cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 231: Impact of Insurance Type on Initial Rejection Requiring Hospitalization Post Orthotopic Heart Transplant

Background: Rejection is one of the largest causes of morbidity and mortality early post heart transplant. Patient selection is made to help reduce this risk. We hypothesized that comorbid diseases and socioeconomic status (SES) would lead to earlier readmission post heart transplant. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 188 patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplant between 7/1999- 11/2013 at our facility. All patients were followed until 9/2014 for rejection hospitalizations and death. Multivariable analysis with adjustment for median household income (MHI), insurance status, age, gender, and race was performed. Results: Medicaid insurance is a significant predictor for time to readmission post heart transplant compared to Non-Medicaid insurance (NMI) [Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.78, p= 0.047]. MHI was not a predictor (HR 1.04, p=0.835). After adjusting for SES, diabetes mellitus (DM) alone remained a significant independent predictor for time to first hospitalization for rejection (HR 3.47, p=0.001). In univariable analysis, race and hypertension approach significance as factors associated with time to first hospitalization respectively (HR 0.057, p=0.09; HR 1.97, p=0.08). SES and comorbidities did not impact time to death post transplant. Conclusions: Medicaid insurance was a significant predictor of time to first hospitalization for rejection, further raised in diabetics. This suggests that immunosuppression medications especially in diabetics require heightened attention. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Who Tries to Find Objective Information on Health Care? Findings From the 2010 Health Confidence Survey

This paper looks at who currently uses information on health cost, quality, and outcomes, specifically examining differences in information seeking by demographics, health status, health insurance coverage, and opinions about the U.S. health care system. Data comes from the EBRI/MGA 2010 Health Confidence Survey (HCS), a survey that examines a broad spectrum of health care issues, including Americans’ satisfaction with health care today, their confidence in the future of the health care system and the Medicare program, and their attitudes toward health care reform. The 2010 HCS asked a series of questions for the first time regarding whether an individual had ever tried to find objective information on various aspects of cost, quality, and outcomes. Overall, 45 percent of the population reported having tried to find information about the advantages and disadvantages of different treatments, while only 14 percent tried to find information about the number of disciplinary actions taken against a doctor or hospital. About one-quarter tried to find cost information (28 percent for the full costs of different treatments; 24 percent for the costs of different doctors and hospitals). Women, younger individuals, and individuals with higher levels of education were more likely than others to seek information on cost, quality, and access. Individuals who experience an increase in either premiums or cost sharing are more likely than those who do not to seek information. Plan sponsors can use this information to better engage workers and their families. The PDF for the above title, published in the February 2011 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another February 2011 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: “Labor-Force Participation Rates of the Population Age 55 and Older: What Did the Recession Do to the Trends?”
Leukocyte level as a potential factor determining hepatic phagocytosis following surgery. 1.

SummaryThe peripheral leukocyte level and serum opsonic activity were evaluated in relationship to the hepatic Kupffer cell clearance capacity following surgery. Hepatic phagocytic clearance was significantly depressed during the early postsurgery period, with recovery and hyperfunction being apparent by 24 and 48 hr postsurgery. The level of RE function after surgery was closely related to alterations in both the circulating level of opsonins and the peripheral leukocyte level. However, a significant role for hepatic vascular alterations in the host surgery RE depression was not demonstrated. While previous studies demonstrate the importance of opsonins as a regulator of intravascular phagocytosis, the present data further suggest a potential relationship of fixed RE cell functional activity to the blood leukocyte level following surgery. The significance of these findings to altered host defense mechanisms against bacterial infection and tumor growth following surgical intervention remains to be clearly...
Approaches for Optimizing and Tuning the Optical Limiting Response of Phthalocyanine Complexes

Recent progress on the use of molecular engineering approaches for the enhancement and spectral tuning of the optical limiting responses of phthalocyanine complexes is presented. Examples are given involving the use of the heavy-atom approach to enhance the limiting response of naphthalocyanines and of donor substitution of naphthalocyanines to red shift the optical limiting response, as demonstrated for indium and tin octabutoxynaphthalocyanines. These approaches have led to new materials for optical limiting with potential for high performance. An experimental demonstration of the “bottleneck” limiter concept, in which the optical-limiting material is distributed nonhomogeneously to permit strong pumping of excited-state population throughout the interaction region, is presented and shows an order-of-magnitude increase in pulse suppression compared to a homogeneous distribution, without an increase in linear absorbance.
High-dose ifosfamide and etoposide with filgrastim for stem cell mobilization in patients with advanced ovarian cancer.

High-dose chemotherapy combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation has shown promise as treatment for recurrent or persistent epithelial ovarian cancer. We evaluated the stem cell mobilization regimen of high-dose ifosfamide plus etoposide in 32 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, who had a positive second-look laparatomy or recurrent disease. Ifosfamide was given at 10 g/m2 by continuous i.v. from days 1 to 3. Etoposide was given at 150 mg/m2 every 12 h for six doses on days 1-3. Filgrastim was given at 10 microg/kg/d s.c. from day 5 until the completion of peripheral blood stem cell harvest. Fourteen of 32 patients had measurable or evaluable disease before mobilization therapy and were assessed for response. In nine (64%) of the 14 patients, treatment response was demonstrated, and these patients received a second cycle of mobilization therapy. The target CD34+ cell dose (>8 x 106 cells/kg) was achieved with a median of one apheresis (range 1-5). A median of 25.1 (range 8.0-122.5) x 106 CD34+ cells/kg body weight was collected. Non-hematologic toxicity was limited to grade 2 renal dysfunction in one patient and grade 2 hepatic dysfunction in three patients. In this patient group, high-dose ifosfamide plus etoposide with filgrastim support was well tolerated, lead to successful stem cell harvest and had antitumor activity.
Activities of trimethoprim against infections with pyrimethamine susceptible and resistant strains of Plasmodium cynomolgi.

SummaryA systematic comparison of the capacity of trimethoprim to control established infections with the drug susceptible RO and primethamine resistant RO/PM strains of P. cynomolgi showed that the above pyrimidine has a significant order of activity against infections with the RO strain but, at the maximum tolerated dose, little capacity to control infections with the RO/PM. Thus contrary to expectations, based on results of earlier studies in bacterial systems and in human infections with P. falciparum, there is a considerable degree of cross resistance between trimethoprim and pyrimethamine.
A Small Fraction of Cells Communicates the Maximal Interferon Sensitivity to a Population

SummaryCloned L cells were shown to be very heterogeneous in their time and dose-responses to mouse interferon. Sensitive cells transferred interferon-induced viral resistance to less sensitive cells making them equally sensitive. A small fraction of cells was found to determine the overall response of the “parental” L-cell population. Based on these findings a new mechanism of interferon action on cells not in contact with interferon was proposed. The implications of this proposal to polypeptide hormone action are discussed.The author thanks Cindy Harp for her expert technical assistance. This study was supported by U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Contract DAMD 17-78-C-8048.
Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy: A Non-Invasive Monitor of Breast Tissue Disease State?

Broadband diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) provides non-invasive quantitative measurements of near-infrared light absorption and scattering in tissues at depths up to a few centimeters. The sensitivity of DOS to changes in the physiological profile of breast tissue has been demonstrated by studying normal tissue, lesions, and lesion response to therapy.
Far-field RF energy harvesting system for distribution power lines

Wireless sensor network (WSN) as part of far field energy harvesting system has been designed and implemented to detect failures in the distribution power lines due to natural disasters. Far field energy harvesting system used in detection of the failures for power lines involve antenna, rectifier, and impedance matching sections. The sensor system which is powered by the energy harvesting system using the ambient energy in the ultra-high frequency range (UHF) is tested for various different conditions.
Analysis of current situation of malaria awareness among students in some counties of Guangxi in 2010

Objective To understand the status of malaria awareness of students in Guangxi Province, in order to provide useful reference for devising health education strategy for preventing malaria. Methods Used random sampling method to choose the subject, and then a questionnaire survey was conducted to them. Results The awareness rate of malaria knowledge was 52.89% in students,52.77% in boys, 53.02% in girls, 53.37% in pupils and 52.49% in middle school students. There were no significant differences in awareness between boys and girls, middle school students and pupils. For the five core contents, respondents understood what they could do if they had infected malaria very well, the rate for that was 84.82%. Yet they had a low level of awareness about route of transmission, which malaria was dangerous and how to prevent malaria, for which the awareness rates were 52.10%, 52.89% and 34.01%, respectively. Conclusion The students' malaria awareness rate was low. So targeted malaria health material and interesting instruction is the key to improve students malaria awareness.
Design and establishment of Agricultural Sci-tec Information Network in Fujian

In order to provide information and a platform to foster development of modern agriculture in Fujian,the Agricultural Sci-tec Information Network was designed and established in Fujian.This article describes the formulation,objectives and contents of the system,as well as its future research,development,software,hardware,network structure,website design,resources development and security.
Identification of yeasts isolated from commercial shell eggs stored at refrigerated temperatures

Yeasts and molds can grow on or in eggs, causing spoilage. Washed and unwashed eggs (treatments) were collected aseptically on three separate days (replications) from a commercial processing facility and stored for 10 weeks at 4°C. Ten eggs from each treatment were sampled weekly (110 eggs per treatment per replication). Yeasts and molds were enumerated from external shell rinses by plating onto acidified potato dextrose agar. Yeast colonies were picked randomly and stored for subsequent identification by gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters using the MIDI Microbial Identification System. Of 688 isolates analyzed, 380 were identified to genus or species. Genera identified by this method included Candida, Cryptococcus, Hansenula, Hyphopichia, Metschnikowia, Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces, and Torulaspora. Candida spp. accounted for 84.5% (321 of 380) of the isolate identifications. Candida famata was the most prevalent species (n = 120), followed by Candida lusitaniae (n = 38). A group of ...
Purification and characterization of a recombinant laccase-like multi-copper oxidase from Paenibacillus glucanolyticus SLM1.

Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of a novel bacterial laccase-like multi-copper oxidase (LMCO) from Paenibacillus glucanolyticus SLM1: a bacterium isolated from pulp and paper waste. Methods and Results A new bacterial LMCO gene (CuOx) from Paenibacillus glucanolyticus SLM1 was identified and cloned into pET22b. The protein it encodes was recombinantly expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant P. glucanolyticus LMCO had a molecular weight of approximately 90 kDa and demonstrated oxidation of the LMCO substrates 2,2’-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS), Catechol, and 2,6-Dimethoxyphenol (2,6-DMP), with the oxidation of ABTS occurring to the greatest extent (776 U•mg-1 under optimal conditions of pH 7 and 40°C). Furthermore, recombinant P. glucanolyticus CuOx laccase retained activity against ABTS in the presence of 1 M NaCl, 50% DMSO, and 5% Tween-80 and can decolorize several types of dyes. Conclusions This enzyme has a neutral pH optimum, is capable of decolorizing dyes, and is active in the presence salt, detergents and surfactant. The characteristics of this enzyme suggest that it could be used for a variety of industrial applications. Significance and Impact of Study This work characterizes a unique bacterial LMCO with activity higher than that of previously characterized fungal or bacterial LMCOs. This enzyme may have utility for industrial bleaching, treatment of dye effluent, and lignin removal. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
‘National Refugees’, Displaced Persons, and the Reconstruction of Italy: The Case of Trieste

After the era of state socialism in Europe came to a close in 1991, scholars began to rethink both the Second World War and the Cold War that followed it. Access to previously closed archives played a key role in the transformation of knowledge, but just as important was the questioning of seeming truisms. Tony Judt notes that What had once seemed permanent and somehow inevitable would take on a more transient air […] In retrospect the years 1945–89 would now come to be seen not as the threshold of a new epoch but rather as an interim age: a post-war parenthesis, the unfinished business of a conflict that ended in 1945 but whose epilogue had lasted for another half century.1
Slab matching problem: a tabu search approach

This paper discusses matching orders against slabs problem which arises in integrated steel industry. The number of surplus slabs increases responding to varying customer needs for product customization and quantities. To deal with the surplus slabs, it is important to optimize the matching orders against slabs from an optimization perspective. It can be modeled as a partitioning problem with multiple objectives and constraints. In this paper we formulate this problem as a cost-minimizing integer mathematical programming. A heuristic method based on tabu search is proposed. The method combines the swap, insertion and cyclic transfers neighborhoods to determine good approximate solutions. Computational results on production data from an iron and steel factory are presented and analyzed. Comparison with actual slab matching indicates that the proposed method could produce significantly better matching
Airport protection using wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we describe in detail an airport Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) based on a wireless sensor network (WSN). The main purpose is to detect open field perimeter intrusions via ultra-small, power self-sustaining, accelerometer-based sensor nodes. The proposed system is inexpensive, easy to deploy and maintain, self-configurable and self-recoverable. By having no single point of failure component, this system is also exceptionally reliable. The proposed system is specifically designed for perimeter intrusion detection, preferably to supplement already-existing physical protections such as chain-link fences. While our system addresses airport security concerns, it can be extended to other critical infrastructures such as railway stations and ship ports.
Water as an Economic Good: Old and New Concepts and Implications for Analysis and Implementation

This chapter addresses two areas where economic tools are critical if water is to serve as a platform for economic growth and human well-being. The first part of the chapter highlights the need for a new set of economic tools for the analysis of large water infrastructure and describes one promising avenue for the development of a method which can be credible and useful to policymakers. The second part of the chapter addresses the issue of economic tools for dealing with the gloomy arithmetic of water. It describes the complementary roles of pricing and water markets for both maintaining the right portfolio of infrastructure and ensuring that water is re-assigned to the highest value uses as values, and supply and demand for water evolve.
Resilient Reference Monitor for Distributed Access Control via Moving Target Defense

Effective access control is dependent not only on the existence of strong policies but also on ensuring that the access control enforcement subsystem is adequately protected. Protecting this subsystem has not been adequately addressed in the literature. In general, it is assumed to be implemented as a reference monitor in a trusted computing base (TCB) that is tamper-proof. However, in distributed access control, ensuring TCB security kernel to be tamper proof is not always feasible. It needs to be implemented in software and on platforms that can potentially have vulnerabilities. We posit that allowing a very limited opportunity to the attacker to enumerate exploitable vulnerabilities in the access control subsystem can considerably facilitate its protection. Towards this end we propose a moving target defense framework for access control in a distributed environment. In this framework, access control is provided by cooperation of several distributed modules that materialize randomly, announce their services, enforce access control and then disappear to be replaced by another module randomly. As a result, the attacker does not know which process can be targeted to compromise the access control system.
‘We must have clothing and a shelter’: The Search for a Religious Home

Chapter 6 examines Brownson’s growing dissatisfaction with Transcendentalism, ‘trinitarianism,’ and other individualist religions, as well as his incipient interest in Catholicism through the work of Pierre Leroux. Cortes reveals how Brownson’s eventual entrance into the Catholic Church in 1844 prompts many contemporaries to criticize Brownson for his ‘vicissitudes.’ This chapter explains why Brownson’s search for permanence was a salient factor in accounting for his religious change. Cortes also appropriates Peter Berger’s theory of religious pluralism to argue that Brownson’s attachments prior to 1844 failed to produce lasting commitment because the very nature of choice in a religious marketplace militates against lasting conviction. The chapter concludes by signaling that the combination of continued Protestant schisms and the return of riots in the 1840s plausibly nudged Brownson in the direction of the Catholic Church.
Abstract 2542: MSI2 binds LncRNAs and promotes self-renewal and oncogenesis through MYC expression

Backgrounds and Aims: RNA-binding protein MSI2 is elevated in several cancers and is linked to poor prognosis. Here, we sought to elucidate the role of MSI2 in regulating the expression of proto-oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We performed RIP-seq using anti-MSI2 antibody in tumor-initiating stem-like cells (TICs) and subsequent validation by qPCR analysis. Results: Among the MSI2-bound RNAs, MYC mRNA and long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) miR22 host gene (MIR22HG) and MARAT1 were identified by RIP-qPCR analysis. MSI2-MARAT1 binding dereppresses polycomb reppressor to recruit E2F1 in MYC promoter regions. It is known that the 5’-untranslated region of MYC contains an internal ribosome entry sequence (IRES) which allows IRES-dependent translation initiation along with canonical cap-dependent mechanisms. Our data show that MSI2 acts as an IRES trans-acting factors for MYC mRNA translation. MSI2 does not have any effect on the steady state level of MYC mRNA but significantly increases MYC protein levels, indicating that MSI2 regulates MYC at the post-transcriptional level. Further, we observed that MSI2 reduced the level of mature miR22 derived from MIR22HG processing. We showed that miR22 suppresses the expression of MYC thorough a 3’-UTR dependent process. Overexpression of MSI2 promotes TIC self-renewal and tumor initiation property in xenograft tumor mouse models, whereas silencing MSI2 reduces this occurrence. Conclusion: we demonstrate that MSI2 promotes liver tumorigenesis by maintenance of MYC expression through dereppression of polycomb repressor and an IRES-dependent translation mechanism and possibly by inhibition of miR22 processing. Thus, MSI2 may be a useful prognostic factor for HCC and MSI2 targeted therapy and thus may be beneficial in the treatment of HCC patients. Citation Format: Hifzur Siddique, Padmani Narayan, Vasu Punj, Douglas E. Feldman, Keigo Machida. MSI2 binds LncRNAs and promotes self-renewal and oncogenesis through MYC expression [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 2542. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2542
A Systems Approach to Research Management Part 2. Technology and Its Environment

(1962). A Systems Approach to Research Management Part 2. Technology and Its Environment. Research Management: Vol. 5, No. 6, pp. 423-437.
Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphism and Cancer: An Update.

Background Vitamin D mediates its action via vitamin D receptor (VDR) and is involved in a wide variety of biological processes including regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in normal tissue and apoptosis, and cell adhesion in tumor cells. The study of genetic variations in VDR may elucidate the association of vitamin D levels, its metabolism, and VDR polymorphism with various diseases and cancer. The association of VDR polymorphism with cancer has been reported; however, the literature lacks critical analyses of the studies in last 3 years. Materials and methods A systematic search of PubMed database (2015 through mid-2017) was conducted to provide a comprehensive overview of this clinical arena. Results Studies on the association of VDR polymorphisms FokI, BsmI, TaqI, and ApaI and cancer have suggested the involvement of VDR polymorphism in tumorigenesis. Conclusion The inconsistent results and lack of the studies in some cancer types warrant additional research.
A Randomized Trial of High-Value Change Using Practice Facilitation

PURPOSE To understand how focused versus general practice facilitation can impact goal setting, action planning, and team performance in primary care transformation. BACKGROUND Practice transformation in primary care is a crucial part of health reform, but can fatigue teams, leading to variable results. Practice facilitation may reduce primary care fatigue to help teams reach challenging transformation goals, but may require a more focused approach than previous studies suggest. METHODS We performed a 12-month cluster randomized trial, during which 8 primary care clinics received practice facilitation. Four practices in the intervention arm received targeted facilitation to focus quality improvement (QI) goals on high-value elements (HVEs) intended to reduce cost and utilization, whereas 4 control practices received generalized QI facilitation. We investigated the impact of the targeted versus generalized approach on goal selection, action item selection and achievement, HVE attainment, and collaborative practice, using quantitative and qualitative methods. RESULTS Intervention clinics selected an average of 7 goals and 29 action items, compared with 8 goals and 40 action items among controls. Eighty-three percent of intervention goals were related to HVEs, compared with 27% of goals among controls. Intervention clinics selected 101 HVE goals and met 68%, while controls selected 41 and met 61%. Analysis of pre-post practice surveys indicated greater improvement among intervention across 4 of 8 domains of collaborative practice. CONCLUSION Targeted facilitation may be more effective than a generalized approach to support practices in reaching high-value change goals, as well as fostering improvement of team focus on goals, roles and responsibilities.
The Macular Carotenoids are Associated with Cognitive Function in Preadolescent Children

The macular carotenoids lutein (L) and zeaxanthin (Z) are obtained via diet and accumulate in the central retina where they are referred to as macular pigment. The density of this biomarker (macular pigment optical density; MPOD) has been positively correlated with cognitive functioning via measures of global cognition, processing speed, and visual-spatial abilities, among others. Although improvements in cognitive function have been found in adults, much less is known about how L and Z intake may support or improve cognitive functioning during periods of rapid developmental change, such as childhood and pre-adolescence. This study examined the relationship between MPOD and cognitive functioning in 51 7-13-year-old children (51% female). MPOD was measured using heterochromatic flicker photometry (HFP) optimized for this age group. Cognitive function was assessed using the Woodcock-Johnson III (composite standard scores were obtained for Brief Intellectual Ability, Verbal Ability, Cognitive Efficiency, Processing Speed, and Executive Processes). In this sample, MPOD was significantly related to Executive Processes, r(47) = 0.288, p < 0.05, and Brief Intellectual Ability, r(47) = 0.268, p < 0.05. The relationship to Cognitive Efficiency was positive and trending but not significant, r(49) = 0.206, p = 0.074. In general, these data are consistent with those of adults showing a link between higher carotenoid status and improved cognitive functioning.
Thermoelectric property tailoring by composite engineering

The tailoring of the thermoelectric properties (the sign and magnitude of the absolute thermoelectric power) was achieved by composite engineering. The techniques involved the choice of the reinforcing fibers (continuous or short) in a structural composite and the choice of the particulate filler between the laminae in a continuous fiber composite. The tailoring resulted in thermoelectric structural composites, including continuous carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites and short fiber cement-matrix composites. In addition, it resulted in thermocouples in the form of structural composites. The choice of fibers impacted the thermoelectric behavior in the fiber direction of the composite. The choice of interlaminar filler impacted the thermoelectric behavior in the through-thickness direction.
Expression of a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase in human glial tumors.

We have analyzed expression of a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (RPTPζ/β) in tissue samples from 23 human gliomas. Using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique, we assayed for the presence or absence of mRNA transcripts encoding the intact receptor and 2 alternatively spliced forms of RPTPζ/β. Transcripts encoding the intact and truncated receptors were expressed in all of the lower grade gliomas (WHO grade 1–3) analyzed, but not in 55% of the grade 4 glioblastomas multiforme (GBM). However, this subset of GBMs did express an alternatively spliced secreted form comprised of only the RPTPζ/β extracellular domain. Our data suggests there may be a correlation between the loss of transcripts encoding the receptor forms of RPTPζ/β and progression from low to high grade gliomas. This work provides additional evidence for the importance of phosphatase isoform expression in human tumors.
The Importance of Subchondral Bone in the Pathophysiology of Osteoarthritis

Subchondral bone plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteochondral disease across veterinary species. The subchondral bone is highly adaptable, with the ability to model and remodel in response to loading stresses experienced by the joint. Repetitive stress injuries within the joint can result in primary or secondary pathologic lesions within the subchondral bone, which have been recognized to contribute to the development and progression of osteoarthritis. Recent advances in diagnostic imaging, particularly volumetric imaging modalities have facilitated earlier identification of subchondral bone disease. Despite these advancements, limitations in our knowledge about subchondral bone makes treatment and prevention of these conditions challenging. The purpose of this report is to review our current understanding of subchondral bone and its relationship to osteoarthritis across veterinary species, with a specific focus in the research that has been performed in horses. It can be concluded that our current understanding of subchondral bone is advancing, and future experimental, clinical and pathologic studies will provide additional insight about subchondral bone and its relationship to joint disease.
The Debate is Over: Continue Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy Throughout Pregnancy

Data in support of the safety of biologic use during pregnancy continues to grow. Utilizing a national French database with linkage between mothers and children, Luu et al. demonstrated that anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy exposure did not increase infection risk in children, though the mothers had higher rates of infection. Stopping therapy prior to 24 weeks gestation led to a higher rate of disease flares in the mother with no benefit to the infant compared to continued therapy.
T4N0 colon cancers should be treated like T3N1 disease

Background: Patients with positive lymph nodal involvement in colon cancer have always been deemed to fare worse than those without. However, questions have been increasingly raised on the true prognosis of T4N0 disease. We conducted this study to investigate how T4N0 disease would compare with T3N1 disease. Methods: All patients with colon cancer treated from 2008 to 2014 was collected. Preoperative, intraoperative and histological information was compared between patients with T4N0 and T3N1 disease. Variables which significantly differed were included in multivariate analysis for recurrence and survival. Kaplan-Meier curves and cox regression analysis for time to recurrence and survival were evaluated. Results: Seventy-eight patients had T4N0 colon cancer, while 160 had T3N1 disease. Vascular invasion, lymphatic invasion, total lymph node yield, and the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy were identified as variables for evaluation. Over a median follow-up of 41.4 (range, 21.6–65.0) months for T4N0 patients and 42.4 (range, 21.1–63.8) months for T3N1 patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the association of stage of cancer with survival [overall survival (OS): 0.97 (95% CI, 0.38–2.45), P=0.94]. Kaplan-Meier curves also showed no difference in time to death (P=0.867). There was no statistically significant difference in the time to death [hazard ratio (HR): 0.56 (95% CI, 0.20–1.55), P=0.26]. Conclusions: T4N0 colon cancers have similar outcomes to T3N1 disease and should be considered as stage III disease in future classification. Patients diagnosed with T4N0 disease should receive similar treatment as those with T3N1 disease and counselled accordingly.
Intraocular toxoplasmosis mimicking vitreous lymphoma.

![Figure][1] A 91-year-old woman presented with cloudy vision in her right eye for 10 months. She received empiric intravitreal antibiotics without improvement. Ophthalmoscopic examination showed significant anterior chamber vitritis and diffuse subretinal and retinal white infiltrates.
The PROMIS Upper Extremity Computer Adaptive Test Correlates With Previously Validated Metrics in Patients With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Background: The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Upper Extremity (PROMIS UE) computer adaptive test was developed to improve precision and reduce question burden. We hypothe...
STUDIES ON THE BIOSYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF NERVE GROWTH FACTOR FROM THE MOUSE SUBMAXILLARY GLAND

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the studies on the biosynthesis and structure of nerve growth factor (NGF) from the mouse submaxillary gland. The most potent known source of NGF is the submaxillary gland of the adult male mouse. Immunofluorescent staining procedures have localized the growth factor to the tubular cells of this tissue and the activity is reportedly associated with intracellular granules. Structural studies of NGF from the submaxillary gland indicate that the growth factor isolated at neutral pH exists in a high molecular weight complex containing three types of subunits including βNGF, which contains all the nerve growth stimulating activity and γ and is a potent arginine esteropeptidase. The initial biosynthetic product is postulated to be a pro-βNGF which is cleaved at a specific arginine residue by the γ arginine esteropeptidase. The active site of γ then remains complexed to the new C-terminal arginine of the 3 subunit. An analogous process presumably occurs for EGF. The model accounts for the requirement of the C-terminal arginine for complex stability as well as for the inhibition of the arginine esteropeptidase activities when the enzymes are in complex.
Convergent extension in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis.

Abstract This review is a comprehensive analysis of the cell biology and biomechanics of Convergent Extension in Xenopus.
New imaging tools to measure nephron number in vivo: Opportunities for developmental nephrology

The mammalian kidney is a complex organ, requiring the concerted function of up to millions of nephrons. The number of nephrons is constant after nephrogenesis during development, and nephron loss over a life span can lead to susceptibility to acute or chronic kidney disease. New technologies are under development to count individual nephrons in the kidney in vivo. This review outlines these technologies and highlights their relevance to studies of human renal development and disease.
Cryo-EM structure of the PlexinC1/A39R complex reveals inter-domain interactions critical for ligand-induced activation

Plexins are receptors for semaphorins that transduce signals for regulating neuronal development and other processes. Plexins are single-pass transmembrane proteins with multiple domains in both the extracellular and intracellular regions. Semaphorin activates plexin by binding to its extracellular N-terminal Sema domain, inducing the active dimer of the plexin intracellular region. The mechanism underlying this activation process of plexin is incompletely understood. We present cryo-electron microscopic structure of full-length human PlexinC1 in complex with the viral semaphorin mimic A39R. The structure shows that A39R induces a specific dimer of PlexinC1 where the membrane-proximal domains from the two PlexinC1 protomers are placed close to each other, poised to promote the active dimer of the intracellular region. This configuration is imposed by a distinct conformation of the PlexinC1 extracellular region, stabilized by inter-domain interactions among the Sema and membrane-proximal domains. Our mutational analyses support the critical role of this conformation in PlexinC1 activation.
Chapter 19 – Pressure Chambers

This chapter tells how to measure plant water potential using pressure chambers. Most pressure chambers are based on a design developed by Scholander at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in the 1960s. His pressure chamber is described. Measurements made with it are compared to measurements made with thermocouple psychrometers, because measurements made with thermocouple psychrometers are the standard ones. They are based on sound physics using the Kelvin equation. One of the first scientists to compare measurements made with the Scholander pressure chamber and thermocouple psychrometers was John Boyer, and his comparisons are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of the Scholander pressure chamber are given. Other methods, aside from the Scholander pressure chamber, used to determine water potential with pressure chambers are described. These include the pump-up pressure chamber in which pressure is created by pumping the instrument as one would a bicycle pump. Appendices give biographies of Scholander and Boyer.
Figurative and operative partitioning activity: students’ meanings for amounts of change in covarying quantities

Researchers have emphasized the importance of characterizing students’ abilities to coordinate changes in covarying quantities. In this paper, we characterize three undergraduate students’ coordina...
Reputational Bargaining in the Shadow of the Law

This paper analyzes reputational bargaining between two parties who can strategically send an ultimatum to resolve the conflict by law. Each party is either a justified player who is inflexible about demand and resolves the conflict by law whenever possible, or an unjustified player who is flexible about demand and strategically leverages an ultimatum. A strategic player is better off if the opponent concedes to an ultimatum, but is worse off if the opponent responds to it, making the ultimatum a risky choice. We study the equilibrium of the game when an ultimatum can be sent, and compare it with the equilibrium of the game when an ultimatum cannot be sent (i.e., Abreu and Gul (2000)). The ability to send an ultimatum can harm a strategic player by making it more difficult to build a reputation, but can also benefit the player who can pretend to be justified. When there are multiple types and the probability of being justified is small, the players share the surplus efficiently. In the limit of complete rationality, the outcome is the Rubinstein outcome if the ultimatum opportunity arrival rate for a justified player is smaller than the discount factor, and is the Rubinstein outcome with the discount factor replaced by the rate otherwise. When both players can send an ultimatum, players’ reputations may decline, approaching 0.
A solid electrolyte interphase to protect the sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) composite for Li–S batteries: computational approach addressing the electrolyte/SPAN interfacial reactivity

This study addresses the reactivity of multiple solvents and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) at the interface with sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) in multiple stages of lithiation via ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Both ether 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) proved stable on the lithiated SPAN surface regardless of the lithium content, meaning that neither of these species likely contributes to growing a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) coating to protect the SPAN composite. Conversely, cyclic carbonates, ethylene carbonate (EC) and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) are shown to be very active. The EC reduction occurs only on a highly lithiated surface with a 3.0 Li/S molar ratio, the equivalent of the SPAN composite in an over-discharge regime with voltages close to 0.0 V vs. Li/Li+. The FEC reduction starts with a 2.0 Li/S molar ratio and above, suggesting that FEC could act as a useful additive in electrolyte formulations with EC. Both EC and FEC follow multiple reduction mechanisms to produce complex reduction products and LiF in the FEC case. We provide a mechanistic description for each detected decomposition path. The LiFSI salt also proves reactive against the lithiated SPAN surface. The FSI− defluorination is the dominant reduction path. However, the SO2NSO2F− and SO2NSO22− species proved stable against S–N cleavage. This behavior makes the LiFSI salt a potential candidate for SPAN-based Li–S batteries because it produces LiF without releasing SO2.
Characterization of Infraspinatus Tendon Anatomy: The Soft-Tissue Portion of Remplissage.

Purpose To characterize the morphology of the infraspinatus (IS) tendon and evaluate the bony anatomy of the humeral head (HH) to determine if there is a correlation between HH measurements and the amount of available IS tendon. Methods The superior-inferior width as well as the medial-lateral (M-L) length of the inferior and superior portions of the IS tendon were measured in 15 human cadaveric shoulders. Three measurements were then obtained for each corresponding humeral head: (1) anterior to posterior (A-P) distance, (2) midcoronal humeral head distance (MCHH), and (3) M-L distance. Pearson correlation coefficients (R) of tendon measurements relative to HH measurements were determined. Results The mean ± SD HH measurements were 44.3 ± 3.3 mm for A-P, 49.3 ± 3.4 mm at the MCHH, and 52.2 ± 3.4 mm in the M-L plane. The mean M-L length of the superior portion of the IS tendon was significantly different from the inferior portion (42.4 vs 31.0 mm, P < .0001). The mean ± SD width of the IS tendon was 19.4 ± 3.0mm. There was a statistically significant correlation (R = 0.58) between the M-L length of the superior IS tendon relative to the M-L HH distance (P < .05) and the A-P HH distance (P < .05). Conclusions The superior M-L IS tendon length was significantly greater than the inferior M-L length. The M-L HH and the AP HH distances were significantly correlated to the M-L length of the superior portion of the IS tendon. These relationships may provide an estimation of the length of available IS tendon to help guide the management of Hill-Sachs lesions (HSLs). Clinical Relevance Knowledge of the available IS length can help optimize the management of HSLs following anterior shoulder dislocation. If IS tendon M-L length is less than HSL M-L length, then remplissage may result in capsulomyodesis rather than tenodesis. Placement of the superior anchor in a position that is as superior as possible within the HSL defect will maximize the opportunity for IS tenodesis.
Hetero-ViTAL: a virtualization stack for heterogeneous FPGA clusters

With field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) being widely deployed into data centers, an efficient virtualization support is required to fully unleash the potential of cloud FPGAs. Nevertheless, existing FPGA virtualization solutions only support a homogeneous FPGA cluster comprising identical FPGA devices. Representative work such as ViTAL provides sufficient system support for scale-out acceleration and improves the overall resource utilization through a fine-grained spatial sharing. While these existing solutions (including ViTAL) can efficiently virtualize a homogeneous cluster, it is hard to extend them to virtualizing a heterogeneous cluster which comprises multiple types of FPGAs. We expect the future cloud FPGAs are likely to be more heterogeneous due to hardware rolling upgrade. In this paper, we rethink FPGA virtualization from ground up and propose HETERO-VITAL to virtualize heterogeneous FPGA clusters. We identify the conflicting requirements of runtime management and offline compilation when designing the abstraction for a heterogeneous cluster, which is also the fundamental reason why the single-level abstraction as proposed in ViTAL (and other prior works) cannot be trivially extended to the heterogeneous case. To decouple these conflicting requirements, we provide a two-level system abstraction in HETERO-VITAL. Specifically, the high-level abstraction is FPGA-agnostic and provides a simple and homogeneous view of the FPGA resources to simplify the runtime management. On the contrary, the low-level abstraction is FPGA-specific and exposes sufficient spatial resource constraints to the compilation framework to ensure the mapping quality. Rather than simply adding a layer on top of the single-level abstraction as proposed in ViTAL and other prior work, we judiciously determine how much hardware details should be exposed at each level to balance the management complexity, mapping quality and compilation cost. We then develop a compilation framework to map applications onto this two-level abstraction with several optimization techniques to further improve the mapping quality. We also provide a runtime management policy to alleviate the fragmentation issue, which becomes more severe in a heterogeneous cluster due to the distinct resource capacities of diverse FPGAs. We evaluate HETERO-VITAL on a custom-built FPGA cluster and demonstrate its effectiveness using machine learning and image processing applications. Results show that HETERO-VITAL reduces the average response time (a critical metric for QoS) by 79.2% for a heterogeneous cluster compared to the non-virtualized baseline. When virtualizing a homogeneous cluster, HETERO-VITAL also reduces the average response time by 42.0% compared with ViTAL due to a better system design.
Neural responses to induced emotion and response to social threat in intermittent explosive disorder.

Abstract Background : Individuals with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) are reported to exhibit amygdala (AMYG) hyper-activation to anger faces during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, it remains unknown if emotional experience is different in study participants with IED compared with healthy controls (HC). Thus, we examined the comparative effect of pleasant and unpleasant IAPS pictures in IED and HC individuals. Method : Eighty study participants (40 IED and 40 HC) underwent fMRI scanning while viewing blocks of angry and happy faces and while viewing blocks of pleasant and unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). Results : Compared with HC participants, IED participants exhibited greater AMYG responses to angry, but not happy, faces; IED and HC participants, however, did not differ in AMYG responses to pleasant or unpleasant IAPS pictures. There were no group differences in Orbital-Frontal Cortical (OFC) responses to emotional faces or IAPS pictures other than a significantly higher OFC response pleasant, compared with unpleasant, IAPS pictures. Conclusion : These findings suggest that, compared with healthy individuals, those with IED have a hypersensitive amygdala to social-emotional threat but that this characteristic does not extend to neural responses related to the experience of emotion in the context of the paradigms tested.