cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of number and quality of embryo transferred on clinical pregnancy rate in women of different age

Objective:To evaluate the effects of number and quality of embryo transferred on pregnancy and multiple pregnancy rates in women of different age.Methods:According to age,772women in the second cycle of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer(IVF-ET)were classified into three groups(35years,35-37years,and≥38years).According to different number of embryo transferred,the patients in each age group were divided into two subgroups:group A(double embryos transferred)and group B(three embryos transferred).Furthermore,according to the different number of good embryo transferred,group A was classified into group A0,group A1and group A2.The group B was also classified into group B0,group B1,group B2and group B3.Pregnancy and multiple pregnancy rates were compared.Results:(1)For women younger than 35years old,the pregnancy rate of group A was similar with group B(49.4% vs.42.5%)(P0.05).The incidence of singleton pregnancy in group A was significantly higher than that in group B(75.3% vs.55.6%)(P0.05).The incidence of triplet pregnancy in group A was significantly lower than that in group B(0% vs.9.8%)(P0.05).The incidence of singleton pregnancies in group B2or group B3was significantly lower than that in group A2(P0.05).The incidence of triplet pregnancy in group B2or group B3was significantly higher than that in group A2(P0.05).(2)For women aged 35-37years,the pregnancy rate in group A was similar with group B(P0.05).The incidence of singleton pregnancy in group A was significantly higher than that in group B(86.7% vs.54.8%)(P0.05).The incidence of twin pregnancy in group A was significantly lower than that in group B(6.7% vs.35.7%)(P0.05).The pregnancy rate in group B0 was significantly higher than that in group A0(29.2% vs.0%)(P0.05).The incidence of twin pregnancy in group B1was significantly higher than that in group A1(45.50% vs.0%)(P0.05).The incidence of twin pregnancy in group B2was significantly higher than that in group A2(53.3% vs.11.1%)(P0.05).(3)For women≥38years old,pregnancy rate in group B is higher in that of group A,but no significant difference(23.7% vs.10.0%)(P0.05).Conclusions:For women aged 35-37years without good embryo transferred and women≥38years old,when the number of transferred embryos increases to three,the pregnancy rate may enhance.For women younger than 38years who have good embryo to transfer during the second IVF-ET cycle,especially for women younger than 35years,reducing the number of embryos transferred from three to two not only do not affect clinical pregnancy rate,but also can reduce the occurrence of multiple pregnancy.
Application of FAT Model in Coal Mine Safety Quantitative Management

In view of problems that production management methods in some coal mines are lagging behind,management cannot be quantified,control cannot be programmed and management cannot be effective in preventing overall accidents,a design scheme of safety quantitative management system based on FAT model was proposed.The system makes data to be quantified which involves mine safety and uses FAT analysis model to realize dynamic security assessment of all locations of coal mine.The actual application in a number of coal mines showed that the system can effectively promote standardization and informatization of coal mine safety management and improve coal mine safety management level.
Abstract IA09: Reprogramming T cells for adoptive immunotherapy of ovarian cancer.

The goal of our studies is to generate robust and long-lasting tumor-specific T cell responses for durable tumor regression in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). While the majority of women with advanced stage EOC initially respond to surgery and first-line chemotherapy, more than 70% of patients eventually die of recurrent disease within 5 years of diagnosis. In an effort to generate tumor-associated antigen (TAA) specific T cells for the treatment of EOC patients, our team has identified NY-ESO-1 as the prototypic TAA for immunotherapy in ovarian cancer. In clinical trials of cancer vaccines conducted by our group, although active immunization targeting NY-ESO-1 can generate TAA specific effector T cells, the long term control of ovarian cancer is infrequent. This is primarily because of the relatively low magnitude and short in vivo lifespan of the vaccine-elicited T cells limited long-term tumor control in the patients. Consequently, we have focused on genetically re-engineering T cells to express a NY-ESO-1 specific CD8+ T cell receptor (CD8TCR), followed by adoptive transfer of these cells into EOC patients. Although this approach led to large numbers of circulating tumor antigen specific T cells and tumor regression, the strategy is hampered by the relatively short lifespan of the effector CD8+ T cells. These results indicate that lack of sustained expansion of long lasting, durable tumor specific T cells is a major obstacle for successful adoptive T cell therapy. In preliminary studies, we have focused on CD4+ T cells as the major driver of anti-tumor immunity. In order to augment the in vivo persistence of the engineered CD8TCR cells, we have cloned a distinct subset of human CD4+ Th1 cells that directly recognize NY-ESO-1 naturally presented by MHC class II on cancer cells. In addition, these tumor-recognizing CD4+ T cells (TR-CD4TCR) potently provide help to CD8TCR cells in an antigen-presenting cell (APC) independent fashion and amplify the anti-tumor effects of CD8+ T cells. In contrast, their conventional TAA-specific CD4+Th1 counterparts (non-tumor recognizing, NTR-CD4), require APCs for their activation. Direct cognate interaction between TR-CD4 and cancer cells triggers the release of an array of effector molecules which inhibit tumor growth and amplify the anti-tumor effects of CD8+ T cells. We have also demonstrated that human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (hHSC) can be genetically re-programmed for continuous generation of long lived tumor-specific T cells in an NSG mouse model. We propose a novel clinical application of hHSCs for the continuous (possibly lifelong) source of anti-cancer immune cells that will provide sustained attack against cancer cells. Citation Format: Kunle Odunsi. Reprogramming T cells for adoptive immunotherapy of ovarian cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA09.
Degenerative conditions of the spine. Current diagnostic procedures and treatment modalities.

(1998). Degenerative conditions of the spine. Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica: Vol. 69, The Bone and Joint Decade 2000–2010 for prevention of musculo-skeletal disorders: Lund, Sweden, April 17–18, 1998, pp. 38-46.
Architectural Decision-Making in Open-Source Systems -- Preliminary Observations

Participants in open-source software projects are often geographically dispersed, and may work in different companies, and have different visions of the software. These present special challenges to creating unified architectural decisions. Yet opensource projects are often successful. We studied architectural documentation of forty-four open-source (OSS) projects, and found some evidence of how architecturaldecisions were made. It appears that the decision making process isnot significantly different from that in traditional software projects. In particular, it was characterized by careful, intentional software design, with attention to quality attributes. In general, the architectural decisions tended to be controlled by a very small team or a single individual.
Development of New Concept Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger for Energy Conservation of Air-Conditioning Machine

A new concept air-cooled heat exchanger using mesh fins and tiny tubes, “mesh-finned heat exchanger”, has been proposed with the aim of enhancing the air-side heat transfer. The basic characteristics of the air-side heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics for the mesh finned heat exchanger have been examined experimentally, and the information required to design the practical heat exchanger has been additionally investigated, with the variation of the fin and tube arrays. The comparisons of the heat exchanger performance between the proposed heat exchangers and the existing one show that the former are superior to the latter by approximately twice. Therefore, this new concept heat exchanger can help energy conservation through heat transfer enhancement.
Health disparities in epilepsy: how patient-oriented outcomes in women differ from men.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder with multiple effects on biological, social, and psychological health. Many of these effects differ between men and women, but only sparse research has specifically addressed the relevance and importance of the differences. Available evidence suggests that men and women with epilepsy have differing rates of employment and driving, and women with epilepsy have increased risk for specific mood disorders such as post‐partum depression. National surveys of physicians indicate that many physicians providing care for women with epilepsy have limited knowledge of fundamental concerns such as interactions between antiepileptic drugs and oral contraceptives, and their potential teratogenic effects. Further research and clinical implementation of improved gender‐specific care is needed to optimize outcomes for women with epilepsy.
Restoring Instream Flows Economically: Perspectives from an International River Basin

Population growth and increasing water demands will result in continued pressure to secure new water supplies, particularly for El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. Increasing the urgency of these efforts is the imminent depletion of the shared Hueco Bolson, the aquifer providing the sole current water supply for Ciudad Juarez. The only renewable source of new supplies is surface water from the Rio Grande. While the demand growth in El Paso/Juarez could provide an important opportunity to provide upstream and downstream instream flow benefits, there are equally important threats. Binational cooperative approaches to providing, through a rejuvenated river channel, surface water of adequate quality to both the El Paso and Ciudad Juarez offer a low cost method of increasing instream flows. These might be pursued in conjunction with cooperative solutions to meet municipal water demands, as suggested by the 1999 agreement between Junta Municapal de Ague y Saneamiento de Ciudad Juarez (JMAS) and El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) to “increase communication, cooperation, and coordination of joint actions on transboundary water projects of common interest” (Paso del Norte Water Task Force, 2001). Approaches which capture upstream water for downstream delivery via pipeline or aqueduct severely increase the cost and limit the possibilities for river restoration below Elephant Butte Reservoir, and may constrain timing requirements of future Mexican water demands. In depth exploration of the alternatives for meeting future binational municipal and environmental demands is an area ripe for continued inquiry.
Phonon-mediated quasiparticle poisoning of superconducting microwave resonators

Nonequilibrium quasiparticles represent a significant source of decoherence in superconducting quantum circuits. Here we investigate the mechanism of quasiparticle poisoning in devices subjected to local quasiparticle injection. We find that quasiparticle poisoning is dominated by the propagation of pair-breaking phonons across the chip. We characterize the energy dependence of the time scale for quasiparticle poisoning. Finally, we observe that incorporation of extensive normal metal quasiparticle traps leads to a more than order-of-magnitude reduction in quasiparticle loss for a given injected quasiparticle power.
Core Technologies in Life Sciences (CTLS) 2016 Conference Summary.

From June 12 to 15, 2016, the second Core Technologies in Life Sciences (CTLS) conference was held at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. The CTLS grew out of a sense in the core facilities community that there was no single organization that could provide direct representation of all European core facility scientists. In April 2013, Spencer Shorte, the director of the Imagopole imaging platform at Institut Pasteur in Paris, hosted a meeting where numerous stakeholders from throughout Europe and beyond came together to discuss the possibility of forming a new organization to promote and support European core facility science. Presentations and discussions focused on what the attendees would like to see in a core facility association based in Europe. George Grills, Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) Executive Board member, spoke via teleconference, and from the start, connections between CTLS and ABRF were considered essential.
Cross-Strait Relations in the Aftermath of Taiwan’s 2016 Elections

The 2016 elections in Taiwan resulted in a landslide victory for the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). It not only won the presidency but also an outright majority in the Legislative Yuan. It is now in full control of the government. An intriguing question is how the DPP government under President Tsai Ing-wen will deal with China which has warned Taiwan time and again that it would attack Taiwan if the latter declares de jure independence. The current study investigates the possible move that may be considered by the Tsai Ing-wen government, that will not irritate its own constituents on the island, and at the same time will not escalate the tension across the Taiwan Strait. Whether Tsai’s policy is tenable given the domestic and international constraints remains to be seen.
Coupled texture and non-Schmid effects on yield surfaces of body-centered cubic polycrystals predicted by a crystal plasticity finite element approach

Abstract Understanding and modeling the plastic deformation of body-centered cubic (BCC) metals involves considering non-Schmid (NS) driving forces to move dislocations. Here, the deformation of individual single crystals results not only from the resolved shear stress along the direction of slip (Schmid law) but also from shear stresses resolved along directions orthogonal to the slip direction as well as the three normal stress components (NS effects). In this work, we develop a multiscale model, called non-Schmid crystal plasticity finite element (NS-CPFE), to calculate the elastic-plastic deformation response of BCC polycrystals. The model accounts for coupled Schmid and NS effects through the modification of the driving shear stresses for both the 〈 1 1 ¯ 1 〉 { 110 } and 〈 11 1 ¯ 〉 { 112 } slip families. The model is validated using data from the literature and then applied to calculate polycrystalline yield surfaces through the finite element (FE) cell approach. Using the model, we perform an in-depth study of the relative importance of different terms taken in the NS contribution to the driving force for slip. Results show that for a random texture or relatively weak textures, the NS shear stress components acting normal to the Burgers vector have no effect on the polycrystalline yield surface. However, for a relatively strong transversely isotropic texture, we find an interesting result: NS shear and normal stress components can negate the effects of texture on asymmetry and plastic anisotropy. In particular, the calculations performed for the best-fit NS constants for Ta, Mo, and W show that disparate sets of NS constants for the same material coupled with preferred texture can significantly influence the shape of the polycrystalline yield surface.
Flexible Backbone Methods for Predicting and Designing Peptide Specificity

Protein–protein interactions play critical roles in essentially every cellular process. These interactions are often mediated by protein interaction domains that enable proteins to recognize their interaction partners, often by binding to short peptide motifs. For example, PDZ domains, which are among the most common protein interaction domains in the human proteome, recognize specific linear peptide sequences that are often at the C-terminus of other proteins. Determining the set of peptide sequences that a protein interaction domain binds, or it’s “peptide specificity,” is crucial for understanding its cellular function, and predicting how mutations impact peptide specificity is important for elucidating the mechanisms underlying human diseases. Moreover, engineering novel cellular functions for synthetic biology applications, such as the biosynthesis of biofuels or drugs, requires the design of protein interaction specificity to avoid crosstalk with native metabolic and signaling pathways. The ability to accurately predict and design protein–peptide interaction specificity is therefore critical for understanding and engineering biological function. One approach that has recently been employed toward accomplishing this goal is computational protein design. This chapter provides an overview of recent methodological advances in computational protein design and highlights examples of how these advances can enable increased accuracy in predicting and designing peptide specificity.
Improving Resident Performance in Oculoplastic Surgery: A New Curriculum Using Surgical Wet Laboratory Videos

Objective To develop a new oculoplastic curriculum that incorporates learning theory of skill acquisition. To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional videos for an oculoplastic surgical wet laboratory. Design Proof of concept, randomized controlled trial. Setting New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai—tertiary care academic institution. Participants and Methods In total, 16 ophthalmology residents were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups and given either video and text or text instructions alone for the following 2 procedures: blepharoplasty and eyelid laceration repair. Operating time and esthetic result were measured, and the groups were statistically compared. A brief survey was administered. Results We developed a new 6 component oculoplastics curriculum that incorporates concepts of the Fitts and Posner skill acquisition model and mental imagery. In the wet laboratory pilot study, the group that watched the video of the laceration repair showed better esthetic grades than the group that received text alone (p = 0.038). This difference was not found for the blepharoplasty (p = 0.492). There was no difference between groups in operating time for the laceration repair (p = 0.722), but the group that watched the blepharoplasty video required more time to complete the task than those that reviewed text only (p = 0.023). In total, 100% of residents reported the videos augmented their learning. Conclusions Methods to optimize surgical education are important given limited operating room time in oculoplastics, a subspecialty in which the number of surgeries performed during residency is relatively low. We developed a curriculum based on learning theory and sought to formally test one important aspect, surgical video for wet laboratories. Our pilot study, despite its limitations, showed that wet laboratory surgical videos can be effective tools in improving motor skill acquisition for oculoplastic surgery.
Science and Technology of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD™) Film-Based MEMS and NEMS Devices and Systems

This chapter focuses on a review of the science and technology of ultrananocrystaline diamond (UNCD) films developed and patented at Argonne National Laboratory for application to the development of a new generation of microelectromechanical/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). The UNCD material has been developed in thin film form and exhibit multifunctionalities applicable to a broad range of macro- to nanoscale multifunctional devices. UNCD thin films are grown by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) or hot filament CVD (HFCVD) using new patented Ar-rich/CH 4 or H 2 /CH 4 plasma chemistries. UNCD films exhibit a unique nanostructure with 2–5 nm grain size (thus the trade name UNCD) and grain boundaries of 0.4–0.6 nm for plain films, and grain sizes of 7–10 nm and grain boundaries of 2–4 nm when grown with nitrogen introduced in the Ar-rich/CH 4 chemistry to produce UNCD films incorporated with nitrogen, which exhibit electrical conductivity up to semimetallic level. This chapter provides first a brief review on the synthesis of UNCD films via MPCVD and HFCVD and the fabrication approaches (selective deposition of UNCD films) versus photolithography plus reactive ion etching (RIE) process to produce MEMS and NEMS structures. This chapter also describes integration of UNCD films with dissimilar materials in film form, such as piezoelectric oxides for development of piezoactuated MEMS/NEMS, and integration with metal films for contacts and biological matter for a new generation of biomedical devices and biosensors. A range of UNCD-based MEMS/NEMS devices are reviewed, such as (a) RF-MEMS/NEMS resonators and switches for wireless communications and radar systems; (b) new piezoactuated NEMS switches and integration into NEMS switch-based logic systems; (c) UNCD atomic force microscope (AFM) tips for imaging and fabrication of nanostructures; (d) MEMS/NEMS biomedical devices; and (e) MEMS/NEMS biosensors.
First Report of Pecan Bacterial Leaf Scorch Caused by Xylella fastidiosa in Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) in Arizona, New Mexico, California, and Texas

Pecan bacterial leaf scorch (PBLS) is a chronic disease that can debilitate pecan and may cause major yield losses in susceptible cultivars. In the 2015 and 2016 growing seasons, symptoms consistent with PBLS (Sanderlin and Heyderich-Alger, 2000) were observed in pecan plantings in AZ, NM, CA and TX. Symptoms included tan to light brown necrotic lesions, which often started on the leaf margin and expanded throughout the leaflet, eventually resulting in abscission. Some leaflets exhibited tip necrosis with the end of the leaflet curling upward. The USDA ARS National Collection of Genetic Resources for Pecans and Hickories (NCGR-Carya) located in Texas, distributes pecan germplasm internationally within constraints outlined by plant import permits of requesting nations. Permits often require source evaluations for PBLS to prevent the spread of the causal agent, Xylella fastidiosa. Samples from NCGR-Carya collections and pecan plantings in AZ, NM, CA, and TX were screened for the presence of X. fastidiosa. S...
Role of Structure and Composition in the Heat Conduction Behavior of Silicon Carbide

A review is presented of experimental data for the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of silicon carbide obtained by the author and his co-workers over the last few years. It is shown that additives in the form of sintering aids, structural imperfections as those found in amorphous silicon carbide fibers and stacking faults can lower the thermal conductivity or diffusivity of silicon carbide significantly. In contrast, significant improvements in the heat conduction behavior of silicon carbide can be achieved by grain boundary additives which act as impurity traps and by additional heat treatments which cause impurity precipitation and reduction in crystal lattice imperfections. However, for all silicon carbides investigated, the thermal conductivity is well below literature values for high-purity single crystals.
Hepatitis A Outbreak in California — Addressing the Root Cause

Hepatitis A Outbreak in California Most people affected by California’s hepatitis A outbreak are homeless, and infectious diseases are one of many health threats they face. To address the root cause of their health problems, we will need sustained efforts to fix the housing-affordability crisis.
HarpLDA+: Optimizing latent dirichlet allocation for parallel efficiency

Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is a widely used machine learning technique in topic modeling and data analysis. Training large LDA models on big datasets involves dynamic and irregular computation patterns and is a major challenge to both algorithm optimization and system design. In this paper, we present a comprehensive benchmarking of our novel synchronized LDA training system HarpLDA+ based on Hadoop and Java. It demonstrates impressive performance when compared to three other MPI/C++ based state-of-the-art systems, which are LightLDA, F+NomadLDA, and WarpLDA. HarpLDA+ uses optimized collective communication with a timer control for load balance, leading to stable scalability in both shared-memory and distributed systems. We demonstrate in the experiments that HarpLDA+ is effective in reducing synchronization and communication overhead and outperforms the other three LDA training systems.
Intraoperative and Postoperative Segmental Lordosis Mismatch: Analysis of 3 Fusion Techniques.

Objective This study aimed to quantify the discrepancy between intraoperative and postoperative segmental lordosis in patients operated on for lumbar degenerative diseases, with 3 different fixation techniques: open posterolateral instrumentation alone (PLI) or in association with lumbar interbody cages (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion [TLIF] or extreme lateral interbody fusion [XLIF]). Methods We retrospectively reviewed all adult patients affected by single-segment degenerative spondylotic disease who underwent PLI alone or percutaneous posterolateral instrumentation (pPLI) in association with TLIF or XLIF between April 2015 and December 2017 at our institution. Group I included patients who underwent PLI with transpedicular screws and rods, interlaminar bilateral decompression, and posterolateral fusion with autologous bone chips. Group II included patients treated with pPLI + TLIF using a complete unilateral arthrectomy. Group III included patients operated on with minimally invasive retroperitoneal pPLI + XLIF. Results No major complications were reported. The mean segmental loss of lordosis values ranged from 9.17% to 12.28% in Group I, from 6.31%–9.43% in Group II, and from 3.05%–4.71% in Group III. The statistical analysis revealed that pPLI + XLIF maintained a higher segmental lordosis than PLI and pPLI +TLIF in each operated segment (P Conclusions The documented mismatch between the preoperative and postoperative lumbar lordosis might affect the clinical outcome. Its relevance depends on the surgical technique used at the single level.
Carex arizonica, a New Southwestern Species in Section Paniceae (Cyperaceae)

abstract Carex arizonica M. Licher, G. Rink, and A. A. Reznicek (Cyperaceae) is a new species of riparian sedge in Arizona, USA and apparently Chihuahua, Mexico. Previously, these plants were determined variously as Carex meadii, C. aurea, or C. hassei. Carex meadii, reported from Arizona based on this entity, is now not known within Arizona. With mostly three stigmas, Carex arizonica would seem to be most closely related to C. klamathensis, a serpentine endemic in southwestern Oregon and northwestern California, which belongs to section Paniceae. However, the widespread Carex aurea of section Bicolores, which usually has flowers with two stigmas, may have played a role in the origins of C. arizonica.
The biogenic amine tyramine modulates the adherence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to intestinal mucosa.

The environmental factors that influence the ability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to attach to the intestinal mucosa are incompletely understood. In the present study, the ability of one of the most common biogenic amines present in food, tyramine, to influence the ability of E. coli O157:H7 to adhere to murine cecal mucosa was examined. Ex vivo full-thickness sheets of murine cecum were mounted in Ussing chambers, which preserved the enteric nervous system innervation of the luminal epithelia and thereby allowed us to achieve a closer approximation of bacterial adherence than would be encountered in vivo. After exposure of the luminal aspect of the cecum to tyramine, E. coli O157:H7 was added for 90 min. The cecal tissue was then removed and washed, and adhered E. coli O157:H7 was enumerated using a selective medium. Tyramine significantly increased E. coli O157:H7 adherence to cecal mucosa when compared to that of controls. The 50% effective concentration of tyramine was 92.6 μM. Specific adrenergic anta...
Bacterial and fungal infections in the neonate: current diagnosis and therapy.

A positive blood culture with a clinically recognized pathogen remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis. Debate continues as to whether multiple blood cultures should be performed. Certainly with bacterial organisms that are frequent blood culture contaminants, such as coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), the diagnosis of sepsis is best confirmed by the finding of two or more positive cultures from multiple sites or body fluids that are normally sterile. The isolation of CoNS from only one blood culture when only one is obtained is problematic and of uncertain significance. Since many of these positive cultures represent contamination with skin microflora, the practice of obtaining only one blood culture often leads to prolonged and unnecessary antibiotic therapy. In our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Parkland Memorial Hospital (PMH) in Dallas, Texas, we routinely obtain two blood cultures from all infants who are evaluated for possible sepsis.
Predictors and etiologies of 30-day readmissions in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Background Despite improvements in acute care and survival after non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) hospitalization, early readmissions remain common, and have significant clinical and financial impact. Objectives Determine the predictors and etiologies of 30-day readmissions in NSTE-ACS. Method The study cohort was derived from the National Readmission Database 2014 identifying patients with a primary diagnosis of NSTE-ACS using ICD9 code. Results We identified a total of 300,269 patients admitted with NSTE-ACS; 13.4% were readmitted within 30-day. The most common cause of readmission was heart failure (HF) (15.6%), followed by a recurrent myocardial infarction (MI) (10%). Predictors of increased readmissions were age ≥ 75 years (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.30-1.39), female gender (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.09-1.16), a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) >3 (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 2.04-2.18), ESRD (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.89-2.14), CKD (OR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.51-1.64), length of stay ≥5 days (OR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.46-1.56) and adverse events during the index admission such as AKI (OR:1.31, 95% CI: 1.25-1.36), major bleeding (OR:1.20, 95% CI: 1.12-1.24); whereas admission to a teaching hospital (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89-0.95) and PCI (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.67-0.72) were associated with less likelihood of 30-day readmission. Conclusion Readmission rate at 30-days is high among NSTE-ACS patients and the most common readmission etiologies are HF and recurrent MI. A CCI more than 3 and ESRD were the most significant predictors for readmission; patients undergoing PCI had less odds of readmission.
The human claustrum is functionally connected to cognitive networks and involved in cognitive control

The claustrum is among the most highly connected structures in the mammalian brain. However, the function of the claustrum is unknown, which is due to its peculiar anatomical arrangement. Here, we use resting state and task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to elucidate claustrum function in human subjects. We first describe a method to reveal claustrum signal with no linear relationship with adjacent regions. We applied this approach to resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis of the claustrum at high resolution (1.5 mm isotropic voxels) using a 7T dataset (n=20) and a separate 3T dataset for replication (n=35). We then assessed claustrum activation during performance of a cognitive task, the multi-source interference task, at 3T (n=33). Extensive functional connectivity was observed between claustrum and cortical regions associated with cognitive control, including anterior cingulate, prefrontal and parietal cortices. Cognitive task performance was associated with widespread activation and deactivation that overlapped with the cortical areas showing functional connectivity to the claustrum. Furthermore, the claustrum was significantly activated at the onset of the difficult condition of the task, but not during the remainder of the difficult condition. These data suggest that the claustrum can be functionally isolated with fMRI, and that it is involved in cognitive control in humans independent of sensorimotor processing.
OPTIMAL DATA TASK DISTRIBUTION FOR BALANCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION ON COOPERATIVE FOG NETWORKS

In this paper, the problem of how to balance the energy consumption during data processing in networks is investigated using a fog middleware. We first demonstrate that for a fog network with different kind of nodes, balancing the energy relies on a combinatorial optimization that is solved using graph theory. We propose a transformation of the transshipment graph problem to formulate an optimization problem that we solve with linear programming (LP). We show the possibility of balancing and extending the battery life of the whole network based on cooperation between nodes without jeopardizing individual nodes’ battery life. We use both, emulation and real scenarios to test our optimization algorithm. We show we can balance the network energy, keep all nodes alive and active ~95% of the time.
Discovery of 5′′-Chloro-N- [(5,6-dimethoxypyridin-2-yl)methyl] -2,2′:5′,3′′-terpyridine-3′-carboxamide (MK-1064): A Selective Orexin 2 Receptor Antagonist (2-SORA) for the Treatment of Insomnia.

The development of title compound (I), one of the most potent and selective orexin 2 antagonists (2-SORA) reported to date, is described including SAR study.
Generalized Cross Subspace Alignment Codes for Coded Distributed Batch Matrix Multiplication

Author(s): Jia, Zhuqing; Jafar, Syed A | Abstract: The goal of coded distributed batch matrix multiplication is to efficiently multiply L instances of \lambda x \kappa matrices, A=(A_1, ..., A_L)$, with L instances of \kappa x \mu matrices B=(B_1,..., B_L), by distributing the computation across S servers, such that the response from any R servers (R is called the recovery threshold) is sufficient to compute the L matrix products, AB=(A_1B_1, A_2B_2, ..., A_LB_L). Existing solutions either compute each $A_lB_l$ one at a time by partitioning individual matrices and coding across these partitions, or rely only on batch processing, i.e., coding across the batch of matrices without any matrix partitioning. The state-of-art for matrix-partitioning and batch processing approaches is represented by Entangled Polynomial Codes (EP codes), and Lagrange Coded Computing (LCC), respectively. In order to combine the benefits of the two approaches, we propose Generalized Cross-Subspace Alignment Codes (GCSA codes) that unify, generalize and improve upon the state of art. GCSA codes bridge the two extremes by efficiently combining both matrix-partitioning and batch processing, and offer flexibility in how much of each approach is used. Both EP codes and LCC codes can be recovered as special cases of GCSA codes. Remarkably, even without matrix partitioning, GCSA codes demonstrate an advantage over LCC codes in download-constrained settings. This is due to cross-subspace alignment, characterized by a Cauchy-Vandermonde code structure that aligns interference along Vandermonde terms, while the desired matrix products remain resolvable along Cauchy terms.
Branding Your Medical Practice: How to Make Your Practice Distinctive and Unique

It was not so long ago that the concept of branding referred to using a hot iron to make your cattle look different from all other cattle on the range so that you could distinguish your cattle from others. Today, in the business world, branding is used to create the perception that a product or service is superior to other business in the community, the region, and even the nation. Is your medical practice unique and special? Everyone believes that we are members of truly unique practice or organization but how do we convey that to our existing patients and to potential new patients? Branding is an opportunity to create a name, a term, a symbol, or design that identifies and defines your practice and will differentiate your practice from other practices. This chapter will define branding from a medical practice point of view and discuss the importance of branding a medical practice using inexpensive and ethical methods of branding for the contemporary medical practice.
Efficient Formulation of Ab Initio Quantum Embedding in Periodic Systems: Dynamical Mean-Field Theory.

We present an efficient ab initio dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) implementation for quantitative simulations in solids. Our DMFT scheme employs ab initio Hamiltonians defined for impurities com...
Avian Bornaviral Ganglioneuritis: Current Debates and Unanswered Questions

Avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis, often referred to as parrot wasting disease, is associated with a newly discovered avian virus from the taxonomic family Bornaviridae. Research regarding the pathogenesis and treatment for this disease is ongoing, with implications for understanding other emerging human and nonhuman diseases, as well as the health and ecology of wildlife. At this time, numerous questions remain unanswered regarding the transmission of the disease, best practices for diagnostic sampling and testing, and whether currently used drug therapies are effective or harmful for afflicted birds. The pathogenesis of the disease also remains unclear with many birds showing resistance to the effects of the virus and being able to remain clinically unaffected for years, while other birds succumb to its effects. New research findings regarding avian bornaviral ganglioneuritis are discussed and important as yet unanswered questions are identified.
F-ATP-ase of Escherichia coli membranes: The ubiquitous MgADP-inhibited state and the inhibited state induced by the ε-subunit's C-terminal domain are mutually exclusive

ATP synthases are important energy-coupling, rotary motor enzymes in all kingdoms of life. In all F-type ATP synthases, the central rotor of the catalytic F1 complex is composed of the γ subunit and the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the e subunit. In the enzymes of diverse bacteria, the C-terminal domain of e (eCTD) can undergo a dramatic conformational change to trap the enzyme in a transiently inactive state. This inhibitory mechanism is absent in the mitochondrial enzyme, so the eCTD could provide a means to selectively target ATP synthases of pathogenic bacteria for antibiotic development. For Escherichia coli and other bacterial model systems, it has been difficult to dissect the relationship between e inhibition and a MgADP-inhibited state that is ubiquitous for FOF1 from bacteria and eukaryotes. A prior study with the isolated catalytic complex from E. coli, EcF1, showed that these two modes of inhibition are mutually exclusive, but it has long been known that interactions of F1 with the membrane-embedded FO complex modulate inhibition by the eCTD. Here, we study membranes containing EcFOF1 with wild-type e, e lacking the full eCTD, or e with a small deletion at the C-terminus. By using compounds with distinct activating effects on F-ATP-ase activity, we confirm that eCTD inhibition and ubiquitous MgADP inhibition are mutually exclusive for membrane-bound E. coli F-ATP-ase. We determine that most of the enzyme complexes in wild-type membranes are in the e-inhibited state (>50%) or in the MgADP-inhibited state (30%).
Abstract P1-19-13: A phase II trial assessing the safety of an alternative dosing schedule of palbociclib (palbo) in hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC): Alt Dose Palbo

Introduction: Palbo is approved in combination with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant (FUL) for the treatment of HR+ HER2- MBC. The incidence of grade (G) 3/4 neutropenia (ANC) approaching 66% has been observed in phase 3 trials of palbo. We hypothesize that an alternative schedule of palbo, 5 days on/2 days off every 7 days, reduces the severity of neutropenia, therefore allowing continued weekly dosing and less dose reduction and discontinuation. Methods: A single arm phase II study (Alt Dose Palbo) was conducted in patients (pts) with HR+ HER2- MBC who had ≤1 prior systemic therapy in the metastatic setting (NCT03007979). Pts were treated with palbo 125 mg daily on a 5 days on/2 days off every 7-day schedule, along with letrozole (LET) or FUL per treating physician. Goserelin was administered if premenopausal. The primary objective was to determine the rate of G3/4 ANC within the first 29 days of treatment. Secondary objectives included determining the rate of G3/4 ANC during all cycles, rate of palbo dose reduction/interruption/discontinuation, adverse event (AE) profile per CTCAE v5, progression free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) by RECIST 1.1. The sample size of 47 was calculated to provide 90% power based on one-sample binomial exact test at a 5% alpha level to test the one-sided null hypothesis of G3/4 ANC rate >62% versus the alternative of Citation Format: Jairam Krishnamurthy, Jingqin Luo, Foluso Ademuyiwa, Rama Suresh, Caron Rigden, Timothy Reardon, Katherine Weilbaecher, Ashley Frith, Anna Roshal, Pavan Tandra, Mathew Cherian, Tracy Summa, Shana Thomas, Leonel Hernandez-Aya, Lindsay Peterson, Cynthia Ma. A phase II trial assessing the safety of an alternative dosing schedule of palbociclib (palbo) in hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2 negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (MBC): Alt Dose Palbo [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-19-13.
Targeting EGFR activity in tumor-derived endothelial cells.

5704 The target cells for anti-cancer Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, Iressa, Tarceva, and Erbitux are typically thought to be tumor cells. We provide evidence that tumor-derived endothelial cells (TECs) can also be direct-targets of anti-EGFR therapeutics. TECs isolated from xenografts of melanoma, liposarcoma, and breast carcinoma express EGFR at higher levels than normal endothelial cells (NECs). EGFR expressed on the TECs is activated by members of the EGF family of ligands (EGF, HB-EGF, TGFΑ). EGFR on the TECs acts in a heterodimer with the oncogene ErbB2 and activation of these receptors is coupled to MAPK activation. TECs display increased proliferation in a dose dependent manner to EGF, whereas the NECs are non-responsive to EGF. EGFR kinase inhibitor, AG1478, inhibits both EGF induced cell proliferation as well as exponential growth of TECs in complete media. Melanoma cells themselves were negative for EGFR expression and non-responsive to EGF. Melanoma derived ECs (Mel-ECs) are selective targets of anti-EGFR drugs since their normal counterparts the Skin-ECs are not as sensitive to the EGFR kinase inhibitor. In vivo expression of EGFR and activated-EGFR in ECs of EGFR negative melanoma xenografts was observed by immunohistochemical analyses. Our data suggests that anti-EGFR therapeutics may be effective in patients tested negative for EGFR immunoreactivity on their tumor cells, through the targeting of these drugs to the tumor vasculature.
Plasma hydrodynamic experiments on NRL Nike KrF laser

Abstract The krypton-fluoride Nike laser delivers up to 2 KJ in 248 nm ultraviolet radiation to planar targets with the most uniform illumination of all existing high-energy lasers for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. That, combined with high-resolution monochromatic x-ray imaging pioneered at NRL in the 1990s and the recently added two-dimensional (2D) VISAR diagnostics, provides a unique platform for experimental studies of hydrodynamic phenomena important to the inertial confinement fusion (ICF). These include absolute experimental determination of the primary Hugoniots of low-density plastic foams in the Mbar pressure range. Although foam materials have many uses for the manufacturing of ICF targets ranging from laser fusion to Z-pinch-driven dynamic hohlraums, no experimental data on their shock compressibility in the ICF-relevant pressure range was available until our experiments. We describe the first systematic experimental study of the nonlinear, multi-mode perturbation evolution triggered by localized target non-uniformities, such as straight grooves and dots, which emulate fill tubes, tents, and other target-mounting structures in laser capsules. The experimental data turned out to be counter-intuitive and challenging for simulations. Finally, the 2D VISAR snap-shot images of the shock velocity field made it possible to directly measure the roughness of a uniformly driven shock front propagating into the target, which is caused by ISI-smoothed laser imprint. Initial measurements for planar CH targets with and without thin high-Z layers added for the imprint mitigation have been successfully performed.
Increased energy expenditure and protection from diet-induced obesity in mice lacking the cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase, PDE9

Obesity is a central component to cardiometabolic diseases, predisposing patients to both heart failure and diabetes. As therapeutics targeting caloric intake have limited long-term efficacy, greater interest has been on increasing thermogenic energy expenditure. Cyclic nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP, are important second messengers that are critical for the regulation of adaptive thermogenesis. These are regulated not only by their synthesis but also by their degradation. Pharmacological inhibitors of the cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) increased PKG signaling and UCP1 expression in adipocytes. To elucidate the role of PDE9 on energy balance and glucose homeostasis in vivo, mice carrying a targeted disruption of the PDE9 gene, Pde9a, were fed a nutrient matched high-fat diet (HFD) or low-fat diet (LFD). Pde9a-/- mice were resistant to obesity induced by a HFD. Pde9a-/- mice exhibited a global increase in energy expenditure while the brown adipose tissue had elevated expression of Ucp1 and other thermogenic genes. The reduced adiposity of HFD-fed Pde9a-/- mice was associated with improvements in glucose handling and hepatic steatosis. These findings support the conclusion that PDE9 is a critical regulator of energy metabolism and suggest that inhibiting this enzyme may be an important avenue to explore for combating metabolic disease.
Sueño en paño: Texas Chicano prison inmate art in the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art Collection, Utah State University, and the Leplat-Torti Collection

Pano art consists of elaborate ink drawings on fifteen-by-fifteen-inch cotton handkerchiefs produced by incarcerated Latinos. Panos are private expressions of love, devotion, and resilience made artifacts for public scrutiny at art galleries and museums. Although more than two dozen art exhibitions dedicated to panos have been held from Santa Fe to France since 1996, few scholars have published on their artistic merit. Recontextualizing panos as art and pintos (Spanish slang for inmates) as artists, this essay initiates a critical dialogue that keeps these items from becoming a fetishized curiosity for curators and collectors. In examining seven panos produced by Texas inmates in the 1990s from NEHMA and the Leplat-Torti collection, this study also aims to situate their cultural significance amid Chicano and emergent Tejano traditions.
Futility and toxicity monitoring without halting for interim analyses.

e13579Background: Many trial designs with futility or toxicity monitoring require that accrual halt to wait for currently enrolled patients to complete their assessment window. However, logistics o...