cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of the Initial Value Problem

In this chapter, we shall consider specific kinetic models related to the transport of neutrons and electrons, and to cellular growth. The first two sections will be devoted to neutron transport, with special attention to spectral properties of the full transport operator and implications to hydrodynamics. The third and fourth sections deal with electron transport. In the first of these, the Spencer-Lewis equation models the slowing down of electrons by a thermalizing medium. In the following, a linearized Boltzmann equation is presented, which describes the drift of electrons in a weakly ionized gas. Finally, in the last section, we will outline a biological model for the growth of cells, due to Rotenberg, Lebowitz and Rubinow.
Off-Path {TCP} Exploits: Global Rate Limit Considered Dangerous

In this paper, we report a subtle yet serious side channel vulnerability (CVE-2016-5696) introduced in a recent TCP specification. The specification is faithfully implemented in Linux kernel version 3.6 (from 2012) and beyond, and affects a wide range of devices and hosts. In a nutshell, the vulnerability allows a blind off-path attacker to infer if any two arbitrary hosts on the Internet are communicating using a TCP connection. Further, if the connection is present, such an off-path attacker can also infer the TCP sequence numbers in use, from both sides of the connection; this in turn allows the attacker to cause connection termination and perform data injection attacks. We illustrate how the attack can be leveraged to disrupt or degrade the privacy guarantees of an anonymity network such as Tor, and perform web connection hijacking. Through extensive experiments, we show that the attack is fast and reliable. On average, it takes about 40 to 60 seconds to finish and the success rate is 88% to 97%. Finally, we propose changes to both the TCP specification and implementation to eliminate the root cause of the problem.
Limitations of Traditional Economics

As stated in the previous chapter, Robert Heilbroner is a writer of political economy of classical dimensions. The breadth of vision that is evident in his range of writings also transfers to the scope of his criticisms of traditional economic theory. Nothing in his work can be properly appreciated unless one understands that his aim is not a simple reconstruction or adaptation of neoclassical economic theory or method; his dissent runs much deeper. He states that over the years he has developed ‘an increasing impatience with, and finally a near total rejection of, neoclassical economics as an interpretation of social reality’ (Heilbroner 1992a, 247). To Heilbroner, traditional economists simply ask the wrong questions. Such a wide separation makes interpreting the finer points of his contributions difficult. In most critical discussion, both participants share some common footing. The discourse usually begins from this common point and proceeds using a mutually agreed upon vocabulary with each participant attempting to draw the other towards their side of the question. In this case any common ground, including vocabulary, is frequently quite scarce. Heilbroner and the neoclassical school are often so far apart they cannot even agree upon the appropriate goal of the discussion. In other words, what is at stake is the actual definition, scope and correct role of economic science itself.
Brougham’s Later Economic Works

Although Brougham’s economic works after 1810 contributed no original ideas, they are evidence that his substantive ideas were consistent and that he did not alter his economics for political ends. He updated his theory slightly to reflect some of the views of Malthus and Ricardo and altered his views occasionally due to the changing circumstances of the country, but he generally held fast to the principles expounded in his earlier works. Contrary to what some of his biographers have suggested about his changeable nature, this steadfastness, at least with regard to political economy, allowed him to be a leader among the popularizers of classical economic doctrine.
Stability and Collapsing Mechanism of Cavitation-Induced Nanobubbles in Simulated Extra-Cellular Matrix (ECM) Near Neuron

In blast-induced traumatic brain injury, shock waves (SW) play an important role along with cavitation phenomena. Due to the lack of reliable and reproducible experimental investigations, we have a limited understanding of the role of cavitation in brain damage. The present study aims to develop an atomistic simulation model to determine the role of shock-induced impulse and different constituents of the brain’s extra-cellular matrix (ECM) on the formation mechanism, stability and collapsing mechanism of nanobubbles in the ECM. The ECM in the brain can be divided into three major types depending on their location behind the blood-brain barrier, namely (a) the basement membrane (basal lamina), (b) the perineuronal nets and (3) the neural interstitial matrix. In this paper, we have studied the interaction of nanobubbles with bio-molecules of the perineuronal nets. We have chosen this zone of the ECM because we are interested to obtain the role of cavitation bubble collapse in neuron damage. Most biomolecules of perineuronal nets are slender in shape and flexible which is believed to induce special solid-fluid interaction between the fluid domain and the solid domain within the ECM. In addition, perineuronal nets contain a significant number of sodium ions. The relationship between sodium ion and solid-like constituents of perineuronal nets on the stability and the collapsing mechanism of nanobubbles will be discussed.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Statin Use and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL): Preliminary Results from the Mayo Clinic Case-Control Study.

Abstract Background: Inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase (“statins”) are effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Preclinical data from rodents suggested that they may increase the incidence of some cancers, including lymphoma. However, monitoring of randomized trials in humans have generally found decreased cancer risks, and these findings have been supported by a growing number of observational studies, including three recent reports of a protective association in NHL. The suggested anti-carcinogenic mechanisms for statins include their impact on inflammatory (including a shift from a Th1 to Th2 profile) and angiogenesis pathways, as well as the induction of apoptosis by modulation of signaling pathways, all of which are of biologic relevance in NHL. Methods: We evaluated the history of statin use and risk of NHL in a clinic-based study of 243 newly diagnosed NHL cases and 499 frequency matched controls enrolled at the Mayo Clinic from 2002-2005. Risk factor data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, and included history of use of cholesterol lowering drugs two or more years before diagnosis (for cases) or enrollment (for controls); specific drug names were not available. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for age, gender, and residence. NHL subtypes were centrally reviewed, and subtype-specific risks were estimated using polychotomous logistic regression. Results. The mean age at diagnosis was 59.5 years for cases and 55% were men; among controls, the mean age at enrollment was 61.8 years and 54% were men. Twenty-one percent of the cases reported ever using statins compared to 30% of the controls, supporting a lower risk of NHL for ever users (OR=0.69; 95% CI 0.47–1.00). The lowest risk was seen for the longest users; i.e., compared to never users, person who had 10 or more years of use had the greatest reduction in risk (OR=0.52; 95% CI 0.24–1.10). A history of high cholesterol was also inversely associated with risk of NHL (OR=0.72; 95% CI 0.55–0.93). However, the association for the type of treatment for cholesterol lowering varied. Those who were medically treated had inverse association with risk of NHL (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.46–0.86), while the no treatment and dietary change only groups were found to have no association with risk. The reduction in NHL risk with medical treatment was specific to statin use, as the use of other cholesterol lowering drugs was not associated with risk (OR=1.13; 95% CI 0.50–2.57). These results were not confounded by education, family history of NHL, body mass index, cigarette smoking or alcohol use. In subtype analysis, the inverse association was seen for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (OR=0.27; 95% CI 0.08–0.90), but not for CLL/SLL or follicular NHL. Conclusions. Statin use was associated with a lower risk of developing NHL, particular diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma.
Imaging of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Orthotopic Ovarian Cancer.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are often associated with a poor prognosis in cancer. To gain a better understanding of cellular recruitment and dynamics of TAM biology during cancer progression, we established a novel transgenic mouse model for in vivo imaging of luciferase-expressing macrophages. B6.129P2-Lyz2tm1(cre)Ifo/J mice, which express Cre recombinase under the control of the lysozyme M promoter (LysM) were crossed to Cre-lox Luc reporter mice (RLG), to produce LysM-LG mice whose macrophages express luciferase. Cell-type-specific luciferase expression in these mice was verified by flow cytometry, and via in vivo bioluminescence imaging under conditions where macrophages were either stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or depleted with clodronate liposomes. The distribution of activated macrophages was longitudinally imaged in two immunocompetent LysM-LG mouse models with either B16 melanoma or ID8 ovarian cancer cells. In vivo imaging of LysM-LG mice showed luciferase activity was generated by macrophages. Clodronate liposome-mediated depletion of macrophages lowered overall bioluminescence while lipopolysaccharide injection increased macrophage bioluminescence in both the B16 and ID8 models. Tracking macrophages weekly in tumor-bearing animals after intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intraovarian (i.o.) injection resulted in distinct, dynamic patterns of macrophage activity. Animals with metastatic ovarian cancer after i.p. injection exhibited significantly higher peritoneal macrophage activity compared to animals after i.o. injection. The LysM-LG model allows tracking of macrophage recruitment and activation during disease initiation and progression in a noninvasive manner. This model provides a tool to visualize and monitor the benefit of pharmacological interventions targeting macrophages in preclinical models.
Listening to paediatric primary care nurses: a qualitative study of the potential for interprofessional oral health practice in six federally qualified health centres in Massachusetts and Maryland.

Objectives To explore the opportunities for interprofessional collaboration (IPC) to improve paediatric oral health in federally qualified health centres (FQHCs), to identify challenges to IPC-led integration of oral health prevention into the well-child visit and to suggest strategies to overcome barriers. Sample Nurse managers (NMs), nurse practitioners (NPs), paediatric clinical staff and administrators in six FQHCs in two states were interviewed using a semistructured format. Design Grounded theory research. Topics included feasibility of integration, perceived barriers and strategies for incorporating oral health into paediatric primary care. Measurements Qualitative data were coded and analysed using NVivo 10 to generate themes iteratively. Results Nurses in diverse roles recognised the importance of oral health prevention but were unaware of professional guidelines for incorporating oral health into paediatric encounters. They valued collaborative care, specifically internal communication, joint initiatives and training and partnering with dental schools or community dental practices. Barriers to IPC included inadequate training, few opportunities for cross-communication and absence of charting templates in electronic health records. Conclusions NMs, NPs and paediatric nursing staff all value IPC to improve patients9 oral health, yet are constrained by lack of oral health training and supportive charting and referral systems. With supports, they are willing to take on responsibility for introducing oral health preventive measures into the well-child visit, but will require IPC approaches to training and systems changes. IPC teams in the health centre setting can work together, if policy and administrative supports are in place, to provide oral health assessments, education, fluoride varnish application and dental referrals, decrease the prevalence of early childhood caries and increase access to a dental home for low-income children.
The efficacy of treadmill training on balance dysfunction in individuals with chronic stroke: a systematic review

Background: Physical activity and exercise interventions are useful in facilitating the functional recovery of those with chronic stroke and, routinely, are gait-specific. While treadmill training ...
Pulmonary Valve Dilation

Isolated valvar pulmonary stenosis (PS) is a relatively common lesion, and one of the most straightforward cases you will perform. Typically, the pulmonary valve leaflets are thin and compliant with partially fused commissures, resulting in a dome-shaped valve structure with a narrowed central orifice. Dysplastic pulmonary valves are somewhat less common and differ in that they have irregularly thickened (myxomatous) valve leaflets, often with little, if any, commissural fusion. Leaflet mobility is variably reduced and the valve annulus may be small. The natural history studies provided a wealth of data about the course of this disease (1).
Presentation and Epidemiology of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most prevalent gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, and leads to substantial morbidity, though associated mortality is rare. The prevalence of GERD symptoms appeared to increase until 1999. Risk factors for complications of GERD include advanced age, male sex, white race, abdominal obesity, and tobacco use. Most patients with GERD present with heartburn and effortless regurgitation. Coexistent dysphagia is considered an alarm symptom, prompting evaluation. There is substantial overlap between symptoms of GERD and those of eosinophilic esophagitis, functional dyspepsia, and gastroparesis, posing a challenge for patient management.
Primary Repair for Delayed Recognition of Esophageal Perforation

Delayed recognition of esophageal perforation occurs due to the rarity of this problem and the protean manifestations of its presentation. The great majority of reports indicate delayed diagnosis of a perforated esophagus leads to more morbidity and mortality and greater length of stay when compared to those diagnosed less than 24 hours after perforation. Earlier reports and recommendations suggested that late recognition of an esophageal perforation mandated treatment other than primary repair. Grillo was one of the first to promote the concept of primary repair even in patients who were diagnosed late with an esophageal perforation. Most recent reports confirm the safety and efficacy of primary repair regardless of time of perforation. No randomized clinical trials have been performed of treatment options in esophageal perforations.
Making Your Point: The Impact of Processing Techniques on Classroom Activities

AbstractMany teachers would readily acknowledge that their words can have a tremendous impact on students' learning. When activity is used as a teaching tool in the classroom, these words can take ...
Introduction to Markov Models

Models of landscape change are important tools for understanding the forces that shape landscapes. One motivation for modeling is to examine the implications of extrapolating short-term landscape dynamics over the longer term. This extrapolation of the status quo can serve as a frame of reference against which to assess alternative management scenarios or test hypotheses. There is a spectrum of ways to consider landscape change, ranging from simple and readily interpretable, to more realistic and less tractable. The goals of this lab are to.
Development and Implementation of New Cellular Therapies

The original concept of blood component therapy involved separating a standard unit (approximately 450 mL) of whole blood into red cells, plasma, and platelets in order to store each component under ideal conditions and to make the different components of whole blood available for different kinds of patients. This revolutionized transfusion therapy. However, the number and kind of components that can be prepared are limited by the volume and composition of the whole blood collected. The next advance in the production of blood components and blood component therapy was the development of blood cell separators and apheresis. This made it possible to process a larger volume of donor blood and selectively remove one component to produce a much larger blood component from an individual donor. Developments in science and technology are now making it possible to produce new, even more
The development and implementation of bioanalytical methods using LC-MS to support ADME studies in early drug discovery and candidate selection.

The dramatic improvement in bioanalytical method development and application within the pharmaceutical industry began in the early 1990s with the commercial availability of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) systems. As the power of this type of detection was realized, research groups [drug metabolism, safety assessment, product research and development (PR&D), pharmacology, medicinal chemistry] throughout the industry acquired this technology insatiably. Companies purchased LC-MS systems from a variety of vendors and incorporated this technology into their respective areas of research in a number of innovated ways. Clearly, this technology has become the primary analytical tool within the pharmaceutical industry and its incorporation and efficient use have helped to accelerate the generation of high-quality data in support of research and development. By the end of the last century, essentially every bioanalytical department in a pharmaceutical company possessed a number of mass spectrometers, including single-stage, triple quadrupole, time-of-flight (TOF) and ion trap instruments. In addition, many of these groups also purchased automated liquid handling instruments and incorporated them into a variety of sample preparation procedures that are carried out daily in laboratories around the world.
Practical State Recovery Attacks against Legacy RNG Implementations

The ANSI X9.17/X9.31 pseudorandom number generator design was first standardized in 1985, with variants incorporated into numerous cryptographic standards over the next three decades. The design uses timestamps together with a statically keyed block cipher to produce pseudo-random output. It has been known since 1998 that the key must remain secret in order for the output to be secure. However, neither the FIPS 140-2 standardization process nor NIST's later descriptions of the algorithm specified any process for key generation. We performed a systematic study of publicly available FIPS 140- 2 certifications for hundreds of products that implemented the ANSI X9.31 random number generator, and found twelve whose certification documents use of static, hard-coded keys in source code, leaving the implementation vulnerable to an attacker who can learn this key from the source code or binary. In order to demonstrate the practicality of such an attack, we develop a full passive decryption attack against FortiGate VPN gateway products using FortiOS v4 that recovers the private key in seconds. We measure the prevalence of this vulnerability on the visible Internet using active scans, and demonstrate state recovery and full private key recovery in the wild. Our work highlights the extent to which the validation and certification process has failed to provide even modest security guarantees.
Unsupervised clustering of mammograms for outlier detection and breast density estimation

The flourishing of machine learning use for cognitive tasks has driven an increased demand for large annotated training datasets. In the medical imaging domain, such datasets are scarce, and the process of labeling them is costly, error prone and requires high expertise. Unsupervised learning is therefore an attractive approach for analyzing unlabeled medical images. In this paper we describe an unsupervised analysis method, consisting of feature learning by Stacked Auto-Encoders, K-means clustering for building a data model, and encoding of new images using the model. We utilize this method for image-level and patch-level analysis of breast mammograms. At the image-level, we demonstrate that our cluster-based image encoding is able to identify outlier images such as images with implants or non-standard acquisition views. At the patch-level, we show that image signatures using patch clustering can be used for unsupervised semantic segmentation of breast tissues, as well as for separating mammograms with high and low breast density. We evaluate our suggested methods on large datasets and discuss potential applications for data curation, machine-guided annotation and automatic interpretation of medical images.
Inhibition of checkpoint kinase 1 following gemcitabine-mediated S phase arrest results in CDC7- and CDK2-dependent replication catastrophe

Combining DNA-damaging drugs with DNA checkpoint inhibitors is an emerging strategy to manage cancer. Checkpoint kinase 1 inhibitors (CHK1is) sensitize most cancer cell lines to DNA-damaging drugs and also elicit single-agent cytotoxicity in 15% of cell lines. Consequently, combination therapy may be effective in a broader patient population. Here, we characterized the molecular mechanism of sensitization to gemcitabine by the CHK1i MK8776. Brief gemcitabine incubation irreversibly inhibited ribonucleotide reductase, depleting dNTPs, resulting in durable S phase arrest. Addition of CHK1i 18 h after gemcitabine elicited cell division cycle 7 (CDC7)- and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2)-dependent reactivation of the replicative helicase, but did not reinitiate DNA synthesis due to continued lack of dNTPs. Helicase reactivation generated extensive single-strand (ss)DNA that exceeded the protective capacity of the ssDNA-binding protein, replication protein A. The subsequent cleavage of unprotected ssDNA has been termed replication catastrophe. This mechanism did not occur with concurrent CHK1i plus gemcitabine treatment, providing support for delayed administration of CHK1i in patients. Alternative mechanisms of CHK1i-mediated sensitization to gemcitabine have been proposed, but their role was ruled out; these mechanisms include premature mitosis, inhibition of homologous recombination, and activation of double-strand break repair nuclease (MRE11). In contrast, single-agent activity of CHK1i was MRE11-dependent and was prevented by lower concentrations of a CDK2 inhibitor. Hence, both pathways require CDK2 but appear to depend on different CDK2 substrates. We conclude that a small-molecule inhibitor of CHK1 can elicit at least two distinct, context-dependent mechanisms of cytotoxicity in cancer cells.
Masked Sentence Recognition in Children, Young Adults, and Older Adults: Age-Dependent Effects of Semantic Context and Masker Type.

Objectives Masked speech recognition in normal-hearing listeners depends in part on masker type and semantic context of the target. Children and older adults are more susceptible to masking than young adults, particularly when the masker is speech. Semantic context has been shown to facilitate noise-masked sentence recognition in all age groups, but it is not known whether age affects a listener's ability to use context with a speech masker. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of masker type and semantic context of the target as a function of listener age. Design Listeners were children (5 to 16 years), young adults (19 to 30 years), and older adults (67 to 81 years), all with normal or near-normal hearing. Maskers were either speech-shaped noise or two-talker speech, and targets were either semantically correct (high context) sentences or semantically anomalous (low context) sentences. Results As predicted, speech reception thresholds were lower for young adults than either children or older adults. Age effects were larger for the two-talker masker than the speech-shaped noise masker, and the effect of masker type was larger in children than older adults. Performance tended to be better for targets with high than low semantic context, but this benefit depended on age group and masker type. In contrast to adults, children benefitted less from context in the two-talker speech masker than the speech-shaped noise masker. Context effects were small compared with differences across age and masker type. Conclusions Different effects of masker type and target context are observed at different points across the lifespan. While the two-talker masker is particularly challenging for children and older adults, the speech masker may limit the use of semantic context in children but not adults.
The Influence of Teachers' Colorblind Expectations on the Political, Normative, and Technical Dimensions of Educational Reform.

This ethnographic case study examined the experiences of African American students within an urban school detracking reform initiative, which was intended to replace tracking practices through the ...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents Treatment Guidelines

The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is 2 to 3% in children and adolescents. A larger proportion have subthreshold symptoms. The initiation of symptoms may be insidious or more abrupt and children are reluctant to reveal symptoms. The most common obsessions are contamination fears and aggressive/ sexual obsessions while the most common compulsions are repeating, ordering compulsions and washing rituals. Comorbid conditions include major depression, generalised anxiety, separation anxiety and tic disorders. A subgroup of children also have pervasive developmental disorder. Clinical management is based on careful information gathering, availability of the clinician to the family and illness education. Rating scales such as the Leyton Obsessional Inventory — Children’s Version and the Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) are used to establish baseline symptoms. The CY-BOCS is used to assess severity on follow-up. Organic primary causes of OCD should be investigated. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is effective in adults and controlled trials are underway in children. Individual and family therapy are adjunct treatment modalities. Pharmacological interventions are based on the use of nonselective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) reuptake inhibitors such as clomipramine or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline or citalopram. SSRIs are currently the agents of choice to treat paediatric OCD; although clomipramine is as effective as the SSRIs, adverse effects make it a less optimal first-line agent. There are no known efficacy differences between SSRIs. Fluoxetine and sertraline may cause more behavioural activation. Fluoxetine has a longer half-life, while fluvoxamine and sertraline have shorter half-lives. Controlled double-blind studies are available for clomipramine, fluvoxamine (which has US Food and Drug Administration approval for use in OCD with children) and sertraline. Trials are underway for paroxetine and fluoxetine. Augmentation strategies are appropriate after a full trial with adequate length of treatment and maximum tolerated dosage with one or possibly two SSRIs or clomipramine. Tic-related OCD improves with antipsychotic augmentation. In adolescents, careful addition of an SSRI to clomipramine is an alternative strategy. Lithium and buspirone are not useful in augmentation, clonazepam is possibly beneficial. Attention should be paid to the cytochrome P450 metabolic pathway that affects the SSRIs when used with other drugs. Current experimental immune therapies in children with autoimmune OCD may provide additional treatment strategies. With adequate treatment most children with OCD will have a positive response, but long term treatment is indicated in most children with moderate to severe symptoms.
The Films of Mira Nair: Diaspora Vérité: by Amardeep Singh, Jackson, University of Mississippi Press, 2018, 227 pp., $30.00 (paperback), ISBN-10: 1496821165, ISBN-13: 978-1496821164

As the Hollywood film industry has pledged increased attention to diversity and inclusion over the past few years in the wake of the #filmisfemale and #OscarsSoWhite movements, one of the unfortuna...
Geographic Variation in Trends and Disparities in Cardiovascular Mortality Related to Heart Failure in the United States, 2000-2017

Introduction Over the past several decades, significant advances in the management of heart failure (HF) have led to dramatic declines in cardiovascular (CV) mortality among patients with HF. However, it is unknown whether these improvements were consistent across geographic regions. Therefore we sought to describe recent trends in HF-related CV mortality at the regional and state level. Hypothesis Significant geographic variation exists in trends of HF-related CV mortality and have led to widening disparities. Methods HF-related CV mortality rates from 2000 to 2017 were determined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research when CVD (I00-I78) was listed as the underlying cause of death and HF (I50) was listed as a contributing cause of death. Mortality rates were age-adjusted using the 2000 US standard population, and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) were examined by census region and by state. Within regions, AAMR were quantified for each race-sex group. We used JoinPoint Regression to identify the inflection point in AAMR trends and linear regression to quantify annual rate of change in AAMR. Results AAMR for HF-related CV mortality experienced an inflection point in 2011. AAMR declined consistently prior to 2011 and increased between 2011 and 2017 across all 4 regions. Annual increases in AAMR per 100,000 after 2011 were greatest in the Midwest (β=1.14 [95% CI 0.75, 1.53]), indicating an increase of 1.14 deaths per 100,000 per year. In the South annual AAMR increase was 0.96 per 100,000 per year (0.66, 1.26) followed by the West (0.72 [0.05, 1.39]) and Northeast (0.35 [0.03, 0.68]). In each region, HF-related CV AAMR were highest among black men. In addition, the steepest rate of annual change in AAMR occurred in black men (Midwest 2.45 [1.03,3.87], South 3.79 [2.61,4.96], West 3.65 [2.41,4.88], and Northeast 1.29 [0.69,1.90]) from 2011 to 2017. HF-related CV AAMR varied widely for all states (FIGURE) with the greatest burden focused in Mississippi, Utah, and Idaho in 2017. Conclusions Wide geographic variation exists in HF-related CV mortality rates with highest rates and greatest increases observed in the South and Midwest. Black men in each region have the highest HF-related CV mortality rates and saw the greatest increases between 2011 and 2017. Urgent action is needed to focus public health efforts on modifiable risk exposures in regions and subgroups with greatest burden of HF.
Long-Term Flow through Human Intestinal Organoids with the Gut Organoid Flow Chip (GOFlowChip)

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) are millimeter-scale models of the human intestinal epithelium and hold tremendous potential for advancing fundamental and applied biomedical research. HIOs resemble the native gut in that they consist of a fluid-filled lumen surrounded by a polarized epithelium and associated mesenchyme; however, their topologically-closed, spherical shape prevents flow through the interior luminal space, making the system less physiological and leading to the buildup of cellular and metabolic waste. These factors ultimately limit experimentation inside the HIOs. Here, we present a millifluidic device called the gut organoid flow chip (GOFlowChip), which we use to "port" HIOs and establish steady-state liquid flow through the lumen for multiple days. This long-term flow is enabled by the use of laser-cut silicone gaskets, which allow liquid in the device to be slightly pressurized, suppressing bubble formation. To demonstrate the utility of the device, we establish separate luminal and extraluminal flow and use luminal flow to remove accumulated waste. This represents the first demonstration of established liquid flow through the luminal space of a gastrointestinal organoid over physiologically relevant time scales. Flow cytometry results reveal that HIO cell viability is unaffected by long-term porting and luminal flow. We expect the real-time, long-term control over luminal and extraluminal contents provided by the GOFlowChip will enable a wide variety of studies including intestinal secretion, absorption, transport, and co-culture with intestinal microorganisms.
You Can’t Handicraft the Apocalypse: The Invidious Consequences of “Opting Out“

ABSTRACTFor subjects of neoliberal authoritarianism, the precariousness of everyday life is amplified in the face of catastrophic climate change. Rather than build networks of solidarity to shape a...
Chapter 7 – Stream Cipher Design

The stream ciphers considered in this chapter are binary additive stream ciphers, that is, a ciphertext bitstring is produced by adding a plaintext bitstring and a binary keystream. Thus the security of the cipher depends entirely on the randomness of the keystream. It is not easy to define precisely what a random bitstring is, but certainly the essence of a random bitstring is the inability to predict any bits in the string with a better probability of success than one would have by simply making guesses. Many statistical tests have been devised such that any pseudorandom bit generator (PRBG) must pass each test in order not to have some specific statistical weakness. The theory of testing whether a given generator passes all possible statistical tests is explained. Many kinds of generators and various attacks on them are discussed. In particular, the relatively recent algebraic and linearization attacks are summarized. This is a very active current area of research, so details of the many recent results cannot be included due to lack of space.
Topical Focus of Political Campaigns and its Impact: Findings from Politicians' Hashtag Use during the 2019 Indian Elections

We studied the topical preferences of social media campaigns of India's two main political parties by examining the tweets of 7382 politicians during the key phase of campaigning between Jan - May of 2019 in the run up to the 2019 general election. First, we compare the use of self-promotion and opponent attack, and their respective success online by categorizing 1208 most commonly used hashtags accordingly into the two categories. Second, we classify the tweets applying a qualitative typology to hashtags on the subjects of nationalism, corruption, religion and development. We find that the ruling BJP tended to promote itself over attacking the opposition whereas the main challenger INC was more likely to attack than promote itself. Moreover, while the INC gets more retweets on average, the BJP dominates Twitter's trends by flooding the online space with large numbers of tweets. We consider the implications of our findings hold for political communication strategies in democracies across the world.
A computational study of amoeboid motility in 3D: the role of extracellular matrix geometry, cell deformability, and cell–matrix adhesion

Amoeboid cells often migrate using pseudopods, which are membrane protrusions that grow, bifurcate, and retract dynamically, resulting in a net cell displacement. Many cells within the human body, such as immune cells, epithelial cells, and even metastatic cancer cells, can migrate using the amoeboid phenotype. Amoeboid motility is a complex and multiscale process, where cell deformation, biochemistry, and cytosolic and extracellular fluid motions are coupled. Furthermore, the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a confined, complex, and heterogeneous environment for the cells to navigate through. Amoeboid cells can migrate without significantly remodeling the ECM using weak or no adhesion, instead utilizing their deformability and the microstructure of the ECM to gain enough traction. While a large volume of work exists on cell motility on 2D substrates, amoeboid motility is 3D in nature. Despite recent progress in modeling cellular motility in 3D, there is a lack of systematic evaluations of the role of ECM microstructure, cell deformability, and adhesion on 3D motility. To fill this knowledge gap, here we present a multiscale, multiphysics modeling study of amoeboid motility through 3D-idealized ECM. The model is a coupled fluid‒structure and coarse-grain biochemistry interaction model that accounts for large deformation of cells, pseudopod dynamics, cytoplasmic and extracellular fluid motion, stochastic dynamics of cell-ECM adhesion, and microstructural (pore-scale) geometric details of the ECM. The key finding of the study is that cell deformation and matrix porosity strongly influence amoeboid motility, while weak adhesion and microscale structural details of the ECM have secondary but subtle effects.
An Analysis of the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Case Volumes in an Academic Subspecialty-Based Anatomic Pathology Practice

The recent COVID pandemic has had a major effect on anatomic pathology specimen volumes across the country. The effect of this pandemic on a subspecialty academic practice is presented. We used a data-driven approach to monitor the changing workloads in a granular fashion and dynamically adjust the scheduling of faculty and histology staff accordingly to minimize the number of people present on-site. At the peak of the pandemic locally, the main hospital in our health system had 450 COVID-positive inpatients. The surgical pathology specimen volume dropped to 13% of the pre-pandemic levels, and this occurred about 2 weeks before the peak of the inpatient census; cytology specimens (the majority of which are outreach gynecological) dropped to approximately 5% of the pre-pandemic volume, 4 weeks before the peak inpatient census. All of the surgical subspecialty services showed a significant decrease in volume, with hematopathology being the least affected (dropped to 30% of the pre-pandemic level). The genitourinary surgical subspecialty service (predominantly prostate and bladder biopsies) was the most affected (dropped to 1% of the pre-pandemic level) but was fastest to return as clinical operations began to return to normal. The only specimen type which showed a significant increase in turnaround time during the pandemic was our gynecologic cytology specimens and that occurred as the specimen volume returned. This was due to stay-at-home directives for the cytotechnologists and the fact that some of them were retasked to participate in our SARS-CoV-2 testing.
Suicidal ideation in first-episode psychosis: Considerations for depression, positive symptoms, clinical insight, and cognition.

Abstract Background Suicide is a leading cause of death for individuals with psychosis. Although factors influencing suicide risk have been studied in schizophrenia, far less is known about factors that protect against or trigger increased risk during early-stage and first episode of psychosis. This study examined whether depression, psychotic symptoms, clinical insight, and cognition were associated with suicide ideation among individuals with first-episode psychosis. Methods Data were obtained from the Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project. Participants (n = 404) included adults between ages 15 and 40 in a first episode of psychosis. Measurement included the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. A logistic regression model evaluated clinical and cognitive variables as predictors of suicidal ideation. Results Greater positive symptoms (OR = 1.085, p Conclusion The likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation was significantly increased when positive and depressive symptoms were present, and significantly decreased when clinical insight was poorer and working memory stronger. These findings have important implications for the role of cognition and insight in risk for suicide ideation in early-stage psychosis, which may aid in improving the prediction of suicide behaviors and inform clinical decision-making over the course of the illness.
Performance Pay and Risk Sharing between Firms and Workers

Using data from Glassdoor, we show that firms transmit productivity shocks to workers through performance pay. Performance pay responds more than base to industry shocks, falling (rising) 17% in Finance (Information Technology) after the recent financial crisis. At the regional level, performance pay is 7--10x more procyclical than base pay, and this procyclicality is strongest among larger firms in tradable industries. Idiosyncratic shocks to annual firm performance also pass through to bonuses, with a one-standard-deviation increase in average labor productivity raising performance pay by 5%. We rationalize these results in a model of risk sharing between a worker with limited commitment and a risk-averse firm. Consistent with our theory, performance pay usage is associated with increased earnings variance for workers, but lower volatility of firm sales, employment, and productivity growth. Interestingly, it is also associated with faster productivity growth, suggesting that incorporating performance-based compensation may help improve firm performance.
Health Care Needs and Distributive Justice

A theory of health care needs should serve two central purposes. First, it should illuminate the sense in which we—at least many of us—think health care is “special” and that it should be treated differently from other social goods. Specifically, even in societies in which poeple tolerate (and glorify) significant and pervasive inequalities in the distribution of most social goods, many feel there are special reasons of justice for distributing health care more equally. Some societies even have institutions for doing so. To be sure, others argue it is perverse to single out health care in this way, or that if we have reasons for doing so, they are rooted in charity, not justice. In any case, a theory of health care needs should show their connection to other central notions in an acceptable theory of justice. It should help us see what kind of social good health care is by properly relating it to social goods whose importance is similar and for which we may have a clearer grasp of appropriate distributive principles.
Screening of Street Drugs by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography

A procedure is described for the screening of the common drugs of abuse : amphetamine, ephedrine, methamphetamine, MDA, and phencyclidine, and the common excipient caffeine by high pressure liquid chromotography using reverse phase and adsorption packings.
A Practical Approach to the Symbolic Debugging of Parallelized Code

A practical technique is presented that supports the debugging of parallelized code through global renaming and name reclamation. Global renaming creates single assignment code for programs destined to be parallelized. After parallelization, a reclamation of names not useful for either the execution or debugging of the code is performed. During execution non-current values can then be tracked and reported to the debugger. Results of experimentation indicate the enlargement of the name space is reasonable and that virtually all non-current values are reportable. The technique is independent of the transformations chosen to parallelize the code.
SPONTANEOUS CYTOTOXICITY BY HUMAN PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an investigation of spontaneous cytotoxicity by human peripheral blood lymphocytes. It describes a few studies in which well-characterized subpopulations of human peripheral blood lymphocytes were prepared by a combination of immunoabsorbent techniques and were utilized as cytotoxic effectors. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from normal healthy volunteers by Ficoll–Hypaque gradient centrifugation were depleted of macrophages by iron carbonyl treatment, and the resultant macrophage-depleted lymphocyte population was separated into surface immunoglobulin (sIg)-negative and sIg-positive lymphocyte subpopulations utilizing Sephadex anti-Fab immunoabsorbent columns. Incubation of sIg-negative lymphocytes on antigen–antibody complexed plastic surfaces yielded a non-adherent sIg-negative, Fc-receptor-negative lymphocyte subpopulation. These effector cell populations were added to 51 Cr-labeled Chang liver cell targets in a tissue culture medium containing 5% fetal calf serum, and following 18 h incubation, the % 51 Cr release from cultures containing effector cells and target cells was compared to the % 51 Cr release from target cells incubated in medium alone without added effector cells.
d-Amino Acid Oxidase: I. SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC STUDIES

Abstract The d-amino acid oxidase-catalyzed conversion of d-phenylglycine to benzoylformic acid can be followed spectrophotometrically by measuring the increase in optical density at 252 mµ which accompanies this reaction. Various properties of this d-phenylglycine reaction were studied, and conditions are given for the application of this reaction as a spectrophotometric assay of d-amino acid oxidase. Several previously established properties of d-amino acid oxidase were redetermined with the spectrophotometric method, and the results obtained were in good agreement with those previously observed with other assay methods. The spectrophotometric method was used to study the binding of pyridine carboxylic acid derivatives to the enzyme. The three isomeric pyridine carboxylic acids and N-methyl-nicotinic acid effectively inhibit d-amino acid oxidase, and the inhibition observed was in each case competitive with respect to substrate. Inhibitor dissociation constants are listed for the derivatives studied.
Reply to review of the book Hungarian Folk Instruments

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Robert Mandel Translators: Arle Lommel Year: 2008 Pages: 174 Publisher: Kossuth Publishing ISBN: 978-963-09-5799-1 (hard cover).
Vlasov-Fokker-Planck modeling of magnetic field reconnection driven by heat flow in inertial confinement fusion related scenarios

Summary form only given. In the interaction of high power laser beams with solid density plasma, there are a number of magnetic field generating mechanisms that result in very strong fields that can inhibit energy transport. Here, we present 2D numerical modeling of near critical density plasma using a fully implicit Vlasov-Fokker-Planck code, IMPACTA, which includes self-consistent magnetic fields as well as anisotropic electron pressure terms in the expansion of the distribution function. Magnetic field generation and advection by different mechanisms is studied in the context of laser spot heating where reconnection of magnetic field lines may occur. In particular, we compare the relative importance of the Hall, resistivity, and heat flux effects in the magnetic field dynamics of 5 MG oppositely aligned magnetic fields interacting in a plasma of 1 keV temperature with a number density of 1022 cm−3. The reconnection rate induced by the heat flux effect is compared with collisionless magnetic field reconnection rates.