cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Which MRI sequence of the spine best reveals bone-marrow metastases of neuroblastoma?

Background: MRI is an effective tool in evaluating bone marrow metastases. However, no study has defined which MRI sequences or image characteristics best correlate with bone-marrow metastases in neuroblastoma. Objective: To identify and refine MRI criteria and sequence selection for the diagnosis of bone-marrow metastases in children with neuroblastoma. Materials and methods: Ninety-one children (mean age: 3.2 years; standard deviation: 2.8 years) enrolled in the RDOG IV study participated in our study. Forty-five children had bone metastases determined by bone-marrow aspiration or biopsy (n=4), radionuclide imaging (n=2), or both (n=39). Spine lesions were characterized using coronal T1-weighted (T1W) sagittal short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and coronal gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted (GAD) MR sequences. Contingency table analysis was performed to determine which MRI sequences and characteristics were associated with metastases. The MRI criteria for metastatic disease were then developed for each imaging sequence. The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and accuracy of these criteria were determined for the whole group, children younger than 12 months old, and children 12 months and older. Results: The MR characteristics that had significant (P ≤ 0.05) associations with metastases were homogeneous low T1-signal intensity, homogeneous high STIR-signal intensity, and heterogeneous pattern on T1, STIR, or GAD. Homogeneous low T1-signal had the highest sensitivity (88%), but a specificity of 62% for detecting metastases. A heterogeneous pattern on GAD was highly specific (97%), but relatively insensitive (65%) for detecting metastases. These MR characteristics were most accurate in children 12 months and older. Conclusion: The combination of non-contrast-enhanced T1W and GAD sequences can be used to determine the presence of spinal metastases in children with neuroblastoma, particularly those children who are 1 year and older.
Resistance of weeds to ALS-inhibiting herbicides: what have we learned?

Herbicides that target the enzyme acetolactate synthase (ALS) are among the most widely used in the world. Unfortunately, these herbicides are also notorious for their ability to select resistant (R) weed populations. Now, there are more weed species that are resistant to ALS-inhibiting herbicides than to any other herbicide group. In most cases, resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides is caused by an altered ALS enzyme. The frequent occurrence of weed populations resistant to ALS inhibitors can be attributed to the widespread usage of these herbicides, how they have been used, the strong selection pressure they exert, and the resistance mechanism. In several cropping systems, ALS-inhibiting herbicides were used repeatedly as the primary mechanism of weed control. These herbicides exert strong selection pressure because of their high activity on sensitive biotypes at the rates used and because of their soil residual activity. Several point mutations within the gene encoding ALS can result in a herbicide-resistant ALS. From investigations of numerous R weed biotypes, five conserved amino acids have been identified in ALS that, on substitution, can confer resistance to ALS inhibitors. Substitutions of at least 12 additional ALS amino acids can also confer herbicide resistance in plants and other organisms but, to date, have not been found in R weed populations. Mutations in ALS conferring herbicide resistance are at least partially dominant, and because the gene is nuclear inherited, it is transmitted by both seed and pollen. Furthermore, in many cases there is apparently a negligible fitness cost of the resistance gene in the absence of herbicide selection. Although resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides has been a bane to weed management, it has spurred many advances within and beyond the weed science discipline. As examples, resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides has been exploited in the development of herbicide-resistant crops, studies of weed population dynamics, and in developing protocols for targeted gene modification. Resistance to ALS-inhibiting herbicides has greatly affected weed science by influencing how we view the sustainability of our weed management practices, what we consider when developing and marketing new herbicides, and how we train new weed scientists.
Solving Integral Equations of Nuclear Scattering by Splines

In the definitive work of Faddeev [2] the three-body scattering problem is shown to be reducible to the solution of singular integral equations. We here consider spline approximation techniques to give reliable and computational methods for the numerical solution to these equations.
Sorting out release, uptake and processing of alpha‐synuclein during prion‐like spread of pathology

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that is characterized by the formation of intracellular protein inclusion bodies composed primarily of a misfolded and aggregated form of the protein α-synuclein. There is growing evidence that supports the prion-like hypothesis of α-synuclein progression. This hypothesis postulates that α-synuclein is a prion-like pathological agent and is responsible for the progression of Parkinson pathology in the brain. Potential misfolding or aggregation of α-synuclein that might occur in the peripheral nervous system as a result of some insult, environmental or genetic (or more likely a combination of both) that might spread into the midbrain, eventually causing degeneration of the neurons in the substantia nigra. As the disease progresses further, it is likely that α-synuclein pathology continues to spread throughout the brain, including the cortex, leading to deterioration of cognition and higher brain functions. While it is unknown why α-synuclein initially misfolds and aggregates, a great deal has been learned about how the cell handles aberrant α-synuclein assemblies. In this review, we focus on these mechanisms and discuss them in an attempt to define the role that they might play in the propagation of misfolded α-synuclein from cell-to-cell. The prion-like hypothesis of α-synuclein pathology suggests a method for the transmission of misfolded α-synuclein from one neuron to another. This hypothesis postulates that misfolded α-synuclein becomes aggregation prone and when released and taken up by neighboring cells, seeds further misfolding and aggregation. In this review we examine the cellular mechanisms that are involved in the processing of α-synuclein and how these may contribute to the prion-like propagation of α-synuclein pathology. This article is part of a special issue on Parkinson disease.
A self-adaptive method for frequent pattern mining using a CPU-GPU hybrid model

Frequent pattern mining (FPM) is an important and computationally intensive task in data mining. We present a novel method, CGMM (CPU & GPU based Multi-strategy Mining), for mining frequent patterns that combines the computing power of CPU and GPU to speed up the frequent pattern mining. CGMM employs two different mining strategies and dynamically switches between them; the CPU-based strategy uses FP-tree data structure to perform the mining task on CPU while the GPU-based method converts the allocated data portions to bit vectors to work mainly on GPU. This unique approach has the following advantages compared to the existing methods: (1) utilizes the parallel processing capability of GPU for computationally intensive portions; the flexibility and low memory latency of CPU for the sophisticated data processing needed to manipulate the more complex data structures to enhance the overall performance (2) applies two mining strategies to efficiently mine both sparse and dense databases. The performance evaluation of CGMM on a machine with AMD CPUs and NVIDIA Tesla GPUs shows that in the best cases, the proposed method runs up to 229 times faster than well-known sequential FPM algorithms and 7.2--13.9 times faster than GPApriori, a GPU based algorithm for FPM. In addition to outperforming them, CGMM has more stable performance on both dense and sparse test datasets.
Guilan, a successful irrigation project in Iran

This rapid appraisal study compares the actual and projected performance of a large, rice monoculture irrigation project in the humid climate of the Caspian Sea in Iran. The uniqueness of this project is the co-existence of East-Asia rice farming techniques with advanced technologies of automatic water control found generally in the Mediterranean countries. The paper emphasizes the need to do field tests at the design stage in order to make realistic assumptions on water efficiency and deep percolation. The study confirms that the advanced water control technologies are appropriate for small farm irrigation projects in the humid tropics, a conclusion often debated among experts. The Guilan project now provides some evidence to support that conclusion.
Autocatalytic fluorescence photoactivation.

We designed an autocatalytic photochemical reaction based on the photoinduced cleavage of an α-diketone bridge from the central phenylene ring of a fluorescent anthracene derivative. The product of this photochemical transformation sensitizes its own formation from the reactant, under illumination at a wavelength capable of exciting both species. Specifically, the initial and direct excitation of the reactant generates the product in the ground state. The subsequent excitation of the latter species results in the transfer of energy to another molecule of the former to establish an autocatalytic loop. Comparison of the behavior of this photoactivatable fluorophore with that of a model system and the influence of dilution on the reaction progress demonstrates that the spectral overlap between the emission of the product and the absorption of the reactant together with their physical separation govern autocatalysis. Indeed, both parameters control the efficiency of the resonant transfer of energy that is res...
Optical Characterization of Amorphous SiNx:H Films Prepared by Plasma-Enhanced CVD

Amorphous SiN x :H thin films were prepared by plasma-enhanced CVD process. The effects of preparation conditions on the optical properties, compositions, and deposition rates of a-SiN x :H films were systematically studied by means of spectrophotometer, ellipsometer, and infrared spectroscopy measurements. It has been found that the refractive indices decrease with increasing the NH 3 gas flow rate and the rf power, and increase with increasing the electrode spacing. Conversely, the deposition rates increase with increasing the NH 3 gas flow rate and the rf power, and decrease with increasing the electrode spacing. There was no obvious effect of substrate temperatures ranging from 250 to 320°C on the optical properties and deposition rates of a-SiN x :H films. The decrease of the refractive index and the increase of the deposition rate were due to the increase of the nitrogen composition x occurring in the a-SiN x :H films. Refractive indices n and extinction coefficients k of a-SiN x :H films can be varied from n = 3.6 and k = 0.1 for x = 0 (pure a-Si:H) to n = 1.8 and k = 0 for x = 1.33 (pure a-Si 3 N 4 :H) at the wavelength of 633 nm.
The Fecundity of Hypera postica from Three Locations in the Eastern United States

Field-collected female alfalfa weevils, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), from an area with a low population (New Jersey) produced an average life total of nearly 4200 eggs, while weevils from areas with high populations (Kentucky arid Indiana) produced somewhat fewer eggs (ca. 3100 and 3250 eggs). It is thus unlikely that the much smaller populations of weevils in New Jersey are caused by a lower fecundity of the alfalfa weevil; they are probably a result of the much higher levels of parasitism there. The average daily production per female weevil was 48 eggs. Most eggs were laid during the 1st 60 days of the experiment.
AN OVERVIEW OF PENETRATION TESTING

Penetration testing is a series of activities undertaken to identify and exploit security vulnerabilities. It helps confirm the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the security measures that have been implemented. This paper provides an overview of penetration testing. It discusses the benefits, the strategies and the methodology of conducting penetration testing. The methodology of penetration testing includes three phases: test preparation, test and test analysis. The test phase involves the following steps: information gathering, vulnerability analysis, and vulnerability exploit. This paper further illustrates how to apply this methodology to conduct penetration testing on two example web applications.
High Pressure Potassium Polyhydrides: A Chemical Perspective

Doping hydrogen by an impurity has emerged as a possible route toward the metallization of hydrogen at experimentally achievable pressures. Evolutionary structure searches coupled with density func...
Fast forecasting of ocean channel’s effects on demon spectrum with ray model

Demon spectrum is one of the characters of ship radiated noise.It can be used as an important basis in target identification.Target identification could be improved if ocean channel’s effects on Demon spectrum propagation can be forecasted quickly.The method of quickly forecasting the effects of ocean channel on Demon spectrum is proposed and analyzed theoretically.Changes of Demon spectrum verses receiving distance in some typical channels are calculated.Effects of sound profile,waterbed parameters,depth of source and receiver on Demon spectrum propagation are ana-lyzed.
Informal Judicial Hierarchies: Case Assignment and Chamber Composition at the European Court of Justice

Is there a rationale behind non-random case assignment at the European Court of Justice (ECJ)? This paper makes two contributions to the emerging literature on the internal organization of the Court. On a theoretical level, I argue that the flexible system of case assignment effectively creates an “informal judicial hierarchy”, allowing the majority of the judges to curb the influence of judges with outlier preferences. While such an informal judicial hierarchy potentially carries a number of negative implications, I argue that the ECJ needs it in order to ensure both the consistency of its decision-making and its effectiveness as an institution. In its empirical part, the paper addresses the question whether there is evidence of such strategic behavior on the part of the majority of judges. Using Monte Carlo simulations, I first show that the system of chamber assignment in the time period 2009-2012 effectively reduced the variance of the median judges in proceedings before the Court as compared to a hypothetical system of chamber assignment as it is featured, for example, at the U.S. Federal Courts of Appeals. Second, I develop a test to determine whether this reduction in the variance of median judges is due to strategic behavior on the part of the majority of judges. I find weak evidence in favor of the hypothesis that such strategic behavior takes place.
Simulation Analysis on Constant Pressure Variable Displacement Pump Based on AMESim

A simulation study on constant pressure variable characteristic with the help of AMESim was done,the characteristic of oil pressure and flow rate for the pump were gained,it can be a reference for the constant pressure variable displacement pump and AMESim simulation application.
The effect of polyamines on the synthesis of ribonucleic acid by Drosophila melanogaster larvae.

1. To elucidate further the possible role of polyamines in the synthesis of nuclei acids, a study of the effect of exogenously administered amines on the synthesis of RNA by Drosophila melanogaster larvae was undertaken. This system was chosen because of the previous investigations [Dion, A.S. & Herbst, E.J. (1967) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 58, 2367-2371; Herbst, E.J. & Dion, A.S. (1970) Fed. Proc. Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol. 29, 1563-1567] relating putrescine and spermidine to growth and development of Drosophila.
Trends in hospital admission and surgical procedures following ed visits for diverticulitis

Introduction: Diverticulitis is a common diagnosis in the emergency department (ED). Outpatient management of diverticulitis is safe in selected patients, yet the rates of admission and surgical procedures following ED visits for diverticulitis are unknown, as are the predictive patient characteristics. Our goal is to describe trends in admission and surgical procedures following ED visits for diverticulitis, and to determine which patient characteristics predict admission. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional descriptive analysis using data on ED visits from 2006-2011 to determine change in admission and surgical patterns over time. The Nationwide Emergency DepartmentSample database, a nationally representative administrative claims dataset, was used to analyze ED visits for diverticulitis. We included patients with a principal diagnosis of diverticulitis (ICD-9 codes562.11, 562.13). We analyzed the rate of admission and surgery in all admitted patients and in low-risk patients, defined as age <50 with no comorbidities (Elixhauser). We used hierarchical multivariate logistic regression to identify patient characteristics associated with admission for diverticulitis. Results: From 2006 to 2011 ED visits for diverticulitis increased by 21.3% from 238,248 to 302,612, while the admission rate decreased from 55.7% to 48.5% (-7.2%, 95% CI [–7.78 to -6.62]; p<0.001 for trend). The admission rate among low-risk patients decreased from 35.2% in 2006 to 26.8% in 2011 (-8.4%, 95% CI [–9.6 to –7.2]; p<0.001 for trend). Admission for diverticulitis was independently associated with male gender, comorbid illnesses, higher income and commercial health insurance.The surgical rate decreased from 6.5% in 2006 to 4.7% in 2011 (-1.8%, 95% CI [–2.1 to –1.5]; p<0.001 for trend), and among low-risk patients decreased from 4.0% to 2.2% (- 1.8%, 95% CI [–4.5 to –1.7]; p<0.001 for trend). Conclusion: From 2006 to 2011 ED visits for diverticulitis increased, while ED admission rates andsurgical rates declined, with comorbidity, sociodemographic factors predicting hospitalization. Future work should focus on determining if these differences reflect increased disease prevalence, increased diagnosis, or changes in management.
Bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome (BADAS) in a pediatric patient

Bowel-associated dermatosis-arthritis syndrome (BADAS) is a recurrent and episodic neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by erythematous macules, which quickly evolve into papules and vesiculopustules on the trunk and upper extremities.1, 2 Originally only associated with bariatric surgery,3 BADAS is now reported secondary to gastrointestinal disease.4 Although typically seen in adults, we report a case of a 4-year-old patient with numerous scattered hemorrhagic vesicles and flu-like symptoms whose biopsy specimen revealed a neutrophilic infiltrate consistent with BADAS. To our knowledge, this is the youngest reported case of BADAS in English-language literature.
Cw nonlinear optics in droplet microcavities

There has been considerable interest recently in studies of optical microresonators having dimensions between 0.1 and 10 μm.1 These microresonators can be used to fabricate very-low-threshold micro lasers or to observe interesting nonlinear-optical and molecular-photophysical effects. In particular, resonators relying on whispering-gallery-mode geometries are attractive because of the ease in obtaining high-Q cavity quality factors and in observing so-called cavity-QED phenomena.2,4 The spherical cavity is the simplest of this class of cavities, both to fabricate and to analyze.2 Gene rally, transparent droplets .5-1(10 pm in diameter are found to act as natural resonators.
A toxic timeline

In the 1970s, residents of a Niagara Falls neighborhood realized that chemicals from a toxic waste dump had leached into their homes, parks, and neighborhood school. Their cancers, miscarriages, and myriad chronic ailments told the tale, and in 1978 they organized, filed lawsuits, and demanded intervention. The federal government eventually complied, evacuating the residents and creating the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund Act, which provides a framework for cleaning up such sites. In his new book, Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present, Richard S. Newman urges us to see the Love Canal disaster stretched out in time, rooted in the long history of the Niagara Falls area. The crisis itself, he says, was an outcome of patterns established generations earlier that pitted developmental pressures against environmental and human health and created a "cycle of disposable land use that had long dominated area politics and economics."
Impact of Family Structure Changes on Child Wellbeing

The family is the basic social unit which plays an important role in care, nurturing and socialization of children. Family systems theorists postulated that the family is an organized unit where family-level processes effect children (Marsanic & Kusmic, 2013). They contextualized the child with the reference to family system and conceive its wellbeing dependent on its entire functioning (McKeown & Sweeny, 2001). This paper analyzes the impact of the change of family structures on child wellbeing in Western developed countries and Western Balkan countries during the last decades. Using secondary data, it concludes that more longitudina l and cross-sectional research is needed to understand the direct impact of the change of the family structure on child wellbeing. It highlights the importance of application of multidimensiona l interventions that promote a sustainable family institution and child wellbeing.
Dimerization Controls Marburg Virus VP24-dependent Modulation of Host Antioxidative Stress Responses

Marburg virus (MARV), a member of the Filoviridae family that also includes Ebola virus (EBOV), causes lethal hemorrhagic fever with case fatality rates that have exceeded 50% in some outbreaks. Within an infected cell, there are numerous host-viral interactions that contribute to the outcome of infection. Recent studies identified MARV protein 24 (mVP24) as a modulator of the host antioxidative responses, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Using a combination of biochemical and mass spectrometry studies, we show that mVP24 is a dimer in solution that directly binds to the Kelch domain of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) to regulate nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). This interaction between Keap1 and mVP24 occurs through the Kelch interaction loop (K-Loop) of mVP24 leading to upregulation of antioxidant response element transcription, which is distinct from other Kelch binders that regulate Nrf2 activity. N-terminal truncations disrupt mVP24 dimerization, allowing monomeric mVP24 to bind Kelch with higher affinity and stimulate higher antioxidative stress response element (ARE) reporter activity. Mass spectrometry-based mapping of the interface revealed overlapping binding sites on Kelch for mVP24 and the Nrf2 proteins. Substitution of conserved cysteines, C209 and C210, to alanine in the mVP24 K-Loop abrogates Kelch binding and ARE activation. Our studies identify a shift in the monomer-dimer equilibrium of MARV VP24, driven by its interaction with Keap1 Kelch domain, as a critical determinant that modulates host responses to pathogenic Marburg viral infections.
Propofol in the treatment of refractory migraine headaches.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Refractory/intractable migraine headaches are associated with chronic pain that does not respond to standard care of treatment. Propofol(2,6-diisopropylphenol) in sub-anesthetic doses has been reported to be beneficial in such patients. The present article describes the complete drug profile of propofol in the management of these super-refractory migraine headaches.Areas covered: The article covers different preclinical and clinical studies available in the literature.Expert commentary: Propofol is useful as an off-label drug molecule in an emergency situation of refractory migraines where it has been found to reduce the pain intensity. The molecule with a narrow therapeutic index and high abuse potential is prescribed only when conventional drugs fail to deliver any relief. There are not adequate double-blind crossover studies that substantiate the effectiveness of propofol in the treatment of migraine headaches. Furthermore, long-term outcomes for the use of propofol in migraine he...
Fetal Valproate Syndrome in Siblings

Clinical and neurodevelopmental findings in four children (two sibling pairs) exposed in utero to valproic acid are reported from the Departments of Paediatrics and Human Genetics, University of Witaterstrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
A novel sublithographic tunnel diode based 5V-only flash memory

A novel tunnel diode has been developed for high-density 5-V-only flash memories. The memory tunnel diode is remote from the channel, self-aligned, sublithographic, and scalable. This remote tunnel diode provides several advantages over a conventional tunnel diode: higher junction breakdown voltage, reduced substrate current during erase, reduced tunnel oxide area, reduced cell area, and competitive cell endurance. A 256-kb 5-V-only flash memory incorporating this tunnel diode is shown to have excellent operation and reliability characteristics. >
Role of T Lymphocytes in Type 2 Diabetes and Diabetes-Associated Inflammation

Although a critical role of adaptive immune system has been confirmed in driving local and systemic inflammation in type 2 diabetes and promoting insulin resistance, the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. Inflammatory regulation has been focused on innate immunity especially macrophage for a long time, while increasing evidence suggests T cells are crucial for the development of metabolic inflammation and insulin resistance since 2009. There was growing evidence supporting the critical implication of T cells in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. We will discuss the available effect of T cells subsets in adaptive immune system associated with the procession of T2DM, which may unveil several potential strategies that could provide successful therapies in the future.
Non-Invasive Radiofrequency Field Treatment to Produce Hepatic Hyperthermia: Efficacy and Safety in Swine

The Kanzius non-invasive radio-frequency hyperthermia system (KNiRFH) has been investigated as a treatment option for hepatic hyperthermia cancer therapy. The treatment involves exposing the patient to an external high-power RF (13.56 MHz) electric field, whereby the propagating waves penetrate deep into the tumor causing targeted heating based on differential tissue dielectric properties. However, a comprehensive examination of the Kanzius system alongside any associated toxicities and its ability to induce hepatic hyperthermia in larger animal models, such as swine, are the subjects of the work herein. Ten Yucatan female mini-swine were treated with the KNiRFH system. Two of the pigs were treated a total of 17 times over a five-week period to evaluate short- and long-term KNiRFH-associated toxicities. The remaining eight pigs were subjected to single exposure sessions to evaluate heating efficacy in liver tissue. Our goal was to achieve a liver target temperature of 43°C and to evaluate toxicities and burns post-treatment. Potential toxicities were evaluated by contrast-enhanced MRI of the upper abdomen and blood work, including complete metabolic panel, complete blood count, and liver enzymes. The permittivities of subcutaneous fat and liver were also measured, which were used to calculate tissue specific absorption rates (SAR). Our results indicate negligible KNiRFH-associated toxicities; however, due to fat overheating, liver tissue temperature did not exceed 38.5°C. This experimental limitation was corroborated by tissue permittivity and SAR calculations of subcutaneous fat and liver. Significant steps must be taken to either reduce subcutaneous fat heating or increase localized heating, potentially through the use of KNiRFH-active nanomaterials, such as gold nanoparticles or single-walled carbon nanotubes, which have previously shown promising results in murine cancer models.
Thierry Lefebvre, La Chair et le celluloïd: le cinéma chirurgical du docteur Doyen , Brionne, Jean Doyen, 2004, pp. 143, illus., €20 (paperback 2-9522431-0-7). (Orders to: Jean Doyen, 33–35 Valleville, 27800 Brionne, France.)

Eugene Louis Doyen (1859–1916) was a French surgeon renowned for his hysterectomies, amputations, and trepanations. He also was well known for a maverick temperament, a penchant for duelling, and for unorthodox methods and technologies. As Thierry Lefebvre emphasizes in his preface, this book is not a biography of a figure who led a “rich, protean, and, to be frank, somewhat confused existence”. Instead, Lefebvre's aim is “to question the relationship between Doyen and images and, indirectly, to investigate the conditions that presided over the beginnings of scientific cinematography” (p. 24).
Unique interactions of interpersonal trauma and positive peer and family experiences on traumatic distress among pediatric primary care patients

Individuals with histories of interpersonal trauma are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Risk of PTSD is particularly salient during critical periods of development, such as adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, little is known about the unique effects and interactions of protective factors and interpersonal trauma on PTSD symptoms in adolescents and young adults. The current study tested whether positive peer and family experiences decrease the associations between interpersonal trauma and PTSD symptoms and whether these associations differed by victim–perpetrator relationships. Participants included 3,618 adolescents and young adults (aged 14-24 years) who completed the Behavioral Health Screen—a web-based screening tool that assesses psychiatric symptoms and associated risk factors—during a routine visit across 10 primary care sites in Pennsylvania. In support of the stress buffering hypothesis, results revealed that positive peer and family experiences buffered the eff...
Evaluating Community Pharmacy Responses About Levonorgestrel Emergency Contraception by Mystery Caller Characteristics

Abstract Purpose Since restrictions on nonprescription sales were removed in 2013, levonorgestrel emergency contraception (EC) should be available without a prescription at pharmacies for consumers of all genders and ages. Using mystery callers, we assessed variations in availability of and access to EC. Methods In 2015–2016, three sets of mystery callers (two female physicians, two adolescent females, and two adolescent males) each called all licensed retail pharmacies in five U.S. cities using standardized call scripts. Scripts assessed same-day availability and subsequent access to EC for 17-year-olds. Data on various characteristics of calls were collected and compared by caller type. Results Among the 993 pharmacies called, same-day availability for EC was approximately 80%, with no differences by caller types ( p = .34). However, 10.7% of calls made by the adolescent male caller and 8.3% made by the adolescent female caller resulted in incorrectly being told they could not obtain EC based on age, compared to only 1.6% of calls made by the physician ( p p p Conclusions Persistent barriers to accessing EC exist for adolescents despite regulatory changes to make EC available over-the-counter, especially for females. Additional work to remove these barriers is needed to assure timely access for those who require effective pregnancy prevention.
Grit and Ambition are Associated with Better Neurocognitive and Everyday Functioning Among Adults Living with HIV

Grit and ambition are psychological factors that may protect neurocognitive function among persons living with HIV (PLWH). We examined associations between grit, ambition, premorbid verbal intellectual function, and current neurocognitive and everyday functioning among PLWH and persons without HIV (HIV-). 120 PLWH and 94 HIV- adults completed the Grit Scale (includes total score and consistency of interests and perseverance of effort subscales), ambition scale, and a comprehensive neurobehavioral battery. PLWH had lower grit scores than HIV- adults. The two groups did not differ on ambition. No relationship was observed between grit and cognition among HIV- adults. Among PLWH, however, higher perseverance of effort and more ambition was related to better global neurocognitive functioning, and higher grit, but not ambition, was related to independence in daily functioning. Longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate these relationships over time and examine whether grit or ambition have protective effects on cognitive outcomes among PLWH.
Three-dimensional variations of the slab geometry correlate with earthquake distributions at the Cascadia subduction system

Significant along-strike variations of seismicity are observed at subduction zones, which are strongly influenced by physical properties of the plate interface and rheology of the crust and mantle lithosphere. However, the role of the oceanic side of the plate boundary on seismicity is poorly understood due to the lack of offshore instrumentations. Here tomographic results of the Cascadia subduction system, resolved with full-wave ambient noise simulation and inversion by integrating dense offshore and onshore seismic datasets, show significant variations of the oceanic lithosphere along strike and down dip from spreading centers to subduction. In central Cascadia, where seismicity is sparse, the slab is imaged as a large-scale low-velocity feature near the trench, which is attributed to a highly hydrated and strained oceanic lithosphere underlain by a layer of melts or fluids. The strong correlation suggests that the properties of the incoming oceanic plate play a significant role on seismicity.
56 Phase Transformations in Silica-Alumina Catalysts

Synthetic silica-alumina catalysts containing 25% alumina are converted to gamma-alumina and mullite when thermally treated at 700-1250°. The phase transformation is accompanied by loss of catalytic activity and by collapse of the porous structure of the catalyst. The gamma-alumina phase is formed apparently by crystallization of the amorphous alumina in the catalyst, while the mullite formation apparently results from a combined silica-alumina amorphous phase. At sufficiently high temperature all alumina is converted to mullite. Silicaalumina catalysts made from more stable silicas have a greater tendency to form gamma-alumina. Such catalysts have lower initial catalytic activity and maintain relatively high catalytic activity after steam deactivation.
Content of Stable Strontium in Man and Animal Biota

Until the atomic era Sr2+ was of limited biological interest, being used primarily to remove traces of gas from vacuum tubes and to impart red color for tracer bullets, signal rockets, flares, and fireworks (1). To a limited degree Sr2+ compounds are also used in ceramics, drugs, greases, and special iron compositions. In 1968 a mere 12,500 tons of Sr2+ were produced in the free world (2). The advent of radioactive Sr2+, a fission product of nuclear reaction, presented a radiological hazard to the biosphere because of its long half-life (28 years), its affinity for deposition in bone, and its similarity to Ca2+. The voluminous literature concerning radiological effects of90 Sr, its distribution in the biosphere and transport through the food chain, and the dynamics of Sr2+ metabolism in man, lower animals, and plants significantly contributed to our knowledge of the naturally occurring stable element, although their effects have nothing in common except affinity to bone.
A tree representation for parallel problem solving

A tree-representation for problem-solving suited for parallel processing is proposed. We give a formal definition of REDUCE-OR trees and illustrate it with a detailed example. Each node of the proposed tree denotes a completely described subproblem. When literals share variables, it permits solutions from one literal to prune the search space for the other literals. Attempts to get such pruning with AND-OR trees lose a significant form of 'OR parallelism'. An alternative strategy for searching AND-OR trees leads to the SLD trees, which miss the 'AND-parallelism'. The REDUCE-OR trees are especially useful for problems with a generate-and-test flavor.
Abstract 394: ApoE3-containing High Density Lipoprotein Serves as a Multifunctional Platform for Delivery of Gold Nanoparticles for Hyperthermic Treatment

We have developed a novel HDL-based multifunctional platform for transport and delivery of highly hydrophobic gold nanoparticles (AuNP) bearing photothermic properties. We exploit the ability of ap...
Prevalence and Preliminary Validation of Screening Criteria to Identify Carriers of Germline BAP1 Mutations.

Abstract Introduction Inherited mutations are easily detected factors that influence the disease courses and optimal treatment strategies of some cancers. Germline mutations in BRCA1 associated protein 1 (BAP1) are associated with unique disease profiles in mesothelioma, atypical spitz nevi, and uveal melanoma, but the patient characteristics of an unselected population of BAP1 carriers identified by an ascertainment prevalence study are unknown. Methods We collected blood samples, cancer histories, and occupational exposures from 183 unselected patients with BAP1-related diseases. Clinical information for each patient was obtained from medical records. Germline DNA was extracted from blood samples and sequenced using a next-generation sequencing assay. We tested screening criteria developed to identify patients with a possible germline BAP1 mutation. Results Pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline BAP1 mutations were observed in 5 of 180 sequenced specimens and were exclusively found in patients identified by our screening criteria. Several patients with characteristics suspicious for a heritable deleterious mutation did not have a germline BAP1 mutation. The prevalence of pathogenic germline BAP1 mutations in patients with mesothelioma was 4.4% (95% confidence interval 1.1–11.1). Conclusions Results from the first unselected prevalence ascertainment study of germline BAP1 alterations suggest that the frequency of this mutation is low among patients with mesothelioma. The proposed screening criteria successfully identified all patients with germline BAP1-mutant mesothelioma. These screening guidelines may assist physicians in selecting patients who would benefit from genetic testing. Future efforts should validate and refine these criteria and search for other germline mutations associated with mesothelioma and related diseases.
Cognitive processes that indirectly affect olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction Accurate early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease is hampered by its long prodromal period and the variable manifestations of its motor symptoms. While olfactory dysfunction can occur before motor-symptom onset and serve as a non-disease-specific diagnostic aid, its underlying causes are incompletely understood. Methods Correlation analyses, univariate density estimates, ANOVA and regression evaluated relationships between scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and those on the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test in 1280 Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative subjects placed into five diagnostic categories. Structural equation modeling identified cognitive measures having significant indirect effects on olfactory-function-test scores. Results Global cognition, verbal learning and memory, attention, delayed-recall, and visuospatial/executive function scores show weak-to-moderate, significant associations with olfactory-function-test scores. Associations are stronger in symptomatic than asymptomatic subjects having mutations in LRRK2, GBA or SNCA. Score distributions are nonuniform across diagnostic categories. Linear regression found that all cognitive measures except attention predicted olfactory-function-test scores. Three structural equation models assessing indirect effects of verbal learning/memory with either global cognition, visuospatial/executive function, or delayed-recall had a good statistical fit to the data. Only verbal learning/memory scores significantly help explain olfactory-function-test scores in all symptomatic diagnostic categories (-0.56 < b < -0.23, 0.001 < P < .005). Visuospatial/executive-function test scores help explain olfactory-function-test scores in both genetic Parkinson's disease diagnostic categories (-0.25 < b < -0.17, 0.032 < P < .033). Conclusion Impaired verbal learning/memory and visuospatial/executive function contributes to lower performance on olfactory function tests in Parkinson's disease. As both of these domains impact decision-making, decision-making in turn may impact olfactory assessment in Parkinson's disease.
The Black/White Skill Gap in Early Childhood: The Role of Parenting:

Researchers have sought to understand why cognitive skill disparities between black and white children persist in American society, but the most thorough examinations study school-aged children dur...
245 – Carboxypeptidase MeCPA

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the structural chemistry and the biological aspects of carboxypeptidase MeCPA. The MeCPA cDNA shows an open reading frame of 1,254 base pairs equivalent to 418 amino acid residues. There is a 23-residue signal peptide. The expressed protein had its N-terminus at position 99, indicating a 75 residue propeptide. The organism appears to have only a single copy of this gene. The enzyme is 37% identical to human carboxypeptidase A2 and 35% to Al. The fungal carboxypeptidase is most closely related to the digestive carboxypeptidases and not the regulatory carboxypeptidases of higher animals. Alignment of sequences based on bovine carboxypeptidase A numbering show conservation of the zinc-binding ligands His69, Glu72 and His 196, and catalytic Glu270 and Arg 127 , and of various substrate anchoring and positioning residues. Enzyme protein was expressed in Hi-5 insect cells infected with Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus with MeCPA replacing the polyhedrin gene. Enzyme was separated from collected medium by affinity chromatography on Gly-L-Tyrazobenzylsuccinate.
Modern Large-Scale Data Management Systems after 40 Years of Consensus

Modern large-scale data management systems utilize consensus protocols to provide fault tolerance. Consensus protocols are extensively used in the distributed database infrastructure of large enterprises such as Google, Amazon, and Facebook as well as permissioned blockchain systems like IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric. In the last four decades, numerous consensus protocols have been proposed to cover a broad spectrum of distributed database systems. On one hand, distributed networks might be synchronous, partially synchronous, or asynchronous, and on the other hand, infrastructures might consist of crashonly nodes, Byzantine nodes or both. In addition, a consensus protocol might follow a pessimistic or optimistic strategy to process transactions. Furthermore, while traditional consensus protocols assume a priori known set of nodes, in permissionless blockchains, nodes are assumed to be unknown. Finally, consensus protocols have explored a variety of performance trade-offs between the number of phases/messages (latency), the number of required nodes, message complexity, and the activity level of participants. In this tutorial, we discuss consensus protocols that are used in modern large-scale data management systems, classify them into different categories based on their assumptions on network synchrony, failure model of nodes, etc., and elaborate on their main advantages and limitations.
Financial Literacy Among Health Professions Graduate Students.

AIMS The impact of student debt management on mental health, career choices, and advanced training in allied health professions is unknown. The purpose of this project was to pilot a survey that identifies students' financial literacy and self-efficacy. METHODS A cross-sectional survey containing 43 items related to financial habits, savings knowledge, credit and borrowing strategies, and investment knowledge was administered to assess financial literacy, self-efficacy, and career plans in a group of health professions graduate students. RESULTS 134 of 268 surveys were completed by a variety of health professions. Financial habits and credit and borrowing categories scored the highest at 50% correct. Students scored the lowest on investment knowledge with an average of 25% correct responses. The overall mean self-efficacy score was 15.5±3.8. Three independent variables had a significant correlation of determination with overall financial literacy, which included marital status, older age, and individuals who identified as white non-Hispanic. Similarly, identification as white non-Hispanic had a significant correlation of determination with financial self-efficacy, but there were no significant differences based on age or marital status. CONCLUSIONS Allied health students demonstrated low financial literacy and self-efficacy. Health care educators should consider delivering educational content to address these deficits.
Fractional diffusion: recovering the distributed fractional derivative from overposed data

There has been considerable recent study in 'subdiffusion' models that replace the standard parabolic equation model by a one with a fractional derivative in the time variable. There are many ways to look at this newer approach and one such is to realize that the order of the fractional derivative is related to the time scales of the underlying diffusion process. This raises the question of what order ? of derivative should be taken and if a single value actually suffices. This has led to models that combine a finite number of these derivatives each with a different fractional exponent and different weighting value c k to better model a greater possible range of time scales. Ultimately, one wants to look at a situation that combines derivatives in a continuous way?the so-called distributional model with parameter . However all of this begs the question of how one determines this 'order' of differentiation. Recovering a single fractional value has been an active part of the process from the beginning of fractional diffusion modeling and if this is the only unknown then the markers left by the fractional order derivative are relatively straightforward to determine. In the case of a finite combination of derivatives this becomes much more complex due to the more limited analytic tools available for such equations, but recent progress in this direction has been made, (Li et al 2015 Appl. Math. Comput. 257 381?97, Li and Yamamoto 2015 Appl. Anal. 94 570?9). This paper considers the full distributional model where the order is viewed as a function on the interval (0, 1]. We show existence, uniqueness and regularity for an initial-boundary value problem including an important representation theorem in the case of a single spatial variable. This is then used in the inverse problem of recovering the distributional coefficient from a time trace of the solution and a uniqueness result is proven.