cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microscopy techniques for the analysis of EPR cable insulation

Routine microscopic examination of EPR insulated cables and cable accessories has been hampered by a lack of adequate sample preparation methods and established microscopic inspection techniques. During the course of our analyses of failures in EPR insulated cables and accessories, we have developed routine methods for the preparation of continuous ribbons or “slinkies” of EPR insulation as thin as 2 mils. Methods for the examination of these materials in transmitted illumination with the polarizing microscope have been developed. Techniques for the identification of contaminants and filler agglomerates with the Scanning Electron Microscope and X-ray Emission Spectroscopy have also been perfected. The measurement of void and filler particle size distributions in EPR insulation has been facilitated through the use of computerized image analysis. Development of macroscopic observation techniques to allow the inspection of insulation for homogeneity of filler distribution has been completed. In addition, these novel techniques allow for the inspection of the insulation/shield interfaces for protrusions, voids, and contaminants. Preliminary techniques have been devised for staining of water and electrical trees within EPR insulation.
Renal Cell Carcinoma Causing a Selective Mineralocorticoid Insufficiency

AbstractWe report on a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma in whom adrenal insufficiency developed and initially was mistaken for the debility of advanced cancer. Laboratory data revealed a discrete mineralocorticoid deficiency. Autopsy documented replacement of the adrenal glands with metastatic carcinoma. The problem of adequately screening for mineralocorticoid as well as glucocorticoid insufficiency in cancer patients is discussed.
An Investigation of the Presence of Atmospheric Rivers over the North Pacific during Planetary-Scale Wave Life Cycles and Their Role in Arctic Warming

AbstractHeretofore, the tropically excited Arctic warming (TEAM) mechanism put forward that localized tropical convection amplifies planetary-scale waves, which transport sensible and latent heat into the Arctic, leading to an enhancement of downward infrared radiation and Arctic surface warming. In this study, an investigation is made into the previously unexplored contribution of the synoptic-scale waves and their attendant atmospheric rivers to the TEAM mechanism. Reanalysis data are used to conduct a suite of observational analyses, trajectory calculations, and idealized model simulations. It is shown that localized tropical convection over the Maritime Continent precedes the peak of the planetary-scale wave life cycle by ~10–14 days. The Rossby wave source induced by the tropical convection excites a Rossby wave train over the North Pacific that amplifies the climatological December–March stationary waves. These amplified planetary-scale waves are baroclinic and transport sensible and latent heat pol...
Atomistic Modeling of Sulfur Vacancy Diffusion Near Iron Pyrite Surfaces

Through density functional calculations, we investigated the diffusion of isolated sulfur vacancies (VS) from the bulk of iron pyrite (cubic FeS2) to the (100) and (111) surfaces. The influence of vacancy depth on the vacancy formation energy and the activation energy for vacancy diffusion are discussed. Significantly, we find that VS defects tend to migrate toward stoichiometric and sulfur-rich surfaces through sequential “intra-dimer” and “inter-dimer” hops. We find a pre-exponential constant (D0) of 9 × 10–7 m2 s–1 and an activation energy (E) of 1.95 eV for sulfur vacancy diffusion in bulk pyrite, corresponding to a vacancy diffusion coefficient DV = D0 exp(−E/kT) = 9 × 10–40 m2 s–1 at 25 °C and 5 × 10–18 m2 s–1 at 600 °C. The activation energy is smaller near the surface (e.g., E = 1.5 eV near the stoichiometric (100) surface), resulting in faster vacancy diffusion near the surface than in the bulk. Using the formation enthalpy of VS at the (100) surface, E = 2.37 eV, we find a sulfur diffusivity in ...
A low-power adjustable bandwidth biomedical signals acquisition SoC for continuous health monitoring system

A low-power biomedical signal acquisition SoC is proposed for continuous health monitoring system. The SoC fully integrates a low-noise analog front-end (AFE), a current-steering low-pass filter (CSLPF), and an output buffer. A DC-rejection loop and a chopping function are added to enhance the noise performance. For processing various bio-signals, the bandwidth can be adjusted to extract the signals in specific bands. The SoC, designed in a standard 0.13μm CMOS technology, passes signals from 0.3Hz to 154Hz and from 0.5Hz to 117Hz with a simulated input referred noise of 0.4μVrms and achieves maximum gains of 36dB and 42dB respectively. The power consumption is 1μW from a 1V DC supply voltage.
Novel Spike based Reservoir Node Design with High Performance Spike Delay Loop

With the emerging cutting-edge semiconductor nanotechnologies, reservoir computing has shifted the focus from software implementation towards hardware and optical implementations over the last few decades. Nowadays, in the field of reservoir computing, pure analog implementation with the employment of CMOS nanotechnology has attracted a worldwide attention. In this paper, we introduce a spike-based analog reservoir node with compact delay performing at extremely high accuracy. The detailed work on this novel spike processor working in near chaotic condition is presented and analyzed. Furthermore, we announce a novel class of spike-based delay loop which enables the pure spike implementation of reservoir computing. The simulation results demonstrated that our delay loop possesses exceptionally high accuracy of 99.24% and gain-hold property without adopting any kind of amplifiers. Our proposed reservoir node has shown the potential of transforming spike signals to a high-dimensional state space.
Regions of Star Formation

Present-day star formation takes place within molecular clouds whose interiors are hidden from view at optical wavelengths by an obscuring veil of interstellar dust. Star-forming regions can nevertheless be observed in considerable detail at infrared, millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths.
Realizing Capabilities in Ethiopia: Maximizing Early Childhood Investment for Impact and Equity

AbstractEnhanced early childhood care development (ECCD) holds great promise for enabling children to realize their full potential and enjoy greater opportunities and rights. In Ethiopia, two types of ECCD centers (government and community supported) were randomly assigned to standard or enhanced quality (emergent literacy and math—ELM) treatments to enable an impact evaluation of early childhood intervention quality on child development outcomes. The children attending these centers are also compared to a group of children without access to ECCD programs. The International Development and Early Learning Assessment administered to the same children twice within seven months’ time reveals that provision of an enhanced early childhood program yields greater impact and equity. Effect sizes in emergent language and literacy, emergent math and social–emotional development domains range from 0.27 to 0.53 for the standard ECCD provision, while enhanced ELM intervention has effect sizes over one standard deviatio...
Machine Learning Applied to Alzheimer Disease.

The diagnostic test described by Collij et al has three important features, each of which could influence its clinical potential: (a) measurement of cerebral blood flow, a physiological parameter relevant to Alzheimer disease; (b) arterial spin labeling MR imaging, a relatively novel, noninvasive signal intensity detection scheme; and (c) a contemporary machine learning approach to image analysis.
Categorizing Character: Moving Beyond the Aristotelian Framework

Philosophers have inherited a familiar taxonomy of character types from Aristotle. We are all acquainted with the labels of the virtuous, vicious, continent, and incontinent person. The virtuous are said to have the best moral character, the vicious the worst, with the continent person’s character closer to being virtuous and the incontinent person’s character closer to being vicious.The goal of this paper is to argue that we should jettison this framework
Abstract POSTER-TECH-1122: Mass spectrometric imaging of ovarian cancer mouse model tissue: searching for high-grade serous carcinoma biomarkers

High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and deadliest ovarian cancer responsible for 90% of all ovarian cancer deaths. Studying the origin and early progression of this deadly cancer is critical in identifying biomarkers for early detection of the disease. Unfortunately, in the case of HGSC, it is virtually impossible to obtain early-stage human HGSC tissue samples because there is no diagnostic method capable of detecting early forms of HGSC. The recent breakthrough of an animal model (Dicer-Pten double-knockout mice) provides an invaluable opportunity to finally investigate the early tumor microenvironment. The model exhibits remarkable similarities to human HGSC, allowing greater insight into the biochemistry associated with nascent neoplastic changes within ovarian and fallopian tube tissues. An important aspect of determining potential biomarkers is to correlate any detected chemical changes with observed histological changes. To visualize the spatial distribution of chemical changes, tissue-based mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) can be employed as an unbiased way of visualizing the changes of proteins, metabolites, or both in cancer tissues. MSI is particularly useful for identifying molecules uniquely elevated or lowered in early tumor tissues, in which cell-type specific changes are expected to occur due to intratumoral microenvironment heterogeneity. In this study, two complementary MSI techniques – matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) and desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) mass spectrometry – are applied to thin tissue sections of Dicer-Pten mutant mouse ovaries and fallopian tubes. Several sulfatide lipids d18:1/C16:0, d18:1/C24:1 and d18:1/C24:0 have been implicated as potential biomarkers in human ovarian cancer. These metabolites, among others, are being included in a thorough MSI experiment to visualize molecular changes in multiple cell types in the microenvironment during early tumor progression. In addition to providing information about the early molecular changes taking place, the knowledge gained from this study will also help understand which specific cell types in the fallopian tube are more prone to early tumorigenesis. (Grant support: Marsha Rivkin Ovarian Cancer Challenge Grant) Citation Format: Martin R. L. Paine, Rachel V. Bennett, Jaeyeon Kim, M. Cameron Sullards, Martin M. Matzuk, Facundo M. Fernandez. Mass spectrometric imaging of ovarian cancer mouse model tissue: searching for high-grade serous carcinoma biomarkers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 10th Biennial Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium; Sep 8-9, 2014; Seattle, WA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(16 Suppl):Abstract nr POSTER-TECH-1122.
Book Review: Advancing Social Justice: Tools, Pedagogies, and Strategies to Transform Your Campus by Davis, T., & Harrison, L. M.:

Davis, T., & Harrison, L. M. (2013). Advancing Social Justice: Tools, Pedagogies, and Strategies to Transform Your Campus (1st ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 240 pp. ISBN: 978-1-118-38843-3 (hardback) The term social justice is described in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Accordingly, this phenomenon can be approached from many different perspectives such as race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Irrespective of the approach, social justice proponents are expected to hold certain epistemologies and apply appropriate skills toward the development of a just society. Advancing Social Justice (Davis & Harrison, 2013) proposes a comprehensive argument toward facilitating social justice education in a practical way. Davis and Harrison (2013) have a strong academic and practice background in the social justice field. They draw from their experience to inform what they believe is needed in higher educational settings to reexamine the "processes and approaches that educators use to promote learning and liberation" (p. xvii). Supporting the latter statement in the book's foreword, Larry Roper emphasizes that there is a lack of adequate frameworks and conceptual rigor in addressing and implementing social justice efforts in higher education. The authors state that the audiences for the book are faculty, practitioners, and students. However, the book primarily addresses the role faculty play in advancing social justice in the classroom. Many examples provided in the book are about the authors' experiences as instructors who have amassed learning experiences dealing with students in some challenging situations that involved social justice themes. The book contains eight chapters, each beginning with a quote related to the chapter's theme. The first chapter includes an argument about the underlying epistemological perspectives required of educators to foster a social justice-oriented educational setting. The authors advocate post-positivist perspective as opposed to positivist and relativist frameworks to demonstrate how emancipatory educational settings are cultivated. Chapter 2 clarifies commonly used terms in the social justice field, while Chapter 3 reviews a number of historical implications of social justice. Chapter 3 closes with a quote from Loewen (1993), who suggests, "Citizens who are their own historians, willing to identify lies and distortions and able to use sources to determine what really went on in the past, become a formidable force for democracy" (p. 318). Chapters 4 through 8 principally address practical applications for advancing social justice in higher education. The authors' inclusive approach to the advancement of social justice helps the reader to not only learn about the concept of social justice but also view the potential barriers that may hinder one's development toward a social justice orientation. …
Hyperarticulation detection in repetitive voice queries using pairwise comparison for improved speech recognition

Automatic speech recognition systems can benefit from cues in user voice such as hyperarticulation. Traditional approaches typically attempt to define and detect an absolute state of hyperarticulation, which is very difficult, especially on short voice queries. We present a novel approach for hyperarticulation detection using pairwise comparisons and demonstrate its application in a real-world speech recognition system. Our approach uses delta features extracted from a pair of repetitive user utterances. Results show significant improvements in WER (word error rate) by using hyperarticulation information as a feature in a second pass N-best hypotheses rescoring setup.
Structural and Chemical Biology of Terpenoid Cyclases.

The year 2017 marks the twentieth anniversary of terpenoid cyclase structural biology: a trio of terpenoid cyclase structures reported together in 1997 were the first to set the foundation for understanding the enzymes largely responsible for the exquisite chemodiversity of more than 80000 terpenoid natural products. Terpenoid cyclases catalyze the most complex chemical reactions in biology, in that more than half of the substrate carbon atoms undergo changes in bonding and hybridization during a single enzyme-catalyzed cyclization reaction. The past two decades have witnessed structural, functional, and computational studies illuminating the modes of substrate activation that initiate the cyclization cascade, the management and manipulation of high-energy carbocation intermediates that propagate the cyclization cascade, and the chemical strategies that terminate the cyclization cascade. The role of the terpenoid cyclase as a template for catalysis is paramount to its function, and protein engineering can...
California’s Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA): A Case Study in Legislative Regulation of Surveillance

This chapter looks in depth at a state surveillance law passed in 2016, the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act (CalECPA). CalECPA provides a good case study for how legislation may regulate surveillance given its unprecedented scope, high procedural hurdles, and strong remedies, and because of the ways it promotes transparency and limits the overcollection of private data. In addition to comparing CalECPA’s provisions to its federal counterparts, this chapter describes the process by which CalECPA became law. Finally, it discusses some of its most significant innovations and the limits of its achievements.
Special Characteristics of Estuaries

Estuaries are characterized by the gradient of salinity in a semi-enclosed coastal system. A working classification for drowned river estuaries has been developed and is based on the dominance of certain terms in the salt balance equation. Tidal and wind energy, as well as freshwater flow and density gradients, are responsible for mixing. Suspended and bottom sediment distribution may be characterized for each estuarine type. These sediments are of exceptional importance to the routes and fates of nutrients and other chemical materials. Although particular estuaries are transient in geological or evolutionary time spans, the estuarine environment has been common through a long geologic time, resulting in the evolution of a group of organisms uniquely capable of using the salinity gradient to a competitive advantage. These species, well adapted to the rigorous estuarine environment, frequently produce high standing crops and biomass from a small number of species. The range of nutrient inputs to the estuarine system is reviewed, along with the major nutrient processes and pathways which operate internally. Particularly successful models of nutrient movement are discussed.
Abdominal Adiposity Measured by Sonography as a Tool for Determining Disease Risk

A preexperimental cohort study was conducted with 67 overweight cancer survivors. This cohort of participants was screened for baseline body composition and anthropometrics based on a variety of te...
Internal and external oriented problems of utilizing ICT

This paper draws the attention of the Nigerian government to take vibrant steps towards addressing the problems of utilizing ICT in managing SMSEs in Nigeria. Fifty-seven (57) SMSEs were surveyed to identify the internally and externally-oriented problems of ICT usage. Two research questions and a hypothesis were analysed to determine whether or not the types of problems are correlated. The findings revealed that lack of finance and poor facilities seemed to be the major obstacles to the effective usage of ICT. Although, the problems were more external in nature than internal but, the inefficient utilization of ICT is not contingent upon the types of problems as was revealed by the calculated value of the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (R). The findings also revealed that there is a weak association between the types of ICT utilization problems. This research is relevant to government officials that are responsible in developing policies regarding SMSEs by equipping them with a better understanding of how to revive SMSEs in Nigeria. The management of SMSEs and SMEDAN could gain useful insights from this study which can help them in formulating viable objectives that are worthy of pursuance.
The Role of Resistance in Candida Infections: Epidemiology and Treatment

Clinically refractory candidiasis remains uncommon. Following the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, the prevalence of resistant oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis dramatically decreased in HIV positive individuals. Nevertheless occasional cases of clinical and in vitro resistant mucosal candidiasis due to C. albicans continue to be reported; however the availability of new azoles, e.g., posaconazole and parenteral echinocandins, usually resolves the therapeutic challenge. Unfortunately recent reports of echinocandin resistance in patients with invasive C. glabrata infection serve as a cause of concern. Considerable progress has been made in determining risk factors for and mechanisms of azole resistance in Candida species.
Performance characteristics of piezocomposite bulk wave transducers

Piezoelectric ceramic/ polymer composite materials, possessing useful characteristics unobtainable in single phase materials, have been widely investigated over the past ten years. [1]. Their superior matching to low impedance media has been recognized by manufacturers of medical ultrasound and sonar equipment. However, so far as we know, they have received little attention in the field of non-destructive examination. It is evident that they offer superior performance for the inspection of low impedance media; including concrete, wood, fiber reinforced resin composites etc. A review of the types of composite available is presented together with results indicating achievable performance.
Open-Source Libraries, Application Frameworks, and Workflow Systems for NLP

Abstract This chapter provides an annotated listing of various resources for natural language processing research and applications development. Resources include corpora, software libraries and frameworks, and workflow systems.
Do Radical Right-Wing Populist Parties in the Legislature Affect Representation in Government? A Cross-National Analysis

The presence of right-wing populist parties in legislatures has the potential to change the calculus of government formation. I examine the effects of right-wing populist parties on four characteri...
LEVELS OF LIPIDS IN PRETERM INFANTS FED BREAST MILK

Introduction Actual recommendations for parenteral fat intake in preterm infants are based on clinical studies where fat administration was adjusted to achieve safe fat levels (triglyceride:1.71 mmol/L, cholesterol:4.2 mmol/L). Such cut-offs were chosen with regard to prevent adult atherosclerosis. However, intake of breast milk fed preterm infants may be considerably higher: up to 7 g/kg/d, serum levels have not been published so far. We tested the hypothesis whether high fat intake by breast milk leads to serum fat levels that are higher than those achieved under full parenteral fat administration, thus making an increase of intravenous fat plausible. Methods 51 healthy infants, fed fortified breast milk (gestational age:31±4 weeks, birth weigth:1500±600 g, day of life:25±16 d); triglycerides, cholesterol, VLDL, LDL and HDL (preprandial) and daily weight gain were measured. Results Study weight: (n) ( Discussion Though higher by factor of two, oral intake of breast milk leads to lower lipid levels when compared with parenteral fat intake. In sight of the appropriate feeding volumes and mean weight gain of 17±6 g/kg/d the low levels are not caused by oral undernutrition. The rise of triglyceride levels with weight may indicate increased fat metabolism via increased fat mass. The results suggest that either fat absorption is reduced in preterm infants, or the composition of breast milk supports a lower profile of fat levels when compared to commercially available parenteral fat emulsion. When this is true the lipid patterns used in these emulsions should be reconsidered.
Primary care comprehensive medication reviews in cancer patients with comorbid conditions.

48Background: Management of comorbidities is an important component of cancer care and may impact treatment toxicities, effectiveness, and survival. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore p...
HDMF: Hierarchical Data Modeling Framework for Modern Science Data Standards

A ubiquitous problem in aggregating data across different experimental and observational data sources is a lack of software infrastructure that enables flexible and extensible standardization of data and metadata. To address this challenge, we developed HDMF, a hierarchical data modeling framework for modern science data standards. With HDMF, we separate the process of data standardization into three main components: (1) data modeling and specification, (2) data I/O and storage, and (3) data interaction and data APIs. To enable standards to support the complex requirements and varying use cases throughout the data life cycle, HDMF provides object mapping infrastructure to insulate and integrate these various components. This approach supports the flexible development of data standards and extensions, optimized storage backends, and data APIs, while allowing the other components of the data standards ecosystem to remain stable. To meet the demands of modern, large-scale science data, HDMF provides advanced data I/O functionality for iterative data write, lazy data load, and parallel I/O. It also supports optimization of data storage via support for chunking, compression, linking, and modular data storage. We demonstrate the application of HDMF in practice to design NWB 2.0 [13], a modern data standard for collaborative science across the neurophysiology community.
A UNIQUE SOLUTION FOR A CHALLENGING PROBLEM: RIGHT ATRIAL PACING FOR POST-TAVR LEFT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT OBSTRUCTION

Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction is a potential complication of TAVR, usually via left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve. To our knowledge there is no literature of right atrial pacing for LVOT obstruction. A 93 year-old female with a history
Real Time Environmental/Biological Monitoring System

This work aims to create a platform capable of transmitting data from underwater environment of the Mississippi Sound directly to the cloud and in real time. This platform will then house different sensors allowing users to have real time information on the status of the underwater environment. The proposed platform will be designed to allow two-way communications. Hence, the user may change the rate at which data is transmitted as well as when the platform becomes visible for retrieval The platform will house a power storage unit capable of supporting transmission of data on the cellular system for a period greater than one month. This period is expected to increase as system design is refined. The system will have minimal visibility on the water surface, eliminating the possibility of vandalism. This will be achieved by designing a special antenna that will break the surface for transmission and be retracted otherwise. The system will also be equipped with an Underwater Timed Release (float release) mechanism. This mechanism will allow a float to be released at a predetermined time. This time can be modified anytime the platform is in transmission mode. This platform will then be used with our gape measurement sensor system, allowing researchers to observe oyster gaping in real time. Since it has already been established that oyster gaping can be used to gauge the health of the environment, this system will create a real time monitor of the environmental health of the Mississippi Sound. Finally, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be developed and trained to read in data from this platform and issue alarms accordingly.
Charting the New Territory of the Scholar-Practitioner in U.S. Higher Education: A review of Streitwieser, B. & Ogden, A. (eds.), International Higher Education’s Scholar-Practitioners: Bridging Research and Practice.

International Higher Education's Scholar-Practitioners: Bridging Research and Practice. Steitwieser, B. & Ogden, A. (Editors). Oxford, UK: Symposium Books. 2016. [340 pages].
Efficient implied alignment.

Given a binary tree $\mathcal {T}$ of n leaves, each leaf labeled by a string of length at most k, and a binary string alignment function ⊗, an implied alignment can be generated to describe the alignment of a dynamic homology for $\mathcal {T}$ . This is done by first decorating each node of $\mathcal {T}$ with an alignment context using ⊗, in a post-order traversal, then, during a subsequent pre-order traversal, inferring on which edges insertion and deletion events occurred using those internal node decorations. Previous descriptions of the implied alignment algorithm suggest a technique of “back-propagation” with time complexity $\mathcal {O}\left (k^{2} * n^{2}\right)$ . Here we describe an implied alignment algorithm with complexity $\mathcal {O}\left (k * n^{2}\right)$ . For well-behaved data, such as molecular sequences, the runtime approaches the best-case complexity of Ω(k∗n). The reduction in the time complexity of the algorithm dramatically improves both its utility in generating multiple sequence alignments and its heuristic utility.
When and How to Use PARP Inhibitors in Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature with an Update on On-Going Trials

Abstract Context The goal of precision oncology is to use the underlying genomic characteristics of the patient and the cancer to select the optimal treatment at a given time. The recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer heralds the onset of precision medicine for this disease. Objective To discuss the emerging role that PARP inhibitors may play as a personalised future treatment option in patients with prostate cancer, with a focus on patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) whose tumour cells harbour mutations resulting from deficient homologous recombination repair (HRR). Evidence acquisition To identify publications relevant to this review, a systematic literature search of PubMed was conducted for articles and proceedings of relevant major congresses, published between January 2010 and March 2020, reporting the use of PARP inhibitors in the treatment of cancers. Evidence synthesis A total of 168 publications were identified, and 18 of these met the criteria for subsequent review. In addition, 15 phase 2 or on-going phase 3 (mCRPC) studies evaluating PARP inhibitors as monotherapy or in combination, which had not yet reported data, were identified through ClinicalTrials.gov. Emerging data suggest that the greatest efficacy with single-agent PARP inhibitors is seen in mCRPC patients with germline or somatic BRCA1/2 alterations (especially BRCA2 or biallelic mutations), with potential efficacy also observed in men with PALB2 and FANCA mutations. Conclusions PARP inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in mCRPC, and similar to ovarian and breast cancers, the greatest effect is observed in patients with HRR deficiency. The PARP inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib are now FDA approved for mCRPC patients with HRR mutations and BRCA1/2 mutations, respectively. Furthermore, when PARP inhibition is combined with novel hormonal therapies, a treatment benefit may be observed regardless of the HRR deficiency status. Gaps in the knowledge and understanding around PARP inhibitor use in prostate cancer, including the most appropriate diagnostic testing method for identifying an HRR mutation, remain to be resolved. Patient summary The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors olaparib and rucaparib are now approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Here, we reviewed the literature and proceedings from meeting presentations and published papers relevant to the use of PARP inhibitors in the treatment of prostate cancer. Testing methods for detecting homologous recombination repair gene mutations, as diagnostic tools to help identify patients most likely to benefit from PARP inhibitor treatment, are also discussed.
A Deep Learning Approach for COVID-19 8 Viral Pneumonia Screening with X-ray Images

Beginning in December 2019, the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has exposed weaknesses in healthcare systems across the world. To sufficiently contain the virus, countries have had to carry out a set of extraordinary measures, including exhaustive testing and screening for positive cases of the disease. It is crucial to detect and isolate those who are infected as soon as possible to keep the virus contained. However, in countries and areas where there are limited COVID-19 testing kits, there is an urgent need for alternative diagnostic measures. The standard screening method currently used for detecting COVID-19 cases is RT-PCR testing, which is a very time-consuming, laborious, and complicated manual process. Given that nearly all hospitals have X-ray imaging machines, it is possible to use X-rays to screen for COVID-19 without the dedicated test kits and separate those who are infected and those who are not. In this study, we applied deep convolutional neural networks on chest X-rays to determine this phenomena. The proposed deep learning model produced an average classification accuracy of 90.64% and F1-Score of 89.8% after performing 5-fold cross-validation on a multi-class dataset consisting of COVID-19, Viral Pneumonia, and normal X-ray images.
Promoting the sustainability of healthcare resources with existing ethical principles: scarce COVID-19 medications, vaccines and principled parsimony.

Munthe et al 1 argue for an asymmetry between positive and negative dynamics that justifies a new sustainability principle among the operational principles for ethical healthcare resource allocation. The purported asymmetry is that while positive dynamics are ‘taken into account in present applications of the operational principles…, negative dynamics are not’.1 Positive dynamics occur when allocations in the present lead to there being more healthcare resources per health need in the future (than are available in the present), whereas negative dynamics occur when present allocations lead to there being less future healthcare resources per health need.i Munthe et al 1 are correct that we have ethical reason to reduce negative dynamics—all other things being equal, having less future healthcare resources per health need is worse than having more. Furthermore, this ethical reason ought to be accounted for by operational principles. However, using current examples from the COVID-19 response, I argue that allocation policies guided by existing operational principles already take into account negative dynamics and thus obviate the need for a new sustainability principle. Nevertheless, Munthe et al 1 make a valuable contribution to the literature by opening up new lines of important research regarding the mitigation of allocation policies’ negative dynamics. As Munthe et al 1 cogently argue, existing healthcare allocation policies (eg, of vaccines) take positive dynamics into account. However, when they do so, they also often implicitly or …
What Is the Role of Basel III in Creating Sufficient Risk Management in the Banking Sector

This paper attempts to investigate the reasons that lead bankers into establishing Basel III agreement and, second, to examine whether it would be able to bring about prudent risk behavior among banks. Basel III was the third set of regulations, following Basel I and Basel II, and was developed in response to the financial crisis. The measures developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision aimed to reinforce banks liquidity, to protect the banking sector from systemic risks, as well as to solidify the regulation. Although most of the fundamental problems, that were responsible for the global financial crisis, had already been identified with Basel I and Basel II, Basel III did not offer solutions for many of them. In fact, Basel III inherited some of the weaknesses of Basel II, as the concept that banks should hold more capital against a risky asset. Regarding the risk protection, the challenge was to reduce unforeseeable risks, whereas Basel III focused mostly on the foreseeable ones.
3D reconstruction of cell nuclei in a full Drosophila brain

We reconstructed all cell nuclei in a 3D image of a Drosophila brain acquired by serial section electron microscopy (EM). The total number of nuclei is approximately 133,000, at least 87% of which belong to neurons. Neuronal nuclei vary from several hundred down to roughly 5 cubic micrometers. Glial nuclei can be even smaller. The optic lobes contain more than two times the number of cells than the central brain. Our nuclear reconstruction serves as a spatial map and index to the cells in a Drosophila brain.
Solution Photochemistry of Carbenes and Biradicals

During the last few years, the photochemistry of organic reaction intermediates has been the subject of considerable interest.(1,2) The progress in this area has been made possible by recent advances in laser photolysis techniques. While excited reaction intermediates can in some cases be generated by singlepulse excitation, this approach is far from ideal for the study of these systems. Two-laser, two-color techniques, which are extensively used in our laboratory, allow the generation and excitation of reaction intermediates under carefully controlled conditions. Among the species studied, free radicals and carbenes have played a prominent role.(2) The latter are the main subject of this article; biradicals, which are also covered, have been the subject of very few studies.
Expression of rTS Correlates with Altered Growth Regulation of Thymidylate Synthase

The recently discovered rTS gene is convergent with and overlaps the thymidylate synthase gene in the antisense orientation. K562 B1A and KB 1BT are two methotrexate-resistant cell lines that have amplified genes for dihydrofolate reductase. K562 B1A cells have increased levels of rTS mRNA and protein compared with their parental K562 cells, whereas KB 1BT cells show unaltered rTS expression compared with their parental (KB) cells. Altered levels and loss of growth-regulation of in situ thymidylate synthase activity were found in methotrexate-resistant K562 B1A cells but not in K562, KB, and KB 1BT cells. These data point to a link between rTS and the regulation of TS activity.
Fine-Scale Mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci Using Historical Recombinations

With increasing popularity of QTL mapping in economically important animals and experimental species, the need for statistical methodology for fine-scale QTL mapping becomes increasingly urgent. The ability to disentangle several linked QTL depends on the number of recombination events. An obvious approach to increase the recombination events is to increase sample size, but this approach is often constrained by resources. Moreover, increasing the sample size beyond a certain point will not further reduce the length of confidence interval for QTL map locations. The alternative approach is to use historical recombinations. We use analytical methods to examine the properties of fine QTL mapping using historical recombinations that are accumulated through repeated intercrossing from an F2 population. We demonstrate that, using the historical recombinations, both simple and multiple regression models can reduce significantly the lengths of support intervals for estimated QTL map locations and the variances of estimated QTL map locations. We also demonstrate that, while the simple regression model using historical recombinations does not reduce the variances of the estimated additive and dominant effects, the multiple regression model does. We further determine the power and threshold values for both the simple and multiple regression models. In addition, we calculate the Kullback-Leibler distance and Fisher information for the simple regression model, in the hope to further understand the advantages and disadvantages of using historical recombinations relative to F2 data.
Targeted Assistance and Social Capital: Housing Policy in Chile's Neoliberal Democracy

This article argues that housing reforms imposed by the military regime, and largely preserved by the center-left Concertacion since the 1990 transition to democracy, represent substantial impediments to collective action and the development of social capital among Chile's urban poor. In particular, housing policy exacerbates social stratification, reinforces workers' vulnerability to market forces and undermines social trust. These dynamics and the institutional structures which perpetuate them constrain social cohesion and collective action among the urban poor. The broader implication which this research suggests is that social reforms structured in a manner similar to Chile's housing program vitiate the cohesion of disadvantaged communities, thus making it difficult for them to work together to improve their welfare and to hold public officials accountable. The World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and other development institutions would do well to consider these negative repercussions of targeted assistance programs (as typified by Chile's housing program) if they are indeed serious about addressing the social dislocations wrought by structural adjustment and strengthening democracy through the promotion of social capital.
Site of initial diabetes education does not affect metabolic outcomes in children with T1DM.

Objective To determine the difference in metabolic outcomes at 1 and 2 yr post type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) diagnosis in children depending on the site of initial diabetes education: inpatient, vs. outpatient, vs. mixed locations. Patients and methods A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients with new onset antibody positive T1DM, aged 1–18 yr old, diagnosed in 2004–2009, and followed for at least 1 yr in a diabetes program at a tertiary academic health care center. Patients were divided into three groups based on the site of initial diabetes education: inpatient, outpatient, and mixed locations. The primary outcome was A1c at 1 and 2 yr. Results We enrolled 238 children (133 boys), mean (±SD) age 9.9 (±4.1). A1c levels did not differ among inpatient, outpatient, and mixed location groups at 1 and 2 yr post diagnosis (p = 0.85 and p = 0.69, respectively) and the long-acting insulin doses were similar at 1 and 2 yr (p = 0.18 and p = 0.15, respectively). There was no difference in the number of acute diabetes complications between the groups. At 1 yr, 21.8% of outpatient-educated children were on insulin pump therapy in contrast to 14.7% of inpatient and 2.7% of mixed educated groups (p = 0.04). Conclusions Families of children with new onset T1DM can be successfully and safely educated in a clinic setting. An ‘education’ admission for a medically stable patient is not necessary most of the time, however, clinical judgment and careful assessment of the family's coping and learning capabilities are important when determining the site of education.
Structure, function, and inhibition along the reaction coordinate of CTX-M beta-lactamases.

CTX-M enzymes are an emerging group of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) that hydrolyze not only the penicillins but also the first-, second-, and third-generation cephalosporins. Although they have become the most frequently observed ESBLs in certain areas, there are few effective inhibitors and relatively little is known about their detailed mechanism. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structures of CTX-M enzymes in complex with different transition-state analogues and β-lactam inhibitors, representing the enzyme as it progresses from its acylation transition state to its acyl enzyme complex to the deacylation transition state. As the enzyme moves along this reaction coordinate, two key catalytic residues, Lys73 and Glu166, change conformations, tracking the state of the reaction. Unexpectedly, the acyl enzyme complex with the β-lactam inhibitor cefoxitin still has the catalytic water bound; this water had been predicted to be displaced by the unusual 7α-methoxy of the inhibitor. Instead, the 7α-g...
Monthly satellite‐derived phytoplankton pigment distribution for the North Atlantic Ocean basin

Surface phytoplankton distributions have been derived from Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) with an accuracy of from 35% in open oceans to within a factor of 2 generally [Gordon et al., 1983; Brown et al., 1985]. The remotely sensed pigment fields have been used to quantify spatial and temporal variability of plankton biomass on scales of days [McClain et al., 1984, 1986; Walsh et al., 1986] to years [Feldman, 1986; Abbott and Zion, 1985; Banse and McClain, 1986; Barale et al., 1986; D. K. Clark, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS), Suitland, Md.; personal communication]. Efforts to relate these fields to areal primary productivity [Eppley, 1985; Piatt, 1986] are very promising. These findings form the basis of current plans to investigate the carbon flux within the oceans on a global scale over the next decade (see the article “The Global Ocean Flux Study (GOFS): Status of the U.S. GOFS Program” by P. Brewer et al., this issue), as well as a multitude of regional process-oriented field studies.
N-Acetylcysteine Protects From Glutathione Depletion in Rats Exposed to Hyperoxia

Background N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may protect against oxidative injury by providing cysteine for glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis or by direct reactions with electrophiles. We have recently shown that hyperoxic exposure of rats prior to liver perfusion is associated with significant decreases in hepatic GSH and significant changes in biliary amino acid concentrations. We hypothesized that NAC administration during hyperoxic exposure would prevent depletion of hepatic GSH by providing cysteine for GSH biosynthesis. Methods NAC was administered during two conditions known to induce GSH depletion: hyperoxic exposure and biochemical inhibition of GSH synthesis using buthionine sulfoximine (BSO). After 48 hours, GSH concentrations in bile, liver and perfusate and biliary amino acid concentrations were determined using isolated perfused liver preparations. Results Administration of NAC to rats maintained in normoxic or hyperoxic conditions, prior to liver perfusion, resulted in dose-dependent increases in GSH concentrations in bile, liver and perfusate, increases in bile flow rates and changes in biliary amino acid concentrations. When BSO was given concurrently with NAC in normal or hyperoxic conditions, these effects were not observed, and oxidant stress was evident. Conclusions NAC prevents oxidant stress during hyperoxic exposure, most likely by supplying cysteine as a precursor for GSH synthesis.
Strengths and failure mechanisms of a Co--15Cr--13TaC directionally solidified eutectic alloy

The tensile and stress rupture properties of a Co(Cr)-TaC directionally solidified eutectic alloy have been investigated and compared to those of a single phase, directionally solidified Co(Cr) alloy corresponding in composition to that of the eutectic matrix. The temperature for 100 h stress rupture life at 20,000 psi (138 MN/m2) is about 200°F (111°C) better than that of any cast nickel-base superalloy now used in aircraft or land gas turbines. The degree of superiority becomes progressively less at higher stresses, and at 50,000 psi (345 MN/m2), the temperature for 100 h stress rupture life in the eutectic is about 150°F (83°C) less than for several high strength superalloys. This behavior is related to a bimodal stress rupture mechanism. A model predicts that at low stresses, failure is controlled by the stress rupture behavior of the matrix; and at high stresses failure occurs by a stress relaxation mechanism which causes early fiber failure. Fractographic observations are in agreement with the existence of two stress rupture mechanisms. It was also observed that both stress rupture mechanisms can occur at the same temperature, with specimens failing by the fiber-related mode having lives 1 to 2 orders of magnitude in time less than those which fail by the matrix-related mode at the same stress level.