cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TGF-β1 up-regulates paxillin protein expression in malignant astrocytoma cells: requirement for a fibronectin substrate

Cytokines can influence the interactions between members of the integrin cell adhesion receptor family and the extracellular matrix thereby potentially affecting cell function and promoting cell adhesion, growth and migration of malignant astrocytoma tumor cells. As malignant astrocytoma cells synthesize TGF-beta1 in vivo, we analysed the effects of TGF-beta1 on signaling events associated with integrin receptor ligation, focusing on the effects on paxillin, a phosphorylated adaptor protein, that acts as a scaffold for signaling molecules recruited to focal adhesions. TGF-beta1-stimulation of primary astrocytes and serum-starved U-251MG malignant astrocytoma cells attached to fibronectin induced a substantial increase in the levels of paxillin protein (fivefold increase at 2.0 ng/ml) in a dose- and time-dependent manner compared to the levels observed on plating onto fibronectin in the absence of stimulation. In the astrocytoma cells, this resulted in an increase in the pool of tyrosine-phosphorylated paxillin, although it did not appear to alter the extent of phosphorylation of the paxillin molecules. In contrast, in primary astrocytes the protein levels were upregulated in the absence of a parallel increase in phosphorylation. The TGF-beta1-stimulated increase in paxillin levels required ligation of the fibronectin receptor, as it was not induced when the cells were plated onto vitronectin, collagen or laminin. The increase in the pool of paxillin on TGF-beta1 stimulation of the fibronectin-plated astrocytoma cells was associated with an increase in translation, but was not associated with an increase in the steady-state levels of paxillin mRNA. Stimulation with TGF-beta1 on a fibronectin substrate increased subsequent attachment and spreading of U-251MG cells onto fibronectin and, to a lesser extent, vitronectin, but not collagen. Our results indicate that physiologic levels of TGF-beta1 stimulate the expression of paxillin protein at the level of translation through a process that requires engagement of the fibronectin receptor, and promotes attachment and spreading of malignant astrocytoma cells on fibronectin.
On the Occurrence of Biflagellate Swarm Cells in Certain Myxomycetes

While the swarm cells of Myxomycetes have almost invariably been described as uniflagellate, occasionally swarmers with two flagella have been reported, associated with normal swarm cells. These biflagellate forms are of two types, the first being characterized by having two flagella at the anterior end and the second by having one flagellum at each end. Swarm cells of the first type, as far as the writer has been able to ascertain, have been recorded only by DeBary * who observed them in a culture of the spores of Trichia varia. Swarm cells of the second type however, are of more frequent occurrence, Constantineau2 having found them in cultures of the spores of Dictydium cancellatum, Durand,3 of Enteridium Rozeanum, and DeBary,1 of Fuligo septica and Trichia varia, in which, as above indicated, they were associated with swarm cells of the first type. While studying spore-germination4 in many representative genera and species of Myxomycetes, the writer also has observed biflagellate swarm cells. Both types occurred in his cultures, which were made by sowing the myxomycetous spores in distilled water in Syracuse glasses. Swarm cells of the first type, that is with two flagella at the
Receach on Status of Sewage Treatment and Reuse in Yuncheng

Sewage treatment plants within Yuncheng region are briefly introduced.On the basis of quality analysis of 14 sewage treatment plants when the final acceptance,it showed that most of the sewage treatment plant works well,but the process needs further improvement to ensure full compliance.Finally,the author give some recommendations on water reuse.
A physiological study of erythroblasts in the duck.

1. A method for the separation of erythroblasts in quantity from normal red cells in the blood of ducks infected with malaria has been described. 2. The erythroblasts in comparison to the normal adult red cells of the duck have a larger cell volume, less hemoglobin, and show a greater discrepancy between the colorimetric hemoglobin and hemoglobin calculated from the oxygen capacity. 3. The erythroblasts in the duck use four to five times the amount of oxygen that is consumed by the adult red cells in the ducks. 4. The function and possible fates of the erythroblasts which occur in the duck during the anemia caused by malaria are discussed.
Multi-tasking and Collaborative Activities in Dialogue Systems

We explain dialogue management techniques for collaborative activities with humans, involving multiple concurrent tasks. Conversational context for multiple concurrent activities is represented using a "Dialogue Move Tree" and an "Activity Tree" which support multiple interleaved threads of dialogue about different activities and their execution status. We also describe the incremental message selection, aggregation, and generation method employed in the system.
Abstract P205: Comorbities Predict Future Hospitalization Risk in Incident Myocardial Infarction Survivors

Background: Patients are surviving longer after myocardial infarction (MI), but little is known about the occurrence and predictors of subsequent hospitalizations. Methods: We identified all Olmsted Count residents with incident MI from 1987-2008 and evaluated Olmsted County hospitalizations through 2009. ICD-9 codes were used to determine the primary reason for hospitalization. To account for repeated events, Andersen-Gill models were used to examine the predictors of hospitalization post-MI. Patients were censored at death or last follow-up. Results: A total of 2617 patients (mean 67 years, 41% female, 32% with ST-elevation MI) were diagnosed with incident MI from 1987-2007 and survived MI hospitalization. Over a mean follow-up of 7.1 years, 10116 hospitalizations occurred equating to a median of 3 (range 0 to 43) per person. Only 37.5% (n=3793) of hospitalizations were due to cardiovascular causes, and of these, most were due to ischemic heart disease (n= 1865, 49.2%) and heart failure (n= 733, 19.3%). The proportion of non-cardiovascular hospitalizations increased over time and was higher in women than men, but did not differ by ST-segment status. Several factors were associated with the risk of hospitalization after adjusting for year of diagnosis and sex (Figure). Biomarker levels were not predictors of hospitalization risk. Conclusions: Two-thirds of hospitalizations among incident MI survivors in the community are for non-cardiovascular reasons, and this proportion has increased. Comorbidities are important predictors of recurrent hospitalizations. Therapies focused solely on MI management may be insufficient to prevent the majority of future admissions. ![Graphic][1] [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Content-assisted file decoding for nonvolatile memories

Nonvolatile memories (NVMs) such as flash memories play a significant role in meeting the data storage requirements of today's computation activities. The rapid increase of storage density for NVMs however brings reliability issues due to closer alignment of adjacent cells on chip, and more levels that are programmed into a cell. We propose a new method for error correction, which uses the random access capability of NVMs and the redundancy that inherently exists in information content. Although it is theoretically possible to remove the redundancy via data compression, existing source coding algorithms do not remove all of it for efficient computation. We propose a method that can be combined with existing storage solutions for text files, namely content-assisted decoding. Using the statistical properties of words and phrases in the text of a given language, our decoder identifies the location of each subcodeword representing some word in a given input noisy codeword, and flips the bits to compute a most likely word sequence. The decoder can be adapted to work together with traditional ECC decoders to keep the number of errors within the correction capability of traditional decoders. The combined decoding framework is evaluated with a set of benchmark files.
EXISTENCE OF BEST N-CONVEX APPROXIMANTS IN L1

We consider here best approximation by n-convex functions. We first show that if f∈L1[0,1], then there is, a best L1-approximant to f by functions which are n-convex on (0,1). We then show that if f∈L∞[0,1], then any best Lp-approximant, fp, to f by n-convex, functions is bounded and hence, f has the Polya-one property, i.e., fp converges a.e. as p decreases to one.
Partial polygon pruning of hydrographic features in automated generalization

This article demonstrates a working method to automatically detect and prune portions of waterbody polygons to support creation of a multi-scale hydrographic database. Water features are sensitive to scale change, therefore multiple representations are required to maintain visual and geographic logic at smaller scales. Partial pruning of polygonal features – such as long, sinuous reservoir arms, stream channels too narrow at the target scale, and islands that begin to coalesce – entails concurrent management of the length and width of polygonal features as well as integrating pruned polygons with other generalized point and linear hydrographic features to maintain stream network connectivity. The implementation follows data representation standards developed by the US Geological Survey (USGS) for the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD). Portions of polygonal rivers, streams, and canals are automatically characterized for width, length, and connectivity. This article describes an algorithm for automatic detection and subsequent processing, and shows results for a sample of NHD subbasins in different landscape conditions in the US.
“Facebook for Academics”: The Convergence of Self-Branding and Social Media Logic on Academia.edu

Given widespread labor market precarity, contemporary workers—especially those in the media and creative industries—are increasingly called upon to brand themselves. Academics, we contend, are expe...
Integrating Wildlife Conservation into Land-Use Plans for Rapidly Growing Cities

By definition, exurban development does not occur in isolation from other environments. Indeed, in many if not most situations, “exurban” is a categorization for a range of development types that occur somewhere between wild or rural lands and cities. Urban environments and the habitats found in cities and suburbs play important roles in the ecological health and biodiversity of adjacent and nearby exurban lands. In this chapter, we review the importance of wildlife and wildlife habitats in metropolitan areas and the influence of these urban habitats on adjacent exurban lands. We also describe how planning and science can work together to develop large-scale land-use plans that advance wildlife conservation goals. The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP), developed for Pima County, Arizona, serves as a case study for this type of conservation planning.
Time Stretch Quantitative Phase Imaging

Label-free cell analysis is essential to personalized genomics, cancer diagnostics, and drug development as it avoids adverse effects of staining reagents on cellular viability and cell signaling. However, currently available label-free cell assays mostly rely only on a single feature and lack sufficient differentiation. Also, the sample size analyzed by these assays is limited due to their low throughput. Here, we integrate feature extraction and deep learning with high-throughput quantitative imaging enabled by photonic time stretch, achieving record high accuracy in label-free cell classification. Our system captures quantitative optical phase and intensity images and extracts multiple biophysical features of individual cells. These biophysical measurements form a hyperdimensional feature space in which supervised learning is performed for cell classification.
Investigation of direct current power delivery from nonlinear vibration energy harvesters under combined harmonic and stochastic excitations

Leveraging smooth nonlinearities in vibration energy harvesters has been shown to improve the potential for kinetic energy capture from the environment as a transduced, alternating flow of electric...
Exercise for Patients with Established Osteoporosis

Musculoskeletal changes that are related to osteoporosis/osteopenia can be prevented or mitigated through implementation of proper osteoporosis rehabilitation programs. Osteoporosis can affect patients physically and psychologically. We need to treat the patient, not just the low bone and muscle mass. Being positive in our presentation is crucial for patients' compliance with the program. The physical activity (PA) and exercise interventions recommended here are evidence based and are the result of controlled trials and studies. In addition, the author has included a few caveats that are intended to emphasize avoidance of overstraining the spine beyond its biomechanical competence when interested in osteogenicity of exercise and PA. Effective back-strengthening exercises need to be devised according to the patient’s biomechanical competence.
Proctored in Person or via Webcam: Is There a Difference?

This study uses data from a Principles of Microeconomics course taught in online format. For the cumulative multiple-choice final exam, students were asked to select one of two proctoring formats: a traditional proctor in an in-person classroom, or proctored at home via a webcam proctoring service. Learning outcomes are predicted from a model with independent variables of student characteristics common to the literature. The authors expect the prediction model to have the same explanatory power for both proctored exam formats. If there is a significant difference in explanatory power of the two models, this can be attributed to unobserved factors such as cheating or anxiety related to the proctoring format. This study is a follow-up to an earlier study on the comparison of the proctoring formats of the traditional an in-person classroom proctor and an unproctored online exam.
What do I eat? Impact of an interactive teaching method for improving pharmacy students' diabetes nutrition knowledge and comfort in providing nutrition counseling.

Abstract Background and purpose Didactic approaches for instructing students about diabetes nutrition and self-management have been described previously in the pharmacy education literature. There is a need for diabetes nutrition active learning approaches that can be incorporated into the advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) setting so students can apply previous didactic learning in a real world setting. The goal was to add to students’ knowledge of diabetes nutrition thereby increasing their comfort in discussing nutrition with patients. Educational activity and setting The nutrition tour activity was implemented in the APPE setting and involved pharmacy students on ambulatory and inpatient rotations. The nutrition tour included several active learning exercises such as evaluation of nutrition labels and development of a day-long carbohydrate-consistent meal plan to encourage student engagement and application of information. Student pre- and post-activity survey data was collected two weeks before and two weeks after the tour to assess retention of knowledge of diabetes nutrition and comfort in diabetes nutrition education. Changes in knowledge and comfort were assessed using t-tests. Findings Fifty-five pharmacy students participated in the nutrition tour with 45 completing the pre-activity survey and 40 completing the post-activity survey. Comparison of student pre- and post-activity survey scores identified statistically significant increases in both total nutrition knowledge (p Discussion and summary A diabetes nutrition tour guided by a pharmacy preceptor for APPE students was associated with increased diabetes nutrition knowledge and comfort in educating on diabetes nutrition.
The Limb–Girdle Muscular Dystrophies: Is Treatment on the Horizon?

There has been an ever-expanding list of the Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophies (LGMD). There are currently 8 subtypes of autosomal dominant (AD) and 26 subtypes of autosomal recessive (AR) LGMD. Despite continued research efforts to conquer this group of genetic neuromuscular disease, patients continue to be treated symptomatically with the aim of prevention or addressing complications. Mouse models have been helpful in clarifying disease pathogenesis as well as strategizing pathways for treatment. Discoveries in translational research as well as molecular therapeutic approaches have kept clinicians optimistic that more promising clinical trials will lead the way to finding the cure for these devastating disorders. It is well known that the challenge for these rare diseases is the ability to assemble adequate numbers of patients for a clinically meaningful trial, but current efforts in developing patient registries have been encouraging. Natural history studies will be essential in establishing and interpreting the appropriate outcome measures for clinical trials. Nevertheless, animal studies continue to be key in providing proof of concept that will be necessary in moving research along. This review will briefly discuss each type of LGMD, highlighting their distinguishing features, then focus on research efforts that have been published in the literature for the past few years, many of which are still in the preclinical trial stage.
Online Brand Ambassadors and Online Brand Assassins: Master the New Role of the Chief Perception Officer

Resonance marketing (see Chapter 4) is critically dependent upon user-generated content to enable consumers to locate and evaluate unfamiliar products. This allows companies to offer niche-focused sweet spot offerings that delight their target market consumers. These markets are too small to justify the expense of traditional advertising or traditional promotions, and yet the higher prices of these resonance products discourage casual trial. Adoption is largely by consumers who know what to expect. Managing community content is vitally important to the launch of resonance products. Delighted customers serve as Online Brand Ambassadors, posting reviews that create additional demand. Strongly dissatisfied customers become Online Brand Assassins, writing reviews that deter future customers from trying the product and can destroy the perception of a product’s quality. The newly emerging role of the Chief Perception Officer (CPO) is to coordinate all aspects of a product’s quality and manage customers’ perception of the brand. While the CPO cannot control what the customer writes, the CPO can strongly influence what the customer wants to write. When the CPO reduces the operational breakdowns that cause dissatisfaction and designs procedures to fix problems immediately when they occur, the CPO ensures that few customers want to write negative reviews.
The causative effects of corticosterone on innate immunity during the stress response in the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.

Abstract Stress-induced inhibition of innate immune activity has been observed in a variety of wild birds and may increase chances of infection because this activity constitutes the first line of defense against pathogens. We previously reported that the transient elevation of plasma corticosterone (CORT; the primary avian glucocorticoid) that occurs during stress is necessary for stress-induced suppression of natural antibody-mediated, complement-mediated, and bactericidal activity. Here, we further investigated the regulatory role of CORT during this suppression. To this end, we treated House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) with mitotane to block endogenous CORT production, administered CORT at one of three doses (HI: 1.34 mg/kg; LO: 1.00 mg/kg; CON: vehicle), and assessed natural antibody-mediated, complement-mediated, and bactericidal activity during acute stress induced by handling and restraint. Mitotane administration eliminated the endogenous plasma CORT increase that normally takes place during stress, and corticosterone treatment increased plasma CORT to levels similar to those measured in intact birds during acute stress. As predicted, mitotane-treated birds receiving CON injections did not exhibit stress-induced suppression of complement-mediated and bactericidal activity, and CORT administration at both LO and HI doses restored this suppression. Contrary to expectations, mitotane-treated birds receiving CON injections demonstrated stress-induced suppression of natural antibody-mediated activity. Furthermore, CORT administration did not influence this parameter. These results suggest that stress inhibits innate immune activity through both CORT-dependent and CORT-independent mechanisms, but the contribution of these mechanisms can vary. This variation may result from effects of environmental factors, the identity and role of which warrant further research.
The sequence of non k-th powers of a finite group G

AbstractWe examine the connection between the sequence of not k-th powers of a finite group G and structural information about G. It is known that a single nonzero entry in the sequence bounds the ...
Structured-illumination reflectance imaging for the detection of defects in fruit: Analysis of resolution, contrast and depth-resolving features

Structured-illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI), compared to conventional uniform illumination based modalities, provides a new means for defect detection of fruit. The capability of SIRI for defect detection, however, mainly depends on its image resolution and contrast and depth-resolving features. This study was therefore aimed at providing theoretical and experimental analyses of these features for SIRI, so as to evaluate its potential for detecting surface and subsurface defects of fruit and other food products. The image formation in SIRI was first modelled in terms of the optical transfer functions, which led to a general image demodulation methodology and also provided insights into the features of direct component (DC) and amplitude component (AC) images that were demodulated from the original SIRI pattern images. A set of experiments were performed on standard optical targets and apple samples by using illumination patterns over a wide range of spatial frequencies of 0.01–1.0 cycles mm−1 to examine the features of SIRI. The imaging process acted as a low-pass filter, which, coupled with the sample absorption and scattering, accounted for the resolution and contrast loss of resulting images. As the hallmark of SIRI, AC images possessed enhanced resolution and contrast, which could be explained by the synergistic effect of frequency shifting in the Fourier domain and suppressed light scattering in the sample, and also a depth-resolved ability by varying the spatial frequency of illumination patterns. However, the depth of tissue interrogation by the AC images decreased as the spatial frequency of illumination patterns increased. The effectiveness of AC in defect detection of apples depended on such factors as defect type, fruit surface morphology (thus variety) and spatial frequency of illumination. Without resorting to an inverse computational approach, SIRI should be positioned as a subsurface-surface modality for detecting defects that are on or close to the surface of fruits, especially thin-skinned fruits like apple. Further research is therefore needed to explore the full potential of SIRI in defect detection of fruits and other food products.
THE EFFECTS OF ANTERIOR MITRAL LEAFLET RESECTION ON LEFT VENTRICULAR FLOW WITH TRANSCATHETER MITRAL VALVES: AN IN VITRO STUDY

Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction is a potential risk from transcatheter valve replacement in the mitral valve (MV) due to the anterior mitral leaflet (AML) being permanently displaced. One way to proactively relieve this is through prior surgical or current percutaneous AML
Activators of Plasminogen

Fluidity of the blood without hemorrhage is maintained by the physiological equilibrium between the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems, each of which is comprised of intrinsic and extrinsic components. Activators of fibrinogen are compounds whose teleological function is the dissolution of fibrin clots which could potentially upset this hemostatic balance if left undisturbed.
Why Do We React Differently When Observing Workplace Ostracism and Incivility? A Test of Mechanisms

Workplace ostracism and workplace incivility have generally developed into separate literatures, despite both being low-intensity negative behaviors at work with ambiguous intent to harm and sharin...
Cumulative intake of artificially sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of incident type 2 diabetes in young adults: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

Author(s): Hirahatake, Kristin M; Jacobs, David R; Shikany, James M; Jiang, Luohua; Wong, Nathan D; Steffen, Lyn M; Odegaard, Andrew O | Abstract: BackgroundEpidemiological evidence has demonstrated a positive association between artificially sweetened beverage (ASB) and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. However, research informing this topic in young adults is limited.ObjectiveThis study examined the association between ASB, SSB, and total sweetened beverage (TSB; combined ASB and SSB) consumption and T2D risk in young adults.MethodsA prospective analysis of 4719 Black and White men and women aged 18-30 y at baseline was conducted from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Each participant's beverage intake was assessed using the CARDIA Diet History at baseline and at study Years 7 and 20. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine cumulative average ASB, SSB, and TSB intakes and risk of T2D.ResultsDuring the 30-y follow-up period, 680 participants developed T2D. ASB consumption was associated with a 12% greater risk of T2D per serving/day (HR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04-1.20) in a model adjusted for lifestyle factors, diet quality, and dieting behavior. Further adjustments for baseline BMI (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.99-1.14) and weight change during follow-up (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.97-1.12) attenuated the association. SSB and TSB consumption as continuous variables per 1 serving/day of intake were associated with 6% and 5% increased risks of T2D, respectively (HRSSB 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10; HRTSB 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09), in the model accounting for lifestyle factors, dieting behavior, baseline BMI, and weight change. Results were consistent when the exposures were modeled in categories of consumption and quintiles.ConclusionsIn young adults, long-term ASB, SSB, and TSB consumption were associated with increased risks of T2D. However, the estimates for ASB were attenuated when accounting for weight changes.
Alternate RNA Structures

RNA molecules fold into complex three-dimensional structures that sample alternate conformations ranging from minor differences in tertiary structure dynamics to major differences in secondary structure. This allows them to form entirely different substructures with each population potentially giving rise to a distinct biological outcome. The substructures can be partitioned along an existing energy landscape given a particular static cellular cue or can be shifted in response to dynamic cues such as ligand binding. We review a few key examples of RNA molecules that sample alternate conformations and how these are capitalized on for control of critical regulatory functions.
Approaches to Assessing Vertical Mergers: A Review and Evaluation

A need to update the vertical mergers guidelines has been a widespread view within the academic community. Salop and Culley (2014) have suggested a comprehensive list of reforms. In Europe, similar concerns have been voiced about the spate of vertical mergers that involve major online platforms mainly Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon (GAFA) (The Economist, March 23, 2019 at 11). This paper examines two companies outside the postal sector to understand the influence of Big Data on markets, looking at Amazon, which has acquired numerous vertically related companies, and the newly merged AT&T/Time Warner. A key theme of this paper is that traditional vertical merger theories have not focused clearly on Big Data’s effects on market behavior and performance. To fill the gap, a new “matrix” approach is introduced to examine the potential market imperfections caused by uneven availability of data. All this can be helpful for understanding the challenges that may confront postal companies attempting to expand into information rich markets.
The Expression of Hoxa5 gene in fetal lungs in rat model of Nitrofen-induced congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Objective To investigate the feature of Hoxa5 gene expression in different development stages of fetal lungs of rats and the role of Hoxa5 in the development of pulmonary hypoplasia with congenital diaphragmatic hernia(CDH).Methods Expression of Hoxa5 mRNA in different development stages(E17.5,E19.5,E21.5)of fetal lungs in rat models of nitrofen-indueed CDH and normal rats was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. Results The expression level of Hoxa5 mRNA kept decreasing during the development of normal lungs at E17.5,E19.5 and E21.5.The Hoxa5 mRNA levels at E21.5 was significantly lower than that of other two gestational ages(P＜0.05).The expression curve of Hoxa5 in the fetal lungs of CDH rats at different development stages was similar to that of normal fetal lungs.There was no significant difference at E17.5 and E19.5 between the CDH group and the control group.The relative quantities of Hoxa5 mRNA in the CDH group was significantly higher than that of the control at E2 1.5(P＜0.05).Conclusions The expression level of Hoxa5 mRNA in normal fetal lungs decreases gradually to a nadir at E21.5,which suggests that lower Hoxa5 mRNA expression at the last stage of gestation may be one of the molecular basis in the morphogenesis of normal lungs.The higher level of Hoxa5 mRNA at E21.5 in CDH group than that in control group suggests that pulmonary hypoplasia in CDH may be caused by increased expression level of Hoxa5 at the last stage of gestation(E21.5). Key words: Hemia; diaphragmatic; Bronchopulmonary; dysplasia; Rats
A Phase I/II Study of Veliparib (ABT-888) in combination with 5-Fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Purpose: Up to 17% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) harbor pathogenic (germline or somatic) mutations in a homologous recombination, DNA damage response and repair (HR-DDR) gene, such as BRCA1/2, or PALB2. Platinum-based chemotherapy, or treatment with PARP inhibitors are of particular benefit in these patients. However, there may be even greater benefit when platinums and PARP inhibitors are combined. Patients and Methods: We performed a single-arm, open-label, phase I/II study of the PARP inhibitor, veliparib, with 5-fluorouracil (no 5FU bolus) and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) for patients with metastatic PDAC. Thirty-one patients were enrolled in a phase I dose escalation of veliparib (40 mg to 250 mg twice a day, days 1–7 of each 14-day cycle), to identify the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of veliparib for the combination. Another 33 patients were enrolled in two parallel phase II trials to assess the objective response rate (ORR) in untreated or in previously treated patients. If available, germline or somatic testing was collected to identify pathogenic HR-DDR mutations. Results: The combination of veliparib and FOLFOX was tolerable at a RP2D of veliparib of 200 mg twice a day. The primary endpoint for both phase II cohorts was met, and the ORR overall was 26%. There was greater activity in platinum-naive patients, and those who harbored a pathogenic HR-DDR mutation. Specifically, the ORR of HR-DDR mutated, platinum-naive patients was 57%. Conclusions: The combination of veliparib and FOLFOX was safe for patients with metastatic PDAC and showed promising activity particularly in patients with platinum-naive disease that harbors a pathogenic HR-DDR mutation.
Prioritizing Health Care and Employment Resources During COVID-19: Roles of Benevolent and Hostile Ageism

Background and objectives Benevolent and hostile ageism are subtypes of ageism that characterize older adults as incompetent. With benevolent ageism, older adults are also viewed as warm. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has strained resources and prompted debates about priority for older adults versus other groups. Research design and methods College students completed an online survey of how much priority should be given to older adults in 3 relevant health care-related scenarios and 3 relevant employment scenarios. Results Benevolent ageism significantly predicted higher priority for older adults to receive health care (triage, COVID-19 vaccine, and COVID-19 testing) and employment resources (retention of job and working from home) while greater endorsement of hostile ageism significantly predicted lower priority ratings. Discussion and implications These findings replicate and extend past work. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on health care and employment resources, this study sheds light on one factor-benevolent and hostile ageism-that contributes to a greater understanding of prioritization views toward a vulnerable segment of the population.
Indications for Stable Fixation

The vast majority of hand fractures can and should be managed by simple protection, closed reduction and protection, or closed reduction and internal fixation with percutaneous Kirschner wires. Nevertheless, some fractures will require open reduction because of unstable configuration, unsatisfactory reduction, or both. Traditionally, Kirschner wires have been the most common form of internal fixation when open reduction is performed in the hand. Methods using Kirschner wires remain the benchmark by which all other techniques of fracture fixation should be measured.
DeepPM: Efficient Power Management in Edge Data Centers using Energy Storage

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT), computational workloads are gradually moving toward the internet edge for low latency. Due to significant workload fluctuations, edge data centers built in distributed locations suffer from resource underutilization and requires capacity underprovisioning to avoid wasting capital investment. The workload fluctuations, however, also make edge data centers more suitable for battery-assisted power management to counter the performance impact due to underprovisioning. In particular, the workload fluctuations allow the battery to be frequently recharged and made available for temporary capacity boosts. But, using batteries can overload the data center cooling system which is designed with a matching capacity of the power system. In this paper, we design a novel power management solution, DeepPM, that exploits the UPS battery and cold air inside the edge data center as energy storage to boost the performance. DeepPM uses deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to learn the data center thermal behavior online in a model-free manner and uses it on-the-fly to determine power allocation for optimum latency performance without overheating the data center. Our evaluation shows that DeepPM can improve latency performance by more than 50% compared to a power capping baseline while the server inlet temperature remains within safe operating limits (e.g., 32°C).
Solubility product constant directs the formation of biomolecular condensates

Biomolecular condensates, formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), are important cellular structures. Using stochastic network-free kinetic models, we establish a physical-chemical basis for the concentration threshold of heterotypic multivalent molecules required for LLPS. We associate phase separation with a bimodal partitioning of the cluster distribution into small oligomers vs. huge polymers. The simulations reveal that LLPS obeys the solubility product constant (Ksp): the product of monomer concentrations, accounting for ideal stoichiometries, does not exceed a threshold no matter how much additional monomer is added to the system, additional monomer is funneled into large clusters. The Ksp applies over a range of valencies and stoichiometries. However, consistent with the importance of disordered domains for LLPS, removing flexible linker domains funnels valency-matched monomers into a 9dimer trap9, and Ksp no longer defines a threshold for large cluster formation. We propose Ksp as a new tool for elucidating biomolecular condensate biophysics.
The theory of agency

In conclusion, we have developed a model of policing in the context of agency relations and managerial discretion. The model had three stages: 1) diversion of resources to policing or other uses; 2) implementation of policing mechanism; and 3) agent's reaction to policing. We then applied the model to the case of regulatory behavior. We argued in part that public interest groups are constrained (and perhaps in some cases may elect) to police the manifestations of agent fidelity in the regulatory agencies rather than adherence to public interest criteria. This has possibly paradoxical consequences in that return to public interest criteria may thereby be reduced.
Granular hydrogels for endogenous tissue repair

Abstract Granular hydrogels, formed by the packing of hydrogel microparticles (microgels), are emerging to support the endogenous repair of injured tissues by guiding local cell behavior. In contrast to traditional pre-formed scaffolds and bulk hydrogels, granular hydrogels offer exciting features such as injectability, inherent porosity, and the potential delivery of biologics. Further, granular hydrogel design allows for the tuning of constituent microgel properties and the mixing of discrete microgel populations. This modularity allows the creation of multifunctional granular hydrogels that promote cell recruitment, guide extracellular matrix deposition, and stimulate tissue growth to drive endogenous repair.
Directional Modulation of Exciton Emission Using Single Dielectric Nanospheres.

Coupling emitters with nanoresonators is an effective strategy to control light emission at the subwavelength scale with high efficiency. Low-loss dielectric nanoantennas hold particular promise for this purpose, owing to their strong Mie resonances. Herein, a highly miniaturized platform is explored for the control of emission based on individual subwavelength Si nanospheres (SiNSs) to modulate the directional excitation and exciton emission of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs). A modified Mie theory for dipole-sphere hybrid systems is derived to instruct the optimal design for desirable modulation performance. Controllable forward-to-backward intensity ratios are experimentally validated in 532 nm laser excitation and 635 nm exciton emission from a monolayer WS2 . Versatile light emission control is achieved for different emitters and excitation wavelengths, benefiting from the facile size control and isotropic shape of SiNSs. Simultaneous modulation of excitation and emission via a single SiNS at visible wavelengths significantly improves the efficiency and directionality of TMD exciton emission and leads to the potential of multifunctional integrated photonics. Overall, the work opens promising opportunities for nanophotonics and polaritonic systems, enabling efficient manipulation, enhancement, and reconfigurability of light-matter interactions.
Dietary Cholesterol is Associated with Increased Pain Sensitivity in Individuals with Chronic Low Back Pain

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is one of the leading causes of pain and disability in adults in the United States. Given that approximately 90% of cLBP cases are of unknown pathogenic cause, it is imperative that other avenues to its onset be explored. Recently, it has been reported that diet quality can influence pain state via diet-induced inflammation and oxidative stress.The objective of this study was to assess the preliminary relationships between various nutrients and outcomes assessed in Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) in individuals with cLBP. Eighty individuals with cLBP were recruited as a part of an on-going study. A diet recall was delivered to assess food intake 24 hours prior to pain testing and used to calculate a nutrient profile for each individual. Self-reported QST pain measures were obtained. Correlation analyses were used to examine the relationships between these variables. Significant positive correlations were found with multiple nutrients, but interestingly, dietary cholesterol in multiple QST modalities. Dietary cholesterol was significantly correlated with pain scores in cLBP participants during the cold pressor task (r=0.245, p=0.025), and pin prick temporal summation delta change scores at 256 nm size (r=0.235, p=0.030), and 512 nm size (r=0.272, p=0.012). Dietary cholesterol was significantly correlated with pain scores in cLBP participants in multiple modalities, indicating potential effects at multiple nociceptive fibers. It is possible that excess cholesterol peroxidation may be influencing inflammation and subsequent increases in pain sensitivity via oxidative stress in this population. Racial and Socioeconomic Differences in Chronic Low Back Pain
Pulmonary hypertension among children with in-hospital cardiac arrest: A multicenter study.

Abstract Aims To determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) among children with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and its association with survival. Methods Children ( Results Of 18,575 children with IHCA during the study period, 1,590 (8.6%) had a pre-arrest diagnosis of PH. Patients with PH were more likely to be 29 days to 2 years of age, female, Black/African American, and American Indian/Alaskan Native, and to be treated in a cardiac ICU or mixed PICU/cardiac ICU. At ICU admission, PH patients had a lower probability of death as determined by the Pediatric Index of Mortality 2 (PIM-2) score. Patients with PH were more likely to be receiving inhaled nitric oxide (13.0% vs. 2.1%; p Conclusions In this large multicenter study, 8.6% of children with IHCA had pre-existing documented PH. These children were less likely to survive to hospital discharge than those without PH.
Fast Newton-Raphson Power Flow Analysis Based on Sparse Techniques and Parallel Processing

Power flow (PF) calculation provides the basis for the steady-state power system analysis and is performed in many applications ranging from operations to planning. The calculated voltage and power values by PF are essential to determine the system condition and ensure the security and stability of the grid. The emergence of multicore processors provides an opportunity for accelerating the speed of PF calculations, which would also impact the performance of applications that are reliant on this analysis, such as contingency analysis, economic scheduling, and others. This research introduces a fast Newton-Raphson power flow implementation on multicore CPUs by combining sparse matrix techniques, mathematical methods, and parallel processing. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, where the solution of an 82,000-bus power system was calculated in 1.8 seconds.
Efficient Resource Allocation with Constrained Rate Variability in Cellular Networks

While LTE networks are known to provide relatively high data rates (on the order of tens of Mbps), these rates exhibit high variability with time. This harms the performance of applications and services requiring stable data rates, such as real-time video streaming, online gaming, XR, etc. 5G emerged as a solution to these kinds of problems. However, strict constant data rates come at the cost of underutilized network resources, which leads to inefficient operation of cellular networks. In this paper, we consider the problem of allocating network resources to cellular users in a way that provides as high a data rate as possible to all users while limiting the rate variation within tight bounds with a given small outage probability. First, we consider the case of static allocation irrespective of channel conditions. Then, we look at the case when resources are allocated dynamically over time. We run simulations on a real trace. Results show that allocating the resources dynamically improves performance over static allocation mechanisms by an additional 10%, and that allowing a slightly higher outage in not complying with the guaranteed data rate further increases the user's throughput.
Metallic Impurities from the Mine to Metal Products

When it comes to the metallic impurities in alumina, some are of greater importance and concern than others. But, all have maximum levels that can be tolerated by downstream processes and products. This may also be true even when alumina is not the major contributor of a specific impurity, but does significantly contribute to the baseline impurity level. In this paper the author discusses various points of concern related to specific metallic impurities. Conclusions and general guidelines are offered on what acceptable levels will be to most customers of SGA.
Tax Law: Anti-Template and Laboratory for Formal Business Law in the Informal Sector

A substantial majority of non-agricultural workers in a developing country such as Cameroon engage in legal businesses below the governmental radar, that is, in the informal sector. Because the financial crisis has expanded the informal sector in the global North, developing economies’ experience with that sector is of world-wide relevance. A pilot study in five Cameroonian markets is thus of general interest when it reveals that entrepreneurs there do not benefit from formal business laws, which in turn limits their ability to borrow and their willingness to lend. Formal business laws do exist in the formal sector; however, trying to move informal-sector workers to the formal sector where these laws already offer some protection can disrupt the entrepreneurs’ ability to sustain themselves, and to contribute to the national economy. As to bringing the formal business laws to the workers in the informal sector: the one formal law that the interviewees appeared to experience was tax law. The interviewees described a government using power to extract payments, instead of deploying strategies of respectful reciprocity and providing public goods which, according to the tax-morale literature, would encourage compliance. The experience of Cameroon’s informal sector with formal tax law is thus not an appropriate template for introducing formal business laws into that sector. The pro-business strategy is, instead, to apply tax-morale learning to reinforcing formal business laws. For informal-sector businesses wherever located, the strategy calls for government authorities that are respectful, and focused on building basic infrastructure.