cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of leg muscle morphology by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) in patients with peripheral arterial disease

Background Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with functional impairment in the lower extremities (LE). PAD related skeletal muscle loss is a complex and poorly understood process which has been associated with denervation and a decrease in type II muscle fiber mass. Previous studies suggest a potential link between change in muscle morphology and PAD. We hypothesize that imaging can be used to quantify differences in skeletal muscle morphology between PAD patients and controls. We utilized CE-MRI and machine learning using texture features to quantify muscle morphology in PAD patients and healthy controls. Methods Thirty-four individuals (20 PAD patients [median age=67 years, median ankle brachial index=0.62], 14 healthy controls [median age=35 years]) underwent CE-MRI of the LE using a 36-element bilateral LE coil with a 3.0T MRI system. Imaging was performed post reactive hyperemia induced with a bilateral blood-pressure cuff positioned above the knee. Cross-sectional images were acquired at the mid-calf level using a high resolution saturation recovery gradient echo pulse sequence (temporal resolution=409.57ms; slice thickness=10mm; echo time=1.23ms; in plane resolution=1.3x1.3mm). The anterior-, lateral-, and deep posterior muscle compartments and the soleus-, and gastrocnemius muscles were semiautomatically segmented with in-house developed software. The segmented muscle groups were utilized to automatically extract texture features that characterize muscle morphology in the CE-MRI data: 1) texture maps, 2) multi-directional Haralick gray level co-occurrence matrix features; 3) Gabor wavelet features; 4) scale-invariant feature transform features; and 5) intensity histogram feature. Subsequently, a support vector machine (SVM) based framework was developed to classify skeletal muscle tissue as ‘normal’ or ‘PAD’ by using the extracted features. Results
Prospective, randomized, multi-institutional clinical trial of a silver alginate dressing to reduce lower extremity vascular surgery wound complications

Objective Wound complications negatively affect outcomes of lower extremity arterial reconstruction. By way of an investigator initiated clinical trial, we tested the hypothesis that a silver-eluting alginate topical surgical dressing would lower wound complication rates in patients undergoing open arterial procedures in the lower extremity. Methods The study block-randomized 500 patients at three institutions to standard gauze or silver alginate dressings placed over incisions after leg arterial surgery. This original operating room dressing remained until gross soiling, clinical need to remove, or postoperative day 3, whichever was first. Subsequent care was at the provider's discretion. The primary end point was 30-day wound complication incidence generally based on National Surgical Quality Improvement Program guidelines. Demographic, clinical, quality of life, and economic end points were also collected. Wound closure was at the surgeon's discretion. Results Participants (72% male) were 84% white, 45% were diabetic, 41% had critical limb ischemia, and 32% had claudication (with aneurysm, bypass revision, other). The overall 30-day wound complication incidence was 30%, with superficial surgical site infection as the most common. In intent-to-treat analysis, silver alginate had no effect on wound complications. Multivariable analysis showed that Coumadin (Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ; odds ratio [OR], 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.87; P = .03), higher body mass index (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.09; P = .01), and the use of no conduit/material (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.82-3.59; P Conclusions The incidence of wound complications remains high in contemporary open lower extremity arterial surgery. Under the study conditions, a silver-eluting alginate dressing showed no effect on the incidence of wound complications.
Deep Response in Multiple Myeloma: A Critical Review

Novel and more effective treatment strategies against multiple myeloma (MM) have significantly prolonged patients' survival and raised interest in the depth of response and its association with clinical outcome. Minimal residual disease (MRD) has emerged as one of the most relevant prognostic factors in MM and should be included in a new definition of complete response (CR). Although further standardization is still required, MRD monitoring should be applied in prospective clinical trials as a sensitive tool to compare and evaluate the efficacy of different treatment strategies, particularly in the consolidation and maintenance settings, and implement individualized therapy-monitoring approaches. Here, we review current definition of deep response in MM, advantages and limitations of current MRD assessment assays, clinical evidences for MRD monitoring as a prognostic tool for therapeutic decisions in MM, and challenges to develop uniform criteria for MRD monitoring.
Attitudes of Clinicians Following Large-Scale Pharmacogenomics Implementation

Clinician attitudes toward multiplexed genomic testing may be vital to the success of translational programs. We surveyed clinicians at an academic medical center about their views on a large pharmacogenomics implementation, the PREDICT (Pharmacogenomic Resource for Enhanced Decisions in Care and Treatment) program. Participants were asked about test ordering, major factors influencing use of results, expectations of efficacy and responsibility for applying results to patient care. Virtually all respondents (99%) agreed that pharmacogenomics variants influence patients' response to drug therapy. The majority (92%) favored immediate, active notification when a clinically significant drug-genome interaction was present. However, clinicians were divided on which providers were responsible for acting on a result when a prescription change was indicated and whether patients should be directly notified of a significant result. We concluded genotype results were valued for tailoring prescriptions, but clinicians do not agree on how to appropriately assign clinical responsibility for actionable results from a multiplexed panel.The Pharmacogenomics Journal advance online publication, 11 August 2015; doi:10.1038/tpj.2015.57.
/sup 24/Mg(/sup 16/O,/sup 12/C)/sup 28/Si and /sup 24/Mg(/sup 16/O,/sup 16/O)/sup 24/Mg reactions at backward angles

Excitation functions of the $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$)$^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ and $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$)$^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ reactions to the ground states and first-excited ${2}^{+}$ states in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ and $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$ have been measured at ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=180$\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} over the energy range $24\ensuremath{\le}{E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}\ensuremath{\le}40$ MeV, where the $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$)$^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ reaction is known to exhibit a strong resonant behavior at forward angles. The four measured excitation functions show prominent structures, about 1 MeV wide, strongly correlated in the elastic and inelastic channels. Angular distributions in the range $110\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ensuremath{\le}{\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}\ensuremath{\le}180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ were measured at ${E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=27.8, 30,8, \mathrm{and} 36.2$ MeV. At 27.8 and 36.2 MeV, where prominent peaks exist in the ($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$) backward-angle excitation function, the angular distributions of the transfer to the ${0}^{+}$ ground state are strongly rising toward 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and have an oscillatory shape. The partial waves $L=(20,22) \mathrm{and} 26$, respectively, are predominant at these two energies. At 30.8 MeV the data indicate the interference between odd and even partial waves.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{12}\mathrm{C}$), $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$($^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$) ${E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=24\ensuremath{-}40$ MeV; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(E,\ensuremath{\theta})$; correlation analysis; DWBA and ${{P}_{L}}^{2}$ analyses; deduced $J$ values.
Validation of Rapid Methods for Enumeration of Markers for Human Sewage Contamination in Recreational Waters

Rapid methods of water quality assessment are essential for informing the public and officials of sewage-polluted water in a timely manner. Since fecal indicator bacteria can be contributed to the water by many sources, not all of which have equal risk for human health, rapid, quantitative methods that can discriminate human from non-human fecal contamination are informative for risk assessment and to identify problems in infrastructure or land use that contribute to degradation of water quality. This work compared standard, membrane filtration-based measures of the fecal indicator bacteria E. coli and enterococci to qPCR methods in terms of quantitative correlation and consistency of performance in various types of waters. Furthermore, the genes of two human-associated microorganisms, one from the bacterial group Bacteroidales and one from human polyomaviruses JCV and BKV, were used to quantitatively assess the presence of human sewage using qPCR in various types of subtropical waters in Florida, including fresh, brackish and salt waters. The qPCR methods performed well across the range of water types, although highly tannic water types (e.g. swamp-fed river) were more likely to be subject to inhibition than lake, estuarine or marine waters. Clean-up of inhibited samples by chemical methods produced highly variable results, therefore dilution of template material proved to be a better option for relieving inhibition. Concentrations of qPCR targets for which culture-dependent methods exist were generally in agreement when culture and qPCR methods were compared. Comparison of three different sample processing methods showed that the EPA CE and PE methods were superior to the USF methods for bacterial targets, but not for HPyVs. The EPA CE method had less sample-sample variability than the PE method, but also had a higher detection limit, making it potentially less sensitive than the PE method. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series . ISBN: 9781780400020 (eBook)
Enhancement of Simian Virus 40 Infection in Simian and Human Cells by Permissive Cell Extracts

SummaryThe sensitivity of semipermis-sive cell cultures to SV40 infection can be enhanced by a component of uninfected, simian cells (CV-1) that are permissive for SV40 infection. Enhancement is demonstrated by 10- to 40-fold higher plating efficiency in simian cells, 10- to 30-fold increase in virus production by human cells and 3-fold increase in frequency of transformation in a line of human diploid fibroblasts after inoculation of mixtures containing CV-1 extracts and virus. The enhancer is recovered from cultured cells by a mild extraction procedure and is not sedimented by centrifugation at 20,000g for 1 hr. The active component of the supernate appears to be protein. Incubation of virus with enhancer preparations for 20 min at 23° results in the formation of a complex that is not dissociated by dilution. Although these properties of the SV40 enhancer are similar to those described previously for an enhancer of an enterovirus, the SV40 enhancer differs from the enterovirus enhancer in its host and v...
Evidence that hyaluronidase is not the factor in testicular extract causing increased vascular permeability.

Summary and ConclusionsThe intravenous or local administration of relatively crude bull testis extract is capable of causing increased vascular permeability in rats. Purification of the hyaluronida...
Do the 98% Really Dislike Inequality? How Ordinary People Legitimize Inequality & Hierarchies

Attitudes toward inequality and social hierarchies are highly debated in present-day discourse (Halevy, Chou & Galinsky, 2011). These attitudes are thought to reflect people’s ideological preferenc...
The Genus Alluaudomyia Kieffer in North America (Diptera, Heleidae)

I have had the pleasure of studying a considerable number of specimens of the strikingly marked little biting midges of the genus Alluaudomyia . Many of these specimens were sorted from light-trap collections from Florida, which were kindly sent to me through the courtesy of Mrs. Elisabeth Beck and Mr. J. A. Mulreman of the Florida State Department of Health. Mr. Richard H. Foote, of the United States Public Health Service, has also very generously donated his valuable collection of these midges together with his manuscript notes and drawings. Through the courtesy of Dr. O. A. Johannsen and Dr. Henry Dietrich, of Cornell University, I was permitted to study their collection of Alluaudomyia , including the types of A. needhami Thomsen.
Intern Boot Camp: Feasibility and impact of a 1-hour session to ensure graduating medical student competency in falls risk assessment.

The authors evaluated the feasibility of a 1-hour session to ensure competency in gait and falls risk assessment for medical students at their institution. The session included a history and exam with faculty and staff as standardized patients, gait recognition videos, and case evaluation for falls risk assessment and prevention. Student perceptions were evaluated using a retrospective pre-post survey, scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess change and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze differences by residency choice. A range of five to 11 faculty and staff certified 238 medical students during eight 1-hour sessions. Overall self-perception of competence in falls risk assessment and prevention improved (p ≤ .001), and did not differ by residency choice, both before and after the training program (p = .73 and p = .25). Feedback was positive. This session is a feasible way to teach and assess the competency for falls risk assessment with modest time commitment.
Spontaneous neurodegeneration in transgenic mice with prion protein codon 101 proline----leucine substitution.

Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS) is an autosomal, dominantly inherited, human neurodegenerative disease that can sometimes be transmitted to non-human primates and rodents through intracerebral inoculation of brain homogenates from patients. Recent studies of GSS demonstrated significant genetic linkage between GSS and a leucine substitution at codon 102 of the human prion protein (PrP) gene. Transgenic mice were created to test the biologic activity of this mutation. Spontaneous neurologic disease with spongiform degeneration developed in one of three lines of transgenic mice containing murine PrP genes with a leucine substitution at codon 101 (homologous to codon 102 in humans). Transmission studies of brain homogenates from affected mice are in progress. These results indicate that some of the clinical and pathologic features of GSS can be reproduced in a transgenic mouse paradigm; this represents the first time a dominantly inherited, neurodegenerative process similar to a human disease has been genetically modeled in an experimental animal (Hsiao and Prusiner 1990).
Transformative role of photovoltaics in phasing out alternating current based grid by local DC power networks for sustainable global economic growth

For sustainable global economic growth, eradication of global energy poverty and addressing climate challenges, free fuel based solar and wind energy sources are the only viable solution for electricity generation. Due to inherent advantages, photovoltaics has emerged as the major source of electrical power. Local generation of direct current (DC) power by PV and the use of batteries for storing DC electrical power have the potential of transforming global electricity infrastructure to address the problems faced by alternating current (AC) based centralized power generation and long haul transmission and distribution.
Fitting Two-Variable Datasets with Bivariate Errors

The maximum likelihood method for the fit of a two-variable dataset described in Chap. 8 assumes that one of the variables (the independent variable X) has negligible errors. There are many applications where this assumption is not applicable and uncertainties in both variables must be taken into account. This chapter expands the treatment of Chap. 8 to the fit of a two-variable dataset with errors in both variables.
Identification of Treatment Effects from Synthetic Controls

This paper considers the Generalized Synthetic Control method of Xu (2015). It presents a characterization of the identified set for this model. In addition it presents a version in which the matrix factorization is unique without strong restrictions on the matrix factors. The approach assumes a panel data set represented by a linear factor model with no structural breaks other than the treatment for the treated unit(s). The method calculates the unit specific treatment effect using matrix factorization of the pre-treatment panel data. The paper numerically determines the identified set of the average treatment on the treated. Statistical uncertainty in the size of the treatment effect is calculated by boot-strapping the errors using the observed residuals from linear factor model estimated in the pre-treatment period. Like Xu (2015) the approach assumes that the researcher has a large number of pre-treatment periods. The estimator and identification results for the matrix factorization is presented in Adams (2016b). The approach is illustrated using synthetic data from Xu (2015), the treatment effect of electoral law changes and country level data from OECD countries before and after the reunification of Germany. The analysis presents bounds on the average treatment effect that do not include zero but do include the actual average treatment effect in the synthetic data. It estimates bounds on the average treatment on the treated for same day voter registration that includes zero and shows that reunification systematically decreased the output of the former West Germany.
Psychosocial distress screening at a single urban community oncology center: Trends among Hispanic and Caucasian women with newly diagnosed breast cancer.

198Background: We aim to describe our psychosocial distress screening program with attention to our female breast cancer population and symptoms of anxiety and depression among English-speaking Caucasians and Spanish speaking Hispanics. Methods: We retrospectively examined the emotional distress scores of 170 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer at the Cancer Centers of Colorado at SCL Heath/Saint Joseph Hospital from January-December 2015. SCL Health IRB approval was obtained. Patients were provided a distress screening questionnaire (English or Spanish) at their initial visit. Data points included: gender, age, ethnicity, primary language, emotional distress (worry/nervousness or anxiety/fears and sadness/depression) and degree of distress (“thermometer” scale 0-10 or not at all, slightly, moderately, seriously or very seriously). The degree of distress measures were revised in August 2015 from a “thermometer” scale to a descriptive scale. Results: Of 170 women studied, there were 104 Caucasian, 49 ...
A Bayesian spatial panel model with heterogeneous coefficients

Abstract We extend the heterogeneous coefficients spatial autoregressive panel model from Aquaro et al. (2015) to allow for Bayesian prior information. A Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimation methodology is set forth for the Bayesian model. Monte Carlo performance results mirror those from quasi maximum likelihood estimation set forth in Aquaro et al. (2015) . Matrix expressions for marginal effects used to interpret these models are set forth. The heterogeneous coefficients spatial autoregressive panel model is capable of producing estimates of spillin and spillout effects for each region in the sample. Spillin effects reflect the impact of changes in neighboring region characteristics on own-region outcomes, while spillout effects show how changes in own-region characteristics impact neighboring region outcomes. We illustrate the model using a panel wage curve relationship for the contiguous US states over the 67 months from January 2011 to July 2016.
Leisure in Classical Greek Philosophy

The concept of leisure plays a significant part in the ethical and political thinking of the Greek philosophers of the classical era. For both Plato and Aristotle leisure, in the sense not of inactivity but of freedom from the need to work in order to secure the necessities of life, is a prerequisite for the achievement of the highest form of human flourishing, eudaimonia. But what kind of leisure is necessary for eudaimonia, and which social groups may possibly attain it, is a question to which Plato gives, generally speaking, two different answers in his career. The first one, proposed in the Republic, represents a more demanding and elitist idea of human perfection, according to which involvement in any productive economic activity, including farming, makes it impossible for a human being to achieve virtue and eudaimonia. The second one, found in the late dialogue called Laws, allows for a lowest kind of virtue and flourishing which is achievable by practising farmers, though not by anyone engaging in craftsmanship or commerce. Aristotle appears to be closer to the earliest Platonic concept of the connection between leisure on the one hand and virtue and eudaimonia on the other, although some passages may suggest that citizens who are in some way engaged in farming may become virtuous. This understanding of leisure involves revisiting the ideal of the Homeric hero so that activities like fighting in war and hunting remain compatible with virtue, while at the same time promoting a notion of virtue that fits the framework of the classical polis. It also involves the repudiation of an alternative ethos which emphasizes the moral value of physical labour. This ethos is expressed in the poems of the major archaic Greek poet Hesiod and is adopted by the “middling” class, a class that rejects the aristocratic standpoint and, in the fifth and fourth century BC, becomes the social bedrock of classical Greek democracy.
Ablative Therapy for Small Renal Masses

The management of small renal masses has become an important public health topic. The increased use of cross-sectional imaging and ultrasound has led to a downward stage migration for the detection of small renal masses. Cancer-specific survival, however, has not reflected this trend accordingly. Although partial nephrectomy has been the mainstay of treatment of small renal masses less than 4 cm, there is growing interest in ablative therapies, such as cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation, due to decreased morbidity. Oncologic outcomes are limited by methodology and length of follow-up, but short-term recurrence rates are low.
Business Education Research: An Identification and Analysis of Key Clusters and Themes

Recent years have witnessed the emerging legitimacy of business education research, ranging from the establishment of AMLE to new AACSB standards regarding the assurance of learning and teaching im...
Venous Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Diagnosed Using Duplex Ultrasound

Venous thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is a complex condition involving compression, irritation, or direct injury of the subclavian vein as it courses between the first rib, the clavicle, and the sc...
Using differential reinforcement of a discard response to treat pica

Previous research on the treatment of pica (i.e., the ingestion of inedible objects) is limited compared to research on the treatment of other types of severe problem behavior. This study involved the use of differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, with a discard response as the alternative behavior, to treat pica presented by a 13-year-old girl with an autism spectrum disorder. We extended previous research by thinning the schedule of reinforcement for the alternative response. Substantial reductions in pica were obtained. Limitations and future directions in the treatment of pica are discussed.
Modeling food web effects of low sardine and anchovy abundance in the California Current

Abstract Populations of sardine, anchovy, and other forage species can fluctuate to low levels due to climate variability and fishing, leading to indirect effects on marine food webs. In the context of recent declines of sardine ( Sardinops sagax) and anchovy ( Engraulis mordax) in the California Current, we apply an end-to-end Atlantis ecosystem model that is spatially explicit, includes trophic interactions, and allows high and low recruitment regimes (production of juveniles). Our simulations suggest that depleted sardine populations, whether caused by fishing or natural cycles, may lead to declines in predator groups such as dolphins and large piscivorous flatfish (e.g. California halibut Paralichthys californicus ). Birds exhibited more moderate declines, and California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ) exhibited relatively weak declines. The Atlantis ecosystem model also predicted indirect positive effects of sardine depletion, primarily for prey species such as zooplankton. Overall our model predicted moderate declines in most predators during simulated severe declines in sardine and anchovy, illustrating the important buffering role provided by forage species other than sardine and anchovy. This ‘buffered response’ is weaker than what would be suggested by another ecosystem model (Ecosim), as predicted by diet information and a global synthesis of Ecosim models (the PREP equation). One limitation of the Atlantis model is that it did not include processes that might give rise to localized depletion of sardine at scales relevant to central place foragers, such as birds and pinnipeds. This analysis will contribute to a collaborative multi-model approach that evaluates the role of sardine in the California Current.
Effect of Hydrologic, Geomorphic, and Vegetative Conditions on Avian Communities in The Middle Rio Grande of New Mexico

We evaluated relationships among hydrogeomorphology, vegetation structure and composition, and avian communities among three subreaches of the San Acacia Reach of the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) River of New Mexico. The subreaches varied in degradation, with Subreach 1 being severely entrenched and hydrologically disconnected, Subreach 2 being the least impacted, and Subreach 3 being intermediately disturbed. Avian point count and habitat surveys were conducted to determine avian community structure and abundance, geomorphic feature, surface flooding, and vegetation structure and composition. Ground-nesting birds and low shrub-nesting birds were insensitive to hydrogeomorphic changes as they do not rely on native understory but can use exotic understory or woody debris. In contrast, canopy-nesting birds required native overstory; therefore, they were sensitive to hydrogeomorphic changes as native overstory species require surface floods to germinate and establish. Additionally, native overstory did not vary as expected as the moderately impacted subreach, Subreach 3, had more native overstory ($$ \overline{x} $$ = 30.04%, SE = ±4.57) than the least disturbed subreach, Subreach 2 ($$ \overline{x} $$= 11.20%, SE = ±1.96). These findings were a result of temporal asynchrony between hydrogeomorphic conditions and overstory composition. No subreach is unaltered and all have been affected by the hydrologic and geomorphic changes on the MRG.
Down Feather Structure Varies Between High And Low Elevation Male Andean Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata)

Feathers are one of the defining characteristics of birds and serve a critical role in thermal insulation and physical protection against the environment. Feather structure is known to vary among individuals, and it has been suggested that populations exposed to different environmental conditions may exhibit different patterns in feather structure. We examined both down and contour feathers from two populations of male Torrent Ducks (Merganetta armata) from Lima, Peru, including one high-altitude population from the Chancay-Huaral River at approximately 3500 meters (m) elevation and one low-altitude population from the Chillon River at approximately 1500 m. Down feather structure differed significantly between the two populations. Ducks from the high-altitude population had longer, denser down compared with low-altitude individuals. Contour feather structure varied greatly among individuals but showed no significant difference between populations. These results suggest that the innermost, insulative layer of plumage (the down), may have developed in response to lower ambient temperatures at high elevations. The lack of observable differences in the contour feathers may be due to the general constraints of the waterproofing capability of this outer plumage layer.
Predictive deep network with leveraging clinical measure as auxiliary task

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have made impressive improvements for predictive modeling in various fields. Successful network building for predictive tasks usually requires abundant data, for effectively learning high-level, non-additive information from raw input features. The merit of high-level learning makes DNN promising in clinical research, but the need for abundant data hampers DNN applications. To address this challenge, we propose the use of Auxiliary-Task-Augmented Network (ATAN), a predictive model (for primary target) with introducing auxiliary tasks as regularization. ATAN leverages clinically relevant measures as auxiliary targets and learns the clinical relevance explicitly. We apply ATAN in a clinical dataset of hypertension collected from a vulnerable demographic population (African-American) to demonstrate its effectiveness.
Using Commercial Physical Activity Trackers for Health Promotion Research: Four Case Studies:

Background. Wearable physical activity (PA) trackers are becoming increasingly popular for intervention and assessment in health promotion research and practice. The purpose of this article is to p...
Emotions and Neurosociology

Emotion and cognition are not separate and opposing products of the brain. Emotion is essential for decision making as neuroscientists have shown. Cognition enables planning and analysis, but by itself does not move us to action. Emotion both organizes the brain and moves it to action on the world. Emotion also exists prior to cognition both developmentally and generally. These issues are discussed in this chapter. Then, rather than reviewing how emotional states are tied to the brain, I discuss how emotional styles are linked to the brain. This is followed by a discussion of one emotional state (empathy) and mirror neurons. I conclude with some thoughts for future research.
Abstract 15561: Physician Decision-Making and Trends in Use of Cardiac Stress Testing to Diagnose Coronary Heart Disease in The United States

Introduction: Utilization of cardiac stress testing for CHD has come under intense scrutiny because of concerns about explosive growth, high costs, and patient safety related to radiation exposure. Hypothesis: Changing population demographics and risk factors do not explain recent growth in stress testing. Method: We analyzed a nationally representative US sample of 839,354 adult ambulatory visits from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1993 to 2010. Patients with CHD were excluded. The main outcome was survey-weighted incidence of referrals for or performance of stress testing. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test time trends, with year modeled as a linear predictor, and we included clinical risk factors (smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension), whether the patient’s reason for visiting the physician was chest pain, physician specialty, sociodemographic characteristics, geographic location, and insurance status. Result: The annual number of adult ambulatory visits that resulted in a cardiac stress test being ordered or performed increased from 1.86 million in 1993-1997 (31 in 10,000 visits) to 3.89 million in 2006-2010 (46 in 10,000 visits). After adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, there was no evidence of a time trend in stress testing use (P=0.48 for trend). However, the portion of cardiac stress tests performed with imaging increased from 64% (95% CI 48%-79%) in 1993-1997 to 87% (95% CI 79%-96%) in 2006-2010 (P Conclusion: Growth in physician use of stress testing may be attributable to changes in population demographics, but rising substitution of imaging for nonimaging tests makes tracking of stress imaging alone a misleading metric for utilization. Nonetheless, our findings support and further refine concerns voiced by professional societies and insurers about stress test utilization.
Psychopathic killers: A meta-analytic review of the psychopathy-homicide nexus

Abstract Despite cultural notions that psychopathy and homicide are strongly linked, there has not been a quantitative meta-analytic review of the association between psychopathy and homicide offending. The current study meta-analyzed data from 29 unique samples from 22 studies that included 2603 homicide offenders, and found that the mean psychopathy score on the PCL-R for a homicide offender was 21.2 (95% CI = 18.9–23.6). This score is indicative of moderate psychopathy. The overall effect size r = 0.68 was large, and effect sizes intensified in studies of more severe manifestations of homicide including sexual homicide (r = 0.71), sadistic homicide (r = 0.78), serial homicide (r = 0.74), and multi-offender homicide (r = 0.80). Current study findings make clear that psychopathy and homicide are importantly linked and that psychopathic personality functioning is a significant risk factor for various forms of lethal violence.
Cooperative NV-NUMA: prolonging non-volatile memory lifetime through bandwidth sharing

Resistive memory technologies, such as ReRAM and PCM, are potentially promising replacements for DRAM technology. Their limited endurance (and thus short lifetime), however, is a major obstacle to their commercialization. Analytic models and experimental data show a polynomial relationship between write latency and endurance. Thus, we can use slow writes to introduce less wear, but it is challenging to design a system that meets the memory lifetime requirements without losing performance. We address this challenge in a multiprocessor non-uniform memory architecture (NUMA) environment through memory bandwidth sharing between processing nodes. While previous approaches have distributed data and computation to share memory capacity or parallelize applications, our main goal is to share memory bandwidth between NUMA nodes when running workloads with varying memory bandwidth needs. When a node has extra memory bandwidth and a write is for data residing in that node, then a slow write can be issued and lifetime can be improved. Data distribution, however, creates a new challenge in that latency for remote nodes' memory accesses can degrade performance. In order to mitigate this degradation, we propose Cooperative NV-NUMA, which detects hot remote memory pages by monitoring Last Level Cache (LLC) evictions, and caches these pages locally. We simulate a proof-of-concept design that explores the proposed technique for a suite of applications. We find that, our approach can meet lifetime requirements while substantially improving the performance of the NUMA nodes with challenging lifetime (up to 48%) over previous work.
Vortex- and Centrifugation-Free Extraction of HIV-1 RNA.

HIV viral load measurements play a critical role in monitoring disease progression in those who are on antiretroviral treatment. In order to obtain an accurate measurement, rapid sample preparation techniques are required. There is an unmet need for HIV extraction instruments in resource-limited settings, where HIV prevalence is high. Therefore, the objective of our study was to develop a three-dimensional (3D) microfluidic system to extract HIV-1 RNA with minimal electricity and without complex laboratory instruments. A 3D microfluidic system was designed in which magnetic beads bound with nucleic acids move through immiscible oil–water interfaces to separate HIV-1 RNA from the sample. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was used to quantify the total amount of HIV-1 RNA extracted as we optimized the system through chip design, bead type, carry-over volume, carrier RNA concentration, and elution buffer temperature. Additionally, the extraction efficiency of the 3D microfluidic system was evaluated by comparing with a Qiagen EZ1 Advanced XL instrument using 20 HIV-1-positive plasma samples. Our method has near-perfect (100%) extraction efficiency in spiked serum samples with as little as 50 copies/mL starting sample. Furthermore, we report carry-over volumes of 0.31% ± 0.006% of total sample volume. Using the EZ1 Advanced XL as a gold standard, the average percentage HIV-1 RNA extracted using the microchip was observed to be 65.4% ± 24.6%. From a clinical perspective, the success of our method opens up its possible use in diagnostic tests for HIV in the remote areas where access to vortexes and centrifuges is not available. Here we present a proof-of-concept device which, with further development, could be used for sample preparation at the point of care.
Imaging Diagnosis of Nerve Entrapments in the Shoulder

Neuropathies are a potential source of shoulder pain and may result from trauma, neoplasia, infection, neuropathy, autoimmune disease, and iatrogenic conditions. Entrapment neuropathies of the shoulder are also an important potential cause of pain; however they are likely underestimated. Commonly affected nerves in the shoulder include the suprascapular, axillary, long thoracic, cervical accessory, and dorsal scapular nerves. This chapter provides a review of anatomic structures and landmarks of relevant nerves around the shoulder and will outline pathologic conditions causing entrapment neuropathies such as compression, stretching, or iatrogenic lesions. Further, the role of several diagnostic imaging modalities is discussed. Familiarity with nerve abnormalities about the shoulder and their imaging findings should allow for a more comprehensive evaluation of painful syndromes and appropriate clinical or surgical management.
Understanding Ectopically Expressed Factor VIII (F8) In Megakaryocytes: Implications for Optimum Platelet-Delivered F8 Activity for Gene Therapy

Abstract 2205 F8 ectopically expressed during megakaryopoiesis is stored in platelet (p) a-granules and released at sites of injury. This F8 is effective in hemostasis even in the presence of circulating inhibitors so that pF8 represents a novel strategy for therapy for patients with hemophilia A with inhibitors. However, cremaster laser injury studies showed that pF8 release from a-granules has a distinct temporal and spatial availability that leads to clot instability. We proposed that F8s, such as canine (c) B-domainless (B) F8, with greater specific activity than human (h) BF8, would prevent pF8 clot instability. We confirmed our thesis; however at the same time, pcBF8 levels were only ∼30% of phBF8 whether studied in transgenic mice models or by lentiviral/bone marrow transplantation (lenti/BMT) into F8null mice. This was surprising because in baby hamster kidney cells, cBF8 was secreted into the media at three times greater than hBF8. This lower level in murine megakaryocytes (Megs) was not due to mRNA levels as shown by qRT-PCR analysis. Using cultured marrow from transgenic mice expressing hBF8 or cBF8, there was a marked decrease in relative number of Megs in both pF8s compared to wildtype (WT) Megs, with the pcBF8 cells showing a greater decrease (49 ± 5% for cBF8 Megs vs. 36 ± 8% for phBF8, p Disclosures: Pipe: Baxter BioScience: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novo Nordisk: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Research Funding; CSL Behring: Honoraria.
The Next Frontier of Imaging in Ophthalmology: Machine Learning and Tissue Biomechanics

Medical imaging has revolutionized the diagnosis and management of disease in healthcare. Early integration of computers into medical imaging brought control of devices and data acquisition to new heights of precision. As computing power and sophistication of software evolve, we have reached an era of computer-based image interpretation. Machine learning approaches have been developed to automate certain quantitative measures derived from these modalities. Prospects for machine learning in ophthalmology address its potential role in approaching some of the most common causes of blindness worldwide: diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. As these analysis techniques evolve, concurrent advancements are seen in ophthalmology imaging technologies themselves, and today, the aqueous outflow tract and the optic nerve head can be visualized in more detail than ever before. The optimization and assimilation of these tools may hold clinically significant answers to screening, diagnosing, and managing disease.
Preclinical Animal Behavioral Models of Hyperacusis and Loudness Recruitment

Hyperacusis is a loudness intolerance disorder in which everyday sounds are perceived as intolerably loud, annoying, fearful, or even painful. While hyperacusis is often considered exclusively as a hearing problem, it is associated with a broad spectrum of auditory (tinnitus), vestibular, and other neurological disorders such as autism, Williams syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraine, and a host of other sensory hypersensitivity disorders. The underlying mechanisms and biological basis of hyperacusis in its different manifestations are poorly understood largely due to the lack of valid behavioral models. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the development of behavioral models that have been used to measure various forms of hyperacusis and the genetic models and experimental conditions that have been employed to induce hyperacusis in animals.
Human herpesvirus 8 K1-derived peptides disrupt the inhibitory Fas-K1 complex and restore Fas receptor-mediated apoptosis

2667 Background: Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection is associated with the development of primary effusion lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, and multicentric Castleman disease. The K1 gene of HHV-8 is expressed in tumor cells as a transmembrane protein with an immunoglobulin-like domain in its ectodomain and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM). We demonstrated that K1 protein activates nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and K1 expression in transgenic mice stimulated accumulation of lymphatic cells and development of lymphoma. How K1 blocks apoptosis and induces hyperplasia and lymphomas is not known. We hypothesized that K1 contributes to lymphoma development partly by suppressing apoptosis, and that this suppression combined with its NF-κB activation produces lymphoma. Results: We found that K1 binds to Fas and in turn, inhibits Fas-mediated apoptosis. We mapped the region that K1 uses to bind to Fas as an immunoglobulin (Ig) chain-like domain by expressing deletion mutants of K1. Overexpression of an Ig domain-containing protein CD79b competed with K1-Fas binding in a dose-dependent manner. Two 20-amino acid peptides (N251, N253) representing the Ig domain of K1 competed with K1-Fas binding in immunoprecipitation/immunoblotting analysis. The N251 and N253 peptides (100 μM) enhanced anti-Fas antibody (CH-11, 50 ng/mL)-induced apoptosis of BJAB lymphoma cells that expressed K1 but that of vector-transfected BJAB cells. Ig-deleted K1 (K1dIg)-transfected mice were not protected (0/6), and K1-transfected mice were protected (7/10, P
Illusion of Safety: How Consumers Underestimate Manipulation and Deception in Online (vs. Offline) Shopping Contexts

Online commerce changes how consumers shop for products and services—while also giving firms more control over consumers' shopping experience, more access to their information, and leading more firms to use these platforms to their financial advantage. In this research, I examine consumer perceptions of firms when they shop for products and services online (vs. offline), to determine whether consumers feel firms might use certain kinds of manipulative and deceptive tactics against consumers. Results show consumers believe firms are less likely to use manipulative and deceptive practices to increase consumer spending, when they shop online (vs. offline) for products and services. These findings remain consistent despite key individual differences (in ethnicity, gender, age, and time spent online). This research also demonstrates how certain cues can make consumers more (vs. less) suspicious of firms when they shop online and discusses the implications these findings have for consumer financial welfare.
An effort to understand and improve the anaerobic biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons: A literature review

Abstract Oil and fuel spills occur regularly in terrestrial and aquatic environments and substances such as crude oil can contain many compounds that are highly resistant to degradation. Among these constituents are alkanes and monoaromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are not only toxic but also carcinogenic and/or mutagenic. Provided there are sufficient nutrient levels and proper growth conditions, many complex hydrocarbons, including PAHs, readily biodegrade under aerobic conditions (i.e., in the presence of oxygen). However, oxygen-depleted environments are ubiquitous, e.g., deep subsurfaces or general aerobic environments where biological oxygen consumption exceeds replenishment. Anaerobic bacteria and archaea in such anaerobic environments are the dominant catalysts to initiate and complete degradation, including most PAHs. It is therefore imperative to understand the biochemical reactions and mechanisms by which anaerobic degradation takes place though much slower compared with those under aerobic conditions. For alkanes and aromatics, new biochemical mechanisms carried out by the genes and enzymes responsible have been reported to advance and enrich the knowledge on anaerobic transformation. However, validation of these biochemical reactions have not been fully rectified with convincing results of the expression of the genes and also the chemical signature degradation intermediates in oil production system or oil contaminated sites. In order to better mitigate the contaminated sites, biostimulation and bioaugmentation are discussed for accelerated and effective removal of petroleum oil or specific constituents.
Hyperinflation, Optimal Currency Scopes, and a Cryptocurrency Alternative to Dollarization

Abstract The birth, growth, and development of cryptocurrencies and their underlying technologies, such as blockchain and directed acyclic graphs, have made it possible for nations suffering from hyperinflation to adopt a customized cryptocurrency, with attributes specifically designed so that any nation wishing to transition from hyperinflation to a more stable monetary environment could do so. This paper identifies the sixteen most important attributes that this cryptocurrency would need to be a credible and viable monetary reform alternative. We call the breadth and depth of these attributes a cryptocurrency’s scope and refer to the act of adopting an optimal cryptocurrency, cryptozation. HACC (Hyperinflation Alternative Cryptocurrency) is our name for this specially designed (i.e., “optimal”) cryptocurrency. To succeed, the HACC would need to have near-immediate curative properties and provide user nations with a foundation for long-term growth and financial development. The HACC should be built for use by any nation considering currency reform, even those thousands of miles apart. As more nations adopt it, the HACC’s network would grow, increasing users’ trust and use. The HACC would sharply curtail a central bank’s ability to finance government deficits and bail out failing, nonviable financial institutions, thereby incentivizing them to manage their financial risks more prudently. It would also eliminate or sharply curtail ways in which governments and central banks can earn seigniorage returns.