cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PWE-399 Improving the enhanced recovery programs in laparoscopic colectomy: liposomal bupivacaine may not be the answer

Introduction Enhanced recovery programs (ERP) are standard of care in colorectal surgery. Avoidance of opioid analgesia and associated postoperative adverse events (AEs) lead to shortened hospitalisation and lower costs. The addition of long-acting liposomal bupivacaine as part of multimodality pain control may decrease reliance on opioids. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of liposomal bupivacaine infiltration on total amount of opioid use, incidence of AEs and length of stay (LOS) after minimally invasive (MIS) sigmoid coloctomy. Method A single-centre retrospective review was performed in patients undergoing a MIS sigmoid resection from 2012–2014. Patients in the intervention group received 266mg of liposomal bupivacaine in the surgical incision by a single surgeon and were matched to controls for age, gender, BMI, procedure and extraction site. Primary outcome was total opioid use in the first 72 h. Secondary outcomes included LOS, time to first flatus and bowel movement, and incidence of AEs (ileus and urinary retention). Confounding variables (i.e. ketorolac use) were determined a priori and were accounted for. Univariate analyses included a t-test for continuous variables and a Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric variables. Multivariable regression identified the role the intervention had in predicting the primary outcome with adjustment of confounding variables. Results 70 patients (43% female; mean age 60 (±13) years) were included. The intervention and controls groups included 35 patients each. Diagnoses included diverticulitis (72%), colonic malignancy (14%), benign neoplasm (10%) and inflammatory bowel disease (4%). The median number of port sites was 4 (3–5), where 39% of patients had a midline extraction site vs. 61% with a Pfannenstiel. Total incision length was 9.5cm in 63% of patients. No difference in total opioid use was identified between groups (61mg vs. 70mg; p = 0.51) on univariate analysis. A sensitivity analysis was used to account for extremes in opioid use by removing the outermost 10 th percentiles of opioid use; no difference was confirmed (59mg vs. 60mg; p = 0.98). LOS was similar in both groups (median 5 days), with no difference in AEs. There was no significant difference in time to first flatus or bowel movement (p = 0.23 and p = 0.35, respectively). A multivariate logistic regression adjusting for ketorolac and acetaminophen use demonstrated that liposomal bupivacaine did not predict total opioid use (OR 0.56–3.73; p = 0.446). Conclusion When added to an aggressive ERP, liposomal bupivacaine does not decrease the amount of total opioid consumption, the incidence of AEs or the LOS in patients undergoing MIS sigmoid resection. Disclosure of interest None Declared.
Immunofluorescent localization of the third and the fourth component of complement in synovial tissue from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract Synovial tissues obtained by needle biopsy from 8 patients with rheumatoid arthritis of duration from 112 to 31 years were studied with direct immunofluorescent techniques. Tissue localization of 7S γ-globulin (γG) in synovial membranes, synovial margins, and in adventitia of vessels was closely approximated by concurrent staining for the third and the fourth components of complement. Blocking of tissue bound rheumatoid factors with unconjugated aggregates of γG did not diminish the fluorescent patterns obtained with anticomplement component antisera. These findings suggest a different pattern of localization for rheumatoid factors and tissue bound-complement components.
Type-specific photoreceptor loss in pigeons after disruption of parasympathetic control of choroidal blood flow by the medial subdivision of the nucleus of Edinger–Westphal

The medial part of the nucleus of Edinger-Westphal (EWM) in birds mediates light-regulated adaptive increases in choroidal blood flow (ChBF). We sought to characterize the effect of loss of EWM-mediated ChBF regulation on photoreceptor health in pigeons housed in either moderate intensity diurnal or constant light (CL). Photoreceptor abundance following complete EWM destruction was compared to that following a lesion in the pupil control circuit (as a control for spread of EWM lesions to the nearby pupil-controlling lateral EW) or following no EW damage. Birds were housed post-lesion in a 12 h 400 lux light/12 h dark light cycle for up to 16.5 months, or in constant 400 lux light for up to 3 weeks. Paraformaldehyde-glutaraldehyde fixed eyes were embedded in plastic, sectioned, slide-mounted, and stained with toluidine blue/azure II. Blinded analysis of photoreceptor outer segment abundance was performed, with outer segment types distinguished by oil droplet tint and laminar position. Brains were examined histologically to assess lesion accuracy. Disruption of pupil control had no adverse effect on photoreceptor outer segment abundance in either diurnal light or CL, but EWM destruction led to 50-60% loss of blue/violet cone outer segments in both light conditions, and a 42% loss of principal cone outer segments in CL. The findings indicate that adaptive regulation of ChBF by the EWM circuit plays a role in maintaining photoreceptor health and mitigates the harmful effect of light on photoreceptors, especially short wavelength-sensitive cone photoreceptors.
Lenin: Imperialism and National Self-determination

Following the teaching of Marx, the London Congress in 1896 of the Marxist Second International supported the universal right to national self-determination, including the right of national minorities to secede from nonnational rule and establish themselves as independent nation-states. This position was predicated on the economic premise that the common language of the national state was the natural unit for the most accelerated development of the forces of production under capitalism, and moral premise that the international solidarity of the working class demanded support for the liberation of national minorities as working-class brothers from non-national political oppression. For the Marxist movement in Tsarist Imperial Russia the issue of national self-determination was particularly important, as by the end of the nineteenth century it included a population of 170 million, of which only 75 million were of Great Russian extraction, with 57 percent of the population being of a polyglot extraction, especially those inhabiting the western, southern, and central Asian borderlands.
Mutations In the DNA Methyltransferase Gene DNMT3A Are Highly Recurrent In Patients with Intermediate Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and Predict Poor Outcomes

Abstract 99 Whole genome sequencing with next generation technologies represents a new, unbiased approach for discovering somatic variations in cancer genomes. Our group recently reported the DNA sequence and analysis of the genomes of two patients with normal karyotype acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Improvements in next generation sequencing technologies (principally, paired-end sequencing) led us to reevaluate the first case (Ley et al, Nature 456:66–72, 2008) with deeper sequence coverage. We discovered a novel frameshift mutation in DNMT3A, one of the three genes in humans (DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B) that encodes a DNA methyltransferase that catalyzes the addition of methyl groups to cytosine within CpG dinucleotides. We then sequenced all the coding exons of this gene in 280 additional de novo cases of AML to define recurring mutations. 62/281 de novo AML cases (22%) had mutations with translational effects in the DNMT3A gene. 18 different missense mutations were identified, the most common of which was at amino acid R882 (37 cases). Frameshifts (n=6), nonsense mutations (n=6), splice site mutations (n=3), and a 1.5 Mbp deletion that included the DNMT3A gene were also identified. DNMT3A mutations were highly enriched in cases with intermediate risk cytogenetics (56/166=33.7%; p Disclosures: Westervelt:Novartis: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. DiPersio:Genzyme: Honoraria.
Philosophic History and the Critique of Orthodoxy

David Hume and Edward Gibbon were self-proclaimed philosophic historians. Philosophic history challenged Christianity’s authority to make the past theological, i.e., the study of God’s work in human history. The gospel proclaiming Christ’s participation in history as a man is indeed an affirmation of theological-historical truth. Thus, philosophic history in its confrontation with theological history was momentous in its rebellion against Christianity. “Any ecclesiastical historian who believes in Christianity is bound also to be a theologian,” observed Arnaldo Momigliano.1 Christian history was inherently theological in conception, requiring a persistent interweaving of fact with dogma and an insistence on the transcendental significance of that period of time in which Christ came and participated in human events. (Ibid., 138) Philosophic history was persistently skeptical about the transcendental causes at work in history and inevitably antagonistic toward Christian dogma.2 Hugh Trevor-Roper writes that: “[s]ince the Renaissance, European writers had sought to discover general causes in history to replace the theological determinism of the Middle Ages, and the theologians had invariably resisted these attempts.”3
Full coverage sports physicals: school nurses' untapped role in health promotion among student athletes

Pre-participation physical exams (PPEs) hold great potential for addressing adolescents’ health-risk behaviors. School nurses may be well positioned to assist with PPEs, yet little is known about t...
Continuing the Exploration of African Americans in the Early History of Evaluation in the United States: Contributions of Ambrose Caliver in the U.S. Office of Education

This article, based on the remarks delivered by the author at the Eleanor Chelimsky forum at the Eastern Evaluation Research Society annual conference in 2016, discusses Ambrose Caliver, an evaluator of color who worked for the federal government during segregation. Caliver’s history is an important contribution to the evaluation tree. This article discusses Caliver’s contribution to our field and the importance of recognizing people of color within the history of evaluation.
Deliberative Technology: A Holistic Lens for Interpreting Resources and Dynamics in Deliberation

We introduce the concept of deliberative technology as an integrative framework to encapsulate how facilitators and participants bring different resources into use in deliberative processes. It serves as a holistic lens to observe, explain, and intervene constructively in the unpredictable, emergent dynamics of deliberative processes. We developed the concept of deliberative technology inductively through ethnographic analysis of three deliberative processes. In the three cases, the deliberative processes and their results were quite different, despite common resources, policy contexts, and purposes. We articulate a typology of general types of potential resources for deliberation – methodological techniques, material objects, and conceptual frameworks – and show how they interact with the policy context and the dynamics of the facilitators and participants to produce the deliberative technologies of the three cases.
Microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-B bearing low carbon steel plate: Ultrafast cooling versus accelerated cooling

The microstructure and mechanical properties of low carbon bainite high strength steel plate were studied via different cooling paths at the pilot scale. There was a significant increase in mechanical properties, and notably, the yield strength, tensile strength, and toughness at -40 °C for the tested steel processed by ultra-fast cooling were 126 MPa, 98 MPa and 69 J, respectively, in relation to steel processed by accelerated cooling. The ultra-fast cooling rate not only refined the microstructure, precipitates, and martensiteaustenite (M/A) islands, but also contributed to the refinement of microstructure in thick plates. The large size M/A constituents formed at lower cooling rate experienced stress concentration and were potential sites for crack initiation, which led to deterioration of low-temperature impact toughness. In contrast, the acicular ferrite and lath bainite with high fraction of high-angle grain boundaries were formed in steel processed by ultra-fast cooling, which retarded cleavage crack propagation.
Warmer climate squeezes aquatic predators out of their preferred habitat.

Ecosystems are mosaics of different habitats, each of which provides its own opportunities and risks to the organisms that inhabit it. The profitability of any habitat depends on a variety of biotic and abiotic variables including the abundance of prey, vulnerability to predators, and physical features such as temperature that modify physiology and behavior. Because biological and physical conditions are continuously varying, and it is rare that any single habitat satisfies all requirements for successfully completing life cycles, organisms must navigate across habitat landscapes to fulfill their resource needs. Human modifications to habitats are presenting new challenges to many organisms. One underappreciated effect humans are having on the profitability of landscapes is via climate warming, where we are changing the rules of the game controlling how consumers can move among habitats. In PNAS, Guzzo et al. (1) show that warmer water temperatures in lakes restrict the daily movements of a top predator between habitats that are profitable for feeding and those that provide cold water for maintaining physiological functions. Intensified thermal barriers to movement under warmer climate conditions reduce feeding rates in productive habitats, thereby slowing growth of the predator. Surprising stories such as this continue to emerge from field ecology and serve as a sharp reminder that human perturbations to the Earth’s climate system have many untold consequences for the biosphere. Water temperature varies considerably within aquatic ecosystems, generating both opportunities and constraints for their inhabitants. In some habitats water is sufficiently cold that it depresses metabolic rates and therefore growth rates of predators. Other habitats provide metabolic opportunity because temperatures are warm enough to increase the potential for growth in organisms whose body temperatures track the water temperatures they are exposed to (2). Water temperatures can also exceed physiological limits of cold-adapted species, forcing them to seek refuge … [↵][1]1Email: deschind{at}uw.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Teaching Responsive Web Design to Novice Learners

Although responsive web design has become a standard industrial requirement in recent years, it is rarely emphasized in introductory courses on web front-end development. This paper presents an integration of responsive web design topics with the traditional HTML/CSS content in an introductory course designed for non-CS major students. By working with technologies appropriate for novice learners, students with no programming experience are able to create modern-looking, user-friendly responsive websites as well as to improve their abstract thinking skills. Students' experience in software development principles and tools within the context of web development also has a positive impact on their overall confidence in computing related fields.
The Intracranial Aneurysm Gene THSD1 Connects Endosome Dynamics to Nascent Focal Adhesion Assembly.

BACKGROUND/AIMS We recently discovered that harmful variants in THSD1 (Thrombospondin type-1 domain-containing protein 1) likely cause intracranial aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage in a subset of both familial and sporadic patients with supporting evidence from two vertebrate models. The current study seeks to elucidate how THSD1 and patient-identified variants function molecularly in focal adhesions. METHODS Co-immunostaining and co-immunoprecipitation were performed to define THSD1 subcellular localization and interacting partners. Transient expression of patient-identified THSD1 protein variants and siRNA-mediated loss-of-function THSD1 were used to interrogate gene function in focal adhesion and cell attachment to collagen I in comparison to controls. RESULTS THSD1 is a novel nascent adhesion protein that co-localizes with several known markers such as FAK, talin, and vinculin, but not with mature adhesion marker zyxin. Furthermore, THSD1 forms a multimeric protein complex with FAK/talin/vinculin, wherein THSD1 promotes talin binding to FAK but not to vinculin, a key step in nascent adhesion assembly. Accordingly, THSD1 promotes mature adhesion formation and cell attachment, while its rare variants identified in aneurysm patients show compromised ability. Interestingly, THSD1 also localizes at different stages of endosomes. Clathrin-mediated but not caveolae-mediated endocytosis pathway is involved in THSD1 intracellular trafficking, which positively regulates THSD1-induced focal adhesion assembly, in contrast to the traditional role of endosomes in termination of integrin signals. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that THSD1 functions at the interface between endosome dynamics and nascent focal adhesion assembly that is impaired by THSD1 rare variants identified from intracranial aneurysm patients.
Visualizing Astrocytes of the Optic Nerve

Astrocytes make up approximately 30% of all the cells in the mammalian central nervous system. They are not passive, as once thought, but are integral to brain physiology and perform many functions that are important for normal neuronal development and metabolism, synapse formation, synaptic transmission, and in repair following injury/disease. Astrocytes also communicate with neurons, blood vessels, and other types of glial cells. Astrocytes within the optic nerve head region play a key role in glaucomatous axon degeneration. In this chapter, we describe ways in which astrocytes of the optic nerve head can be visualized, beginning with basic immunohistochemical staining methods, to single-cell dye injections and then to transgenic animals. We will also discuss the pros and cons of each method. Many of the methods were initially developed to visualize brain astrocytes; in some cases, the method has translated well to astrocytes of the optic nerve, and in others, it remains unclear.
Inhaled isobutyl nitrite impairs T cell reactivity.

Amyl nitrite has vasodilatory effects and has been used since 1867 for relief from angina pectoris (1). Starting in the 1960s, inhalation of volatile nitrites became a common form of drug abuse, particularly among male homosexuals, but also among adolescents (2). Reports have appeared suggesting that the abuse of nitrite inhalants is a co-factor in AIDS (3) or in Kaposi’s sarcoma in AIDS patients (4), but other studies found no such correlation (5). However, no firm conclusions can be drawn based on these conflicting population studies. Animal inhalation studies by Lynch, Lewis, and collaborators (6,7) and by McFadden and Maickel (8) showed that inhalation of isobutyl nitrite at occupational exposure levels (300–400 ppm) had little toxic or immunotoxic consequences. Abusers, however, are exposed to much higher doses of the inhalants (> 1500 ppm) for shorter duration (10–20 inhalations over several hours, often daily) (2,9). In the present study, we evaluated immunotoxicity in mice exposed to isobutyl nitrite at levels which mimic abuser exposures.
Philip G. Altbach, Liz Reisberg, Maria Yudkevich, Gregory Androushchak, and Yaroslav Kuzminov (eds): The global future of higher education and the academic profession: the BRICs and the United States

The Global Future of Higher Education and the Academic Profession: The BRICs and the United States offers descriptions of higher education systems and their contextual settings in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, as well as their comparison to the US. These descriptions are supplemented with a fair share of analysis and observed general trends in development experienced by each of these national educational systems. No doubt, this is a generalist volume, which to a large extent serves as a sequel to Paying the Professoriate: A Global Comparison of Compensation and Contracts, produced by almost the same editorial team in the prior year, which focused on professors’ salaries, remuneration, income, and employment contracts throughout the world. The major focus of this volume is the professoriate, which constitutes the core of academia, with its concerns and the challenges faced by academia. The authors represent the regions on which they report and the chapters are lined in accordance with the countries’ positions in the BRIC abbreviation. In Chapter 1, The Prospects for the BRICs: The New Academic Superpowers?, Philip Altbach suggests that the BRICs ‘‘remain peripheral in the global knowledge system.’’ (p. 3) Nevertheless, their ambitions and potential for development are far reaching. According to Simon Schwartzman, faculty in public universities in Brazil enjoy the status of civil servant, which brings a relatively high pay, tenure, job security, early retirement, and numerous other perks and benefits. However, many faculty members work in private colleges and have to teach several part-time jobs in order to maintain their income level at a socially acceptable level. Thus, one distinct feature of all BRIC countries is that their professoriate is clearly underpaid. In this sense, China may not be different from India. This chronic undervalue of academic work, as well as the lack of prospects for professional and income growth, drive talented youth away from academia and cause a significant brain drain. In Chapter 5, The Chinese Academic Profession: New Realities, Ma Wanhua and Wen Jianbo report that ‘‘more than one million Chinese students who studied abroad did not return.’’ (p. 158) Lately, however, ‘‘more and
Pulsed laser deposition films from a Ba2FeMoO6 target onto SrTiO3[001]: Chemical and magnetic inhomogeneity

Pulsed laser deposition films from Ba2FeMoO6 (BFMO) targets onto SrTiO3[001] (STO) substrates have been reported previously to have non-zero magnetism at 300 K, a majority of magnetic ordering at 240 K that is less than the 370 K ordering temperature of polycrystalline BFMO, and suppressed saturation magnetization compared to polycrystalline BFMO. To interrogate these previously reported observations of BFMO on STO, we have used a combination of x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray and neutron reflectivity, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that shows inhomogeneities. The present results show off-stoichiometry on the A-site by incorporation of Sr from the substrate and on the B-site to have %Fe/%Mo > 1 by evolution of BaMoO4. There is an enhanced ordering temperature and magnetic response nearer to the SrTiO3 interface compared to the air interface. Depth dependent strain and microstructure are needed to explain the magnetic response. Holistic considerations and implications are also discussed.Pulsed laser deposition films from Ba2FeMoO6 (BFMO) targets onto SrTiO3[001] (STO) substrates have been reported previously to have non-zero magnetism at 300 K, a majority of magnetic ordering at 240 K that is less than the 370 K ordering temperature of polycrystalline BFMO, and suppressed saturation magnetization compared to polycrystalline BFMO. To interrogate these previously reported observations of BFMO on STO, we have used a combination of x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray and neutron reflectivity, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that shows inhomogeneities. The present results show off-stoichiometry on the A-site by incorporation of Sr from the substrate and on the B-site to have %Fe/%Mo > 1 by evolution of BaMoO4. There is an enhanced ordering temperature and magnetic response nearer to the SrTiO3 interface compared to the air interface. Depth dependent strain and microstructure are needed to explain the magnetic response. Holistic considerations and implications are also discu...
Can economic incentive help in reducing food waste: experimental evidence from a university dining hall

We show that a fixed financial incentive reduces the amount of food waste in an all-you-can-eat university-dining hall. Results indicate that the incentive increased the likelihood of students clea...
Perforated small bowel GIST in an immunocompromised male

Gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumor is a relatively rare tumor of the GI tract, with estimated prevalence of 2%, which arises from the interstitial cells of Cajal. Common presentations range from asymptomatic to abdominal pain, bloating, GI bleeding, and anemia. Less-common signs include obstruction and peritonitis. In this case, a young immunocompromised patient experienced a changing symptomatic spectrum with an enlarging abdominal mass, which ultimately perforated, leading to acute peritonitis.
Ethanol induces maladaptive impulse control and decreased seeking behaviors in mice

Waiting impulsivity is a risk factor for many psychiatric disorders including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Highly impulsive individuals are vulnerable to alcohol abuse. However, it is not well understood whether chronic alcohol use increases the propensity for impulsive behavior. Here, we establish a novel experimental paradigm demonstrating that continuous binge-like ethanol exposure progressively leads to maladaptive impulsive behavior. To test waiting impulsivity, we employed the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) in C57BL/6J male mice. We assessed premature responses in the fixed and variable intertrial interval (ITI) 5-CSRTT sessions. We further characterized our ethanol-induced impulsive mice using Open Field, y-maze, two-bottle choice, and an action-outcome task. Our results indicate that continuous binge-like ethanol exposure significantly increased premature responses when mice were tested in variable ITI sessions even during a prolonged abstinent period. Ethanol-induced impulsive mice exhibited anxiety-like behavior during chronic exposures. This behavior was also observed in a separate cohort that was subjected to 20 days of abstinence. Ethanol-treated mice were less motivated for a sucrose reward compared with air-exposed control mice, while also demonstrating reduced responding during action-outcome testing. Overall, ethanol-treated mice demonstrated increased impulsive behavior, but a reduced motivation for a sucrose reward. Although waiting impulsivity has been hypothesized to be a trait or risk factor for AUD, our findings indicate that maladaptive impulse control can also be potentiated or induced by continuous chronic ethanol exposure in mice.
Enhanced recovery after surgery in intramedullary and extramedullary spinal cord lesions: perioperative considerations and recommendations

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is an evidence-based approach developed to ameliorate the patient recovery process following surgical procedures. Employing a multimodal, multidisciplinary approach, ERAS implements strategies and treatment paradigms that have been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce hospital length of stay, and ultimately reduce healthcare costs. With a substantial body of the literature supporting the implementation of ERAS in other surgical specialties, ERAS has only recently made its foray into spine surgery. Despite this, current studies are limited to spinal deformity and degenerative disease, with limited data regarding spinal cord surgery. This is due in part to the complex nature and rarity of spinal cord lesions, making the establishment of a formal ERAS protocol difficult. In developing an ERAS protocol, there must be a consensus on what factors are important to consider and implement. To address this, we reviewed the most recent advances in intramedullary and extramedullary spinal cord surgery in order to identify elements that influence patient outcomes. Using this information, the authors provide evidence-based recommendations with the intent of introducing a framework for future ERAS protocols with respect to treating spinal cord lesions.
The Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors: 2020 and Beyond

![Figure][1] ![Figure][1] ![Figure][1] Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), consisting of ischemic heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, and a number of other cardiac and vascular conditions, constitute the leading cause of global mortality and are a
Loss of myoepithelial calponin-1 characterizes high-risk ductal carcinoma in situ cases, which are further stratified by T cell composition.

A hallmark of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) progression is a loss of the surrounding ductal myoepithelium. However, whether compromise in myoepithelial differentiation, rather than overt cellular loss, can be used to predict the risk of DCIS progression is unknown. Here we address this question utilizing pure and mixed DCIS cases (N = 30) as surrogates for DCIS at low and high risk for progression, respectively. We used multiplex immunohistochemical staining to evaluate the relationship between myoepithelial cell differentiation and lymphoid immune cell types associated with poor prognostic DCIS. Our results show that myoepithelial calponin-1 discriminates between pure and mixed DCIS lesions better than histological subtype, presence of necrosis, or nuclear grade. Additionally, focal loss of myoepithelial cells associated with increased PD-1+CD8+ T cells, which suggests a link between the myoepithelium and immune surveillance. To identify associations between calponin-1 expression and immune response, we performed unsupervised hierarchical clustering of myoepithelial and immune cell biomarkers on 219 DCIS lesions from 30 cases. Notably, the majority of pure (low-risk) DCIS lesions clustered in a high calponin-1, T cell low group, whereas the majority of mixed (high-risk) DCIS lesions clustered in a low calponin-1, T cell high group, specifically with CD8+ and PD-1+CD8+ T cells. However, a subset of pure DCIS lesions had a similar calponin-1 and immune signature as the majority of mixed DCIS lesions, which have low calponin-1 and T cell enrichment-raising the possibility that these pure DCIS lesions might be at a high risk for progression.
Subpixel Melt Index in the Antarctic Peninsula Using Spatially Constrained Linear Unmixing From Time Series Satellite Passive Microwave Images

The inevitable coarse resolutions (~25 km) of satellite passive microwave images introduce large uncertainty to surface melt estimation on Antarctic ice margins. Our test showed that the melt index (MI) of the Austral year 2012-2013 in the Antarctic Peninsula calculated from a high-resolution product of Calibrated Enhanced-Resolution Passive Microwave Daily EASE-Grid 2 Brightness Temperature (CETB) was 33% lower than the original low-resolution Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) images. Therefore, to allow for fractional melt estimation, a subpixel mapping method was adopted in this research to improve the accuracy and reliability of surface melt measurement from passive microwave images. This method uses the least-squares mixture analysis (LSMA) on the time series of daily passive microwave images by taking advantage of their high temporal resolution. The endmembers of the unmixing calculation were collected under the constraint of Voronoi polygons. The fractional MI was calculated by multiplying its area with melt fraction. Using the CETB images as reference, we found that the overestimation of surface melt using the Boolean classification was corrected by the LSMA method. The root-mean-square difference (RMSD) of the MI derived from SSMIS compared with the CETB data was reduced from 0.0104 to 0.0083 x 10⁶ day·km². A log-linear relationship was found between melt fraction and elevation, which showed that melt fraction is inversely correlated with elevation, and topography is a dominant factor for its variation in low elevations. Such a subpixel unmixing analysis on the passive microwave images can improve the accuracy and reliability of surface melt mapping.
Nonlinear mode coupling in a passively isolated mechanical system

Recent studies in passively isolated systems have shown that mode coupling is desirable for better vibration suppression, thus refuting the long-standing rule of modal decoupling. However, these studies have ignored the nonlinearities in the isolators. In this work, we consider stiffness nonlinearity from pneumatic isolators and study the nonlinear forced damped vibrations of a passively isolated ultra-precision manufacturing (UPM) machine. Experimental analysis is conducted to guide the mathematical formulation. The system comprises linearly and nonlinearly coupled in-plane horizontal and rotational motion of the UPM machine with quadratic nonlinear stiffness from the isolators. We present an analytical study using the method of multiple scales and the method of harmonic balance for different cases of external resonances, viz., the primary and the secondary resonances (superharmonic and combined resonances) with 1 : 2 internal resonance between the modes. We further validate our analytical findings using direct numerical integration and observe an excellent match. On extending our analysis, we observe the existence of subcritical, supercritical, and s-shaped bifurcation depending on the location of the isolators and the case of external resonance. Also, the saturation and quasi-saturation phenomenon are observed for the case of resonances close to the higher natural frequency and combined resonance, respectively. A parametric study is conducted to examine the effect of different parameters on the dynamics of the system, and consecutively the critical parameters of the system are identified for different cases of external resonance.
The Peskin Problem with Viscosity Contrast

The Peskin problem models the dynamics of a closed elastic filament immersed in an incompressible fluid. In this paper, we consider the case when the inner and outer viscosities are possibly different. This viscosity contrast adds further non-local effects to the system through the implicit non-local relation between the net force and the free interface. We prove the first global well-posedness result for the Peskin problem in this setting. The result applies for medium size initial interfaces in critical spaces and shows instant analytic smoothing. We carefully calculate the medium size constraint on the initial data. These results are new even without viscosity contrast.
Molecular architecture of postsynaptic Interactomes

The postsynaptic density (PSD) plays an essential role in the organization of the synaptic signaling machinery. It contains a set of core scaffolding proteins that provide the backbone to PSD protein-protein interaction networks (PINs). These core scaffolding proteins can be seen as three principal layers classified by protein family, with DLG proteins being at the top, SHANKs along the bottom, and DLGAPs connecting the two layers. Early studies utilizing yeast two hybrid enabled the identification of direct protein-protein interactions (PPIs) within the multiple layers of scaffolding proteins. More recently, mass-spectrometry has allowed the characterization of whole interactomes within the PSD. This expansion of knowledge has further solidified the centrality of core scaffolding family members within synaptic PINs and provided context for their role in neuronal development and synaptic function. Here, we discuss the scaffolding machinery of the PSD, their essential functions in the organization of synaptic PINs, along with their relationship to neuronal processes found to be impaired in complex brain disorders.
A Comparison of Indexing and Beta Among Pension and Non-Pension Assets

In this article I contrast the investment behavior of institutional portfolios having pension assets with those portfolios having nonpension assets. Differences in incentive compensation plans and regulation give pension executives unique incentives to track benchmark indices. Accordingly, pension assets are more likely than nonpension assets to be allocated to index funds. Also, portfolios composed of pension assets are more likely than other portfolios to (i) have low tracking error in absolute value, (ii) be index funds, and (iii) have market betas close to one. Portfolios with relatively large pension asset market share exhibit similar characteristics, and the tendency to index increases with asset class risk. Actively managed pension assets are also more likely to be invested in lower-risk asset classes than actively managed nonpension assets.
Abstract PO-039: Artificial intelligence-based extracapsular extension prediction in head and neck cancer analysis

Extracapsular extension (ECE) is a decisive indication for treatment planning of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). ECE occurs when metastatic tumor cells within the lymph node break through the nodal capsule into surrounding tissues. It is crucial to identify whether ECE occurs in HNSCC patient treatment. Current ECE detection practice mainly relies on the visual identification of doctors and professionals, which can be extremely labor intensive and time-consuming. Therefore, we aim to automatically perform ECE detection using a machine learning technique to classify whether ECE appears or not. In this research, we propose a systematic machine learning approach to detect ECE from 3D computed tomography (CT) scans. The process includes four steps: 1) apply sliding-cube to extract small 3D samples from patient data; 2) various 3D features are extracted for each sample; and 3) three machine learning models, gradient boosting (GB), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM), with feature extraction and selection approaches, are employed for sample classification task; 4) classify the patient based on sample classification result. Different training scenarios are designed for the experimental test. Based on five-fold cross-validation, the experimental results have demonstrated that our model is able to classify ECE and non-ECE patients. To check the explainability of the models, feature analysis is also conducted. The outcome of this research is expected to promote the implementation of artificial intelligence for ECE classification and detection as well as head and neck cancer diagnosis in the radiology computer vision field. Citation Format: Yibin Wang, William N. Duggar, Toms V. Thomas, Paul Roberts, Linkan Bian, Haifeng Wang. Artificial intelligence-based extracapsular extension prediction in head and neck cancer analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Diagnosis, and Imaging; 2021 Jan 13-14. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(5_Suppl):Abstract nr PO-039.
Implementing a pharmacist-led transition of care model for posttransplant hyperglycemia.

PURPOSE: The implementation of a pharmacist-managed transition of care program for kidney transplant recipients with posttransplant hyperglycemia (PTHG) is described. METHODS: In September 2015, a collaborative practice agreement between pharmacists and transplant providers at an academic medical center for management of PTHG was developed. The goal of the pharmacist-run service was to reduce hospitalizations by providing care to patients in the acute phase of hyperglycemia while they transitioned back to their primary care provider or endocrinologist. For continuous quality improvement, preimplementation data were collected from August 2014 to August 2015 and compared to postimplementation data collected from August 2017 to August 2018. The primary endpoint was hospitalizations due to hyperglycemia within 90 days post transplantation. Secondary endpoints included emergency department (ED) visits due to hypoglycemia and the number of interventions performed, number of encounters completed, and number of ED visits or admissions for hypoglycemia. A Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical data, and a Student t test was used to compare continuous data. A P value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Forty-three patients in the preimplementation group were compared to 35 patients in the postimplementation group. There was a significant reduction in hospitalizations due to hyperglycemia in the postimplementation versus the preimplementation group (9 vs 1, P < 0.05); there was a reduction in ED visits due to hyperglycemia (5 vs 0, P = 0.06). There were no ED visits or hospitalizations due to hypoglycemia in either group. Clinical transplant pharmacists performed an average of 8.3 (SD, 4.4) encounters per patient per 90 days. CONCLUSION: A collaborative practice agreement was created and successfully implemented. A pharmacist-managed PTHG program could be incorporated into the standard care of kidney transplant recipients to help minimize rehospitalizations due to hyperglycemia.
Review of Resting-State Functional Connectivity Methods and Application in Clinical Populations

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the resting state have provided consistent and reliable brain networks defined by spatially distinct regions whose interactions are both functionally segregated and integrated across the whole brain. Functional connections integrate multiple brain systems to produce unique networks attending to the different cognitive and sensory demands of the body. Detection and quantification of functional connectivity has been fundamental to the investigation of behavioral and clinical abnormalities in brain function using noninvasive human neuroimaging. It has expanded our ability to examine the brain physiology and pathophysiology across different age groups and clinical populations. Several techniques exist in literature to identify and quantify the functional connectivity metrics of brain regions using resting-state fMRI. In this chapter, we review the neurophysiological basis of resting-state functional connectivity and give a synopsis of the most established resting-state analysis techniques. We also summarize relevant findings from an array of clinical populations including neuropsychological disorders to emphasize the versatility of resting-state fMRI.
Characterization of UMi031-A-2 inducible pluripotent stem cell line with a neurofibromatosis type 2-associated mutation.

Abstract The UMi031-A-2 hiPSC line contains a CRISPR-induced homozygous, Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) mutation (L64P (CTG > CCG)) in the NF2 gene that encodes a merlin tumor suppressor. This line was generated from an unaffected iPSC line using CRISPR technology and characterized for pluripotency and karyotypic stability. The c.191 T > C variant in NF2 is associated with a syndromic nervous system tumor disorder leading to the development of bilateral vestibular schwannomas. Once differentiated into Schwann cells, UMi031-A-2 can serve as a resource for the analysis of signaling pathways deregulated upon merlin defects and provide a pre-clinical platform for testing therapies for NF2 schwannomas.
Biochemical Assays to Directly Assess Smoothened Activation by a Conformationally Sensitive Nanobody

The Hedgehog signaling pathway coordinates early development and is important in various cancers. Classic approaches to test pathway activation rely on transcriptional readouts or ciliary accumulation of specific pathway components. Although these assays have laid the foundation for studying Hedgehog pathway activation, they integrate the complex molecular actions of the transporter Patched and the seven transmembrane protein Smoothened. Though it is clear that cellular sterols are critical for pathway activity, direct dissection of which sterols drive Smoothened activity is precluded by the complex biosynthetic pathways responsible for cellular sterols. Here we describe a direct method of measuring Smoothened activity in vitro. This assay measures the binding of Smoothened to NbSmo8, a single-domain antibody that is selective for the active-state of Smoothened. Binding of purified Smoothened, reconstituted with specific sterols, to fluorescently labeled NbSmo8 can be rapidly evaluated using a fluorescence-detection size-exclusion chromatography assay. This approach enables a reductionist approach to precisely interrogate the regulatory activities of cellular lipids and sterols during Hedgehog signaling.
Natural Killer Cell Defects

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that play an essential role in immune defense against viral infections and in tumor surveillance. Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDDs) result from genetic abnormalities leading to immune dysregulation and/or immune impairment. In this review we discuss disorders in which NK cell dysfunction is the primary abnormality, as well as disorders in which NK cell dysfunction is one of the features. We provide a framework for evaluating patient with suspected NK cell disorders and strategies for management of these disorders.
Did PPP Loans Distort Business Competition? Evidence from the Hotel Industry

We study the effects of PPP loans on business competition. Hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. airport hotel industry offers a useful empirical setting in which we observe daily prices (room rates), market shares (occupancy), and demand (airport traffic). Older and less profitable hotels were more likely to apply for PPP loans. Hotels with active PPP loans reduced average daily rates, boosting occupancy and revenues per available room compared to competitors without PPP loans. PPP hotels reduced room rates more swiftly and aggressively in response to negative demand shocks and to price drops by non-PPP competitors. Those differences between PPP and non-PPP hotels were reversed once PPP loans expired. We rationalize our findings by introducing temporary cash subsidies into a model of monopolistic competition with differentiated products and heterogeneous production costs. Combining key model constructs with our empirical estimates, we calculate that for the U.S. airport hotel industry in aggregate, with every dollar of PPP subsidies spent, hotels that obtained PPP loans earned 72.3 cents in extra profits and those without PPP loans lost 70.5 cents. Those estimates imply that every dollar of extra profit to a given hotel with a PPP loan cost a given non-PPP rival 18.6 cents. The insights of our model apply to many other sectors of the economy.
Charles C. Fulton (1900–1992), Microcrystal Test Pioneer

Charles C. Fulton was a pioneer in the development of non-aqueous media for microcrystal tests for drugs. His career commenced in the “Untouchable” era of Prohibition and his record of publications began when forensic science literature as such was non-existent. His efforts in drug identification lead him to develop many new reagent media, keep pace with the rapidly expanding number of drugs in the post-war era, and contribute his science to combatting international drug trade by identifying opium sources for the newly created United Nations Secretariat. He authored Modern Microcrystal Tests for Drugs, a text still used in many forensic science laboratories, in 1969, before retiring to pursue eclectic interests including publishing on archeoastronomy, particularly of the Maya.
Reward Variables in Instrumental Conditioning: A Theory

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the behavior of rats in the runway conditioning situation that has been the subject of extensive experimental and theoretical interest for several decades. The training procedure most frequently employed with the runway is instrumental appetitive conditioning and the variables which have been manipulated most frequently may be described as “reward variables.” Delay of reward (DR) is defined by an interval, which is allowed to elapse while the rat is in the goal box before reward is made available. If food is obtained in the goal box on every trial, then the number of rewards is equal to the number of trials and a consistent reward (CR) procedure is in effect. It is possible to vary the percentage of trials rewarded (PTR), however, so that a partial reward procedure is in effect. The relative frequency with which trials are rewarded may also be expressed as a proportion (P).