cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Race/ethnicity-specific disparities in cancer incidence, burden of disease, and overall survival among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States.

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the fastest rising causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with disparities observed in cancer incidence and survival between ethnic groups. This report provides updated analyses on race-specific disparities in US HCC trends. METHODS This large, population-based cohort study was conducted using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry data from 2003 to 2011 to investigate race-specific disparities in HCC incidence and survival. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models. RESULTS From 2003 to 2011, Asians had the highest HCC incidence, followed by blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. During the same period, Hispanics had the greatest increase in HCC incidence (+35.8%), whereas Asians experienced a 5.5% decrease. Although patients aged ≥65 years had the highest HCC incidence among all racial/ethnic groups, the higher HCC incidence in Asians was observed only for patients ages <50 and ≥65 years, whereas HCC incidence among patients ages 50 to 64 years was similar among Asians, blacks, and Hispanics. The overall 5-year HCC survival rate was highest among Asians (26.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.5%-27.6%) and lowest among blacks (21.3%; 95% CI, 19.5%-23.1%). On multivariate regression, Asians (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.79-0.87; P < .001) and blacks (hazard ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.89-0.99; P = .01) had significantly higher survival compared with non-Hispanic whites. CONCLUSIONS Asians were the only group to demonstrate a declining HCC incidence in the form of a shift from advanced HCC to more localized HCC. These findings most likely reflect improved screening and surveillance efforts for this group. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Optical Frequency Rectification

Submicron antenna-coupled diodes, called optical rectennas, can directly rectify solar and thermal electromagnetic radiation, and function as detectors and power harvesting devices. The physics of a diode interacting with electromagnetic radiation at optical frequencies is not fully captured in its DC characteristics. We describe the operating principle of rectenna solar cells using a quantum approach and analyze the requirements for efficient rectification.
Characterization of Three Herbicide Resistant Mutants of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides 2.4.1: Structure — Function Relationship

Electron transfer from Q A - to QB in bacterial reaction centers (RCs) was found to be inhibited by triazine herbicides such as atrazine and terbutryn (1). Triazine resistant mutants of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides have been isolated by several groups (2–6). The RCs from these mutants display altered electron transfer properties, including decreased inhibition by triazine herbicides. In this study we have sequenced the L and M subunit genes of three herbicide resistant mutants. The changes in the primary structure are correlated with the binding properties of the quinone and of the herbicides terbutryn and o-phenanthroline.
Effect of an Educational Intervention on Youth Swim Coaches’ Behaviors

This research project examined the effects of an external educational training intervention delivered to coaches, parents, and athletes on youth swim coaches’ behaviors. Coaches’ perceptions of their own behavior, athletes’ perceptions of coaches’ behavior, and the sport environment were explored. Youth swim coaches within one organization were asked to complete an online survey prior to their involvement in a coach training workshop and another at the end of their sport season. Coaches also participated at the end of their season in a 45-min discussion about their overall experience with the training. Youth athletes completed at the end of the season a one-on-one discussion regarding their experience with their coach. Results of this study indicate the coaches’ overall awareness of their behaviors increased after they completed the training. Coaches and athletes reported positive behavior consistent with the concepts emphasized in the educational training intervention. These results may further previous research on coach training interventions examining perceptions of the coaches and youth athletes on the effect of a coach training intervention on youth sport. Subscribe to TPE
Spinal Cord Ventral Horns and Lymphoid Organ Involvement in Powassan Virus Infection in a Mouse Model

Powassan virus (POWV) belongs to the family Flaviviridae and is a member of the tick-borne encephalitis serogroup. Transmission of POWV from infected ticks to humans has been documented in the USA, Canada, and Russia, causing fatal encephalitis in 10% of human cases and significant neurological sequelae in survivors. We used C57BL/6 mice to investigate POWV infection and pathogenesis. After footpad inoculation, infected animals exhibited rapid disease progression and 100% mortality. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence revealed a very strong neuronal tropism of POWV infection. The central nervous system infection appeared as a meningoencephalitis with perivascular mononuclear infiltration and microglial activation in the brain, and a poliomyelitis-like syndrome with high level of POWV antigen at the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Pathological studies also revealed substantial infection of splenic macrophages by POWV, which suggests that the spleen plays a more important role in pathogenesis than previously realized. This report provides a detailed description of the neuroanatomical distribution of the lesions produced by POWV infection in C57BL/6 mice.
Correlates of sexual-risk behaviors among young black MSM: implications for clinic-based counseling programs

This study applied an 8-item index of recent sexual-risk behaviors to young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) and evaluated the distribution for normality. The distribution was tested for associations with possible antecedents of sexual risk. YBMSM (N = 600), aged 16-29 years, were recruited from a sexually transmitted infection clinic, located in the southern US. Men completed an extensive audio computer-assisted self-interview. Thirteen possible antecedents of sexual risk, as assessed by the index, were selected for analyses. The 8-item index formed a normal distribution with a mean of 4.77 (SD = 1.77). In adjusted analyses, not having completed education beyond high school was associated with less risk, as was having sex with females. Conversely, meeting sex partners online was associated with greater risk, as was reporting that sex partners were drunk during sex. The obtained normal distribution of sexual-risk behaviors suggests a corresponding need to "target and tailor" clinic-based counseling and prevention services for YBMSM. Avoiding sex when partners are intoxicated may be an especially valuable goal of counseling sessions.
Tacrolimus Induced Refractory Immune Thrombocytopenia.

Abstract 1426 Tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, has become a standard immunosuppressive therapy in solid organ transplantation. It is known to cause a thrombotic microangiopathy, and has been implicated to cause immune thrombocytopenia (IT) in children. Our institution has recognized a delayed onset IT in adult liver transplant patients that appears associated with chronic therapy with Tacrolimus. Between 2007–2009, 4 patients (3 females and one male) between the ages of 28–71 years who were status post orthotopic liver transplant and were on Tacrolimus developed a refractory IT. The onset of the IT was 3–12 years after starting on the Tacrolimus. One of the patients had a history of an autoimmune hemolytic anemia, which occurred one month after transplantation and resolved with IVIG therapy. Two of the patients were diagnosed with Hepatitis C reactivation after transplantation, but were not on therapy before the onset of IT. At presentation, the platelet counts were between 2,000 – 4,000/μL. IT was diagnosed after ruling out other causes of thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsies were done in all four patients, and were consistent with increased platelet destruction. The thrombocytopenia was refractory to conventional IT treatment with steroids and IVIG. Other therapies included Rituximab (3 patients), Vincristine (2 patients), and splenectomy (1 patient), but none of these significantly improved the platelet count. However, switching the Tacrolimus to Cyclosporine in all the patients led to a rise in platelet count within 6 days to two months. These patients have been observed for over 1 year without a recurrence of their IT. One patient requires chronic therapy with Romiplostim, while being treated with Ribavirin and Interferon for his Hepatitis C reactivation. His platelet count has not fallen below 100k/μL. CONCLUSION: Tacrolimus may cause a refractory IT that occurs several years after its initiation as an immunosuppressant. When this situation occurs, discontinuing the Tacrolimus and replacing the immunosuppression with Cyclosporine is the most effective therapeutic approach. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Modifiable and non-modifiable characteristics associated with sleep disturbance in oncology outpatients during chemotherapy.

In a sample of outpatients with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, and lung cancer who received at least two cycles of chemotherapy (CTX), the purposes were to evaluate for inter-individual differences in the severity of sleep disturbance and determine which demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics were associated with initial levels as well as the trajectories of sleep disturbance. A total of 1331 patients completed study questionnaires in their homes, at six time points over two cycles of CTX (prior to CTX administration, approximately 1 week after CTX administration, and approximately 2 weeks after CTX administration). Questionnaires included demographic, clinical, and symptom assessments (i.e., General Sleep Disturbance Scale, Lee Fatigue Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventories, Attentional Function Index). Hierarchical linear modeling based on full maximum likelihood estimation was performed. Characteristics associated with higher initial levels of sleep disturbance included higher body mass index, poorer functional status, higher trait anxiety, higher depressive symptoms, and higher evening fatigue. Characteristics associated with the worse trajectories of sleep disturbance were higher levels of education and higher sleep disturbance at enrollment. Characteristics associated with both higher initial levels and worse trajectories of sleep disturbance were higher morning fatigue and worse attentional function. A large amount of inter-individual variability exists in sleep disturbance during CTX. The modifiable and non-modifiable characteristics found in this study can be used to identify higher risk patients and provide earlier interventions to reduce sleep disturbance.
The Impact of Culture on Attitudes Toward the Sexuality of People with Intellectual Disabilities

Although sexuality is a central component of human life, it is often discouraged and inaccessible to many adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Common misperceptions and stereotypes of people with ID, such as being asexual, childlike, or innocent, impact the provision of sexual education, opportunities, and rights for many people with ID. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of gender, familiarity with ID, and cultural orientation on predicting attitudes towards the sexuality of people with ID. Participants included 227 students from two U.S. universities with a large international student population. Collectively, predictors explained 32% of the variance in attitudes towards sexuality, with cultural orientation variables accounting for the greatest amount (27%). Using Triandis’ four-factor conceptualization of culture, horizontal individualism and horizontal collectivism were associated with more positive attitudes, and vertical individualism was associated with more negative attitudes. Results highlight the impact of individual and societal characteristics on attitudes, suggesting that cultural orientation plays a role in mitigating and perpetuating stigma toward individuals with ID. Implications for research and practice are provided.
Multi-Colored Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Based on Thermal Activated Delayed Fluorescence Host

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) with the thermally activated delayed fluorescence(TADF) host and phosphorescent guests were fabricated using solution process. It is demonstrated for the first time that TADF, a well-known phenomenon that helps to increase electroluminescence efficiency by harvesting excitons from triplet states, is used as a host in LECs. Devices with green, yellow, red and warm white emissions were fabricated, with the best devices showing more than 7000 cd/m2 stable emission and a peak efficiency over 7 cd/A. Under high voltage stress, a burst of extremely high luminance of over 30,000 cd/m2 was observed. All these LEC devices are extremely simple with only one active layer. Thus, our results could pave way to produce low- cost light source with high luminance, using TADF molecules.
Cross-Talk Between Phytohormone Signaling Pathways Under Both Optimal and Stressful Environmental Conditions

The perception of abiotic stress triggers the activation of signal transduction cascades that interact with the baseline pathways transduced by phytohormones. The convergence points among hormone signal transduction cascades are considered cross-talk, and together they form a signaling network. Through this mechanism, hormones interact by activating either a common second messenger or a phosphorylation cascade. This chapter reviews kinase cascades as cross-talk points in hormonal networks during abiotic stress conditions. These transduction cascades lead to the regulation of gene expression that directly affects the biosynthesis or action of other hormones. Examples of stress-related hormone transduction networks are provided for drought and wounding conditions. The expression of specific genes associated with drought and wounding stress will be compared with expression changes that occur during other abiotic stress conditions. This evaluation will be used to construct a model of abiotic stress signaling that incorporates the signaling components that are most common across all abiotic stress conditions and are, therefore, relevant to developing stress tolerance in crop plants.
Questions, Discussions, and Notes

(1940). Questions, Discussions, and Notes. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 97-100.
Differences in prenatal aneuploidy screening among African-American women with hemoglobin S variants.

It has been shown that hemoglobinopathies increase the risk of pregnancy complications and placental dysfunction. This could alter the placental analytes examined during prenatal aneuploidy screening. Our objective was to determine whether there is a difference in maternal serum screening results for women with hemoglobin S variants (AS, SS, SC, S/beta thalassemia) compared with women with normal hemoglobin (AA). This is a retrospective cohort study in African–American women receiving aneuploidy screening at MedStar Washington Hospital Center from 2008 to 2015. We evaluated 79 women with hemoglobin S variants (69 AS and 10 sickle cell disease (SCD)) and 79 controls. Descriptive statistics (means, medians, and frequencies) were calculated for each group. For the continuous variables, differences in the averages between the two groups were tested using the t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test. Differences in the averages between three or more groups were tested using the analysis of variance test or the Kruskal–Wallis test. Demographics were similar between cases and controls. The overall screen positive rate for Down syndrome among patients with sickle cell trait (AS) was 3% (2/69). For patients with SCD, the overall screen positive rate was 10% (1/10). None of the women in the control population (AA) has a positive Down syndrome screening result (0/79). As expected, the screen positive rate in patients with hemoglobin S variants was higher than controls, however, patients with sickle cell trait do not appear to be at an increased risk for false-positive results with serum aneuploidy screening compared with the general population. We did, however, find an increased risk of false-positive quad screen results in patients with sickle cell disease.
Topological Considerations on Finger Dynamics in the Saffman-Taylor Problem

The study of viscous fingering in Hele-Shaw cells[1], has been playing an important role in the understanding of interfacial pattern formation. As a prototype system for the study of diffusion-controlled growth, it is relevant for a variety of non-equilibrium phenomena, such as dendritic growth, directional solidification, chemical electrodepo-sition and flame propagation [2].
Natural language generation for text-to-text applications using an information-slim representation

I propose a representation formalism and algorithms to be used in a new language generation mechanism for text-to-text applications. The generation process is driven by both text-specific information encoded via probability distributions over words and phrases derived from the input text, and general language knowledge captured by n-gram and syntactic language models.
Some Thoughts on Explanation in Ancient Philosophy

In his Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy, Edward Zeller makes the following remark about Presocratic thought: Greek philosophy, therefore, in its first period was in respect to its object a philosophy of nature; for its essential interest lay in the inquiry into the origin and causes of the universe . . . . Further, this philosophy was, in respect to its procedure, a dogmatism: i.e. it seeks to obtain a theory of the objective world before it has given account to itself of the problem and condition of scientific knowledge.1
A Review of Multiple Sclerosis for Urologists and Urogynecologists with an Emphasis on Management

Multiple sclerosis is a common immune-mediated condition of the central nervous system. It remains one of the most disabling conditions affecting young people, and there is significant cost associated with managing this condition. Revisions of the diagnostic criteria have contributed to better identification and diagnosis of the condition, but consensus approaches to managing the condition are not fully established. Approaches to managing acute demyelination, chronic demyelination, and symptomatic treatments are reviewed. The most common treatment for acute demyelination continues to be the use of corticosteroids via the intravenous or oral routes. Duration of corticosteroid treatment is variable, but high dose treatment is commonly administered over 3 to 7 days. There is a growing arsenal of medications to treat chronic demyelination that includes the use of self-administered injections, daily oral immunomodulation, and intravenous infusions each with their own set of pros and cons. While it is important to address both acute and chronic demyelination, symptomatic treatment should always be addressed to increase the overall quality of activities of daily living. Individuals with multiple sclerosis are all phenotypically different, and careful consideration should be used to individualize therapy for those living with this disease state. As with other autoimmune conditions, not all patients with multiple sclerosis will require long-term chronic therapy. However, chronic immunomodulatory treatments should be offered to all patients to prevent future disease activity until reliable biomarkers are established. Much remains unknown about the pathophysiology of this condition, but advancements in treatment suggest the future is promising for those affected by this condition.
Critical investigation of glove–gown interface barrier performance in simulated surgical settings

AbstractThe barrier properties of personal protective equipment are vital to healthcare personnel to protect themselves from possible infectious body fluids. Intraoperative exposure of healthcare p...
Globalisation, Climate Change, and Disasters

A holistic and critical approach to the disaster cycle/disaster-development continuum may provide a better opportunity to address the root cause of vulnerability, but an uncritical strategy may do more harm than good. The concept of vulnerability or vulnerable groups should not inadvertently create the risk of group discrimination but paying attention to the root causes of the dynamism and vulnerability of certain groups could provide us with lasting solutions for disaster management. Recovery, mitigation and preparedness are essential, but planning, leadership and coordination are crucial to ensure that there is effective and sustainable disaster reduction. Climate change has an influence in extreme weather events resulting in disasters, and this needs urgent interventions in the context of disaster management, while also bearing in mind that there are constraints and challenges with regard to addressing the issue of climate change and its influence on disasters. There needs to be prioritisation of psychological consequences for disaster preparedness and response, while at the same time we also need to be cautious of instrumentalising decisions because managing disaster may be complex, multidimensional and individually unique. The health sector can best contribute to mitigation against and preparation for possible future food shortage crises by influencing political decision-making and facilitating multi-stakeholder partnerships to ensure that there is adequate resource allocation and capacity to address the issue of food shortages. The known strategies and frameworks of mitigation against and preparation for future food shortage crises are all important, but we need to be aware that nutritional concerns in low-income and middle-income countries are diverse, and the burden of diseases can complicate the whole picture and create a novelty of food shortage. Early warning systems can be more useful if they are linked to and complemented by timely response mechanisms.
Clinicopathologic and molecular aspects of high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix: emphasis on novel chemotherapeutic strategies

Abstract High-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas (HGNEC) of the cervix are rare and carry an extremely poor prognosis. Fortunately, there have been recent advances in our molecular understanding of these carcinomas and some advances offer novel therapeutic options. The vast majority of HGNEC of the cervix are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) and would be prevented by currently available vaccines. TP53 mutations are variably identified and likely drive a second pathway, one unrelated to high-risk HPV. Most carcinomas express VEGF and some patients have seen durable response to therapy with the addition of a VEGF inhibitor. PIK3CA mutations are among the most common mutations identified and mTOR inhibitors may be considered in these cases. KRAS mutations can be identified; an impressive response to MEK inhibitors has been seen in one case. PD-L1 positivity is frequently seen and complete responses to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have been reported. These molecular advances offer numerous approaches to targeted personalized therapy.
High efficiency operation of a 140 GHz, pulsed gyrotron

The operation of a 140 GHz pulsed gyrotron will be described. Output powers as high as 175 kW have been generated, and total efficiencies approaching 36% have been achieved. A comparison with theoretical predictions will be made.
Days of Future Past: Reply to Open Peer Commentaries on "Revising, Correcting, and Transferring Genes".

Imagine it is 1932, and you walk into your office one morning and open your (physical, print) copy of Nature to see an article by a British physicist, James Chadwick, entitled “Possible Existence o...
Computing Potential of the Mean Force Profiles for Ion Permeation Through Channelrhodopsin Chimera, C1C2

Umbrella sampling, coupled with a weighted histogram analysis method (US-WHAM), can be used to construct potentials of mean force (PMFs) for studying the complex ion permeation pathways of membrane transport proteins. Despite the widespread use of US-WHAM, obtaining a physically meaningful PMF can be challenging. Here, we provide a protocol to resolve that issue. Then, we apply that protocol to compute a meaningful PMF for sodium ion permeation through channelrhodopsin chimera, C1C2, for illustration.
Histone Modifier Differentially Regulates Gene Expression and Unravels Survival Role of MicroRNA-494 in Jurkat Leukemia.

BACKGROUND Although the protein-coding genes are subject to histone hyperacetylation- mediated regulation, it is unclear whether microRNAs are similarly regulated in the T cell leukemia Jurkat. OBJECTIVE To determine whether treatment with the histone modifier Trichostatin A could concurrently alter the expression profiles of microRNAs and protein-coding genes. METHODS Changes in histone hyperacetylation and viability in response to drug treatment were analyzed, respectively, using western blotting and flow cytometry. Paired global expression profiling of microRNAs and coding genes was performed and highly regulated genes have been validated by qRT-PCR. The interrelationships between the drug-induced miR-494 upregulation, the expression of putative target genes, and T cell receptor-mediated apoptosis were evaluated using qRT-PCR, flow cytometry, and western blotting following lipid-mediated transfection with specific anti-microRNA inhibitors. RESULTS Treatment of Jurkat cells with Trichostatin A resulted in histone hyperacetylation and apoptosis. Global expression profiling indicated prominent upregulation of miR-494 in contrast to differential regulation of many protein-coding and non-coding genes validated by qRT-PCR. Although transfection with synthetic anti-miR-494 inhibitors failed to block drug-induced apoptosis or miR-494 upregulation, it induced the transcriptional repression of the PVRIG gene. Surprisingly, miR-494 inhibition in conjunction with low doses of Trichostatin A enhanced the weak T cell receptor- mediated apoptosis, indicating a subtle pro-survival role of miR-494. Interestingly, this prosurvival effect was overwhelmed by mitogen-mediated T cell activation and higher drug doses, which mediated caspase-dependent apoptosis. CONCLUSION Our results unravel a pro-survival function of miR-494 and its putative interaction with the PVRIG gene and the apoptotic machinery in Jurkat cells.
Fitting the Forum to the Pernicious Fuss: A Dispute Resolution Design to Address Implicit Bias and 'Isms in the Workplace

This paper proposes a dispute system design to address workplace discrimination caused by implicit biases so that employees and employers involved in such disputes can secure a more responsive justice than existing legal processes are able to provide. Workplace discrimination caused by implicit bias conties to contaminate our work environment despite our focused legal efforts to combat such overt "isms" as sexism, racism, ageism, and ableism. Although overt expressions of bias have significantly decreased in recent years, expressions of implicit bias, the primary cause of workplace discrimination, persists.This paper extends the research on implicit bias to dispute system design and examines how a reconciliation-focused dispute system design might more effectively resolve workplace discrimination conflicts caused by implicit bias. Inspired by the fundamental values of peace reconciliation that are a part restorative justice principles the proposed design abandons the status quo approach that mischaracterizes employees and employers as victims and offender and replaces it with a more responsive dispute system design. This design promotes awareness, understanding, and affirmative steps between employees and employers about the implicit biases that may unintentionally shape workplace discrimination. An essential purpose of such a design is to transform the conflict discourse surrounding employment discrimination from one of blame to one of awareness, understanding, and problem solving by beginning to address both the presenting employee/employer conflict as well as the more deep-seated unconscious discrimination that is ingrained in the broader workplace culture. The goal is to create a dispute system design that encourages employees and employers to work together to create a discrimination-free work environment.
Learning to Recommend from Sparse Data via Generative User Feedback.

Traditional collaborative filtering (CF) based recommender systems tend to perform poorly when the user-item interactions/ratings are highly scarce. To address this, we propose a learning framework that improves collaborative filtering with a synthetic feedback loop (CF-SFL) to simulate the user feedback. The proposed framework consists of a recommender and a virtual user. The recommender is formulated as a CF model, recommending items according to observed user preference. The virtual user estimates rewards from the recommended items and generates a feedback in addition to the observed user preference. The recommender connected with the virtual user constructs a closed loop, that recommends users with items and imitates the unobserved feedback of the users to the recommended items. The synthetic feedback is used to augment the observed user preference and improve recommendation results. Theoretically, such model design can be interpreted as inverse reinforcement learning, which can be learned effectively via rollout (simulation). Experimental results show that the proposed framework is able to enrich the learning of user preference and boost the performance of existing collaborative filtering methods on multiple datasets.
Every breath you take: assessing metabolic costs of toxin resistance in garter snakes (Thamnophis).

Trait specialization often comes at the expense of original trait function, potentially causing evolutionary tradeoffs that may render specialist populations vulnerable to extinction. However, many specialized adaptations evolve repeatedly, suggesting selection favors specialization in specific environments. Some garter snake (Thamnophis) populations possess specialized mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels that allow them to consume Pacific Newts (Taricha) defended by a highly potent neurotoxin (tetrodotoxin). These mutations, however, also decrease protein and muscle function, suggesting garter snakes may suffer evolutionary tradeoffs. We measured a key physiological process, standard metabolic rate, to investigate whether specialized adaptations in toxin-resistant garter snakes affect baseline energy expenditure. In snakes, skeletal muscles influence metabolism and power ventilation, so inefficiencies of sodium channels in these muscles might impact whole-animal energy expenditure. Further, because sodium channels are membrane-bound proteins, inefficiencies of channel kinetics and performance might be exacerbated at suboptimal temperatures. We measured standard metabolic rate in two species, Th. atratus and Th. sirtalis, that independently evolved tetrodotoxin resistance through unique mutations, providing replicate experiments with distinct underlying genetics and potential physiological costs. Despite our expectations, neither resistance phenotype nor sodium channel genotype affected metabolism, and resistant snakes did not perform worse under suboptimal body temperature. Instead, Th. atratus and Th. sirtalis show nearly identical rates of mass-adjusted energy expenditure at both temperatures, despite differing eco-morphologies, life histories, and distant phylogenetic positions. These findings suggest standard metabolic rate may be a conserved feature of Thamnophis, and that any organismal tradeoffs may be compensated to retain whole-animal function. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
siRNA and Ovarian Cancer

RNA interference (RNAi) is an emerging field of genetic intervention of the new millennium for incurable disease conditions where conventional treatment fails. MicroRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) are two components of such RNAi. Exogenous double-stranded siRNA targets specific mRNA and prevents anomalous gene expression producing such disease conditions. Ovarian cancer is such a disease which can hardly be treated by conventional therapy due to recurrence and drug resistance. Hence, siRNA may pose an attractive alternative to deal with recurrent and refractory ovarian cancer because of its simple straightforward mechanism of knocking down faulty genes responsible for its dismal prognosis. With success already at hand in rare genetic disease it seems worthwhile that development so far of such therapy in ovarian cancer is critically analysed, hence this review.
Anonymization of Network Traces Data through Condensation-based Differential Privacy

Network traces are considered a primary source of information to researchers, who use them to investigate research problems such as identifying user behavior, analyzing network hierarchy, maintaini...
Trends in Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors During Residency, 2007 to 2019 : A Repeated Annual Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Efforts to address the high depression rates among training physicians have been implemented at various levels of the U.S. medical education system. The cumulative effect of these efforts is unknown. OBJECTIVE To assess how the increase in depressive symptoms with residency has shifted over time and to identify parallel trends in factors that have previously been associated with resident physician depression. DESIGN Repeated annual cohort study. SETTING U.S. health care organizations. PARTICIPANTS First-year resident physicians (interns) who started training between 2007 and 2019. MEASUREMENTS Depressive symptoms (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]) assessed at baseline and quarterly throughout internship. RESULTS Among 16 965 interns, baseline depressive symptoms increased from 2007 to 2019 (PHQ-9 score, 2.3 to 2.9; difference, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.3 to 0.8]). The prevalence of baseline predictors of greater increase in depressive symptoms with internship also increased across cohorts. Despite the higher prevalence of baseline risk factors, the average change in depressive symptoms with internship decreased 24.4% from 2007 to 2019 (change in PHQ-9 score, 4.1 to 3.0; difference, -1.0 [CI, -1.5 to -0.6]). This change across cohorts was greater among women (4.7 to 3.3; difference, -1.4 [CI, -1.9 to -0.9]) than men (3.5 to 2.9; difference, -0.6 [CI, -1.2 to -0.05]) and greater among nonsurgical interns (4.1 to 3.0; difference, -1.1 [CI, -1.6 to -0.6]) than surgical interns (4.0 to 3.2; difference, -0.8 [CI, -1.2 to -0.4]). In parallel to the decrease in depressive symptom change, there were increases in sleep hours, quality of faculty feedback, and use of mental health services and a decrease in work hours across cohorts. The decrease in work hours was greater for nonsurgical than surgical interns. Further, the increase in mental health treatment across cohorts was greater for women than men. LIMITATION Data are observational and subject to biases due to nonrandom sampling, missing data, and unmeasured confounders, limiting causal conclusions. CONCLUSION Although depression during physician training remains high, the average increase in depressive symptoms associated with internship decreased between 2007 and 2019. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE National Institute of Mental Health.
Bis(3-(trinitromethyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl)methanone: A mildly acidic high-performing energetic material

Abstract High performance, acceptable thermostability, and low mechanical sensitivity are high-demand properties in the design of competitive materials. Nitrogen-rich compounds are an alternative source of green molecules. Two simple, efficient synthetic routes to a novel material, bis (3-(trinitromethyl) − 1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl) methanone, 5, by using inexpensive starting compounds are described. Compound 5 has interesting chemical reactivity with water in the presence of organic solvents to form a gem diol of bis (3-(trinitromethyl) − 1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-yl) methanediol, 5a. All new molecules are well characterized by advanced spectroscopic techniques. The structures of 5·Et2O, 5a·3H2O, and salt 6 are confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The densities of the solid powder compound 5, and the crystals of 5a·3H2O were measured by a gas pycnometer. The theoretical densities and Explo5 calculations of solvent-free molecules, 5 and 5a, suggest that expanding the functionality of carbonyl-bridged compounds may be an alternative way to achieve high-performing materials.
Quantitative analysis in the oxytocin challenge test.

Abstract A quantitative analysis of the oxytocin challenge test (OCT) was carried out in 305 women to evaluate: (1) the intrauterine pressures evoked during the oxytocin infusion, (2) when fetal heart rate (FHR) decelerations are likely to occur, (3) the type and amount of decelerations which are significant, and (4) what clinical events and laboratory parameters correlate with the OCT. If contractions are evoked at a rate of three per 10 minutes, the pressure profile mimics normal labor. The first FHR deceleration is likely to occur between the second and third effective contraction. A deceleration/contraction ratio ≥ 10 per cent significantly forecasts an abnormal FHR during parturition and an increased chance of a cesarean section.
Orientation to Leadership Intelligence Days, 2011, Module Note

Learning Objective: To explore considerations in developing a digital/social-media marketing strategy and justifying its components.
A comparative study of volumetric and area-based breast density estimation in digital mammography: results from a screening population

We compare a volumetric versus an area-based breast density estimation method in digital mammography Bilateral images from 71 asymptomatic women were analyzed Volumetric density was measured using QuantraTM (Hologic Inc.) Area-based density was estimated using Cumulus (Ver 4.0, Univ Toronto) Correlation and regression analysis was performed to determine the association between i) density from left versus right breasts and ii) volumetric versus the area-based measures Volumetric breast density measures are strongly correlated but statistically significantly different than the area-based measures (r=0.79, p<0.001) Regression demonstrates a significant non-linear association (R2=0.70,p<0.001) The density correlation between right and left breasts is also strong for both methods, (r≥0.95, p<0.001) The strong association with the area-based density measures suggests that volumetric breast density could potentially also aid in breast cancer risk estimation The observed non-linear association between volumetric and area-based estimates may have implications for risk stratification in clinical practice.
Faces of LIFE, by Quint Studer

In November 2005, in honor of National Hospice Month, the Covenant Hospice presented an exhibit of photographs and inspiring stories of their patients and their families celebrating life's journey....
An approach to optimization and control of batch processes

An approach is proposed for optimization and control of batch processes. Given a process model and a performance index to be minimized, the optimal path along which the process is desirable to evolve is calculated. A nonlinear cascade control system is used to force the process to evolve along the off-line calculated optimal path in the state space. The control system can use all the useful, available, frequent and infrequent (on-line and off-line) process measurements to ensure the optimal operation, especially in the presence of disturbances. The application and performance of the proposed approach are illustrated by numerical simulation of a fed-batch fermentor example.
Enhanced Localization for Indoor Construction

Abstract Considerable research work had been conducted in recent years embracing the utilization of wireless technologies in construction with a focus on identification of locations of material, equipment and personnel. A fundamental key for reliable and accurate use of these technologies is path loss models, which are used to estimate distances based on received signal strength (RSSI). This paper introduces a newly developed path loss model accounting for signal de-noising using a Kalman filter. The developed model is tested using four wireless technologies (WLAN, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Synapse SNAP), 20 experiments were carried out in laboratory environment and 1500 data sets were analyzed to investigate the accuracy of distance estimation. The results show an average of 50% enhancement in the distance estimation accuracy, which considered a potential for enhanced localization on indoor construction jobsites.
Formant estimation from cepstral coefficients using a feedforward memoryless neural network

A method is described for estimating formants from cepstral coefficients using a memoryless feedforward neural network. The method was tested with vowel data from a large varied database. The neural network provided significantly better estimation of the formants than was possible with a linear transformation. However, the degradation in performance between training and test data suggests that the relationship between formants and cepstral coefficients is very complex and requires an extremely large amount of data for adequate neural network training. >
Meaning in Context: Is There Any Other Kind?

While the contextual grounding of the meanings of human action and language is vital to our everyday understanding of our own and others' behavior, the importance of context has been largely ignored by traditional research approaches in the social and behavioral sciences and in their application to the field of education. The positivist model, which has dominated these disciplines, has led to a search for universal context-free laws and to the use of context-stripping methods. Investigators in developmental and social psychology and in educational research have increasingly begun to note the inadequacies of this approach. Drawing examples from phenomenology, sociolinguistics, and ethnomethodology, Elliot Mishler proposes alternative approaches which are more appropriate to the study of meaning in context.
Signal to noise ratio comparisons for ultrasound attenuation slope estimation algorithms.

Purpose: Attenuation imaging has a promising role in the detection of tissue abnormalities. The authors have previously compared three different frequency domain ultrasound attenuation estimation methods, for accuracy and bias. The mean estimated attenuation value in a region of interest has been the determining factor of how well a method performs; however, the noise level has not been quantified for attenuation estimated using different methods. Methods: The authors compare three different frequency domain ultrasound attenuation estimation methods [the reference phantom method (RPM), the centroid downshift method (CEN), and the hybrid method (HYB)] using the signal to noise ratio (SNR) metric. Both simulated and experimental tissue-mimicking phantoms are used in the performance comparison study, evaluating the impact of the variation in acoustical properties. Results: For attenuation estimation in a tissue-mimicking phantom with a known attenuation coefficient of 0.5 dB/cm/MHz, all the three methods estimated the attenuation coefficient to be ≈ 0.49 dB/cm/MHz for a transmit center frequency of 6 MHz, however, the signal to noise ratio obtained was found to be 8.5, 5.7, and 2.2 for the HYB, RPM, and CEN methods, respectively. These results demonstrate the need for the SNR metric in the comparison of different algorithms and to evaluate the impact of varying different ultrasound system and tissue parameters. Conclusions: In this paper, the authors demonstrate that although the estimated mean attenuation value with a region of interest may be closely estimated using different methods, the signal to noise ratio obtained of the estimates can vary significantly. The centroid downshift method presented with the lowest signal-to-noise ratio of the methods compared. The hybrid method was the least susceptible to changes in the acoustical properties and provided unbiased attenuation coefficient estimates with the highest signal-to-noise ratios.
TimeCrunch: Interpretable Dynamic Graph Summarization

How can we describe a large, dynamic graph over time? Is it random? If not, what are the most apparent deviations from randomness -- a dense block of actors that persists over time, or perhaps a star with many satellite nodes that appears with some fixed periodicity? In practice, these deviations indicate patterns -- for example, botnet attackers forming a bipartite core with their victims over the duration of an attack, family members bonding in a clique-like fashion over a difficult period of time, or research collaborations forming and fading away over the years. Which patterns exist in real-world dynamic graphs, and how can we find and rank them in terms of importance? These are exactly the problems we focus on in this work. Our main contributions are (a) formulation: we show how to formalize this problem as minimizing the encoding cost in a data compression paradigm, (b) algorithm: we propose TIMECRUNCH, an effective, scalable and parameter-free method for finding coherent, temporal patterns in dynamic graphs and (c) practicality: we apply our method to several large, diverse real-world datasets with up to 36 million edges and 6.3 million nodes. We show that TIMECRUNCH is able to compress these graphs by summarizing important temporal structures and finds patterns that agree with intuition.
Metal complexes of dimethyl-, diethyl- and diphenylphosphinic anhydrides

Abstract Metal complexes of R2P(O)OP(O)R2 where R is methyl, ethyl, or phenyl have been isolated and characterized. The complexes have the stoichiometry M(ClO4)2·3L where M is Co, Ni, or Mg. Spectral data are in support of chelation by the ligands to give 6-coordinate metal ions. The complexes are less stable than the corresponding complexes of octamethylpyrophosphoramide [R = dimethylamino] although the ligand field parameters are similar.
Using Geography to Interpret a Current Event: April 2010 Eruption of Eyjafjallajokull

On April 15, 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, sending an ash plume thousands of feet into the air. According to Icelandic volcanologists, twenty-four hours after the eruption b...