cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Otx-dependent expression of proneural bHLH genes establishes a neuronal bilateral asymmetry in C. elegans

Bilateral asymmetry in Caenorhabditis elegans arises in part from cell lineages that differ on the left and right sides of the animal. The unpaired MI neuron descends from the right side of an otherwise left-right symmetric cell lineage that generates the MI neuron on the right and the e3D epithelial cell on the left. We isolated mutations in three genes that caused left-right symmetry in this normally asymmetric cell lineage by transforming MI into an e3D-like cell. These genes encode the proneural bHLH proteins NGN-1 and HLH-2 and the Otx homeodomain protein CEH-36. We identified the precise precursor cells in which ceh-36 and ngn-1 act, and showed that CEH-36 protein is asymmetrically expressed and is present in an MI progenitor cell on the right but not in its bilateral counterpart. This asymmetric CEH-36 expression promotes asymmetric ngn-1 and hlh-2 expression, which in turn induces asymmetric MI neurogenesis. Our results indicate that this left-right asymmetry is specified within the two sister cells that first separate the left and right branches of the cell lineage. We conclude that the components of an evolutionarily conserved Otx/bHLH pathway act sequentially through multiple rounds of cell division on the right to relay an initial apparently cryptic asymmetry to the presumptive post-mitotic MI neuron, thereby creating an anatomical bilateral asymmetry in the C. elegans nervous system.
Calibration of Soil Moisture for Large-Eddy Simulations over the FIFE Area

A case day, 11 October 1987, was chosen for simulation using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). The day was unique from other ‘‘golden’’ days of the First International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project (ISLSCP) Field Experiment (FIFE) in that the surface wind speeds were light in terms of magnitude. Numerous datasets were used to initialize the meteorology, vegetation, canopy height, roughness length, topography, and soil properties. The simulation was performed using the RAMS nested grid feature. First, the large-scale flow reproduced by RAMS was evaluated against the observations taken during FIFE and archived data available at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Next, a large-eddy simulation (LES) was integrated for a 6-h period starting at 1500 UTC 11 October 1987. FIFE surface flux and surface thermodynamic and dynamic data were then used to evaluate the LES. It was found that LES fluxes were in poor spatial agreement with the observations, although domain-averaged values were in good agreement. A technique for initializing the near-surface to surface soil moisture was then developed after finding a nearlinear relationship between 6-h averaged latent heat and the initial model-gridded soil moisture obtained from an objective analysis of field data. The LES was performed again using the new soil moisture obtained from the relationship. The evaluation showed significant improvement in the model’s ability to represent spatial heterogeneity of surface fluxes present on 11 October 1987.
Relaxed Energy Densities for Anisotropic Membranes

We consider deformations of a network or membrane that initially lies in a plane region R with boundary C. Let e i( i = 1, 2, 3) be an orthonormal system of base vectors, with e a (a = 1, 2) the two that are parallel to the initial plane. The particle initially at x = x a e a goes to the place r(x) = r i e i in three-dimensional space. The deformation gradient F is the 3 × 2 matrix with columns r,1 and r,2, and the strain G = F t F is a 2 × 2 symmetric, non-negative definite matrix with components G ab = r, a • r, b .
Coercion and Compliance

Despite the general recognition of its importance, it has been noted that there is a paucity of theoretical treatment of the problems of compliance to law (Krislov, 1966). While there is a vast literature dealing with rule-specified behavior, a direct focus on the peculiarities of legal rules and compliance to them seems to have been skirted in favor of more general treatments of social norms, less-structured rule and compliance systems, and basic or constitutional rules. And when law and the problems of compliance have received specific attention, it has usually been in terms of a broad, societal level, relating legal norms to cultural norms or focusing on "trouble cases" and instances of noncompliance. Detailed empirical studies in sociology have tended to focus on deviant behavior and its correlates, while in political science the approach has tended towards even less-general descriptions and case studies of the impact and consequences of legislative and judicial policy-making. On the other hand an impressive body of literature with its roots in economics has begun to develop theoretical formulations of individual and collective decision-making in a variety of social and political situations which has direct relevance to the study of law and legal choice (Blau, 1964; Thibaut and Kelley, 1959; Arrow, 1951; Buchanan and Tullock, 1962; Olson, 1965; Coleman, 1966a, b, c). There are a number of compelling reasons why the application of this general orientation and concern for formal theory ought to be particularly useful in the development of a theoretical characterization of laws, the problems of compliance and noncompliance, and the functions of formal, legal sanctions. First is the strict insistence on the adherence to the
Simulation for endocrine surgery training: a call to action

The approach to surgical education has undergone metamorphosis in the last two decades. The mantra, ‘see one, do one, teach one’ has been replaced colloquially with ‘see one, simulate many deliberately, do one’. Simulation has become an integral part of surgical training across many specialties. A large amount of resources, time and expertise have been devoted to the development and study of simulation's role for surgical mastery and improved patient outcomes. Despite significant advances, there is still much to be learned. Many specialties, such as endocrine surgery, are yet to contribute to this effort. Herein, we assess the state of simulation in endocrine surgery and call for experts in the field to unite and join the simulation movement.
Abstract 2001: Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) as a clinical classifier: An example with chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Large-scale whole-genome assays such as aCGH and expression profiling are providing an overabundance of data on disease states, yet much of the information is not relevant to driving the disease. There is a need for generating concise explanatory modules with powerful predictive results. Here we describe a semi-supervised machine-learning method for classifying -omics data with associated clinical features. Using NMF a matrix of -omics data is convoluted step-wise into two matrices; a table of k “metagenes” containing coefficients for membership of each gene, and a table of prediction strengths for each patient into each k-class. Where the class of a patient is known we initially set the prediction strength for that class high, otherwise the prediction strength for each class is set equally. As the NMF algorithm progresses, the class prediction can be swapped if this is supported by the -omics data. Initially the metagene coefficients are unknown and seeded randomly. As NMF does not converge onto a unique solution, multiple metagenes were learned starting at different random coefficients. These multiple models were cross-validated as predictors against held-out sets of patients using a correlation statistic different from the one used to train the model. Where a held-out patient correlates with none of the model's k-classes they are considered members of a novel class, and can be abstained from classification a priori. We applied our method on the TCGA ovarian serous carcinoma. In this study aCGH and expression profiles were was taken before platinum treatment and the time to relapse recorded. These -omics measurements were then integrated into inferred pathway activities using a computational model of the central dogma (DIGMA). We predicted platinum sensitivity (no relapse or relapse after 12 mo) vs. platinum resistance (relapse within 3mo) on these inferred pathway activities. Consistently, the model with the highest predictive accuracy in a cross-validation setting correctly placed patients into the correct class >80% of the time. Using abstaining it is possible to achieve >90% correct prediction upon a subset of the patients. These results provide useful prognostic indicators as well as indicators for which events drive disease. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2001.
Maestras Constructing Mestiza Consciousness Through Agency within Bilingual Education

Through a Chicana/Latina feminist theoretical and conceptual framework, this article explores two maestras' - Latina bilingual education teachers' - testimonios to understand their beliefs, values, and approaches to teaching. How Latina university students narrate their lived experiences and articulate a sense of self, family, and community informs their development as maestras. The sensibilities the maestras employ in their lived and educational trajectories contribute to understanding how and why they decide to become Spanish/English bilingual education teachers and the conditions they face in doing so. Analysis of the testimonios uncovered the following cultural strategies: a) sobrevivencia (survival, transcendence, and self-sufficiency), b) esperanza (hope), c) amor (love, including a pursuit for social justice), d) coraje (courage and rage), e) carino (critical and authentic care and caring as political), and f) conocimiento (knowledge and understanding). Employing the above cultural strategies the m...
The measurement of abnormal movement: Methods developed for Huntington's Disease.

Clinical and laboratory methods were developed to detect motor abnormalities in patients with Huntington Disease. For clinical evaluation a quantitated neurological examination was used which factor analyzed into 2 scales: a chorea scale (a measure of involuntary movement) and a motor impairment scale (a measure of abnormalities of voluntary movement). Mechanized methods of measuring involuntary movement (accelerometer) and voluntary movement (reaction time, tapping speed, and movement time) were also developed. The motor abnormalities detected on the clinical and mechanical tests were not specific to HD but were also present in persons at 50% risk for HD and in patients with a variety of neurological disorders. The mechanized tests may be useful for screening for motor disorders in the population: they are non-specific, portable and do not require the services of an experienced clinician.
Apparatus for testing gas-surface reactions for epicatalysis

Recently, a new mode of gas-surface heterogeneous catalysis (epicatalysis) has been identified, having potential applications ranging from industrial and green chemistry to novel forms of power generation. This article describes an inexpensive, easily constructed, vacuum-compatible apparatus by which multiple candidate gas-surface combinations can be rapidly screened for epicatalytic activity. In exploratory experiments, candidate surfaces (teflon, kapton, glass, and gold) and gases (helium, argon, cyclohexane, water, methanol, formic acid, and acetic acid) were tested for epicatalytic activity. Kapton and teflon displayed small but reproducible differences in formic acid and methanol dimer desorption, thereby demonstrating the first examples of room-temperature epicatalysis. Other gas-surface combinations showed smaller or inconclusive evidence for epicatalysis.
ATM Virtual Private Networks for the Internet Data Traffic

The efficient utilization and management of bandwidth in broadband networks is of paramount importance since bandwidth costs are likely to dominate network operational costs, especially in the wide area scenario. However, relatively little attention has been given to this issue in developing the current schemes for the transport of Internet data traffic over ATM. In this paper we describe a bandwidth allocation and management approach for the transport of Internet traffic over ATM that uses Virtual Private Networks, exploits the ABR service and implements bandwidth guarantees. We also address the efficient sharing of bandwidth between Internet data traffic and other media traffic using ATM.
The Use of Knowledge Workers in Marketing Organizations: An Exploratory Study

New information systems manage more data, permit firms to collect what was not available before, and expand the use of information in marketing management. These information systems not only transform the decision-making process, and organizations, but also change the nature of competition itself. Now, senior marketing management faces the problem of information overload and a need to synthesize data in ways that require the help of information specialists.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and discretionary foods among US adults by purchase location.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and discretionary foods among US adults by purchase location
Energy Minimization and the Satisfiability of Propositional Logic

Abstract Interactive connectionist networks with symmetric weights (like Hopfield nets and Boltzman Machines), use gradient descent to find a minimum for quadratic binary functions called energy functions. We show an equivalence between the problem of satisfiability in propositional calculus and the problem of minimizing those energy functions. The equivalence is in the sense that for any satisfiable Well Formed Formula (WFF) we can find a quadratic function that describes it, such that if “true” and “false” are mapped to “one” and “zero”, respectively, then the set of solutions that minimize the function is equal to the set of models (truth assignments) that satisfy the WFF. We also show that in the same sense every quadratic energy function describes some satisfiable WFF. Algorithms are given to transform any propositional Well Formed Formula into an energy function that describes it and vice versa. Using Sigma-Pi units we define high order energy minimization models that are stable, and we show equivalence between those high order models and quadratic ones. In fact we show that Sigma-Pi units are not needed if additional simple hidden units are added into the network. An algorithm to convert high order energy functions into low order functions is used as a powerful tool to implement a satisfiability problem solver on a connectionist network. The results give better understanding of the role of hidden units and of the limitations and the capabilities of these interactive connectionist models. The techniques developed here for the satisfiability problem may be applied as well to a wide range of other problems.
Adult Foster Care Homes

Adult foster care homes in the United States are small residential care settings typically smaller than six beds that provide long-term services and supports to one or more persons in a communal setting. Residents are most often dependent older adults with limited financial resources. Adult foster care homes are a hybrid of informal care usually provided by relatives, with supportive care instead provided by formal (paid) caregivers. They are considered a type of residential care/assisted living setting, most notably distinguished from other assisted living settings by their smaller size. These homes aim to help residents safely age in place and offer 24-hour oversight in addition to room and board. Adults who live in adult foster care homes require assistance with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Most homes are private pay and many accept Medicaid. Presently, more than 19,000 adult foster care homes provide care for more than 64,000 persons. Keywords: adult foster care; cohabitation; dementia; long-term care; senior housing alternatives
Some Novel Phospholipase C Activities

During the past few years, as illustrated by this and other recent volumes, there has been considerable interest in a hormone-sensitive phospholipase C that acts specifically on polyphosphoinositides. Upon receptor activation by certain agonists (e.g., adrenergic agonists, acetylcholine, serotonin, vasopressin, and platelet-derived growth factor), this membrane-localized enzyme(s) hydrolyzes primarily phosphatidylinositol 4, 5-bisphosphate into 1, 2-diacylglycerol and inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate. These substances, which often act synergistically in certain biological systems, activate protein kinase C(s) and release calcium from intracellular stores, respectively. Many interesting complexities of this important regulatory system continue to evolve.
Quantitative BONE SPECT: A valuable diagnostic tool in the diagnosis and presurgical treatment planning of Mandibular Condylar Hyperplasia (MCH)

1932 Learning Objectives Objectives: Mandibular condylar growth and asymmetry or hyperplasia ( MCH) can cause facial asymmetry. It usually develops in the teenagers and in early 20s. It is slightly more common in girls. Planar Bone scintigraphy had been used to assess the asymmetry of mandibular condyles. However, the role of Quantitative Bone SPECT is not very much looked into. In this presentation we demonstrate the usefulness of quantitative Bone SPECT to help the orofacial surgeons in the diagnosis and presurgical treatment planning of MCH. Present case based learning and teaching on MCH Diagnosis Imaging Surgery Role of Bone SPECT Quantitation Methods and Results: We will discuss Bone SPECT imaging Protocol: Mandibular SPECT Quantitative Parameters: Review Quantitation of the manibular condylar uptake and the percentages of significance Surgical Technique: Present the surgical technique with case examples Follow up: Show follow up post surgery Show surgical and imaging examples Conclusion: Present case based learning and education. Quantitative Bone SPECT is simple to perform and a useful indicator of continued bone activity. It is proven to be to a very helpful tool for the orofacial surgeons in the presurgical confirmation of the diagnosis and treatment planning of MCH as presented. Research Support None
Family Caregiver Communication in the ICU: Toward a Relational View of Health Literacy

ABSRACTWe interviewed 18 family caregivers about their communication experiences in the ICUs at an urban hospital. Analysis of their narratives suggests health literacy is important in family caregiver/healthcare provider communication, especially as complicated illnesses move the caregiver deeper into decision making. Using the domains of Yuen et al.’s conceptual model of caregiver health literacy (2015), we identified three themes within the context of ICU communication: agency, coordinated communication, and caregiver’s evolving role. We saw family caregivers negotiating domains of health literacy as they built upon knowledge of the patient’s needs, their rights as family caregivers, and the hierarchy of the professional staff. We found that these narratives represent co-created, or relational communication, rather than individual health literacy skills. Conceptualized in the transaction of relationship, health literacy is enacted; it is socially constructed and is the scaffolding upon which family car...
Tissue Plasminogen Activator Signaling in the Normal and Diseased Brain

Tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) is a protein whose enzymatic and nonenzymatic properties make it critical to normal and pathological events within the central nervous system. Here we outline the known roles of tPA in common proteolytic and hemolytic processes that underlie normal tissue functions as well as pathological events, particularly in the brain. Cerebral ischemia is a large global health concern as sharp increases in its occurrence are experienced by developed countries. Ischemic events stem from a lack of blood flow to neural tissues. tPA has long been implicated in potential excitotoxic and/or neuroprotectant events during cerebral ischemic injury, whether through extracellular events, such as the generation of plasmin and the effective clotting of blood, or intracellular events, such as membrane receptor activation. tPA has been shown to have a broad role in these processes leading to the postulate that this multifunctional molecule plays an essential role in brain homeostasis.
Overall Survival Results of a Trial Assessing Patient-Reported Outcomes for Symptom Monitoring During Routine Cancer Treatment

This study assesses overall survival associated with electronic patient-reported symptom monitoring vs usual care during routine cancer treatment.
Climate-related genetic variation in a threatened tree species, Pinus albicaulis.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: With ongoing climate change, understanding of intraspecific adaptive variation is critical for conservation and restoration of plant species. Such information is especially scarce for threatened and endangered tree species, such as Pinus albicaulis Engelm. Therefore, our principal aims were to assess adaptive variation and characterize its relationship with climate of seed origin. METHODS: We grew seedlings from 49 P. albicaulis populations representative of the interior northwestern United States in two common garden fi eld experiments under warm-dry conditions that mimic climatic conditions predicted in the current century for areas within the species’ range. Differences among populations were assessed for growth and survival. We then used regression to describe clines of apparent adaptive variation in relation to climate variation among the populations’ origins. KEY RESULTS: We detected genetic divergence for growth and survival among populations of P. albicaulis. These differences corresponded to distinct climatic clines. Populations originating from locations with lower spring precipitation exhibited greater survival in response to natural drought. Populations originating from increasingly milder climates exhibited greater height growth under relatively limited stress in early years and greater fitness after 12 yr. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that P. albicaulis exhibits adaptive variation for drought tolerance and growth in response to selection pressures associated with variation in moisture availability and temperature, respectively. Even so, clinal variation was relatively gentle. Thus, apparent differences in local adaptation to climate among populations appears to be relatively low.
Linear intermolt growth in Americamysis bahia (Molenock 1969) (Mysida, Mysidae)

AbstractTwo phases of allometry, prepubertal, and pubertal, are evident in A. bahia, equally dividing the first six instars. Coefficients of variation of the sizes of individuals’ abdomens, carapaces, and standard lengths significantly decrease in intermolt four, suggesting a synchronization of the size at which individuals enter the pubertal phase. Growth in standard length is best expressed over the first six post-larval instars by a quadratic equation, but within instars 85%, or more, of the expansion occurs linearly during the intermolt period, with only about 15% occurring during ecdysis. Estimations of carapace:abdomen allometry indicate an average ratio of 1:1.97 during the intermolt and 1:1.68 during ecdysis. The average molt:intermolt ratio in the carapace expansion is 1:3.16, and in the abdomen, 1:3.71, indicating that proportional growth between the carapace and the abdomen is continuous during both the intermolt and molt phases, but occur at different rates and proportions during the two periods.
Psychometric analysis of the life worries scale for a new generation of sexual minority men: The P18 cohort study

Objective Sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States continue to experience adverse health problems and psychosocial burdens. However, there is limited psychometric research seeking to quantify the life worries of this population. Informed by syndemic theory, the Life Worries Scale (LWS) was developed to measure the concerns of young SMM. Method Analyses of the scale were undertaken using baseline data (n = 665) from an ongoing cohort study of emerging adult, SMM. Results Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) of an initial set of 24 Likert-type items, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an exploratory structural equation model (ESEM), indicated a structure consisting of 6 domains of worries: financial stability, social stability, self esteem, loneliness, physical appearance, and physical health. These 6 subscales were highly correlated and also demonstrated high levels of internal consistency. Differences in life worries were noted across demographic states, specifically HIV serostatus, sexual attraction, housing status, and self-rated health. High levels of association were also detected between all 6 subscales with both depression and PTSD, while significant correlations were detected between suicidality and both self esteem and loneliness related worries. Conclusions The results of our analyses provide evidence for the strong psychometric characteristics of the LWS. This newly developed instrument should be utilized in research to examine the extent to which life worries explain health outcomes and risk behaviors in sexual minority males, and may be potentially extended for use in other populations. (PsycINFO Database Record
The Relationship between Donors’ Developmental Meaning-Making and Philanthropic Activity

More than 500 empirical research studies spanning more than 10 academic disciplines have been conducted to investigate variation in philanthropic giving practices; however, despite the breadth of this research, contemporary theoretical models from developmental psychology–a field which investigates change across lifespan–have not yet been utilized by nonprofit sector researchers. This four-phased, mixed-methods study used contemporary developmental theory to empirically assess donors’ developmental levels and, then, compare those data with data about giving practices. The contributions of the study are twofold. First, the study’s findings suggest that donors’ development levels are related to their thinking processes about charitable giving and the rationales they employ to make decisions about their philanthropic activity; this information has implications for nonprofit organizations’ fundraising and donor engagement efforts. Second, this study makes a methodological contribution by demonstrating a novel...
Anisotropic elastic, strength, and fracture properties of Marcellus shale

Abstract Shales are considered to be both source and cap rocks, and play an important role in various geotechnical applications including oil and gas exploration and production. A deep understanding of the mechanical properties of shale is essential. In this work, deformability, strength, and fracturability of Marcellus shale were investigated through experimental studies, and a database of its mechanical properties was generated. Uniaxial compression, direct tension, and Brazilian tests were performed on Marcellus shale specimens in various bedding plane orientations with respect to loading directions to study the static mechanical properties of the material and their anisotropy. The experimental results revealed that the transversely isotropic model is applicable for describing the elastic behavior of Marcellus shale in pure tension and compression. However, the elastic properties measured from these two experiments were not exactly the same. In addition, differences exist between Brazilian and direct tensile strengths, both of which varied with bedding plane orientations and loading directions, and were associated with different failure modes. The deformability of Marcellus shale was also studied through seismic velocity measurements, as a means for comparison with the static measurements. Finally, a series of three-point-bending tests were conducted on specimens of increasing size in three different principal notch orientations to investigate the fracture properties of the material. It was found that there exists a significant size effect on the fracture properties calculated from the measured peak loads using Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM). The fracture properties of the material calculated by using Bažant's Size Effect Law (SEL) were independent of the testing method and were found to be anisotropic.
Conditional deletion of RB1 in the Tie2 lineage leads to aortic valve regurgitation.

Objective Aortic valve disease is a complex process characterized by valve interstitial cell activation, disruption of the extracellular matrix culminating in valve mineralization occurring over many years. We explored the function of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) in aortic valve disease, given its critical role in mesenchymal cell differentiation including bone development and mineralization. Approach and results We generated a mouse model of conditional pRb knockout (cKO) in the aortic valve regulated by Tie2-Cre-mediated excision of floxed RB1 alleles. Aged pRb cKO animals showed significantly more aortic valve regurgitation by echocardiography compared to pRb het control animals. The pRb cKO aortic valves had increased leaflet thickness without increased cellular proliferation. Histologic studies demonstrated intense α-SMA expression in pRb cKO leaflets associated with disorganized extracellular matrix and increased leaflet stiffness. The pRb cKO mice also showed increased circulating cytokine levels. Conclusions Our studies demonstrate that pRb loss in the Tie2-lineage that includes aortic valve interstitial cells is sufficient to cause age-dependent aortic valve dysfunction.
Body size downgrading of mammals over the late Quaternary

Since the late Pleistocene, large-bodied mammals have been extirpated from much of Earth. Although all habitable continents once harbored giant mammals, the few remaining species are largely confined to Africa. This decline is coincident with the global expansion of hominins over the late Quaternary. Here, we quantify mammalian extinction selectivity, continental body size distributions, and taxonomic diversity over five time periods spanning the past 125,000 years and stretching approximately 200 years into the future. We demonstrate that size-selective extinction was already under way in the oldest interval and occurred on all continents, within all trophic modes, and across all time intervals. Moreover, the degree of selectivity was unprecedented in 65 million years of mammalian evolution. The distinctive selectivity signature implicates hominin activity as a primary driver of taxonomic losses and ecosystem homogenization. Because megafauna have a disproportionate influence on ecosystem structure and function, past and present body size downgrading is reshaping Earth’s biosphere.
A degenerate alpha satellite probe, detecting a centromeric deletion on chromosome 21 in an apparently normal human male, shows limitations of the use of satellite DNA probes for interphase ploidy analysis

A degenerate alpha satellite DNA probe specific for a repeated sequence on human chromosomes 13 and 21 was synthesized using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with this probe to normal metaphase spreads revealed strong probe binding to the centromeric regions of human chromosomes 13 and 21 with negligible cross-hybridization with other chromosomes. FISH to normal interphase cell nuclei showed four distinct domains of probe binding. However, hybridization with probe to interphase and metaphase preparations from one apparently normal human male resulted in only three major binding domains. Metaphase chromosome analysis revealed a centromeric deletion on one chromosome 21 that caused greatly reduced probe binding. The result suggest caution in the interpretation of interphase ploidy studies performed with chromosome-specific alphoid DNA probes.
Microfluidic Chambers for Cell Migration and Neuroscience Research

This chapter describes the fabrication and use microfluidic chambers for cell migration and neuroscience research. Both microfluidic chambers are made using soft lithography and replica molding. The main advantages of using soft lithography to create microfluidic chambers are reproducibility, ease of use, and straightforward fabrication procedures. The devices can be fabricated in biology and chemistry laboratories with minimal access to clean-room facilities. First, a microfluidic chemotaxis chamber, which has been used in investigating chemotaxis of neutrophils, human breast cancer cells, and other cell types, is described. Precise and stable gradients of chemoattractants with arbitrary shapes can be generated for different applications. Second, a multicompartment culture chamber that can fluidically isolate neuronal processes from cell bodies is described. The design of this chamber is such that only neurites grow through a series of microgrooves embedded in a physical barrier. Both devices are compatible with phase, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence microscopy.
Epidural, Caudal, Spinal, Combined Spinal/Epidural

This chapter discusses neuraxial anesthesia techniques and their contraindications. It explains each technique separately. Furthermore, it discusses the side effects of neuraxial anesthesia.
Sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification on aluminum particle combustion for an upward burning solid rocket propellant

Abstract A sensitivity analysis was conducted on an aluminum particle combustion simulation in an upward burning solid rocket propellant, via a computational fluid dynamics code, with comparison to experimental data. Correlations from Beckstead were used to formulate the evaporation rates for aluminum particles. Using one of the correlations for the sensitivity testing, it was found that as the propellant surface velocity increases, the maximum temperature would decrease, but it would increase the gas temperature closer to the propellant surface. Conversely, reducing the propellant surface velocity would increase the maximum temperature, but overshoot the experimental results. The baseline simulation data demonstrates reasonable agreement with the experimental data.
Proceedings of the 2nd Workshop on Privacy in Geographic Information Collection and Analysis

Developments in mobile and surveying technologies over the past decade have enabled the collection of individual-level and aggregated geographic information at unprecedented scale. These data are valuable sources for answering scientific questions about human behavior and improving related services, from public transportation to location-aware recommendations. However, privacy intrusion is an imminent risk when individual trajectories (and in some cases aggregated travel patterns) are used for commercial purposes such as customer profiling, or even for political persecution. Similarly, there is a trade-off between location privacy and quality of spatial search and recommender systems. This GeoPrivacy workshop focuses on discussing methods to protect individuals' privacy while enabling collection, analysis, and sharing of useful geographic information.
Smartphone based symbol digit modalities test reliably measures cognitive function in multiple sclerosis patients

Background: Neurological examination is a powerful tool for diagnosing and measuring progression of neurodegenerative diseases However, examinations are resource intensive and thus not practical for comprehensive measurement of neurological disability in chronic diseases A remote digital solution may be more practical and particularly relevant now due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Objectives: To clinically validate a digital adaptation of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) developed as part of a smartphone test suite replicating aspects of a neurological exam Methods: Participants consisted of healthy volunteers (HV;n=39) and multiple sclerosis (MS;n=154) patients, with a longitudinal subcohort that performed tests at home (n=15) During clinic visits, the smartphone test suite was administered alongside a full neurological exam The smartphone SDMT featured randomization of symbol-digit code and testing sequence The subjects also underwent written SDMT and brain MRI Results: Performance differed significantly between HV and MS cohorts (p< 0001) Performance on smartphone and written SDMT had strong evidence of association (R2=0 71, concordance coefficient CCC=0 69, p< 0001) Smartphone SDMT had higher criterion validity than written SDMT measured by correlation with T2 lesion load and brain atrophy Correlations with NeurEx subdomains identified neurological functions involved in performance of each of the 3 functional cognitive tests Correcting for these contributing non-cognitive disabilities generated linear regression models strongly predicting the amount of MS-related brain injury measured by volumetric MRI (R2 = 0 75, p < 0 0001 vs R2 = 0 62, p < 0 0001) Of the longitudinal cohort, 87% of patients demonstrated practice effects measured by non-linear regression Averaging multiple sequential post-learning results significantly decreased threshold for identifying true test deteriorations on a patient level Conclusions: Smartphone SDMT allows for less resource intensive remote administration The clinometric properties of smartphone SDMT compare to or outperform written SDMT This study expands the validation of multiple neurological tests administered via smartphone and bring us closer to a patient-autonomous neurological examination
A Coronavirus Outbreak and Sector Stock Returns: The Tale from The First Ten Weeks of 2020

This paper examines early impacts of COVID-19 outbreak on stock returns of 11 sectors using the firm-level stock price data from 10 countries. Results show that investors across sectors and countries respond differently during the outbreak. Across the 11 sectors, Communication Services, Consumer Staples, Health Care, Information Technology, and Utilities are consistently doing relatively well, compared to other sectors, in all countries except Italy, Japan, and U.S. On the contrary, Energy sector suffers greatest abnormal negative returns, among all sectors, in countries including Canada, Italy, U.K., and U.S. Furthermore, Japan and U.S. have the highest numbers of abnormally and negatively affected sectors.
Thyroid dysfunction and immune checkpoint inhibitor outcomes.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) frequently cause thyroid dysfunction. We performed a longitudinal analysis of thyroid function tests in a large, single-center cohort of patients with multiple cancer types receiving ICI. Methods: We performed a retrospective medical records review of consecutive patients treated with ICI from 1/1/2005 to 12/31/2018. We collected demographic and clinical data, including serial thyroid function tests. We compared overall survival between patients with normal and abnormal thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) at baseline and after ICI initiation using Kaplan-Meier curves, log-rank tests, and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results: A total of 910 patients were included: 63% male, 82% white, median age 67. The most common cancer types were lung (26%), kidney (18%), and melanoma (17%). ICI types were anti-PD1/L1 (78%), anti-CTLA-4 (7%), and combination ICI (15%). Normal baseline TSH and abnormal post-treatment TSH was associated with longer overall survival (median survival 26 months) compared to all other TSH permutations (median survival < 10 months) (P< 0.001). This finding persisted after multivariate Cox regression adjustment for age, gender and cancer type (P < 0. 001), and also after sensitivity analysis censoring patients who died within 2 months after starting ICI. Conversely, abnormal TSH at baseline was associated with lower overall survival (median 8 months) compared to normal TSH at baseline (median 18 months) (P< 0.001), which also persisted in multivariate analysis (P< 0.001). Kidney and head and neck cancers (71% and 69%) were associated with increased development of thyroid dysfunction compared to melanoma, lung and other urological cancers (52%, 50% and 35%) (P< 0.01). Conclusions: Although abnormal thyroid function after ICI initiation was associated with improved overall survival, pre-treatment thyroid abnormalities were associated with worse overall survival. Given the prevalence of thyroid abnormalities in the general population, further research into these observations is warranted.
The Concept of Entrainment

The word entrainment was derived from entrain, “to draw along.” It was first applied to cardiac electrophysiology by Dr. Albert Waldo in 1977. It is one of the most important concepts in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, a concept that remained an intellectual curiosity for many years until catheter ablation entered the clinical arena for the treatment of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia (VT). In this chapter, the author discusses the history of entrainment and reentry in deciphering the mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias as well as the methodology of entrainment mapping to determine the critical isthmus in various tachycardias. Additionally, the author highlights the contributions of George Ralph Mines in describing reentry as far back as 1913 and those of Dr. William G. Stevenson in entrainment mapping of ventricular tachycardia for catheter ablative purposes.
Toward Safe Systems: Traffic Safety, Cognition, and the Built Environment:

Conventional transportation practice attributes traffic crashes to human error, leading to the prevailing assumption that crash prevention is principally an outcome of driver education and law enfo...
Clinical Outcomes of 2019 COVID-19 Positive Patients Who Underwent Surgery: A New York City Experience.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has led to a halt in elective surgeries throughout the United States and many other countries throughout the world. Early reports suggest that COVID-19 patients undergoing surgery have an increased risk of requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission and overall mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all COVID-19, positive with polymerase chain reaction confirmation, patients who had surgery between February 17, 2020 and April 26, 2020 at a major New York City hospital. Clinical characteristics and outcomes including ICU admission, ventilator requirement, and mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Thirty-nine COVID-19 surgical patients were identified. Mean age was 53.9 y, and there were more men than women in the cohort (56.4% versus 43.6%). Twenty-two patients (56.4%) had a confirmed positive COVID-19 test preoperatively, and the remainder tested positive after their procedure. The majority (59%) of patients had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class of 3 or higher. Postoperatively, 7 patients (17.9%) required ICU level care with a mean length of stay of 7.7 d. There were 4 deaths (10.3%) in this patient population, all of which occurred in patients who were ASA class 3 or 4. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the largest study to date, that objectively analyzes the outcomes of COVID-19 positive patients who underwent surgery. Overall, ICU admission rates and mortality are similar to reported rates in the literature for nonsurgical COVID-19 patients. Notably, in COVID-19 patients with ASA 1 or 2, there was a 0% mortality rate in the postoperative period.
824. Isolation Rounding - Enforcing Existing Isolation Policies to Conserve Personal Protective Equipment

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been limited and sold at increased cost Prior to the pandemic, we had initiated a project to improve PPE adherence and decrease cost by removing eligible patients from transmission based precautions (TBPs) At baseline, ordering providers are responsible for TBP utilization with orders through the electronic medical record We observed that patients were in TBP when not indicated;remained in TBP beyond the appropriate time;and a reluctance on the part of providers to discontinue the orders We tested the effect on TBP duration and PPE utilization house-wide through frequent review of TBP by a nurse educator with communication to providers of discontinuation opportunities Methods From November 2019 to February 2020, all TBP orders in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) were reviewed intermittently In March 2020, review was expanded to all inpatients with daily reviews in all units Changes recommended and completed were tracked for all reviewed patients We estimated cost of PPE in the PICU over time based on the number of patients in isolation and type of TBP utilized to determine whether our intervention resulted in reduced PPE use Results Regular rounding in the PICU increased the proportion of patients in appropriate TBP and reduced the need to communicate with providers directly (33% vs 3% requiring intervention, Figure 1) Over the same time period, less PPE was used and PPE-related costs lowered (average total PPE cost $306 18 vs $95 15 per day, Figure 2) Less of an effect was seen when analyzing house-wide data Figure 1 - P-chart of Percent Interventions Among Patients in TBP Figure 2 - X-chart of Total PPE Cost in the ICU Conclusion Isolation rounds is an effective means to ensure proper TBP adherence and manage PPE use appropriately Additional study is needed to confirm a return on investment, to account for variation among units, and to sustain COVID-19- influenced gains beyond the pandemic
Intrinsic Morphologic and Physiologic Development of Human Derived Retinal Ganglion Cells In Vitro

Purpose Human retinal ganglion cells (hRGC) derived from human pluripotent stem cells are promising candidates to model, protect, and replace degenerating RGCs. Here, we examined intrinsic morphologic and physiologic development of hRGCs. Methods We used CRISPR-Cas9 to selectively express tdTomato under the RGC-specific promoter, BRN3B. Human pluripotent stem cells were chemically differentiated into hRGCs and cultured up to 7 weeks. We measured soma area, neurite complexity, synaptic protein, axon-related messenger RNA and protein, and voltage-dependent responses. Results Soma area, neurite complexity, and postsynaptic density protein 95 increased over time. Soma area and neurite complexity increased proportionally week to week, and this relationship was dynamic, strengthening between 2 and 3 weeks and diminishing by 4 weeks. Postsynaptic density 95 localization was dependent on culture duration. After 1 to 2 weeks, postsynaptic density 95 localized within somas but redistributed along neurites after 3 to 4 weeks. Axon initial segment scaffolding protein, Ankyrin G, expression also increased over time, and by 7 weeks, Ankyrin G often localized within putative axons. Voltage-gated inward currents progressively developed, but outward currents matured by 4 weeks. Current-induced spike generation increased over time but limited by depolarization block. Conclusions Human RGCs develop up to 7 weeks after culture. Thus, the state of hRGC maturation should be accounted for in designing models and treatments for optic neuropathies. Translational relevance We characterized hRGC morphologic and physiologic development towards identifying key time points when hRGCs express mechanisms that may be harnessed to enhance the efficacy of neuroprotective and cell replacement therapies.