cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Poly (ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 (PARP-1) as a Novel Krüppel-like Factor 8-interacting and -regulating Protein

Kruppel-like factor 8 (KLF8) regulates critical gene transcription and cellular events associated with cancer. However, KLF8-interacting proteins remain largely unidentified. Using co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP), mass spectrometry, and GST pulldown assays, we identified poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) as a novel KLF8-interacting protein. Co-IP and Western blotting indicated that KLF8 is also a PARP-1 substrate. Mutation of the cysteines in the zinc finger domain of KLF8 abolished PARP-1 interaction. Surprisingly, immunofluorescent staining revealed a cytoplasmic mislocalization of KLF8 in PARP-1−/− cells or when the interaction was disrupted. This mislocalization was prevented by either PARP-1 re-expression or inhibition of CRM1-dependent nuclear export. Interestingly, co-IP indicated competition between PARP-1 and CRM1 for KLF8 binding. Cycloheximide chase assay showed a decrease in the half-life of KLF8 protein when PARP-1 expression was suppressed or KLF8-PARP-1 interaction was disrupted. Ubiquitination assays implicated KLF8 as a target of ubiquitination that was significantly higher in PARP-1−/− cells. Promoter reporter assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that KLF8 activation on the cyclin D1 promoter was markedly reduced when PARP-1 was deleted or inhibited or when KLF8-PARP-1 interaction was disrupted. Overall, this work has identified PARP-1 as a novel KLF8-binding and -regulating protein and provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of KLF8 nuclear localization, stability, and functions.
Changes in the molecular epidemiological characteristics of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Objective To determine whether the molecular epidemiological characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had changed in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Design Retrospective review of medical records. Setting Level III NICU of a university-affiliated children's hospital in New York, New York. Patients Case patients were neonates hospitalized in the NICU who were colonized or infected with MRSA. Methods Rates of colonization and infection with MRSA during the period from 2000 through 2008 were assessed. Staphylococcal chromosomal cassette (SCC) mecA analysis and genotyping for S. aureus encoding protein A (spa) were performed on representative MRSA isolates from each clonal pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern. Results Endemic MRSA infection and colonization occurred throughout the study period, which was punctuated by 4 epidemiologic investigations during outbreak periods. During the study period, 93 neonates were infected and 167 were colonized with MRSA. Surveillance cultures were performed for 1,336 neonates during outbreak investigations, and 115 (8.6%) neonates had MRSA-positive culture results. During 2001-2004, healthcare-associated MRSA clones, carrying SCC mec type II, predominated. From 2005 on, most MRSA clones were community-associated MRSA with SCC mec type IV, and in 2007, USA300 emerged as the principal clone. Conclusions Molecular analysis demonstrated a shift from healthcare-associated MRSA (2001-2004) to community-associated MRSA (2005-2008).
Thin-film growth dynamics with shadowing and re-emission effects

Growth dynamics of thin-films involves both shadowing and re-emission effects. Shadowing can originate from obliquely incident atoms being preferentially deposited on hills of the surface, which leads to a long range geometrical effect, as well as from an atomic shadowing process that can occur even during normal angle deposition. Re-emission effect is a result of nonsticking atoms, which can bounce off from hills and deposit on valleys of the surface. In the case of an energetic incident flux, re-emission can also originate from a resputtering process that includes a surface atom being knocked off by an incident ion/atom followed by redeposition to another surface point. Due to their long-range nonlocal nature, both the shadowing effect (which tries to roughen the surface) and re-emission effect (which has a smoothening effect) have been shown to be more dominant over local effects such as surface diffusion, and have been proven to be critical processes in accurately determining the dynamic evolution of surface roughness. Recent Monte Carlo simulation methods that involve shadowing, re-emission, surface diffusion, and noise effects successfully predicted many experimentally relevant surface roughness evolution results reported in the literature. For example, root-mean-square surface roughness (ω) of Monte Carlo simulated thin-films have evolved with time t according to a power law behavior ω ∼ t β , with β values ranging from about 0 to 1 for a growth with strong re-emission effects (i.e., low sticking coefficients) and a growth with dominant shadowing effects (i.e., with high sticking coefficients), respectively. Potential future thin-film growth modeling studies are also discussed. These include advanced simulation approaches that can incorporate atomistic details of physical and chemical processes and a recently developed network growth model that can potentially capture some universal aspects of thin-film growth dynamics independent of the details of growth process. C 2011
Relation between beta-carotene intake and plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of carotenoids and retinoids

We evaluated the relation between /3-carotene intake and plasma and adipose tissue concentrations of carotenoids and retinoids. In Study 1, /3-carotene intakes were significantly greater in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians. Plasma concentra- tions of /3-carotene were also significantly higher in vegetarians than in nonvegetarians but only after two nonvegetarians with excessive intake of carrots were omitted. Plasma retinoid (retinol, retinyl esters, and retinoic acid) concentrations were not different between the two groups. In Study 2, female subjects ingested a daily placebo on 90 mg /3-carotene for 3 wk. In the group fed /3-carotene, plasma /3-carotene concentrations were significantly increased from baseline at 1, 2, and 3 wk. No /3-carotene changes were observed in the placebo-fed group. Plasma retinoid concen- trations did not change in either group. In Study 3, adipose tissue /3-carotene and retinoid concentrations were measured in men after an oral /3-carotene dose (120 mg, experimental subjects) or no /3-carotene (control subjects). In the experimental subjects, adipose /3-carotene concentrations increased from baseline at 5 and 10 d postdosing. The control group's adipose tissue /3-carotene concen- tration did not change over a 10-d period. Changes in retinoids in adipose tissue were not significant in either group. In conclusion, dietary and supplemental /3-carotene increased plasma /3-carotene concentrations but had no effect on plasma retinoid concentrations. There may be little tissue metabolism of /3-carotene to retinoids. Therefore, the anticarcinogenic effect of /3-carotene, if any, may be due to properties of the molecule itself. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;62:598-603.
Issues in the Creation of Organizations: Initiation, Innovation, and Institutionalization

Kimberly presents a case study of the birth and early development of an innovative medical school. When the school opened in 1971, the existing 86 medical schools all offered similar programs: two years of basic science training in lecture halls and laboratories, followed by two years of direct contact with patients in clinical settings. In the new school, students were taught didactically only during the first year. During the second year, each student was assigned to a community physician who acted as an advisor and who discussed with students those patients afflicted with the diseases the student was currently studying. Available evidence indicated that the school's innovative curriculum was favorably received by the students and that they performed as well as their peers on standardized year-end exams. The author found the case of this medical school to be of particular interest from an organizational viewpoint in that: (1) the early development of the school was shaped by the first dean's entrepreneurial activity, ambitions, visions, strengths, and weaknesses; (2) the uncertainty resulting from the school's novelty forced individuals to assume new roles and face unclear performance criteria; and (3) the transition of an innovative school to an institutionalized one was problematic because it modified the decision-making process. The author suggests that those things which lead to an organization's success during its early years are not the same as those that lead to longer-run success. He says that a new organization creates new norms, values, and procedures whereas the elements of an existing organization interact within an established culture. He concludes that organizational birth is a phenomenon about which relatively little is known, but which may be an important constraint on later development. A comparative analysis of the birth, life, and death of organization is advocated.
Study on antimicrobial resistance in different serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from pediatric patients hospitalized for pneumonia

Objective To investigate the serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae (S.pneumoniae) isolated from paediatric patients hospitalized for pneumonia, to evaluate the significance of conjugated vaccine for preventing infection and controlling resistance. Methods A total of 279 S.pneumoniae strains were isolated from specimens collected from patients ( ≤ 5-year-old) hospitalized for pneumonia in the four hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Capsular typing was performed by the Quellung reaction test for typespecific sera analysis. E-test was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of penicillin, amoxicillin, cefuroxime ( sodium) , ceftriaxone, erythromycin, vancomycin, ofloxacin, and imipenem. Results Serotype 19F was the most frequently observed type (60.6%). The strains of all other identified types were less than 10%, they were (by decreasing order of frequency) 19A (9.7%), 23F (9.3%), and 6B (5.4%). 81.0% (226 / 279) of these isolates were included in the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ( PCV7) . The coverage rate of PCV7 for penicillin non-susceptible S. pneumoniae (PNSP) was higher than penicillin susceptible S.pneumoniae (PSSP)(84.2% versus 61.5%). More than 90% of the 19F or 19A isolates were non-susceptible to penicillin. Penicillin intermediate strain was more common (71.6%) in 19F isolates, while penicillin resistant was more common in 19A (55.6%). Conclusions Serotypes 19F, 19A, 23F, and 6B were the common types among pneumococcal strains in pediatric patients hospitalized for pneumonia. PCV7 vaccine could cover most of the pneumococcal isolates and penicillin non-susceptible ones, suggesting its preventive effect on penumococcal infection and spreading of drug resistance in China at present. The isolates expressing the non-vaccinecovered 19A serotype showed considerable antimicrobial resistance.
Application of security isolation technology in security protection for electric power information network

A programming of network information security is designed,which has different security grade areas by dividing the electric power information network into inside subnet and outside subnet.An information network security isolation machine is developed,which is placed between the inside and the outside network to make sure the inside and the outside is insulates and communicats safely.This set has been running well for several months.
Long Term Home Care for the Elderly: Perceptions of Nurses, Physicians, and Primary Caregivers

A qualitative research study was conducted to gain an understanding of the perceptions of nurses, physicians, and elderly caregivers regarding the experience of long term home care. The sample included 2 discharge planning nurses, 4 home health nurses, 4 geriatric physicians, and 12 nonprofessional spouse caregivers older than age 60. Analysis of the data revealed three distinct major topic areas: making decisions about home care, the nature of long term home care, and caregivers' concerns and needs. In general, most spouses want to provide home care for their partners but are often discouraged from doing so by their children and/or by health professionals. Caregivers receive little preparation for their roles, and most have little or no contact with the formal health care system.
Autonomic hyperreflexia in pregnancy and labor: A case report

The course of pregnancy and labor in a 36-year-old quadriplegic primipara is described. The associated problem of autonomic hyperreflexia and its management is discussed.
An Inquiry into What the Intercultural Pastoral Care Paradigm Asks of Students

Questions raised by developmental psychologist Robert Kegan guide this preliminary inquiry into the cognitive overload and the emotional and physical exhaustion reported by a significant number of seminary students in my teaching context, especially those in pastoral care and counseling courses. Their condition relates at least in part to expectations that are explicitly and implicitly embedded in the language of institutional and programmatic student learning outcomes, competencies to be achieved, course readings, and assignments. As explained in this article, these expectations could be revisited in order to better support overall student learning and well-being.
Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy: The value of autonomy

The ‘right to choose’ As we saw in chapter 4, the belief that in some circumstances death is better than life, that life is no longer worth living, is an important strand in the argument for VAE. Another strand, hardly less central, is that VAE respects a patient's right to autonomy or self-determination. The bulk of those campaigning for relaxation of the law weave the two strands together. They stress that they support only voluntary euthanasia: euthanasia is only ever justifiable at the request of the patient as no one but the patient is in a position to judge the worthwhileness of his own life. Only if the patient decides that life has lost its value and asks for VAE should it be performed. Given the rise, particularly in the West, of an almost absolute respect for personal autonomy and the decline of established religious belief on which respect for the inviolability of life has traditionally been based, it is hardly surprising that support for VAE appears to have grown substantially. The traditional consensus has been undermined by liberal pluralism. Many people now reject traditional views about the inviolability of life – views which they often criticise as ‘religious’, ‘authoritarian’, ‘absolutist’ and unfairly ‘imposed’ by the law on non-believers. They support the relaxation of the law so as to allow individuals to make their own personal decisions about what to value and how to act, particularly when the decision affects so fundamental and personal a matter as when and how to die.
Commentary on: The role of surgery for treatment of low back pain: Insights from the randomized controlled SPORT trials.

Background: The SPORT trial database offered much useful information regarding the efficacy of surgical treatment for lumbar disc herniations, lumbar spinal stenosis, and degenerative spondylolisthesis. Data were obtained from 13 sites and included 2500 patients.
NEK2 Suppresses Cellular Senescence through Regulation of the β-Catenin/CCND2/RB Axis in Multiple Myeloma

Abstract Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B-cell malignancy characterized by complex cytogenetic abnormalities and drug-resistance. We have previously shown that increased NEK2 enhances MM cell growth, survival and drug-resistance in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we explore whether high NEK2 is involved in overcoming cellular senescence, a state of irreversible proliferation arrest. Materials and Methods: MM cell lines (ARP1, OPM2, OCI-MY5, and KMS28PE) with either over-expressed or knocked-down (shRNA) NEK2 (NEK2 OE or KD) by a lentiviral delivery system were used in this study. Cell senescence status was evaluated by staining SA β-galactosidase (SA β-gal). Flow cytometry was performed to examine cell cycle state in NEK2-KD or NEK2-OE MM cells treated with doxorubicin (30nM) for 48 hrs. Mouse embronic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from NEK2-transgenic mice and wild type control mice were also used to verify the role of NEK2 in suppressing senescence and to elucidate signaling pathways related to NEK2 anti-senescence. Real-time PCR, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay and western blot were employed for NEK2 mechanistic studies. Results: NEK2-KD induced MM cellular senescence and cell cycle arrest, while NEK2 OE decreased doxorubicin-induced senescence and cell cycle arrest. Also, MEFs derived from NEK2 transgenic mice showed suppressed cell senescence. Mechanistic studies showed that NEK2 stabilized β-catenin and prevented degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway in MM cells. Intriguingly, immunofluorescence revealed that NEK2 co-located with β-catenin in the cell nucleus in NEK2 transgenic MEFs. Importantly, increased nuclear β-catenin up-regulated CCND2 expression, (but not CCND1 and CCND3) and phosphorylated RB in NEK2 over-expressed MM cells or NEK2 transgenic MEFs. Furthermore, LiCl, an inhibitor of GSK3β, was used to restore the activity of β-catenin in NEK2-KD cells. LiCl significantly increased CCND2 expression and blocked NEK2-shRNA induced cellular senescence in MM cells. Conclusion: NEK2 prevented MM cell senescence. This may play an important role in NEK2 induced MM cell proliferation, survival and drug resistance. Prevention of senescence by NEK2 depended on its interaction with β-catenin. Increased β-catenin activity, caused by high NEK2 resulted in up-regulation of CCND2 and hyper-phosphorylation of RB. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Optimizing predictive queries on moving objects under road-network constraints

Advanced wireless communication and positioning technology has enabled a new series of applications, such as the intelligent traffic management system. It can be envisioned that the traffic management systems will have a great impact on our daily life in the near future. This paper aims to tackle one class of queries to be supported by such systems, predictive line queries. The predictive line query estimates amount of vehicles entering a querying road segment at a specified future timestamp and helps query issuers adjust their travel plans in a timely manner. Only a handful of existing work can efficiently and effectively handle such queries since most methods are designed for objects moving freely in the Euclidean space instead of under road-network constraints. Taking the road network topology and object moving patterns into account, we propose a hybrid index structure, the RD-tree, which employs an R*-tree for network indexing and direction-based hash tables for managing vehicles. We also develop a ring-query-based algorithm to answer the predictive line query. We have conducted an extensive experimental study which demonstrates that our approach significantly outperforms existing works in terms of both accuracy and time efficiency.
Outside Horses, Inside Men: Equestrian Sport, Disability, and Theology

ABSTRACTEquestrian sport is unique in many ways among the sporting disciplines, but is rarely inspected by theologians. The author undertakes one of the first studies of Christian theology, disability, and equestrian sports. She considers four themes (interdependence, vulnerability, mutual enabling, and normalcy) through case study and theory and highlights central features of equestrian sport. The author starts by investigating disability and equestrian sport, before using results of this study to re-examine frequently discussed theological issues such as inclusion, vulnerability, faith, trust, and healing. Bringing theology, disability, and equestrian sport into dialogue amplifies voices that support, challenge, and provoke important topics in academic and practical theology.
Abstract #3526: Benzyl isothiocyanate induces nuclear translocation of AhR and its heterodimerization with ARNT in Hepa1c1c7 cells

The biotransformation and detoxification of carcinogens, including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo dioxin, benzo [a] pyrene and 3-methylchloranthrene is dependent upon the activity of phase I and II enzymes, particularly CYP1A1 and NQO1. The transcriptional activation of these enzymes is regulated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and Nuclear Factor-Erythroid 2-Related Factor. These transcription factors reside in the cytoplasm and when activated, shed their respective chaperones and translocate into the nucleus where they interact with nuclear proteins involved with transcription of genes possessing xenobiotic (XRE) and antioxidant (ARE) response elements. We have observed that the phytochemical benzyl isothiocyanate (BIT) induces nuclear translocation of the AhR independently of traditional ligands in Hepa1c1c7 cells suggesting that it might bind the AhR and affect activity of these enzymes as well as the expression of XRE-responsive genes. As a first step in addressing this hypothesis, we investigated whether BIT activates the AhR, causing it to form heterodimers with ARNT in the nuclei of Hepa1 cells. Cells were treated with 5, 10 and 20 µM BIT or DMSO alone. \#946;-Napthoflavone (BNF) was used as a positive control to visualize AhR/ARNT heterodimerization. Using in vitro-activation of Hepa-1 cell lysates as well as nuclear co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we observed that AhR/ARNT heterodimerization occurred in the nucleus of Hepa1 cells treated with BIT similar to what was seen in response to BNF. Additionally, Western blot analysis verified that AhR interacted with ARNT in these cells. The results therefore suggest that BIT alone, a know inducer of Phase II enzyme expression, might activate the AhR and facilitate its binding to several genes that regulate cellular function, including genes associated with activation and detoxification of carcinogens. (Support: NIH MBRS/GM028248; RCMI RR033032) Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 3526.
A REVIEW OF THE BIOLOGY OF RAFFLESIA: WHAT DO WE KNOW AND WHAT’S NEXT?

A literature review was conducted to summarize information, particularly recently published, on the biology of Rafflesia . By far most of the recent papers on Rafflesia have named new species. Since 2002, ten species have been discovered in the Philippines compared to three species in Indonesia. Recent work also has explored phylogenetics (e.g. evolutionary history of the genus and of floral gigantism, horizontal transfer of genes and loss of the chloroplast genome) and anatomy (e.g. endophyte, flower development); other studies have focused on biochemistry. Unfortunately, we still know very little about the life cycle, biology and ecological relations of Rafflesia . Population declines have been noted as related to habitat destruction or natural disturbances but other times the cause(s) are unknown. Questions remain unanswered on its reproductive biology and on its population genetic structure and diversity. With changing climates, long-term population studies in relation to environmental parameters are needed for Rafflesia conservation.
The Integrity of the Mental Act: Husserlian Reflections on a Fregian Problem

There is a general structure present in the event of something standing before us as the object of our consciousness. Obviously, for not just any event is an event of this sort. Such an event must be one with characteristic parts, interrelated in a definite manner, for it is a whole of a certain specific type. No one denies this, and it is hard to see what might be meant by a denial of it. But to give a plausible account of exactly what those parts are and of how they interrelate has good claim to being the problem of philosophy — and certainly so if we restrict ourselves to the modern and contemporary periods of Western philosophy. Of those who have focussed on this problem in the last one hundred years or so, none are of greater historical significance than Gottlob Frege and Edmund Husserl. The similarities and contrasts in how they approach the problem of the mind/object nexus, and in the results they achieve, suggests that a comparative study of them might be especially illuminating of ‘the fact itself.’
Contrasts: Teaching English in British and American Universities

This chapter draws on a wealth of personal experience to explore major contrasts between US and British university systems, and the light shed by those differences on the teaching of English Literature. Gerzina examines the different expectations entertained by staff and students; the approaches to writing as a craft; the marked differences in contact hours and frequency of class meetings. British provision still tends to be hamstrung by the assumption that students arrive at university having already grasped at least the basics of academic writing and argument. Above all, Gerzina articulates dismay at the degree to which the autonomy of academic teacher scholars has been undermined within the British system. She unpicks and illuminates the implications of a system of audit which (in the supposed interests of transparency) paradoxically ties lecturers’ hands and militates against pedagogic creativity.
Titanium dioxide nanoparticle exposure alters metabolic homeostasis in a cell culture model of the intestinal epithelium and Drosophila melanogaster.

AbstractNanosized titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a common additive in food and cosmetic products. The goal of this study was to investigate if TiO2 nanoparticles affect intestinal epithelial tissues, normal intestinal function, or metabolic homeostasis using in vitro and in vivo methods. An in vitro model of intestinal epithelial tissue was created by seeding co-cultures of Caco-2 and HT29-MTX cells on a Transwell permeable support. These experiments were repeated with monolayers that had been cultured with the beneficial commensal bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (L. rhamnosus). Glucose uptake and transport in the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles was assessed using fluorescent glucose analog 2-(N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)-2-deoxyglucose (2-NBDG). When the cell monolayers were exposed to physiologically relevant doses of TiO2, a statistically significant reduction in glucose transport was observed. These differences in glucose absorption were eliminated in the presence of beneficial bacteria....
Stickiness, Synchronization, and Exchange Rate Passthrough in Intrafirm Trade Prices

About forty percent of all U.S. international trades occurs between related parties, or intrafirm, such as trades between a parent and subsidiary of the same multinational corporation. Using a good-level dataset that distinguishes arm’s length from intrafirm trades, I demonstrate that for the set of differentiated products, intrafim prices are characterized by 1) less stickiness, 2) less synchronization, and 3) greater exchange rate passthrough. These differences emerge in a simulated dynamic model in which input exporters that are integrated, unlike arm’s length exporters, seek to maximize combined manufacturer and distributor profits.
Edema and Myelin-Associated Extracellular Spaces

The white matter constitutes the major site of fluid accumulation in brain edema. The myelinated axon is one of the major elements in the white matter. It is associated with five extracellular compartments, which normally are not easily recognizable, but are clearly demonstrable in various edematous conditions.
DYT12, Rapid Onset Dystonia-parkinsonism

Rapid onset dystonia parkinsonism (RDP) is a rare autosomal dominant movement disorder characterized by sudden onset of dystonia with bradykinesia predominant parkinsonism, which often plateaus, prominent cranial involvement which progresses caudally to involve arm and leg, and minimal response to dopaminergic therapies. Mutations in the Na+/K+-ATPase α3 subunit (ATP1A3) have been discovered in familiar cases, implicating a dysfunction of this pump as the etiology of RDP.
Law And Post-privatization Regulatory Reform: Perspectives From The U.S. Experience

The paper identifies three paradigmatic roles that public law can play in the kind of post-privatization political and policy environments in which emerging liberal democracies are now situated. These roles are (1) to create and institutionalize a strong but rebuttable presumption in favor of market solutions to social problems; (2) to maximize the effectiveness of regulation where it is used; and (3) to establish extra-regulatory institutions and processes that can help monitor, augment, and discipline ther resulting hybrid system of markets and regulation. The paper discusses how American public law has implemented these roles.
Juvenile hyaline fibromatosis in siblings.

Background: Juvenile Hyaline Fibromatosis is a rare autosomal recessive connective tissue disorder. Case Characteristics: Three year old girl with multiple facial nodules, gingival hypertrophy and multiple joint contractures. Her sibling, male child also had similar findings which was progressive and he died at 2 years. Outcome: Nodule biopsy showed extensively hyalinised dermis with PAS positivity. Message: Juvenile Hyaline Fibromatosis is a differential diagnosis for children presenting with multiple nodular lesions.
Fast and covariate-adaptive method amplifies detection power in large-scale multiple hypothesis testing

Multiple hypothesis testing is an essential component of modern data science. In many settings, in addition to the p-value, additional covariates for each hypothesis are available, e.g., functional annotation of variants in genome-wide association studies. Such information is ignored by popular multiple testing approaches such as the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure (BH). Here we introduce AdaFDR, a fast and flexible method that adaptively learns the optimal p-value threshold from covariates to significantly improve detection power. On eQTL analysis of the GTEx data, AdaFDR discovers 32% more associations than BH at the same false discovery rate. We prove that AdaFDR controls false discovery proportion and show that it makes substantially more discoveries while controlling false discovery rate (FDR) in extensive experiments. AdaFDR is computationally efficient and allows multi-dimensional covariates with both numeric and categorical values, making it broadly useful across many applications. Side information in addition to the p-values is often available in modern applications of multiple hypothesis testing. Here, the authors develop AdaFDR, a new statistical method for multiple hypothesis testing that adaptively learns the decision threshold and amplifies the discovery power.
BCG shortage: Reassessing the clinical viability of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) after reconstitution.

534Background: To address the current worldwide shortage of BCG, the AUA and SUO recommend reducing the dose to 1/3rd vial and enabling 3 patients to be treated in one setting. The manufacturer sta...
Genomic Data Sharing for Novel Mendelian Disease Gene Discovery: The Matchmaker Exchange

In the last decade, exome and/or genome sequencing has become a common test in the diagnosis of individuals with features of a rare Mendelian disorder. Despite its success, this test leaves the majority of tested individuals undiagnosed. This review describes the Matchmaker Exchange (MME), a federated network established to facilitate the solving of undiagnosed rare-disease cases through data sharing. MME supports genomic matchmaking, the act of connecting two or more parties looking for cases with similar phenotypes and variants in the same candidate genes. An application programming interface currently connects six matchmaker nodes-the Database of Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources (DECIPHER), GeneMatcher, PhenomeCentral, seqr, MyGene2, and the Initiative on Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (IRUD) Exchange-resulting in a collective data set spanning more than 150,000 cases from more than 11,000 contributors in 88 countries. Here, we describe the successes and challenges of MME, its individual matchmaking nodes, plans for growing the network, and considerations for future directions.
Living American History: Langston Hughes and Teaching History: A Review Essay

Arnold Rampersad. The Life of Langston Hughes. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986-88. Volume I: I, Too, Sing America (1902-1941). Pp. 485. Volume II: I Dream A World (1941-1967). Pp. 512. Cloth, $24.95 each. Review essay by Charles Banner-Haley of Colgate University.
Postmortem implantable cardioverter defibrillator interrogation

The 78-year-old man described in previous case 169 is followed. No programming was performed at an August 2007 visit. Instead, amiodarone therapy was initiated to prevent asymptomatic VT requiring termination by antitachycardia pacing. Six weeks later, on September 28, 2007, the patient developed rapid palpitations after receiving bad news. Within a few minutes, he experienced dyspnea and his typical angina. He used nitroglycerin spray twice without relief. Twenty minutes later he collapsed and died. Steps that could have been taken to prevent the patient’s death are discussed.
Kidney allograft recipients, immunosuppression, and coronavirus disease-2019: a report of consecutive cases from a New York City transplant center.

Background Kidney graft recipients receiving immunosuppressive therapy may be at heightened risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and adverse outcomes. It is therefore important to characterize the clinical course and outcome of Covid-19 in this population and identify safe therapeutic strategies. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of 73 adult kidney graft recipients evaluated for Covid-19 from 13 March to 20 April 2020. Primary outcomes included recovery from symptoms, acute kidney injury, graft failure and case fatality rate. Results Of the 73 patients screened, 54 tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-39 with moderate to severe symptoms requiring hospital admission and 15 with mild symptoms managed in the ambulatory setting. Hospitalized patients were more likely to be male, of Hispanic ethnicity and to have cardiovascular disease. In the hospitalized group, tacrolimus dosage was reduced in 46% of patients and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) therapy was stopped in 61% of patients. None of the ambulatory patients had tacrolimus reduction or discontinuation of MMF. Azithromycin or doxycycline was prescribed at a similar rate among hospitalized and ambulatory patients (38% versus 40%). Hydroxychloroquine was prescribed in 79% of hospitalized patients. Graft failure requiring hemodialysis occurred in 3 of 39 hospitalized patients (8%) and 7 patients died, resulting in a case fatality rate of 13% among Covid-19-positive patients and 18% among hospitalized Covid-19-positive patients. Conclusions Data from our study suggest that a strategy of systematic triage to outpatient or inpatient care, early management of concurrent bacterial infections and judicious adjustment of immunosuppressive drugs rather than cessation is feasible in kidney transplant recipients with Covid-19.
Interactions between charged rods near salty surfaces

Using both theoretical modeling and computer simulations we study a model system for DNA interactions in the vicinity of charged membranes. We focus on the polarization of the mobile charges in the membranes due to the nearby charged rods (DNA) and the resulting screening of their fields and inter-rod interactions. We find, both within a Debye-Huckel model and in Brownian dynamics simulations, that the confinement of the mobile charges to the surface leads to a qualitative reduction in their ability to screen the charged rods to the degree that the fields and resulting interactions are not finite-ranged as in systems including a bulk salt concentration, but rather decay algebraically and the screening effect is more like an effective increase in the multipole moment of the charged rod.
Freshwater insects CONUS: A database of freshwater insect occurrences and traits for the contiguous United States.

Motivation Freshwater insects comprise 60% of freshwater animal diversity; they are widely used to assess water quality, and they provide prey for numerous freshwater and terrestrial taxa. Our knowledge of the distribution of freshwater insect diversity in the USA is incomplete because we lack comprehensive, standardized data on their distributions and functional traits at the scale of the contiguous United States (CONUS). We fill this knowledge gap by presenting Freshwater insects CONUS: A database of freshwater insect occurrences and traits for the contiguous United States. This database includes 2.05 million occurrence records for 932 genera in the major freshwater insect orders, at 51,044 stream locations sampled between 2001 and 2018 by federal and state biological monitoring programmes. Compared with existing open-access databases, we tripled the number of occurrence records and locations and added records for 118 genera. We also present life-history, dispersal, morphological and ecological traits and trait affinities (analogous to fuzzy-coded traits) for 1,007 stream insect genera, assembled from existing databases, reference books and the primary literature. We nearly doubled the number of traits for 11 trait groups and added traits for 180 genera that were not available from open-access databases. Our database, Freshwater insects CONUS, facilitates the mapping of freshwater insect taxonomic and functional diversity and, when paired with environmental data, will provide a powerful resource for quantifying how the environment shapes stream insect diversity and taxon-specific distributions. Main types of variables contained Georeferenced occurrence records and traits for stream insects. Spatial location and grain Contiguous United States at a grain of c. 1 m2. Time period and grain Occurrence records from January 2001 to December 2018, with 1-day temporal resolution. Traits from January 1911 to December 2018. Major taxa and level of measurement Genera from the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera, Odonata, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Software format .csv.
Accurate Weight Mapping in a Multi-Memristive Synaptic Unit

In-memory computing using memristive devices is a promising non-von Neumann approach for making energy- efficient deep learning inference hardware. Synaptic units comprising one or more memristive devices organized in a crossbar configuration are capable of performing the matrix-vector multiply operations in place by exploiting the Kirchhoff's circuits laws. In this paper, we propose a weight mapping algorithm to efficiently program such a synaptic unit comprising multiple phase change memory (PCM) devices to target conductance values. To evaluate the programming scheme, a simulator based on the measured programming characteristics of 10,000 PCM devices is developed. It is shown that the synaptic unit can be programmed reliably without significant overhead in programming time or energy compared to a unit comprising a single PCM device, while gaining resilience to device-level non-idealities and yield. The algorithm is experimentally verified on a prototype PCM unit cell fabricated in the 90nm CMOS technology node.
Aversive racism and community-instigated policing: The spatial politics of Nextdoor:

I bring an understanding of the concept and practice of “aversive racism” to scholarly thinking about community formation. I argue that the exclusionary contours of community are in part a product ...
Approximation by Neural Networks Iterates

Here we study the multivariate quantitative approximation of real valued continuous multivariate functions on a box or ℝ N , N∈ℕ, by the multivariate quasi-interpolation sigmoidal and hyperbolic tangent iterated neural network operators. This approximation is derived by establishing multidimensional Jackson type inequalities involving the multivariate modulus of continuity of the engaged function or its high order partial derivatives. Our multivariate iterated operators are defined by using the multidimensional density functions induced by the logarithmic sigmoidal and the hyperbolic tangent functions. The approximations are pointwise and uniform. The related feed-forward neural networks are with one hidden layer.
First-mode properties of N-story buildings

Abstract First-mode properties of N- story buildings determined from a standard computer program possess certain simple relationships which can be displayed graphically by straight lines. Structures investigated include uniform buildings and buildings with reduced first floor stiffness. Some of the results presented are verified analytically from difference equations.
External Involvement and the Politics of Nation-Building: The Case of Tibet

Tibet has had a turbulent history and perhaps an even more turbulent historiography in the twentieth century. Following the victory of the Chinese Communists in 1949, the Tibetans were initially accommodated by the Chinese government, then repressed and then once again accommodated. Why did the Chinese government crack down on the Tibetan movement in 1959 and not earlier? Han antipathy, cultural differences, and self-determination claims were present long before 1959? What accounts for this variation in nation-building policies over time? I argue that shifts in patterns of external involvement and interstate relations accounts for the variation in nation-building policies in Tibet.
A Word to Phoneme Translator

The problem of translating text to speech is usually approached at the phoneme level using a rule-based system. A rule based system specifies how each letter, or group of letters, will be translated into a basic unit of sound, a phoneme. These rules are very context sensitive, depending on possibly lengthy left and right contexts. The rule based approach in Elovitz [1] and also in Yannakoudakis
Building infrastructure for an honors research robotics lab

This paper overviews the undergraduate research and teaching activities at the Cognitive Agency and Robotics Laboratory (CARoL) at Towson University. The lab emerged out of an experiment conducted in a small classroom setting. Today, it can be used as a recipe for building a setting where quality undergraduate (and graduate) research projects in robotics can be conducted on a shoestring.
Impalpable Testicular Seminoma Identified on Sonoelastography

Abstract The role of sonoelastography in diagnosing cancerous masses has increased since the advent of elastography as an ultrasound modality. Its ability to display differences in the mechanical properties of cancerous masses compared to normal surrounding tissue has shown benefit in increasing the accuracy of diagnosing malignant breast and thyroid masses and has shown early potential in accomplishing better targeted prostate biopsies. To date, the literature is limited in the number of studies describing the use of sonoelastography for testicular masses. We describe a 34-year-old man who presented with an incidental finding of an impalpable hypoechoic testicular mass on grayscale ultrasound during an infertility work-up. Sonoelastography was performed displaying intermediate testicular elastic properties. Upon frozen section of the mass during surgical exploration, classic testicular seminoma was diagnosed and subsequent radical orchiectomy was performed. We would like to use this atypical presentation of testicular seminoma to review the potential role of elastography for diagnosing testicular cancer.
Combination of eccentric exercise and neuromuscular electrical stimulation to improve quadriceps function post-ACL reconstruction.

Abstract Background Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been shown to reduce quadriceps activation failure (QAF), and eccentric exercise has been shown to lessen muscle atrophy post-ACL reconstruction. Given that these are two critical components of quadriceps strength, intervention combining these therapies may be effective at reinstituting quadriceps function post-reconstruction. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined NMES and eccentric exercise intervention to improve the recovery of quadriceps activation and strength post-reconstruction. Methods Thirty-six individuals post-injury were placed into four treatment groups (NE E-only, eccentrics only; N-only, NMES-only; and STND, standard of care) and ten healthy controls participated. N&E and N-only received the NMES protocol 2× per week for the first 6weeks post-reconstruction. N&E and E-only received the eccentric exercise protocol 2× per week beginning 6weeks post-reconstruction. Quadriceps activation was assessed via the superimposed burst technique and quantified via the central activation ratio. Quadriceps strength was assessed via maximal voluntary isomeric contractions (Nm/kg). Data was gathered on three occasions: pre-operative, 12-weeks-post-surgery and at return-to-play. Results No differences in pre-operative measures existed (P>0.05). E-only recovered quadriceps activation better than N-only or STND (P 0.05). Conclusion Eccentric exercise was capable of restoring levels of quadriceps activation and strength that were similar to those of healthy adults and better than NMES alone. Level of evidence: Level 3, Parallel longitudinal study
Surface characterization study of the reduction of an air-exposed Pt3Sn alloy. IV

Abstract Ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS), angle-resolved Auger electron spectroscopy, and electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA or XPS) have been used to examine the reduction (300 °C under 1 Torr of H2 for 1 h) of an air-exposed, polycrystalline Pt3Sn alloy surface. Initially, the surface was covered with a thick tin oxide layer. The reduction resulted in a loss of oxygen particularly from the near-surface region, migration of Pt to the surface from a tin-depleted Pt region lying beneath the tin oxide layer, and reduction of tin oxide to metallic tin which alloys with the Pt which migrated to the near-surface region. ISS shows that the outermost atomic layer of the reduced surface contains a large amount of Pt which probably occupies vacancies left by oxygen.
Electron linac for both storage ring injection and free electron laser oscillation

Abstract We completed the electron linac which can operate in two modes: electron energy E of 100 MeV with macropulse duration τ of 1 μs for the storage-ring injection, and E =25 MeV with τ =10 μs for free-electron-laser (FEL) oscillation. Experimental results demonstrate the world's first linac that succeeds in both the storage-ring injection and FEL oscillation.
On plane stress–plane strain interactions in fatigue crack growth

Abstract Fatigue crack growth studies have been carried out on steel and aluminum specimens of two thicknesses, 0.3 and 6.35 mm. For fatigue crack growth rates in the range 10 −5 –10 −4 mm/cycle, the process of fatigue crack growth in plane stress (as well as in the surface layer of a nominally plane strain specimen) was discontinuous in nature, whereas fatigue crack growth in plane strain occurred on a cycle-by-cycle basis. A slower rate of fatigue crack growth was also observed in the thinner specimens, a circumstance attributed to a higher level of crack closure.