cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Raising Adult Vaccination Rates over 4 Years Among Racially Diverse Patients at Inner-City Health Centers

OBJECTIVES: To increase adult immunizations at inner-city health centers serving primarily minority patients. DESIGN: A before–after trial with a concurrent control. SETTING: Five inner-city health centers. PARTICIPANTS: All adult patients at the health centers eligible for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. INTERVENTION: Four intervention sites chose from a menu of culturally appropriate interventions based on the unique features of their respective health centers. MEASUREMENTS: Immunization and demographic data from medical records of a random sample of 568 patients aged 50 and older who had been patients at their health centers since 2000. RESULTS: The preintervention influenza vaccination rate of 27.1% increased to 48.9% (P<.001) in intervention sites in Year 4, whereas the concurrent control rate remained low (19.7%). The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) rate in subjects aged 65 and older increased from 48.3% to 81.3% (P<.001) in intervention sites in Year 4. Increase in PPV in the concurrent control was not significant. In logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of influenza vaccination was significantly associated with the intervention (odds ratio (OR)=2.07, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.77–2.41) and with age of 65 and older (OR=2.0, 95% CI=1.62–2.48) but not with race. Likelihood of receiving the pneumococcal vaccination was also associated with older age and, to a lesser degree, with intervention. CONCLUSION: Culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions selected by intervention sites resulted in increased adult vaccinations in disadvantaged, racially diverse, inner-city populations over 2 to 4 years.
Dark Gold: Statistical Properties of Clandestine Networks in Massively Multiplayer Online Games

Gold farming is a set of illicit practices in which players in massively multiplayer online games gather and distribute virtual goods for real money. Using anonymized data from a popular online game to construct networks of characters involved in gold farming, we examine the trade networks of gold farmers, their trading affiliates, and uninvolved characters at large. Our analysis of these complex networks’ connectivity, assortativity, and attack tolerance indicate that farmers exhibit distinctive behavioral signatures which are masked by brokering affiliates. Our findings are compared against a real world drug trafficking network and suggest similarities in both organizations’ network structures which reflect similar effects of secrecy, resilience, and efficiency.
With Apologies to Scheherazade: Tails of 1001 Kinesin Motors

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 9 A N OVERVIEW O F THE KINESIN SUPERFAMILY ... . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 32 1 FAMILIES OF POSSIBLE VESICLE TRANSPORTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330 The Kinesin Family . . . . ..... . . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . ... . . 330 The KIF3 Family: KIF3, KLP64D, KLP68D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 The unc-l04 Family: unc-l04, KIFI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 FAMILIES OF PROBABLE MITOTIC/MEIOTIC MOTORS . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 The bimC Family: bimC, cut7, EG5, KLP61F, CIN8, KIP] . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 The KAR3 Family: KAR3, KLPA, ned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 ORPHANS . ... .... . ... . . .. . . . . .... . . . .. . . . . . .. . ... . .. . . . 34 0 SMYI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 0 nod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 1 KLP98A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 MKLPI . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 CENP-E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 2 KIP2, KLP3A, KLP67A, KIF2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343 GENERAL THEMES THAT EMERGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 3 Mechanisms for Generating Functional Diversity . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . 34 3 Functional Redundancy ... .... . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . . ... 344 Types of Functions Carried Out by Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 6 REMAINING QUESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS . . . ... . . . . . . ... . .. . . 34 6
Abstract T P80: Correlates of Spleen Volume After Stroke

Introduction: Inflammatory events have a major influence on acute injury and on neural repair after stroke, and may also be important mediators of treatment effects for some cellular therapies. Preclinical studies suggest that splenic events may be important to the evolution of post-stroke inflammation, and that reduced splenic volume may be a useful marker of these events. The current study extended these findings to humans by examining spleen volumes and their clinical correlates in patients admitted for stroke in order to test the hypothesis that splenic volume is related to 4 variables of interest (1) time post-stroke, (2) level of blood lymphocytes, (3) level of blood neutrophils, and (4) volume of cerebral infarct. METHODS: This retrospective study examined patients admitted for a new stroke between 2006-2011 at a single institution who also had an abdominal CT scan performed. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. Splenic volume was measured from abdominal CT scan by radiologists with expertise in abdominal imaging. Infarct volumes were calculated from brain CT or MRI. RESULTS: A total of 90 patients were identified, 4 of whom had abdominal CT prior to stroke, leaving 86 patients. These 86 had age 66 ± 14 yr (mean ± SD), gender 51M/35F, and infarct volume 51 ± 70 cc. Infarcts were ischemic in 58 (67%), 7 of whom (12%) received tPA, and intracerebral hemorrhage in 28 (33%). Spleen volumes were 225±137 cc, and correlated with gender (M>F, p<0.03), but not with age or stroke subtype. In terms of the variables of interest, splenic volume correlated with % lymphocytes (r=-0.27, p<0.02) and % neutrophils (r=0.23, p<0.04), but not with time post-stroke or infarct volume. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients admitted for stroke, a smaller spleen was found in relation to high lymphocyte and lower neutrophil levels in the blood, consistent with prior findings in rodents and in humans. Although the retrospective nature of the current study introduces potential for bias, these results further suggest that splenic events may be important to inflammatory events arising after stroke.
Copper chaperones: personal escorts for metal ions.

Copper serves as the essential cofactor for a number of enzymes involved in redox chemistry and virtually all organisms must accumulate trace levels of copper in order to survive. However, this metal can also be toxic and a number of effective methods for sequestering and detoxifying copper prevent the metal from freely circulating inside a cell. Copper metalloenzymes are therefore faced with the challenge of acquiring their precious metal cofactor in the absence of available copper. To overcome this dilemma, all eukaryotic organisms have evolved with a family of intracellular copper binding proteins that help reserve a bioavailable pool of copper for the metalloenzymes, escort the metal to appropriate targets, and directly transfer the copper ion. These proteins have been collectively called “copper chaperones.” The identification of such molecules has been made possible through molecular genetic studies in the bakers' yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this review, we highlight the findings that led to a new paradigm of intracellular trafficking of copper involving the action of copper chaperones. In particular, emphasis will be placed on the ATX1 and CCS copper chaperones that act to deliver copper to the secretory pathway and to Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase in the cytosol, respectively.
New species of ectendomycorrhizal and pseudomycorrhizal fungi: Phialophora finlandia, Chloridium paucisporum, and Phialocephala fortinii

Three sporulating cultures of Mycelium radicis atrovirens sensu lato are proposed as new species of Hyphomycetes: Phialophora finlandia, Chloridium paucisporum, and Phialocephala fortinii. The firs...
Historia przeciw teorii: komentarz do Marksowskiej metody z Kapitału

Miedzy teoretycznymi pismami Marksa z zakresu ekonomii politycznej (takimi jak, na przyklad, trzy ksiegi Kapitalu) a jego pismami historycznymi (jak Osiemnasty Brumaire’a czy Wojna domowa we Francji) istnieje pewna luka, wynikająca z ograniczen, jakie Marks narzucil swoim badaniom polityczno-ekonomicznym. Ograniczenia te zostaly naszkicowane w Zarysie krytyki ekonomii politycznej, gdzie Marks czyni rozroznienie pomiedzy a) uniwersalnością metabolicznej relacji ze światem natury, b) ogolnym charakterem praw rządzących ruchem kapitalu, c) szczegolnością podzialu i wymiany, a d) jednostkowością procesow konsumpcji. Analiza zawartości Kapitalu pokazuje, ze Marks zasadniczo ograniczyl swoje wysilki do wykazania, ze istnieją prawa, ktorymi rządzi sie proces produkcji. Optyka ta pozwolila mu na identyfikacje pewnych prawidlowości w zakresie ruchow kapitalu, wlaściwych kazdemu kapitalistycznemu sposobowi produkcji. Zarazem jednak wykluczala ona pozostale czynniki, przez co nie mogla ustanowic kompletnej teorii kapitalistycznego sposobu produkcji. Lepsze zrozumienie tego, w czym Marks moze nam pomoc dzieki swojemu rozpoznaniu ogolnych zasad ruchu prowadzi do znacznie lepszego zrozumienia, co my sami musimy zrobic, jeśli chcemy, by wyniki jego badan daly sie zastosowac w konkretnych okolicznościach. Takich jak te, ktore zaistnialy w trakcie kryzysu ekonomicznego towarzyszącego nam od 2007 roku.
Molecular Events Mediating T Cell Activation

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the state of the art in the area of T lymphocyte signal transduction. The chapter presents a critical overview and synthesis of the important findings in the field of T cell activation. The ability to maintain functional antigen-specific T cell clones in long-term culture, and the determination of the primary structure of the T cell antigen–receptor complex and other surface activation molecules have been some of the major advances in T cell immunobiology in recent years. This progress has paved the way to analyze the cascade of biochemical events that constitute the transmembrane signaling machinery. Although this aspect of T cell activation is generally accepted by most researchers in this area, nearly all other biochemical events are poorly understood. These include the mechanisms that couple receptor occupancy to PIP2 hydrolysis, the potential role of other signaling pathways, and the critical cytoplasmic and nuclear events that follow second messenger production. Activation of resting T cells can be initiated by a diverse group of cell surface receptors identified in recent years, originally, by appropriate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and, subsequently, by gene cloning and sequencing. The conclusion that such receptors play a role in T cell activation is based on the agonist or antagonist properties of the relevant mAb. The physiological ligands for some, but not all, of these receptors are also identified.
Price Transparency: Not a Panacea for High Health Care Costs.

It has become conventional wisdom that providing patients information about prices of services will allow health care markets to work more effectively by enabling patients as consumers to weigh the price of health services in deciding what services to choose. As a reflection of this belief, more than half of US states have passed legislation mandating health plans, hospitals, or physicians to provide some form of price transparency. In one study, use of an employer-sponsored private price transparency platform was associated with lower claims payments for common medical services, with 13% to 14% reductions observed for advanced imaging and common laboratory tests and a 1% reduction noted for routine office visits.
Morphologic and functional studies of immature rat oocyte-cumulus complexes after cryopreservation

The effects of freezing and thawing (F/T) on functional activity of immature rat oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCC) were studied. The OCC were divided into three groups according to the number of cumulus-cell layers surrounding them. The OCC were then frozen and thawed (F/T), with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as cryoprotectant. The survival rates after thawing increased significantly (P
Overall Framework for Situation Recognition: Overview

This chapter outlines the workflow for modeling and building situation-aware applications using the framework. It discusses the design features of the framework and gives an overview of each component rather than zooming into the details (which are presented in the following chapters).
Scalar Implicatures and Their Interface with Grammar

Scalar implicatures (SIs) and, more generally, quantity-based implicatures (QBIs) have been intensely investigated since Grice's seminal work. Recently, SIs and QBIs have been at the center of an intense debate. Some researchers, following Grice's original insight, argue that they should be captured solely in terms of principles of rational action (the pragmatic approach). Others argue that they cannot be analyzed in purely pragmatic terms but can only be properly understood in terms of a compositional semantic device, namely exhaustification (the grammatical approach). In this article, I review the key arguments in this debate, which is of interest not only to determine who is right but also because of the range of new phenomena that have come to light thanks to such a debate. My conclusion is that both conceptual and empirical reasons favor the grammatical approach.
Anionic Bismuth-Oxido Carboxylate Clusters with Transition Metal Countercations

Six new anionic bismuth-oxido clusters containing trifluoroacetate ligands were prepared. These include two new Bi6O8 clusters: [M(NCMe)2(H2O)4]3[Bi6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(CF3CO2)12] with an octahedral Bi6O4(OH)4 core (M = Ni, 1a; Co, 1b) and four Bi4O2 clusters, {[Co(NCMe)6][Bi4(μ3-O)2(CF3CO2)10]}n (2a), {[Co{HC(MeCO)2(MeCNH)}2][Bi4(μ3-O)2(CF3CO2)10]·2[CF3CO2]·2[CF3CO2H]·2[H2O]}n (2b), {[Cu(NCMe)4]2[Bi4(μ3-O)2(CF3CO2)10]·2[CF3CO2H]}n (2c), and {[Me4N]2[Bi4(μ3-O)2(CF3CO2)10]·2[CF3CO2H]}n (2d). These are among the first bismuth-oxido anionic clusters synthesized, and the first to have transition metal countercations. The Bi6O8 anion in 1a and 1b is a high-symmetry octahedron. Additionally, two of the new Bi4O2 clusters are arranged in 1D polymeric structures via bridging carboxylate ligands. The cation in compound 2c had not been previously characterized and was also observed in the synthesis of [Co{HC(MeCO)2(MeCNH)}2][Bi(NO3)6] (3). The new compounds were characterized using single crystal X-ray crystallography ...
High soluble CD44 and total protein levels in oral rinses are strongly associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

A66 Introduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating disease that is cured only 50% of the time largely due to late stage diagnosis. Because there is no established screening program for this disease, we aim to identify simple, noninvasive molecular-based tools that detect HNSCC at an early, treatable stage. Our previous work shows that soluble CD44 (solCD44) levels and total protein levels are elevated in HNSCC patients compared to controls. Here we examine whether the combination of these two tests holds promise for early detection of HNSCC. >Methods: We performed the solCD44 ELISA (Bender MedSystems, Vienna, Austria) and total protein (Bio-Rad, Hercules, California) assays following the manufacturers recommendations with our modifications on oral rinse samples from 102 HNSCC cancer patients and 84 controls. Controls included 69 subjects with benign disease and 15 disease-free volunteers. >Results: High levels of both solCD44 and total protein are significantly associated (OR= 24.8, 95% CI = 8.6, 71.4) with HNSCC suggesting that these markers may be useful in combination. Similar to solCD44 levels, total protein levels vary with tumor site but not tumor size, stage or history of prior treatment. Tobacco use history was available for 42 HNSCC patients and 71 controls. For both solCD44 and total protein, HNSCC smokers did not differ from HNSCC nonsmokers and control smokers did not differ from control nonsmokers. >Conclusions: The combination of solCD44 and total protein levels may be useful for early detection of HNSCC. History of tobacco use does not appear to significantly impact results indicating that these tests may suitable for high-risk populations.
Pre-Clinical Development Of a Novel Chimerical Antigen Receptor Targeting High-Risk Pediatric ALL Over-Expressing Tslpr

Background While current upfront therapy will cure over 80% of patients, B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia ALL (BCP-ALL) remains a leading cause of cancer-related death in children, and outcomes for those patients who relapse have not been changed substantially over recent decades. Immunotherapy with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 has resulted in impressive clinical responses, but alternative CAR targets are needed as not all patients respond and CD19 negative relapses have been observed. Thymic stromal lymphoprotein receptor (TSLPR) is coded by the CRLF2 gene. CRLF2 genetic alterations occur in 5-16% of pediatric and adult BCP-ALL and result in TSLPR over-expression that is associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, emerging data suggests that TSLPR overexpression is functionally important for leukemic blasts. Thus, TSLPR is an ideal immunotherapeutic target. We constructed TSLPR-specific CARs and tested their therapeutic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. Methods Hybridomas producing TSLPR-specific antibodies were used to clone variable regions of the heavy and light chains for constructing TSLPR-specific scFv. The scFv was linked with the CD8α hinge and transmembrane domain, 4-1BB intracellular domain and CD3ζ chain, and then cloned into a 3rd generation lentiviral vector. For optimization of the CAR configuration, an IgG heavy chain constant domain (CH2CH3) spacer was fused to scFv to generate a “long” TSLPR CAR. Human T cells were transduced with CAR vectors and the transduced cells were evaluated in vitro and in vivo against TSLPR-overexpressing ALL, including a TSLPR-transduced REH cell line (REH-TSLPR) and patient-derived xenografts naturally overexpressing TSLPR. Results Both long and short TSLPR CARs could be efficiently transduced (approximately 60-80%) into human T cells using a lentiviral system. T cells expressing both long and short TSLPR CARs produced high levels of cytolytic cytokines upon co-culture with of TSLPR-overexpressing ALL. However, only the short TSLPR CAR demonstrated effective killing against TSLPR-expression ALL cells in vitro. Short TSLPR-expressing T cells completely eradicated leukemia in NSG xenografts mice bearing REH-TSLPR ([figure 1][1]) as well as TSLPR-expressing patient xenografts. The long TSLPR CAR did not show any activity in vivo. ![Figure 1][2] Figure 1 Conclusion TSLPR-targeted CAR T cells is promising therapeutic approach in high risk BCP-ALL and represents the first example of an oncogene-specific cellular therapy in BCP-ALL. Disclosures: Grupp: Novatis: Research Funding. [1]: #F1 [2]: pending:yes
Defining Brugia malayi and Wolbachia symbiosis by stage-specific dual RNA-seq.

Background Filarial nematodes currently infect up to 54 million people worldwide, with millions more at risk for infection, representing the leading cause of disability in the developing world. Brugia malayi is one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis and remains the only human filarial parasite that can be maintained in small laboratory animals. Many filarial nematode species, including B. malayi, carry an obligate endosymbiont, the alpha-proteobacteria Wolbachia, which can be eliminated through antibiotic treatment. Elimination of the endosymbiont interferes with development, reproduction, and survival of the worms within the mamalian host, a clear indicator that the Wolbachia are crucial for survival of the parasite. Little is understood about the mechanism underlying this symbiosis. Methodology/ Principle findings To better understand the molecular interplay between these two organisms we profiled the transcriptomes of B. malayi and Wolbachia by dual RNA-seq across the life cycle of the parasite. This helped identify functional pathways involved in this essential symbiotic relationship provided by the co-expression of nematode and bacterial genes. We have identified significant stage-specific and gender-specific differential expression in Wolbachia during the nematode’s development. For example, during female worm development we find that Wolbachia upregulate genes involved in ATP production and purine biosynthesis, as well as genes involved in the oxidative stress response. Conclusions/ Significance This global transcriptional analysis has highlighted specific pathways to which both Wolbachia and B. malayi contribute concurrently over the life cycle of the parasite, paving the way for the development of novel intervention strategies.
The role of molecular diagnostic testing in the management of thyroid nodules.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) with cytologic examination remains the standard of care for investigation of thyroid nodules. However, as many as 30% of FNA samples are cytologically indeterminate for malignancy, which confounds clinical management. To reduce the burden of repeat diagnostic testing and unnecessary surgery, there has been extensive investigation into molecular markers that can be detected on FNA specimens to more accurately stratify a patient’s risk of malignancy.Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss recent evidence and progress in molecular markers used in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer highlighting somatic gene alterations, molecular technologies and microRNA analysis.Expert commentary: The goal of molecular markers is to improve diagnostic accuracy and aid clinicians in the preoperative management of thyroid lesions. Modalities such as direct mutation analysis, mRNA gene expression profiling, next-generation sequencing, and miRNA expression profiling hav...
Immunotherapy and radiation therapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a particularly aggressive thoracic malignancy with limited survival following combination chemotherapy. As a result, there has been increased interested in immunotherapy for mesothelioma, both in the first-line and salvage settings. Early investigations of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon alfa-2a/b have been limited by modest response rates and toxicity, whereas cytokine gene therapy is currently being investigated and shows early promise. The most prominent class of immunotherapies to be trialed with mesothelioma in the past half-decade has been immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPI). Early results are encouraging, particularly for agents targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathways. With the increasing recognition of the immune potential of mesothelioma, interest in the immunomodulatory properties of radiation therapy has emerged. The combination of immunotherapy and radiation therapy may allow for complimentary immunologic effects that can enhance antitumor response. This article reviews the existing literature on the efficacy of immunotherapy for MPM, describes the rationale for combining immunotherapy with radiation therapy, and discusses early literature on this treatment combination.
Open abdominal surgical training differences experienced by integrated vascular and general surgery residents

Abstract Background As the integrated vascular residency program reaches almost a decade of maturity, a common area of concern among trainees is the adequacy of open abdominal surgical training. It is our belief that although their overall exposure to open abdominal procedures has decreased, integrated vascular residents have an adequate and focused exposure to open aortic surgery during training. Methods National operative case log data supplied by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education were compiled for both graduating integrated vascular surgery residents (IVSRs) and graduating categorical general surgery residents (GSRs) for the years 2012 to 2014. Mean total and open abdominal case numbers were compared between the IVSRs and GSRs, with more in-depth exploration into open abdominal procedures by organ system. Results Overall, the mean total 5-year case volume of IVSRs was 1168 compared with 980 for GSRs during the same time frame ( P P P Conclusions IVSRs reported almost double the number of total cases during their training, with double chief-level cases. Sixty-five percent of open abdominal surgeries performed by IVSRs involved the aorta or its renovisceral branches. Whereas open abdominal surgery represented 7.1% of an IVSR's surgical training, GSRs had a far broader scope of open abdominal procedures, completing nearly double those of IVSRs. The differences in open abdominal procedures pertain to the differing diseases treated by GSRs and IVSRs.
Performance-Based Risk-Sharing Arrangements: U.S. Payer Experience

BACKGROUND: As a result of global concern about rising drug costs, many U.S. payers and European agencies such as the National Health Service have partnered with pharmaceutical companies in performance-based risk-sharing arrangements (PBRSAs) by which manufacturers share financial risk with health care purchasing entities and authorities. However, PBRSAs present many administrative and legal challenges that have minimized successful contract experiences in the United States. OBJECTIVE: To (a) identify drug and disease characteristics and contract components that contribute to successful PBRSA experiences and the primary barriers to PBRSA execution and (b) explore solutions to facilitate contract negotiation and execution. METHODS: A 37-item, web-based survey instrument (Qualtrics), approximately 20 minutes in duration, was open during July and August 2016. The survey was emailed to 90 pharmacy and medical directors of various health care organizations. Statistical analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis test...
Searching for Connection: A New Look at Teenaged Runaways.

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of 26 runaways in a rural New England shelter. Runaway behavior was viewed from the perspective of the teenagers themselves. The findings challenge popular notions that run-aways are incorrigible delinquents who want to leave home, that the decision is impulsive, and that they hope never to return. Rather, many of the teenaged runaways left home in search of freedom from what they considered abusive treatment, whether physical, sexual, or emotional. Running away was found to be "last resort" behavior-teenagers' accounts yielded evidence that they struggled with the decision to run away. Nor was running away necessarily an irreparable break with family; many youths expressed the desire for reconciliation. Thus, running away was revealed to be a dynamic emotional experience for youths, which reflected changes in their social bonds with family, peers, and adults in the educational, legal, and medical systems.
Introduction to Coding Theory. By J. H. van Lint

(1984). Introduction to Coding Theory. By J. H. van Lint. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 91, No. 8, pp. 522-525.
The Occupational Imperative: Engaging the Professions in Teaching Ethics

The teaching of ethics, this paper suggests, is shaped by economic and other influences from the world outside the university gates, and by the expectations we as a society hold for those who have mastered the subject. For much of American history, university graduates were expected to settle into an elite group of civic leaders, requiring for that role a rich understanding of the classical sources of ethical discussion. In the more fluid society that followed, they were expected to use the critical thinking that they had developed in ethics class to keep the society rational in a sea of conflicting claims. Now, in the anomic society of unfamiliar economic and political threats, the best way to teach ethics is through the moral sensibility that underlies it, by sending the students off campus altogether and exposing them, through internships and other experience, to the operations of the world they will soon have to join.
Fairest edge usage and minimum expected overlap for random spanning trees

Abstract Random spanning trees of a graph G are governed by a corresponding probability mass distribution (or “law”), μ , defined on the set of all spanning trees of G . This paper addresses the problem of choosing μ in order to utilize the edges as “fairly” as possible. This turns out to be equivalent to minimizing, with respect to μ , the expected overlap of two independent random spanning trees sampled with law μ . In the process, we introduce the notion of homogeneous graphs. These are graphs for which it is possible to choose a random spanning tree so that all edges have equal usage probability. The main result is a deflation process that identifies a hierarchical structure of arbitrary graphs in terms of homogeneous subgraphs, which we call homogeneous cores. A key tool in the analysis is the spanning tree modulus, for which there exists an algorithm based on minimum spanning tree algorithms, such as Kruskal’s or Prim’s.
Cross-Lock: Dense Layout-Level Interconnect Locking using Cross-bar Architectures

Logic locking is an attractive defense against a series of hardware security threats. However, oracle guided attacks based on advanced Boolean reasoning engines such as SAT, ATPG and model-checking have made it difficult to securely lock chips with low overhead. While the majority of existing locking schemes focus on gate-level locking, in this paper we present a layout-inclusive interconnect locking scheme based on cross-bars of metal-to-metal programmable-via devices. We demonstrate how this enables configuring a large obfuscation key with a small number of physical key wires contributing to zero to little substrate area overhead. Dense interconnect locking based on these circuit level primitives shows orders of magnitude better SAT attack resiliency compared to an XOR/XNOR gate-insertion locking with the same key length which has a much higher overhead.
Professional learning communities: An analysis of teacher participation in a PLC and the relationship with student academic achievement

This study sought to compare teacher participation in a Professional Learning Community with the performance of their students. Student achievement data from multiple subject-alike groups were compared in a preand post-PLC format, using an independent, two-sample t-test. Overall, 10 PLCs from one high school in a suburban, Iowa setting were compared. Mean scores from the 3 research questions that guided this study found that (1) 7 of the 10 PLCs improved student learning after functioning as a PLC, (2) no consistent relationship existed between teacher participation in a PLC and student failure rates, and (3) no consistent correlation existed between the student learning results from effective PLCs (as measured by the Aylsworth PLC Survey) and those that did not meet the criteria of an effective PLC. Based on the findings of this study, implications for educational practice and suggestions for future research include (1) collaboratively setting the vision for PLCs, (2) researching and understanding the implementation and structures of PLCs, (3) providing appropriate resources and ongoing support for PLCs, and (4) developing supportive leadership for PLCs.
The Broad View of Task Type Using Path Analysis

Many past research efforts have examined the relationships between observable search behaviors, the task that drives searching, and user characteristics such as search expertise and topic familiarity. These studies often look at pairwise relationships between characteristics to show that task characteristics or user characteristics can be distinguished by differences in browsing behavior. Recent work has moved toward detecting and predicting task from browsing behavior but has not additionally considered user or session characteristics that clearly affect browsing. To what extent should user characteristics and unlogged traits be considered when inferring task type from browsing behavior? This paper examines this complex relationship through the lens of path analysis, showing that such a holistic view should be considered in future task prediction research. Future task prediction work should consider direct links from task to behavior, indirect links through other factors, and other characteristics that affect browsing.
All Aboard: Using Positive Behavior Supports on the School Bus:

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) provides effective behavior management in many schools, yet such systematic approaches to behavior management are generally not implemented abo...
System Design through the Exploration of Contemporary Web Services

In this article, we develop a Contemporary Web Service (CWS) repository of system designs, which are encoded as metadata of contemporary web services. We examine if this CWS repository serves as an effective design tool for initial CWS design and as an effective support tool for business users and analysts working together on system design. The CWS repository reduces the cognitive load of both the analyst and the business user as they jointly explore the CWS repository of system designs. It supports an evolutionary approach to system design through rapid selection of appropriate CWS metadata. To accomplish that, we introduce several new design characteristics for the CWS repository. The evaluation results demonstrate that the CWS repository is an effective tool for supporting designers during initial service design, as well as for supporting business users and analysts during system design.
Early College High School Principals: Preparing Historically Underrepresented Students for College Success:

Early college high schools, which allow underrepresented students to earn up to an associate’s degree during 9th through 12th grades, have been lauded for their potential to increase college access...
Fatty acids analysis by high resolution nuclear spin resonance. A preliminary evaluation

High resolution nuclear spin resonance spectra of four fatty acid methyl esters have been presented and discussed from the standpoint of applying this instrumentation to the analysis of the possible eight-component system resulting from the hydrogenation of linolenic acid. If one of the constituents other than 9- or 12-oleic acid can be neglected or found by another method, the analysis seems possible. Experimental conditions for the accurate reproduction of the relative intensities of the spectral bands must first be found.
An example of medical device-based projection of clinical trial enrollment: Use of electrocardiographic data to identify candidates for a trial in acute coronary syndromes

Background To identify potential participants for clinical trials, electronic health records (EHRs) are searched at potential sites. As an alternative, we investigated using medical devices used for real-time diagnostic decisions for trial enrollment. Methods To project cohorts for a trial in acute coronary syndromes (ACS), we used electrocardiograph-based algorithms that identify ACS or ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) that prompt clinicians to offer patients trial enrollment. We searched six hospitals' electrocardiograph systems for electrocardiograms (ECGs) meeting the planned trial's enrollment criterion: ECGs with STEMI or > 75% probability of ACS by the acute cardiac ischemia time-insensitive predictive instrument (ACI-TIPI). We revised the ACI-TIPI regression to require only data directly from the electrocardiograph, the e-ACI-TIPI using the same data used for the original ACI-TIPI (development set n = 3,453; test set n = 2,315). We also tested both on data from emergency department electrocardiographs from across the US (n = 8,556). We then used ACI-TIPI and e-ACI-TIPI to identify potential cohorts for the ACS trial and compared performance to cohorts from EHR data at the hospitals. Results Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve areas on the test set were excellent, 0.89 for ACI-TIPI and 0.84 for the e-ACI-TIPI, as was calibration. On the national electrocardiographic database, ROC areas were 0.78 and 0.69, respectively, and with very good calibration. When tested for detection of patients with > 75% ACS probability, both electrocardiograph-based methods identified eligible patients well, and better than did EHRs. Conclusion Using data from medical devices such as electrocardiographs may provide accurate projections of available cohorts for clinical trials.
Dissolved oxygen controls summer habitat of Clear Lake Hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi), an imperilled potamodromous cyprinid

Clear Lake Hitch is an imperilled minnow endemic to Clear Lake, Lake County, California, United States listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (ESA) and a candidate for listing under the United States ESA. It exhibits a potamodromous life cycle whereby adults, which reach up to 6 + years in age and over 350 mm in length, migrate into Clear Lake's ephemeral tributaries briefly during spring to spawn. Conservation and management of Clear Lake Hitch is inhibited, in part, by a lack of information on the lacustrine habitat of nonbreeding individuals within Clear Lake. To address this problem, we sampled Clear Lake Hitch with gill nets in a stratified random sampling design to determine the distribution and habitat associations in early summer 2017 and 2018. We identified abundance‐habitat relationships for juveniles and adults using Bayesian zero‐inflated negative binomial generalised linear mixed modelling. Results indicated that dissolved oxygen concentration was the most important habitat feature measured; juveniles and adults were substantially more abundant in normoxic (≥2 mg/l) than in hypoxic (<2 mg/l) habitat. Both also exhibited weak positive relationships with chlorophyll fluorescence, suggesting relatively productive habitats may support higher numbers of Clear Lake Hitch. Spatially, juveniles were most abundant in nearshore habitats while adults were ubiquitous, indicating an ontogenetic habitat expansion that may be associated with a resource availability‐predation risk trade‐off. Management actions undertaken to improve hypoxia problems in Clear Lake would also improve Clear Lake Hitch habitat.
A Preliminary Analysis on Impact of Additive Flicker Noise on Detection Sensitivity of Neural Spikes

The ultimate objective of this study is to enhance the number of neurons that can be monitored in an extracellular recording captured by a single electrode. This paper focuses on exploring if additive 1/f noise can improve detection sensitivity of spikes captured in an extracellular medium. Detection performance of a simple bandpass filtering stage followed by a threshold-based spike detector is investigated when 1/f noise is added to the filtered signals. The study is performed on both extracellular recorded datasets and synthetic datasets. The preliminary data demonstrated that, threshold-based spike detection of recordings with small amplitude spikes in high background noise can be optimized by a non-zero additive flicker noise. The addition of non-zero additive flicker noise increased the spike detection sensitivity in neurons in regions successively further from the electrode from 0 to as high as 0.8. The results suggest that it may be possible for a single electrode to use multiple spike detection threshold stages to increase sensitivity in a future neural monitoring system.
Time-interval measurement of stuttering: effects of training with highly agreed or poorly agreed exemplars

This study required six groups of judges, three experimental groups and three control groups (all n = 5), to categorize consecutive 5.0-sec speech intervals as Stuttered or Nonstuttered on four judgment occasions. Between the second and third occasions, each experimental group was trained to categorize correctly one of three sets of speech intervals: agreed intervals, which had been unanimously prejudged to be Stuttered or Nonstuttered; disagreed intervals, which had been prejudged to be Stuttered by approximately half of a large group of judges; or randomly selected intervals, including both agreed and disagreed intervals. Results replicated and extended an earlier finding of improved interjudge agreement for judges trained with highly agreed intervals (Ingham, Cordes, & Gow, 1993): Training with highly agreed intervals was shown to be more effective than equivalent exposure to those intervals without feedback, and training with highly agreed intervals was shown to be more effective than training with, or exposure to, poorly agreed or randomly selected intervals.
Lessons on early structure formation from a mature galaxy cluster observed at cosmic noon

We demonstrate a new approach of indirectly constraining both early star and structure formation via mature galaxy clusters at cosmic noon (z~2), using the cluster XLSSC 122 as an example. With the standard Press Schechter formalism, we infer a rapid evolution of the star formation efficiency (the ratio of stellar to halo mass) from 10^-4 to 0.01 during z~20-13, based on the age distribution of stars in post-starburst galaxies of XLSSC 122, measured by HST photometry assuming no dust extinction. Here, we consider all low-mass haloes, including minihaloes, that host the first stars and galaxies (5*10^5 Msun 13 in XLSSC 122. Our exploratory results are consistent with existing constraints. More comprehensive results will be obtained if our approach is extended to a large sample of clusters or field post-starburst galaxies at cosmic noon, with improved modelling of halo and stellar populations.
Um caso clínico de encefalite paraneoplásica

Introducao: A encefalite e uma condicao inflamatoria cerebral com multiplas etiologias. Na maioria dos casos, os agentes virais sao os principais responsaveis, mas raramente a etiologia pode ser auto-imune/paraneoplasica. A incidencia de encefalite paraneoplasica e desconhecida. As neoplasias mais frequentemente associadas a esta sindrome sao o carcinoma pulmonar, tumor testicular, neoplasia da mama, timoma e linfoma de Hodgkin. Pensa-se que o mecanismo etiopatogenico se relaciona com a producao de auto-anticorpos contra a superficie neuronal e/ou proteinas sinapticas. Dependendo do local do sistema nervoso afetado, a sintomatologia varia, sendo que, a encefalite limbica e caraterizada pelo inicio agudo de alteracoes do comportamento, humor, memoria a curto-prazo e disfuncao cognitiva. A detecao e tratamento precoces melhoram o prognostico, a rapidez da recuperacao e reduzem o risco de recaida. A ausencia de tratamento pode evoluir para um quadro neurologico debilitante, culminando em coma e morte em alguns doentes. Descricao do caso: Mulher de 50 anos, avaliada na Unidade de Saude Familiar (USF) em 2017, por alteracoes mnesicas subitas e alteracoes do comportamento. A avaliacao, apresentava apatia, anedonia e escassez de discurso, esbocando, por vezes, um riso inapropriado. Desorientacao espacial, temporal e em relacao a si propria, que evoluiu para um quadro de agressividade e nao reconhecimento dos seus familiares. A investigacao etiologica concluiu tratar-se de encefalite auto-imune/paraneoplasica, tendo a doente sido internada em Neurologia. O estudo investigacional mostrou massa no mediastino anterior, compativel com timoma. Em 2018, a doente foi submetida a exerese da neoplasia, com recuperacao do quadro neurologico. Comentario: A baixa prevalencia desta patologia e o seu diagnostico diferencial com doenca psiquiatrica tornam dificil o diagnostico desta sindrome. O medico de familia conhecendo os seus pacientes ao longo do tempo, esta numa posicao privilegiada para a detecao de sinais de alarme que carecem de investigacao e tratamento diferenciados.
Endovascular Aneurysm Repair with Late Graft Limb Occlusion

A 65-year-old female underwent endovascular aneurysm repair in October 2009 for a 5.5 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm. In July 2018 she underwent crossover femoral-femoral graft for left graft limb occlusion. Following crossover femoral-femoral graft placement, she developed worsening ischemia in the donor right lower extremity which gradually improved in subsequent delayed 16 months.
Activation of Toll-Like Receptor 2 Promotes Proliferation of Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in the proliferation of human lung cancer cells and identify the signaling pathway that mediates this effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adenocarcinoma (A549 and H1650) and adenosquamous (H125) cells were treated with increasing doses of Pam3CSK4, a TLR2 agonist. Cell proliferation and NF-ĸB activation were evaluated. NF-ĸB was inhibited prior to treatment with Pam3CSK4 and proliferation was assessed. RESULTS TLR2 expression was significantly higher in A549 and H1650 cells compared to H125 cells (p<0.001). TLR2 stimulation induced proliferation in adenocarcinoma cells only and led to a corresponding increase in NF-ĸB activity (p<0.05). Inhibition of NF-ĸB prior to treatment with Pam3CSK4 attenuated this proliferative response. CONCLUSION TLR2 activation induced proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells through activation of NF-ĸB. Thus, the TLR2 signaling pathway may be a potential therapeutic target in lung adenocarcinoma.
Harm Reduction Models: Roadmaps for Transformative Experiences.

Patients with severe and enduring anorexia nervosa (SEAN) have a relatively low chance of attaining the symptom-free recovery that traditional eating disorder treatment programs endorse (Bianchi, S...
Near Grazing Propagation over a Low Roughness Hard Ocean Bottom

When low frequency sound interacts with a low roughness rigid surface at grazing or near-grazing angles, a coherent boundary wave is generated by repeated forward scatter. The boundary wave extends several wavelengths into the fluid and affects both the phase velocity and the amplitude of the forward propagating sound near the surface. The propagation is subsonic and slightly dispersive and, under certain conditions, the reflection coefficient can be greater than unity. Laboratory model results for periodic roughness elements have now been extended to demonstrate that these boundary wave phenomena are significant for steep sloped randomly rough surfaces. Predictions are made of the consequences of boundary wave propagation at a rough rigid ocean bottom.
Reflector surface distortion compensation: A diffraction synthesis methodology

A versatile diffraction synthesis method which combines the optimization technique and the physical optics analysis is employed to solve the problem of distortion compensation. Using this method, one may design various compensating feed systems such as array feeds and a shaped subreflector fed by a single feed in a unified manner. The effectiveness of this technique is demonstrated using an example problem involving a distorted paraboloidal reflector antenna. >
Theoretical characterization of the potential energy surface for H + O2 yields HO2(asterisk) yields HO + O. II - The potential for H atom exchange in HO2

The results of CASSCF multireference contracted CI calculations with large ANO basis sets are presented for the exchange region of the HO2 potential-energy surface. The saddle point for H atom exchange is about 13 kcal/mol below the energy of H + O2; therefore, this region of the surface should be accessible during H + O2 recombination and methathesis reactions.