cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development Of RNAi Therapeutics Targeting The Complement Pathway

The complement system is a pivotal player in multiple hematological conditions. Antibody blockade of the C5 component of complement has been approved as a treatment for both paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS), validating C5 as an important therapeutic target. Recently, we developed a robust RNAi therapeutics platform for the delivery of siRNAs to the liver using trivalent GalNAc conjugates, enabling silencing of hepatocyte-expressed genes following subcutaneous (SC) injection. The liver is a major source of C5 and other complement pathway components. The GalNAc conjugate technology allows rapid development of siRNAs targeting multiple members of the complement cascade and evaluation of their silencing in pre-clinical models. To examine the utility of the siRNA approach for targeting complement pathway components we designed and synthesized GalNAc conjugated siRNAs targeting rodent, primate and human C5. Potent siRNA duplexes, showing greater than 95% silencing of C5 mRNA were selected using in vitro screening in human cell lines and mouse primary hepatocytes. C5 silencing and serum hemolytic activity inhibition were evaluated in rodents using single and multi-dose SC treatment regimens. A C5-targeting siRNA conjugate demonstrated a single dose ED50 of 0.625 mg/kg in the mouse with greater than 90% silencing of serum C5 achievable at higher doses. Serum C5 silencing was durable, with recovery starting two weeks after a single SC injection We went on to examine the efficacy of C5 silencing in the rat and observed robust lowering of serum C5 with 2.5 and 5 mg/kg multi-dose regimens, resulting in up to ∼90% inhibition of complement classical pathway hemolytic activity. Evaluation of the translation of this approach to higher species is in progress. Since PNH erythrocyte lysis is thought to be mediated by the activation of the alternative pathway of complement we initiated work on the development of siRNA conjugates targeting Factor B, an essential component of the alternative pathway C3 convertase. siRNAs targeting rodent, primate and human Factor B were identified by in vitro screening and demonstrate >90% silencing of Factor B mRNA in human cell lines and primary mouse hepatocytes. Evaluation of Factor B silencing in rodent models is ongoing. siRNA-mediated silencing of liver-derived complement components is a promising novel therapeutic approach for inhibiting the activity of C5 and other complement pathway targets, with the potential to enable subcutaneous treatment for patients with PNH and related disorders. Disclosures: Borodovsky: Alnylam: Employment. Yucius: Alnylam: Employment. Sprague: Alnylam: Employment. Butler: Alnylam: Employment. Fishman: Alnylam: Employment. Nguyen: Alnylam: Employment. Vaishnaw: Alnylam: Employment. Maier: Alnylam: Employment. Kallanthottathil: Alnylam: Employment. Kuchimanchi: Alnylam: Employment. Manoharan: Alnylam: Employment. Meyers: Alnylam: Employment. Fitzgerald: Alnylam: Employment.
Recognition and Diagnosis

Most failures in treatment of skin cancer can be traced to a mistake in the initial evaluation. Therefore the first important step is careful and thorough examination of the tumor. Great care should be given to determine what type the cancer is, how-large it has grown, and if it has spread. This knowledge is essential to select the most appropriate method of treatment.
Abstract 2430: Treatment sequence and molecular biomarker in EGFR mutant lung cancer cells

Introduction Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in the US. A subset of patients with lung cancer has a mutation in the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) which makes them extremely responsive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) erlotinib. The emergence of EGFR TKI resistance is new challenge in the management of these patients. We conducted a study to determine the best treatment sequence after resistance to EGFR TKI, testing the use of chemotherapy Pemetrexed (P), Afatinib (A), Rociletinib (R) and the combination of these agents in lung cancer cell lines with EGFR mutation that were pretreated with erlotinib. Material and methods Lung cancer cell lines with EGFR mutation CRL-2868 (E746 - A750 deletion) and CRL-2871 (L747 - E749 deletion, A750P) mutation were treated with 5 nM erlotinib for 24h and 72 h. The erlotinib resistance cells were then treated with 10nM of A or 10nM of P, or 21.5 nM of R, or the combination AP or the combination of RP. As control, we used lung cancer HTB-177 which does not have EGFR mutation. MTT proliferation assay was performed after 24, 48, 72 and 144h after the treatment. microRNA profiling was done by real time PCR in all cells after erlotinib treatment to find potential biomarkers as hallmark of erlotinib resistance cells. Results Rociletinib induced the maximum inhibition of cell proliferation at 144h in both cell lines with EGFR mutation. The RP also induced decreased cell proliferation in both cell lines with EGFR mutation. RP combination was more effective then R alone in CRL 2871. The use of A alone, P alone or AP combination was not different in CRL2871 but P had antagonistic effect when combined with A or R in CRL 2868. microRNA 10b, 27a and 27b were upregulated in the erlotinib resistant cells. Conclusion. EGFR resistance arises after treatment with erlotinib in lung cancer cell lines with EGFR mutation. Treatment with R and the combination of RP induced greater inhibition of proliferation compared to A, P alone. The combination of AP was antagonistic. This may have implications in the management of patients resistant to EGFR TKI. microRNA analysis showed up-regulation of several microRNA that should be tested in clinical setting. Citation Format: Hannah Motes, Emma Borrego-Diaz Reyes, Jared Kevern, Chao H. Huang, Peter J. Van Veldhuizen. Treatment sequence and molecular biomarker in EGFR mutant lung cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 2430. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-2430
Property Rights and Frictions in the Sale of Patents

Patent scope is central to the sale of ideas, which can spur economic growth and provide significant gains from trade. Awarding an inventor a patent on a new idea partially solves a commitment problem that would otherwise prevent the inventor from selling the idea. (Arrow, 1962). In the absence of a patent, a prospective buyer cannot credibly promise not to steal the idea should the inventor reveal it, while the inventor cannot credibly promise to reveal the idea should the prospective buyer pay for it. A firm's ability to use a particular patent to overcome this transactional hurdle derives from two factors: (1) the scope of the patent's legal right to exclude and (2) the effectiveness of that legal right in providing market exclusivity. I first show that a broader patent is more likely to be sold by employing a causal instrument that provides a plausibly exogenous shock to the scope of a patent's legal right to exclude, holding fixed the underlying idea. I then examine variation in the effectiveness of the right by interacting the instrument with endogenous firm, industry, and market characteristics. These results shed light on how firms profit from innovation and also connect the important but understudied market for patents, widely believed to be illiquid and inefficient, with fundamental research about how markets function in other contexts.
Designing Several Types of Oscillation-Less and High-Resolution Hybrid Schemes on Block-Structured Grids

An idea of designing oscillation-less and high-resolution hybrid schemes is proposed and several types of hybrid schemes based on this idea are presented on block-structured grids. The general framework, for designing various types of hybrid schemes, is established using a Multi-dimensional Optimal Order Detection (MOOD) method proposed by Clain, Diot and Loubere [1]. The methodology utilizes low dissipation or dispersion but less robust schemes to update the solution and then implements robust and high resolution schemes to deal with problematic situations. A wide range of computational methods including central scheme, MUSCL scheme, linear upwind scheme and Weighted Essentially Non Oscillatory (WENO) scheme have been applied in the current hybrid schemes framework. Detailed numerical studies on classical test cases for the Euler system are performed, addressing the issues of the resolution and non-oscillatory property around the discontinuities.
Human Performance Modeling for Command and Control of the Tactical Tomahawk

The U.S. Navy is currently developing a new version of the Tomahawk land attack missile, called the Tactical Tomahawk, which will have the capability of redirection in-flight. This is a significant future command and control addition since current versions of the Tomahawk cannot be redirected in-flight The implementation of the Tactical Tomahawk means that not only will battlefield commanders have more flexibility and options; it also means that a layer of human command and control will be needed where none previously existed. Requiring an operator to manage high value assets in the close-in combat arena through constant replanning requires substantial cognitive contribution, which will significantly impact the effectiveness of future Tomahawk engagements as well as the entire command and control picture for these types of engagements. This paper reports the results of the cognitive work analysis for the new human-in-the-loop aspect of the Tactical Tomahawk and how the analysis contributed to the design of both a monitoring and retargeting human computer interface. In addition, results from a human-in-the-loop simulation study in which 42 Navy personnel were tested on the two-screen user interface are discussed .
Primary and Photochemically Aged Aerosol Emissions from Biomass Cookstoves: Chemical and Physical Characterization.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation during photo-oxidation of primary emissions from cookstoves used in developing countries may make important contributions to their climate and air quality impacts. We present results from laboratory experiments with a field portable oxidation flow reactor (F-OFR) to study the evolution of emissions over hours to weeks of equivalent atmospheric aging. Lab tests, using dry red oak, measured fresh and aged emissions from a 3 stone fire (TSF), a “rocket” natural draft stove (NDS), and a forced draft gasifier stove (FDGS), in order of increasing modified combustion efficiency (MCE) and decreasing particulate matter emission factors (EF). SOA production was observed for all stoves/tests; organic aerosol (OA) enhancement factor ranged from 1.2 to 3.1, decreasing with increased MCE. In primary emissions, OA mass spectral fragments associated with oxygenated species (primary biomass burning markers) increased (decreased) with MCE; fresh OA from FDGS combustion was especial...
Book Review of Counter-Terrorism: Narrative Strategies by Ajit Mann

Review of: Ajit Maan (2016). Counter-Terrorism: Narrative Strategies . Lanham,MD: University Press of America. ISBN: 978-0761867753.
Robotic Ventral Hernia Repair and Endoscopic Component Separation: Outcomes.

Background and objectives Robot-assisted hernia repair, combined with endoscopic component separation, has reduced recurrence and complication rates and allowed immediate intervention in obese patients. We sought to study surgical outcomes in this high-risk group of patients in a community hospital. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review of ventral, incisional, and umbilical hernia repairs performed at a small community hospital by a single surgeon from March 2014 through November 2016, with statistical analysis of the surgical outcomes. Patients included were those who underwent hernia repair during the study period and had a body mass index (BMI) >30. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months (range, 6-37). Results Forty-seven hernia repairs were performed, including 33 combined and 14 control cases. The demographics of each group were comparable when comparing sex, age, BMI, and ASA classification. Mean follow-up was 19.39 months in the study group and 28.64 months in the control group. There were no significant differences in total operative time, estimated blood loss, conversion rates, or hospital length of stay. Two complications occurred in each of the study and control groups, with no recurrences in the study group and 3 in the control group and no mortalities. Conclusion Robotic laparoscopic repair of abdominal wall defects offers significant advantages, including easier primary defect closure. Our analyses showed that combining robot-assisted hernia repair with mesh and endoscopic component separation is an effective intervention in obese patients.
Solvent Interface Trapping as an Effective Technique to Fabricate Graphite-Nanomaterial Composite Thin Films

Natural graphite can be exfoliated into thin films by trapping it at the interface between water and heptane [S. J Woltornist, A. J. Oyer, J-M. Y. Carrillo, A.V. Dobrynin, and D.H. Adamson, ACS Nano 7, 7062 (2013)]. In this work, we add functional elements into these graphitic thin films by introducing additives into the water phase prior to exfoliation. We report the successful incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles thereby enabling the composite films to act as effective ultraviolet photodetectors. In a similar manner, integration of silver nanowires is achieved, which results in an enhancement of the electrical conductivity of graphite.
Mechanism for higher urine pH in normal women compared with men

Regulation of acid-base metabolism maintains the pH of body fluids within a tight range. Urine pH (UpH) is also regulated under normal conditions. Median pH of 24-h urines is ~6, but others have no...
Surgical Management of Ophthalmoplegia

Surgical management—depending upon the severity of the ophthalmoplegia—ranges from restorative to palliative. In paresis with reasonable residual muscle function and ductions, the goal of the surge...
A Series of Elementary, Expository Articles

(1897). A Series of Elementary, Expository Articles. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 4, No. 10, pp. 237-242.
IR Spectra of (HCOOH)2 and (DCOOH)2: Experiment, VSCF/VCI, and Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Calculations Using Full-Dimensional Potential and Dipole Moment Surfaces.

We report quantum VSCF/VCI and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) calculations of the IR spectra of (HCOOH)2 and (DCOOH)2, using full-dimensional, ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces (PES and DMS). These surfaces are fits, using permutationally invariant polynomials, to 13 475 ab initio CCSD(T)-F12a electronic energies and MP2 dipole moments. Here “AIMD” means using these ab initio potential and dipole moment surfaces in the MD calculations. The VSCF/VCI calculations use all (24) normal modes for coupling, with a four-mode representation of the potential. The quantum spectra align well with jet-cooled and room-temperature experimental spectra over the spectral range 600–3600 cm–1. Analyses of the complex O–H and C–H stretch bands are made based on the mixing of the VSCF/VCI basis functions. The comparisons of the AIMD IR spectra with both experimental and VSCF/VCI ones provide tests of the accuracy of the AIMD approach. These indicate good accuracy for simple bands but not for the compl...
A novel spoofing attack against electroencephalogram-based security systems

Security systems using brain signals or Electroencephalogram (EEG), attempt to exploit chaotic nature of brain signals and their individuality to derive security primitives that are hard to reproduce. In this sense, the signal features are extracted to train a Machine Learning (ML) algorithm for classification. However, although brain signals are chaotic, feature extraction process might reduce the chaos rendering features in a way that they can be generated. Besides, even if features are chaotic, ML techniques might classify them in such a manner that an element in a particular class becomes easy to generate. In this paper, we perform entropy analysis on common features used in EEG-based security systems to estimate their information content, which is used to propose a novel technique for EEG signal generation in feature domain instead of time domain. These generated signals can potentially be used for spoofing attacks. We consider five types of feature extraction techniques and six classifiers found in recently proposed security systems, and analyze their vulnerability to spoofing attacks using generated EEG signals. The results show that the generation scheme can synthesize artificial signals to get classified as genuine brain signals by ML algorithms.
Muscarinic receptor activation modulates Ca2+ channels in rat intracardiac neurons via a PTX- and voltage-sensitive pathway.

Jeong, Seong-Woo and Robert D. Wurster. Muscarinic receptor activation modulates Ca2+ channels in rat intracardiac neurons via a PTX- and voltage-sensitive pathway. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1476–1490, ...
Fetal Surgery: General Principles

Studies in small and large animals have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of fetal surgery for selected cases of certain life-threatening fetal diseases. The first open surgery on a human fetus was performed for congenital bladder obstruction in 1981 by Dr. Michael Harrison at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Since then, advanced fetal imaging has dramatically improved our understanding of congenital anomalies and has opened the door to new treatments and minimally invasive techniques.
Some Lectures on Modal Logic

An exposition of some modal logics useful for teaching and research in computer science. §1. Preface §2. Propositional modal logic §3. Modal frames §4. Propositional tableaux §5. Modal axioms and their frame semantics 96. Modal predicate tableaux with constant domains §7. Autoepistemic logic §8. Nonmonotonic reasoning §9. Classical concurrent dynamic logic §10. Intuitionistic concurrent dynamic logic.
Factor-Mediated Regulation of the Expression of the H-2 Linked Low Molecular Weight Proteins (LMP)

We have recently reported (1) the existence of a family of proteins which are genetically linked to the murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Our tentative mapping studies utilizing intra-H-2 recombinant strains of mice placed the genes coding for these proteins within the H-2 complex, between the H-2K and I-A subregions. Biosynthesis of these proteins was detectable in all lymphoid and macrophage-like cell lines tested and in fibroblasts, but not in a hepatoma or teratocarcinoma cell line. Thus, both their tissue distribution and map position are consistent with the possibility that these proteins play some functional role in immune-responsiveness or regulation. This suggestion is further strengthened by the data presented here, which demonstrate that the level of expression of the LMP in a macrophage cell line is regulated by a soluble factor(s) present in the supernatant of concanavalin A stimulated T cells. This regulation is coordinate with the regulation of the level of both H-2 and Ia antigens in the same cell line, whereas the level of other cell surface molecules is unaffected.
A charge-transfer resistance model and Arrhenius activation analysis for hydrogen ion transmission across single-layer graphene

Abstract Transmission rates for protons and deuterons across single-layer graphene embedded in Nafion | graphene | Nafion sandwich structures are measured as a function of temperature in electrochemical hydrogen pump cells. Rates of ion transmission through graphene are obtained in the form of area-normalized ion-transfer resistances, and are interpreted in terms of ion-exchange current densities and standard heterogeneous ion-transfer rate constants. An encounter pre-equilibrium model for the ion-transfer step is then used to provide rate constants for the fundamental microscopic step of ion (proton or deuteron) transmission across graphene. Application of this rate model to interpret variable-temperature data on proton and deuteron transmission rates provides values for the activation energy and pre-exponential factor for the fundamental ion transmission step across graphene. Activation energies obtained from the Arrhenius plots for proton and deuteron transmission are as follows; for proton, Eact = 48 ± 2 kJ/mole (0.50 ± 0.02 eV) and for deuteron, Eact = 53 ± 5 kJ/mole (0.55 ± 0.05 eV). The difference between these two values of approximately 5 kJ/mole is in good agreement with the expected difference in vibrational zero-point energies for O H and O-D bonds, albeit with some uncertainty given the uncertainties in the activation energy values. Pre-exponential frequency factor values of 8.3 ± 0.4 × 1013 s−1 and is 4.7 ± 0.5 × 1013 s−1 were obtained for proton and deuteron transmission respectively across graphene. These pre-factor values are both quite large, on the order of the values predicted from the Eyring – Polanyi equation with a transmission coefficient near one. The ratio of 1.8 for the rate pre-factors (H/D) is in reasonable agreement with the value of 1.3 for the ratio of bond vibrational frequencies for O H and O-D stretching, respectively. Taken together, these data support a model in which proton and deuteron transmission across graphene are largely adiabatic processes for which the differences in transmission rate at room temperature are due largely to differences in activation energies.
Contemporary Civil-Military Relations in the Sahel

The paper examines the evolution and the contemporary state of civil-military relations in the francophone Sahel (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal). In a first step, the paper traces the emergence of excessive political influence of the armed forces (praetorianism) in the Sahel. Out of these, only Senegal has remained under civilian rule since independence. The other countries have experienced military dictatorship at some point. Over the last thirty years, the Sahel has seen a shift toward more civilian oversight in political affairs. In Chad and Mauritania, however, the armed forces remain the pre-eminent political actor. In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, sections of the armed forces refuse to accept civilian rule. The second part examines the various challenges and tasks the armed forces in all six countries have been involved in over the last two decades. Although these challenges differ substantially across the six individual countries, the Sahel as a whole continues to struggle primarily with domestic security threats. The paper concludes with guidelines designed to foster civilian oversight and democratic reform.
Venous thromboprophylaxis after total hip arthroplasty: aspirin, warfarin, enoxaparin, or factor Xa inhibitors?

Introduction:Debate over the ideal agent for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis after total hip arthroplasty (THA) has led to changes in prescribing trends of commonly used agents. We investi...
Abstract 682: Drug repurposing engine fueled by diverse drug similarity data

Despite recent advances in life sciences and technology, bringing a single drug to market has stayed drastically expensive, leading to a decline in the number of new drugs being clinically approved. Drug repurposing, identifying novel indications for approved drugs, presents an opportunity to avoid many common pitfalls, such as toxicity, and bring treatments to market faster. Additionally, drug repurposing, which aims to identify indications for unapproved, shelved drugs, can also be a short-cut to the clinic due to the previously completed preclinical work. Current computational efforts for indication prediction focus on leveraging the similarities between drugs’ approved indications, however these approaches are unsuitable for drug repurposing. Here we introduce a novel big data approach that integrates only compound similarity metrics to identify novel indications for drugs, regardless of the existence of a primary indication. We introduce a computational approach that integrates multiple data types to create a drug-indication network, which can be used to recommend indications a drug may treat. Using this network, we can accurately elucidate novel indications for drugs currently being used as treatments in clinical trials. Additionally, we present multiple promising candidates for future clinical work. This drug-indication network is built using a confidence score that two drugs share an indication, calculated using a gradient boosting classifier. Utilizing only publicly available data, we built this classifier based on drug similarity features and identified previously undocumented associations between approved drugs which share indications such as significantly high side effect (D = 0.26, p Citation Format: Jamal A. Elkhader, Coryandar M. Gilvary, Neel S. Madhukar, Olivier Elemento, David Solit. Drug repurposing engine fueled by diverse drug similarity data [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 682.
Static generation of UML sequence diagrams

UML sequence diagrams are visual representations of object interactions in a system and can provide valuable information for program comprehension, debugging, maintenance, and software archeology. Sequence diagrams generated from legacy code are independent of existing documentation that may have eroded. We present a framework for static generation of UML sequence diagrams from object-oriented source code. The framework provides a query refinement system to guide the user to interesting interactions in the source code. Our technique involves constructing a hypergraph representation of the source code, traversing the hypergraph with respect to a user-defined query, and generating the corresponding set of sequence diagrams. We implemented our framework as a tool, StaticGen (supporting software: ), analyzing a corpus of 30 Android applications. We provide experimental results demonstrating the efficacy of our technique (originally appeared in the Proceedings of Fundamental Approaches to Software Engineering—20th International Conference, FASE 2017, Held as Part of the European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software, ETAPS 2017, Uppsala, Sweden, April 22–29, 2017).
Improved Measurement for High-Cycle Fatigue Examination

This research analyzes a novel high-throughput method for vibration-based fatigue testing. This method builds off previous research by Bruns and Zearley, where a carrier plate assembly containing a test specimen vibrates to failure. This method redesigns an aluminum carrier plate to simultaneously load three, instead of one, test specimens in parallel. The redesign was selected, using SolidWorks modal analysis, based on its ability to concentrate cyclic stress on the specimens, rather than on the plate, to extend the life of the plate. For experimental validation, the redesigned plate assembly was fatigued with an electrodynamic shaker following the same procedures as Bruns’ and Zearley’s assembly. The assembly was monitored with stereo digital image correlation to detect mode shape. Although the assembly exhibited the same mode shape as simulation experiments, fatigue tests could not be completed due to the large accelerations required to generate relatively small strains. Additional work is needed to identify other multi-insert designs capable of exerting larger fatigue strains.
Effect of silver diamine fluoride on the prevention of erosive tooth wear in vitro.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the ability of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) to prevent erosive tooth wear in enamel and dentin. METHODS SDF (38 %) was compared to deionized water (DIW, negative control), potassium fluoride (KF, fluoride control), silver nitrate (AgNO3, silver control), and fluoride varnish (FV, clinical reference) using erosion and erosion-abrasion cycling models. Bovine enamel and dentin slabs were embedded in resin blocks. Two resin blocks were glued to form study blocks (n=8, per treatment), one for erosion and the other for the erosion-abrasion model. The blocks were treated once and then subjected to a five-day cycling model, with five daily citric acid erosive challenges (0.3 % citric acid/pH 2.6). Abrasion was performed using a toothbrushing machine with a medium-abrasive silica as abrasive (erosion-abrasion model only). Artificial saliva was used to remineralize the specimens after erosion/abrasion and as storage media between cycles. Surface loss (SL) was determined by non-contact profilometry. Data were analyzed using ANOVA (α=0.05). RESULTS Both eroded-abraded enamel and dentin specimens exhibited significantly more SL in all treatment groups than the only eroded ones (p<0.001). For dentin, both AgNO3 and DIW groups had significantly more SL than SDF, KF, and FV groups (p<0.001), for both models. For enamel, specimens had more SL in both AgNO3 and DIW groups compared to SDF, KF, and FV groups, in the erosion model. When enamel specimens were subjected to erosion-abrasion, FV resulted in the least SL (p<0.001). CONCLUSION SDF was effective in reducing dental erosion on both substrates, but dental erosion-abrasion only on dentin. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE SDF may become a viable intervention for ETW prevention in dentin (e.g. exposed roots) once its efficacy has been confirmed under clinical conditions.
Irregularly Shaped Iron Nitride Nanoparticles as a Potential Candidate for Biomedical Applications: From Synthesis to Characterization.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been extensively used in drug/gene delivery, hyperthermia therapy, magnetic particle imaging (MPI), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic bioassays, and so f...
Probing the Dynamic Covalent Chemistry Behavior of Nitrogen-Centered Di- and Triurazole Radicals

Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCvC) describes systems in which readily reversible bond formation allows for control of product distributions by straightforward manipulation of reaction conditions (e.g., changes in temperature, solvent, concentration, etc). Nitrogen-centered 1-aryl urazole radicals reversibly form tetrazane dimers in solution via N-N bond formation. When two such urazole units are attached to a single, appropriately substituted benzene ring, the resulting diradical system engages in DCvC. At room temperature, a polymeric network of units is created that exhibits gel-like properties, while at higher temperatures, near quantitative dimerization to form a molecular cage is observed.However, attaching three such urazole units to a single appropriately substituted benzene ring inhibits DCvC behavior.
Bittersweet: The Neuroscience of Ambivalent Affect.

Ambivalent affective states, such as bittersweetness, nostalgia, and longing, which are felt as having both positive and negative aspects, are an important component of human experience but have re...
The impact of protocol-based high-intensity pharmacological thromboprophylaxis on thrombotic events in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

The reported incidence rate of venous and arterial thrombotic events in critically ill patients with COVID-19 infections is high, ranging from 20% to 60%. We adopted a patient-tailored thromboprophylaxis protocol based on clinical and laboratory presentations for these patients in our institution. We hypothesised that patients who received high-intensity thromboprophylaxis treatment would experience fewer thrombotic events. The aims of our study were to explore the incidence of thrombotic events in this population; to assess independent factors associated with thrombotic events and to evaluate the incidence of haemorrhagic events. A retrospective review of all adult patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) between 1 March and 29 May 2020 was performed. The primary outcome was a composite of venous and arterial thrombotic events diagnosed during the ICU stay. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the independent factors associated with thrombotic events. A total of 188 patients met the inclusion criteria. All received some type of thromboprophylaxis treatment except for six patients who did not receive any prophylaxis. Of the 182 patients who received thromboprophylaxis, 75 (40%) received high-intensity thromboprophylaxis and 24 (12.8%) were treated with therapeutic anticoagulation. Twenty-one patients (11.2%) experienced 23 thrombotic events (incidence rate of 12.2% (95%CI 7.9-17.8)), including 12 deep venous thromboses, 9 pulmonary emboli and 2 peripheral arterial thromboses. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that only D-dimer (OR 2.80, p = 0.002) and high-intensity thromboprophylaxis regimen (OR 0.20, p = 0.01) were independently associated with thrombotic events. Thirty-one patients (16.5%) experienced haemorrhagic events; among them, 13 were classified as major bleeding according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis criteria. Therapeutic anticoagulation, but not the high-intensity thromboprophylaxis regimen, was associated with major bleeding. A proactive approach to the management of thromboembolism in critically ill COVID-19 patients utilising a high-intensity thromboprophylaxis regimen in appropriately selected patients may result in lower thrombotic events without increasing the risk of bleeding.
How did we get here: what are droplets and aerosols and how far do they go? A historical perspective on the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed major gaps in our understanding of the transmission of viruses through the air. These gaps slowed recognition of airborne transmission of the disease, contributed ...
Monetizing the police: Corruption vectors in agency-managed off-duty work*

Police departments in the United States have been increasingly involved in placing their sworn officers in off-duty jobs. Individual officers, commanders or union representatives in a number of pol...
Minimax State Feedback Design with Norms on Initial Conditions, Disturbances, and Parameter Changes

A controller design method is presented that gives the best state feedback gains for the worst disturbance functions with integral-square norms, and the worst parameter changes and initial conditions with quadratic norms. The method is applied to a benchmark problem of controlling a system with a rigid-body mode and a vibration mode.
The software required for the computer generation of virtual environments

The first phase of virtual world development has focused on the novel hardware 3-D input and 3-D output and the graphics demo. The second phase of virtual worlds development will be to focus in on the more significant part of the problem, the software bed underlying “real” applications. The focus of this paper is on the software required to support large scale, networked, multiparty virtual environments. We discuss navigation virtual camera view point control and its coupling to real-time, hidden surface elimination, interaction software for constructing a dialogue from the inputs read from our devices and for applying that dialogue to display changes, communication software for passing changes in the world model to other players on the network, and software for allowing the entry of previously undescribed players into the system, autonomy software for playing autonomous agents in our virtual world against interactive players, scripting software for recording, playing back, and multitracking previous play against live or autonomous players, with autonomy provided for departures from the recorded script, and hypermedia integration software for integrating hypermedia data-audio, compressed video, with embedded links-into our geometrically described virtual world. All of this software serves as the base for the fully detailed, fully interactive, seamless environment of the third phase of virtual world development. We discuss the development of such software by describing how a real system, the NPSNET virtual world, is being constructed.
Melanin deposition in the placenta as a result of skin lesions (dermatopathic melanosis of placenta).

Abstract 1. 1. The occurrence of melanin in the placentas of patients with chronic skin conditions has been described. The name “dermatopathic malanosis of placenta” is proposed for this new pathological entity. 2. 2. The relationship of melanin to iron and calcium deposits in the placenta suggests more than casual relationship. The possibility of melanin in the placenta being a causative factor of calcium deposition is under investigation.
Incorporating social anchors for ad hoc retrieval

Anchor text has been widely used in web search as an effective complement to web page content. This motivates the investigation of similar sources of evidence about relevance. Social media postings often contain links to associated web pages, although typically not with anchor text. In this paper, we explore the use of these links and the text in the social postings as a form of anchor text (social anchors) for improving ad hoc search. Using a test collection based on ClueWeb09 together with associated social media, we show that by incorporating social anchor features, search effectiveness for "ad hoc" tasks can be significantly improved compared to state-of-the-art approaches. We also investigate the relative importance of social anchor features for retrieval, and show that query-dependent features are usually the key to better search performance.
Pleuridium japonicum newly reported from China

Pleuridium japonicum is newly reported from China, based on a collection made by Robert Fortune in the Mitten Herbarium (NY).
Online Games and Militarism

This entry describes the interlinking histories of video games and militarism in the United States. It contends that the history of video games is incomplete without an accounting of the role that defense interests play in the technological development and popularization of military-themed games. The piece introduces key concepts and titles worthy of scholarly attention. Keywords: digital culture; military-entertainment complex; video games; wargames
Creativity in Team Sports

(1963). Creativity in Team Sports. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 33-33.
Regulation of organ-specific inflammation by CXCR5 during systemic autoimmunity (BA13P.131)

Mice and humans deficient in the Foxp3 + T regulatory cells (Tregs) develop systemic autoimmunity affecting multiple organs and die prematurely. Mice deficient for interleukin (IL)-2 (IL2KO) have reduced Tregs and develop inflammation mainly in liver, colon, pancreas and salivary glands. We found that the CD4 + T-cells in the secondary lymphoid organs IL2KO mice highly express CXCR5, a chemokine receptor and a marker for T-follicular helper (TfH) cells. We hypothesized that CXCR5 expression may regulate inflammation by regulating T-cell recruitment and organ-specific autoantibody production. We found that CXCR5 + CD4 + T-cells were highly enriched in these inflamed organs of IL2KO mice. Rendering the IL2KO mice deficient for CXCR5 led to prolonged lifespan compared to CXCR5-sufficient IL2KO mice and protection against inflammation especially in liver and colon and partial protection against inflammation in pancreas and salivary glands. This was accompanied with a reduction of activated B and T cells in the secondary lymphoid organs as well as reduced production of inflammatory cytokines by the T-cells. However, no significant correlation was observed between CXCR5 expression and antibodies to liver and pancreatic auto-antigens. The data suggests that CXCR5 expression regulates organ-specific inflammation during Treg-deficiency -induced systemic autoimmunity, through regulation of T-cell trafficking, with an undetectable contribution to autoantibody production.
Use of NMR Saturation Transfer Difference Spectroscopy to Study Ligand Binding to Membrane Proteins

Detection of weak ligand binding to membrane-spanning proteins, such as receptor proteins at low physiological concentrations, poses serious experimental challenges. Saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance (STD-NMR) spectroscopy offers an excellent way to surmount these problems. As the name suggests, magnetization transferred from the receptor to its bound ligand is measured by directly observing NMR signals from the ligand itself. Low-power irradiation is applied to a (1)H NMR spectral region containing protein signals but no ligand signals. This irradiation spreads quickly throughout the membrane protein by the process of spin diffusion and saturates all protein (1)H NMR signals. (1)H NMR signals from a ligand bound transiently to the membrane protein become saturated and, upon dissociation, serve to decrease the intensity of the (1)H NMR signals measured from the pool of free ligand. The experiment is repeated with the irradiation pulse placed outside the spectral region of protein and ligand, a condition that does not lead to saturation transfer to the ligand. The two resulting spectra are subtracted to yield the difference spectrum. As an illustration of the methodology, we review here STD-NMR experiments designed to investigate binding of ligands to the human sweet taste receptor, a member of the large family of G-protein-coupled receptors. Sweetener molecules bind to the sweet receptor with low affinity but high specificity and lead to a variety of physiological responses.
Faculty Development in the Integration of Technology in Teacher Education Courses

AbstractThis article describes the results of a course in which Master and Doctoral level students in the Instructional Technology program at George Mason University were paired one-to-one with Graduate School of Education faculty in order to assist the faculty in developing their technology skills. The pairing of students with faculty is based upon a model developed by Iowa State University. Students enrolled in this course were interviewed in order to determine their technology skills and expertise. They were then matched with faculty who were interested in learning that particular skill. The article discusses the results based upon interviews with the faculty and journals written by the students.
Insearch of the Early Universe. II. The Youngest Galaxies

The youngest galaxies can be found either in the very distant universe, where we see the galaxies as they existed shortly after they formed, or in nearby space, where we identify them by the ages of their oldest stars. Recent evidence from the former source suggests that the youngest galaxies are small, highly dusty and involved in massive star-formation activity. Young galaxies in nearby space have been identified with HST data, but reliable ages are still very difficult to obtain. A certain rather large population of uncondensed, starless galaxies has been tentatively identified in the Local Group.
Making conditionally secure cryptosystems unconditionally abuse-free in a general context

[Sim84] introduced the concept of subliminal channel in the context of signature systems. [Des88b] presented a solution against subliminal channels and extended in [Des88a] the solution to abuse-free coin-flipping, abuse-free generation of public keys, and abuse-free zero-knowledge. In this paper we demonstrate that a whole family of systems (generalized Arthur-Merlin games) can be made abuse-free, avoiding the exhaustive approach of [Des88a]. We will hereto formalize the concept of abuse.
Physicochemical Speciation of Americium in Soils from Rocky Flats, Colorado, USA

The objective of the research was to characterize the 241Am distribution in six operationally defined chemical and mineralogical phases of soil samples taken from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). Soil samples were subjected to selective sequential fractionation procedures to determine 241Am association with the soluble, exchangeable, carbonate, organic, sesquioxide and silicate fractions. The highest percentage of 241Am was found to be associated with the sesquioxide (hydrous oxide) fraction (39–47%), with lesser amounts in the soluble (14–17%), exchangeable (4–9%), carbonates (4–17%), organic (3–13%), and silicate (10–21%) soil fractions. Differences between americium and plutonium association with various soil fractions were observed.
Serum Cholesterol Assay Using a Stable Liebermann-Burchard Reagent

A single stable Liebermann-Burchard reagent was prepared and studied for the rapid and accurate determination of total cholesterol in serum. The preparation, stability, and developed spectral character of the proposed reagent were assessed. Reproducibility, recovery, and interference studies on pure standard and patient sera were performed using the Abell-Kendall method as reference. The influence of water, protein, bilirubin, hemoglobin, and other serum constituents was evaluated.
Clear sky irradiances using REST2 and MODIS

Abstract In order to simulate historical Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) solar resources, a method using MODIS level 3 (L3) daily satellite data as input to the REST2 clear sky model is presented to derive clear sky solar irradiance for California. MODIS L3 precipitable water (PW) and especially aerosol optical depth (AOD) were found to be significantly biased and were therefore calibrated based on AOD and PW from Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) ground monitoring sites. For reference, MODIS input data was replaced by the following input data sources: 3 hourly PW and AOD from Monitoring Atmosphere Composition and Climate (MACC) and monthly climatological Linke Turbidity from Solar radiation Data (SoDa). Similarly, other clear sky models, specifically Ineichen and McClear, were also run for reference. Validation was conducted using irradiance anomalies defined as the difference between irradiance and its 15 day moving average against ground measurement from California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Integrated Surface Irradiance Study (ISIS) stations. It was found that the calibration of MODIS data markedly improves the accuracy of modeled GHI and DNI anomalies and REST2 clear sky model with calibrated MODIS data achieved the highest accuracy among all model and input data combinations. The improvement in accuracy of PW and AOD input data through calibration is relatively more important than the choice of clear sky model.
The Effects of Cure Temperature and Time on the Stress-Whitening Behavior of Structural Adhesives. Part II. Analysis of Fractographic Data

Abstract In this second part of the paper on the effects of cure conditions on the stress-whitening behavior of structural adhesives, fractographic data are presented and discussed. For this purpose, the size and nature of crack-tip-whitening zones obtained using single edge notched tension specimens of the model adhesive Metlbond with and without carrier cloth are studied. Scanning electron photomicrographs are utilized to investigate the effects of cure temperature and time on the crack-tip stress-whitening behavior. A brief discussion on the formation of inherent voids during the cure process is also presented since they are observed to enhance the crack-tip-whitening zones. Experimental results reveal that both the extent of voids produced during the cure process and the size of the crack-tip-whitening zones on the fracture surface increase with increasing cure temperatures. The presence of carrier cloth produces a similar effect with increases in both inherent voiding and stress-whitening sizes. The ...
Description and Theory of a Fiber-Optic Confocal and Super-Focal Raman Microspectrometer

A fiber-optic bundle, placed in the imaging plane of a microspectrometer, functions as a variable-size pinhole. This arrangement allows for conventional confocal measurements to be made by collecting the signal from the central fiber. On the other hand, measurements arising from a larger focal volume are made by integrating the signal from the entire bundle. This new