cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eradication of Missing Liver Metastases After Fiducial Placement.

Background The risk of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) disappearing on cross-sectional imaging has increased with advances in preoperative chemotherapy, but <50 % of disappearing CLM demonstrate complete pathological response.
Fracture Toughness Study on Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glasses

The fracture toughness of Zr-based bulk metallic glasses of various compositions was studied in the as-cast and annealed condition. Properties were characterized using x-ray and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and fracture surfaces were examined using electron microscopy (SEM). Quaternary Zr-Ti-Cu-Be alloys consistently had linear elastic fracture toughness values greater than 80 MPa•m1/2, while Vitreloy 1, a Zr-Ti-Cu-Ni-Be alloy, had an average fracture toughness of 48.5 MPa•m1/2 with a large amount of scatter. The addition of iron to Vitreloy 1 reduced the fracture toughness to 25 MPa•m1/2. Fracture surfaces were carefully analyzed using electron microscopy. Some samples had highly jagged patterns at the beginning stage of crack propagation, and the roughness of this jagged pattern correlated well with the measured fracture toughness values. These jagged patterns, the main source of energy dissipation in the sample, were attributed to the formation of shear bands inside the sample. The Zr-Ti-Cu-Be alloy, having fracture toughness KQ = 85 MPa•m1/2 as cast, was annealed at various time/temperature combinations. When the alloy was annealed 50°C below Tg, the fracture toughness dropped to 6 MPa•m1/2, while DSC and X-ray showed the alloy to still be amorphous. The roughness of the fracture surfaces on relaxed samples also compared well with the relative fracture toughness.
Hierarchical-TGDR: Combining biological hierarchy with a regularization method for multi-class classification of lung cancer samples via high-throughput gene-expression data

Regularization methods that simultaneously select a small set of the most relevant features and build a classifier using the selected features have gained much attention recently in problems of classification of “omics” data. In many multi-class classification problems, which are of practical importance, the classes are naturally endowed with a hierarchical structure. However, such natural hierarchical structure is often ignored. Here, we use an existing regularization algorithm, Threshold Gradient Descent Regularization, in a hierarchical fashion, which takes advantage of natural biological structure to specifically tackle multi-class classification of microarray data. We apply this approach to one of the tasks presented by the sbv IMPROVER Diagnostic Signature Challenge: the Lung Cancer Sub-Challenge. Gene expression data from non-small cell lung carcinoma were used to classify tumors into adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma subtypes, and their clinical stages (I and II). Genetic and transcriptom...
Differential use of spatially heterogeneous soil moisture by two semiarid woody species: Pinus edulis and Juniperus monosperma

1 Soil moisture in semiarid woodlands varies both vertically with depth and horizontally between canopy patches beneath woody plants and the intercanopy patches that separate them, such that shallow soil layers in intercanopy locations are wettest, yet few studies have considered both dimensions of spatial variability in testing for acquisition of resources by plants. 2 Three hypotheses were tested relative to the use of shallow water in intercanopy locations by two coexisting semiarid-woodland tree species, Pinus edulis (a pinion) and Juniperus monosperma (a juniper): (i) both P. edulis and J. monosperma can use shallow water from intercanopy locations;. (ii) J. monosperma is able to obtain more shallow water from intercanopy locations than P. edulis, and (iii) the spatial arrangement of the trees influences the amount of water they obtain. Soil moisture and plant water potential (i.e. plant water stress) were measured before and after the addition of water to shallow depths (0-30 cm) of intercanopy locations for trees of both species in two spatial arrangements: isolated and paired with a contiguous tree of the other species. 3 Both species responded to the addition of shallow water in intercanopy locations, as measured by plant water potential. The response of J. monosperma was significantly greater than that of P. edulis, as measured by depletion of shallow soil moisture in intercanopy locations and by change in plant water potential per unit change in soil water potential (the difference was not detectable on the basis of plant water potential alone); in addition, the amount of depletion was correlated with basal area of J. monosperma but not of P. edulis. The responses were not influenced by spatial arrangement (isolated vs. paired with a contiguous tree of the other species). 4 The results of this study are consistent with differences in the relative abundances of the two species across locations, suggesting that species differences in ability to use shallow water in intercanopy locations is important in structuring semiarid woodlands. Further, the results suggest that current theoretical concepts for semiarid ecosystems, which ignore either vertical or horizontal variability in soil moisture, may be inadequate for predicting changes in the ratio of woody to herbaceous plant biomass, particularly for plant communities with co-dominant woody species that differ in ability to acquire spatially heterogeneous resources.
Abstract 267: The effect of amphiregulin knockdown on the expression of transformed phenotypes in triple-negative breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Amphiregulin (AREG) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) co-expression leads to aggressive growth phenotypes observed in some triple negative breast tumors. In SUM-149 cells, a triple negative breast cancer cell line with an AREG/EGFR autocrine loop, we have shown that these cells are more invasive and motile than MCF10A cells grown with EGF and that altered signaling occurs when AREG is the stimulating ligand. To provide additional insight into the role of AREG in the SUM-149 cells, we have successfully knocked down AREG expression in the SUM-149 cells. Q-RT-PCR analysis showed an approximately 40-fold knock-down of AREG mRNA following stable transduction of the most effective shRNA vector. In these knock-down cells, secreted AREG was undetectable by ELISA, and cellular AREG was undetectable by western blot. Knock-down of AREG in SUM-149 cells resulted in a dramatic decrease in the growth rate of these cells, resulting in a doubling time of about half that of the parental SUM149 cell line. Soft agar assays comparing the anchorage-independent growth potential of SUM-149 cells with AREG knock-down SUM-149 cells demonstrated an approximately 50% decrease in soft agar colony forming ability. To examine the migration and invasion capacity of the AREG knock-down cells relative to parental cells, Matrigel invasion assays were carried out and showed that knocking down AREG resulted in a 40-fold decrease in the cells ability to invade the matrix. Our lab has previously shown that in SUM-149 cells, NF-κB DNA binding activity is initiated as a result of AREG activation of EGFR. NF-κB activity in the AREG knock-down cells was altered suggesting that AREG affects cellular signaling by altering transcription factors. Addressing the continued proliferation of the AREG knock-down cells, we examined the requirement for EGFR activation for growth of these cells. Phosphotyrosine western blot analysis demonstrated detectable EGFR activation in the AREG knock-down cells. Growth assays where these cells were treated with an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor or with a neutralizing EGFR antibody demonstrated the dependency of EGFR for growth of these cells. Q-RT-PCR analysis for expression of all seven EGFR family ligands suggested that epigen or EGF may be factors contributing to the continued growth of these cells, in the absence of AREG. In summary, knock-down of AREG expression in SUM-149 cells has a dramatic affect on the cells ability to proliferate, invade, and form colonies in soft agar, which links this growth factor with the aggressive properties associated with the SUM-149 cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 267.
Another Breast Cancer Entity Confirmed: Genomics of Invasive Lobular Breast Cancer

The most frequent signi ficantly altered gene identified in this study was CDH1 in which loss-of-function mutations occurred in 65% of cases and loss of heterozygosity or deletion was identified in 94% of patients. These findings are consistent with other studies and underscore the role of E-cadherin loss in contributing to the characteristic discohesive morphology associated with ILC. 3
Analysis of Antiepileptic Drugs in6Children's Hospitals in the Yangtze Valley during the Period of2002～2004

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the status quo and the tendency of antiepileptic drugs used in6Children's Hospitals in the Yangtze Valley.METHODS:Data on drug variety,sales volume,manufacturers of antiepileptic drugs used in6Chilˉdren's Hospitals in the Yangtze Valley during2002～2004were analyzed statistically.RESULTS:Sodium valproate and topiˉramate took a bigger share in the market with the proportion of both to the antiepileptic drugs in sales volume at about40%.The old variety still took the lead in the clinical drug consumption while the momentum for the consumption of new one was quite fine.CONCLUSION:There are only a few varieties of antiepileptics now yet the sales volume of which is on the rise,therefore,of which there is still prospect of development.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Magnetic Resonance Imaging System

This article introduced the concept and procedures of quality assurance(QA) and quality control(QC) in Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) system during its installation and routine clinical uses.It is mainly focused on system acceptance testing,daily system check and QC test and annual system performance testing.It is important to build a comprehensive and accurate QA/AC program in a MRI facility,and the exact implementation of this program will essentially improve the quality and efficiency for both clinical and research studies using the MRI techniques.
Cellular differentiation markers in lymphoproliferative diseases.

Immunologic progress has resulted in precise definition of different lymphocyte Populations that participate in normal immune responses. It has also led to an Understanding of the nature of lymphomas and leukemias as malignant expansions of the various cell types. By using characteristic cell markers, it is now possible to classify many malignancies on the basis of the cell types involved.
“I Turned away from the Temple”: Sethian Counterculture in the Apocryphon of John

In the myth as well as the frame story of the Apocryphon of John, Sethian conflict with others is narrativized. For instance, Adam and Eve withdraw from the biblical creator just as John turns away from the temple in Jerusalem after an altercation with a Jewish antagonist. The gnostic authors of the text portrayed the creator so negatively that he is incomparable with most demiurgic figures in Platonism, Judaism, and Christianity. Their ignorant, boastful, jealous and apostate Ialdabaoth was shocking to their ancient opponents. And for modern scholars, this countercultural vilification of the creator makes it difficult to categorize the authors of the apocryphon in Platonic, Jewish, or Christian terms.
Analysis of nitric oxide isotopes via differential faraday rotation spectroscopy

We present real-time optical polarization subtraction for calibration of Faraday rotation spectra. Noise analysis yields minor isotope sensitivity of 3.0 ppbv·Hz−1/2 and 1.7×10−8 rad·Hz−1/2 noise-equivalent angle. Sub-permil ratiometric precision is achieved at integration times >100 s.
Refining (and Redefining) the Party

We begin this chapter by reviewing the literature that debates which elements make up a political party. While other scholars have touched on the importance of activists, no one has been able to satisfactorily define and measure their effect on the presidential nomination process. In a polarized general election environment, these activists play an important role in mobilizing the party electorate, and disunity almost inevitably dooms a party’s nominee in the general election. To better understand the role of the unity within the party, we utilize Masket’s idea of the party being a network. To be able to operationalize this at a national level, we look at activist as being shared donors between candidates in the presidential nomination process.
Catheter Ablation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation: Triggers and Thoughts Provoked by Adenosine

It has been 15 years since the mechanism of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) was attributed to triggering foci, largely within pulmonary veins (PVs) [(1)][1]; since then, catheter ablation procedures for AF have risen exponentially with isolation of PV electrical activity from the left atrium (LA
Lateral Stability of Unsymmetrical I-Beams and Trusses in Bending

An analysis is given herein of the lateral stability of unsymmetrical I-beams, both free and horizontally restrained along the bottom edge, and of beams of rectangular cross section horizontally re...
Paper‐Based Electrodes for Flexible Energy Storage Devices

Paper-based materials are emerging as a new category of advanced electrodes for flexible energy storage devices, including supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, Li-S batteries, Li-oxygen batteries. This review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis of paper-based electrodes, including paper-supported electrodes and paper-like electrodes. Their structural features, electrochemical performances and implementation as electrodes for flexible energy storage devices including supercapacitors and batteries are highlighted and compared. Finally, we also discuss the challenges and opportunity of paper-based electrodes and energy storage devices.
Efficient Surrogate Model Development: Optimum Model Form Based on Input Function Characteristics

Abstract Surrogate models statistically relate input data to output data, which are collected by running the complicated system simulation. This study focuses on the identification of the proper surrogate-model form using computational experiments. Eight different surrogate-modeling approaches are evaluated using thirty-five challenge functions with various shapes and numbers of inputs. Data sets for training the surrogate models are generated using Latin Hypercube, Sobol, and Halton sampling methods. In general, ANN, ALAMO and ELM provided the lowest root mean square error and maximum absolute errors for all functions tested.
Randomized Trial of Chronic Pain Self-Management Program in the Community or Clinic for Low-Income Primary Care Patients

Patients with chronic pain often lack the skills and resources necessary to manage this disease. To develop a chronic pain self-management program reflecting community stakeholders’ priorities and to compare functional outcomes from training in two settings. A parallel-group randomized trial. Eligible subjects were 35–70 years of age, with chronic non-cancer pain treated with opioids for >2 months at two primary care and one HIV clinic serving low-income Hispanics. In one study arm, the 6-month program was delivered in monthly one-on-one clinic meetings by a community health worker (CHW) trained as a chronic pain health educator, and in the second arm, content experts gave eight group lectures in a nearby library. Five times Sit-to-Stand test (5XSTS) assessed at baseline and 3 and 6 months. Other reported physical and cognitive measures include the 6-Min Walk (6 MW), Borg Perceived Effort Test (Borg Effort), 50-ft Speed Walk (50FtSW), SF-12 Physical Component Summary (SF-12 PCS), Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and Symbol–Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses in mixed-effects models adjust for demographics, body mass index, maximum pain, study arm, and measurement time. Multiple imputation was used for sensitivity analyses. Among 111 subjects, 53 were in the clinic arm and 58 in the community arm. In ITT analyses at 6 months, subjects in both arms performed the 5XSTS test faster (−4.9 s, P = 0.001) and improved scores on Borg Effort (−1, P = 0.02), PSFS (1.6, P < 0.001), and SDMT (5.9, P < 0.001). Only the clinic arm increased the 6 MW (172.4 ft, P = 0.02) and SF-12 PCS (6.2 points, P < 0.001). 50ftSW did not change (P = 0.15). Results were similar with multiple imputation. Five falls were possible adverse events. In low-income subjects with chronic pain, physical and cognitive function improved significantly after self-management training from expert lectures in the community and in-clinic meetings with a trained health educator.
IAEA safeguards and non-proliferation

A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety analyst considers from an international perspective safeguards necessary to prevent proliferation.
Post-Fire Native Seed Use in Western Colorado: A Look at Burned and Unburned Vegetation Communities

Wildfires on public lands in the United States are increasing in size and frequency over time. Government agency post-fire treatments often include seeding of native and nonnative plant species; however, the effectiveness of post-fire seeding has been questioned, and while the importance of using native species has been emphasized, more research on the effects of native seeding post-fire is needed. We sought to understand what characteristics of vegetation communities distinguished burned and unburned areas, and if environmental characteristics of sites would predictably alter community composition. We collected vegetation, ground cover, and environmental data during the summer of 2015 from public lands that burned in wildfires between 2005 and 2012 and were seeded with a native seed mix. We also collected data from unburned comparison areas that were not seeded. We found that biological soil crusts distinguished unburned areas while native forbs, nonnative forbs, and seeded native species distinguished burned areas. Surprisingly, Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) was not important in distinguishing burned from unburned areas. Precipitation the year after fire influenced vegetation communities.
Transmission of human enteric pathogens from artificially-inoculated flowers to vegetable sprouts/seedlings developed via contaminated seeds

Abstract Seeds contaminated with bacterial pathogens were found to be the primary cause of sprout-associated outbreaks of human gastrointestinal infections. This study was undertaken to determine if cells of selected Salmonella enterica and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) strains, artificially inoculated onto the flowers of vegetable plants, will result in contamination of sprouts/seedlings that develop from seeds produced by the inoculated flowers. Pistils of alfalfa, fenugreek, lettuce, and tomato flowers were inoculated with cells of selected S. enterica or EHEC strains. A total of 906, 715, 1236, and 1276 mature seeds, produced by lettuce, tomato, alfalfa or fenugreek flowers inoculated with Salmonella were collected as 48, 94, 109, and 116 composite samples (367 in total), respectively. Correspondingly, 934, 640, 1827 and 1027 seeds, produced by the four respective types of flowers after inoculation with E. coli were divided into 42, 81, 162, and 107 composite samples (392 in total), respectively. Seeds in each composite sample were surface-decontaminated with NaOCl solution and germinated at 25 °C in the dark for 5 days. Subsequently, pathogen populations on the sprouts/seedlings developed from each composite seed sample were determined by the plate count assay. The overall Salmonella recovery rate from vegetable sprouts/seedlings developed from the 367 composite seed samples was 2.7%, while none of the sprouts/seedlings grown from the 392 composite seed samples with prior E. coli inoculation tested positive for the pathogen. One of the 94 tomato seedling samples contained 4 CFU of Salmonella and five additional samples tested positive by enrichment (6.4%). Two out of 109 (1.8%) alfalfa and 116 (1.7%) fenugreek composite samples tested positive for Salmonella by enrichment. However, none of the lettuce seedlings tested positive for Salmonella or E. coli even after enrichment. This study suggests that under controlled environmental conditions, human pathogens inoculated onto flowers of vegetable plants can result in the contamination of sprouts/seedlings via seeds produced by the inoculated flowers. However, the frequency of sprout/seedling contamination was low and could be affected by characteristics of the pathogens and plant species tested.
Prevalence, patterns, and predictors of meditation use among U.S. children: Results from the National Health Interview Survey.

Abstract Objectives The purpose of the study is to examine the characteristics of various types of meditation use (i.e., mantra, mindful, and spiritual meditation) among U.S. children. Methods Using 2017 National Health Interview Survey, we examined the prevalence, patterns, and potential predictors of meditation use among U.S. children aged 4 to 17 years. Descriptive statistics, Wald F chi-square test, and multivariable logistic regression were used for data analysis (n = 6925). Results Overall meditation use has increased substantially from 1.6% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2017 among children in the US. Children with chronic medical conditions were more likely to use mindful meditation (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.9–3.6, 95% CI [1.0–7.4]). Regularly taking prescription medication had an inverse relation with mantra meditation use (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI [0.2–0.9]). Children with delayed medical care due to access difficulties were more likely to use spiritual meditation, compared to those who did not (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI [1.1–2.6]). Conclusions Meditation use has rapidly increased among U.S. children within the past few years. Future studies should explore the underlying reasons for this increase and its potential benefits for pediatric meditators.
Analgesic Response to Opioids in Patients with Addiction

Clinicians are treating more and more patients who suffer substance abuse, addiction disorders, or opioid tolerance. Optimizing management of chronic or acute pain in such patients can be challenging. Substance abuse and addiction to a variety of illicit substances (marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines) is an increasing problem, with opioids being the most commonly abused. An understanding of the prevalence of this condition, as well as changes in opioid receptor function in the opioid-tolerant patient, facilitates effective treatment. There are several strategies to treat patients in this population effectively.
Three Storytellers' Journeys

"Grudges fare less well than gratitudes," the poet Marianne Moore once wrote, so let me begin my essay by expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to review these three books and my gratitude that there does indeed seem to be a healthy growth in the number and kinds of book-length publications about storytelling, in this case, coming from a university press, a major academic publisher, and one of the foremost publishers dedicated to circulating writing about performance. The fact of the publication of these three books is in itself a good sign of the seriousness with which storytelling as a subject for scholarly and academic study is being taken. Having said that, these three books Jo Carson's Spider Speculations: The Physics and Biophysics of Storytelling, Michael Wilson's Storytelling and Theatre: Contemporary Storytellers and Their Art, and Bruce Jackson's The Story is True: The Art and Meaning of Telling Stories represent a fairly wide range in aims and approaches and, more critically, in value and worth of accomplishment. Conceding that different kinds of books are aimed at and appeal to different kinds of readers, even within a defined group such as storytelling scholars and
XNOR-SRAM: In-Memory Computing SRAM Macro for Binary/Ternary Deep Neural Networks

We present XNOR-SRAM, a mixed-signal in-memory computing (IMC) SRAM macro that computes ternary-XNOR-and-accumulate (XAC) operations in binary/ternary deep neural networks (DNNs) without row-by-row data access. The XNOR-SRAM bitcell embeds circuits for ternary XNOR operations, which are accumulated on the read bitline (RBL) by simultaneously turning on all 256 rows, essentially forming a resistive voltage divider. The analog RBL voltage is digitized with a column-multiplexed 11-level flash analog-to-digital converter (ADC) at the XNOR-SRAM periphery. XNOR-SRAM is prototyped in a 65-nm CMOS and achieves the energy efficiency of 403 TOPS/W for ternary-XAC operations with 88.8% test accuracy for the CIFAR-10 data set at 0.6-V supply. This marks $33\times $ better energy efficiency and $300\times $ better energy–delay product than conventional digital hardware and also represents among the best tradeoff in energy efficiency and DNN accuracy.
Alcohol Drinking Alters Stress Response to Predator Odor via Extended Amygdala Kappa Opioid Receptor Signaling in Male Mice

Maladaptive responses to stress are a hallmark of alcohol use disorder, but the mechanisms that underlie this are not well characterized. Here we show that kappa opioid receptor signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is a critical molecular substrate underlying abnormal stress responses to predator odor following heavy alcohol drinking. Exposure to predator odor during protracted withdrawal from intermittent alcohol drinking resulted in enhanced prefrontal cortex (PFC)-driven excitation of prodynorphin-containing neurons in the BNST compared to drinking or stress alone. Furthermore, deletion of prodynorphin in the BNST and chemogenetic inhibition of the PFC-BNST pathway restored abnormal responses to predator odor in alcohol-exposed mice. These findings suggest that increased corticolimbic drive may promote abnormal stress behavioral responses to predator odor during protracted withdrawal from heavy drinking. Various nodes of this PFC-BNST dynorphin-related circuit may serve as potential targets for potential therapeutic mediation as well as biomarkers of negative responses to stress following heavy alcohol drinking.
Essay Review. Scientocracy: Why a Science Court Is Needed:

The Introduction is spot on: “”Science can be a force for good, and it has enhanced our lives in countless ways, but even a cursory look at the 20th century shows that what passes for science can be detrimental” (p. 1).
Tweeting Inequity: @realDonaldTrump and the World Leader Exception

Twitter sends users conflicting messages about civic discourse, privilege, and authority with its World Leader Exception policy, which allows world leaders to violate Twitter’s terms of service. The platform’s World Leader Exception policy is a dangerous rhetorical maneuver in the gatekeeping of civic discourse, breaking Twitter’s culture of use and the norms and values Twitter’s users are accustomed to. Twitter’s interface, in its current form, hides “exceptional” violations of policies, encouraging opacity, inequity, and the civic spread of misinformation. Rather than emphasize inequity in how they apply rules encouraging rhetorical inequity, Twitter should employ technological equity in re-imagining how their interface can acknowledge civic discourse and the World Leader Exception.
“The Body of Human Truths” and the Limits of Humanitarian Reading in Nuruddin Farah’s Links

Though the title of Nuruddin Farah’s Links suggests the language of network often invoked in theories of globalization, the 2003 novel instead questions this discourse through its focus on the affe...
Alleviating and exacerbating foods in hidradenitis suppurativa

While dietary triggers have been investigated in acne and other inflammatory follicular dermatoses, there is a paucity of data on diet and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). We sought to identify exacerbating and alleviating foods in HS patients. An anonymous survey was distributed via HS Facebook support groups and in person at HS specialty clinics. Participants were asked to select all that apply from a list to indicate foods that worsen and make HS better including sweet foods, breads and pasta, red meat, chicken, fish, canned foods, fruits, vegetables, dairy, high-fat foods, I do not know, and no. Only 12.0% (n = 89/744) identified alleviating foods while 32.6% (n = 237/728) identified HS-symptom-exacerbating foods. The most commonly reported exacerbating foods were sweets (67.9%), bread/pasta/rice (51.1%), dairy (50.6%), and high-fat foods (44.2%). The most commonly reported alleviating foods included vegetables (78.7%), fruit (56.2%), chicken (51.7%), and fish (42.7%). Further studies are required to evaluate the mechanistic links between diet and HS. HS patients may benefit from receiving dietary counseling as part of a comprehensive HS management plan.
Hyperhomocysteinemia and Risk of Atherosclerosis, Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: A Concise Update

Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid obtained from the metabolism of methionine. Dietary methionine is converted to S-adenosylmethionine and is demethylated to S-adenosylhomocysteine and homocysteine. Under conditions of protein deficient diet, intracellularly homocysteine is metabolized by one of two pathways: re-methylation and trans-sulfuration where vitamin B12 and folic acid participate as cofactors respectively. In the folate cycle, the enzyme methionine synthase and vitamin B12 as well as the enzyme 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase are required. Folate enters the re-methylation cycle and is converted to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, an important methyl donor in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine. Remethylation reactions also occur in the liver in which the enzyme betaine homocysteine methyltransferase, transfers a methyl group to homocysteine via the demethylation of betaine to dimethylglycine [1]. Therefore, disruption of S-adenosylmethionine -dependent transmethylation reactions leads to high concentrations of homocysteine in the blood and has been associated with deleterious effects. The normal level of homocysteine ranges between 5–15 μM, however in diseased conditions it can range from 50 μM in mild cases to 500 μM in severe cases [2]. The etiology of cancer is multifactorial. Studies have established a close association between cancer and hyperhomocystinemia [3]. Genetic & environmental factors play an important role in its pathogenesis. High levels of homocysteine are found in epigenetic regulation of DNA silencing and posttranslational modification of histones [3]. Specifically, the carcinogenic potential of hyper homocysteinemia is dependent on the detoxification pathways in homocysteine metabolism, venous thromboembolism, deficiency of folate and/or polymorphisms. In this chapter, the role of homocysteine on atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer is discussed.
Development of leading first-generation vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 152 million individuals globally. Highly effective and safe vaccines are required to accelerate the development of herd immunity to end the pandemic. This review focuses on vaccines that are being developed at unprecedented speed globally and are completing late phase clinical trials to meet this urgent need.
Planning virtual residency interviews as a result of COVID-19: insight from residency applicants and physicians conducting interviews.

Background In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–2021 residency interview process will undergo significant changes. Residency programme stakeholders would benefit from knowledge on what students and physicians expect from this process. Objective The purpose of the study was to describe and contrast the perspectives of student applicants and interviewing physicians related to the residency programme virtual interview process. Methods A survey consisting of 24 Likert statements was administered across listservs in summer 2020 to physicians (attendings and residents who interview medical students). Medical students also received an anonymous survey and were recruited via email to participate. Results A total of 155 individuals (104 fourth-year medical students and 51 physicians) completed a survey. Results showed students would prefer in-person interviews over virtual. Residency applicants had high agreement on the limited ability to fully assess the programme and city due to virtual interviews. Individuals with lower step 1 scores had higher agreement on preferring in-person interviews. Individuals in the lowest and highest scoring groups appear more worried about the representation of themselves as a result of virtual interviews. Furthermore, applicants feel that more weight will be placed on steps 1 and 2 scores and class ranks, and they may not be able to fully demonstrate their personality compared with interviewers. Conclusion The result of COVID-19 has created challenges and subsequent reshuffling of medical education requiring careful preparation and planning. This study provides insight for residency programmes to better understand the applicants’ expectations for the 2020–2021 residency interview and matching process.
Stochastic initiation of DNA replication across the human genome.

Wang et al. (2021) comprehensively map DNA replication initiation events across the human genome using single-molecule optical resolution mapping and find that initiation events are randomly distributed across broad initiation zones that are only utilized in a stochastic fashion across a population of cells.
Adoptive T-cell therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract Although CAR T-cell therapy is US Food and Drug Administration–approved for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, the development of adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has not accelerated at a similar pace. Adoptive T-cell therapy with Epstein-Barr virus–specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD30 CAR T cells have demonstrated significant clinical responses in early clinical trials of patients with cHL. Additionally, CD19 and CD123 CAR T cells that target the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in cHL have also been investigated. Here we discuss the landscape of clinical trials of adoptive immunotherapy for patients with cHL with a view toward current challenges and novel strategies to improve the development of CAR T-cell therapy for cHL.
Restoration of Rician Corrupted MR Data Using Improved Hybrid Model

Restoration of MR Images using a hybrid model consisting of two stages is implemented. Application of Fourth Order PDE and the application of relaxed median filter are pre and post stages respectively. The results were calculated using standard parameters like PSNR, SSIM and RMSE. It was found that the hybrid mm gives acceptable results when compared with standard non-linear filters when applied to T1 weighted Thorax Images. For Brain MR Images, the hybrid model filter performs better for a finite range of input noise level (\(\%N\)). The algorithm was implemented on synthetic images of T1 weighted Thorax and Brain MRI using MATLAB 2015a.
A Review of Correctional Institutions

Correctional Institutions is an ambitious, well-written, and well-documented book which should be of interest to parctitioners, academics, and students in the criminal justice field. Dr. Fox's treatment of institutions is comprehensive and constitutes a source of useful information for a field that is in a state of crisis. The United States' prison population has more than doubled in the last 10 years to the point where we now have more than 400 000 persons incarcerated. In addition, more than 150 000 individuals are held in local jails and 70 000 juveniles are held in public and private juvenile facilities. This dramatic upsurge has resulted in severe over-crowding in these institutions and has strained existing resources to their very limits. It is incumbent upon all professionals working in the criminal justice system to have an understanding of the problems facing our correctional system and this text is an excellent beginning point.
Basic Electric and Magnetic Circuits

Since some students may not have had any electrical engineering background, the first chapter introduces the basic concepts of electricity and magnetism needed to understand electric circuits. For our purposes, we will be using very simple models in general, leaving many of the complications to more advanced textbooks.
Observed choice and optimism in estimating the effects of government policies

A policy will be used more heavily in a time and place where its cost is lower. The analyst who treats times and places as identical will overestimate the policy's net benefit, especially for policy intensities greater than exist in his sample. In regression analysis, the problem can be solved by instrumental variables. Using state-level data, the technique substantially increases the estimated responsiveness of illegitimacy to transfers.
Conservatives and the Seven Sins of Judicial Activism

This article evaluates the jurisprudence that the Court's conservative wing currently offers (both in majority and in dissent) against seven indices of judicial activism: countermajoritarian activism; nonoriginalist activism; precedential activism; jurisdictional activism; judicial creativity; remedial activism; and partisan activism. Part I addresses the first six indices. I discuss whether selected decisions are fairly susceptible to the activist label under each criterion and, if so, whether there are reasons that suggest that the cases are nevertheless defensible, even to those who generally oppose activist decisions. Part II presents an overall appraisal of whether the conservatives can be fairly labeled as activist and, if so, what that conclusion might say about the meaning of judicial activism and the enterprise of judicial decisionmaking generally. Additionally, because measuring a court's activism may require one to ask "activist compared to what?", I will evaluate the judicial activism that has achieved conservative results against the activism that has achieved liberal outcomes. Part III discusses the seventh sin-partisan activism. I separate this criterion from the others because it is potentially the most damning. While some level of activism may necessarily inhere in the process of constitutional interpretation, using judicial power to accomplish purely partisan ends does not. Finally, I conclude that the conservatives have indeed been activist with respect to five of the first six indices (remedial activism being the exception), but that in many instances, this activism is defensible, and that their overall record is neither unprecedented nor excessive in comparison to historical norms. Their fault, if any, is in their disingenuousness. They, or more often their defenders, claim that theirs is a jurisprudence more principled and more restrained than that of their liberal counterparts when in fact it is nothing more than a jurisprudence designed to effectuate particular results. I reach no conclusion, however, on the seventh sin. Partisan activism is a serious charge and the cases neither establish nor refute that the conservatives have engaged in it.
Ecumenism of Life.

The Second Vatican Council ushered in a new age of ecumenism in the Christian Church. Ecumenism was a central focus both in several documents and in the practical experience of the Council. Half a century has passed since the conclusion of the Council and full, visible unity seems to be as remote as it was fifty years ago. Walter Kasper asserts that an ecumenism of life is necessary for the restoration of full unity in the Christian Church. This article argues that this ecumenism of life can be achieved in a threefold manner: fully implementing the teachings of Unitatis redintegratio, embodying the wisdom of the World Council of Church’s Lund Principle, and utilizing Karl Rahner and Heinrich Fries' arguments for doctrinal agreement.
The Fox and the Fleas

SOME readers of NATURE may be interested in seeing the following passage from one of Liebig's letters to Wohler, dated Giessen, June 24, 1849, as showing that the story has long been familiar, at least in Germany:—
On memoryless provers and insincere verifiers

In this article, we introduce a Prover–Verifier model for analysing the computational complexity of a class of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) termed boolean binary constraint satisfaction problems (BBCSPs). BBCSPs represent an extremely general class of CSPs and find applications in a wide variety of domains including constraint programming, puzzle solving and program testing. The constraints in a BBCSP permit the combination of multiple theories as opposed to traditional constraint systems in which all constraints belong to the same theory. We establish that each instance of a BBCSP admits a coin-flipping Turing machine that halts in time polynomial in the size of the input. Furthermore, the algorithm is oblivious in that it never sees more than one constraint at a time. The prover, P, in the Prover–Verifier model is endowed with very limited powers. In particular, it has no memory and it can only pose restricted queries to the verifier. The verifier, on the other hand, is both omniscient in tha...
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Relationship between serum creatine kinase level and patient survival

Various laboratory tests have been used to predict the survival of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The serum creatine kinase (CK) level is frequently elevated in patients with ALS. This study evaluates the relationship between serum CK elevation and survival in patients with ALS and points to a lack of correlation. Thirty patients with ALS, who ranged in age from 21 to 73 years, were followed up from 7 to 57 months. All patients had neurologic and psychiatric evaluations, electromyographic examinations, and serum CK measurements. The CK level was elevated in 50% of the patients. On follow-up, 20 patients had died; ten of these had had elevated CK levels. The 3-year survival from the date of the examination was 47% for patients with elevated CK levels and 40% for patients with normal levels. This difference did not have statistical significance (p greater than 0.43).
Quasi-particle tunneling spectroscopy of high-Tc cuprates

Superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) and superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions provide important information on pairing state symmetry and mechanism. Measurements of such junctions on high Tc superconductors (HTS) are reported using mechanical point contacts, which generally display the optimum characteristics that can be obtained from HTS native-surface tunnel barriers. New tunneling data on the infinite-layer cuprate, Sr1-xNdxCuO2 are reported which show a remarkable similarity to another electron-doped cuprate, Nd1.85Ce0.85CuO4. In particular, there is a strong, asymmetric linear background conductance that is indicative of inelastic tunneling from a continuum of states. A discussion is given of the anomalous 'dip' feature found in the tunneling and photoemission data on BSCCO 2212. It is shown that a similar feature is found in many cuprate junctions and that this dip scales with the gap energy over a wide range. New data on the single-layer, tetragonal cuprate, Tl2Ba2CuO6 (Tl2201) are presented and discussed in light of recent published results on the similar compound HgBa2CuO4 (Hg1201). The Hg1201 data display a low, flat sub-gap tunneling conductance which is consistent with a BCS density of states whereas the Tl2201 data display a cusp-like feature at zero bias which is more consistent with dx2-y2 symmetry.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Collagenase injection as nonsurgical treatment of Dupuytren's disease: 8-year follow-up.

Purpose Collagenase has been investigated in phase II and phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Dupuytren's disease. The purpose of this study is to report 8-year follow-up results in a subset of patients who had collagenase injection for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture. Methods Twenty-three patients who participated in the phase II clinical trial of injectable collagenase were contacted by letter and phone. Eight patients were enrolled, completed a Dupuytren's disease questionnaire, and had independent examination of joint motion by a single examiner. Results Eight patients completed the 8-year follow-up study: 6 had been treated for isolated metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint contracture, and 2 had been treated for isolated proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint contracture. Average preinjection contracture was 57° in the MCP group. Average contracture was 9° at 1 week, 11° at 1 year, and 23° at 8-year follow-up. Four of 6 patients experienced recurrence, and 2 of 6 had no evidence of disease recurrence at 8-year follow-up. Average preinjection contracture was 45° in the PIP group. Average contracture was 8° at 1 weeks, 15° at 1 year, and 60° at 8-year follow-up. Both patients experienced recurrence at 8-year follow-up. No patients had had further intervention on the treated finger in either the MCP or the PIP group. Patients subjectively rated the overall clinical success at 60%, and 88% of patients stated that they would pursue further injection for the treatment of their recurrent or progressive Dupuytren's disease. Conclusions Enzymatic fasciotomy is safe and efficacious, with initial response to injection resulting in reduction of joint contracture to within 0°–5° of normal in 72 out of 80 patients. Initial evaluation of long-term recurrence rates suggests disease recurrence or progression in 4 out of 6 patients with MCP contractures and 2 patients with PIP contractures; however, recurrence was generally less severe than the initial contracture in the MCP group. In addition, patient satisfaction was high. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Clozapine treatment of persistent paroxysmal dyskinesia associated with concomitant paroxetine and sumatriptan use.

We report a patient treated with paroxetine and sumatriptan who developed severe persistent paroxysmal dyskinesias that included dystonia, chorea, and athetosis. This movement disorder responded partially to treatment with anticholinergic medications and benzodiazepines; and completely to clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic that has previously been shown to be beneficial for the treatment of tardive movement disorders (Casey 1989). Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) have traditionally been associated with neuroleptic exposure; however, there is a growing literature of EPS as a rare but important adverse effect of selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) (Bacher and Ruskin 1991; Baldwin et al 1991; Black and Uhde 1992; Bouchard et al 1989; Budman and Bruun 1991; Dave 1992; Fallon and Liebowitz 1991; Hamilton and Opler 1992; Me ltzer et al 1979; Anonymous 1993; Reccoppa et al 1990; Shihabuddin and Rapport 1994; Stein 1991; Stoukides and Stoukides 1991; Tate 1989). Only three of these reports are of tardive or other persistent dyskinesias, all of which were associated with fluoxetine treatment (Bacher and Ruskin 1991; Budman and Bruun 1991; Stein 1991). Persistent paroxysmal dyskinesias are intermittent episodes of dystonia and/or choreoathetosis that are 20 min to 2 hours in