cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract LB-112: The human papillomavirus type 16 E5 protein represses X-box binding protein 1 and cyclooxygenase-2 stress signaling in keratinocytes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of 99% of cervical cancers, around 60% of which are caused by the high-risk type 16. While two of its three oncoproteins, E6 and E7, have been well characterized, the biological functions of the E5 protein remain elusive. Recent studies have suggested that E5 enhances HPV-induced oncogenesis, although in isolation it is not tumorigenic. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression changes induced by the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident HPV-16 E5 protein in primary human keratinocytes. Using real-time RT-PCR, we identified the downregulation of spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), a key player in the ER-stress response, as a biochemical marker of E5 expression. The transmembrane kinase receptor responsible for the cleavage of XBP-1, ER-to-nucleus signaling 1 protein (IRE1α/ERN1), was also downregulated in E5-transduced cells. Furthermore, a microarray analysis of E5-transduced keratinocytes revealed the downregulation of another member of the ER-stress response pathway, prostaglandin G/H synthase and cyclooxygenase (COX-2/PTGS2). In addition, levels of COX-2 and XBP-1 were measured in keratinocytes expressing either low-risk HPV-6b E5 or a C-terminal 16E5 mutant containing a two amino acid mutation. The latter mutant had the histidine and alanine residues (conserved in the high-risk HPVs) replaced with tyrosine and isoleucine (conserved in the low-risk HPVs). Importantly, neither 6bE5 nor the H77YA78I 16E5 mutant was able to affect levels of these ER-stress response genes, suggesting that the ability to induce such changes in gene expression is specific to high-risk 16E5. Since preliminary data showed that expression of the E6 and E7 proteins in keratinocytes greatly induced XBP-1 splicing, we hypothesized that 16E5 might play a protective role against the host response to viral infection. In agreement with this postulate, we found that cells co-expressing E6, E7 and E5 had lower levels of COX-2 expression than cells expressing E6 and E7 alone. Interestingly, the levels of COX-2 in E6/E7-transduced cells were also supressed when compared to vector alone, suggesting that multiple pathways of COX-2 repression may exist. The mechanism by which E5 downregulates COX-2 is currently unknown, but it can be overcome by treatment with thapsigargin or tunicamycin, which initiate ER stress via calcium fluxes and abnormal protein glycosylation respectively. It is therefore unlikely that E5 is specifically tempering these pathways. Our data suggest a potential role for E5 in repressing the cellular ER-stress response following HPV infection. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-112.
An Alternative Model for the Kinetics of Light-Induced Defects in A-Si:H

The kinetics of light-induced defect generation in a-Si:H was investigated over a wide range of illumination intensities and temperatures. The defect density around 10 16 cm -3 exhibits a power-law time dependence N s ∼ G 2e f e with e = 0.2 to 0.3, where G is the photo-carrier generation rate. A model for the kinetics of defect generation is proposed based on the existence of an exponential distribution of defect formation energies in the amorphous network, associated with the valence band tail states. The model reproduces the observed time dependence of the defect density with an exponent e determined by the exponential width of the valence band tail. The temperature dependence of the defect generation rate is well-reproduced by the model, which provides a connection between the Stabler-Wronski effect and the weak-bond model.
Does DCD Donor Time-to-Death Affect Recipient Outcomes? Implications of Time-to-Death at a High-Volume Center in the United States

For donation after circulatory death (DCD), many centers allow 1 h after treatment withdrawal to donor death for kidneys. Our center has consistently allowed 2 h. We hypothesized that waiting longer would be associated with worse outcome. A single-center, retrospective analysis of DCD kidneys transplanted between 2008 and 2013 as well as a nationwide survey of organ procurement organization DCD practices were conducted. We identified 296 DCD kidneys, of which 247 (83.4%) were transplanted and 49 (16.6%) were discarded. Of the 247 recipients, 225 (group 1; 91.1%) received kidneys with a time to death (TTD) of 0-1 h; 22 (group 2; 8.9%) received grafts with a TTD of 1-2 h. Five-year patient survival was 88.8% for group 1, and 83.9% for group 2 (p = 0.667); Graft survival was also similar, with 5-year survival of 74.1% for group 1, and 83.9% for group 2 (p = 0.507). The delayed graft function rate was the same in both groups (50.2% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.984). TTD was not predictive of graft failure. Nationally, the average maximum wait-time for DCD kidneys was 77.2 min. By waiting 2 h for DCD kidneys, we performed 9.8% more transplants without worse outcomes. Nationally, this practice would allow for hundreds of additional kidney transplants, annually.
The Decision Dilemma: Academic Freedom in the Age of Monsanto

Impersonation is a practice of masquerading that troubles the boundaries between performance and the law. In 2013, The Yes Men, Diana Taylor, and Jesusa Rodriguez engaged in a digital impersonation of the agrochemical and biotechnology giant Monsanto in Chiapas, Mexico. This action led to debates about when impersonation qualifies as performance and when it counts as fraud, which raised questions of academic freedom, codes of ethics, and conflicts of interest.
Accidental discovery, intentional inquiry: Leveraging linked data to uncover the women of jazz

In this article we discuss the heuristic capabilities that the process of generating, processing, and integrating cultural heritage linked data may afford, including its potential for enhancing arts and humanities research. More specifically, we report on our current work on detecting and assigning gender properties to person entities and semantically enriching a set of Linked Open Data (LOD) in the domain of history of jazz. Linked Jazz—an ongoing project that experiments with the application of LOD principles and techniques to cultural heritage materials—provided the context for this research. Linked Jazz aims to uncover meaningful connections between data and documents from digital archives of jazz history. It employs oral histories as the main source of named entities to be represented as linked data. The entities are then semantically connected and visualized as social graphs. Using the assignment of gender properties, this article describes how the data development process itself offers new and unanticipated paths of research inquiry and engagement with heritage data.
Two Biblical Motifs of Divine Violence as Resources for Meaning-Making in Engaging Self-Blame and Rage after Traumatization

This theoretical essay addresses issues related to employing spiritually integrated therapeutic dialogue with trauma survivors for whom the Bible is a significant source of meaning-making. The discussion focuses on two common biblical motifs that involve violent depictions of God: one that construes the suffering of God’s people as divine punishment and one that imagines divine violence as a consequence enacted upon those who violate God’s people. It is argued that these motifs can function as symbolic representations with a capacity to facilitate interpretation of traumatic experience in an adaptive manner. Psychological insights into the effects of trauma, and recovery from those effects, reveal an adaptive functionality for biblical motifs that depict the subject’s suffering as divine punishment and that imagine divine violence being carried out upon those who violate the subject. Understanding that functionality, in turn, offers a resource for engaging in spiritually integrated therapeutic dialogue with trauma survivors.
Feedback Stabilization of Nonholonomic Drift-Free Systems Using Adaptive Integral Sliding Mode Control

This article presents a novel stabilizing control algorithm for nonholonomic drift-free systems. The control algorithm is based on adaptive integral sliding mode control technique. In order to utilize the benefit of integral sliding mode control, extended Lie bracket system is used as a nominal system which can easily be asymptotically stabilized. Firstly the original nonholonomic drift-free system is augmented by adding its missing Lie brackets and some unknown adaptive parameters. Secondly the controller and the adaptive laws are designed in such a way that the behaviour of the augmented system is similar to that of the nominal system on the sliding surface and the addition of missing Lie brackets in the original system can be compensated adaptively. The proposed method is applied on two nonholonomic drift-free systems including the Brockett’s system and the hopping robot in flight phase. The controllability Lie Algebra of the Brockett’s system has Lie brackets of depth one, whereas the hopping robot model in flight phase contains Lie brackets of depth one and two. The effectiveness of the proposed technique is verified through simulation studies.
Mutable polyelectrolyte tube arrays: mesoscale modeling and lateral force microscopy

In this study, the pH-dependent friction of layer-by-layer assemblies of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAH/PAA) are quantified for microtube array structures via experimental and simulated lateral force microscopy (LFM). A novel coarse-grain tube model is developed, utilizing a molecular dynamics (MD) framework with a Hertzian soft contact potential (such that F ∼ δ3/2) to allow the efficient dynamic simulation of 3D arrays consisting of hundreds of tubes at micrometer length scales. By quantitatively comparing experimental LFM and computational results, the coupling between geometry (tube spacing and swelling) and material properties (intrinsic stiffness) results in a transition from bending dominated deformation to bending combined with inter-tube contact, independent of material adhesion assumptions. Variation of tube spacing (and thus control of contact) can be used to exploit the normal and lateral resistance of the tube arrays as a function of pH (2.0/5.5), beyond the effect of areal tube density, with increased resistances (potential mutability) up to a factor of ∼60. This study provides a novel modeling platform to assess and design dynamic polyelectrolyte-based substrates/coatings with tailorable stimulus-responsive surface friction. Our results show that micro-geometry can be used alongside stimulus-responsive material changes to amplify and systematically tune mutability.
Handling and Tagging Effects, In‐River Residence Time, and Postspawn Migration of Anadromous River Herring in the Hudson River, New York

In a 2013 pilot study, acoustic tags were inserted into two species of river herring, Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and Blueback Herring Alosa aestivalis. The primary objectives were to identify han...
Seasonal dispersal and host preference by adult sharpnosed leafhoppers (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) in North Carolina woodlands.

Scaphytopius spp. were sweep-sampled weekly from 20 April to 20 November 1984 in creeping blueberry, Vaccinium crassifolium Andrews, near a commercial blueberry field in North Carolina to establish migration patterns. Population growth curves of adults were compared to those of 5th-instar nymphs. Differences in curve patterns indicated adult dispersal from creeping blueberry during the first two generations and return in the 3rd generation. Adults were sampled in wild highbush blueberry, V. corymbosum L.; sheepkill, Kalmia angustifolic (Small); huckleberry, Gaylussacia frondosa (L.) Torrey & Gray; and creeping blueberry to determine inter-host dispersal and host preference. Analysis of variance on numbers of captured males showed significant differences between host species for S. magdalensis (Provancher), but none for S. verecundus (Van Duzee). The former species preferred sheepkill, highbush blueberry and huckleberry, while the latter was uniformly distributed among all four host species. It was recomme...
Developing an Administrative Perspective: Toward a Curriculum Framework for Fostering Conceptual Change.

The prior experience of entering students of educational administration as classroom teachers is usually disregarded for purposes of program planning. Nevertheless, that experience can exert a prep...
Talking about Twitch: Dropped Frames and a normative theory of new media production:

Twitch is an online video distribution platform that allows users to broadcast live video of themselves playing videogames. This distribution infrastructure includes features that allow viewers to financially support their favorite Twitch streamers, creating a new type of media professional: the entrepreneurial Twitch streamer. Like other professionals, Twitch streamers meet regularly to discuss the profession and business of live streaming. This article applies critical discourse analysis to one such venue for insider dialogue on professional Twitch streaming: the weekly talk show, Dropped Frames. On this program, professional broadcasters discuss many aspects of their career, such as Twitch’s corporate presence, production technology, the time and effort required to stream, precarity, their relationship to their community, the data they use to run their channels, the games they play, and their relationship to game developers. Speech within these empirically present categories demonstrates an underlying ...
The Body as a Basis for Being: Simone de Beauvoir and Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Beauvoir’s understanding of the process of ‘becoming a woman’ is related to the ambiguities, abilities, and disabilities of embodiment. Merleau-Pony ‘s notion of an ambivilant consciousness is applied to the question of woman’s complicity in her own oppression. Beauvoir ‘s fictional accounts of women lacking in sexual desire are connected to her views of female eroticism in Le deuxieme sexe and to Merleau-Ponty’s notion of intimate perception.
Determination of Plastic Strain Using Laser Speckles

ABSTRACT When a laser beam illuminates an optically rough surface, the reflected wavelets mutually interfere to form a pattern of random dots called speckles which carry the surface roughness information. And when a specimen is strained plastically, its surface roughness changes as a result. Thus, by illuminating a deformed specimen with a smoothly polished surface and monitoring the reflected speckle pattern via a pattern recognition technique, the state of plastic deformation can be accertained. An example of this technique's application to detecting the initiation and propagation of a fatigue crack is presented.
Early prenatal ontogenesis of the cerebral cortex (neocortex) of the cat (Felis domestica). A Golgi study. I. The primordial neocortical organization.

The neocortex of the cat undergoes a series of fundamental transformations of its fibrillar-neuronal organization during the course of early prenatal cortical ontogenesis. Some of these transformations assume structural chracteristics and neuronal features which resemble those of phylogenetically older cortical organizations. Following the arrival of corticipetal fibers at the marginal zone of the cerebral vesicle a very primitive neocortical organization, the primordial plexiform layer develops. It is characterized by the external location of the white matter with both corticipetal and a few corticofugal fibers and a few immature neurons sandwiched between the fibers. The primitive plexiform layer is present in the cat from the 20th to the 25th day of gestation. The external (superficial) location of the white matter of the primordial plexiform layer of the cat neocortex is reminiscent of the amphibian cortical organization. It also resembles other primitive structures (spinal cord) of the central nervous system. In view of its short duration and because of the immaturity of its fibrillar-neuronal elements, the primordial plexiform layer is considered to be a transient neocortical organization possibly without functional activity in the cat.
Comparative Effectiveness of an mTOR-Based Systemic Therapy Regimen in Advanced, Metaplastic and Nonmetaplastic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous disease with subtypes having different "targetable" molecular aberrations. Metaplastic breast cancers (MpBCs) are typically TNBCs and commonly have alterations in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. We previously reported efficacy for an mTOR-based chemotherapy regimen in MpBC. To determine if tumor subtype influences prognosis, we compared treatment outcomes of patients with MpBC with those of patients with nonmetaplastic TNBC receiving an mTOR-based systemic therapy regimen. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with advanced MpBC and nonmetaplastic TNBC were treated at our institution from April 16, 2009, through November 4, 2014, using mTOR inhibition (temsirolimus or everolimus) with liposomal doxorubicin and bevacizumab (DAT/DAE). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between tumor histology and outcomes. Multivariable models were adjusted for all covariates. RESULTS Fourteen patients with nonmetaplastic TNBC and 59 patients with advanced MpBC were treated with DAT/DAE. MpBC patients were older (p = .002) and less likely to have a history of bevacizumab use (p = .023). Median PFS for the nonmetaplastic TNBC and MpBC patients was 2.5 months and 4.8 months, respectively. This difference in PFS was statistically significant on univariable (p = .006) but not multivariable analysis (p = .087). Median OS for the nonmetaplastic TNBC and MpBC patients was 3.7 months and 10.0 months, respectively (p = .0003). MpBC remained significantly associated with improved OS on multivariable analysis (p < .0001). CONCLUSION In our study, DAT/DAE appeared to be more effective in MpBC compared with nonmetaplastic TNBC. These data support patient selection for targeted therapy in TNBC. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Metaplastic breast cancers (MpBCs) represent <1% of all breast cancers, demonstrate mesenchymal differentiation, and are typically resistant to chemotherapy. Patients with advanced MpBC treated with an mTOR-based systemic therapy regimen had better long-term outcomes compared with patients with nonmetaplastic triple-negative breast cancer treated with the same regimen, suggesting that metaplastic histology may predict benefit from agents targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway.
Aligning House Staff Performance Improvement Projects With Hospital Priorities: An Innovative Approach.

Background: As hospital leaders work to meet national performance improvement (PI) priorities and provide high-value healthcare, aligning house staff goals with those of the hospital organization becomes necessary. A hospital leadership goal is to achieve the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim with the delivery and measurement of high-value care through various PI frameworks, including the domains of the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), now Vizient. However, most house staff develop PI projects within their departments, and these projects do not always align with hospital priorities. We sought to determine the extent of alignment between the house staff and the hospital. Methods: An inventory of house staff projects determined by survey responses from house staff and lists provided by program directors and chairs was compiled during a 2-year period. A team of quality experts mapped all house staff projects to the UHC domains of care and to the IHI Triple Aim and then performed a gap analysis. Results: A total of 184 projects representing 24 departments were identified. Most projects (38%), representing 18 departments, were categorized in the UHC Safety domain. The remaining projects were categorized into the domains of Efficiency (23%), Patient Centeredness (12%), Effectiveness (12%), Equity (8%), and Mortality (7%). Many departments did not have projects in all domains. Conclusion: We created unique and concise graphic representations of individual house staff projects aligning with hospital initiatives. Our framework generated an action plan for a proactive approach for continually aligning future house staff PI projects with the hospital goals and national healthcare agendas.
Optical design of a thin curved lightguide and manufacturing using ophthalmic approaches

We present an underexplored variation of the classical optical freeform prism design that incorporates 3 optical surfaces. This optical architecture can make use of one, two, or three freeform surfaces. Our initial prototype uses a single freeform surface along with a sphere and a at surface to simplify manufacturing complexity. There are two key contributions in this paper that to our knowledge have not been achieved previously: 1) the design of a thin, 4 mm to 1 mm gradient thickness, curved freeform lightguide (nearly 4x thinner than the original freeform prism), and 2) lightguide fabrication utilizing ophthalmic machines. This particular optical design makes combined use of total internal reflections and partial reflections. The advantages of this optical architecture include the curved optical surfaces that eliminate the optical collimator requirement in at lightguides, a relatively large eyebox, and a manufacturing approach that reuses the standard ophthalmic process for fabricating the eyeside and worldside optical surfaces. The limitations of the optical design are low efficiency (~ 5%), multiple image artifacts, and lack of optical see-through.
Integrative complexity across domains and across time: Evidence from political and health domains

Abstract To what degree is cognitive complexity an individual difference that is stable across time and across domains? Despite the historical importance of cognitive complexity, surprisingly little research addresses this question. In the present paper, we analyze data from 5 different samples (total n > 5000) that look at the across-domain and across-time stability of one of the most widely validated measurements of cognitive complexity: Integrative complexity. Samples include re-analyses from both prior published research (Conway et al., 2008; Conway et al., 2017) and additional ongoing research, and further include college students, older samples recruited via MTurk, and both smokers and non-smokers. Regardless of sample type, results revealed small-to-moderate within-person stability effects both across domains (Investigation 1) and across time (Investigation 2). This suggests that at least some of the variance in cognitive complexity can be explained by individual differences that are consistent across domains and across time.
Natural language processing for automated detection of incidental durotomy.

Abstract BACKGROUND Incidental durotomy is a common intraoperative complication during spine surgery with potential implications for postoperative recovery, patient-reported outcomes, length of stay, and costs. To our knowledge, there are no processes available for automated surveillance of incidental durotomy. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to develop natural language processing (NLP) algorithms for automated detection of incidental durotomies in free-text operative notes of patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. PATIENT SAMPLE Adult patients 18 years or older undergoing lumbar spine surgery between January 1, 2000 and June 31, 2018 at two academic and three community medical centers. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was defined as intraoperative durotomy recorded in free-text operative notes. METHODS An 80:20 stratified split was undertaken to create training and testing populations. An extreme gradient-boosting NLP algorithm was developed to detect incidental durotomy. Discrimination was assessed via area under receiver-operating curve (AUC-ROC), precision-recall curve, and Brier score. Performance of this algorithm was compared with current procedural terminology (CPT) and international classification of diseases (ICD) codes for durotomy. RESULTS Overall, 1,000 patients were included in the study and 93 (9.3%) had a recorded incidental durotomy in the free-text operative report. In the independent testing set (n=200) not used for model development, the NLP algorithm achieved AUC-ROC of 0.99 for detection of durotomy. In comparison, the CPT/ICD codes had AUC-ROC of 0.64. In the testing set, the NLP algorithm detected 16 of 18 patients with incidental durotomy (sensitivity 0.89) whereas the CPT and ICD codes detected 5 of 18 (sensitivity 0.28). At a threshold of 0.05, the NLP algorithm had specificity of 0.99, positive predictive value of 0.89, and negative predictive value of 0.99. CONCLUSIONS Internal validation of the NLP algorithm developed in this study indicates promising results for future NLP applications in spine surgery. Pending external validation, the NLP algorithm developed in this study may be used by entities including national spine registries or hospital quality and safety departments to automate tracking of incidental durotomies.
Gastrointestinal Tract Reconstruction in Adults with Ultra-Short Bowel Syndrome: Surgical and Nutritional Outcomes.

Abstract Background Historically, adults with ultra short bowel syndrome (USBS) have been considered candidates for lifetime parenteral nutrition (PN) or are referred for visceral transplantation. We examined the surgical and nutritional outcomes of adult patients with USBS managed at a single intestinal rehabilitation center. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data on 588 adult patients referred to our center between January 2013 and December 2018. USBS was defined as residual small bowel (SB) length ≤ 50 cm. Results Forty-five patients (7.6%) with a mean age of 46.7 years (range 17-78) were identified. Indications for enterectomy included mesenteric ischemia (n=17) and internal hernias (n=6), followed by large intraabdominal fibroids, trauma, and allograft enterectomies, with five cases each. Median SB length was 18.0 cm; 20 patients (44.4%) had their entire SB resected. Thirteen patients had an intact colon, of which nine had preservation of the ileocecal valve. Patients who underwent autologous reconstruction of their gastrointestinal (GI) tract required a lower total PN volume (29.0 ± 7.6 vs. 40.8 ± 13.2 ml/Kg/day, p=0.002) and presented better short- and long- term survival (p=0.005). Patients with no gut had higher mortality (p=0.036). Hormonal therapy with the glucagon-like peptide-2 analog teduglutide was used in nine patients (20%) five of whom were weaned off TPN. Excluding patients with no gut (n=20), discontinuation of total PN rate for patients with an end ostomy or tube decompression (n= 6), jejunocolostomy (n= 10), and jejunoileostomy (n=9) were 0%, 40%, and 77.7%, respectively. Eleven patients (44%) with some residual small intestine achieved nutritional autonomy in an average of 20 months after GI reconstruction. Fifteen patients were listed for transplantation (33.3%). Seven patients underwent isolated SB transplantation and achieved nutritional autonomy in an average of three months after transplantation. One-year patient and graft survival were 100%. After a 37-month median follow-up period, 36 of 42 patients followed by our center were still alive (85.7%). Conclusion Nutritional autonomy can be achieved in a significant number of patients with USBS in specialized centers with surgical and/or hormonal therapy. The presence of an intact colon and ileocecal valve can significantly increase the adaptation rate. Moreover, restoration of GI tract continuity has a positive impact on medical management and survival.
In vivo models for biomaterials: applications from cardiovascular tissue engineering

Abstract The cardiovascular system is responsible for the delivery of blood and nutrients throughout the body. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death and current treatments are often insufficient to prevent a decline in patient health. The emerging field of tissue engineering has provided novel therapeutics for cardiovascular disease, incorporating a variety of tissue creation methods and biomaterials. These constructs are intended to replace damaged cardiac tissue and blood vessels. Consequently, the constructs must be assessed to ensure their quality and biocompatibility. In this review, we discuss the recent efforts in creating cardiovascular tissue constructs and in particular highlighting the biocompatibility outcomes in vivo.
The impacts of COVID-19 mitigation on dengue virus transmission: a modelling study

Summary Background The COVID-19 pandemic has induced unprecedented reductions in human mobility and social contacts throughout the world. Because dengue virus (DENV) transmission is strongly driven by human mobility, behavioral changes associated with the pandemic have been hypothesized to impact dengue incidence. By discouraging human contact, COVID-19 control measures have also disrupted dengue vector control interventions, the most effective of which require entry into homes. Method We used an agent-based model with a realistic treatment of human mobility and vector control to investigate how and why dengue incidence could differ under a lockdown scenario with a proportion of the population sheltered at home. Result We found that a lockdown in which 70% of the population sheltered at home led to a small average increase in cumulative DENV infections of up to 10%, depending on the time of year lockdown occurred. Lockdown had a more pronounced effect on the spatial distribution of DENV infections, with higher incidence under lockdown in regions with high mosquito abundance. Transmission was also more focused in homes following lockdown. The proportion of people infected in their own home rose from 54% under normal conditions to 66% under lockdown, and the household secondary attack rate rose from 0.109 to 0.128, a 17% increase. When we considered that lockdown measures could disrupt regular, city-wide vector control campaigns, the increase in incidence was more pronounced than with lockdown alone, especially if lockdown occurred at the optimal time for vector control. Discussion Our results indicate that an unintended outcome of COVID-19 control measures may be to adversely alter the epidemiology of dengue. This observation has important implications for an improved understanding of dengue epidemiology and effective application of dengue vector control. When coordinating public health responses during a syndemic, it is important to monitor multiple infections and understand that an intervention against one disease may exacerbate another.
Iso-Seq allows genome-independent transcriptome profiling of grape berry development

Abstract Transcriptomics has been widely applied to study grape berry development. With few exceptions, transcriptomic studies in grape are performed using the available genome sequence, PN40024, as reference. However, differences in gene content among grape accessions, which contribute to phenotypic differences among cultivars, suggest that a single reference genome does not represent the species’ entire gene space. Though whole genome assembly and annotation can reveal the relatively unique or “private” gene space of any particular cultivar, transcriptome reconstruction is a more rapid, less costly, and less computationally intensive strategy to accomplish the same goal. In this study, we used single molecule-real time sequencing (Iso-Seq) to sequence full-length cDNA and reconstruct the transcriptome of Cabernet Sauvignon berries during berry ripening. In addition, Illumina short reads from ripening berries were used to error-correct low-expression isoforms and to profile isoform expression. By comparing the annotated gene space of Cabernet Sauvignon to other grape cultivars, we demonstrate that the transcriptome reference built with Iso-Seq data represents most of the expressed genes in the grape berries and includes 1,501 cultivar-specific genes. Iso-Seq produced transcriptome profiles similar to those obtained after mapping on a complete genome reference. Together, these results justify the application of Iso-Seq to identify cultivar-specific genes and build a comprehensive reference for transcriptional profiling that circumvents the necessity of a genome reference with its associated costs and computational weight.
Rotational motion-aware beam refinement for high-throughput mmWave communications

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication is used in high-throughput wireless networks. The shorter wavelength of mmWave requires the use of highly directional beamforming transmission techniques. However, transmission link degradation is significant with fast movement in the end user (EU) device. In this study, a rotational motion-aware beam refinement procedure (BRP) was proposed to maintain high-throughput data transmission during data transmission intervals (DTIs). Within the millisecond time frame of a DTI, the vulnerable rotational movement of the EU device can be detected using a three-axis orientation sensor (gyro). Therefore, the proposed BRP algorithm was employed at the EU device to switch the beam and thus achieve a proper line-of-sight. The process of beam switching is performed by directly detecting changes in the orientation of the EU device. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm maintains high-throughput transmission under the fast movement of a EU device. The execution time of the BRP algorithm can be as low as 10 µs. Therefore, the overhead is solely the result of the sampling frequency of the motion sensors. The simulation results demonstrated that the use of our proposed algorithm improved the average received signal strength indicator by over 10 dBm. Furthermore, an average throughput of 928 Mbps is achieved with hardware testing, which is close to the maximum throughput of 970 Mbps for a low-power 60-GHz mmWave-embedded device.
Geographic isolation predicts tobacco product use among youth: A latent class analysis.

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to evaluate associations between geographic rurality and tobacco use patterns among adolescents. Methods High school students (N = 566) from north-central Appalachia reported on their lifetime and/or current use of cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (ECIGs), cigars, and smokeless tobacco. Geographic rurality was measured via the Isolation scale, whereby residential ZIP Codes determined the degree to which respondents have access to health-related resources. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify discrete classes of adolescent tobacco users based on their use of tobacco products. Then, associations between participants' geographic rurality and class membership were evaluated using a series of multinomial logistic regressions. Findings LCA classified participants as Nonusers, Current ECIG Users, Cigarette/ECIG Experimenters, and Polytobacco Users. Individuals with higher Isolation scores were more likely to be Polytobacco Users and Cigarette/ECIG Experimenters than Nonusers, and were more likely to be Polytobacco Users than Current ECIG Users. Conclusions The continuous Isolation scale used in the present study predicted polytobacco use patterns among adolescents in a manner that is consistent with, while simultaneously expanding upon, prior work. Tobacco control practices and policies should be viewed through a lens that considers the unique needs of geographically isolated areas.
Ocular surface complications in diabetes: The interrelationship between insulin and enkephalin.

Abstract Diabetes is a multi-faceted disorder with increasing prevalence and rising healthcare costs. The burden of diabetes is increased because of associated complications affecting nearly all organs including the eye. The underlying pathophysiology for the onset of these ocular surface disorders is not well known. Enkephalins are endogenous opioids that originate in the brain and have numerous actions in the human body. Opioid growth factor (OGF), chemically termed [Met5]-enkephalin, binds to a novel, nuclear-associated receptor and mediates cellular homeostasis. Serum OGF levels are elevated in diabetic individuals and rodent models of diabetes. Sustained blockade of the OGF receptor (OGFr) with opioid receptor antagonists, such as naltrexone (NTX), reverses many complications of diabetes in the animal model, including delayed cutaneous wound healing, dry eye, altered corneal surface sensitivity, and keratopathy. The increased enkephalin levels observed in diabetes suggest a relationship between endogenous opioid peptides and the pathophysiology of diabetes. It is common for diabetic patients to undergo insulin therapy to restore normal blood glucose levels. However, this restoration does not alter OGF serum levels nor ameliorate ocular surface complications in the animal model of diabetes. Moreover, sex differences in the prevalence of diabetes, response to insulin therapy, and abnormalities in the OGF-OGFr axis have been reported. This review highlights current knowledge on the dysregulation of the OGF-OGFr pathway and possible relationships of insulin and enkephalins to the development of ocular surface defects in diabetes. It proposes that this dysregulation is a fundamental mechanism for the pathobiology of diabetic complications.
Uveal Melanoma: Epidemiology of Uveal Melanoma and Potential Clusters

Uveal melanoma is a rare malignancy affecting approximately 2500 individuals annually in the United States, with an age-adjusted incidence of approximately 5 per million people (Chang et al. Cancer 83:1664–78, 1998). While uveal melanoma comprises 5% of all melanomas, it is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults.
Disentangling domiciles and investor locations in international mutual fund data

We reconcile investor locations with legal domiciles for a large sample of mutual funds from different countries. In general, legal domiciles provide reasonable proxies for investor locations but with several concerns for funds domiciled in Europe. In our analysis, the fund hub of Luxembourg is not the primary source of bias when models of investor location are estimated with domicile level data. We find that when using domicile level data to proxy for investor locations, flow values are most biased for funds domiciled in the UK, Austria, and Germany. Coefficient estimates for a flow-performance model are most biased for German passive equity funds and Irish passive bond funds. A diseconomies of scale model and a price pressure model are best specified when funds from all domiciles are retained in the sample.
Stereoscopic occlusion junctions.

Portions of surfaces in a binocularly viewed scene may be ‘half occluded’, that is, visible in only one eye. The human visual system uses zones of half occlusion to help segment the visual scene and infer figure‐ground relationships at object boundaries. We developed a quantitative model of the depthdiscontinuity cue provided by half occlusion. Half occlusions are revealed by two-dimensional interocular displacements of binocularly viewed occlusion junctions, such as T junctions. We derived a formula relating this two-dimensional displacement, or ‘pseudodisparity’, to binocular disparities and orientations of occluding and occluded contours. In human psychophysical experiments, perceived depth and contour orientation quantitatively depended on pseudodisparity, as predicted by our model, implying that the visual system senses quantitative variations in interocular junction position to reconstruct occlusion geometry.
Why Teach Science of Internal Excellence

Students will derive a myriad of benefits from higher levels of internal excellence that are amenable to an audit. Among them are health & wellness, improved performance in all walks of life including academic work, better interpersonal and family relationships, and less discord and violence.
Evaluation of von Willebrand factor phenotypes and genotypes in Hemophilia A patients with and without identified F8 mutations.

Background Hemophilia A (HA) is an X-linked bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in factor VIII (FVIII). von Willebrand disease (VWD) is characterized by a quantitative or qualitative defect in von Willebrand Factor (VWF). Patients with VWD with severely low VWF or VWD Type 2N (VWD2N), a VWD subtype distinguished by defective VWF binding to FVIII, may have reduced FVIII levels secondary to their VWD. These patients superficially resemble patients with HA, and pose a potential for misdiagnosis.
A neurological Wanderjahr.

To understand what is happening today or will happen in the future, I look back. Oliver Wendell Holmes As all roads once led to Rome, so a goodly proportion of the 20th century cadre of young, English-speaking students and physicians interested in neurology were oriented toward London and the National Hospital, Queen Square. Beginning in the 1920s, and for several decades thereafter, aspiring neurologists made or were desirous of making the pilgrimage. Among the then great neurologists of the National Hospital was Gordon Holmes, a then-ranking master of what may be regarded as the inductive clinical method. A clerkship with him was a prized opportunity, a unique experience that a generation of neurologists and even psychiatrists recognized later as a high point in their training. I had completed my neurological residency at the Neurological Unit of the Boston City Hospital and was occupied in a fellowship in neurophysiology with John
Thermal Analysis by Electrical Resistivity Measurement

Thermal analysis in the form of electrical resistivity measurement is reviewed. It is useful for studying phase transitions and electrical conduction mechanisms. The resistivity can be the volume resistivity or the contact resistivity, as illustrated for the case of continuous carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites.
Electrostatic dust collectors compared to inhalable samplers for measuring endotoxin concentrations in farm homes.

Paired electrostatic dust collectors (EDCs) and daily, inhalable button samplers (BS) were used concurrently to sample endotoxin in 10 farm homes during 7-day periods in summer and winter. Winter sampling included an optical particle counter (OPC) to measure PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 . Electrostatic dust collectors and BS filters were analyzed for endotoxin using the kinetic chromogenic Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Optical particle counter particulate matter (PM) data were divided into two PM categories. In summer, geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) endotoxin concentrations were 0.82 EU/m(3) (2.7) measured with the BS and 737 EU/m(2) (1.9) measured with the EDC. Winter values were 0.52 EU/m(3) (3.1) for BS and 538 EU/m(2) (3.0) for EDCs. Seven-day endotoxin values of EDCs were highly correlated with the 7-day BS sampling averages (r = 0.70; P < 0.001). Analysis of variance indicated a 2.4-fold increase in EDC endotoxin concentrations for each unit increase of the ratio of PM2.5 to PM2.5-10 . There was also a significant correlation between BS and EDCs endotoxin concentrations for winter (r = 0.67; P < 0.05) and summer (r = 0.75; P < 0.05). Thus, EDCs sample comparable endotoxin concentrations to BS, making EDCs a feasible, easy to use alternative to BS for endotoxin sampling.
Implementation of and extensions to Darveaux's approach to finite-element simulation of BGA solder joint reliability

Viscoplastic finite-element (FE) simulation is used to predict board-level solder joint reliability of ball grid array (BGA) packages under accelerated temperature cycling (ATC) conditions. The model is first validated against archived ATC data, then parametric studies are conducted to examine the model's sensitivity to changes in design factors and thermo-mechanical material properties. The use of the program Surface Evolver to predict BGA solder joint shape and profile is briefly discussed.
Abstract 4895: P16INK4A, a surrogate marker of HPV infection and prognosis for head and neck cancer, delays DNA damage repair and enhances radiation response

Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 is a major cause of oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC). P16 INK4A has been suggested to be a reliable surrogate marker of HPV-associated OPC with 100% sensitivity and about 80% specificity. Increasing data showed tumor HPV positivity or p16 expression was strongly associated with significantly better prognosis in patients with OPC. As a tumor suppressor gene, p16 has biological functions including regulation of cell cycle progression at the G1/S boundary, angiogenesis, cell senescence, tumor invasion, cell spreading, apoptosis and anoikis. The present study was undertaken to assess the role of p16 in regulating tumor radioresponse and the underlying mechanisms in OPC cell lines. OPC cell lines HN-5 (HPV and p16 negative) and UMSCC-47 (HPV and p16 positive) were used. P16 overexpressing HN-5 cells and shRNA p16 knockdown UMSCC-47 cells were generated using lentivirus vectors. Treatment endpoint was clonogenic cell survival (CSA) determined 10-12 days (for HN5) or 17-20 days (for UMSCC-47) after exposing the cells to 2-10 Gy single doses of γ-radiation (IR). Compared with the control (scramble) cells, p16-overexpressing HN5 cells had significantly higher radiosensitivity (by a factor of 1.56 at 0.1 cell survival fraction); whereas, p16-knockingdown UMSCC-47 cells had less radiosensitivity (by a factor of 1.23 at 0.1 cell survival fraction). Overexpressing P16 in HN-5 cells significantly prolonged the presence of radiation-induced double-strand breaks detected on the basis of 53BP1 foci at 24h after 4 Gy IR. To directly gauge damaged DNA, an alkaline comet assay to detect both single- and double-strand DNA breaks was performed. P16 overexpressing HN-5 cells exhibited a 2.09-fold increase in the comet ‘tail moment’ 48 hours after IR. This finding was supported by increased expression of 53BP1 analyzed by Western blot. In conclusion, other than being a robust surrogate marker for tumor control and survival outcome, our findings demonstrated that p16 also functions as a potent radiation sensitizer. The major underlying mechanism of p16 regulating radiosensitivity is by inhibition of DNA damage repair. Citation Format: Li Wang, Peijing Zhang, David P Molkentine, Hailong Piao, Chunyan Chen, Jessica M Molkentine, Jinsong Zhang, David R Valdecanas, Heath Skinner, Thomas A Buchholz, Junjie Chen, Li Ma, Kathy A Mason, Kie-kian Ang, Raymond E Meyn. P16 INK4A , a surrogate marker of HPV infection and prognosis for head and neck cancer, delays DNA damage repair and enhances radiation response. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4895. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4895
From the Present to the Future

Recent research on aging and memory is admirably reviewed in the article by Luszcz and Bryan. In particular, they clearly describe the major theoretical perspectives proposed to account for the relati
Gas Chromatographic Measurement of Plasma Estrogens Using an Electron Capture Detector

Abstract A new method for the measurement of plasma free or total estrone, estradiol and estriol using heptafluorobutyrates and electron capture detection has been described. Normal mean values for non-pregnant females of 0.241, 0.166 and 0.229 μg/100 ml for total E1, E2 and E3 respectively were found. The results are more nearly relatable to urinary excretion patterns than other procedures have indicated. This investigation has been carried out with the assistance of a Research Career Development award (GM K3 15,369) and a Research Grant (CA 03135) from the National Institutes of Health, United States Public Health Service, Bethesda, Maryland, and from Aid for Cancer Research, Brookline, Massachusetts. The authors are grateful to Dr. J. Dingman, Robert B. Brigham Hospital, Boston, Mass, for his advice and assistance in the setting up of the glass fiber paper Chromatographic systems.