cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene Expression Alterations in Prostate Cancer Predicting Tumor Aggression and Preceding Development of Malignancy

Purpose The incidence of prostate cancer is frequent, occurring in almost one-third of men older than 45 years. Only a fraction of the cases reach the stages displaying clinical significance. Despite the advances in our understanding of prostate carcinogenesis and disease progression, our knowledge of this disease is still fragmented. Identification of the genes and patterns of gene expression will provide a more cohesive picture of prostate cancer biology. Patients and Methods In this study, we performed a comprehensive gene expression analysis on 152 human samples including prostate cancer tissues, prostate tissues adjacent to tumor, and organ donor prostate tissues, obtained from men of various ages, using the Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA) U95a, U95b, and U95c chip sets (37,777 genes and expression sequence tags). Results Our results confirm an alteration of gene expression in prostate cancer when comparing with nontumor adjacent prostate tissues. However, our study also indicates that the gene expressi...
p62 Binding to Protein Kinase C ζ Regulates Tumor Necrosis Factor α–Induced Apoptotic Pathway in Endothelial Cells

Objective— Protein kinase C (PKC) ζ is a key pathological mediator of endothelial cell apoptosis. p62 is a scaffold protein that regulates several cell signaling pathways by binding to target proteins. Because PKCζ and p62 contain Phox/Bem1p (PB1) modules that mediate protein–protein interactions, we hypothesized that an interaction between p62 and PKCζ is required for tumor necrosis factor α–induced PKCζ signaling in endothelial cells. Methods and Results— In human umbilical vein endothelial cell, tumor necrosis factor α (10 ng/mL) enhanced the interaction between p62 and PKCζ. Transfection with p62 small interfering RNA reduced the activation of both PKCζ and its downstream targets JNK and caspase 3, suggesting that p62 is necessary for PKCζ signaling. Overexpression of only the PB1 domain of p62 inhibited p62–PKCζ interaction, showing that binding of these 2 proteins is mediated by their PB1 domains. Furthermore, overexpression of the p62 PB1 domain suppressed tumor necrosis factor α–induced PKCζ activation and subsequent activation of JNK and caspase 3. Finally, transfection of either p62 small interfering RNA or the PB1 domain of p62 inhibited human umbilical vein endothelial cell apoptosis. Conclusion— Our results suggest a novel function of p62 that regulates the activity of PKCζ by binding to PKCζ, thereby activating the PKCζ-JNK-caspase 3 apoptotic pathway in endothelial cells.
Microhabitat use, movements and abundance of gilt darters (Percina evides) in southern Appalachian (USA) streams

We examined microhabitat use by gilt darters (Percina evides) in two streams in the south-eastern USA. Darters were over-represented in erosional microhabitats with higher average velocities and more cobble. Male darters tended to show stronger selection than females. Size-based analyses showed that larger (‡60 mm) gilt darters tended to use microhabitats with more heterogeneous substrata and more boulder than smaller (£59 mm) darters. We also conducted a short-term movement study and calculated population estimates based on mark-recapture data in autumn 2005. Darters moved both long and short distances with 40% of all recaptures occurring within 5 m of the initial capture point. Using Program mark and model-averaged parameter estimates gilt darter density was 0.31 dartersAEm )2 (225 darters ⁄ 730 m 2 ). Conservation of this species will require the preservation of erosional habitats in streams.
Correlation of shoot and root growth and its role in selecting for aluminum tolerance in soybean

Abstract Aluminum‐tolerant soybean cultivars are needed for deeper rooting and increased drought tolerance in acid subsoils. A major limitation in the development of such cultivars is Al‐screening methodology. Shoot growth is often used to infer root growth, but the genotypic relationships between root and shoot growth of older soybean plants have not been evaluated. Our objectives were (i) to test the hypothesis that shoot growth is a reliable indicator of acid soil (Al) tolerance in soybean, and (ii) to determine the relative Al tolerances of selected soybean genotypes. Nine genotypes were evaluated for Al tolerance by growing them for 37 days in greenhouse pots of unlimed (pH 4.3) and limed (pH 5.3) Tatum subsoil. Aluminum tolerance was determined by root and shoot growth and plant symptoms. Aluminum tolerance was detected using both shoot and root growth, and agreement between these two selection criteria was good. Genotypic correlations between root and shoot growth for unlimed soil, for limed soil, ...
Immune complex relay by subcapsular sinus macrophages and noncognate B cells drives antibody affinity maturation

Subcapsular sinus (SCS) macrophages capture antigens from lymph and present them intact for B cell encounter and follicular delivery. However, the properties of SCS macrophages are poorly defined. Here we show SCS macrophage development depended on lymphotoxin-alpha1beta2, and the cells had low lysosomal enzyme expression and retained opsonized antigens on their surface. Intravital imaging revealed immune complexes moving along macrophage processes into the follicle. Moreover, noncognate B cells relayed antigen opsonized by newly produced antibodies from the subcapsular region to the germinal center, and affinity maturation was impaired when this transport process was disrupted. Thus, we characterize SCS macrophages as specialized antigen-presenting cells functioning at the apex of an antigen transport chain that promotes humoral immunity.
The role of stress proteins in responses of a montane willow leaf beetle to environmental temperature variation.

The heat shock response is a critical mechanism by which organisms buffer effects of variable and unpredictable environmental temperatures. Upregulation of heat shock proteins (Hsps) increases survival after exposure to stressful conditions in nature, although benefits of Hsp expression are often balanced by costs to growth and reproductive success. Hsp-assisted folding of variant polypeptides may prevent development of unfit phenotypes; thus, some differences in Hsp expression among natural populations of ectotherms may be due to interactions between enzyme variants (allozymes) and Hsps. In the Sierra willow leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis, which lives in highly variable thermal habitats at the southern edge of their range in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, California, allele frequencies at the enzyme locus phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) vary across a climatic latitudinal gradient. PGI allozymes differ in kinetic properties, and expression of a 70 kDa Hsp differs between populations, along elevation gradients, and among PGI genotypes. Differences in Hsp 70 expression among PGI genotypes correspond to differences in thermal tolerance and traits important for reproductive success, such as running speed, survival and fecundity. Thus, differential Hsp expression among genotypes may allow functionally important genetic variation to persist, allowing populations to respond effectively to environmental change.
Global DNA Methylation Is Associated With Insulin Resistance: A Monozygotic Twin Study

Insulin resistance (IR), the hallmark of type 2 diabetes, may be under epigenetic control. This study examines the association between global DNA methylation and IR using 84 monozygotic twin pairs. IR was estimated using homeostasis model assessment (HOMA). Global DNA methylation of Alu repeats in peripheral blood leukocytes was quantified by bisulfite pyrosequencing. The association between global DNA methylation and IR was examined using generalized estimating equation (GEE) and within–twin pair analyses, adjusting for potential confounders. Results show that methylation levels at all four CpG sites were individually associated with IR by GEE (all false discovery rate–adjusted P values ≤0.026). A 10% increase in mean Alu methylation was associated with an increase of 4.55 units (95% CI 2.38–6.73) in HOMA. Intrapair difference in IR was significantly associated with intrapair difference in global methylation level. A 10% increase in the difference in mean Alu methylation was associated with an increase of 4.54 units (0.34–8.71; P = 0.036) in the difference in HOMA. Confirmation of the results by intrapair analyses suggests that genetic factors do not confound the association between global DNA methylation and IR. Exclusion of twins taking diabetes medication (n = 17) did not change our results.
Does location really matter? An inter-colony comparison of seabirds breeding at varying distances from productive oceanographic features in the Bering Sea

Central place foragers, such as breeding seabirds, need to commute between their nests and foraging grounds, thus close proximity of the breeding colony to productive oceanographic features might be beneficial for seabird reproduction. We tested this hypothesis by investigating the at-sea foraging and breeding behavior of thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) nesting at three colonies (Bogoslof, St. Paul, and St. George Islands) in the Bering Sea located at different distances from the productive continental shelf-break. We found that distances to feeding areas differed only during night trips among colonies. St. Paul murres foraged entirely on the shelf, whereas St. George murres commuted to the continental shelf-break at night and foraged on the shelf during the day. Bogoslof murres foraged in oceanic waters in close proximity to the colony. Murres breeding at the both Pribilof colonies spent less time attending nests and had higher levels of stress hormone corticosterone compared to murres breeding at Bogoslof, although chick-provisioning rates and fledging success were similar among the three colonies. Lower nest attendance and higher corticosterone suggest lower food availability in the Pribilof domain compared to the Bogoslof region. Murres breeding at the Pribilofs used different foraging strategies to buffer effects of food shortages on their reproduction: flight costs associated with longer distance night trips at St. George were presumably balanced by benefits of higher density and/or more lipid rich prey in the continental shelf-break regions, whereas the additional distance of St. Paul from the continental shelf-break may have outweighed any energetic gain. Murres exhibited a remarkable degree of plasticity of foraging strategies in response to changes in their food availability, but the breeding success of murres did not reflect either food limitations or the colony proximity to productive oceanographic features.
Mapping monomeric threading to protein-protein structure prediction.

The key step of template-based protein–protein structure prediction is the recognition of complexes from experimental structure libraries that have similar quaternary fold. Maintaining two monomer and dimer structure libraries is however laborious, and inappropriate library construction can degrade template recognition coverage. We propose a novel strategy SPRING to identify complexes by mapping monomeric threading alignments to protein–protein interactions based on the original oligomer entries in the PDB, which does not rely on library construction and increases the efficiency and quality of complex template recognitions. SPRING is tested on 1838 nonhomologous protein complexes which can recognize correct quaternary template structures with a TM score >0.5 in 1115 cases after excluding homologous proteins. The average TM score of the first model is 60% and 17% higher than that by HHsearch and COTH, respectively, while the number of targets with an interface RMSD <2.5 A by SPRING is 134% and 167% higher ...
Results of a clinical practice algorithm for the management of thoracostomy tubes placed for traumatic mechanism

Introduction The management and removal of thoracostomy tubes for trauma-related hemothorax and pneumothorax is controversial. General recommendations exist; however, institutional data related to an algorithmic approach has not been well described. The difficulty in establishing an algorithm centers about individualized patients’ needs for subsequent management after thoracostomy tube placement. In our institution, we use the same protocol for all trauma patients who receive a thoracostomy tube with minimal complications.
MICROSPECTROPHOTOMETRY AND THE PHOTORECEPTOR OF PHYCOMYCES I

By applying microspectrophotometry to the sporangiophore of Phycomyces blakesleeanus wild-type and the albino car-10(-) type II, absorption spectra were obtained for 1- to 5-day cultures. Spectra in the growing-zone of the wild-type during Stage IVb, taken from 0.1 to 3 mm below the base of the sporangium, show two distinctly different spectra: one is more characteristic of a carotene, the other of a flavin. Combined, these absorption spectra reproduce closely the action spectrum. For the albino car-10(-), which is deficient in carotenes, only the spectrum characteristic of lumichrome or a reduced flavin was found. A c-type cytochrome was isolated from both strains which, if coupled with a flavin, could permit a photoreversible oxidation-reduction system. Birefringent crystals were observed to be aligned in the growing zone in which the photoreceptor is believed to lie. Micro-spectrophotometry of these crystals shows absorption peaks similar to those of riboflavin crystals.
Accessibility of Fitness Facilities for Persons with Physical Disabilities Using Wheelchairs

This study was conducted to evaluate the accessibility of fitness facilities in Topeka, Kansas, using the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). ADAAG identifies the specifics of architectural accessibility mandated by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Eight facilities were evaluated using an 83-item checklist adapted from Figoni et al. (1998). Most facilities had at least one barrier in each area surveyed. Only one facility was close to meeting the accessibility standards in the areas of restrooms and access to exercise equipment. Noncompliance with ADAAG can create significant barriers for wheelchair users and limit engagement in physical activity. Research increasingly shows the importance of physical activity for this population in preventing secondary conditions, such as deconditioning and depression.
The long and winding road

For a problem as complex as turbulence, combining universal concepts from statistical physics with ideas from fluid mechanics has proven indispensable. Three decades since this link was formed, it is still providing food for new thought.
The Mandelbrot Set, the Farey Tree, and the Fibonacci Sequence

(1999). The Mandelbrot Set, the Farey Tree, and the Fibonacci Sequence. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 106, No. 4, pp. 289-302.
Ideology and the New Deal `fact film' Power and the Land

This paper examines the making of the US government documentary film, Power and the Land (1940), in terms of how views about science and technology are communicated to the public. The paper argues that the film was shaped by a complex ideology of technical progress shared by the film's maker and sponsors (the Rural Electrification Administration; the short-lived US Film Service, headed by the award-winning director, Pare Lorentz; and Joris Ivens, an internationally acclaimed Dutch director and leftist), tensions between goals of producing a `factual' and `propagandistic' film, and perceptions of the rural audiences' response. This paper thus argues against the view that science and technology communication is simply the mediated diffusion of knowledge from scientists and engineers to the public (in this case, knowledge about the social and economic aspects of rural electrification) and supports an interactive model. The paper also compares Power and the Land with the better known documentaries by Lorentz,...
Thermal resistance of three parvoviruses: a possible human isolate, the minute virus of mice, and the latent rat virus

Thermal inactivation of three parvoviruses - a possible human isolate (H-1), the minute virus of mice (MVM), and the latent rat virus (RV) - was investigated over a wide range of time and temperature contacts. The H-1 virus was inactivated at a lower FN50 value than were the RV and HVM. Ten minute inactivating temperatures were 74.5°C for H-1 virus, 86.5°C for MVM and 88.5°C for RV when inocula concentrations were ca. 1 × 103. All three viruses were shown to survive when processed at the milk pasteurization times and temperatures advocated in the U.S. Public Health Service milk ordinance and code.
Exploring social and infrastructural factors affecting open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Indian cities: A comparative case study of three neighborhoods of Delhi

Open municipal solid waste (MSW)-burning is a major source of particulate matter emissions in developing world cities. Despite a legal ban, MSW-burning is observed ubiquitously in Indian cities with little being known about the factors shaping it. This study seeks to uncover social and infrastructural factors that affect MSW-burning at the neighborhood level. We couple physical assessments of the infrastructure provision and the MSW-burning incidences in three different neighborhoods of varying socio-economic status in Delhi, with an accompanying study of the social actors (interviews of waste handlers and households) to explore the extent to which, and potential reasons why, MSW-burning occurs. The observed differences in MSW-burning incidences range from 130 km-2 day-1 in low-income to 30 km-2 day-1 in the high-income areas. However, two high-income areas neighborhoods with functional infrastructure service also showed statistical differences in MSW-burning incidences. Our interviews revealed that, while the waste handlers were aware of the health risks associated with MSW-burning, it was not a high priority in the context of the other difficulties they faced. The awareness of the legal ban on MSW-burning was low among both waste handlers and households. In addition to providing infrastructure for waste pickup, informal restrictions from residents and neighborhood associations can play a significant role in restricting MSW-burning at the neighborhood scale. A more efficient management of MSW requires a combined effort that involves interplay of both social and infrastructural systems.
Cyclones, Drought, and Slavery: Environment and Enslavement in the Western Indian Ocean, 1870s to 1920s

This chapter explores how severe climatic events in the Western Indian Ocean influenced both the demand for slave labor in eastern Arabia and the supply of enslaved Africans in East Africa in the late nineteenth century. In particular, two cyclonic storms that hit the coast of Oman in 1885 and 1890 appear to have influenced demand for labor to revive Oman’s date industry, which was severely affected by both storms. The cyclones coincided with climatic events in East Africa that increased vulnerability to enslavement. These climatic events acted synergistically to create an environment conducive to a growth in the Indian Ocean slave trade despite Western political and diplomatic efforts to end it.
Imago: presence and emotion in virtual reality

As virtual reality becomes available to a wider audience, filmmakers are being challenged to create ever more immersive and creative narratives for this quickly evolving medium. While many of the early attempts at virtual reality filmmaking have been devoted to the creation of quick paced and aw-inspiring experiences, filmmakers such as Chris Milk and Oculus Story Studio have been more focused on more story driven experiences, using the medium to tell narratives in a new and exciting way.Project Hypnos was created at Carnegie Mellon University to explore immersive narrative filmmaking techniques for virtual reality. The resulting proof-of-concept film, Imago, was created using the techniques developed during this research. Imago plays with the concept of a viewer's presence in a film in an attempt to elicit both negative and positive emotions. The result is a story-driven experience that comes to life through live-action drama, dance, and abstract CG imagery.
Increasing Class Participation in College Classrooms with the Good Behavior Game

Participation in college classrooms remains low, despite evidence that increased participation contributes to better grades. Incorporating active student educational strategies may help combat poor participation. The Good Behavior Game is a tool for improving various behaviors of children and adolescents in schools. However, strategies similar to the Good Behavior Game have not yet been assessed with young adults in college classrooms. We used an alternating treatments design to evaluate effects of a modified version of the Good Behavior Game on participation across three introductory psychology courses at a public university. We collected baseline data on class participation and then compared two variations of the Good Behavior Game—one included delivering a preferred reward to individuals on the winning team and one did not include a reward. Incorporating components of the Good Behavior Game increased class participation with and without a preferred reward, relative to baseline. Students reported preferring the game with a reward relative to the game with no reward and not playing the game. Because class participation has been correlated with better course grades, incorporating features of the Good Behavior Game may be a feasible approach for improving college students’ education.
Autonomy, Identity, and Narrative Construction with Parents and Friends

Recently, while testing the feasibility of a laboratory procedure for studying adolescent conversational storytelling, we recorded a series of adolescent conversations in our laboratory. Adolescents were asked to choose recent events like an important decision, a recent self-contradictory experience, or a recent self-typical experience. They discussed the experiences with both their friend and their parent, and the order of these conversations was counterbalanced. Although the data set was not large, conversations were saturated with issues of autonomy, identity, and general adolescent concerns and comparisons of conversations were illuminating. Naturally, the data we present are limited and our discussion here focuses on issues the data raise for further exploration.
Evaluating spatial and temporal variability in growth and mortality for recreational fisheries with limited catch data

Understanding the spatial and temporal variability in life-history traits among populations is essential for the management of recreational fisheries. However, valuable freshwater recreational fish...
Sixty years of quantitative communication research summarized: lessons from 149 meta-analyses

ABSTRACTIn an effort to better understand the state of knowledge production in the field of Communication, we examine the results of 149 meta-analyses exploring human communication phenomena. The meta-analyses summarize more than 60 years of quantitative research involving more than 8 million participants. The mean effect estimate is r = .21, and three-quarters of the meta-analyses reported an estimate of less than r = .29. Several trends in the findings from the meta-analyses are examined. The results underscore the notion that communication is a complex and highly contingent phenomenon and highlight some specific instances in which communication variables and processes produce (in)substantial effects. Taken as a whole, this project offers insights about the status of quantitative communication research and the collective efforts of scholars working in our discipline.
Early prognostic factors for acute encephalopathy with reduced subcortical diffusion.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors for acute encephalopathy with reduced diffusion (AED) during the acute phase through retrospective case evaluation. Methods The participants included 23 patients with AED. The diagnosis of AED was based on their clinical course and radiological findings. We divided the patients into severe and non-severe groups based on the neurodevelopmental outcome. The severe group included seven patients (median age, 21 months; range, 6–87 months) and the non-severe group included 16 patients (19 months, 9–58 months). Clinical symptoms, laboratory data and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings within 48 h from the initial seizure onset were compared between the two groups to identify neurological outcome predictors. Results The incidence of coma 12–24 h after onset, serum creatinine (Cr) levels within 2 h after onset, maximum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels within 24 h after onset, and the rate of electrographic seizures in EEG were significantly higher in the severe group (Coma, 80%; Cr, 0.40 mg/dl, 0.37–0.73; AST, 363 IU/L, 104–662; electrographic seizures, 80%) than the non-severe group (Coma, 0%; Cr, 0.29 mg/dL, 0.19–0.45; AST, 58.5 IU/L, 30–386; electrographic seizures, 0%). Conclusions Coma 12–24 h after onset, elevation of Cr levels within 2 h after onset, elevation of AST levels within 24 h after onset, and non-convulsive status epileptics (NCSE) in comatose patients were early predictors of severe AED. Patients in a coma after a febrile seizure should be checked for NCSE signs in EEG to terminate NCSE without delay.
Definitions of Dimension and Elementary Examples

We will start by giving a number of different definitions of dimension and we will try to indicate how they relate to one another. All of our definitions initially apply to an irreducible variety X; the dimension of an arbitrary variety will be defined to be the maximum of the dimensions of its irreducible components.
DEMENTIA AND THE OLDER DRIVER

Many demented patients continue to drive who, as a group, appear to be at increased risk for crashes, when compared with controls. Some studies have shown significant relationships between cognitive and functional measures, driver status performance on driving tests, and crash data. A number of methodologic problems in the studies reduce the level of confidence to which the data can be generalized. Diagnosis is not an adequate predictor of function. There is great heterogeneity of the rate of progress as well as the cognitive strengths and weaknesses among patients with dementing disorders. Performance-based guidelines for driving competence are essential rather than dependence on diagnostic labels. Ultimately, there would be no concern if there were no injury. There would be little concern if our cars and roadways were designed in such a way that the driver played little role in the traffic interaction. The potential for such systems exists but is expensive and unlikely to be built on a large scale. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the characteristics of the drivers who pose "unacceptable" risk to themselves and others. Functional information obtained from the family should be supplemented by an observational assessment of the patient, ideally by a trained specialist. The health care team's goal is to help the aging patient maintain autonomy in the face of declining health and psychosocial status. This outcome relies on a close alliance between physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, and others to understand and manage the functional aspects and complex interactions between aging, disease, and social support systems. Treatment teams with skills in functional assessment and knowledge about the available social services are invaluable in caring for the functionally declining elderly patient. Recommendations to withdraw driving privileges on the basis of a diagnosis of dementia may ultimately be borne out by appropriate studies, but these studies have not been conducted. There is a great need for a consensus process to identify dangerous drivers, ideally with performance-based measures. This would then support uniform laws across the country that protect the patient, the physician, and the public. Education of the medical and lay community of the "warning signs" of declining driving skills could do much to heighten awareness in the community, much as the warning signs of cancer have been publicized. With the aging of our nation's population and the strong association of aging with dementing disorders, there is reason to be concerned, especially when dementing illnesses affect judgment. Demented drivers may pose a significant public health problem.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Storms, Sea Crossings, the Challenges of Nature, and the Transformation of the Protagonist in Medieval and Renaissance Literature

In medieval and early modern literature the motif of crossing borders of water or crossing wild, wintry forests assumes a major function, as it provides an influential framework for the protagonist to experience a metaphorical transformation. Heroic literature hardly ever uses this motif, as neither Beowulf nor Siegfried nor Roland ever change in character and do not face any significant challenge when traveling from one location to another. Both the courtly protagonist and the narrators in many of the Renaissance novella collections, however, such as in Boccaccio’s Decameron and Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron, are faced with major hurdles in nature and realize at the end that their struggle to win the other shore or to find their way through the threatening forest or mountain leaves a profound impact on them.
Securing BGP Using External Security Monitors

Abstract : Security modifications to legacy network protocols are expensive and disruptive. This paper outlines an approach based on external security monitors, for securing legacy protocols by deploying additional hosts that locally monitor the inputs and outputs of each host executing the protocol check the behavior of the host against a safety specification and communicate using an overlay to alert other hosts about invalid behavior and to initiate remedial actions. Trusted computing hardware provides the basis for trust in external security monitors. This paper applies this approach to secure the Border Gateway Protocol, yielding an external security monitor called N-BGP. N-BGP can accurately monitor a BGP router using commodity trusted computing hardware. Deploying N-BGP at a random 10% of BGP routers is sufficient to guarantee the security of 80% of Internet routes where both endpoints are monitored by N-BGP. Overall, external security monitors secure the routing infrastructure using trusted computing hardware and construct a security plane for BGP without having to modify the large base of installed routers and servers.
Improvement in Biventricular Cardiac Function After Ambulatory Counterpulsation.

ABSTRACT Background The NupulseCV intravascular ventricular assist system (iVAS), which consists of a durable pump placed through the subclavian artery, provides extended-duration ambulatory counterpulsation. This study investigated the effect of iVAS on biventricular cardiac function. Methods and Results We reviewed all heart failure patients who received iVAS implantation as a bridge to transplantation or a bridge to candidacy since April 2016 as part of the iVAS first-in-humans and subsequent feasibility study. We compared data of transthoracic echocardiography performed just before implantation (without iVAS support) and again at 30 days or just before explantation (on iVAS support). Eighteen patients (58.8 ± 7.4 years old and 15 male) received iVAS support for 53 ± 43 days. Fourteen patients were bridged to cardiac replacement therapy after 35 ± 19 days and the remaining 4 patients had been supported for 118 ± 41 days. There were no deaths during iVAS support. At 30 days, there was a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (16.5% ± 11.9% vs 24.4% ± 12.8%; P = .007) and marked reduction in left atrial size (62.7 ± 35.7 mL/m2 vs 33.8 ± 17.2 mL/m2; P Conclusions Improvement in biventricular cardiac function was observed after 30 days of iVAS support. Further studies should examine the use of this technology as a bridge to recovery.
Making Up Insider Trading Law as You Go Along

The law of insider trading has developed through a combination of ad hoc judicial decisions and administrative regulations, along with legislative inaction to correct or redirect its application. Although some might fear that traditional notions of due process and fair notice have not been adequately addressed, those concerns have not had an impact. Rather than rational legal development along a relatively clear statutory path, we continue to see that insider trading is for the most part made up as we go along by the courts, including the Supreme Court, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. This is what one should expect for a prohibition that is largely the product of common law development, despite the admonition that there are no federal common law crimes. The law has produced a reasonably stable set of rules that can be applied predictably to most instances of trading on confidential information. The Supreme Court’s decision in Salman v. United States in December 2016 shows that the justices are for the most part satisfied with how the prohibition is administered, even with no overarching theory of what should – or should not – constitute a violation. The very simplicity of the Court’s analysis in Salman belies any apprehension that the justices are bothered by the state of insider trading law, even if some might view the decision as a missed opportunity to rewrite the law. So when you just make it up as you go along, sometimes you can reach a point where those responsible for enforcement are relatively satisfied, with little prospect of significant change in the future.
Long-Term Course in Idiopathic Retinal Vasculitis, Aneurysms, and Neuroretinitis.

We report the long-term course and multimodal imaging findings of a patient with IRVAN syndrome who was successfully treated that developed a branch retinal artery occlusion and demonstrated virtually complete resolution of aneurysmal dilatations.
Counseling and Management of Patients with Intracranial Atherosclerosis Disease

Optimizing management of intracranial atherosclerosis is an evolving aspect of neurovascular care in which medical management remains the mainstay of treatment. Endovascular therapy is reserved for patients who fail best medical management with adequate control of associated risk factors and despite dual antiplatelet therapy. Primary submaximal angioplasty is a safe first-line endovascular treatment followed by stenting if necessary.
Comparison of Endothelin-1 Level in Group I Pulmonary Hypertension vs. Group II Pulmonary Hypertension Both at Rest and at Peak Exercise

Purpose To assess Endothelin-1 (ET-1) level in patients with group I pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)) compared to patients with group II PH (due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)), both at rest and at peak exercise Methods We measured ET-1 level in patients with PAH , PH due to HFpEF and normal control both at rest and peak exercise. Right heart cath was done to confirm diagnosis and type of PH. This was followed by arm lifting exercise for 3 minutes (30 watts) and decrease of MVO2 by > 10% using different weights. Blood samples were collected to measure ET-1 level pre and post exercise using ET-1 ELISA . Results A total of 39 patients were included in this study. 18 patients had PH due to HFpEF with a mean ET-1 level of 2.58 fmol/ m +/- 1.12 at rest and 2.62 fmol/ m +/- 1.02 at peak exercise with p value of 0.43. In comparison, there was 16 patients who had PAH with a mean ET-1 level of 2.31 fmol/ m +/- 0.78 at rest and 2.38 fmol/ m +/- 0.87 at peak exercise with p value of 0.25. Higher levels of ET-1 is noted in patients with pulmonary hypertension (especially those due to HFpEF) was significantly higher than normal control. However, exercise didn't effect ET-1 level in the three groups (Figure 1) Conclusion This is the first study to show that ET-1 level is higher in pulmonary hypertension due to HFpEF compared to PAH. However, exercise has no effect on ET-1 level in the two groups
Improved Interpretability of Machine Learning Model Using Unsupervised Clustering: Predicting Time to First Treatment in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

PURPOSETime to event is an important aspect of clinical decision making. This is particularly true when diseases have highly heterogeneous presentations and prognoses, as in chronic lymphocytic lym...
Non-restitutable Books and the Library That Never Was

This chapter continues with the theme of confiscated books by examining the short-lived plan to build a World Jewish Library in Europe, under the auspices of UNESCO, as a home for a portion of confiscated Jewish books that could not be restituted because their original owners or any surviving relations had not survived or were not identifiable. The World Jewish Library plan, almost entirely forgotten since, challenges the long-held view that Jewish life and culture fled or was shipped, virtually without question or contest, out of post-Holocaust Europe at the earliest possible opportunity. This chapter argues that one of the visions for postwar Europe included a new future for a postwar Jewish Europe, one that provided an alternative future vision to Zionism.
From outsiders to kingmakers: a comparative study of political Salafism in Egypt and political Haredism in Israel

How and why have fundamentalists, who aim to defend religion and tradition from modernity by advocating a new return to the fundamentals of religious belief and behaviour, become politically succes...
Technological (Mis)conceptions: Examining birth control as conservation in coastal Madagascar

Abstract Population-health-environment (PHE) initiatives theoretically serve as a holistic and integrative solution to health problems, biodiversity degradation, and resource scarcity. In the past few decades increasing amounts of official development assistance and private funding have been funneled towards PHE initiatives in biodiverse developing countries. Here we draw on fieldwork in Madagascar to show how PHE initiatives reinforce a problematic politics of scale, framing environmental degradation as a local environmental problem amenable to global population solutions, while inadequate attention is given to non “local“ drivers of natural resource change such as the structure and orientation of the country’s political economy, the broader socio-cultural context and resource tenure constraints, the influence of colonial policies and economic reorganization, and current natural resource management strategies. We argue, that while local population growth is not absent from the complex dynamics influencing environmental changes in these biodiverse regions, situating resource use practices in relation to policies and practices at multiple scales not only more accurately addresses drivers of resource scarcity, but also pushes against abstracting relations between population and natural resources from their specific context in ways that insert global discourses and interventions into local contexts and communities. Additionally, we argue that while the language of “gender equality” and “women’s empowerment” has been taken up by conservation organizations advancing PHE programs in Madagascar, these terms have been hollowed of their intellectual and political weight, reinforcing rather than challenging gendered inequality.
Religious congregations: An important vehicle for alleviating human suffering and fostering wellness

In light of some concerning trends regarding social service delivery, this paper syntheses the emerging literature on religious congregations. After government, congregations are the most prominent...
Techniques of Design-Oriented Analysis: The Feedback Theorem

Part IV of this text develops analytical tools needed to understand and design larger power electronic systems. It builds on the basic modeling and analysis techniques developed in Part II to analyze and simulate complex feedback circuits, including those having input EMI filters, current-mode control, or digital control.
Speed/accuracy trade-off in the effects of acute total sleep deprivation on a sustained attention and response inhibition task.

Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is known to impair sustained attention. However, previously reported effects of TSD on response inhibition are mixed. We administered a “stop-signal” variation of the ...
Re-examining Physiologic Diagnostic Criteria: A Pilot Study using the Compensatory Reserve Index to Evaluate Individuals with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

Background/Purpose: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) can be associated with significant functional impairment and psychological distress. The diagnosis of POTS traditionally involves an orthostatic vitals evaluation (supine to standing), for which heart rate (HR) increases >30 beats per minute (Boris 2020). The Compensatory Reserve Index (CRI) is a noninvasive, FDA-cleared algorithm that analyzes photoplethysmogram or pulse oximetry waveforms in real-time to trend subtle waveform features that correspond with varying degrees of central volume loss, from normovolemia (CRI=1) to decompensation (CRI=0; SBP<80mmHg). We sought to: 1) examine the utility of using two physiologic parameters, HR criteria and …
Formal analysis of message passing (invited talk)

The message passing paradigm underlies many important families of programs—for instance programs in the area of high perfor- mance computing that support science and engineering research. Unfor- tunately, very few formal methods researchers are involved in developing formal analysis tools and techniques for message passing programs. This paper summarizes research being done in our groups in support of this area, specifically with respect to the Message Passing Interface. We em- phasize the need for specialized varieties of many familiar notions such as deadlock detection, race analysis, symmetry analysis, partial order reduction, static analysis and symbolic reasoning support. Since these issues are harbingers of those being faced in multicore programming, the time is ripe to build a critical mass of researchers working in this area.
Prediction of Solution Behavior via Calorimetric Measurements Allows for Detailed Elucidation of Polyoxometalate Transformation

The solution behavior of a polyoxometalate cluster, LiNa-U24Pp12 (Li24Na24[(UO2O2)24(P2O7)12]) that consists of 24 uranyl ions, peroxide groups, and 12 pyrophosphate linkers, was successfully predicted based on new thermodynamic results using a calorimetric method recently described for uranyl peroxide nanoclusters (UPCs), molybdenum blues, and molybdenum browns. The breakdown of LiNa-U24Pp12 and formation of U24 (Li24[UO2O2OH]24) was monitored in situ via Raman spectroscopy using a custom heating apparatus. A combination of analytical techniques confirmed the simultaneous existence of U24Pp12 and U24 midway through the conversion process and U24 as the single end product. The application of a molecular weight filter resulted in a complete and successful separation of UPCs from solution and, in conjunction with DOSY results, confirmed the presence of large intermediate cluster building blocks.
Data driven methods for effective micromobility parking

Abstract In this work, we propose a data-driven method to use proven clustering algorithms for establishing shared electric scooter (SES) parking locations and assessing their anticipated utilization. We first address the problem of finding locations for a given number of parking facilities, based pur0ely on demand, that maximize the number of trips that would likely be parked at these facilities. We then formulate an enhanced version of the SES parking facility problem in which exogenous environmental factors are considered, such as sidewalk width. Parking SESs on narrow sidewalks raises accessibility concerns for other users of this infrastructure and capturing these trips in dedicated parking facilities is a valid priority to trade off with pure demand maximization. These methods are demonstrated in two case studies, which use a large SES dataset from Nashville, Tennessee, USA. We provide empirical results on how many facilities are needed to serve demand of SESs and necessary capacity allocation of the facilities. When the methodology considers sidewalk width in facility placement, the refined parking locations can address 300% more problematic trips parked along narrow sidewalks, with only a nominal sacrifice, around 13%, in the overall number of trips served.
Emotional symptoms and sensation seeking: Implications for tobacco interventions for youth and young adults

Introduction Although emotional symptoms and sensation seeking are recognized as important risk factors for tobacco use among youth and young adults, to date, their joint influence on tobacco use has not been examined. Methods Data used in this study are from the Texas Adolescent Tobacco and Marketing Surveillance study, a population-based cohort. At baseline, in 2014, participants were in the 10th grade. Mixed-effects logistic regression models examined associations between emotional symptoms and sensation seeking in 2014 and odds of past 30-day cigarette and e-cigarette use in 2018. Interactions between emotional symptoms and sensation seeking were examined to assess whether one modifies the effect of the other on cigarette and e-cigarette use. Results After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, school type, and ever use of cigarettes or e-cigarettes at baseline, adolescents with high emotional symptoms (AORcig=1.97; 95% CI:1.07-3.60, and AORe-cig=1.68; 95% CI: 1.06-2.66) and with high sensation seeking tendencies (AORcig=2.05; 95% CI: 1.03-4.10, and AORe-cig=1.68; 95% CI: 1.02-2.76) had significantly higher odds of past 30-day cigarette and e-cigarette use four years later compared to adolescents with low emotional symptoms and low sensation seeking tendencies. The interaction was significant (p=0.01) for e-cigarette use only; among low sensation seekers, adolescents who reported high levels of emotional symptoms were at increased risk for past 30-day use (AORe-cig=3.43; 95% CI: 1.38-8.51), and among adolescents with low emotional symptoms, high sensation seekers were at increased for risk for past 30-day use (AORe-cig=3.50; 95% CI: 1.54-7.91). Conclusions It is important for tobacco use prevention programs to consider both behavioral risk factors - sensation seeking and emotional symptoms - in an integrative way, to target high risk subgroups and thereby increase the efficacy of existing effective intervention strategies in order to curb tobacco use among youth and young adults.
Wilton Ripples in Weakly Nonlinear Models of Water Waves: Existence and Computation

In this contribution, we prove that small amplitude, resonant harmonic, spatially periodic traveling waves (Wilton ripples) exist in a family of weakly nonlinear PDEs which model water waves. The proof is inspired by that of Reeder and Shinbrot (Arch. Rat. Mech. Anal. 77:321–347, 1981) and complements the authors’ recent, independent result proven by a perturbative technique (Akers and Nicholls 2021). The method is based on a Banach Fixed Point Iteration and, in addition to proving that this iteration has Wilton ripples as a fixed point, we use it as a numerical method for simulating these solutions. The output of this numerical scheme and its performance are evaluated against a quasi-Newton iteration.