither can currently achieve alone.
Post-Stent Evaluation, Stent Thrombosis, and In-Stent Restenosis

Optimization of stent deployment during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) is one of the most important factors in achieving favorable immediate and long-term outcomes. In addition to stent underexpansion, OCT can detect several features of suboptimal stent deployment including edge dissection, malapposition, intrastent plaque protrusion, and reference lumen area narrowing. Stent thrombosis (ST) is an infrequent but highly morbid complication of PCI with mortality rates of 10–20 % during the first year. OCT represents a unique tool for ST diagnosis and evaluation; it can help understand whether a procedure-related mechanism is involved in ST and select the most appropriate treatment strategy. Although introduction of DES dramatically reduced the occurrence of aggressive neointimal proliferation, treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) after stent implantation remains a major clinical problem. Intrastent plaque morphology assessment with OCT imaging can positively impact outcomes by optimizing PCI in complex lesions.
Minimization of fermentation inhibitor generation by carbon dioxide-water based pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis of guayule biomass

Abstract Guayule rubber production leaves >80% biomass as ground bagasse, which can be hydrolyzed to release sugars but also fermentation inhibitors. Here inhibitor generation and sugar conversion by the CO2-H2O pretreatment and enzyme hydrolysis were studied. Different pretreatment conditions: 550–4900 psi, 160–195 °C, 10–60 min and fixed 66.7% water, generated widely varying amounts of inhibitors (per dry-bagasse mass): 0.014–0.252% hydroxymethylfurfural, 0.012–0.794% furfural and 0.17–8.02% acetic acid. The condition (195 °C/3400 psi/30 min) giving highest reducing sugar (86.9 ± 1.5%) and cellulose (99.2 ± 1.3%) conversions generated more inhibitors. Kluyveromyces marxianus fermentation showed complete growth and ethanol production inhibition at ≥14 g/L combined inhibitors. Considering both sugars and inhibitors, the optimum condition was 180 °C, 1800 psi and 30 min, enabling 82.8 ± 2.8% reducing sugar, 74.8 ± 4.8% cellulose and 88.5 ± 6.9% hemicellulose conversions with low levels of hydroxymethylfurfural (0.07%), furfural (0.25%) and acetic acid (3.0%). The optimized CO2-H2O pretreatment gave much lower inhibitor formation and higher sugar conversion than other pretreatment methods.
C-Reactive Protein Impairs Dendritic Cell Development, Maturation, and Function: Implications for Peripheral Tolerance.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the prototypical acute phase reactant, increasing in blood concentration rapidly and several-fold in response to inflammation. Recent evidence indicates that CRP has an important physiological role even at low, baseline levels or in the absence of overt inflammation. For example, we have shown that human CRP inhibits the progression of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in CRP transgenic mice by shifting CD4+ T cells away from the TH1 and towards the TH2 subset. Notably, this action required the inhibitory Fcγ receptor IIB (FcγRIIB) but did not require high levels of human CRP. Herein we sought to determine if CRP’s influence in EAE might be explained by CRP acting on dendritic cells (DC; antigen presenting cells known to express FcγRIIB). We found that CRP (50 µg/ml) reduced the yield of CD11c+ bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDC) and CRP (≥5 µg/ml) prevented their full expression of major histocompatibility complex class II and the co-stimulatory molecules CD86 and CD40. CRP also decreased the ability of BMDCs to stimulate antigen-driven proliferation of T cells in vitro. Importantly, if the BMDCs were genetically deficient in mouse FcγRIIB then (i) the ability of CRP to alter BMDC surface phenotype and impair T cell proliferation was ablated and (ii) CD11c-driven expression of a human FCGR2B transgene rescued the CRP effect. Lastly, the protective influence of CRP in EAE was fully restored in mice with CD11c-driven human FcγRIIB expression. These findings add to the growing evidence that CRP has important biological effects even in the absence of an acute phase response, i.e. CRP acts as a tonic suppressor of the adaptive immune system. The ability of CRP to suppress development, maturation, and function of DCs implicates CRP in the maintenance of peripheral T cell tolerance.
OuijaBots: Omnidirectional Robots for Cooperative Object Transport with Rotation Control Using No Communication

We propose a distributed force and torque controller for a group of robots to collectively transport objects with both translation and rotation control. No explicit communication among robots is required. This work goes beyond previous works by including rotation control and experimental demonstrations on a custom built robot platform. We prove that follower robots can synchronize both their forces and torques to a leader (either a robot or human) that guides the group, and thus contribute positively to the transport. We introduce a custom-designed omnidirectional robot platform, called the OuijaBot, with sensing and actuation capabilities for cooperative manipulation. Our approach is verified by experiments with four OuijaBots successfully transporting and rotating a payload through a narrow corridor.
Qualitative Methods: Tools for Understanding and Engaging Communities

Understanding community needs and establishing research priorities must occur through respectful and effective collaborations between communities, local organizations, and researchers. Qualitative inquiry can serve as a bridge between researchers and communities, allowing for group goal identification and priority setting. Qualitative techniques can transform the traditional participant-researcher relationship into a rich partnership steered by empowered representatives of a community. These approaches can also inform program planning through formative process evaluation and ongoing community engagement. Additionally, qualitative methods serve as a foundation for Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) or Action Research. Qualitative data collection methods vary widely but frequently involve interviews, observations, or focus groups. Less common, but more interactive and creative approaches, such as intercept interviews, freelisting, walking interviews, photo elicitation interviews, photovoice, and nominal group technique can enhance a researcher’s ability to collaborate with a community and create lasting and effective partnerships. Each approach presents unique implementation, recruitment, and ethical challenges, all of which will be discussed in this chapter. Since the advent of the internet, communities are no longer necessarily defined by geographically proximate group members, so this chapter will briefly discuss in-person, telephone, and online approaches to community identification, partnership building, and data collection. This chapter will also discuss the researcher’s responsibility to the community in all phases of the research process. We will address data collection, organization, and analysis, including effective ways to work with community members to plan a dissemination strategy. Such strategies may include traditional reports, presentations, exhibits, or websites. Timely reporting of research findings back to the community and the role and value of traditional academic dissemination approaches will also be addressed.
When to abandon the search for an elusive gastrointestinal bleeding source.

Background and study aims In some patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, even multiple consecutive endoscopic procedures fail to achieve lasting hemostasis. The current decision analysis was designed to answer the question of when to continue or abandon a sequence of endoscopic attempts of endoscopic hemostasis. Materials and methods A decision tree with a threshold analysis was used to model the decision between continued endoscopy or expectant management. A low threshold probability was indicative of a preferred management option. Results For continued endoscopy to be the favored decision, its probability of success in achieving hemostasis needed to exceed the success probability of expectant management by a greater amount than its costs exceeded those of expectant management. Endoscopic attempts at hemostasis should be discontinued if the costs of endoscopy are high compared with those of expectant management. The endoscopic attempt should be continued, if its probability for achieving lasting hemostasis is high. Conclusions Such principles are applicable as rule of thumb in managing patients with ongoing chronic gastrointestinal bleeding.
Identification of essential amino acid residues in Clostridiumhistolyticum collagenase using chemical modification reactions

Abstract Clostridium histolyticum collagenase has been chemically modified with a series of reagents to identify essential amino acid residues. The activity of the enzyme is not significantly altered by the seryl reagents diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, the cysteinyl reagents p-chloromercuribenzoate and iodoacetamide, or the arginyl reagents butanedione and phenylglyoxal. The enzyme is inactivated by 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide and N-ethyl-5-phenylisoxazolium-3′-sulfonate, indicating the presence of an essential carboxyl residue. Both acetylimidazole and tetranitromethane inactivate the enzyme and the acetylimidazole reaction is reversed by hydroxylamine, indicating that collagenase contains an essential tyrosyl residue. In addition, acylation of the enzyme by diethylpyrocarbonate, diketene and acetic anhydride markedly lowers activity, which cannot be restored by hydroxylamine. This indicates that collagenase contains an essential lysyl residue, a conclusion supported by the fact that trinitrobenzene sulfonate also inactivates the enzyme.
Bioarchaeological Evidence for Social and Temporal Differences in Diet at Piedras Negras, Guatemala

In this bioarchaeological study of Classic Maya subsistence, we analyzed porotic hyperostosis, dental caries, and stable isotopes on skeletal remains recovered from 118 burials at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. The abundant porotic hyperostosis and dental caries at Piedras Negras, coupled with a high mean δ13C (mean -9.2 ± 1.0‰) provide evidence for high levels of maize consumption. The isotope data show slight differences among social status groups. Chronological changes in diet are more evident. The Early Classic (A.D. 350-625) skeletons are characterized by moderate heterogeneity in isotope ratios relative to skeletons of the Yaxche phase of the Late Classic (A.D. 625-750). In Yaxche phase skeletons, a prosperous time for Piedras Negras, δ13C and δ15N are homogenous, with an emphasis on dietary maize and terrestrial fauna. In Chacalhaaz times (A.D. 750-825) isotope signatures became much more diverse, with some individuals consuming less maize and/or more freshwater fish. We attribute these changes to significant perturbations in the system of food production and distribution at Piedras Negras in the late eighth century, a process that may have been linked to the disintegration of dynastic kingship at the site and its collapse.
Slurs and Tone

Two claims that are hard to deny are that slurs can be offensive, and that not all uses of language are communicative. It’s therefore perplexing why no one has considered the possibility that slurs might be offensive not because of what they communicate but rather because of interpretive effects their uses might exact. In what follows, we intend to argue just that, namely, that confrontations with slurs can set in motion a kind of imaginative engagement that rouses objectionable psychological states. We believe this view has precedence in Frege’s account of tone.
Effect of EDTA root conditioning on the outcome of coronally advanced flap with connective tissue graft: a systematic review and meta-analysis

CAF in combination with a connective tissue graft (CTG) is considered the technique of choice for treating gingival recessions (GRs). Among the many recognized factors that can affect the outcomes, the use of chemical agents has been proposed. The effect of EDTA, as a commonly used agent, remains controversial. Therefore, the aim of this review was to assess the efficacy of EDTA root conditioning when combined to CAF + CTG. A literature search was conducted to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that performed CAF + CTG with and without EDTA for root coverage procedures. The following outcomes were assessed: recession reduction (Rec Red), complete root coverage (CRC), keratinized tissue gain (KT gain), clinical attachment level changes (CAL gain), and changes in pocket depth (PD changes). Fourteen RCTs (575 GRs) were included and analyzed. Six articles were included in the EDTA group, with 8 in the non-EDTA group. Meta-analyses revealed statistically significant differences for the outcomes of Rec Red (3.68 mm versus 3.07 mm), CAL gain (4.15 mm versus 3.07 mm), and PD changes (− 0.44 mm versus 0.27 mm) in favor of the EDTA group, while outcomes of CRC (odds ratio of 1.15) and KT gain (1.98 mm versus 1.62 mm) were not significantly different. Limited evidence is available when evaluating the effectiveness of EDTA root conditioning with CAF + CTG. However, the adjunct application of EDTA with CAF + CTG appears to be beneficial. The adjunct application of EDTA may provide benefits when performing root coverage procedure via CAF + CTG.
Does palliative sedation produce an ethical resolution to avoid the demand for euthanasia in a Muslim Country

One of the major purposes of palliative sedation is to reduce demand for euthanasia. The present paper analyzes a grievous case which demonstrates the killing of a 23-year-old son by his father due to the son's unbearable pain resulting from metastatic colorectal cancer. The article aimed to elaborate the case to figure out whether palliative sedation can be an alternative to euthanasia in a Muslim country. Nevertheless, the analysis of these two end-of-life issues revealed that the limitation of palliative sedation to an expected lifespan of less than 2 weeks as well as the Islamic view on the importance of protecting consciousness preclude reaching a conclusion that palliative sedation can be an alternative to euthanasia in this particular case. Furthermore, in such cases, the primary problem may be the lack of adequate and appropriate palliative care services, rather than the need for euthanasia or palliative sedation.
Management of Variations in Choledochal Cyst Anatomy During Laparoscopic Choledochal Cyst Excision in Children

Abstract Background: Choledochal cysts are congenital dilations of the biliary system, either intrahepatic, extrahepatic, or both. They are sometimes associated with variations in biliary anatomy. ...
Abstract WP505: Post tPA Neuro Vital Signs, a New Approach With the Help of an Old Friend, Part 2

Background: Post tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) physiological and neurological vital sign checks are an important and required part of stroke patient care. Physiological monitoring is aided by ...
Robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) versus open radical cystectomy (ORC): Oncological outcomes in 469 patients with a mean follow-up of five years.

492Background: There is scant information about intermediate and long-term comparative outcomes between RARC and ORC, with the exception of a recent, small randomized-trial. We present our experien...
The Effects of SNAP Work Requirements in Reducing Participation and Benefits From 2013 to 2017.

Objectives. To assess the effects of work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).Methods. We used changes in waivers of work ...
Experimental Study on the Effects of the Material and Design of Artificial Lens on the Posterior Capsular Opacity

Objective Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO) as one of the common complications after cataract surgery is a complicated pathophysiologic process. Methed All experimental animals were separated into four groups randomly,Three-pioces PMMA and round edge optic IOL as implanted in group A; three-pieces and Silicone IOL in group B ; sigle-pioce and sharp edge optic is square Acrylic IOL in group C.All surgical animals were checked with slit lamp 1 day ; lweek ; 1month ; and 3 month. After surgery ,Fundns of surgical eyes were also checked We checked the immune globulin and cells in aqueous fluid of all surgical eyes 1 day ; 1 week ; 1 and after surgery. Histopathologic examination was done on the surgical bulbars. and the lens capsule of the surgical eyes was checked with electron micrography .Result ( 1 ) One week later on the exudative tunic pupillary area in group A, B and C were absorbed before , Proiminent Tyndall signs were seen in all three groups. One month after surgery discovered in the eyes of group A and B was opcificasion in central posterior capsular and the eyes of group C remained clear. Three months post -operation opacification in the peripheral area of all surgical eyes was more promintent than that of one month post -otgeration.and opicification in the central area of group A and group B was similar, but it was still clear in the central area of group C. (2) The immune globulin of the aqueous fluid in all surgical groups was extremely higher than that of the opponent group, and group C there was prominent statistic difference between group A, B. one week and one moonth after surgery. (3) All eyes had no severe complications after surgery, such as hypherna .Vitreous hemorrhage. Vitreous collapsed into anterior chamber ,reinal detachment, and cystoid macular ede- ma .(4) A great amount of fibroblast reforming from the lens epithelium cells could be seen in the peripheral area of the lens capsule in each surgical groups and also in the central area in group A and B in three months post-operaton. But nothing could be seen in the central area of group C. Conelusion All groups have no severe complication after surgery and all of the three IOL are safe. But the single-piece Acrylic IOL of group C is more effective than the other two in preventing the formation of posterior capsule opacification. Key words: Secondary cataract; Intraocular lens(IOL)
Abstract TMP92: Serum Markers of Physiologic Stress and Associations With Delirium in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: Delirium occurs frequently in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), though its pathogenesis may be multifactorial. Given the potential role of systemic stressors in delirium, we...
Undersizing mitral annuloplasty alters left ventricular mechanics in a swine model of ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Abstract Objective Undersizing mitral annuloplasty (UMA) is a frequently used surgical repair technique to correct ischemic mitral regurgitation in patients with heart failure. In this study, we sought to test the hypothesis that downsizing the mitral annulus can adversely affect the shape and mechanics of the left ventricle inhibiting its functional recovery. Methods Eighteen farm swine that underwent an inferolateral myocardial infarction and developed ischemic mitral regurgitation of >2+ severity after 2 months were assigned as follows: 9 swine received an undersized mitral annuloplasty, 6 received papillary muscle approximation (PMA), and 3 animals did not receive any other intervention. Animals lived another 3 months and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed before termination to assess ventricle mechanics and function. Results Ejection fraction was comparable between the 2 repair groups before surgery, but was significantly lower in UMA at 38.89% ± 7.91% versus 50.83% ± 9.04% in the PMA group (P = .0397). Animals receiving UMA had lower regional peak fractional shortening and reduced systolic and diastolic radial velocities compared with PMA and in some regions were lower than sham. Animals that underwent UMA had higher circumferential strain than sham, but lower than PMA. UMA animals have lower longitudinal strain compared to sham group and lower LV torsion than PMA. Conclusions Undersizing the mitral annulus with an annuloplasty ring can restore valvular competence, but unphysiologically impair ventricle mechanics. Mitral valve repair strategies should focus not only on restoring valve competence, but preserving ventricle mechanics.
GMO Corn in México: Precaution as Law’s Decolonial Option

For over six years now, the law has been central to policy debates about genetically modified organism (GMO) corn in Mexico, the birthplace of maiz (corn). In the lawsuit Colectividad del Maiz, the domestic courts have shaped the policy on GMO corn. Out of concern for biodiversity, the courts have suspended regulatory approval for commercial GMO corn permits needed by seed companies. This article uses decolonial theory to examine how the law can both encourage and limit the use of GMOs. Decolonial perspectives isolate how economics, legal authorities, and ideologies work in unison to shape relations between the Global South and private interests. This is accomplished by defining the subject of any such legal regulations. Different legal doctrines treat GMOs in different and distinct ways. Under the doctrines of biosecurity, intellectual property, and international trade law, markets and biotechnology benefit as the subject of the law. Such doctrines disenfranchise maiz nativo (non-GMO corn) by making it the law’s object. The article also adopts Bruno Latour’s theory of “down to earth” politics to identify important changes in GMO regulations. Collective action litigation has limited the expansion of GMO corn via the application of precautionary principle measures and motivated new legislation in Mexico.
Imaging Biomarkers of Hypothyroidism on Lung Cancer Screening CT.

Abstract Purpose To assess the feasibility of attenuation and size measurement of the thyroid gland as an imaging biomarker for hypothyroidism in patients undergoing lung cancer screening (LCS) with low dose CT. Materials and Methods With institutional review board (IRB) approval, we retrospectively reviewed all patients with LCS CT between September 1, 2016 and March 31, 2020, who had at least 1 thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test within 90 days of the patient's most recent screening CT. Hypothyroid patients were identified through billing diagnosis and/or elevated TSH or those on treatment with thyroxine; normal patients were identified as those without a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and normal TSH. For each hypothyroid patient, an age- and sex-matched normal control was included. The diameters and attenuation of both lobes of the thyroid gland were measured for each case; patients in whom the thyroid gland could not be seen to measure were excluded. Results A total of 304 patients were included. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for size and attenuation of the left lobe were 0.774 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.714-0.825) and 0.812 (95% CI 0.759-0.861), respectively; and for the right lobe were 0.776 (95% CI 0.719-0.827) and 0.794 (95% CI 0.740-0.847), respectively. We developed a decision tree algorithm to predict hypothyroidism combining the minimum size and attenuation of either lobe of the thyroid gland, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 76%, 87%, and 82%, respectively. Conclusion Size and attenuation of the thyroid gland can be used to identify potential hypothyroid patients undergoing LCS.
Potentially Inappropriately Prescribed Medications Among Medicare Medication Therapy Management Eligible Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: an Observational Analysis

Potentially inappropriately prescribed medications (PIPMs) among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may vary among clinical settings. Rates of PIPM are unknown among Medicare-enrolled Medication Therapy Management (MTM) eligible patients. Determine prevalence of PIPM among patients with CKD and evaluate characteristics of patients and providers associated with PIPM. An observational cross-sectional investigation of a Medicare insurance plan for the year 2018. Medicare-enrolled MTM eligible patients with stage 3–5 CKD. PIPM was identified utilizing a tertiary database. Logistic regression assessed relationship between patient characteristics and PIPM. Investigation included 3624 CKD patients: 2856 (79%), 548 (15%), and 220 (6%) patients with stage 3, 4, and 5 CKD, respectively. Among patients with stage 3, stage 4, and stage 5 CKD, 618, 430, and 151 were with at least one PIPM, respectively. Logistic regression revealed patients with stage 4 or 5 CKD had 7–14 times the odds of having a PIPM in comparison to patients with stage 3 disease (p < 0.001). Regression also found PIPM was associated with increasing number of years qualified for MTM (odds ratio (OR) 1.46–1.74, p ≤ 0.005), female gender (OR 1.25, p = 0.008), and increasing polypharmacy (OR 1.30–1.57, p ≤ 0.01). Approximately 14% of all medications (2879/21093) were considered PIPM. Majority of PIPMs (62%) were prescribed by physician primary care providers (PCPs). Medications with the greatest percentage of PIPM were spironolactone, canagliflozin, sitagliptin, levetiracetam, alendronate, pregabalin, pravastatin, fenofibrate, metformin, gabapentin, famotidine, celecoxib, naproxen, meloxicam, rosuvastatin, diclofenac, and ibuprofen. Over one-third of Medicare MTM eligible patients with CKD presented with at least one PIPM. Worsening renal function, length of MTM eligibility, female gender, and polypharmacy were associated with having PIPM. Majority of PIPMs were prescribed by PCPs. Clinical decision support tools may be considered to potentially reduce PIPM among Medicare MTM–enrolled patients with CKD.
“NO US WITHOUT YOU!”: on recontextualizing border visuality

This essay explores border visuality as utilized by the Los Angeles based nonprofit “NO US WITH YOU!” for the sake of broadening pejorative conceptualizations of the Latina/o/x immigrant body. Thro...
Abstract 2585: Dietary isoflavone intake and lung cancer risk: an analysis using data from the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovary (PLCO) trial

Introduction: Dietary isoflavones are mainly from soy-based foods and are widely consumed in Asian countries. Isoflavone has a similar chemical structure to estrogen and has been suggested to decrease the risk of breast cancer by acting as an estrogen antagonist. Lung cancer development was also suggested to be affected by estrogen signaling. We aim to explore isoflavone intake and lung cancer risk using the prospective PLCO trial. Methods: Data regarding dietary intake using the food frequency questionnaire, demographic and reproductive information and lung cancer diagnosis were extracted. The associations between lung cancer risk and isoflavone intake (in quartiles) overall and stratified by gender and smoking status were calculated using the Cox proportional hazard models adjusting for potential confounders. SAS 9.4 were used to perform all statistical analyses. Results: During the 1,215,948 person-year follow-up, a total of 1,706 lung cancer cases were diagnosed. Overall (Table), the highest quartile of isoflavone intake was associated with 26% reduced risk of lung cancer compared to the lowest quartile. When the analysis was stratified by gender and further by smoking status (never vs ever), the decreased risk was only observed among male ever smokers (Q4 vs Q1: HR=0.78, 95%CI: 0.64-0.96) but not their female counterparts (Q4 vs Q1: HR=0.85, 95%CI: 0.68-1.08). Discussion: This is the first prospective cohort study investigating isoflavone intake and lung cancer risk and we found a protective effect of isoflavone intake against lung cancer risk particularly among male ever smokers, despite an overall lower isoflavone intake among the US populations compared to the Asian populations. Future studies are needed to replicate these results in independent cohorts and shed a light on the potential mechanism of the protective effect of isoflavones on lung carcinogenesis and the interactions between isoflavones, smoking and endogenous estrogens. Citation Format: Qian Wang, Meng Ru, Paolo Boffetta. Dietary isoflavone intake and lung cancer risk: an analysis using data from the prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovary (PLCO) trial [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 2585.
Semimechanistic Population Pharmacokinetic Modeling to Investigate Amyloid Beta Trafficking and Accumulation at the BBB Endothelium

Elevated exposure to toxic amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides and consequent blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction are believed to promote vasculopathy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the accumulation kinetics of different Aβ isoforms within the BBB endothelium and how it drives BBB dysfunction are not clearly characterized. Using single positron emission computed tomography (SPECT)-computed tomography (CT) dynamic imaging coupled with population pharmacokinetic modeling, we investigated the accumulation kinetics of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the BBB endothelium. Brain clearance was quantified after intracerebral administration of 125I-Aβ, and BBB-mediated transport was shown to account for 54% of 125I-Aβ40 total clearance. A brain influx study demonstrated lower values of both maximal rate (Vmax) and Michaelis constant (Km) for 125I-Aβ42 compared to 125I-Aβ40. Validated by a transcytosis study in polarized human BBB endothelial cell (hCMEC/D3) monolayers, model simulations demonstrated impaired exocytosis was responsible for inefficient permeability and enhanced accumulation of Aβ42 in the BBB endothelium. Further, both isoforms were shown to disrupt the exocytosis machinery of BBB endothelial cells so that a vicious cycle could be generated. The validated model was able to capture changes in Aβ steady-state levels in plasma as well as the brain during AD progression and allowed us to predict the kinetics of Aβ accumulation in the BBB endothelium.
It's Time for a Facelift: A Suggested Makeover for the Piercing Doctrine

Limited liability is the touchstone of the corporate form and aims to protect individual and corporate investors in the name of societal growth and economic prosperity. However, sometimes corporate actors stretch limited liability beyond its intended form and exploit their limited liability status to conduct shady or illigitimate business practices in an effort to make a quick buck or evade repaying corporate debts. In such instances, courts may invoke the doctrine of piercing the corporate veil to hold corporate actors liable for the debts of the enterprise. Unfortunately, the piercing doctrine remains one of the most muddled and incalculable doctrines in corporate law and is a topic of great unrest in legal scholarship. This Comment aims to add some structure to the unstable piercing doctrine by offering a seemingly new way to categorize victims. Specifically, this Comment argues that courts should go beyond separating plaintiffs who are voluntary contract creditors from those who are involuntary tort creditors, and should also break down the traditional category of “contract creditors” into “ordinary creditors” and “sophisticated creditors” to further account for their ability to protect themselves from risk prior to forming a relationship with the corporation at all, and offers an alternate route of recovery for such creditors that avoids invoking the piercing doctrine altogether.
Security of Software Defined Networks

Software Defined Networking (SDN) has emerged as a new network architecture for dealing with network dynamics through software-enabled control. While SDN is promoting many new network applications, security has become an important concern. This paper provides an extensive survey on SDN security. We discuss the security threats to SDN according to their effects, i.e., Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information disclosure, Denial of Service, and Elevation of Privilege. We also review a wide range of SDN security controls, such as firewalls, IDS/IPS, access control, auditing, and policy management. We describe several pathways of how SDN is evolving. We presented an extensive survey on Software Defined Networks with focus on security.We majorly divided survey in two categories or perspectives; security attacks and controls or countermeasures.We presented our own vision on how security may evolve in future based on SDN.
Ocean of Trade: South Asian Merchants, Africa and the Indian Ocean, c.1750-1850

Ocean of Trade offers an innovative study of trade, production and consumption across the Indian Ocean between the years 1750 and 1850. Focusing on the Vāniyā merchants of Diu and Daman, Pedro Machado explores the region's entangled histories of exchange, including the African demand for large-scale textile production among weavers in Gujarat, the distribution of ivory to consumers in Western India, and the African slave trade in the Mozambique channel that took captives to the French islands of the Mascarenes, Brazil and the Rio de la Plata, and the Arabian peninsula and India. In highlighting the critical role of particular South Asian merchant networks, the book reveals how local African and Indian consumption was central to the development of commerce across the Indian Ocean, giving rise to a wealth of regional and global exchange in a period commonly perceived to be increasingly dominated by European company and private capital.
Intellectual Property Rights and Computer Technology

This chapter discusses the foundations of intellectual property rights and how computer technology has influenced and changed the traditional issues of property rights. The reader is immersed into a discussion of controversial issues of ownership in a rapidly amalgamating global cultures, languages, beliefs, and values as a result of rapid globalization technologies like telecommunication that is casting a far and wide net that is likely, in the near future, to create one global commons. The controversial issues focused on here include the politics and psychology of ownership and the changing infringement landscape. Another issue of interest in our focus is the intellectual property crime (IPC), activities that involve infringement, counterfeiting, piracy of products and services for profit without permission from the creator, misappropriation, misrepresentation, corruption and bribery, and espionage.
Alterations in the glycosylation of secreted thyrotropin during ontogenesis. Analysis of sialylated and sulfated oligosaccharides.

Abstract We have examined the carbohydrate structure of thyrotropin (TSH) secreted in vitro by pituitaries from prenatal, perinatal, and mature rats using concanavalin A (ConA)-agarose chromatography and anion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). [3H]Glucosamine-labeled TSH was immuno-precipitated and treated with either Pronase to generate glycopeptides or a mixture of endo-beta-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase F and peptide:N-glycosidase F to release oligosaccharides. The percentage of secreted TSH glycopeptides not bound to ConA was greater in mature animals (47 +/- 3%) than in either prenatal (29 +/- 3%) or perinatal animals (29 +/- 6%), suggesting more multiantennary oligosaccharides in the older animals. These structural changes were characterized further by performing anion-exchange HPLC on released oligosaccharides. Secreted TSH from prenatal rats predominantly contained oligosaccharides with 1 and 2 negative charges, while TSH from mature rats contained these structures as well as 15% with 3 negative charges. In addition, the ratio of sialylated to sulfated oligosaccharides was greater in mature compared to prenatal animals for species with 1 negative charge (1.9-fold) as well as for species with 2 negative charges (4.3-fold). We also correlated the structural alterations noted by ConA analysis with anion-exchange HPLC. Oligosaccharides that bound to ConA and were eluted with alpha-methylglucoside, when analyzed by anion-exchange HPLC, consisted of species with 1 and 2 negative charges, whereas oligosaccharides that were unbound to ConA were predominantly species with three negative charges. Together, these data suggest that with maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis secreted TSH contains more negatively charged multiantennary oligosaccharides with increased sialylation and decreased sulfation.
Cultural Differences in Health Beliefs: Implications for Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings

Individuals of diverse ethnic backgrounds often have beliefs about health, disease and treatment which vary significantly from American scientific medical practice. Cultural and subcultural health beliefs also vary among blacks, Hispanics and Asians. Individual differences within cultural groups may be influenced by length of time in the United States, age and social economic status. Social work activities which can improve health care services to ethnic minorities are identified.
A method for symbolic computation of abstract operations

This paper helps to bridge the gap between (i) the use of logic for specifying program semantics and performing program analysis, and (ii) abstract interpretation. Many operations needed by an abstract interpreter can be reduced to the problem of symbolic abstraction: the symbolic abstraction of a formula ϕ in logic, denoted by, is the most-precise value in abstract domain that over-approximates the meaning of ϕ. We present a parametric framework that, given and, implements. The algorithm computes successively better over-approximations of. Because it approaches from "above", if it is taking too much time, a safe answer can be returned at any stage. Moreover, the framework is"dual-use": in addition to its applications in abstract interpretation, it provides a new way for an SMT (Satisfiability Modulo Theories) solver to perform unsatisfiability checking: given, the condition implies that ϕ is unsatisfiable.
Conversion of Existing Primary Clarifiers According to the EASC Process for Biological Phosphorus Removal

At the end of 1988 a 22,000 p.e. municipal wastewater treatment plant in Northern Germany was converted to the EASC-biological phosphorus removal process. By simple modifications of the flow scheme of the plant, one of two existing primary clarifiers was converted to an anaerobic basin, into which both sewage and recycle sludge are fed. The supernatant as well as the sludge withdrawn from the bottom are discharged into the aeration basin. This operation mode achieves very good phosphorus uptake in the aeration basin. Since start up in November 988, the uptake-capacity increased continually, since April 989 phosphorus is removed down to concentrations of less than 1 mg/l PO 4 -P in the aeration basin. Due to an inadequate design and size of the existing final clarifier, phosphorus bleedback occurs and reduces removal efficiency. This bleedback could be minimized by either intensifying denitrification or reducing sludge detention time in the final clarifier.
Weight Gain as a Risk Factor for Clinical Diabetes Mellitus in Women

Objective: To examine the relation between adult weight change and the risk for clinical diabetes mellitus among middle-aged women. Design: Prospective cohort study with follow-up from 1976 to 1990...
Studies on tissue arginase and ureogenesis in the elasmobranch, Mustelus canis.

Abstract Fourteen tissues of the elasmobranch, Mustelus canis , have been examined for arginase activity. Of these tissues, liver, kidney, and rectal gland were found to contain the highest activities, in that order. The liver arginase system was examined in more detail and was found to be similar to other vertebrate arginase. Kinetic data were obtained for the liver, kidney, and rectal gland, and the apparent K m values of these systems showed a decrease with decreasing amounts of activity. The blood levels of arginine were determined for M. canis and several other elasmobranchs and were not found to differ considerably from other vertebrates. The possible role of the tissue arginase systems in the extrahepatic synthesis of urea in elasmobranchs is discussed.
A case study in SQA audits

Software quality assurance (SQA) audits are becoming a standard practice in corporations seeking to enter contractual relations with other organizations, or just evaluating their own state of readiness. This paper describes one approach to conducting SQA audits. Excerpts from reports of actual audits conducted on several organizations engaged in software development are used to show how an audit is conducted and what can be achieved through the auditing process. The paper is not meant to be a definitive answer or guide to doing SQA audits. Rather, it serves as an annotated case study of how SQA audits can be conducted with an emphasis on data gathering and reporting.
A novel method for removal of in-band noise and accurate extraction of information from ECGs

High pass filter Many publications have documented the issues associated with noise in ECGs collected in safety pharmacology studies. The presence of noise can result in excess variability in interval measurements, make arrhythmias difficult to detect, and confound ECG analysis software to the point where a large percentage of cardiac cycles may be uninterpretable. The affects of noise on ECG analysis can also increase the sample size required to detect QT prolongation. To address these issues, techniques have been developed that target reducing noise levels in acquired ECGs. Most problematic is noise that has energy in the same part of the frequency spectrum occupied by the ECG signal. This is generally caused by EMG and by changes in the tissueelectrode interface. The most common technique used to remove this noise is band-pass filtering (BPF). However, BPF is problematic in that using it to reduce in-band noise will result in distortion of the ECG. Multi-Domain Signal Processing (MDSP) is a novel approach that removes in-band noise without distorting the ECG signal. It works by independently isolating noise and other aspects of the signal in multiple mathematical domains. Once noise is isolated, it can be removed without distorting the ECG. MDSP also leverages the ability to isolate features of the ECG to provide for accurate interval measurement, identification of arrhythmias, and shows promise for measurement of respiratory rate by isolating aspects of the ECG that change during the respiratory cycle.
Characterization of the H4IIE Rat Hepatoma Cell Bioassay for Evaluation of Environmental Samples Containing Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

The H4IIE rat hepatoma cell bioassay has been extensively used to assess the toxic equivalents (TEQs) of complex mixtures of halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental samples. However, there is often a discrepancy between bioassay induction results and toxic equivalents calculated from chemical analysis of samples; the former generally yield higher bioassay-TEQs. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of chemicals which can significantly contribute to induction-TEQs. Benzo(a)pyrene (BAP), dibenz(a, h)anthracene (DBA), benz(a)anthracene (BA), benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkF), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), chrysene (Chr), and indeno(1,2,3-c,d) pyrene (IdP) are carcinogenic PAHs found in environmental samples, including oysters collected from Galveston Bay. The induction potency of these PAHs relative to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) was determined individually in rat hepatoma H4IIE cells seeded in 6-well plates, and the induction-derived equivalency factors (EFs) relative to TCDD were 0.000354, 0.00203, 0.000025, 0.00478, 0.00253, 0.00020, 0.0011 for BAP, DBA, BA, BkF, BbF, Chr, and IdP, respectively. Dilutions of a reconstituted PAH mixture containing 23 PAHs (744 to 4466 ng/g total PAHs) with constant percentages of BAP (4.5%), DBA (3.5%), BA (2.4%), BkF (3.7%), BbF (3.5%), Chr (4.7%), and IdP (4.2%) yielded bioassay-derived induction-EQs that ranged from 0.52 to 1.44 ng/g. Oysters exposed in the laboratory to the same PAH mixture for 30 days differentially accumulated the PAHs with time. Bioassay-EQs for these oyster extracts ranged from 0.94 to 5.79 ng/g. These results were similar to the chemically calculated EQs which varied from 0.81 to 3.13 ng/g.