cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE BREADTH-BASED ADJECTIVE RATING TASK (BART) AS AN INDIRECT MEASURE OF SELF-ESTEEM

The Breadth–based Adjective Rating Task (BART) operates as an indirect measure of self–esteem by quantifying the extent to which people describe expectancy consistent self–information at a higher level of abstraction than expectancy inconsistent information about the self. A series of three studies demonstrated evidence for the validity of the BART as a measure of global, trait–like aspects of self–esteem. The BART correlated positively with explicit measures of self–esteem, negatively with self–esteem instability and self–reported depression, but did not correlate with implicit or indirect measures of self–esteem. In Study 4, the test–retest reliability of the BART was adequate, albeit low, in two independent samples. These findings provide preliminary support for the BART as a promising indirect paper–and–pencil measure of self–esteem.
Transverse-Discharge Copper-Vapor Laser

A novel transverse-discharge copper-vapor laser has been developed. A specific laser energy density of 50 μJ/cm3 has been achieved in a volume of 0.6xlx20 cm3 . This corresponds to a laser power density of 5 kW/cm3 for a 10-ns laser pulse. A 10-kHz operation has been demonstrated in a steady state mode.
Reforming General Education and Diffusing Reform

The challenges facing educational systems, and those conducting research with the intent to improve them, are many. This essay though, is limited to two problems that cross many levels of education and bookend educational research. The first is the foundational input to the understanding and practice of education (and thus of educational research as well), namely, how we define the core purpose of general education. The second problem is concerned not with inputs, but the output and impact of our research—how it comes to be consumed (or more likely not consumed) by practitioners of the art of teaching.
Does a Representative Bureaucracy Matter to Citizens? A View from South Africa

This paper uses two sources of data from South Africa to test the hypothesis, 'As a bureaucracy grows more representative, it enjoys greater legitimacy among the citizens.' The hypothesis tests an important component of the theory of representative bureaucracy, which holds that the composition of the unelected bureaucracy (in terms of such characteristics as race, ethnicity and gender) are of great political consequence in a democracy. South Africa represents an important test case for the theory given the urgency to transform its bureaucracy to one that is representative following the fall of apartheid. To measure representativeness, we utilize data from the South African personnel database indicating employment in all national and provincial departments by department, occupation, grade level, sex and race in 2002 and 2006. To assess whether it matters to South African citizens how representative bureaucracies are, we use two iterations of the Afrobarometer survey administered to representative samples nationally and in each province in the same 2 years. Census and survey data are also used to test and rule out competing hypotheses and to identify contextual and mediating variables. We believe this makes an important contribution to the empirical literature on representative bureaucracy.
Interactions of area postrema and solitary tract in the nucleus tractus solitarius

The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) receives information from both area postrema (AP) and peripheral afferents. It is, therefore, one likely site of interaction between AP and peripheral afferent fibers. The present study's purpose was to determine the influence of AP stimulation on solitary tract-induced modulation of NTS neuronal activity. With the use of an in vitro rabbit brain slice preparation, extracellular recordings were made from 58 NTS neurons in which action potentials were evoked by both solitary tract and AP stimulation. In the majority of the cells tested, simultaneous stimulation of solitary tract and AP, at voltage levels that evoked no action potentials when stimulated separately, resulted in production of either single or multiple action potentials. In 27 units, stimulation levels to the solitary tract and to the AP were adjusted such that their respective separate stimulations produced an NTS action potential less than 30% of the time. When the two inputs were stimulated together, simultaneous stimulations produced an NTS action potential 100% of the time, suggesting a facilitatory interaction between the AP and the solitary tract on NTS neuronal activity. In nine cells, perfusion of the slice with clonidine induced a facilitation of solitary tract-evoked NTS response to a level similar to that seen during simultaneous stimulation of the solitary tract with the AP. Application of the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine blocked the ability of both clonidine and AP to facilitate the solitary tract-evoked response. These results support a possible interaction between AP and peripheral afferents and suggest that AP stimulation facilitates effects of solitary tract activation at the level of the NTS.
Regulation of the epithelial Na+ channel by intracellular Na+

The hypothesis that the intracellular Na+ concentration ([Na+]i) is a regulator of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) was tested with the Xenopus oocyte expression system by utilizing a dual-electro...
Intensional Effect Polymorphism

Type-and-effect systems are a powerful tool for program construction and verification. We describe intensional effect polymorphism, a new foundation for effect systems that integrates static and dynamic effect checking. Our system allows the effect of polymorphic code to be intensionally inspected through a lightweight notion of dynamic typing. When coupled with parametric polymorphism, the powerful system utilizes runtime information to enable precise effect reasoning, while at the same time retains strong type safety guarantees. We build our ideas on top of an imperative core calculus with regions. The technical innovations of our design include a relational notion of effect checking, the use of bounded existential types to capture the subtle interactions between static typing and dynamic typing, and a differential alignment strategy to achieve efficiency in dynamic typing. We demonstrate the applications of intensional effect polymorphism in concurrent programming, security, graphical user interface access, and memoization.
Nitrogen-Atom Bonding at Sio2/SI Interfaces in Metalinsulator-Semiconductor (MIS) Stacked Gates Made by Integration of Plasma Assisted Oxidation-Deposition and Rapid Thermal Processing

SiO2 thin films were deposited by remote PECVD on Si surfaces exposed to species generated in O2/N2 and O2/NH3 plasmas. The surface chemistry was studied by Auger Electron Spectroscopy, AES, and the electrical properties of the SiO2/Si interface by high frequency and quasi-static Capacitance-Voltage, C-V, measurements. The AES results showed that C-contamination was removed by exposure to both plasma-excited gas mixtures, but that N-atoms were incorporated into the SiO2 film, and Si-N bonds were formed at the SiO2/Si interface. C-V measurements indicated that the Si-N bonding structure, rather than the N-atom concentration, is critical in determining the interface electrical properties. The effects of Rapid Thermal Annealing, RTA, on the electrical properties of these SiO2/Si interfaces were also studied.
Immunology of the future

Immunology is a young science, much younger than MEDICINA, since its modern biological foundations were established only in the 70s-80s with the definition of the T and B cell receptors. In spite of its relative youth, many key basic biological knowledge such as signal transduction, gene recombination, apoptosis and cell cycle regulation have been initiated or expanded using cells from the immune system. Although it is not easy to predict the future, we include in this essay eight areas in which we can expect important developments. These include the definition of the biological basis of homeostasis, the exact mechanisms of antigen processing and presentation by professional antigen presenting cells (which implies also the redefinition of our notions of antigen, now based on the recognition of small peptides from larger molecules), the analysis of multifactorial interactions, the sociology of cell interactions based on adhesion molecules and components of the extracellular matrix, the development of useful antagonists of active inflammatory molecules, the definition of the properties of regional immune systems (such as skin and gut), the definition of the immunities against parasites and finally the definition of the structural basis for autoimmunity. The advances in these areas (and in others which are now impossible to predict) will produce, we think, immunological therapies for prevention (vaccines) and treatment (antagonists, etc.) of infectious, parasitic and other forms of inflammatory diseases, including autoimmunity.
Heparanase Regulates Response to Proteasomal Inhibition in Myeloma

Abstract 4902 Multiple myeloma is an incurable hematologic malignancy. In patients, even after several rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, myeloma tumor cells survive, proliferate aggressively and re-establish the active disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that aid myeloma cells in evading chemotherapy is therefore critical for curing this deadly disease. Studies from our lab have established heparanase, an endoglycosidase expressed highly by myeloma tumor cells, as a master regulator of aggressive myeloma disease where it drives tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and osteolysis. However, the effect of heparanase on response to chemotherapy is unknown. Addressing this question, we have made two striking discoveries: i) treatment with proteasomal inhibitors dramatically elevates heparanase expression and secretion in myeloma, and ii) high heparanase expression significantly reduces therapy-induced apoptosis and cell death in myeloma. Proteasomal inhibition by either bortezomib or MG132 dramatically elevated the expression of heparanase and its secretion into the conditioned media. When this conditioned media was added to tumor cells that had not been exposed to proteosome inhibitors, the heparanase was readily taken up by the cells. This is consistent with previous studies demonstrating that exogenous heparanase can be taken up by myeloma tumor cells resulting in activation of aggressive tumor behavior. Next, to test whether heparanase influences chemoresistance in myeloma, we evaluated the effect of bortezomib on inducing apoptosis of myeloma cells expressing either high (HPSE-high) or low (HPSE-low) levels of heparanase. Apoptotic cells were identified by staining for Annexin V and cell death was assessed by staining with propidium iodide. Results revealed that following treatment with bortezomib, HPSE-high cells had a significantly higher percentage of viable cells (Annexin V negative, PI negative) and a significantly smaller fraction of apoptotic cells (Annexin V positive) compared to HPSE-low cells. Similarly, even when myeloma cells were grown on fibronectin, cells expressing high levels of heparanase exhibited significantly decreased bortezomib-induced cell death. Consistent with the above findings, we found that several well established chemoresistant myeloma cell lines such as LR5, Dox 6 and Dox 40 all expressed high levels of heparanase. Together the above findings demonstrate that tumors respond to proteosome inhibitors by upregulating expression and secretion of heparanase and that tumor cells having high levels of heparanase resist proteosome inhibitor-induced apoptosis. These results indicate that heparanase may play an important role in chemoresistance of myeloma cells and that heparanase inhibitors used in tandem with other drugs may improve initial patient outcome and reduce incidence of relapse. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Deviant responses to ambiguous visual stimulus patterns

A corollary postulate of the Deviation Hypothesis states that particular stimulus content is not important for eliciting deviant responses which can, in turn, be used to assess behavior quantitatively. Since unstructured, ambiguous stimuli had not been employed specifically to produce deviant responses, a light-flash test consisting of 60 light-flashes of .01 second duration was constructed to test this hypothesis. The light-flash test and the Perceptual Reaction Test were administered to 50 white female attendants and 50 white female patients. The results of this investigation indicate that ambiguous visual stimuli can quite definitely be used to produce deviant responses. These deviant responses are sufficiently frequent that a valid distinction can be made between normal and schizophrenic subjects.
Solvent Toolkit for Electrochemical Characterization of Hybrid Perovskite Films.

Organohalide lead (hybrid) perovskites have emerged as competitive semiconducting materials for photovoltaic devices due to their high performance and low cost. To further the understanding and optimization of these materials, solution-based methods for interrogating and modifying perovskite thin films are needed. In this work, we report a hydrofluoroether (HFE) solvent-based electrolyte for electrochemical processing and characterization of organic–inorganic trihalide lead perovskite thin films. Organic perovskite films are soluble in most of the polar organic solvents, and thus until now, they were not considered suitable for electrochemical processing. We have enabled electrochemical characterization and demonstrated a processing toolset for these materials utilizing highly fluorinated electrolytes based on a HFE solvent. Our results show that chemically orthogonal electrolytes based on HFE solvents do not dissolve organic perovskite films and thus allow electrochemical characterization of the electron...
Linking the environment, DAF-7/TGFβ signaling and LAG-2/DSL ligand expression in the germline stem cell niche

ABSTRACT The developmental accumulation of proliferative germ cells in the C. elegans hermaphrodite is sensitive to the organismal environment. Previously, we found that the TGFβ signaling pathway links the environment and proliferative germ cell accumulation. Neuronal DAF-7/TGFβ causes a DAF-1/TGFβR signaling cascade in the gonadal distal tip cell (DTC), the germline stem cell niche, where it negatively regulates a DAF-3 SMAD and DAF-5 Sno-Ski. LAG-2, a founding DSL ligand family member, is produced in the DTC and activates the GLP-1/Notch receptor on adjacent germ cells to maintain germline stem cell fate. Here, we show that DAF-7/TGFβ signaling promotes expression of lag-2 in the DTC in a daf-3- dependent manner. Using ChIP and one-hybrid assays, we find evidence for direct interaction between DAF-3 and the lag-2 promoter. We further identify a 25 bp DAF-3 binding element required for the DTC lag-2 reporter response to the environment and to DAF-7/TGFβ signaling. Our results implicate DAF-3 repressor complex activity as a key molecular mechanism whereby the environment influences DSL ligand expression in the niche to modulate developmental expansion of the germline stem cell pool.
Chirality sensing with stereodynamic copper(I) complexes

Three Cu(I) complexes derived from stereodynamic diphosphine ligands were synthesized and used for chirality sensing. The coordination of diamines and amino acids to these complexes generates distinct circular dichroism signals. The chiroptical sensor response allows determination of the absolute configuration and the enantiomeric excess of the analyte at low concentrations. This method is operationally simple, fast, and attractive for high-throughput sensing applications.
Analysis of a time-domain propagator numerical method for electromagnetic fields

A numerical method developed for a time-domain propagator solution of Maxwell's equations is presented. Numerical equations for the present time fields at each grid point are expressed as a combination of the adjacent previous time fields. A primary advantage of the Propagator Method is that all fields are coincident in time and space. The methods discussed here include extrapolation in time, necessary to maintain a fixed spatial increment, and boundary conditions. The numerical phase velocity as derived from the Propagator Method dispersion relation is also discussed. Examples showing wave propagation through multiple dielectric regions and scattering from dielectric objects are presented and compared with FDTD and exact solutions.
Two Consecutive Cases of Persistent Stapedial Artery Managed With a Carbon Dioxide Laser.

Objective:(1) Discuss the presentation and management of persistent stapedial artery (PSA) discovered incidentally during cholesteatoma surgery. (2) Review use of carbon dioxide (CO2) laser for tre...
A 10 MHz Read-Out Chain for Electrical Impedance Tomography.

This paper presents the design and implementation of a read-out chain for electrical impedance tomography (EIT) imaging. The EIT imaging approach can be incorporated to take spectral images of the tissue under study, offering an affordable, portable device for home health monitoring. A fast read-out channel covering a wide range of frequencies is a must for such applications. The proposed read-out channel comprising a programmable gain instrumentation amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and an ADC driver is designed and fabricated in a 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The proposed read-out chain operates over the wide frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 MHz, with an average signal-to-noise ratio of more than 60 dB. The entire read-out channel consumes between 6.9 and 21.8 mW, depending on its frequency of operation.
Boron codoping of Czochralski grown lutetium aluminum garnet and the effect on scintillation properties

Abstract Many single crystal scintillators, such as Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 , have intrinsic defects that impede their performance. In addition to doping with activators such as cerium, codoping can be used to improve the scintillation properties of a variety of scintillators. In particular, boron has been shown to improve the light yield, energy resolution, and self-absorption of other garnet scintillators, such as GGAG, when incorporated into the lattice via codoping. In this study, single crystals of LuAG: 0.2 at.% Ce codoped with varying concentrations of boron were grown via the Czochralski method at a rate of 1.2 mm/h. Results will show the effect boron codoping has on the scintillation properties of LuAG: Ce, including light yield, decay time, and self-absorption.
"You can pay me now, or you can pay me later".

Physicians can take an active role in disease prevention by learning counseling skills and helping patients to cease medically destructive behaviors. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Observation of Solar Flare Type Processes in the Laboratory

A filamentary magnetic structure is produced on the plasma current sheath of a coaxial accelerator operated with deuterium. Space and time analysis of X-ray, neutron and visible-light emission indicates that the magnetic energy of the filaments is transferred to the plasma during a process of decay of the filaments. X-ray photographs show very localized regions (diameter lt;0.5 mm) of strong emission. Some of these regions are also located where the plasma is not subject to a maximum of compression. Similar bright spots (Hβ) are observed by 5 ns image converter photographs. The detailed analytical description of the self-consistent fields is deduced. The localized regions of strong emission may well correspond with the explosive onset of an instability at a point on a filament (single filament decay) or at a point where two filaments with opposite fields coalesce with magnetic field annihilation. The similarities with solar flares are considered.
ReView Bamboozled: Archival Affects

The first time the author watched Spike Lee’s Bamboozled (2000), the film literally moved her body 3000 miles. In this video reView, Bamboozled moves the author again, this time to the very space that gives the film its continued, urgent relevance: the archive. In moving and being moved, the author surprisingly discovers a little-known archival collection in Buffalo, NY that directly relates to Lee’s film and its usage of black memorabilia. ReVIEW BAMBOOZLED: ARCHIVAL AFFECTS chronicles the author’s journey into this archive and her remarkable discussion with the archivist and her research assistant about the stakes of that collection, Spike Lee’s film, and the affects of both. It also reViews archival practice, showing the tensions of working with what the archivist acknowledges to be, in some ways, “the uncollectible.”
Dose-Response Association between Exercise Intensity and Manual Motor Performance in Individuals with Down Syndrome: a Preliminary Study

This study was aimed at investigating the dose-response relationship between acute exercise and its effects on manual motor control mediated by the intensity of exercise in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Participants were randomized into vigorous-intensity exercise (i.e., 75–85% of predicted MaxHR), moderate-intensity exercise (i.e., 50–75% of predicted MaxHR) or control groups. The exercise groups performed an incremental walking protocol on the treadmill and the control group watched a video for 20-min. Measures of grip strength and manual dexterity were tested pre- and post- intervention. A quadric trend was seen in grip strength, such that the moderate-intensity exercise was beneficial for grip force production. However, inconsistent with previous studies, neither a quadric trend nor a linear trend was evident in the performance of the Purdue Pegboard Test. Thus, a large sample size and brain imaging measures are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in individuals with DS.
Characteristics of impaired voluntary cough function in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective: Although cough impairment (dystussia) is common in individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and contributes to a reduced physiologic capacity to defend the airway, characteri...
Combining Formal and Probabilistic Modeling in Resilient Systems Design

Abstract Resilience is a system property that enables a system (or system-of-systems) to continue to provide useful service in the face of disruptions. Resilience is especially important for systems that have to operate for extended periods in uncertain, disruptive environments. Resilience approaches today tend to be ad hoc and do not scale. Importantly, it is difficult to assess their long-term impact. This paper presents a flexible contract (FC) approach that employs a combination of formal methods for verification and testing and flexible assertions coupled with probabilistic modeling to handle mission uncertainty. A FC is a hybrid modeling construct that facilitates system verification and testing while offering the requisite flexibility to cope with non-determinism. This paper illustrates the use of FCs for multi-UAV swarm operations in, partially observable, dynamic environments. The approach is sufficiently general for use in other domains such as self-driving vehicles.
Tunable hetero-assembly of a plant pseudoenzyme-enzyme complex

Pseudoenzymes have emerged as key regulatory elements in all kingdoms of life despite being catalytically non-active. Yet many factors defining why one protein is active while its homolog is inactive remain uncertain. For pseudoenzyme-enzyme pairs, the similarity of both subunits can often hinder conventional characterization approaches. In plants, a pseudoenzyme PDX1.2 positively regulates vitamin B6 production by association with its active catalytic homologs such as PDX1.3 through an unknown mechanism. Here we used an integrative experimental approach to learn that such pseudoenzyme-enzyme pair associations result in hetero-complexes of variable stoichiometry, which are unexpectedly tunable. We also present the atomic structure of the PDX1.2 pseudoenzyme as well as the population averaged PDX1.2-PDX1.3 pseudoenzyme-enzyme pair. Finally, we dissected hetero-dodecamers of each stoichiometry to understand the arrangement of monomers in the hetero-complexes and identified symmetry-imposed preferences in PDX1.2-PDX1.3 interactions. Our results provide a new model of pseudoenzyme-enzyme interactions and their native heterogeneity.
Have Venous Thromboembolism Rates Decreased in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in arthroplasty patients. In an effort to reduce VTEs, numerous strategies and guidelines have been implemented, but their impact remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to compare annual trends in 30-day VTE, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and all-cause mortality in (1) total hip arthroplasty (THA) and (2) total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database identified 363,530 patients who received a TKA or THA from 2008 to 2016. Bivariate analysis was performed to assess the association between the year in which surgery was performed and demographics and comorbidities. Bimodal multivariate logistic regression models for THA and TKA were developed for 2009-2016 using 2008 as a reference. Results Overall incidence of VTE, DVT, PE, and mortality for THA were 0.6%, 0.4%, 0.3%, and 0.2%, respectively. Based off of multivariate regression VTE, DVT, PE, and mortality rates have shown no significant (P > .05) change from 2008 to 2016 in THA patients. Overall incidence of VTE, DVT, PE, and mortality for TKA were 1.4%, 0.9%, 0.6%, and 0.1%, respectively. Multivariate regression revealed reductions when compared to 2008 for VTEs and DVTs from 2009 to 2016 (P .05). Conclusion Approximately 1 in 71 patient undergoing TKA, and 1 in 167 undergoing THA developed a VTE within 30 days after surgery. Our study demonstrated that VTE incidence rates have decreased in TKA, while remaining stable in THA over the past 8 years. Further research to determine the optimal prophylaxis algorithm that would allow for a personalized, efficacious, and safe thromboprophylaxis regimen is needed. Level of Evidence III.
Collaborating to care for a standardized patient in the outpatient setting: An interprofessional learning activity for dental and pharmacy students

Abstract A small group standardized patient interview and case discussion with both online and classroom components was developed for second-year pharmacy students and fourth-year dental students. Student objectives for this experience were to learn about the dental or pharmacy profession, to collaborate interprofessionally to develop a care plan for a medically complex patient in the outpatient setting and to document a patient care plan for a patient. This format was chosen to allow the students multiple opportunities to interact with interprofessional peers and to simulate clinical patient care. Students completed the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration (JeffSATIC) and a “Roles and Responsibilities” quiz (RR quiz) before and after the activities. Students used an online tool to discuss roles/responsibilities of their professions with their team members prior to the IPLE (Interprofessional Learning Experience). During the IPLE, student teams interviewed a medically complex standardized patient presenting with acute dental pain and collaboratively discussed therapeutic options and developed a treatment plan. A paired t-test for students in both professions on the JeffSATIC and pre- and post-RR quiz resulted in no significant differences in attitude or knowledge due to the IPLE. This experience could be implemented as one part of a comprehensive IPE curriculum. Students reported the experience was valuable. The interprofessional collaboration resulted in a novel experience using active learning and mutually relevant content. Future offerings of this IPLE should include assessment of specific interprofessional outcomes such as collaboration. Materials required are available from the authors.
Live Demonstration: A Prototype Towards a Transcutaneous Oxygen Sensing Wearable

Monitoring of vital signs and screening at risk patients remotely would improve the outcomes of treatment and promote outpatient care, which is one of the main aims of modern digital health technology. Among the vital signs of human body, respiration is a key component of a person’s health. Respiratory health can quantified by rate, volume, and blood-gas content. Traditional respiration monitoring methods such as arterial blood gas monitoring and pulse oximetry have certain advantages and disadvantages. This demo presents a prototype of an oxygen sensing platform which can be transformed to a wearable for monitoring partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen. A blue light emitting diode (LED) excites a platinum-porpyrin thin film. Re-emitted red light is captured by a photodiode (PD). The developed prototype could successfully sense the changing levels of oxygen and outputs voltage levels in the range of several hundreds of mV that is suitable for further processing. This effort can be considered as a first step towards a partial pressure of transcutaneous oxygen sensing wearable.
Computed tomography-based surgical strategy for total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

Objectives We used computed tomographic angiography (CTA)-based surgical planning to clarify the anatomical indications of sutureless repair technique for total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The mid-term impact of the current surgical strategies was evaluated. Methods One hundred twelve patients underwent repair for total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The study period was divided into era 1 (1996-2010, n = 56) and era 2 (2011-2018, n = 56). Patients with single ventricular heart (SVH) were included. In era 2, the indications for primary sutureless repair and branch pulmonary vein incision were based on CTA findings. Results For patients with biventricular heart, the 5-year survival was 69% and 97% in eras 1 and 2, respectively (P = 0.0024). For patients with SVH, the 5-year survival was 21% and 70% in eras 1 and 2, respectively (P = 0.0007). During the follow-up period, the evidence of post-repair pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) was observed in 12 patients with biventricular heart [era 1, 8 patients (23%); era 2, 4 patients (13%)], and 14 patients with SVH [era 1, 6 patients (60%); era 2, 8 patients (36%)]. Using multivariable analysis, preoperative CTA was associated with improved survival in both biventricular heart and SVH and associated with post-repair PVS-free survival in SVH. Since 2011, 12 patients with post-repair PVS underwent multiple reintervention with 1 recorded death (5-year survival: 88%). Conclusions CTA-based surgical strategy for total anomalous pulmonary venous connection provided significant survival benefit. Although post-repair PVS could occur in era 2, aggressive reintervention appeared to be associated with improved survival and vein patency.
Patient-centered care using a single consent for planned serial procedures

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to measure the satisfaction of patients and families with the use of a single anesthesia consent form for multiple-related treatments and procedures. Methods A six-question survey was developed to ascertain the satisfaction of this consent process. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate how responses differed by procedure. P Results Fifty-two surveys were obtained with all (100%) aware consent entailed more than one procedure and was preferred. Nearly all respondents (98%) agreed or strongly agreed that they were well informed about the consent process. Conclusion In this study, a single consent encompassing multi-related procedures was understood and preferred by patients. This could be applied more broadly for other services when a series of procedures are anticipated as part of the patient's care plan. There may be opportunity to apply a single consent form for other areas that have a series of planned procedures as part of care (e.g. multi-related surgical procedures).
The LHC higgsino discovery plane for present and future SUSY searches

Abstract Considerations from electroweak naturalness and stringy naturalness imply a little hierarchy in supersymmetric models where the superpotential higgsino mass parameter μ is of order the weak scale whilst the soft SUSY breaking terms may be in the (multi-) TeV range. In such a case, discovery of SUSY at LHC may be most likely in the higgsino pair production channel. Indeed, ATLAS and CMS are performing searches in the higgsino mass discovery plane of m χ ˜ 2 0 vs. Δ m 0 ≡ m χ ˜ 2 0 − m χ ˜ 1 0 . We examine several theoretical aspects of this discovery plane in both the gravity-mediation NUHM2 model and the general mirage-mediation (GMM′) models. These include: the associated chargino mass m χ ˜ 1 ± , the expected regions of the bottom-up notion of electroweak naturalness Δ E W , and the expected regions of stringy naturalness. While compatibility with electroweak naturalness allows for mass gaps Δ m 0 ∼ 4-20 GeV, stringy naturalness exhibits a clear preference for yet smaller mass gaps of 4-10 GeV. For still smaller mass gaps, the plane becomes sharply unnatural since very large gaugino masses are required. This study informs the most promising SUSY search channels and parameter space regions for the upcoming HL-LHC runs and possible HE-LHC option.
BMI1 Inhibition Eliminates Residual Cancer Stem Cells after PD1 Blockade and Activates Antitumor Immunity to Prevent Metastasis and Relapse

Summary PD1 blockade-based combination therapy has been approved as a first-line treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the response rate remains relatively low, and patients with HNSCC eventually relapse. Here, we show that the combination treatment of anti-PD1 and cisplatin enriched BMI1+ CSCs in HNSCC while inhibiting HNSCC growth. In contrast, the pharmacological and genetic inhibition of BMI1 eliminated BMI1+ CSCs and enabled PD1 blockade therapy, resulting in the inhibition of metastatic HNSCC and prevention of HNSCC relapses. BMI1 inhibition strongly induced tumor cell-intrinsic immune responses by recruiting and activating CD8+ T cells in addition to eliminating BMI1+ CSCs. Mechanistically, BMI1 inhibition induced CD8+ T cell-recruiting chemokines by stimulating IRF3-mediated transcription and erasing repressive H2A ubiquitination. Our results suggest that targeting BMI1 may enable immune checkpoint blockade to inhibit metastatic tumor growth and prevent tumor relapse by activating cell-intrinsic immunity, in addition to purging CSCs.
Identifying Taxonomic Units in Metagenomic DNA Streams

Abstract With the emergence of portable DNA sequencers, such as Oxford Nanopore Technology MinION, metagenomic DNA sequencing can be performed in real-time and directly in the field. However, because metagenomic DNA analysis is computationally and memory intensive, and the current methods are designed for batch processing, the current metagenomic tools are not well suited for mobile devices. In this paper, we propose a new memory-efficient method to identify Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) in metagenomic DNA streams. Our method is based on finding connected components in overlap graphs constructed over a real-time stream of long DNA reads as produced by MinION platform. We propose an efficient algorithm to maintain connected components when an overlap graph is streamed, and show how redundant information can be removed from the stream by transitive closures. Through experiments on simulated and real-world metagenomic data, we demonstrate that the resulting solution is able to recover OTUs with high precision while remaining suitable for mobile computing devices.
Raproto: an open source platform for rapid prototyping of wearable medical devices

For researchers, especially in remote health monitoring and ubiquitous computing, it is common to expend a significant amount of time and effort to develop data collection systems that can be used outside of the lab or clinic. These systems tend to be customized and highly specific to the task at hand; thus, they are not general enough to support other tasks. In this paper, we present Raproto, an open-source, easy-to-use rapid prototyping platform that facilitates data collection and visualization from sensors on commercially available, off-the-shelf smartwatches. The Raproto platform consists of three components: the smartwatch, communication protocol, and server. These components support the collection, transmission, storage, analysis, and visualization of data. We evaluate our platform on limiting factors including the smartwatch battery life, data loss during transmission, and data latency. Overall, we find that the smartwatch can last for over 24 hours on a single charge, has little to no data loss, and less than a second of data latency per transmission.
Percutaneous first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis

Abstract The benefits of percutaneous and minimum incision surgery (MIS) techniques employed in foot and ankle procedures has been well established. Furthermore, these techniques continue to gain popularity amongst surgeons and patients. For commonly performed first ray surgical procedures, such as the first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis, there exist vast differences between open and percutaneous techniques. These differences not only include the surgical approach itself, but spill over into the entire episode of care within the perioperative timeframe. This includes variation in fixation, postoperative weightbearing status, patient time off work, time to healing, nonunion rates, time to return to shoegear/activity, and other potential complications or side effects (postoperative swelling/pain, scar tissue, infection, and need for revision). The purpose of this technique tutorial on percutaneous first metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis is to review the author's experience and describe a stepwise approach for the entire surgical process.
Social Structure and Conflict: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

We test the long-standing hypothesis that ethnic groups that are organized around 'segmentary lineages' are more prone to conflict and civil war. Ethnographic accounts suggest that in segmentary lineage societies, which are characterized by strong allegiances to distant relatives, individuals are obligated to come to the defense of fellow lineage members when they become involved in conflicts. As a consequence, small disagreements often escalate to larger-scale conflicts involving many individuals. We test for this link between segmentary lineage and conflict across 145 African ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a number of estimation strategies, including an RD design at ethnic boundaries, we find that segmentary lineage societies experience more conflicts and ones that are longer in duration and larger in scale. We also find that the previously-documented relationship between adverse rainfall shocks and conflict within Africa is only found within segmentary lineage societies.
Oxaliplatin Kills Cells via Liquid-Liquid Demixing of Nucleoli

Platinum (Pt) compounds such as oxaliplatin are amongst the most commonly prescribed anti-cancer drugs. Despite their considerable clinical impact, the molecular basis of platinum cytotoxicity and cancer specificity remain unclear. Here, we show that oxaliplatin, a backbone for the treatment of colorectal cancer, causes liquid-liquid demixing of nucleoli at clinically-relevant concentrations by interfering with the interaction networks that organize nucleoli. This biophysical defect leads to cell cycle arrest, impaired rRNA processing and shutdown of PolI-mediated transcription, ultimately resulting in cell death. We propose that instead of targeting a single molecule, oxaliplatin preferentially partitions into nucleoli where it modifies nucleolar RNA and proteins. This mechanism provides a blueprint for drugging the increasing number of cellular processes linked to biomolecular condensates.
Diagnosis and interpretation of testing for cat scratch disease

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is an infectious disease caused by Bartonella henselae that presents as regional lymphadenopathy which can appear within weeks after a cat scratch. There is no gold standa...
Application of Demographic and Econometric Models to Regional Transportation Planning

One of the most pressing problems facing the transportation planner today is the ability to identify, design, and implement a reliable methodology to relate uncertain future socioeconomic conditions to the transportation system requirements needed to support the demand. To complicate the matter further, factory such as resource limitations, environmental degradation, and problems related to interregional integration of widely dispersed people and productive units, which are more recent issues facing the planning, must also be recognized as important factors affecting overall transportation needs.
Examining patterns of multivariate, longitudinal symptom experiences among older adults with type 2 diabetes and cancer via cluster analysis

Abstract Purpose Diabetes and cancer are chronic conditions that produce symptoms, some unique to each condition and others common to both. Previous studies have reported on subgroups of patients who experience distinct combinations of symptoms in cross-sectional samples and the univariate longitudinal trajectories of individual symptoms. The literature currently lacks examples of research that take a multivariate longitudinal perspective to understanding patients' symptom experiences. The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of patients who share distinct multivariate longitudinal profiles with respect to how symptom severity changes over time for a set of five symptoms (pain, fatigue, change in appetite, nausea, and numbness and tingling). Methods This exploratory study included 43 participants with pre-existing diabetes from eight community-based cancer centers who were receiving chemotherapy for a solid tumor. Using baseline and 8-week data, a model-based cluster analysis with Bayesian regularization was used to identify subgroups. Results Two groups were identified. Group 1 experienced mild symptoms that changed very little at 8 weeks; group 2 experienced mild to moderate symptom severity, with small increases in fatigue, nausea, and numbness and tingling. Effect size confidence intervals suggest that level of depression, length of time with diabetes, and severity of diabetes at baseline may differ between groups. Conclusions More research in this area is needed to further test this model, address limitations associated with analyzing a small sample, and explore factors that may be associated with changes in the overall symptom experience for patients with diabetes and cancer.
The Search for Early Forms of Life in Other Planetary Systems: Future Possibilities Afforded by Spectroscopic Techniques

A consideration of the basic chemistry of life as we know it suggests good reasons for expecting carbon compounds and water as fundamental elements in extraterrestrial life. It is then possible to establish criteria for habitable planets in terms of their sizes and distances from their stars. If such planets can be found in other solar systems, and observed separately from their stars, simple spectrophotometry can reveal whether or not their atmospheres contain gases such as oxygen, methane and water vapor in concentrations and/or combinations that would indicate the presence of life.
Virtualized Traffic at Metropolitan Scales

Few phenomena are more ubiquitous than traffic, and few are more significant economically, socially, or environmentally. Any virtual reality system, including virtual globes and immersive multi-player worlds that are set in a modern or futuristic setting feature traffic systems. Virtual reality models can also aid in addressing the challenges of real-world traffic systems, the ever-present gridlock and congestion in cities worldwide: traffic engineers and planners can diagnose system instabilities and explore control strategies in virtual worlds reconstructed from available sensor data. To create these systems, road network models need to be created and represented. Traffic needs to be realistically and efficiently simulated. To analyze real-world scenarios, the traffic conditions need to be estimated and reconstructed. To create virtual scenarios, such as simulated cities, traffic needs to be intelligently and efficiently routed.
hpDJ: An Automated DJ with Floorshow Feedback

The hpDJ system described here goes some way towards replacing the tasks performed by human DJs. It has potential use as a component in the user-interface to audio-based consumer digital entertainment systems, converting the audio data stored on such systems from a set of songs into a continuous seamless mix. Such mixes are suitable for play-out over streaming media (e.g., in personalized internet radio), or for writing to an appropriate recording medium (such as CD, the hard disk of an iPod, or a flash ROM card) for subsequent playback, or for playing to crowds of dancers in real nightclubs. Results from the nightclub experiment are promising, and our subsequent development of monitoring technology allows crowd feedback to influence hpDJ’s choices of songs, making it even more human-like. The use of human-inspired heuristics in dynamically selecting customized DSP filters for the cross-fade has the potential to allow hpDJ to perform cross-fades in ways that would be virtually impossible for a human DJ playing live. While there is a growing market for software products that give a “virtual” version of traditional human-DJ hardware, and while MixMeister provides a pleasant interface to a set of software tools that allow an unskilled human to create professional-quality continuous mixes, hpDJ as described here is as far as we know the first and only system that aims to totally automate the tasks performed by a human nightclub DJ, including dynamically reacting to the responses from the crowd in real-time. Although we have yet to test Version 2 in a real nightclub, it is clear that the prospect of crowd monitoring opens up new possibilities for the computer-assisted composition of music. But, whereas most computer-aided music composition systems assume a single human author working with the machine, the vision in hpDJ is that the author is an entire crowd of participants, collaborating indirectly, giving feedback as they consume the music. That feedback being generated either actively by the members of the crowd hitting the buttons on their voting watches; or passively by them merely dancing and having a good time, while the computer watches them.