cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trapped Fermions in Gravitational Field

Trapped noninteracting Fermi gas in an external gravitational field in Newtonian approximation is considered. Analytical equations for chemical potential, internal energy, and specific heat of trapped Fermi gas are computed. The spatial distribution of completely degenerate fermions in nonhomogeneous gravitational field is calculated. The effects of the influence of gravitational field on Fermi gas are discussed.
Abstract 3229: Drug repurposing of topiramate in obesity-driven endometrial cancer

Introduction: Topiramate (TPM) is a B-D-fructopyranose sulfamate that acts by inhibiting carbonic anhydrases (CAs) and has been implicated as a novel inhibitor of angiogenesis. TPM is commonly used for the treatment of epilepsy and migraine headaches; however, when combined with phentermine, TPM can induce weight loss. Due to its weight loss and anti-angiogenic properties, we assessed TPM’s potential as an anti-tumorigenic agent in endometrial cancer (EC), a highly obesity-driven disease. Methods: Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay after exposure to TPM for 72 hours in the HEC-1A, KLE, Ishikawa and ECC-1 EC cell lines. Two representative cell lines, ECC-1 and Ishikawa, were used to analyze apoptosis, cell cycle progression, cell adhesion and invasion. Apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC assay. Inhibition of adhesion and invasion by TPM were assessed by ELISA and transwell assay, respectively. Cell cycle progression was evaluated by Cellometer. Western immunoblotting was performed to assess downstream targets of the MAPK and mTOR pathways. The LKB1fl/flp53fl/fl EC mouse model was utilized to assess the in vivo effects of TPM. AdCre was injected at six weeks of age to induce invasive EC. Eight wks following AdCre injection, mice (N=10 per group) were treated with placebo or TPM (200 mg/kg/day, oral) for four weeks. The expression of phosphorylated-S6 and Ki-67 was assessed by IHC. Results: TPM inhibited cell proliferation in a dose dependent manner in all four EC cell lines (IC50 range=1500-3000 mM). Treatment with TPM resulted in G1 arrest and induction of apoptosis (p Conclusion: TPM inhibited cell proliferation and tumor growth in EC cell lines and an EC mouse model. Therefore, TPM may be worthy of drug repurposing as an anti-tumorigenic agent in EC, with the potential added benefit of weight loss in this obesity-linked disease. Citation Format: Arthur-Quan Tran, Stephanie A. Sullivan, Chunxiao Zhou, David Kaufman, Victoria Bae-Jump. Drug repurposing of topiramate in obesity-driven endometrial cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3229. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3229
Reprint Of: Enhanced spatially-resolved trace analysis using combined SIMS–single-stage AMS

Abstract Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) provides spatially resolved trace analysis of solid materials, but can be complicated by unresolved abundant molecular isobars. By adding a 300-kV single-stage accelerator mass spectrometer (SSAMS) as a detector for a Cameca ims 4f SIMS, one can measure more abundant positive ions from the SIMS while removing molecular isobars, thus improving very low abundance trace element and isotope analysis. This paper describes important features and capabilities of such an integrated system at the Naval Research Laboratory using charge state +1 ions. Transmission loss is compared to molecule destruction as gas flow to the molecule-destruction cell increases. As most measurements tolerate more modest abundance sensitivities than for 14C analysis, a lower gas flow is acceptable, so good transmission of 20–50% for ions of interest can be maintained for a broad range of ion masses. This new instrument has measured isotope ratios for uranium, lead, rare earths, and other elements from particulates and localized regions, with molecule destruction enabling the measurement at low SIMS mass resolving power and thus high transmission, as examples will show. This new and world-unique instrument provides improved capabilities for applications in nuclear and other forensics, geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and the development of optical, electronic, multifunctional, and structural materials.
Stromal Contributions to Tumor Progression in Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder

Urothelial carcinomas develop and progress in the context of the supporting cast of the underlying stroma. This stromal cast includes structural cells such as fibroblasts/myofibroblasts, the cells that generate the lymphovasculature, along with the cells of the immune system and the acellular but dynamic protein matrix between all of these elements. Until recently, the characterization of the propensity of urothelial carcinomas to exhibit aggressive behavior has focused primarily on the molecular alterations intrinsic to the tumor cells. Deeper investigations continue to reveal that tumor invasion involves key interactions with the underlying stroma in which there are key differences in the stroma of invasive versus non-invasive tumors. Immune cells responding to a tumor are part of the surrounding stroma, and tumors use several different mechanisms to avoid immune-mediated destruction. Furthermore, the nature of the immune response and types of cells involved can predict patient outcomes. Tumors, with their rapid growth and high turnover, require a ready blood supply and meet such needs by altering the stroma by inducing growth of blood vessels. Tumors also interact in complex ways with the acellular protein scaffolding of the stroma. Invasive urothelial carcinoma intimately interacts with the surrounding stroma in many ways, and ultimately may even require a stromal makeover for continued tumor growth and progression to invasive disease, thereby increasing the potential for metastatic disease.
Policy shifts and state agencies: Britain and Germany, 1918–1933

A major challenge in the.research on political power is to account for policy changes over time. The hallmark of the state in capitalist societies is its ability to veer back and forth among different forces: it sides with employers and keeps workers in line in some instances, promotes the causes of organized labor in other reversals, makes compromises to solve conflicts at other times, or, even more dramatically, subordinates private interests to the pursuit of national objectives in the name of the common good. Policies are, at best, inconsistent in formulation, volatile in implementation, and contradictory in outcomes. Public officials and societal actors benefit unevenly from these apparently chaotic fluctuations and about-faces. This complex seesawing behavior of the state raises an important question: Under what conditions do state policies simultaneously or alternately favor important groups such as capitalists, organized labor, and state managers?
Relationships among psychological functioning, dental anxiety, pain perception, and coping in children and adolescents

This study's purpose was to examine relationships among dental anxiety, psychological functioning, coping, and pain perception in child and adolescent dental patients and their parents. Participants were recruited from private dental offices and included 129 9- to 15-year-old patients and 84 parents. The children completed self-report measures of dental anxiety, dental coping, and pain perception, while parents completed self-report measures of dental anxiety, dental coping, and child's psychological functioning. The intraclass correlation coefficient method was used to examine each hypothesis. For child-ren, correlational analyses indicated positive relationships between dental anxiety and total psychological symptoms, and dental anxiety and pain perception. Both child and parent coping measures were examined using principal axis factor analysis. Clear 2-factor structures (ie, approach and avoidant-based coping factors) emerged. The children's approach-based coping was negatively related to both dental anxiety and pain perception; their use of avoidant-based coping was also negatively related to dental anxiety. Psychological functioning emerged as a mediating variable between dental anxiety and pain perception. The findings suggest that dental professionals and clinicians should consider dental anxiety and general psychological functioning to reduce pain perception in the office. Additionally, the child's coping type and approach should be considered in treatment planning.
Electrical Stimulation of the Human Retina

The visual prosthesis being developed will provide useful vision to people blind because of photoreceptor loss due to retinal degenerative diseases such as age related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). A retinal prosthesis will replace photoreceptor function with an electronic device. In a healthy retina the pho- toreceptors initiate a neural signal in response to light. Photoreceptors are almost com- pletely absent in the retina of end-stage RP patients and in the macular region of AMD patients. However, cells to which photoreceptors normally synapse, (i.e. bipolar cells) survive at high rates. In blind volunteers, we have shown that controlled electrical signals applied with a microelectrode positioned near the retina elicit the perception of a spot of light that correlates both spatially and temporally to the applied stimulus.1,2 When multiple electrodes are activated in a two dimensional electrode array, a number of small spots of light are perceived by the patient(s) which when viewed together form an image representative of the pattern of active electrodes. Thus similar to how an image is formed by a dot-matrix printer, when controlled pattern electrical stimulation of the remaining retinal neurons is coupled with an extraocular image acquisition and transmission system, it could allow blind patients to regain form vision.
Properties of the solubilized opiate receptor from human placenta

The opiate receptor from human placenta has been successfully solubilized using the detergent 3- [(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethyl-amonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) (7). The solubilized receptor binds etorphine saturably and stereospecifically with an approximate Kd of 14 nM. It behaves like a protein with an apparent stokes radius of 70 a which loses binding capacity by treatment with proteases or sulfydryl reagents. Partially purified receptor binds Levorphenol and Dextrorphan equally at a concentration of 10–6M.
Diseases That Changed History

Diseases have profoundly influenced the history of the world. Illness has decimated civilizations, influenced the outcomes of wars, and guided decisions that impact our lives today. This chapter will describe six of these epidemics: plague, smallpox, malaria, syphilis, influenza, and tuberculosis. As a bonus, the chapter will tell about yellow fever and America’s slave trade, Captain Cook and scurvy, hemophilia as the curse of the Romanovs, and more.
Postrenal transplant infection: What is the effect of specific immunosuppressant agents?

Abstract Background Immunosuppression is a known risk for post-transplant infections. Little data exist on the risk contributions of specific agents for various infections. Methods A triply robust propensity score–adjusted analysis was performed in a renal transplant cohort between February 2006 and January 2014. The study was performed to identify the incidence and the risk factors for developing a post-transplant infection. After initial bivariate analysis, a triply robust propensity score–adjusted multivariate logistic regression was performed. Results The mean age of the 717 renal transplant recipients was 50.0 ± 13.3 years, with the majority being male (61.6%) and 349 (48.7%) experiencing at least 1 post-transplant infection. Neither race, graft type, nor insurance status was associated with an increased incidence or risk of infection. In a fully adjusted regression model, the immunosuppressants mycophenolic acid mofetil (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.21–0.71; P Conclusion Alemtuzumab and mycophenolic acid mofetil as immunosuppressant agents in a multiagent protocol appear to decrease the incidence of infection. Cytomegalovirus antigenemia was the greatest risk for infection and mycophenolic acid mofetil possessed the greatest protective effect on viral infections.
Diagnostic Classification of Lung CT Images Using Deep 3D Multi-Scale Convolutional Neural Network

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis and the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Accurate and early diagnosis of cancerous lungs is of paramount importance to provide right treatment plan at the right time, avoiding unnecessary medical costs due to biopsy, surgery, and prolonged hospitalization. In this contribution, we designed and developed a deep 3D multi-scale convolutional neural network to classify cancerous versus non-cancerous lesions in lung CT images. The proposed deep learning model was trained, built, and evaluated using a large-scale dataset obtained from publicly available data at the Data Science Bowl 2017 plus privately held medical imaging data from Marshfield Clinic's electronic health records, and it can be employed on smaller datasets with the use of transfer learning strategy. The results reveal that the current computational method aims to provide a reliable data-driven computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system which reduces the false positive rate, and assists radiologists and physicians to get closer to more accurate and quicker diagnosis.
Electron-impact excitation and ionization of atomic calcium at intermediate energies

We present a comprehensive study of electron collisions with calcium atoms by using the convergent $B$-spline $R$-matrix method. Elastic, excitation, and ionization cross sections were obtained for all transitions between the lowest 39 physical states of calcium (except for $3{p}^{6}4s5g\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{3,1}G$) up to the $3{p}^{6}4s8s\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}^{1}S$ state, for incident electron energies ranging from threshold to 100 eV. A multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock method with nonorthogonal term-dependent orbitals was employed to generate accurate wave functions for the pseudo target states. Close-coupling expansions including the 39 physical states plus 444 pseudo target states of calcium were used to check the sensitivity of the results to coupling to the target continuum. The cross-section dataset obtained from the large-scale calculations is expected to be sufficiently accurate and comprehensive for most current modeling applications involving neutral calcium.
Thirty-Five Years Later: A Summary of Didache Scholarship Since 1983:

This article provides a summary of Didache scholarship over the past 35 years (1983–present). The review of literature focuses on the individual participants, including notable Didache scholars suc...
Conclusion: a look ahead

In an address, given only one year or so after the consolidation of Communist power throughout the Indochina area, Singapore’s able foreign minister S. Rajaratnam nevertheless felt encouraged to enumerate what he regarded as a series of Communist defeats in South-east Asia since World War II. He noted, for example, that since the war’s end the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), ‘the largest Communist party in Asia outside China’, twice had attempted to seize power, failing ‘disastrously’ however on both occasions. In Burma, Rajaratnam went on, two Communist Parties have been seeking the key to success for three decades but to no avail, ‘and they are still at it’. As for the Communist Party of Malaya, it too attempted to seize power. The first time was after the collapse of the Japanese Occupation authority during World War II and before the British could re-establish their governance in the Malay Peninsula. This attempt was unsuccessful. But according to Rajaratnam, Malayan Communists tried again during the struggle for independence, when Communists sought to join with non-Communists in the hope of achieving dominance as Malaya eventually acquired its independence. This also however ‘did not happen’. As for Singapore, there as well Communists tried to forge a united front tactic with non-Communists, in the same hope that they would ‘inherit’ an independent state, but ‘this time too they failed’, as Rajaratnam put it.1
Enterprise cybersecurity training and awareness programs: Recommendations for success

To help employees recognize and change their computing security behavior, organizations need to invest in cybersecurity training and awareness programs to encourage their employees’ active engageme...
On the Performance of Polarimetric Subtraction Technique for the Detection of Bunkers in the Presence of Surface Clutter

An in-depth analysis of the performance of an imaging-domain, polarimetric subtraction-based clutter-suppression technique is carried out as pertinent to the detection of bunkers located under a slightly rough ground surface. The technique exploits the distinctive scattering behaviors of the ground surface and the target of interest for discrimination in cases in which the target may not even be discernible in the conventional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. It is seen that the approach is effective at all practical elevation incidence angles, including in the regions close to normal incidence and beyond the Brewster angle. Consequently, provided that a training clutter scene is available for the derivation of the appropriate cancellation coefficient, the target-to-clutter ratio can be significantly improved.
Are systolic velocity duplex metrics negatively affected by flow aliasing in areas of critical internal carotid artery stenosis.

Purpose: Duplex scanning is a useful noninvasive screening tool for the detection of carotid bifurcation disease. Internal carotid artery (ICA) peak systolic velocity (PSV) and ICA/common carotid a...
Gas-phase photodissociation of MC2H+2 (M=Sc, Y, La). Determination of D0(M+−C2H2)

Abstract The metal ion—acetylene bond energies for scandium, yttrium and lanthanum are determined by combining Fourier transform mass spectrometry with laser photodissociation. Experimental bond energies are obtained directly by monitoring the photodissociation threshold for the process MC 2 H + 2 →M + +C 2 H 2 . The value assigned for all three metals, D 0 (M + −C 2 H 2 )=52±3 kcal/mol, is supported by ligand displacement ion-molecule reactions and is in excellent agreement with recent theoretical calculations for Sc and Y, but considerably lower than theory for La.
Pandemics and the development of scientific methods in the history of epidemiology

La pandemia Covid-19 me ha hecho ver la historia de la epidemiologia de manera diferente (1). Las pandemias son eventos tan impresionantes que pueden ejercer una presion urgente para identificar nuevos modos de investigacion y nuevas metodologias para reemplazar los metodos que han fracasado en el pasado. Algunos ejemplos parecen corroborar esta idea. La Plaga No hay duda de que uno de los acontecimientos mas importantes en la historia de la ciencia ocurrio en el siglo XVII, cuando se descubrio el pensamiento poblacional. Todas las ciencias humanas y sociales como la sociologia, la demografia, la biologia darwiniana, la economia politica, las estadisticas y la epidemiologia, tienen su origen en el descubrimiento que dicta que los acontecimientos en las poblaciones pueden ser predecibles y tener una probabilidad de ocurrencia. Entonces la ocurrencia de eventos en poblaciones se puede cuantificar, se puede comparar entre las poblaciones y puede ser la fuente de conocimiento cientifico. Esta verdadera revolucion en el pensamiento cientifico es una consecuencia de los cambios en la sociedad que ocurrieron debido a las pandemias de peste. Desde la gran pandemia del siglo XIV, los brotes de peste en Europa causaron gran confusion en las ciudades y amenazaron cada vez mas a las potencias existentes. Fue el caso de la sociedad monarquica de Inglaterra. En caso de un brote de peste en Londres, los nobles, los ricos y el ejercito abandonaban la ciudad, donde solo quedaban los pobres. La situacion se volvio caotica en Londres. Rapidamente quedo claro que habia cierta regularidad cronologica en los brotes. Comenzaron con un pequeno pero creciente numero de muertes en algunas parroquias antes de extenderse por toda la ciudad. En el siglo XVI la ciudad de Londres comenzo a recopilar datos sobre el numero y la ubicacion de las muertes por plagas. El sistema fue mejorado en el siglo XVII y se extendio a todas las causas de muerte, lo que permite, a finales de siglo, organizar salidas ordenadas desde Londres en caso de un brote de peste, evitando el caos. Estos datos fueron impresos y colocados en las murallas de la ciudad. Se llamaban las "Bills of mortality", carteles de la muerte. En este proceso, se establecio una serie temporal de datos de mortalidad en Londres a lo largo de decadas.
Individual differences in striatal and amygdala response to emotional faces are related to symptom severity in social anxiety disorder.

Abstract Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common heterogeneous disorder characterized by excessive fear and deficient positive experiences. Case-control emotion processing studies indicate that altered amygdala and striatum function may underlie SAD; however, links between these regions and symptomatology have yet to be established. Therefore, in the current study, 80 individuals diagnosed with SAD completed a validated emotion processing task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Anatomy-based regions of interest were amygdala, caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens. Neural activity in response to angry > happy faces and fearful > happy faces in these regions were submitted to multiple linear regression analysis with bootstrapping. Additionally, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore clinical features of SAD. Results showed greater putamen activity and less amygdala activity in response to angry > happy faces were related to greater social anxiety severity. In the model consisting of caudate and amygdala activity in response to angry > happy faces, results were marginally related to social anxiety severity and the pattern of activity was similar to the regression model comprising putamen and amygdala. Nucleus accumbens activity was not related to social anxiety severity. There was no correspondence between brain activity in response to fearful > happy faces and social anxiety severity. Clinical variables revealed greater levels of anhedonia and general anxiety were related to social anxiety severity, however, neural activity was not related to these features of SAD. Neuroimaging findings suggest that variance in dorsal striatal and amygdala activity in response to certain social signals of threat contrasted with an approach/rewarding social signal may contribute to individual differences in SAD. Clinical findings indicate variance in anhedonia and general anxiety symptoms may contribute to individual differences in social anxiety severity.
Lignin-based few-layered graphene-encapsulated iron nanoparticles for water remediation

Abstract The potential of iron nanoparticles as adsorbents for water remediation has not been fully exploited because of their intrinsically low stability. Herein, few-layered graphene-encapsulated iron nanoparticles (FLG@Fe0) supported on and within lignin-derived carbon were synthesized via an in-situ thermal conversion of ferric nitrate-loaded kraft lignin, i.e., ferric nitrate as a Fe source and lignin as a carbon source. The structure and morphology analyses indicated that these lignin-based FLG@Fe0 particles sized 5–15 nm in diameter were composed of nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) cores shelled with 1–3 graphene layers. The ‘few-layered’ graphene shell protects nZVI cores from fast passivation. The lignin-derived carbon support prevents the FLG@Fe0 sites from agglomeration. These two features can enhance the stability and applicability of FLG@Fe0 for water remediation. Consequently, these lignin-based FLG@Fe0 particles exhibited superior uptake capacities of 127.5, 107.2, 214.7, and 356.8 mg/g for Pb(II), As(III), phosphate, and nitrate, respectively. The removal mechanism analyses indicated that precipitation, redox reaction, and catalytic degradation were involved. This versatile lignin-derived carbon-supported FLG@Fe0 particles (LC-FLG@Fe0) could be a promising renewable adsorbent for offering green and economic alternatives to conventional nZVI adsorbents synthesized using hazardous and expensive NaBH4 process.
Canceled S Corporation Debt and Deemed NOLs

Generally when a taxpayer owes a debt but doesn’t end up paying it, the unpaid debt is taxable. There are, however, exceptions which, if applicable, will exclude all or a portion of the canceled debt from taxable income. If an exception applies, the taxpayer will usually have to offset the excluded income against future tax benefits; this offset is referred to as "reducing tax attributes".
Association of Primary Care Physician Compensation Incentives and Quality of Care in the United States, 2012-2016.

Physician compensation incentives may have positive or negative effects on clinical quality. To assess the association between various physician compensation incentives on technical indicators of primary care quality. Cross-sectional, nationally representative retrospective analysis. Visits by adults to primary care physicians in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2012-2016. We analyzed 49,580 sampled visits, representing 1.45 billion primary care visits. We assessed the association between 5 compensation incentives – quality measure performance, patient experience scores, individual productivity, practice financial performance, or practice efficiency – and 10 high-value and 7 low-value care measures as well as high-value and low-value care composites. Quality measure performance was an incentive in 22% of visits; patient experience scores, 17%; individual productivity, 57%; practice financial performance, 63%; and practice efficiency, 12%. In adjusted models, none of the compensation incentives were consistently associated with individual high- and low-value measures. None of the compensation incentives were associated with high- or low-value care composites. For example, quality measure performance compensation was not significantly associated with high-value care (visits with quality incentive, 47% of eligible measures met; without quality incentive, 43%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 1.15) or low-value care (aOR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.82-1.19). Physician compensation incentives that might be expected to increase low-value care did not: patient experience (aOR for low-value care composite, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.65-1.05), individual productivity (aOR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.88-1.22), and practice financial performance (aOR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.81-1.36). In this retrospective, cross-sectional, nationally representative analysis of care in the United States, physician compensation incentives were not generally associated with more or less high- or low-value care.
Role of Drug-Eluting Balloons in Dialysis Access Interventions

Balloon angioplasty is a well-established treatment option in the maintenance of dialysis accesses. Angioplasty is typically performed when there is a stenosis of 50% or greater on either fluoroscopic or sonographic studies. Successful treatment is represented by a residual stenosis of less than 30%. Several drug-coated balloons (DCBs), first used in arterial peripheral vascular disease, have recently been employed to improve the patency of dialysis accesses after angioplasty. The objective of including these balloons is to prolong the time between interventions.
Combination treatment of liposomal amphotericin B and isavuconazole is synergistic in treating experimental mucormycosis.

Author(s): Gebremariam, Teclegiorgis; Gu, Yiyou; Singh, Shakti; Kitt, Therese M; Ibrahim, Ashraf S | Abstract: ObjectivesLiposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB) and isavuconazonium sulphate are commonly used antifungal drugs to treat mucormycosis. However, the efficacy of combination therapy of L-AMB/isavuconazonium sulphate versus monotherapy is unknown. We used an immunosuppressed mouse model of pulmonary mucormycosis to compare the efficacy of L-AMB/isavuconazonium sulphate versus either drug alone.MethodsNeutropenic mice were intratracheally infected with either Rhizopus delemar or Mucor circinelloides. Treatment with L-AMB, isavuconazonium sulphate, or a combination of both started 8 h post-infection and continued through to Day +4. Placebo mice received vehicle control. Survival to Day +21 and tissue fungal burden (by conidial equivalent using quantitative PCR) on Day +4, served as primary and secondary endpoints, respectively.ResultsFor mice infected with R. delemar, L-AMB and isavuconazonium sulphate equally prolonged median survival time and enhanced survival versus placebo (an overall survival of 50% for either drug alone, versus 5% for placebo). Importantly, combination treatment resulted in an overall survival of 80%. Both antifungal drugs reduced tissue fungal burden of lungs and brain by ∼1.0-2.0 log versus placebo-treated mice. Treatment with combination therapy resulted in 2.0-3.5 log reduction in fungal burden of either organ versus placebo and 1.0 log reduction versus either drug alone. Similar treatment outcomes were obtained using mice infected with M. circinelloides.ConclusionsThe L-AMB/isavuconazonium sulphate combination demonstrated greater activity versus monotherapy in immunosuppressed mice infected with either of the two most common causes of mucormycosis. These studies warrant further investigation of L-AMB/isavuconazonium sulphate combination therapy as an optimal therapy of human mucormycosis.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have made their way into various areas in medicine and science. The focus of our chapter is primarily on the applications of AI and ML in cardiovascular disease prevention. We examine how AI and ML can be used as means of prevention in acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. We also evaluate how such novel advancements in technology can be used to calculate polygenic risk scores and potentially predict the risk of sudden cardiac death. We also discuss a novel dynamic approach to prevention based on objective lifestyle data. Despite the promise of AI and ML in medicine and cardiology, there are still several limitations that we discuss. In the near future, we believe that AI and ML-based applications in cardiovascular medicine will continue to mature and be able to support and augment our daily clinical practice, ultimately improving patient outcomes and satisfaction and reducing health care costs.
Rethinking high-stakes use of observational measures of preschool quality

Early childhood education has seen increased high-stakes use of observational measures of child care and preschool quality in recent years. Scoring above or below a particular cut-score on these measures now has substantial financial and reputational consequences for child-care centers and preschools. This policy brief summarizes a study of the effectiveness of these observational assessments that reveals problems that have important implications for the high-stakes use of the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised (ECERS-R). A companion journal article on this subject by the author and her collaborators can be found in AERA Open, a journal of the American Educational Research Association, published by Sage Journals. That article is titled "Examining the category functioning of the ECERS-R across eight data sets."
Opportunity Costs of Surgical Resection and Perioperative Chemotherapy for Locoregional Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSEGiven the perioperative morbidity and intensity of multimodality treatment, patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) spend a substantial amount of time in clinical care...
Geometry of Deformable Models

This chapter presents a technique for creating classes of hybrid deformable modelswhose underlying geometric structure allows the combination of parametric models (e.g., spheres, cylinders, superquadrics), parameterized global deformations (e.g., tapers, bends, shears, twists) and local spline free-form deformations (e.g., membranes, thin-plates). The local degrees of freedom will allow the representation of fine scale structure and the modeling of irregular real world objects, while the global deformations capture salient features of shape that are innate to natural parts in a computationally efficient way. The technique is applicable to any parametric model, parameterized global deformation and local deformation, as long as the resulting equations are differentiable with respect to the underlying parameters. We formulate 3D solids and illustrate the approach for the case of 3D surface models.
First results of a dedicated breast PET imager, BPET, using NaI(Tl) curve plate detectors

We present the first imaging results from phantom measurements of a dedicated, breast-only positron emission imager, BPET, using NaI(Tl) Curve Plate detectors. The scanner uses 19 mm thick NaI(Tl) detectors in a split-ring design which surrounds the breast as the woman lies prone and the breast hangs down from the body. Because the detectors are close to the breast and the scanner detects photons that do not pass through the body, system sensitivity and spatial resolution are both optimized. The split ring design provides for flexibility for needle aspirations of masses or alternate viewing orientations. We have measured energy resolution, spatial resolution, scatter fraction, and system sensitivity. We have compared the BPET scanner's performance to our clinical whole-body scanner using a breast phantom with hot spheres simulating lesions. The results show that for activity concentrations that correspond to clinical FDG doses, the dedicated scanner has better lesion detectability than the whole-body scanner for the 20 cm detector separation used.
Hydrodynamics of Border Irrigation — Complete Model

The equations of border irrigation are solved by the method of characteristics using a prescribed time increment. At each time step the flow conditions are computed at irregularly spaced nodes on a grid moving with time. Characteristic curves are drawn backwards from each node until they intersect the previous time line. The resulting system of four nonlinear algebraic equations is solved iteratively by the Newton-Raphson method leading to second-order accuracy with respect to the time step. The complete irrigation phenomenon is modeled, i.e., advance, depletion, recession and runoff or ponding, by using the pertinent characteristic equations for the associated boundary conditions. The second-order accuracy of the processes permits use of larger time steps and fewer computational nodes than in first-order models. The moving grid precisely encompasses the solution domain and permits concentration of nodes in highly nonlinear regions. The result is an efficient algorithm that permits programming and application to practical situations at reasonable cost.
Incidence and Risk Factors for Postcontrast Acute Kidney Injury in Survivors of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.

Study objective Survivors of sudden cardiac arrest may be exposed to iodinated contrast from invasive coronary angiography or contrast-enhanced computed tomography, although the effects on incident acute kidney injury are unknown. The study objective was to determine whether contrast administration within the first 24 hours was associated with acute kidney injury in survivors of sudden cardiac arrest. Methods This cohort study, derived from a prospective clinical trial, included patients with sudden cardiac arrest who survived for 48 hours, had no history of end-stage renal disease, and had at least 2 serum creatinine measurements during hospitalization. The contrast group included patients with exposure to iodinated contrast within 24 hours of sudden cardiac arrest. Incident acute kidney injury and first-time dialysis were compared between contrast and no contrast groups and then controlled for known acute kidney injury risk factors. Results Of the 199 survivors of sudden cardiac arrest, 94 received iodinated contrast. Mean baseline serum creatinine level was 1.3 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4 to 1.5 mg/dL) for the contrast group and 1.6 mg/dL (95% CI 1.4 to 1.7 mg/dL) for the no contrast group. Incident acute kidney injury was lower in the contrast group (12.8%) than the no contrast group (17.1%; difference 4.4%; 95% CI –9.2% to 17.5%). Contrast administration was not associated with significant increases in incident acute kidney injury within quartiles of baseline serum creatinine level or after controlling for age, sex, race, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and admission serum creatinine level by regression analysis. Older age was independently associated with acute kidney injury. Conclusion Despite elevated baseline serum creatinine level in most survivors of sudden cardiac arrest, iodinated contrast administration was not associated with incident acute kidney injury even when other acute kidney injury risk factors were controlled for. Thus, although acute kidney injury is not uncommon among survivors of sudden cardiac arrest, early (
Ecological Speciation: Lessons From Invasive Species

The process of ecological speciation has not been considered in great detail. We can gain a new perspective on this process by viewing new species as successful invaders, and by using invasive species as a model system for understanding the early stages of speciation. I propose that ecological species may be polyphyletic, and undergo genetic differentiation early in their histories. I also note that there are formidable genetic obstacles to ecological speciation. The rate of speciation is dependent on geographical and ecological variables, as are rates of invasions by exotic species. Ecological opportunity is the key for speciation and invasion; and it is most often found on young islands. In general there are no traits that presage which exotic species will be the best invaders of natural areas. Thus it would be difficult to predict which traits foster ecological speciation. Herbaceous plants are more invasive and have higher rates of diversification than woody plants.
Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals that Argonaute Reshapes the Binding Properties of Its Nucleic Acid Guides

Argonaute proteins repress gene expression and defend against foreign nucleic acids using short RNAs or DNAs to specify the correct target RNA or DNA sequence. We have developed single-molecule methods to analyze target binding and cleavage mediated by the Argonaute:guide complex, RISC. We find that both eukaryotic and prokaryotic Argonaute proteins reshape the fundamental properties of RNA:RNA, RNA:DNA, and DNA:DNA hybridization—a small RNA or DNA bound to Argonaute as a guide no longer follows the well-established rules by which oligonucleotides find, bind, and dissociate from complementary nucleic acid sequences. Argonautes distinguish substrates from targets with similar complementarity. Mouse AGO2, for example, binds tighter to miRNA targets than its RNAi cleavage product, even though the cleaved product contains more base pairs. By re-writing the rules for nucleic acid hybridization, Argonautes allow oligonucleotides to serve as specificity determinants with thermodynamic and kinetic properties more typical of RNA-binding proteins than of RNA or DNA.
Frequent use of emergency medical services by the elderly: a case-control study using paramedic records.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to identify the factors that lead to increased use of emergency medical services (EMS) by patients ≥65 years of age in an urban EMS system. Methods: Retrospective, case-control study of frequent EMS use among elderly patients transported during one year in an urban EMS system. Three distinct groups were examined for transports that took place in 1999: (1) 1–3 transports per year (low use); (2) 4–9 times per year (high use); and (3) those transported 10+ times (very high use). This frequency-use indicator variable is the primary outcome measurement. Predictors included age, gender, preexisting medical diseases, ethnicity, number of medications, number of medical problems, primary physician, psychiatric diagnosis, and homelessness. Analysis of predictors was done using ordinal logistic regression model, and a global test of interaction terms. Results: Male gender, black ethnicity, homelessness, and a variety of types of medical problems were associated with increased use of EMS resources. The strongest single predictor of case status remained homelessness, which was nearly eight times as commonly associated with frequent EMS use than for the controls. The number of medical problems and medications also were significantly associated with EMS use in this patient population. There was a lack of association of alcohol, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders with EMS use. Patients with asthma who did not have a primary care physician were more likely to use EMS services than were those who had a physician. Conclusions: This analysis highlights homelessness as being strongly associated with frequent EMS use among the elderly and downplays other associated factors, such as psychiatric disease and substance use. Medical illness severity, particularly asthma when no primary care physician is available, also appears to drive frequent EMS use. Both findings have implications in terms of targeting of public resources; providing housing to medically ill elderly and primary care to asthmatics in particular, may provide dividends not only in terms of social welfare and medical care, but in preventing frequent EMS use by the elderly.
Post-CABG coronary CT angiography: radiation dose and graft image quality in retrospective versus prospective ECG gating.

Rationale and Objectives The aim of this study was to compare effective radiation doses between prospective and retrospective electrocardiographic gating during coronary computed tomographic angiography for coronary artery bypass grafting evaluation. Materials and Methods Fifty consecutive coronary computed tomographic angiographic exams for coronary artery bypass grafting evaluation, 25 prospectively gated and 25 retrospectively gated, were reviewed from January 8, 2008, to June 16, 2009. Body mass index and image quality were also compared between the two groups. To minimize the potential bias introduced by differences in torso length, the effective radiation dose from each exam was measured and normalized to a 24-cm z -axis scan length for all patients. Pooled t tests were used to compare the prospectively and retrospectively gated groups. Results The average effective doses delivered in the retrospective and prospective groups were 40.8 mSv (standard error [SE], 1.8 mSv) and 8.6 mSv (SE, 0.7 mSv), respectively. When normalized to the average z -axis scan length of 24 cm, the effective dose in the retrospective group, 38.4 mSv (SE, 1.3 mSv), was still >4 times greater than that in the prospective group, 9.1 mSv (SE, 0.7 mSv) ( P Conclusions Effective radiation dose in coronary computed tomographic angiography for coronary artery bypass grafting evaluation is very high because of long scan lengths. Prospective electrocardiographic gating significantly reduces effective radiation dose by an average of 76% compared to retrospectively gated scans (9.1 vs 38.4 mSv). In the coronary artery bypass grafting population, prospective electrocardiographic gating should be used whenever ventricular functional assessment is not required.
Stability studies and high-performance liquid chromatographic procedures for L-648,548 and its major degradates in an animal health formulation

Abstract L-648,548 is a new avermectin which was evaluated for the development of an animal health formulation. A stability-indicating method for the assay of 5% (w/v) L-648,548 in an animal health formulation has been developed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection (245 nm). The procedure to determine L-648,548 is linear and accurate over the range 80–120% of the target concentration with a limit of quantitation of 0.2% Validation data are presented. Also, two related degradates of this compound were observed during the stability studies of the L-648,548 formulation. These degradates were determined to be the 2-epimer formed in the presence of base and the 8a-oxo degradate formed by oxidation. Identification of these compounds following direct chemical synthesis was based on mass, UV and NMR spectroscopy. The mechanistic pathways for the formation of these degradates are discussed. The 8a-oxo degradate has a modified chromophore, thus requiring a second HPLC method with detection at 280 nm that was also validated.
A Table for Making Rank Sum Multiple Paired Comparisons

Subsequent to a nonparametric analysis to determine the effects of treatment when several groups are studied at once many experimenters use the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney “U” test or Steel's technique to determine which groups differ from each other. Dunn has developed a procedure which is based on rank sum means and uses normal tables to determine approximate probability levels. To eliminate the need to rerank the data, to maintain the relationships among the ranks achieved when all subjects are ranked, as for the Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance, and to yield a more accurate picture, the “G” statistic is developed in this paper. This statistic, which is essentially a difference of rank sums, may be regarded as a k-sample extension of the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney two-sample statisticand as a specialization of the statistic discussed by Dunn. The exact distribution of “G” is given in a table for selected values of treatments (k) and replications (r): k = 3, r = 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7; k = 4, r = 4, 5 and 6; ...
Effect of wave breaking on sediment eddy diffusivity, suspended-sediment and longshore sediment flux profiles in the surf zone

Abstract Turbulence intensity estimates from a wave basin experiment of prototype scale provide description of an eddy viscosity profile above the bottom-boundary layer under unbroken and broken waves. Detailed suspended-sediment concentration data from the DUCK94 surf zone experiment show that the sediment eddy diffusion profile (Ks) in the nearbed is consistent with a linear nearbed profile whose slope depends on the friction velocity. A full water column Ks profile that reflects the wave-breaking state is formulated from the wave basin and DUCK94 data. A simple model shows that the vertical structure of the Ks profile above the nearbed region is an important factor in predicting suspended-sediment profiles in the surf zone, in contrast to locations outside the surf zone where bottom-boundary layer friction is the primary mechanism in controlling suspension and distribution of suspended sediment. Under broken wave conditions, the difference between the predictions of suspended-sediment load in the lower 50 cm using a Ks profile that reflects broken wave influences and one that does not, averages 28 percent in this study. The prediction of longshore sediment flux is even more strongly influenced by the water column Ks profile because even small quantities of sediment that are suspended into the upper water column are subjected to higher velocities than in the nearbed. In this study, the ratios of measured longshore flux to prediction average 0.67 when the wave breaking state is not taken into account in the Ks profile.