cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cloud Point Phenomenon in Amphiphilic Drug Solutions

We report here the cloud point (CP) phenomenon in amphiphilic drug amitriptyline (AMT) solutions. We have investigated the influence of electrolytes on the micellar behavior of AMT by using CP and dye solubilization techniques. The CP was found to considerably decrease with increasing pH due to a reduction in electrical repulsion between AMT micelles. It increased on addition of electrolyte due to an increase in electrical repulsion resulting from an increase in the cationic AMT micelle size. The binding effect of anionic counterions was in the order: Br- > Cl- > F-. The effect of cations was insignificant compared to anions.
Evidence for Related Functions of the RNA Genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The yeast genes RNA2-RNA11 are necessary for splicing of nuclear intron-containing pre-mRNAs. We investigated the relationships among these genes by asking whether increased expression of one RNA gene leads to suppression of the temperature-sensitive lethality of a mutation in any other RNA gene. The presence of extra plasmid-borne copies of the RNA3 gene relieves the lethality of temperature-sensitive rna4 mutations. A region of the yeast genome (SRN2) is described that suppresses temperature-sensitive rna2 mutations when it is present on either medium or high-copy number plasmids. Neither suppression occurs via a bypass of RNA gene function since null alleles of rna2 and rna4 are not suppressed by elevated dosage of SRN2 and RNA3, respectively. These results suggest that the SRN2 and RNA2 gene products have related functions, as do the RNA3 and RNA4 gene products.
Racial disparities in the risk of developing obesity-related diseases: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: Analyze racial/ethnic disparities in the prevalence of obesity and its related diseases in Massachusetts and assess disparities in the risk of developing diseases related to overweight and obesity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of survey data. SETTING: Community-based US population. SUBJECTS: 63,235 non-institutionalized adults in Massachusetts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: BMI, overweight and obesity prevalence and prevalence of obesity-related- diseases, odds of developing obesity-related diseases. Participants were considered hypercholesterolemic, diabetic, hypertensive, or having a cardiovascular disease if they reported that a health professional told them that they had such a disease. Behavioral characteristics of respondents included fruit and vegetable consumption, alcohol drinking, smoking, and physical activity. Demographic variables included sex, age, marital status, employment status, household income, region of residence, and educational status. RESULTS: Blacks (OR = 1.97) and Hispanics (OR = 1.81) had higher odds of obesity as compared to Whites. Blacks had higher odds of high blood pressure (OR = 1.88), heart attack (OR = 1.40) and stroke (OR = 2.14) than Whites. Hispanics were more likely to have high blood pressure (OR = 1.34), high cholesterol (OR = 1.56), stroke (OR = 1.71), and heart attack (OR = 1.54) than Whites. Hispanics (OR = 2.71) and Blacks (OR = 2.58) had the highest odds of diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Minority groups share a disproportionate risk of obesity and obesity-related diseases. Hispanics and Blacks have significantly higher odds of obesity and its related diseases. Continued emphasis on racial/ethnic groups at greatest risk of obesity remains critical. Ethn Dis. 2012;22[3]:308–316
Hypothermia modifies anesthetic effect on contractile force and Ca2+ transients in cardiac Purkinje fibers

Mild hypothermia enhances cardiac contractility, and volatile anesthetics depress contractility. Contractile force (tension) and Ca2+ transients were measured in canine Purkinje fibers at 35 and 25 degrees C with and without halothane and isoflurane to examine how anesthetics attenuate the positive inotropic effect of mild hypothermia. Isometric tension and light emitted from the photoprotein aequorin were used to assess contractility and intracellular Ca2+ transients in fibers stimulated at 40–60 pulses/min. At 35 degrees C, each anesthetic depressed peak tension and peak Ca2+ transients and decreased contractile force duration but, for halothane, increased Ca2+ transient duration. Decreases in tension by both anesthetics at 35 degrees C were converted to marked increases in tension at 25 degrees C, whereas Ca2+ transients were little changed. Removal of anesthetics at 25 degrees C greatly increased tension with a small increase in Ca2+ transients that was much lower than that at 35 degrees C. The curve relating peak contractile force as a function of Ca2+ transients at 25 degrees C during stepwise increases in extracellular CaCl2 was shifted steeper and leftward of the curve at 35 degrees C. These studies suggest that the positive inotropic effect of mild hypothermia is due primarily to increased myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity and that anesthetics decrease tension during hypothermia by decreasing myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. Reduced influx of transsarcolemmal or sarcoplasmic reticular Ca2+ may also play a role during mild hypothermia.
Political Market Failure? The Effect of Government Strength on Technology Policy in Industrialized Democracies

Governments can implement technology policies that allow society to solve social problems at a lower cost. We argue that, in industrialized democracies, salient social problems provoke an effective technology policy response when the government is unified. The reason is that a unified government can easily strike the bargains required to secure political support for new technology programs. We test this theory against data on public energy R&D in 22 OECD countries from 1980-2007. Using energy intensity as a proxy for problem salience, we find that as government fractionalization increases in a country, the sensitivity of public energy R&D to wasteful energy use declines. The analysis reveals a new reason for ineffective technology policies and contributes to the broad literature on the sources of political market failure.
DOMA and the Constitution

This symposium article addresses the two provisions of the Defense of Marriage Act, discussing some differing interpretations of the provisions and the respects in which these differing interpretatons make the provisions more vulnerable to constitutional attack. The article also addresses some of the broader constitutional issues involving state powers and individual rights that DOMA implicates.
PS-326 Toll-like Receptor 1(tlr1)gene Snp Rs5743618 Is Associated With Increased Risk For Tuberculosis In Han Chinese Children

Toll-like receptor 1 (TLR1) recognises lipopeptides with TLR2, and affects immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Here, we report results of the first case-control paediatric study of the TLR1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and susceptibility to tuberculosis (TB). A paediatric case-control study enrolled 340 TB patients and 366 healthy controls, all Han Chinese from North China. Significant differences of the allelic and genotypic distributions of rs5743618 in TLR1 gene were observed between TB group and control group and, G allele of rs5743618 was associated with increased risk for TB (OR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.41–4.07, p = 0.0009). In addition, after stimulated with inactivated lysate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv, whole blood samples from children with the rs5743618 GT genotypes showed a decreased level of Interleukin-12p40 (IL-12p40), Tumour Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a) and CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) production. To conclude, TLR1 rs5743618 G allele was found associated to susceptibility to TB in Han Chinese paediatric population. TLR1 rs5743618-GT genotype carriers may have reduced immune response to MTB infection although further study is warranted to test this conclusion.
Abstract 132: Cytoprotective induction of nitric oxide synthase in a cellular model of 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) employs a photosensitizing agent, molecular oxygen, and visible light to produce reactive oxygen species that kill tumor and tumor vasculature cells. Nitric oxide (NO) produced by these cells could be pro-carcinogenic by inhibiting apoptosis or promoting angiogenesis and tumor growth. Our previous studies showed that NO from a chemical donor made COH-BR1 breast tumor cells hyperresistant to apoptotic photokilling induced by photoactivation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-generated protoporphyrin IX localized in mitochondria. Hyperresistance was associated with inhibition of proapoptotic JNK and p38α MAP kinase phosphorylation-activation. The purpose of this study was to determine whether tumor cells upregulate NOS-generated NO as a cytoprotective measure during PDT.COH-BR1 cells sensitized in mitochondria with ALA-derived protoporphyrin IX died apoptotically following irradiation as measured by Hoechst staining. Western analysis revealed that inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was upregulated >3-fold within 4 h after ALA/light treatment, while other NOS isoforms were unaffected. Exposing cells to the iNOS inhibitor, 1400W during photochallenge enhanced caspase-3/7 activation and apoptotic killing up to 2-3-fold while substantially reducing chemiluminescence-assessed NO production, suggesting that this NO was cytoprotective. Consistently, the NO scavenger cPTIO enhanced ALA/light-induced caspase-3/7 activation and apoptotic kill by >2.5-fold. Of added significance, cells could be rescued from 1400W-exacerbated apoptosis by an exogenous NO donor, spermine-NONOate. Using Hoechst and TUNEL staining, we found that short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-induced knockdown of iNOS enhanced the apoptotic kill of ALA/light treated COH-BR1 cells. ALA/light-treated COH-BR1cells exhibited a transient post-irradiation activation of JNK and p38α as measured by Western blot analysis. Consistently, both effects were intensified and prolonged by 1400W. The survival MAP kinase ERK1/2 was deactivated more rapidly when 1400W was present during a PpIX/light challenge. Similar effects on MAP kinase activation/deactivation were observed for iNOS knockdown cells under photostress cinfirming iNOS9s protective role. As demonstrated for non-photodynamic stress systems, NO could have interfered with apoptosis by inactivating participating MAP kinases and/or caspases. This is the first reported evidence for increased tumor cell resistance due to iNOS upregulation in a PDT model. Our findings indicate that stress-elicited NO in PDT-treated tumors could compromise therapeutic efficacy, and suggest NOS-based pharmacologic interventions for preventing this. (Supported by NIH Grant CA70823) 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 132.
Geologic-seismic Simulation and Response Curve Analysis in Dongying Formation of Baishuitou-Tangjiahe Area in Huanghua Depression

Based on the drilling data of statistical analysis of Dongying formation in Baishuitou-tangjiahe area of Huanghua Depression, three different geologic models are designed to analyze the stratigraphic velocity and density properties presented by reservoirs with different thickness, porosity and fluid content. Response curves of different reservoir parameters are obtained through forward seismic simulation. It is found in response curve analysis that in the area the seismic reflection amplitude is maximum when the thickness of water-bearing sandstone is 20m , and it is maximum when the thickness of oil-bearing sandstone is 18m. When porosity is 22%, polarity reversal occurs in the seismic reflection amplitude of the oil-bearing sandstone, and it occurs in oil-bearing sandstone as porosity is 28%,which provides the basis for reservoir seismic prediction in the area.
Moberly Junior College, the four-year junior college

AbstractIn Leonard Koos’s book, The Junior-College Movement, he described the establishment of a junior college in an American public school district as the ‘culmination of the local school system’, alluding to the prestige associated with having a junior college in a community. The best-known example of this arrangement was in Pasadena, California where the combined high school and college operated for 27 years. Less well known is the four-year junior college in central Missouri called Moberly Junior College (MJC). MJC operated as a combined high school and college for 36 years from the autumn of 1931 to the autumn of 1967, the longest running four-year junior college in the United States. This case study of the college examines how the seamless transition between high school and college was accomplished, and what changes in the institution and the educational environment led to the eventual dissolution of the four-year junior college.
Synthesis of device-independent noise corpora for speech quality assessment

The perceived quality of speech captured in the presence of background noise is an important performance metric for communication devices, including portable computers and mobile phones. For a realistic evaluation of speech quality, a device under test (DUT) needs to be exposed to a variety of noise conditions either in real noise environments or via noise recordings, typically delivered over a loudspeaker system. However, the test data obtained this way is specific to the DUT and needs to be re-recorded every time the DUT hardware changes. Here we propose an approach that uses device-independent spatial noise recordings to generate device-specific synthetic test data that simulate in-situ recordings. Noise captured using a spherical microphone array is combined with the directivity patterns of the DUT, referred to here as device-related transfer functions (DRTFs), in the spherical harmonics domain. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated in terms of the predicted signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the predicted mean opinion score (PMOS) of the DUT under various noise conditions. The root-mean-squared errors (RMSEs) of the predicted SNR and PMOS are on average below 4 dB and 0.28, respectively, across the range of tested SNRs, target source directions, noise types, and spherical harmonics decomposition methods. These experimental results indicate that the proposed method may be suitable for generating device-specific synthetic corpora from device-independent in-situ recordings.
Presentation Software: Tools to Engage an Audience

Column description. The Technology column examines current and developing technology topics in libraries. The column's focus is creative uses of technology, introductions to new technologies, and c...
Pediatric iron poisonings in the United States.

AbstractBackground.Iron overdose is considered a leading cause of poisoning-related injury and death in young children. This report analyzes the nature, trend, and hazard patterns of unintentional pediatric iron overdoses in the United States from 1980 to 1996.Methods.Analyses include multiple regre
Relationship of age, smoking, alcohol use, and exercise among adults with cancer.

e20582 Background: Smoking, alcohol use, and exercise among cancer patients (pts) are important health concerns due to their effects on treatment outcomes. Few studies have focused on health behavi...
Drug Resistance Assays for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Timely detection of patients harboring drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains is of paramount importance for effective treatment and also for preventing epidemics of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Bacteriologic methods currently in use for detection of drug resistance are the agar proportion method and the use of automated liquid medium systems. In addition, genotypic methods are increasingly employed as screening tests and complement conventional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Accurate detection of clinically meaningful minimal inhibitory concentrations is the prerequisite for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic correlations.
Global Intelligent Networks

Intelligent networks (INs) in countries outside the United States have evolved to perform services similar to those available in the United States.* The topologies can be slightly different and tailored to the peculiarities of the Central Offices and the distribution of a country’s customer base. Generally, the introduction of new services is sufficiently expensive and individualized to warrant a thorough cost comparison of various implementations. The decision to implement a particular service is driven by local business and economic considerations in light of the projected income from the new service(s). Several implementations from European and Japanese environments that illustrate the varying architectures of other INs are presented.
Conclusion: Convergence of Entertainment and Politics in Contemporary China

In this concluding chapter of the book, Wu discusses what it means for political discourses to be deferred to entertainment conversations. Latest developments in American politics of 2016 may make it particularly challenging to contend for entertainment’s significance in politics. Critical theories that the book revises may be especially relevant in the American public’s sense-making of Donald Trump’s presidency. Wu argues that if entertainment continues to occupy a semi-polluted position in the West, one needs to acknowledge its role in Chinese citizens’ political communication. As the author addresses in this chapter lingering concerns with the limits and threat of entertainment, the more productive task is to examine entertainment’s power for average citizens in an empirically grounded manner. The theory of an aesthetic public sphere and the empirical undertakings of this book provide a useful framework. Furthermore, scholarly efforts should look more closely for the connection between informal public spheres and the official public sphere of a country. Wu discusses latest developments in China’s entertainment and politics, and how the book’s central theoretical and empirical frameworks apply to newly emerging cases. The thesis of an aesthetic public sphere provides an informative and balanced analytical perspective for readers to contextualize new shows and new struggles in the broader framework of entertainment and politics, in China and other media systems.
Mechanistic insights into electrochemical reduction of CO2 over Ag using density functional theory and transport models

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 using renewable sources of electrical energy holds promise for converting CO2 to fuels and chemicals. Since this process is complex and involves a large number of species and physical phenomena, a comprehensive understanding of the factors controlling product distribution is required. While the most plausible reaction pathway is usually identified from quantum-chemical calculation of the lowest free-energy pathway, this approach can be misleading when coverages of adsorbed species determined for alternative mechanism differ significantly, since elementary reaction rates depend on the product of the rate coefficient and the coverage of species involved in the reaction. Moreover, cathode polarization can influence the kinetics of CO2 reduction. Here, we present a multiscale framework for ab initio simulation of the electrochemical reduction of CO2 over an Ag(110) surface. A continuum model for species transport is combined with a microkinetic model for the cathode reaction dynamics. Free energies of activation for all elementary reactions are determined from density functional theory calculations. Using this approach, three alternative mechanisms for CO2 reduction were examined. The rate-limiting step in each mechanism is **COOH formation at higher negative potentials. However, only via the multiscale simulation was it possible to identify the mechanism that leads to a dependence of the rate of CO formation on the partial pressure of CO2 that is consistent with experiments. Simulations based on this mechanism also describe the dependence of the H2 and CO current densities on cathode voltage that are in strikingly good agreement with experimental observation.
A Red Brick Wall: Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric in a Residence Hall Environment

This case study was developed for leadership courses in higher education and student affairs programs, specifically those looking at issues of multiculturalism and social justice. It features a res...
The mechanism of binding of neural cell adhesion molecules.

The morphology and cellular interconnections within the nervous system of higher organisms arise as a result of complex cell-cell interactions occurring throughout development. In order to identify the cell surface molecules mediating the adhesion that regulates many of these interactions, a variety of assays have been used and several molecules have been proposed to be involved in neural cell adhesion (Merrell et al., 1975; Hausman and Moscona, 1976; Urushihara et al., 1979; Marchase et al., 1981; Magnani et al., 1981; Grunwald et al., 1982; Roth and Pierce, 1982; Sadoul et al., 1983; Lindner et al., 1983). In our laboratory, an immunological approach devised by one of us (GME) led to the identification (Brackenbury et al., 1977; Thiery et al., 1977) and purification of a protein involved in calcium-independent neural cell adhesion which has been named the neural cell adhesion molecule or N-CAM. A number of other CAMs of different structure and specificity have since been identified (See Edelman, 1983, for a review).
Buchanan and the Right to Acquire Property

This article examines the impact of the Supreme Court decision in Buchanan v. Warley (1917) invalidating residential segregation laws as a deprivation of property rights without due process of law. The decision was premised on a strong affirmation of the right to acquire property. The article explores the historical background and contemporary significance of the right to acquire property. It notes that early state constitutions expressly recognized such a right. It points out that the right to acquire found practical expression in hostility to state-conferred monopoly and in the right to follow common occupations, two doctrines which evolved under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The article stresses that the right to acquire property, as in Buchanan, serves to protect the interests of the economically disadvantaged, racial minorities, and fledgling entrepreneurs. Although courts continued to invoke the right to acquire property, by the early twentieth century such right was increasingly limited by the spread of occupational licensing and enactment of laws hampering competition in certain businesses. This trend was facilitated by the emergence of New Deal jurisprudence which downplayed the rights of property owners and emphasized judicial deference to the economic judgment of legislators. As judicial review of economic regulations became largely perfunctory, occupational licensing and entry barriers proliferated in the years following World War II. Recently, however, some courts have looked skeptically at laws restricting entry into common occupations. The article concludes that the right to acquire property, although often ignored, retains some vitality.
Improved Locally Linear Embedding for Big-data Classification

A hyperspectral image provides a multidimensional data consisting of hundreds of spectral dimensions. Even though having an abundance of spectral might seem favorable, classification of hyperspectral data tends to collide with the curse of dimensionality. Therefore, reducing the number of dimensions before classification is always favorable. For this research, the feature extraction method will consist of a nonlinear manifold learning technique named locally linear embedding (LLE). Additionally, another problem that we attempt to overcome is the high computational time required to run manifold learning methods. In order to help overcome this problem, this research compares one implementation of LLE against an improved version that runs much quicker than the original version.
Zu den Schwierigkeiten eines Gesprächs zwischen Jürgen Habermas und der Theologie. Tobias Renner untersucht Habermas’ Spätwerk zur ›postsäkularen Gesellschaft‹

Rezension von: Tobias Renner (2017): Postsakulare Gesellschaft und Religion. Zum Spatwerk von Jurgen Habermas, Freiburg i.Br.: Herder. 392 S., ISBN 978-3-451-37784-6, EUR 55,00.
Is folic acid safe for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients? An evidence-based cohort study

Background Patients with cancer are highly concerned about food choices and dietary supplements that may affect their treatment outcomes. Excess folic acid (synthetic folate) from supplements or fortification can lead to accumulation of unmetabolized folic acid in the systemic circulation and urine and may promote cancer growth, especially among those with neoplastic alterations. Objective We investigated the prospective association between synthetic compared with natural folate intake and clinical outcomes in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), which is a highly recurrent disease. Design In a cohort of 619 NMIBC patients, folate intake at diagnosis was assessed with a previously validated food-frequency questionnaire and categorized according to tertiles. After a median follow-up of 5.2 y, 303 tumor recurrence and 108 progression events were documented from medical record review. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and logistic models were used to estimate adjusted HRs and ORs with 95% CIs. Results Synthetic folic acid intake was positively associated with a risk of recurrence among NMIBC patients (medium compared with low intake-HR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.20, 2.48; P = 0.003; high compared with low intake-HR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.84; P = 0.01). Patients with a higher folic acid intake were more likely to have multifocal tumors at diagnosis (medium or high compared with low-OR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.08, 4.02; P = 0.03). In contrast, natural folate intake tended to be inversely associated with the risk of progression (medium or high compared with low-HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.44, 1.04; P = 0.08). Conclusions A high intake of synthetic folic acid, in contrast to the natural forms, is associated with an increased risk of recurrence in NMIBC and multifocal tumors at diagnosis, which suggests that folic acid may be unsafe for NMIBC patients. These findings provide some evidence for nutritional consultation with regard to folate intake among NMIBC patients.
First Occurrence of a Squalodelphinid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the Early Miocene of Washington State

Citation for this article: Nelson, M. D., and M. D. Uhen. 2018. First occurrence of a squalodelphinid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from the early Miocene of Washington State. Journal of Vertebrate Paleont...
Walking Away from Myasthenia Gravis (P02.208)

OBJECTIVE: We test the hypothesis that 3-month exercise program for MG will improve fitness, ventilatory capacity, and function, and reduce fatigue. BACKGROUND: Fatigue often limits activities of daily living in myasthenia gravis (MG); physical inactivity leads to deconditioning and compounds disability and fatigue. DESIGN/METHODS: We enrolled 7 MG patients in a 3-month (1 hour, 3 days/week) program with aerobic walking, breathing, and Theraband resistance training. Open circuit spirometry during peak exercise testing determined fitness (V02 peak), portable metabolic monitoring measured steady state oxygen consumption during 6-minute walks (Gait Economy) at baseline and after training. Ventilatory capacity was determined during VO2 peak and Economy tests and maximum ventilatory capacity. We measured 10 m gait speed, daily steps, leg strength, and fatigue severity. Fatigue was rated on visual analog scale and Fatigue Severity Scale. Paired t-tests determined exercise mediated changes, p RESULTS: Training progressed across 3 month without adverse events. Aerobic progression: 10 to 30 minutes, 2.4 to 3.4 mph, and incline 0 to 3%. Fitness did not significantly increase 22.3 vs. 23.6 ml/kg/min, however workload increased (37%↑ speed and 30% ↑MET) and ventilatory exchange increased (L/min, 19%↑). Metabolic cost of gait was high for MG subjects, requiring 67% of peak exercise capacity, 14.9 ml/kg/min; but training improved gait economy by 25%↓ with lower ventilatory exchange (24%↓) and heart rate demand (16%↓). Functional gains included increased gait speed (28%), 6-minute walk distance (17%), daily step count (21%), and strength (15%), while Fatigue Severity decreased (24%). CONCLUSIONS: Our supervised training study program is well tolerated and safely produces 4-fold > higher workload capacity. Fitness and functional gains from this pilot study are promising and support further investigations of exercise to improve fitness, gait efficiency, and functional performance for MG patients. Supported by: Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Pilot Grant and Baltimore Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development: Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence Pilot Study. Disclosure: Dr. Hafer-Macko has nothing to disclose. Dr. Macko has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nadel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Atallah has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schmidt has nothing to disclose.
Native and Prosthetic Valve Stenosis

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in adults. Left untreated, AS inevitably worsens and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Replacing the aortic valve, whether by surgical means or, more recently, transcatheter procedures, remains the only definitive therapy for treating AS. The increasing interest in AS has driven the need for a more sophisticated understanding of the pathophysiology and national history of AS. This chapter focuses primarily on discussion of AS, including etiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, hemodynamics, natural history, and medical and surgical therapy.
Abstract CT106: Local ablative therapy for oligoprogressive, EGFR-mutant, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after treatment with osimertinib

Background: Osimertinib is effective in EGFR-mutant NSCLC in both first- and second-line settings. However, the efficacy of osimertinib is limited by the universal development of resistance. Retrospective studies have shown a survival benefit to local ablative therapy (LAT) in those who develop oligoprogressive disease (progression at a limited number of anatomic sites) on EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy. Methods: We initiated a prospective study of LAT in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC and oligoprogression during treatment with osimertinib (NCT02759835). Patients with no prior EGFR-TKI therapy (cohort 1) or progression after 1st/2nd generation EGFR-TKI therapy and acquired T790M mutation (cohort 2) start osimertinib. Upon progression, eligible patients with Results: Between 04/2016 and 01/2018, 24 patients were enrolled (cohort 1: 16, cohort 2: 5, cohort 3: 3). Median age was 59.8 (range 36-77). The most common adverse events (AEs) on osimertinib treatment were rash, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, and QTc prolongation with most of the AEs being grade 1 or 2. Among evaluable patients, confirmed objective response rates prior to LAT in cohorts 1 and 2 were 66.7 % (8/12) and 75% (3/4), respectively, with 11.2 months median PFS (95% CI: 3.6 months-undefined) in cohort 1 and 10.9 months in cohort 2 (95% CI: 6.7-12.8 months). To date, 12 patients had progressive disease, 8 of which had oligoprogression and subsequently underwent LAT (cohort 1: 3; cohort 2: 2; cohort 3: 3). Two patients were treated with combination of surgery and radiotherapy (RT), 4 patients with surgery, and 2 patients with RT. Median PFS2 was 2.3 months (95% CI: 1.0-5.9 months). Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed on tumor tissues obtained pre-treatment and upon progression on osimertinib. MET amplification, transformation to small cell lung cancer, and EGFR C797S mutation were identified as mechanisms of resistance to osimertinib. Results of molecular analyses of tumor tissue and blood ctDNA will be presented. Conclusions: Patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC and oligoprogression after EGFR-TKI therapy can be safely treated with LAT. In select patients, this approach could potentially maximize duration of EGFR-TKI treatment and prevent premature switching to other systemic therapies. Citation Format: Chul Kim, Nitin Roper, Chuong Hoang, Laura Wisch, Maureen Connolly, Hsien-Chao Chou, Jun Wei, Manoj Tyagi, Constance M. Cultraro, Liqiang Xi, Maryam Waris, Khoa Dang Nguyen, Eva Szabo, Emerson Padiernos, Aparna Kesarwala, Shaojian Gao, Seth M. Steinberg, Mark Raffeld, Arun Rajan, Javed Khan, Udayan Guha. Local ablative therapy for oligoprogressive, EGFR-mutant, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after treatment with osimertinib [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT106.
Ion transport by rabbit colon. I. Active and passive components.

Descending rabbit colon, stripped ofmuscularis externa, absorbs Na and Cl under short-circuit conditions and exhibits a residual ion flux, consistent with HCO3 secretion, whose magnitude is approximately equal to the rate of active Cl absorption. Net K transport was not observed under short-circuit conditions. The results of ion replacement studies and of treatment with ouabain or amiloride suggest that the short-circuit currentI sc is determined solely by the rate of active Na transport and that the net movements of Cl and HCO3 are mediated by a Na-independent, electrically-neutral, anion exchange process. Cyclic AMP stimulates an electrogenic Cl secretion, abolishes HCO3 secretion but does not affect the rate of Na absorption under short-circuit conditions. Studies of the effect of transepithelial potential difference on the serosa-to-mucosa fluxesJ sm i of Na, K and Cl suggest thatJ sm Na ,J sm K and one-third ofJ sm Cl may be attributed to ionic diffusion. The permeabilities of the passive conductance pathway(s) are such thatPK∶PNa∶PCl=1.0∶0.07∶0.11. Electrolyte transport byin vitro rabbit colon closely resembles that reported fromin vivo studies of mammalian colon and thus may serve as a useful model for the further study of colonic ion transport mechanisms.
Perfect packings in quasirandom hypergraphs I

Let k ? 2 and F be a linear k-uniform hypergraph with v vertices. We prove that if n is sufficiently large and v | n , then every quasirandom k-uniform hypergraph on n vertices with constant edge density and minimum degree ? ( n k - 1 ) admits a perfect F-packing. The case k = 2 follows immediately from the blowup lemma of Komlos, Sarkozy, and Szemeredi. We also prove positive results for some nonlinear F but at the same time give counterexamples for rather simple F that are close to being linear. Finally, we address the case when the density tends to zero, and prove (in analogy with the graph case) that sparse quasirandom 3-uniform hypergraphs admit a perfect matching as long as their second largest eigenvalue is sufficiently smaller than the largest eigenvalue.
Microbial supernatants from Mobiluncus mulieris, a bacteria strongly associated with spontaneous preterm birth, disrupts the cervical epithelial barrier through inflammatory and miRNA mediated mechanisms.

Recent human clinical studies have identified Mobiluncus mulieris, a fastidious strict anaerobic bacterium present in the cervicovaginal (CV) space, as being strongly associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this association remain unknown. As disruption of the cervical epithelial barrier has been shown to contribute to the premature cervical remodeling that precedes sPTB, we hypothesize that M. mulieris, a microbe strongly associated with sPTB in humans, has the ability to alter cervical epithelial function. We investigated if bacteria-free supernatants of M. mulieris were able to disrupt the cervical epithelial barrier through immunological and epigenetic based mechanisms in an in vitro model system. Ectocervical cells were treated with supernatant from cultured M. mulieris and epithelial cell permeability, immune cytokines and microRNAs (miRNAs) were investigated. M. mulieris supernatant significantly increased cell permeability and the expression of two inflammatory mediators associated with cervical epithelial breakdown, IL-6 and IL-8. Moreover, treatment of the ectocervical cells with the M. mulieris supernatant also increased the expression of miRNAs that have been associated with either sPTB or a shorter gestational length in humans. Collectively, these results suggest that M. mulieris induces molecular and functional changes in the cervical epithelial barrier thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of sPTB, which allows us to hypothesize that targeting CV bacteria such as M. mulieris could provide a therapeutic opportunity to reduce sPTB rates.
Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) from a phase I/II dose-escalation study of fractionated dose 177Lu-PSMA-617 for progressive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

45Background: We performed the 1st dose-escalation study of PSMA-targeted radionuclide therapy with 177Lu-PSMA-617. Using dose-fractionation, we intended to deliver a dose-intense regimen designed ...
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Biological Membranes

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a membrane as “A thin pliable layer of plant or animal tissue covering or separating structures or organs.” The impression this description leaves is static―like plastic wrap covering a package of hamburger. By this definition, membranes are tough, impenetrable, and visible. Nothing can be further from the truth. The entire concept of dynamic behavior is missing from this definition, yet dynamics is what makes membranes both essential for life and so difficult to study. Dynamic is characterized by “constant change, activity, or progress.”
Public Health and Medicine’s Need to Respond to Cannabis Commercialization in the United States: A Commentary

Cannabis legalization has resulted in rapid commercialization, making this new market increasingly attractive to tobacco, alcohol and beverage, agricultural, and pharmaceutical multinational corporations, who are well positioned to capitalize on the synergy between cannabis and their products. The fact that cannabis remains a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act is inhibiting research, which consequently prevents evidence-based regulation of modern, more potent, engineered cannabis products and their use. Without a research exemption for legitimate studies of commercially available products, cannabis' Schedule I classification makes it very difficult to conduct medical and scientific research to inform policymaking and regulation. As corporate commercialization looms large, public health organizations need to engage the issue of rapid commercialization of cannabis products and press for evidence-based policies based on public health best practices.
A Comparison of CBM-WE Scoring Metrics and Progress Monitoring Frequency Among Second-Grade Students

This study examined the effect of progress monitoring frequency and scoring metric on curriculum-based measurement of written expression (CBM-WE) progress monitoring estimates. The writing progress...
Amyloidosis Prediction Score: A Clinical Model for Diagnosing Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis

Introduction Tc-99m Pyrophosphate (PYP) scintigraphy has a high diagnostic accuracy for transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA). Referral for PYP imaging is guided by certain clinical features which are variably present among patients with ATTR-CA. We aimed to derive a clinical score that would allow for prediction of a positive PYP study. Hypothesis We hypothesized that a clinical score, derived from multiple predictive variables, could be used to predict positive PYP. Methods Demographic, clinical, ECG and echocardiographic data for all patients who underwent PYP imaging between 06/2015 to 01/2020 were recorded. Variables that independently predicted a positive PYP study were identified from multivariable logistic regression analysis, and were assigned a numerical value (e.g. -1 for age 80 years). These values were then weighted by the prevalence of these predictors in the study cohort. Amyloidosis Prediction Score (APS) was derived, for each patient, as the sum of the weighted scores of the independent predictors. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to determine the accuracy of APS for predicting a positive PYP study. Results Data of 440 patients (mean age at PYP 75 ± 11, 71% men, 81% Caucasians) was analyzed, of which 126 (28.6%) had a positive PYP study. Age, male gender, bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome, lumbar spinal stenosis, atrial fibrillation, low QRS voltage, pseudo-infarct pattern and left ventricular hypertrophy were significant independent predictors of a positive PYP study (table). APS values ranged from -10 to +13, and predicted a positive PYP study with an accuracy of 0.98 (figure). An APS value of 3.2 conferred a sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 91% for predicting a positive PYP study, respectively, with a positive likelihood ratio of 10. Conclusion The Amyloidosis Prediction Score has a high diagnostic accuracy for a positive PYP study and can be easily determined from clinical history and routinely assessed ECG and echocardiographic features. This score has the ability to increase the diagnostic yield of PYP scintigraphy.
Even a "princess of a program" may face challenges.

Commentators discuss the merits of the article “Developing a Family Centered, Hospital-Based Perinatal Education Program” [Journal of Perinatal Education, 9(4), 28–39]. They also point out the challenges of developing, implementing, and maintaining a comprehensive, family-centered perinatal education program in urban and rural hospitals.
Enabling Limited Resource-Bounded Disjunction in Scheduling

This paper describes three approaches to enabling a severely computationally limited embedded scheduler to consider a small number of alternative activities based on resource availability. This pap...
Does Recorded Oximetry Utilizing a Consensus Based Algorithm Compare to Polysomnography in Discontinuing Home Oxygen Therapy in Premature Infants.

Background Approximately a third of all extremely preterm infants diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia will require home oxygen therapy (HOT). Lack of consensus-based guidelines has led to significant variability in outpatient HOT management in the United States. A common assessment performed prior to discontinuing oxygen is a formal polysomnogram (PSG). PSGs are potentially undesirable due to cost, lack of convenient access, and parental stress, so alternative testing to determine optimal timing of safe oxygen discontinuation are needed. Methods We compared nocturnal recorded home oximetry (RHO) with PSG data in a cohort of patients from the Recorded Home Oximetry (RHO) trial for patients who had recordings performed simultaneous to or within 24 hours of their PSG. The RHO trial was a randomized, unblinded, multi-center trial comparing two oxygen management strategies. Parameters of oxygenation were compared between PSG and RHO, and non-oximetry findings from the PSG that changed clinical management were identified. Results A total of 53 infants randomized to obtain a PSG as part of the RHO trial (55%) completed a PSG, and of those, 32 (64%) completed both a PSG with comparison RHO. There were more white infants in both groups than other races and ethnicities. Bland-Altman analysis showed a strong agreement of oxygen saturation time below 90% SpO2 between PSG and RHO results (slope= 1.014, p=0.24). Results agreed in 96% of cases. Conclusion RHO is a safe and effective alternative to PSG to assist in determination of discontinuing HOT in infants with BPD without other risks for sleep disordered breathing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dual Energy X-ray Method for Kidney Stones and Atherosclerotic Plaques Structural Integrity Characterization

Abstract Kidney stones and atherosclerotic plaques have an increasing rate worldwide. Although kidney stones are not life threatening, as atherosclerosis can be, they have the tense of reappearing after a period of time. Based on several studies it seems there is a correlation between these two diseases, as patients diagnosed with urolithiasis or nephrolithiasis appeared to have atherosclerotic plaques. Calcium oxalate and hydroxyapatite are the most frequently found minerals in stones. Calcium carbonate stones have also been present, but not in the same prevalence. Stones smaller than 5 mm are expected to pass on their own and thus no surgery is needed. However, each stone composition needs different treatment to be removed since they have different structural integrity among the same therapies. The very same minerals were found in spotty calcifications (
An introduction to branching measure-valued processes

Super-Brownian motion and partial differential equations Introduction Markov processes Construction of superprocesses General Feynman-Kac formula Change of parameters in superprocesses Structure of branching measure-valued processes Historical notes and comments Elements of stochastic calculus References Index Index of notation.
Crowding and Health

Assuming that crowding induces psychological stress, one would expect manifestations of psychological stress to be evident in crowded prison environments. A variety of physiological changes are often associated with psychological stress, including changes that would be expected to express themselves in alterations in physical health. Numerous studies have demonstrated alterations in immune and cardiovascular functions in response to psychological stress (Elliott & Eisdorfer, 1982; Evans & Cohen, 1987). If crowding induces psychological stress, we reasoned that we should see expressions of this in health measures of inmates related to the degree of exposure to crowding. Consequently, we examined indices of inmate health that were obtainable in a prison setting. Many of our findings focused on illness complaints. Interpretation of illness complaints is not simple. For example, they may simply reflect attempts to gain attention, increased irritability, or sensitivity to somatic symptoms. However, the analyses to be presented suggest that illness complaints of prison inmates may be indicative of genuine physical pathology. This would be expected if indeed psychological stress is induced by crowding, since in other contexts, stress has been shown to affect physiological functions related to health and illness.
NetProfiler: profiling wide-area networks using peer cooperation

Our work is motivated by two observations about the state of networks today. Operators have little visibility into the end users' network experience while end users have little information or recourse when they encounter problems. We propose a system called NetProfiler, in which end hosts share network performance information with other hosts over a peer-to-peer network. The aggregated information from multiple hosts allows NetProfiler to profile the wide-area network, i.e., monitor end-to-end performance, and detect and diagnose problems from the perspective of end hosts. We define a set of attribute hierarchies associated with end hosts and their network connectivity. Information on the network performance and failures experienced by end hosts is then aggregated along these hierarchies, to identify patterns (e.g., shared attributes) that might be indicative of the source of the problem. In some cases, such sharing of information can also enable end hosts to resolve problems by themselves. The results from a 4-week-long Internet experiment indicate the promise of this approach.