cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bilateral neuroretinitis and anterior uveitis following ipilimumab treatment for metastatic melanoma

This report presents a novel case of bilateral neuroretinitis and anterior uveitis in a patient receiving ipilimumab treatment for metastatic cutaneous melanoma and summarizes the literature regarding treatment options for patients with ipilimumab-related ocular immune-related adverse events. The medical chart was reviewed, a literature search was performed, and the results were summarized. For the case presented here, in addition to discontinuation of ipilimumab, combined topical and oral corticosteroid therapy provided visual recovery and resolution of ocular inflammation over 2 months. Review of the literature identified that the majority of reported patients required treatment with oral corticosteroids for control of ocular and periocular inflammation. Ipilimumab-induced ocular inflammation is a rare adverse immune event. This case, in conjunction with the current literature, suggests that in the setting of severe ocular inflammation, treatment with both topical and oral corticosteroids are typically required for management and preservation of good visual function.
On the role of AP2 in epithelial-specific gene expression

Transcription factor AP2 plays an important role in transcription of keratin genes, and it has been suggested that AP2 confers epithelial specificity. Promoters of keratin genes contain AP2 sites, usually within tight clusters of binding sites for other nuclear transcription factors. The role of AP2 was examined by in vitro gel shift analysis, AP2 binding site mutagenesis, and stable and transient transfection experiments. Nonepithelial cells, such as GM10 fibroblasts and melanocytes, neither express keratin nor become phenotypically epithelial when transfected with an AP2-expressing vector. However, in 3T3 and HeLa cells, co-transfection of an AP2-expressing vector increases the level of transcription from keratin gene promoters. This increase requires an intact AP2 binding site. Thus, the role of AP2 in keratin gene expression is quantitative rather than qualitative. AP2 interacts with other transcription factors and may convey extracellular regulatory signals to the transcription complex in the promoters of keratin genes.
Tissue Engineering Strategies for Endodontic Regeneration

The regeneration of a dental pulp that enables completion of vertical and lateral root development would certainly be beneficial for the treatment of necrotic immature permanent teeth. The discovery that teeth contain a small sub-population of stem cells endowed with the capacity of differentiating into the individual cellular components required to regenerate the pulp tissue provides the scientific rationale for the field of dental pulp tissue engineering. However, there are significant challenges in the translation of dental pulp tissue engineering to the clinic. They include, but are not limited to, the relative lack of understanding of the basic biology of tooth-related stem cells, the need for development of scaffolds specifically designed for dental applications, and the development of therapeutic strategies that are safe and can be efficiently implemented in clinical settings. This chapter highlights the advances and discusses the challenges facing the clinical translation of dental pulp tissue engineering.
Clinical Effect of Dose Escalation After Disease Progression in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Abstract Background Given the variability in drug levels with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), dose escalation at the occurrence of progressive disease (PD) might have antitumor effects. Patients and Methods The data from patients with mRCC who were treated at the Cleveland Clinic with TKIs and received a dose escalation after PD in accordance with Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1, were retrospectively reviewed. Patient- and disease-related data were collected and summarized as frequency counts and percentages or medians and ranges. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to summarize the treatment duration for the escalated doses. Results Twenty-two patients were identified. Most patients (82%) were men; the median age at diagnosis was 58 years (range, 40-71 years). The most common histologic type was clear cell (73%). Axitinib was the most frequently escalated agent after PD (17 patients), followed by sunitinib (3 patients), and pazopanib (2 patients). Before PD, the median treatment duration was 6.8 months (range, 1.6-50.6 months). Of the 18 patients with evaluable tumor measurements after dose escalation, 14 (78%) had a decrease in tumor burden. The median decrease in tumor burden after dose escalation was 14% (range, 2%-58%); 4 patients (22%) had decreases ≥10%, 2 (11%) ≥20%, and 4 (22%) >30% (RECIST partial response). At the last follow-up examination, 5 patients (23%) continued to be treated at escalated doses. The median duration of escalated therapy was estimated at 10.1 months (range, 0.6 to 37.9 months). Conclusion Dose escalation of TKIs after PD for select patients with mRCC can lead to a reduction in tumor burden and extend the duration of therapy.
Examining Student Writing Proficiencies across Genres: Results of an Intervention Study.

AbstractThis study examines the patterns of growth across both taught and untaught genres of writing for deaf and hard of hearing students in grades 4–6. Twenty-three students were exposed to Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) for 5 weeks, during which time they received guided, interactive instruction focused on how writers address particular purposes and audiences with their writing. By examining student writing samples before and after both regular writing instruction and SIWI using genre-specific rubrics, we investigated whether students transfer and generalize writing strategies and processes learned in one genre to writing in a genre for which they did not receive instruction, in this case: information report writing. We found that after 5 weeks focused on recount genre instruction, students spontaneously transfer competencies related to genre-specific features that were not explicitly taught, and that students with greater language proficiency did so more effectively. We discuss t...
Particle contamination below a robot arm in a cleanroom

Experimental velocity and particle concentration data have been obtained near a circular cylinder robot arm in a chamber that simulates a vertical unidirectional flow Class 10 cleanroom. The airflow field around the robot arm has been characterized using a hot wire anemometer. Both mean velocities and turbulence spectral data were obtained. Sodium chloride particles were injected through small holes below the arm to simulate particles generated by moving joints. Results indicate that the turbulent wake near the arm causes an unsymmetrical widespread dispersion of the particles from a single point source on the arm. Particles disperse much stronger along the cylinder axis than normal to the cylinder near the injection point.
Osteoarthritis induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus is reduced in germ-free mice

Summary Objective To determine the contribution of the gut microbiota to the development of injury-induced osteoarthritis (OA). Design OA was induced using the destabilized medial meniscus (DMM) model in 20 germ-free (GF) C57BL/6J male mice housed in a gnotobiotic facility and 23 strain-matched specific pathogen free (SPF) mice in 2 age groups −13.5 weeks avg age at DMM (17 SPF and 15 GF) and 43 weeks avg age at DMM (6 SPF and 5 GF). OA severity was measured using scores for articular cartilage structure (ACS), loss of safranin O (SafO) staining, osteophyte size, and synovial hyperplasia. Microbiome analysis by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed on stool samples and LPS and LPS binding protein (LBP) were measured in plasma. Results Compared to the SPF DMM mice, the maximum (MAX) ACS score per joint was 28% lower (p = 0.036) in GF DMM mice while the SafO sum score of all sections evaluated per joint was decreased by 31% (p = 0.009). The differences between SPF and GF mice in these scores were greater when only the younger mice were included in the analysis. The younger GF DMM mice also had significant reductions in osteophyte size (36%, P = 0.0119) and LBP (27%, P = 0.007) but not synovial scores or LPS. Differences in relative abundance of a number of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were noted between SPF mice with high vs low maximum ACS scores. Conclusions These results suggest factors related to the gut microbiota promote the development of OA after joint injury.
Enantioselective, intermolecular benzylic C-H amination catalysed by an engineered iron-haem enzyme.

C–H bonds are ubiquitous structural units of organic molecules. Although these bonds are generally considered to be chemically inert, the recent emergence of methods for C–H functionalization promises to transform the way synthetic chemistry is performed. The intermolecular amination of C–H bonds represents a particularly desirable and challenging transformation for which no efficient, highly selective, and renewable catalysts exist. Here we report the directed evolution of an iron-containing enzymatic catalyst—based on a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase—for the highly enantioselective intermolecular amination of benzylic C–H bonds. The biocatalyst is capable of up to 1,300 turnovers, exhibits excellent enantioselectivities, and provides access to valuable benzylic amines. Iron complexes are generally poor catalysts for C–H amination: in this catalyst, the enzyme's protein framework confers activity on an otherwise unreactive iron-haem cofactor.
Who Deserves a Seat?: Colorblind Public Opinion of College Admissions Policy

ABSTRACTUsing critical discourse analysis, this study assesses reader comments to newspaper articles on the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin Supreme Court case. The Fisher case challenges the consideration of race in the college admissions process at UT. Findings show that this racial equity practice was framed as being antithetical to individualism, merit, and competition. Many comments, divorced from social and historical contexts, used colorblind rationale to justify their opposition to affirmative action yet relied heavily on popular polarizing racial discourse in their argumentation. Social policy implications related to facilitating college diversity and promoting educational equity are presented.
Vera Caspary’s Bedelia: Murder as a Domestic Art, or Lethal Home Economics

Flawlessly gorgeous, Bedelia is a gifted homemaker and adoring wife; the only problem is that she is a serial murderer of husbands. The novel not only interrogates the ideal of domestic femininity but destroys a fantasy of upright Puritan-American masculinity and the “conventional” family, and the bedrock of tradition on which it stands. Bedelia demonstrates the rot at the center of a fantasy of American domestic and economic sovereignty, linking domestic, gendered, and national conventions within a system of capital and consumption in a searing and witty critique that anticipates and decries the backlash of rigid conformity that follows the social gains of the 1930s and 1940s. The novel traces the reasons Caspary’s titular bad girl—described on the book’s cover as “the wickedest girl who ever loved”—still shocks today.
Effects of weave architecture and mesoscale material properties on the macroscale mechanical response of advanced woven fabrics

Abstract This research explores the effects of mesoscale (yarn) material properties on the macroscale mechanical response of various woven fabric architectures. A unit cell finite element modeling for plain, basket, twill and satin weaves is adopted and coupled with a special design-of-experiments approach. To investigate the effects of the yarn material properties and weave architectures, two loading cases are studied: (1) Uniaxial tensile, and (2) Shear. Macroscale response outcomes such as woven fabric modulus, Poisson's ratio, frictional energy dissipation and shear resistance are defined for each loading case and the effects of the mesoscale material properties on these outcomes are studied. The method is capable of identifying significant parameters along with their relative effects and contributions to the outcomes. The results of the study revealed the importance of transverse shear modulus of the yarns. Moreover, the relative effects of the yarn material properties are determined using different weave architectures.
EAAT2 and the Molecular Signature of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapid and fatal neurodegenerative disease, primarily affecting upper and lower motor neurons. It is an extremely heterogeneous disease in both cause and symptom development, and its mechanisms of pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Excitotoxicity, a process caused by excessive glutamate signaling, is believed to play a substantial role, however. Excessive glutamate release, changes in postsynaptic glutamate receptors, and reduction of functional astrocytic glutamate transporters contribute to excitotoxicity in ALS. Here, we explore the roles of each, with a particular emphasis on glutamate transporters and attempts to increase them as therapy for ALS. Screening strategies have been employed to find compounds that increase the functional excitatory amino acid transporter EAAT2 (GLT1), which is responsible for the vast majority of glutamate clearance. One such compound, ceftriaxone, was recently tested in clinical trials but unfortunately did not modify disease course, though its effect on EAAT2 expression in patients was not measured.
The Role of Neuronal-Glial Cell Interaction During Brain Development

Recent immunocytochemical studies using glial specific marker show that neuronal and glial cell classes coexist in the developing primate brain earlier than has hitherto been assumed, and that they originate from separate precursors that are present in the proliferative zones. DNA labeling indicates that one transient subclass — the radial glial cells — does not divide for about two months during the peak period of neurogenesis. During this period their elongated processes may play a crucial role in the compartmentalization of the nervous system and may serve as guides for migrating neurons as they traverse the distance between their sites of origin near the ventricular surface and their final destinations. The cellular mechanisms responsible for this movement, as well as the possible involvement of glial fibers in the formation of extracellular spaces and in the transfer of information and/or nutrients via intracytoplasmic transport during development, remain to be clarified. At somewhat later stages the astrocytes that are produced directly from glial precursors or by a morphogenetic transformation from radial glial cells, construct the membrana limitans gliae that forms the brain surface, separate differentiating neurons during synaptogenesis, and remove degenerating cells, axons, and synaptic terminals. Genetic or acquired abnomalities of glial cells may impair the completion of the normal developmental process and lead to various brain abnormalities.
Reframing race in the Maghreb

Clandestine migration across the Mediterranean is often discussed for its agitating effects on Europe’s racial anxieties; less acknowledged is the growth of intra-African racism in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Officials in these countries have increasingly demonised sub-Saharan Africans who arrive in the Maghreb en route to Europe, and now even black North Africans describe a climate of heightened racial tension. This article analyses the ways in which black Africans are represented in the contemporary Maghreb. Specifically, I look at print and on-line journalism, novels and films that foreground questions of race to argue that Maghrebi journalists, social media activists, authors and filmmakers are critiquing racism and exposing its neo-colonial underpinnings. Their work is calling for a disciplinary realignment in North African cultural studies that focuses the field as much on ‘Africa’ as it does on ‘North’.
Regionally consistent Western North America paleomagnetic directions from 15 to 35 ka: Assessing chronology and uncertainty with paleosecular variation (PSV) stratigraphy

Abstract New Paleomagnetic Secular Variation (PSV) data from Fish Lake, Utah, USA, along with previously published regional records, allow us to build an independently dated Western North America PSV stack (WNAM17) from about 35 to 15 ka that quantifies dating and paleomagnetic uncertainties. In February 2014, we recovered a composite 11-m-long sediment record from Fish Lake, Utah that retrieved glacially influenced and post-glacial sediments. Computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic susceptibility were used to build a precise depth scale, while radiocarbon dating of terrestrial macrofossils and tephrostratigraphy provide tight age-control. Glacially influenced sediments have well-defined characteristic remanent magnetizations with all maximum angular deviation values
Traumatic encounters with Frank Mechau's Dangers of the Mail

ABSTRACTThis essay examines Frank Mechau's infamous mural Dangers of the Mail as an opportunity to theorize the force of memories contingent upon immediate sensual encounters that operate largely i...
Continuous non-invasive optical monitoring of cerebral blood flow and oxidative metabolism after acute brain injury:

Rapid detection of ischemic conditions at the bedside can improve treatment of acute brain injury. In this observational study of 11 critically ill brain-injured adults, we employed a monitoring approach that interleaves time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (TR-NIRS) measurements of cerebral oxygen saturation and oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) with diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Using this approach, we demonstrate the clinical promise of non-invasive, continuous optical monitoring of changes in CBF and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). In addition, the optical CBF and CMRO2 measures were compared to invasive brain tissue oxygen tension (PbtO2), thermal diffusion flowmetry CBF, and cerebral microdialysis measures obtained concurrently. The optical CBF and CMRO2 information successfully distinguished between ischemic, hypermetabolic, and hyperemic conditions that arose spontaneously during patient care. Moreover, CBF monitoring during pressor-induced changes of mean arterial blood pressure enabled assessment of cerebral autoregulation. In total, the findings suggest that this hybrid non-invasive neurometabolic optical monitor (NNOM) can facilitate clinical detection of adverse physiological changes in brain injured patients that are otherwise difficult to measure with conventional bedside monitoring techniques.
Family Caregivers’ Unmet Needs in Long-term Cancer Survivorship

Abstract Objectives To review the family caregivers’ unmet needs in the long-term phase of survivorship to identify unique challenges faced by family caregivers. Data Sources Research-based articles and published reports. Conclusion Family caregivers diverge into three distinct groups in the long-term survivorship phase: those remaining in care, those whose patients have survived and where care is no longer needed, and those whose patients have died. Their primary unmet needs vary by the different caregivership trajectories. Implications for Nursing Practice Comprehensive understanding of family caregivers’ unmet needs is required to develop family caregiver care plans in long-term survivorship.
Microenvironmental Regulation of Long Noncoding RNA LINC01133 Promotes Cancer Stem Cell-Like Phenotypic Traits in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers

The fibrotic tumor microenvironment is a critical player in the pathogenesis of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), with the presence of fibroblastic infiltrates particularly correlating with tumors that are clinically advanced. On this front, we previously demonstrated that TNBCs are highly enriched in fibroblastic stromal progenitor cells called mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) and that such cells play critical roles in promoting TNBC initiation and progression. How TNBC cells respond to MSC stimulation, however, is not fully understood, and stands to reveal contextual signals used by TNBC cells during tumor development and provide biomarkers and therapeutic targets of pertinence to TNBC management. Here, we report that MSCs strongly induced the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) LINC01133 in neighboring TNBC cells. Indeed, although lncRNAs have been tightly associated with cancer development, their contributions to breast cancer in general, and to TNBC pathogenesis in particular, have not been fully elucidated, and we set out to determine if LINC01133 regulated malignant traits in TNBC cells. We establish that LINC01133 is sufficient, on its own, in promoting phenotypic and growth characteristics of cancer stem cell-like cells, and that it is a direct mediator of the MSC-triggered miR-199a-FOXP2 pathway in TNBC models. Furthermore, we show that LINC01133 is a critical regulator of the pluripotency-determining gene Kruppel-Like Factor 4 (KLF4), and that it represents a biomarker and prognosticator of disease outcome in the clinic. Collectively, our findings introduce LINC01133 as a novel functional driver of malignancy and a potential theranostic in TNBC. Stem Cells 2019;37:1281-1292.
An R package for computation of mangrove forest structural parameters using plot and plotless methods

Mangrove structure is influenced not only by the magnitude and periodicity of favorable energy inputs (temperature, hydroperiod, tides, sunlight, and nutrients), but also by stressors (salinity, drought, storms, and frost), which may have a diminishing effect on forest structure. In worldwide characterization of mangrove forests, researchers use several structural parameters to inform, compare, classify, and evaluate mangrove communities for both research and management. However, the calculation of these structural parameters involves a multi-step series of protocols and formula applications that are error-prone and time consuming. Using standard mangrove structure methodologies found in the literature, the mangroveStructure package for R was developed to deliver a simple tool to quickly calculate mangrove forest structure based on either plot or plotless methods. Outputs of the package include density, diameter, basal area, height, as well as relative values of density, dominance, frequency, and importance value. Output also includes common structural indices (complexity index and mean stand diameter) and visual representations of relative values, diameter and height histograms, and canopy height distributions along the transect line. This package will be useful to scientists interested in mangrove field surveys and those seeking a better understanding of mangrove ecosystems structural variability. To familiarize users with its many features, the package includes example data sets collected in the mangroves of Darien, Panama, and south Florida, USA.
Presentation and Management of Killian Jamieson Diverticulum: A Comprehensive Literature Review:

Objective:To examine the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of Killian–Jamieson diverticula (KJD) through literature review.Methods:A comprehensive literature review was c...
Building Energy Use Prediction Owing to Climate Change: A Case Study of a University Campus

Global warming is expected to increase of 1.5°C between 2030 and 2052. This may lead to an increase in building energy consumption. With the changing climate, cities, communities, and university campuses need a more dynamic forecasting model to predict their future energy demands to mitigate risks. Although many building energy prediction models have been developed, only a few have focused on climate change and its impacts. This paper discusses the development of a regression-based forecasting model for a university campus energy use under changing climate. The forecasting model development follows a four-step process: (1) data frame setting, (2) descriptive statistics, (3) statistical regression modeling, and (4) validation and prediction. The independent numeric variables used as inputs are building characteristics (gross square feet, lighting power density, equipment power density; U factor of roof, wall, and windows; building age; years after building renovation; and window-to-wall ratio) and weather data (temperature and humidity). The outputs are electricity and chilled water for 2054. Prior to modeling, matrix plots and histograms are used to identify correlations between variables. This step is followed by normalization of independent variables to check their impact. Finally, multiple linear regression model for electricity and Lasso regression models for chilled water estimations are developed. For the purpose of predicting energy consumption owing to climate change, we used weather data that represents 2054. The equipment power density was the most important factor for electricity consumption and temperature was the most important one for chilled water consumption. The prediction models give an insight of which factors remain essential and applicable to campus building policy to prevent wasting energy in buildings, as a result of climate change.
Distributed Charging Management of Electric Vehicles in Smart Microgrids

The uncoordinated integration of a great number of Electric Vehicles (EVs) possibly leads to undervoltages and overcurrents in a Distribution Network (DN). It may also increase the power losses in the DN, and in severe cases, it is probable that the DN collapses. Therefore, control and management systems are necessary for avoiding the negative consequences of EV charging. In addition, by the advent of bidirectional chargers and sophisticated EV Supply Equipment (EVSE), objectives beyond saving the DN from becoming upset can be defined for EVs as auxiliary services (also referred to as ancillary services).
Is income inequality reflected in consumption inequality in Iran

This paper presents a descriptive analysis of the evolution of labor supply, income, and consumption inequality in Iran using the 2005–2015 waves of the survey of Household Expenditure and Income (...
Evaluation of the Effect of Routine Antibiotic Administration after Uterine Artery Embolization on Infection Rates.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effect of routine administration of post-procedural antibiotics following elective uterine artery embolization (UAE) on infectious complication rates. Materials and Methods The charts of patients who underwent UAE between January 2013 and September 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Prior to January 15, 2016, all patients received post-procedural antibiotics with 500 mg of ciprofloxacin twice a day orally for 5 days. After January 15, 2016, none of the patients received post-procedural antibiotics. All patients in both groups received pre-procedural intravenous antibiotics. The post-procedural antibiotics group included 217 patients (age, 44.7 ± 6 years); the no-antibiotics group included 158 patients (age, 45.4 ± 5.6 years). Patients in the no-antibiotics group had a significantly higher rate of diabetes mellitus (P = .03) but fewer cases of adenomyosis (P = .048). Otherwise, demographic and fibroid characteristics were similar between the groups. Results Six infectious complications (6/375, 1.6%) were recorded. No statistically significant difference (P = .66) was observed in the number of infections between the post-procedural antibiotics group (4/217, 1.8%) and the no-antibiotics group (2/158, 1.3%). Three of the 6 infectious complications presented with malodorous vaginal discharge (3/375, 0.8%) and received nominal therapy. The 3 remaining complications (0.8%) were considered major and included 2 patients (0.5%) who underwent hysterectomy and 1 patient (0.3%) who underwent myomectomy. The major infection rate was 0.9% (2/217) in the post-procedural antibiotics group and 0.7% (1/158) in the no-antibiotics group (P = 1). There were no 90-day post-procedural mortalities. Conclusions Discontinuation of routine post-procedural antibiotics with ciprofloxacin after elective UAE did not result in increased rates of infectious complications within the first 90 days post procedure.
Optimal planning of microgrids for resilient distribution networks

Abstract As severe weather events disrupt the power system more frequently and more harshly, the concern is growing around the ability of future grids to recover from such natural disasters. Recently, a major research focus has been on microgrids (MGs) as a potential source of resiliency. While most of the works done so far center on how to benefit from existing MGs through operation schemes, this study focuses on the planning of MGs to strengthen the network against severe faults. In this regard, three solution approaches are proposed aiming to determine the optimal nodes for the connection of MGs as well as the capacity of the dispatchable generation units deployed within MGs. These algorithms satisfy the power balance of MGs and the main grid as well as the operational and topological constraints. A computationally-efficient heuristic method is developed in two stationary (S-HM) and time-dependent (T-HM) versions. The concept of the heuristic approach, which was first introduced by the authors and is matured in this study, is based on a multi-stage search algorithm that efficiently reduces the undesirable restoration strategies and utilizes the original power flow equations. The other approach is a multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MO-MILP) that strives to find the globally-optimal solution in a time-dependent scheme. The validity of the outputs of these methods is assessed using an exhaustive search algorithm (ESA), capable of finding the globally-optimal solution. The MG model constitutes renewable and dispatchable generation units, energy storage systems, and local loads. The uncertainty of intermittent energy resources is tackled through robust optimization formulation based on the worst-case scenario. The performance of the proposed methods are evaluated by the IEEE 37- and IEEE 123-bus test systems under several severe fault scenarios.
Correlation Analysis of MRI Lesion Load and Clinical Measures in Multiple Sclerosis Cohort Using Structured Clinical Documentation Support Toolkit (1880)

Objective: Study the correlation between MRI lesion load and clinical measures in a multiple sclerosis (MS) cohort. Background: A weak or absent correlation between MRI lesion load and clinical disability including physical, cognitive and psychological in MS has been the prevailing view. Correlation studies between these variables in the general MS population have been limited. Design/Methods: We used our customized EMR toolkits built to capture standardized data at office visits for quality improvement and practice based research in treating patients with demyelinating disorders. We also developed clinical decision support tools and best practice advisories within the toolkits to alert physicians when a quality improvement opportunity exists. 348 patients were included in this analysis with the following nonproprietary clinical measures used: estimated EDSS (E-EDSS); Cognitive (STMS); fatigue (FSS); and depression (CESD). Based on brain MRI lesion load of T1 (BT1L) and T2 (BT2L), patients were divided in groups: 0 lesions; 1–10; 11–20 and above 20/confluent. Spine MRI T2 lesion load groups were present versus absent. Results: There was a significant correlation between BT2L and all clinical measures studied (vs. E-EDSS p=0.007, vs. STMS p= 0.004, vs. FSS p=0.041), except CESD (p=243). BT1L significantly correlated with E-EDSS (p=0.03), and trended with STMS (p=0.068), but did not correlate with FSS (p=0.853) and CESD (p=0.699). The presence of spinal cord lesion correlated with E-EDSS (p=0.012), but there was no correlation with BT2L or BT1L and spinal cord lesion, suggesting they are independent risk factors for physical disability. Conclusions: Although the correlation between spinal cord lesion and physical disability is expected, the strong correlations between physical and cognitive disabilities and BT2L is somewhat surprising and does not support the prevailing view of independence of these measures in the management of MS. The lack of correlation with BT1L might be related to a relatively small sample size. Disclosure: Dr. Hentati has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Biogen, EMD Serono, and Genzyme. Dr. Franada has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pula has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maurer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hadsell has nothing to disclose. Dr. Epshteyn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tideman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Pham has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frigerio has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maraganore has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rubin has nothing to disclose.
Computerized Measurement of Processing Speed Predicts Cognitive Decline in Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis (P4.351)

Objective: To compare the sensitivity of two cognitive screening measures for detecting longitudinal change and to identify predictors of decline in a cohort of consecutively recruited pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) patients. Background: POMS is associated with cognitive impairment and academic difficulties. Determining who is at risk for cognitive decline and identifying the earliest point of change is challenging and estimates of the degree of cognitive change over time have greatly varied. Both the Brief International Cognitive Assessment in MS (BICAMS: the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) measure of speeded processing, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test for verbal learning, and Brief Visual Memory Test- Revised for visual learning) and the Cogstate computerized brief battery have demonstrated sensitivity to early impairment. Design/Methods: POMS participants were consecutively recruited to complete both assessments at two routine outpatient visits. Both the BICAMS and Cogstate batteries each required approximately ten minutes to administer; z-scores were calculated using age normative data. Significant decline was defined as worsening by >1 SD of change. Results: A total of n=52 POMS participants (mean age = 16 +/− 3 years, 64 % female) completed two assessments (interval between tests ranged from 2 to 19 months; mean = 8.5 months). Across individual measures, the SDMT improved (mean raw score 56 increased to 59, p = 0.002) while the other individual test group means remained unchanged. At the second assessment, 4% of participants declined on BICAMS vs 10% on Cogstate. Neither age of onset, EDSS, disease duration nor baseline cognitive ability predicted future decline. However, baseline cognitive processing speed did predict individual decline on both the BICAMS and Cogstate measures (r = −0.39, p = 0.004 and −0.35, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Computerized cognitive processing speed measures predict cognitive decline in POMS and remain relatively free from practice effects. Study Supported by: The Lourie Foundation Inc. Disclosure: Dr. Shaw has nothing to disclose. Dr. Clayton has nothing to disclose. Dr. Krupp has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with as a speaker, consultant and/or participant on an advisory board from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Teva Neurosciences and Multicell; grant support from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. Dr. Krupp has received research support from research support from Novartis, Biogen Idec, Celgene Corporation and Genentech and support from the Lourie Foundation, Slomo and Cindy Silvian Foundation and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Dr. Charvet has nothing to disclose.
Outcome of critically ill oldest-old patients (aged 90 and older) admitted to the intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the outcomes of critically ill oldest-old patients (≥90) with those of younger patients. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: General intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care hospital in Athens, Greece. PARTICIPANTS: The oldest-old and younger patients. MEASUREMENTS: In-hospital and ICU mortality and stay, demographics, comorbidity, and complications. RESULTS: Of 5,505 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU, 60 (1.1%) were in the oldest-old group (aged 90–98). Their mean length of ICU and hospital stay±standard deviation was 5.3±6.8 and 23.3±35.7 days, respectively. ICU mortality was 20%. Total in-hospital mortality was 40%, compared with 8.9% (P=.001) in younger patients. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio=1.18, 95% confidence interval=1.05–1.33). Of 24 oldest-old patients who died, 22 (91.7%) died in the ICU or in the ward within 30 days after ICU discharge. CONCLUSION: All-cause in-hospital mortality was higher in the oldest-old group than in younger patients, but the mortality of this cohort of patients did not seem to reach a figure that would make physicians, relatives, and healthcare administrators decide against ICU care in this population.
The Problem of Holiness

Holiness is an important but problematic concept for religious discourse. It is unclear what it means, both in classical texts and in contemporary usage. Holiness seems to signify a property in some cases and a relation in others. The Bible itself preserves a range of usages. Some of these are ontological: holiness as a would-be property inheres in objects, places, persons, or times. Other uses are imputed: holiness connotes a status that human beings ascribe to things. The range of use can be explicated by the concept of a social or institutional reality developed by Searle. Social facts entail valuations, intentions, and practices; they presuppose a basis of brute fact. A plausible contemporary view of holiness will link ontological and axiological commitments in such a way as to express the underlying goodness of being.
Stability of slotted ALOHA with spatial diversity

We consider the problem of stability of slotted ALOHA for a system consisting of N users communicating with a common receiver, which employs spatial diversity to receive multiple transmissions simultaneously. We introduce a general packet reception model to incorporate multiple packet receptions since the collision channel model is no longer valid in such a scenario. We characterize the stability region of slotted ALOHA for the two user case explicitly. We also provide a sufficient condition for stability of slotted ALOHA for the N > 2 case, Finally, we apply our results to a simple system in which two users communicate with a base station equipped with a linear antenna array. Using stability region as a performance measure, we compare four different receivers/beamformers viz. matched filter, zero forcing, pseudo-MMSE and true MMSE employed by the base station to receive information from the users.
Concurrent Associations of Physical Activity and Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior on Obesity Among US Adolescents: A Latent Class Analysis.

BACKGROUND Independent associations of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) with obesity are well documented. However, little is known about the combined associations of these behaviors with obesity in adolescents. The present study examines the prevalence of concurrent levels of PA and SB, and their associations with obesity among US adolescents. METHODS Data from a total of 12 081 adolescents who participated in the Youth Risk Behaviors Survey during 2012-2013 were analyzed. A latent class analysis was performed to identify latent subgroups with varying combined levels of subjectively measured PA and screen-based SB. Follow-up analysis examined the changes in the likelihood of being obese as determined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Chart between latent subgroups. RESULTS Four latent subgroups with varying combined levels of PA and SB were identified across gender. The likelihood of being obese was significantly greater for the subgroups featuring either or both Low PA or High SB when compared with High PA/Low SB across genders (odds ratio [OR] ranges, 2.1-2.7 for males and 9.6-23.5 for females). Low PA/High SB showed the greater likelihood of being obese compared to subgroups featuring either or both High PA and Low SB (OR ranges, 2.2-23.5) for female adolescents only. CONCLUSIONS The findings imply that promoting sufficient levels of PA while reducing SB should be encouraged in order to reduce obesity risk among adolescents, particularly for males. The risk of obesity for female adolescents can be reduced by engaging in either high levels of PA or low levels of SB.
Climatology of plasma density depletions observed by DMSP in the dawn sector

[1] Prior to the launch of the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite, equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) were regarded as postsunset phenomena. However, during this recent solar minimum the planar Langmuir probe (PLP) on the C/NOFS satellite has detected very few EPBs after sunset; most plasma density depletions have been observed between local midnight and dawn. We take advantage of the long history of plasma density measurements by a similar sensor on Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft to determine whether this change is typical of solar minima in general or unique to the present extended quiet time. In 2008 and 2009 the DMSP occurrence rates of topside plasma depletions in the dawn sector were unexpectedly high around the June and December solstices and extremely low near the March and September equinoxes. Dawn sector measurements from solar minimum years 1996–1997 exhibit similar seasonal and longitudinal distributions, but occurrence rates are significantly lower. While our analysis suggests that prevailing low levels of solar EUV flux and driving electric fields establish conditions favorable for the growth of postmidnight depletions, the primary causes of observed seasonal-longitudinal distributions remain unresolved.
Expression of c-Fes protein isoforms correlates with differentiation in myeloid leukemias.

The cellular fes gene encodes a 93-kilodalton protein-tyrosine kinase (p93) that is expressed in both normal and neoplastic myeloid cells. Increased c-Fes expression is associated with differentiation in normal myeloid cells and cell lines. Our hypothesis was that primary leukemia cells would show a similar pattern of increased expression in more differentiated cells. Therefore, we compared c-Fes expression in cells with an undifferentiated, blast phenotype (acute myelogenous leukemia—AML) to cells with a differentiated phenotype (chronic myelogenous leukemia—CML). Instead of differences in p93 expression levels, we found complex patterns of c-Fes immunoreactive proteins that corresponded with differentiation in normal and leukemic myeloid cells. The "blast" pattern consisted of c-Fes immunoreactive proteins p93, p74, and p70; the "differentiated" pattern showed two additional c-Fes immunoreactive proteins, p67 and p62. Using mRNA from mouse and human cell lines, we found deletion of one or more exons in ...
The incremental shear modulus in a compressible isotropic elastic material

A compressible isotropic elastic material is subjected to a finite pure homogeneous deformation. An infinitesimal simple shear is superposed on the deformation. Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for the shear modulus to be positive for all choices of the direction and plane of shear.
Exposing p120 Catenin's Most Intimate Affair

p120-catenin regulates cell-cell adhesion by controlling cell surface retention of cadherin. In this issue, Ishiyama et al. (2010) present the first crystal structure of p120 in complex with cadherin, revealing molecular details of the functional interface and providing sophisticated new tools for dissecting p120's role in cell-cell adhesion.
Numerical technique to calculate eigenenergies and eigenstates of quantum wells with arbitrary potential profile

A numerical technique for the exact analysis of quantum wells with arbitrary potential profile is presented. Numerical examples for GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs rectangular quantum wells, graded wells and wells with applied electric field are presented. The technique is simple but highly accurate and can be easily implemented on a small computer such as a PC.
Mammalian Sperm-Egg Recognition and Binding in vitro. I. Specificity of Sperm Interactions with Live and Fixed Eggs in Homologous and Heterologous Inseminations of Hamster, Mouse, and Guinea Pig Oocytes

The interactions of mammalian sperm with the zona pellucida of eggs, living or fixed with glutaraldehyde. have been investigated in three rodent species. Qualitative observations of spermegg interactions in both homologous and heterologous mixtures of guinea pig, mouse, and hamster gametes revealed that 1) sperm initially attach in a loose reversible manner to homologous eggs and subsequently, stable irreversible binding is observed; 2) mouse and hamster sperm attach and bind to both mouse and hamster eggs with similar affinities; and 3) guinea pig sperm attach and bind only to homologous eggs, and attachment or binding to heterologous eggs is not observed. Quantitative assessment of sperm binding to mouse and hamster eggs gave similar results. When the kinetics of mouse, hamster, and guinea pig sperm binding to eggs was measured using a 100fold variation in sperm concentrations, mouse and hamster sperm showed nonspecific binding, whereas guinea pig sperm did not bind. Similar results were obtained when sperm binding was studied with living or fixed eggs.
Predictive correlations based on large experimental datasets: Critical constants for pure compounds

Abstract A framework for development of estimation methods is demonstrated using prediction of critical constants for pure compounds as an example. The dataset of critical temperature T c and critical pressure p c for over 850 compounds used in the present work was extracted from the TRC SOURCE data archival system and is based exclusively on experimental values taken from the literature. Experimental T c and p c values were critically evaluated using the methods of robust regression and their uncertainties were assigned in a rigorous manner. The correlations for critical constants were developed based on Quantitative Structure–Property Relationships (QSPR) methodology combined with the Support Vector Machines (SVM) regression. The propagation of the experimental uncertainties into the predictions produced by the correlations was also assessed using a procedure based on stochastic sampling. The new method is shown to perform significantly better than a number of commonly used estimation methods.
Quantitative assessment of global and regional strain in relation to infarct size in patients with myocardial infarction

Assessment of regional and global left ventricular (LV) function and strain are important in the setting of prior myocardial infarction (MI). Feature tracking (FT-MRI) is a novel cardiac MRI method for assessment of myocardial strain, similar to speckle tracking in 2-D echocardiography, which provides multi-planar strain data without the need for tagged images.
The rotor-router shape is spherical

This column is a place for those bits of contagious mathematics that travel from person to person in the community, because they are so elegant, suprising, or appealing that one has an urge to pass them on. Contributions are most welcome.