cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lipoprotein immunization and induced atherosclerosis in rabbits

Summary Groups of rabbits were immunized with β-lipoproteins isolated from serum of normal and cholesterol-fed chickens. Precipitin titers in excess of 5000: 1 were developed against antigen protein from cholesterol-fed birds. Plasma lipid levels increased in immunized animals and increase paralleled development of precipitin titers. Rabbit serum was analyzed by chromatography on DEAE cellulose ion exchange resin. Cholesterol in normal serum was found almost exclusively in proteins having the electrophoretic characteristics of α-globulins. Following immunization, significant quantities of cholesterol were found in γ-globulins in rabbits on both normal and on cholesterol-supplemented diets. Immunized and control animals were fed a diet supplemented with 2% cholesterol for 12 weeks. Development of atherosclerosis in thoracic aorta was not significantly different in normal and immunized rabbits. Lipid levels in serum and tissues also were not significantly reduced by the prior immunization procedure. When immunization was carried out subsequent to cholesterol feeding, intensity of atherosclerosic plaques did not decrease in 6 weeks following transfer to normal diet whereas serum lipids returned to normal at same rate in control and immunized animals during this period.
Use of nitric oxide inhalation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND—Inhalation of nitric oxide with oxygen could be a promising treatment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary hypertension. However, the current methods of delivery of NO are cumbersome and unsuitable for long term use. The present study was undertaken to investigate the safety and efficacy of a mixture of nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen administered via a nasal cannula for 24 hours in patients with oxygen dependent COPD. METHODS—Twenty five parts per million (ppm) of NO was administered by inhalation combined with supplemental oxygen at a flow rate of 2 l/min via a nasal cannula for 24 hours to 11 ambulatory men with stable, oxygen dependent COPD. Room air with supplemental oxygen at 2 l/min was administered in an identical manner for another 24 hours as control therapy in a randomised, double blind, crossover fashion to all patients. Pulmonary function tests, exercise tolerance, dyspnoea grade, and lung volumes were measured at baseline, 24, and 48 hours. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), cardiac output (CO), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), arterial blood gas tensions, and minute ventilation were measured at baseline, after 30 minutes and 24 hours of breathing NO and oxygen. Venous admixture ratio (Qs/Qt) and dead space ratio (Vd/Vt) were also calculated. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and NO in the inhaled and ambient air were monitored continuously. Differences in pulmonary function, arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary haemodynamics, exercise tolerance, and dyspnoea between oxygen and NO breathing periods were analysed for significance using paired t tests. RESULTS—A significant (p<0.05) fall was observed in PVR (183.1 (116.05) and 137.2 (108.4) dynes.s.cm-3 before and after breathing NO for 24 hours, respectively) with NO administration without significant changes in symptoms, pulmonary function, arterial oxygen tension, or exercise tolerance. CONCLUSIONS—NO at a concentration of 25 ppm blended with oxygen can be safely administered by nasal cannula for 24 hours without significant adverse effects and lowers PVR in stable patients with COPD receiving long term oxygen therapy.
Combined-Phase-Shift Waveguide Polarizer

A waveguide polarizer exploiting two different phase shift phenomena is presented in this letter. Iris-type discontinuities are in fact introduced in a waveguide structure having different propagation constants for the two principal polarizations. In this way, the required 90 differential phase shift is obtained combining the iris phase shift with the waveguide one. Several operative conditions arise from the combination of the two contributions. This approach has been used to design a broadband waveguide polarizer for the C-band antenna feed system of the Sardinia radio telescope with -40 dB reflection coefficients and a -35 dB cross polarization level in a 30% bandwidth.
Energetic effects of adenosine on vascular smooth muscle.

Adenosine (Ado) is a naturally occurring compound that has several important cardiovascular actions, including activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels in vascular smooth muscle, vasorelaxation, and...
An optimized rotator for use in iterative reconstruction [SPECT]

For implementations of iterative reconstruction algorithms that rotate the image matrix, the characteristics of the rotator may affect the reconstruction quality. Desirable features of the rotator include: (a) preservation of image counts, (b) accurate count positioning, (c) a uniform and predictable amount of blurring due to the rotation, and (d) rapid computational speed. A new rotation method was developed, entitled Gaussian rotation, in which counts in each pixel in the origin array are deposited in a Gaussian distribution centered over a fractional pixel location in the destination image. This method was compared to standard rotation techniques, and was shown to be superior in terms of the above four features. For example, bi-linear interpolation resulted in up to a 23% error in total image counts; such failure to preserve image counts is clearly unacceptable for image reconstruction. By comparison, Gaussian rotation resulted in no variation in image counts. The computational cost of Gaussian rotation was demonstrated to be only slightly more than bi-linear interpolation, and substantially less than that of bi-cubic polynomial or cubic spline interpolation. These features make Gaussian rotation preferable for iterative reconstruction.
Chronic Granulomatous Disease of Childhood: An Unusual Cause of Honeycomb Lung

The clinical, physiologic, and pathologic study of a case of chronic granulomatous disease of childhood is described, in which the pulmonary manifestations are those of honeycomb lung.
Improved Detection of Cell Death In Vivo with Annexin V Radiolabeled by Site-Specific Methods

Labeled annexin V is widely used to detect cell death in vitro and in vivo. Nearly all studies have been done with annexin V derivatized via amine-directed bifunctional agents; it was thought that these molecules retained full bioactivity compared with unmodified protein. We now show that this assumption is incorrect by measuring the affinity of annexin V for cells in vitro by quantitative calcium titration under conditions of low membrane occupancy. Methods: Annexin V was modified with 4 different amine-directed agents: the N-hydroxysuccinimide esters of hydrazinonicotinic acid, mercaptoacetyltriglycine, and biotin; and with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Results: In all cases, the membrane-binding affinity was decreased by derivatization, even at very low average stoichiometries. A statistical model based on the Poisson distribution accurately predicted the observed heterogeneity of derivatization as a function of average derivatization stoichiometry. This model also showed that multiply derivatized forms, which are the ones most likely to have compromised bioactivity, contributed disproportionately to the binding and imaging signals. The in vitro binding assay correctly predicted in vivo uptake in a mouse liver model of apoptosis for all proteins tested. The annexin V-128 protein, labeled at a single specific site at the N terminus, showed twice as much apoptosis-specific liver uptake as did all forms of annexin V derivatized randomly via amino groups. Conclusion: The membrane-binding activity of annexin V is much more sensitive to amine-directed chemical modification than previously realized. New annexin V molecules labeled by site-specific methods will greatly improve sensitivity for detecting cell death in vivo.
A New Universal Approach for Slider Optimization

A new method for the optimization of slider bearings in magnetic recording disk drives is described. The new approach subdivides the chosen design area of the slider to be optimized in a number of small rectangular subregions. Each subregion is allowed to be at one of two height levels, one level corresponding to the air bearing surface and the other to the intermediate level between recess level and air bearing level. The pressure distribution over the slider and the flying height of the slider are calculated for all possible combinations of height levels of the subregions and the solution is determined that minimizes a chosen objective function. After determining an optimum solution with an initial coarse subdivision, a refinement of the solution is obtained by further subdivision of the individual subregions, and repeating the evaluation of the objective function to determine the optimum solution. The subregion approach does not require an a priory knowledge of a good initial design and results in novel air bearing contours.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Measurements of Water Droplet Movement in a Stagnation Point Boundary Layer

Improving numerical simulations of aircraft ice accretion will require empirical data on the behavior of liquid water on rough wing surfaces under glaze icing conditions. Toward this end, the present work presents a technique that provides detailed, full-field droplet interface height measurements using laser speckle shift correlations. The technique consists of illuminating a rough surface with coherent laser light and measuring the deformation of the resulting speckle pattern when a water drop is present on the rough surface. Computer algorithms have been developed that recover and integrate the speckle shift field and provide the reconstructed the droplet profile. Preliminary results are presented and possibilities for future improvements are discussed.
The Cellular Apoptosis Susceptibility Protein (CAS) Promotes Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand (TRAIL)-induced Apoptosis and Cell Proliferation

A signature event during the cell intrinsic apoptotic pathway is mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization, leading to formation of the apoptosome, a caspase activation complex. The cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein (CAS) can facilitate apoptosome assembly by stimulating nucleotide exchange on Apaf-1 following binding of cytochrome c. We report here that CAS expression itself is up-regulated during tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis, and knockdown of CAS renders cells resistant to TRAIL. We find that TRAIL induces up-regulation of CAS in a posttranscriptional, caspase-8-dependent manner through degradation of cIAP1, an E3 ligase that targets CAS for ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. We identified a novel signaling pathway whereby caspase-8 engages a feedforward cascade that leads to CAS up-regulation and amplifies the apoptotic signal. Furthermore, in silico analysis revealed that expression of CAS is up-regulated at both the mRNA and DNA levels in human breast tumors, consistent with its role in promoting cell proliferation. Overexpression of various oncogenes led to CAS up-regulation in non-transformed cells. Intriguingly, oncogene-induced CAS up-regulation also resulted in greater susceptibility to TRAIL-induced cell death, consistent with its proapoptotic function. These findings suggest that CAS plays contrasting roles in proliferation and apoptosis and that overexpression of CAS in tumors could serve as a potential biomarker to guide therapeutic choices.
Herpes simplex: Clinical aspects and electron microscopic findings

Abstract An unusual case of an infection with the herpesvirus hominis (HVH) has been presented. Vesicular and ulcerative lesions involved the vulva, the perineum, and the anus, including hemorrhoids. Gangrenous bullous lesions occurred on the skin of seven fingers. The typical clinical appearance and the absence of bacterial pathogens justify the diagnosis of herpetic whitlow. The clinical course was complicated by incapacitating constitutional symptoms and fever. The diagnoses of a HVH infection was confirmed by positive virus cultures, the electron microscopic demonstration of the HVH in biopsy specimens of an ulcerative lesion, and by a fourfold increase of the neutralizing antibody titer in the patient's serum. Three morphologically different stages of the HVH and phagocytosis of the virus by leukocytes has been observed and illustrated by electron micrographs. It has been discussed how the electron microscope can be used as a diagnostic method, how it can aid in clinicopathologic research concerning the mechanisms involved in virus infections, and how it could aid in the development of new modes of therapy.
A Twin Factor Mixture Modeling Approach to Childhood Temperament: Differential Heritability

Twin factor mixture modeling was used to identify temperament profiles while simultaneously estimating a latent factor model for each profile with a sample of 787 twin pairs (Mage = 7.4 years, SD = .84; 49% female; 88.3% Caucasian), using mother- and father-reported temperament. A four-profile, one-factor model fit the data well. Profiles included "regulated, typical reactive," "well-regulated, positive reactive," "regulated, surgent," and "dysregulated, negative reactive." All profiles were heritable, with lower heritability and shared environment also contributing to membership in the "regulated, typical reactive" and "dysregulated, negative reactive" profiles.
Fatal cerebroembolism from nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis in a trauma patient: case report and review.

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare condition that may result in an unexpected and usually fatal cerebroembolism. It occurs in a variety of clinical situations, including malignancy, immune disorders, and sepsis, but it has rarely been reported after trauma. The formation of NBTE appears to require a hypercoagulable state and changes in valvular morphology, e.g., during a hyperdynamic state. Patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation have a 21% incidence of NBTE. Although NBTE is usually found at autopsy, premorbid detection by echocardiography is currently possible and feasible. Untreated patients have a high incidence of embolic events, but anticoagulation with heparin may be life-saving. A lethal case of NBTE in a severely injured patient is reported here with the purpose of increasing awareness among medical personnel caring for trauma patients. Recommendations have been made for surveillance echocardiography in high-risk patients, e.g., critically ill patients with sepsis or disseminated intravascular coagulation.
Methamphetamine and Neuronal Nitric Oxide

The need for effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction in emergency settings is increasing, yet no effective medications have been FDA approved to reduce addiction. In this context, addiction to methamphetamine impairs the function of neurons in the striatum via neurotoxicity; it may be possible to repair this damage and thereby ameliorate a cardinal characteristic of addiction, namely, compulsive drug-seeking behavior. This chapter will highlight one of the mechanisms underlying methamphetamine neurotoxicity in the striatum in animals that experience methamphetamine under experimenter-delivered and self-administration conditions. This chapter focuses in particular on the methamphetamine-induced enhancement of neuronal nitric oxide synthase–expressing neurons as a form of neurotoxicity, as nitric oxide synthesis and reactive nitrogen species (peroxynitrites) in the striatum contribute to binge and chronic methamphetamine-induced striatal neurotoxicity.
Social Capital Groups and Crime in Urban Counties

ABSTRACTSocial capital has produced a large amount of research in many different academic disciplines. Several studies demonstrate a relationship between social capital and reductions in crime. Recent research has begun to demonstrate that social capital may affect violent and property crime differently and that specific aspects of social capital affect crime differently. This study examines social capital’s effect on crime for urban counties in the United States using Olsen-Type groups, Putnam-Type groups, and Recreation-Type groups. Findings indicate that the only the Putnam-Type groups were a significant indicator of reduced crime.
A digital library system for periodicals distribution

As part of IBM's Digital Library Initiative, IBM's Almaden Research Center has teamed with the Institute for Scientific Information in a joint project to deliver on-line access to the bibliographic information and abstracts from the scientific journal articles indexed in Current Contents/Life Sciences as well as articles offered by the respective publishers. This requires both adaptation of existing technologies and development of new capabilities, especially regarding copyright protection. Since the Fall of 1995, a pilot system has been installed at four universities, two corporate libraries, and a major public research library, beginning a study that involves many publishers, libraries, and users to test the system and to experiment with new economic models. This article describes some requirements we identified for this system, and the solutions we have devised for these requirements.
Dual Tableaux and Two-Phase Algorithms

The main theoretical tool for this chapter and the next is the consideration of a “mate” for every condensed tableau. All condensed tableaux are thereby paired off, and the members of each pair are called dual tableaux. The fundamental property of dual tableaux, roughly stated, is that the results of pivoting both can be obtained by pivoting only one of them.
Efficacy of tobramycin conjugated to superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in treating cystic fibrosis infections

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited childhood-onset life-shortening disease. It is characterized by increased respiratory production, leading to airway obstruction, chronic lung infection and inflammatory reactions. The most common bacteria causing persisting infections in people with CF is Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Superparamagnetic Fe3O4 iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) conjugated to the antibiotic (tobramycin), guided by a gradient of the magnetic field or subjected to an oscillating magnetic field, show promise in improving the drug delivery across the mucus and P. aeruginosa biofilm to the bacteria. The question remains whether tobramycin needs to be released from the NPs after the penetration of the mucus barrier in order to act upon the pathogenic bacteria. We used a zero-length 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) crosslinking agent to couple tobramycin, via its amine groups, to the carboxyl groups on Fe3O4 NPs capped with citric acid. The therapeutic efficiency of Fe3O4 NPs attached to the drug versus that of the free drug was investigated in P. aeruginosa culture.
Optimize Genomics Data Compression with Hardware Accelerator

Genomics is a Big Data science, the rate of increase in DNA sequencing is significantly exceeding the rate of increase in storage capacity, study shows the genomics data generation will exceed Twitter, YouTube, and astrophysics data combined by the year 2025. Storage and data management have become one of the most challenging bottlenecks in genomics and life sciences research. Data compression is an important technique to improve the efficiency of genomics data analysis and storage, and is widely deployed in the IT infrastructure in the life science institutes. In this paper we analyze the data compression characterization in the genomics workflows, and evaluate the performance & cost for different compression algorithms in the genomics analysis tool, we present a new hardware acceleration method that efficiently compresses DNA sequences with the reduced computation time and CPU utilization.
Improving Properties of Bacterial Cellulose by Incorporating Bio-Based Films

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been proposed as a novel renewable material for sustainable apparel. However, properties of the current BC material are not fully suitable for apparel products. With the purpose of reducing BC's moisture absorbency, this study aimed to experiment a method of modifying BC by incorporating commercially available bio-based sustainable films during its growing process. Five film samples were placed on the surface of the tea medium prepared for BC growth that were left to grow for three weeks in a static condition. The experimental results showed that the selected films could not be incorporated with BC as they prevented adequate airflow and inhibited BC growth. Further experiments should be conducted using more porous and breathable films. Incorporating commercially available bio-based films could be an efficient way for enhancing BC to make it viable for apparel products.
What difference does a century make? Shifts in the ecosystem structure of the Ross Sea, Antarctica, as evidenced from a sentinel species, the Weddell seal

The arrival of humans to Antarctica9s Ross Sea (100+ years ago) led to a slow, but sustained increase in human activities in the area. To investigate if human presence has influenced the structure of the ecosystem over the last century, we compared historical ( ca 100 years old) and modern samples of a sentinel species, the Weddell seal ( Leptonychotes weddellii ), using both bulk tissue and compound-specific stable isotope analysis. The historical isotopic niche of Weddell seals was over five times larger than the modern niche. The isotopic values of individual amino acids showed a clear segregation between historical and modern samples, indicative of differences at the base of the trophic web. Further, we found no significant differences in the trophic position of Weddell seals between the two periods. Our study revealed that the Ross Sea has undergone detectable changes (i.e. in the primary producers community) in the last century, but the presence of humans has not disrupted trophic interactions supporting Weddell seals.
Medical students as health coaches, and more: adding value to both education and patient care

New ways of thinking about medicine and health care demand new methods in medical education. Over the past two decades, as both the practice and the study of medicine have become increasingly concerned with demonstrable outcomes, medical schools have developed new curricula in health systems science and are increasingly emphasizing students' development and demonstration of skills essential to a systems-based, outcomes-oriented practice environment.Polak and colleagues recently reported the development in Israel of one such curriculum, in lifestyle medicine, that includes opportunities for students to adopt the role of health coach. This commentary describes additional recent curricular developments elsewhere with similar goals, but utilizing more ambitious approaches that embed students in medical practices and provide meaningful, ongoing responsibility for assisting in the care of patients. These emerging new models for ambulatory care education, through a construct known as "value added education," can simultaneously benefit both educational and patient care outcomes.
Construction of Block Designs

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the construction of block designs. The Bruck–Ryser–Chowla theorem, essentially based on the Hasse–Minkowski theorems on rational equivalence of quadratic forms, shows that certain symmetric block designs do not exist. The Connor–Hall theorem asserts that if a residual design exists when λ = 1 or 2, then the symmetric design also exists. The combination of these results shows that designs with certain parameters do not exist. Until present, no other set of parameters has been shown impossible in a design. In the absence of further general results on the existence or nonexistence of designs, those designs should be examined more closely with small parameters that are still unknown.
[2.2.2]- to [3.2.1]-Bicycle Skeletal Rearrangement Approach to the Gibberellin Family of Natural Products

Synthetic studies toward the gibberellin family of natural products are reported. An oxidative dearomatization/Diels–Alder cascade assembles the carbon skeleton as a [2.2.2]-bicycle, which is then transformed to the [3.2.1]-bicyclic gibberellin core via a novel Lewis acid catalyzed rearrangement. Strategic synthetic handles allow for late-stage modification of the gibberellin skeleton and provides efficient access to this important family of natural compounds.
Adaptation of actin dynamics and membrane tension control for yeast endocytosis

During clathrin-mediated endocytosis in eukaryotes, actin assembly is required to overcome large membrane tension and turgor pressure. However, the molecular mechanisms that enable the actin machinery to adapt to varying membrane tension remain unclear. Here, we used quantitative microscopy to determine that, upon increased membrane tension, the endocytic machinery of fission yeast cells rapidly adapts by assembling larger amounts of actin. We also demonstrate that cells rapidly reduce their membrane tension using three parallel mechanisms. In addition to the mechanical protection of their cell wall, yeast cells' eisosomes regulate moderate changes in membrane tension on a minute time scale. Meanwhile, a temporary reduction of the number of endocytic events for 2 to 6 minutes allows cells to add large pools of membrane to the plasma membrane. Our study sheds light on the tight connection between membrane tension regulation and endocytosis in yeast, which are likely conserved among eukaryotes.
Direct detection of nonlinear modal interactions and model updating using measured time series

We describe a new method for identifying mechanical systems with strongly nonlinear attachments using measured transient response data. The procedure is motivated by the desire to quantify the degree of nonlinearity of a system, with the ultimate goal of updating a finite-element or other mathematical model to capture the nonlinear effects accurately. Our method relies on the proper orthogonal decomposition to extract proper orthogonal mode shapes (POMs), which are inherently energy dependent, directly from the measured transient response. Using known linear properties, the system’s frequencies are estimated using the Rayleigh quotient and an estimated frequency-energy plot (FEP) is created by them as functions of the system’s mechanical energy. The estimated FEP reveals distinct linear and nonlinear regimes which h are characterized by constant frequency (horizontal lines) and large frequency changes, respectively. The nonlinear regimes also contain spikes that connect different modes and indicate strongly nonlinear modal interactions. The nonlinearity is identified by plotting the estimated frequencies as functions of characteristic displacement and fitting a frequency equation based on the model of the nonlinearity. We demonstrate the method on the response of a cantilevered, model airplane wing with a nonlinear energy sink attached at its free end.
MSCs: Paracrine Effects

Historically, mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have been ­characterized by their capacity to support hematopoiesis and differentiate into various connective tissue cell types. However, in the past decade, the field of MSC research has witnessed tremendous growth, spurred principally by studies showing that the cells are efficacious in treating a broad array of diseases. Renewed interest in MSC biology has also yielded new insights into their developmental origin, contribution to the hematopoietic stem cell niche, and mechanism of action in promoting tissue repair and regeneration. In the latter case, MSCs have been shown to secrete a bevy of proteins and other molecules that exhibit trophic, angiogenic, immunomodulatory, neuro-regulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activity and that function to restore homeostasis at sites of tissue injury and in response to disease. Herein, we provide an overview of the paracrine functions of MSCs by describing the different classes of proteins secreted by cells, the influence of the local microenvironment on their expression, and their therapeutic effects in various experimental animal models of disease.
Regional Myocardial Flow-Function Relationship in Ischemia

The main objective of this review is to summarize recent findings on the functional consequences of acute regional ischemia. In addition to summarizing what we know about regional function during ischemia, a second objective of this paper is to emphasize what we do not know and to suggest potential avenues of additional investigation that may be worth pursuing.
Zwischen Sucht und Sehnsucht – zur Ambivalenz neuester Kommunikationsmedien

Die an vielen Stellen deutlich hervortretende Ambivalenz der Digitalisierung wird bereits im ersten Artikel deutlich. Die Journalistin und Literaturwissenschaftlerin Daniela Otto von der Universitat Augsburg lotet hierin kritisch die Ambivalenz neuester Kommunikationsmedien aus: einerseits das erfolgreiche Bedienen einer Sehnsucht nach Vernetzung und Teilhabe – andererseits das Suchtverhalten, in das Konsumenten digitaler Medien schnell abgleiten konnen. Daniela Otto erklart psychologische Hintergrunde fur das omniprasente Streben in soziale Netzwerke und veranschaulicht ihre Thesen anhand ausgesuchter Beispiele aus Kunst- und Medien.
Pathways from racial discrimination to cortisol/DHEA imbalance: protective role of religious involvement.

Objective: Racial discrimination (RD) is hypothesized to dysregulate the production of stress reactive hormones among African Americans. Psychological processes that may mediate the association between RD and such dysregulation (e.g. cortisol/DHEA ratio) are not well articulated. Organizational religious involvement (ORI) has been discussed as a psychological protective factor within the context of RD, but our understanding of ORI as a physiological protective factor remains limited. We evaluated whether RD was directly and indirectly (through depressive symptoms) associated with an imbalance of cortisol and DHEA hormones, and whether ORI buffered these direct and/or indirect pathways.Design: Data were drawn from the Flint Adolescent Study, an ongoing interview study of youth that began in 1994. Participants were 188 African American emerging adults (47.3% Female, ages 20-22). We used mediation and moderated-mediation analyses, as outlined by Hayes [2012. PROCESS SPSS Macro. [Computer Software and Manual]. http://www.afhayes.com/public/process.pdf], to evaluate the study aims.Results: We found that depressive symptoms mediated the association between RD and the cortisol/DHEA ratio. We also found that depressive symptoms mediated the association between RD and the cortisol/DHEA ratio for individuals reporting low and moderate levels of ORI, but not at high levels.Conclusions: Our findings support the socio-psychobiological model of racism and health [Chae et al. 2011. "Conceptualizing Racial Disparities in Health: Advancement of a Socio-Psychobiological Approach." Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race 8 (1): 63-77. doi:10.1017/S1742058X11000166] and suggest that the psychological toll of RD can confer physiological consequences. Moreover, ORI may disrupt pathways from RD to cortisol/DHEA ratio by buffering the psychological toll of RD.
An Evaluation of Vancomycin Area Under the Curve Estimation Methods for Children Treated for Acute Pulmonary Exacerbations of Cystic Fibrosis Due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The prevalence of pulmonary methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) has increased over the last 2 decades. Two concentrations-a postdistributive and a trough-are currently used to estimate the area under the curve (AUC) of vancomycin, an antibiotic routinely used to treat these infections, to achieve the target AUC/minimum inhibitory concentration of ≥400 mg·h/L in ensuring optimal dosing of this drug. This study evaluated precision and bias in estimating vancomycin AUCs obtained either from a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model by using a single trough concentration or from standard PK equation-based 2-point monitoring approach. AUCs were either obtained from a single trough concentration-fitted model or derived from a model fitted by 2 concentration points. Children ≥2 years of age with CF received intravenous vancomycin at 2 centers from June 2012 to December 2014. A population PK model was developed in Pmetrics to quantify the between-subject variability in vancomycin PK parameters, define the sources of PK variability, and leverage information from the population to improve individual AUC estimates. Twenty-three children with CF received 27 courses of vancomycin. The median age was 12.3 (interquartile range [IQR] 8.5-16.6) years. From the individual vancomycin PK parameter estimates from the population PK model, median AUC was 622 (IQR 529-680) mg·h/L. Values were not significantly different from the AUC calculated using the standard PK equation-based approach (median 616 [IQR 540-663] mg·h/L) (P = .89). A standard PK equation-based approach using 2 concentrations and a population PK model-based approach using a single trough concentration yielded unbiased and precise AUC estimates. Findings suggest that options exist to implement AUC-based pediatric vancomycin dosing in patients with CF. The findings of this study reveal that several excellent options exist for centers to implement AUC-based pediatric vancomycin dosing for patients with CF.
Penalty Force for Coupling Materials with Coulomb Friction

We propose a novel penalty force to enforce contacts with accurate Coulomb friction. The force is compatible with fully-implicit time integration and the use of optimization-based integration. The contact force is quite general. In addition to processing collisions between deformable objects, the force can be used to couple rigid bodies to deformable objects or the material point method. The force naturally leads to stable stacking without drift over time, even when solvers are not run to convergence. The force leads to an asymmetrical system, and we provide a practical solution for handling these.
A Bureaucracy of Rejection: Petitioning and the impoverished paternalism of the British-Indian Raj

Bombay, the hub of Britain's Indian Ocean empire, hosted a ceaseless flow of humanity: sailors and lawyers, street performers and royal refugees. When fate set obstacles in their way, the residents of this teeming metropolis petitioned colonial officials, looking on them as patriarchal providers of last resort. These petitions, which this article terms ‘personal pleas’, adeptly braided different, often contradictory, idioms of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century imperial governance, from stylized imitations of traditional authority to bureaucratic proceduralism. Their functional contribution to Raj governance, however, remains a puzzle since the vast majority of petitions were rejected. For the British, the steady flow of rejections threatened to unmask the disjuncture between the expectations and realities of Raj paternalism. As a result, colonial officials viewed personal pleas with a mixture of ridicule and concern. Yet, while unsettling for officials, personal pleas rarely spurred the collective politics associated with anti-colonial resistance. Thus, where other articles in this special issue focus on petitioning's functional contributions to the consolidation of state bureaucracies and the formation of new publics, this article traces the genre's more emotive dimensions. Even as they failed to consolidate colonial discipline or resistance, personal pleas provided a vehicle for the airing of the lived contradictions and tensions of empire. They allowed rulers and subjects alike to fantasize about the possibility of a more benevolent order, and to vent their frustration when those fantasies crumbled in the face of imperial indifference.
Geometric constraints on the space of N=2 SCFTs. Part III: enhanced Coulomb branches and central charges

This is the third in a series of three papers on the systematic analysis of rank 1 four dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs. In the first two papers [1, 2] we developed and carried out a strategy for classifying and constructing physical planar rank-1 Coulomb branch geometries of $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs. Here we describe general features of the Higgs and mixed branch geometries of the moduli space of these SCFTs, and use this, along with their Coulomb branch geometry, to compute their conformal and flavor central charges. We conclude with a summary of the state of the art for rank-1 $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 SCFTs.
Effect of Astragalus mongholicus Injection Liquid on the Immune Function in Children with Congenital Heart Disease after Undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery

Objective:To study the effect of Astragalus mongholicus injection liquid on the immune function in children with congenital heart disease(CHD) after undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.Methods:Sixty-two children with CHD were randomly assigned to operation group(21 cases,received same volume of NS) and drug group(2(19 cases),4(22cases) mL/kg daily Astragalus mongholicus injection liquid intravenously for 6 days after undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery).Twenty-three children with CHD treated by conservative therapy were recruited as control group.Concentration of IgA,G,M,TNF-α,sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 in central venous blood were detected at 7 days after surgery.Results:IgA,G and M in the drug group were higher than those of the control group(P0.01).TNF-α,sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 were lower than those of the control group(P0.01).Conclusion:Astragalus mongholicus injection liquid can improve the immune function in children with CHD after undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and reduce systemic inflammatory response.
Can you trust a model whose output keeps changing? Interpreting changes in the social cost of carbon produced by the DICE model

The social cost of carbon (SCC) measures the present value of the economic damages caused by emitting one marginal ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It plays a crucial role in climate policy analysis, where it is used to suggest optimal carbon prices or quantify the benefits of actions that reduce emissions. One prominent framework used to estimate the SCC is the Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) model. As updated versions of DICE have been introduced, its SCC estimates have changed, sometimes by amounts that would appear significant. For example, the SCC in 2020 produced by DICE rose 54% from its 2013R version to its 2016R2 version. We address two important questions. First, what changes to DICE explain this increase in its SCC? Second, how surprising is the magnitude of this increase, relative to the uncertainty present in DICE’s input parameters? We find that changes in scientific parameters and updated initial conditions due to near-term forecasting errors accounted for the largest shares of the SCC increase. The later SCC estimate falls within the 80% probability interval produced using the earlier model with uncertainty. Therefore, the 54% increase should not be considered surprising or dispositive regarding the quality of DICE itself.
Risk factors for potentially avoidable readmissions following gynecologic oncology surgery

Abstract Objective Determine the incidence and identify factors associated with potentially avoidable hospital readmissions due to uncontrolled symptoms or minor complications after surgery for gynecologic cancers. Methods Women who underwent major abdominal or pelvic surgery for a gynecologic malignancy between 2015 and 2017 were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program targeted hysterectomy dataset. Hospital readmissions within 30 days of surgery were categorized as indicated readmissions or potentially avoidable readmissions by three independent reviewers. Demographic, clinical, and operative covariates were evaluated to determine their association with type of readmission using bivariable tests and adjusted multinomial logistic regression models. Results A total of 20,986 women were identified. 19,814 (94.4%) were not readmitted, 894 (4.3%) were indicated readmissions, and 278 (1.3%) were potentially avoidable readmissions. Among those readmitted, 24% were potentially avoidable readmissions. Presence of ascites, increasing length of stay, and discharge to facility were associated with an increased risk of indicated and potentially avoidable readmissions. Age Conclusions Among women with gynecologic cancer, 24% of all unplanned readmissions were attributed to uncontrolled symptoms or minor complications that were potentially avoidable. Age
Cross-Entropy Method Variants for Optimization.

The cross-entropy (CE) method is a popular stochastic method for optimization due to its simplicity and effectiveness. Designed for rare-event simulations where the probability of a target event occurring is relatively small, the CE-method relies on enough objective function calls to accurately estimate the optimal parameters of the underlying distribution. Certain objective functions may be computationally expensive to evaluate, and the CE-method could potentially get stuck in local minima. This is compounded with the need to have an initial covariance wide enough to cover the design space of interest. We introduce novel variants of the CE-method to address these concerns. To mitigate expensive function calls, during optimization we use every sample to build a surrogate model to approximate the objective function. The surrogate model augments the belief of the objective function with less expensive evaluations. We use a Gaussian process for our surrogate model to incorporate uncertainty in the predictions which is especially helpful when dealing with sparse data. To address local minima convergence, we use Gaussian mixture models to encourage exploration of the design space. We experiment with evaluation scheduling techniques to reallocate true objective function calls earlier in the optimization when the covariance is the largest. To test our approach, we created a parameterized test objective function with many local minima and a single global minimum. Our test function can be adjusted to control the spread and distinction of the minima. Experiments were run to stress the cross-entropy method variants and results indicate that the surrogate model-based approach reduces local minima convergence using the same number of function evaluations.
Imaging spectrum of infections in the setting of immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy

Abstract Advances in genomics and immunology are revolutionizing our understanding and treatment of cancer with improved treatment outcomes and patient quality of life. With the increasing use of immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapy, a variety of unusual and/or opportunistic infections are also observed. A variety of factors including use of immunosuppression for immune-mediated adverse effects play an important role for increasing the likelihood of these infections and form the basis of this case-based review. Imaging features of infections arising in patients undergoing immunotherapy regimens have not been previously highlighted. Prompt recognition of the spectrum of mycobacterial, bacterial, invasive fungal and viral pathogens can potentially lead to reduction in the high morbidity and mortality in this patient population.
An experimental study of commitment in Stackelberg games with observation costs

Abstract We report on experiments examining the value of commitment in Stackelberg games where the follower chooses whether to pay some cost to perfectly observe the leader's action. Vardy [Games Econ. Behav. (2004)] shows that in the unique pure-strategy subgame perfect equilibrium of this game, the value of commitment is lost completely; however, there exists a mixed-strategy subgame perfect equilibrium where the value of commitment is fully preserved. In the data, the value of commitment is largely preserved when the cost of looking is small, while it is lost when the cost is large. Nevertheless, for small observation costs, equilibrium behavior is clearly rejected. Instead, subjects persistently play non-equilibrium strategies in which the probability of the follower choosing to observe the leader's action is a decreasing function of the observation cost.
Developing Middle School Students' AI Literacy

In this experience report, we describe an AI summer workshop designed to prepare middle school students to become informed citizens and critical consumers of AI technology and to develop their foundational knowledge and skills to support future endeavors as AI-empowered workers. The workshop featured the 30-hour "Developing AI Literacy" or DAILy curriculum that is grounded in literature on child development, ethics education, and career development. The participants in the workshop were students between the ages of 10 and 14; 87% were from underrepresented groups in STEM and Computing. In this paper we describe the online curriculum, its implementation during synchronous online workshop sessions in summer of 2020, and preliminary findings on student outcomes. We reflect on the successes and lessons we learned in terms of supporting students' engagement and conceptual learning of AI, shifting attitudes toward AI, and fostering conceptions of future selves as AI-enabled workers. We conclude with discussions of the affordances and barriers to bringing AI education to students from underrepresented groups in STEM and Computing.
SU-D-303-03: Impact of Uncertainty in T1 Measurements On Quantification of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI

Purpose: Quantification of dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI requires native longitudinal relaxation time (T1) measurement. This study aimed to assess uncertainty in T1 measurements using two different methods. Methods and Materials: Brain MRI scans were performed on a 3T scanner in 9 patients who had low grade/benign tumors and partial brain radiotherapy without chemotherapy at pre-RT, week-3 during RT (wk-3), end-RT, and 1, 6 and 18 months after RT. T1-weighted images were acquired using gradient echo sequences with 1) 2 different flip angles (50 and 150), and 2) 5 variable TRs (100–2000ms). After creating quantitative T1 maps, average T1 was calculated in regions of interest (ROI), which were distant from tumors and received a total of accumulated radiation doses < 5 Gy at wk-3. ROIs included left and right normal Putamen and Thalamus (gray matter: GM), and frontal and parietal white matter (WM). Since there were no significant or even a trend of T1 changes from pre-RT to wk-3 in these ROIs, a relative repeatability coefficient (RC) of T1 as a measure of uncertainty was estimated in each ROI using the data pre-RT and at wk-3. The individual T1 changes at later time points were evaluated compared to the estimatedmore » RCs. Results: The 2-flip angle method produced small RCs in GM (9.7–11.7%) but large RCs in WM (12.2–13.6%) compared to the saturation-recovery (SR) method (11.0–17.7% for GM and 7.5–11.2% for WM). More than 81% of individual T1 changes were within T1 uncertainty ranges defined by RCs. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the impact of T1 uncertainty on physiological parameters derived from DCE MRI is not negligible. A short scan with 2 flip angles is able to achieve repeatability of T1 estimates similar to a long scan with 5 different TRs, and is desirable to be integrated in the DCE protocol. Present study was supported by National Institute of Health (NIH) under grant numbers; UO1 CA183848 and RO1 NS064973.« less
Rhyme and punishment: the creation and enforcement of conventions in an on-line participatory limerick genre

Computers don't support conversation well, particularly asynchronous conversations among groups. Such conversations often lack coherence, tending towards drift, dissolution or chaos. The object of this study-a conversation that repeatedly succeeds in producing coherent results-is a counterexample. Two features seem important: it is structured by the conventions of a well-known genre, and as it proceeds it develops new conventions. This paper analyzes the emergence and enforcement of the conversation's conventions over the course of a year, and examines the interplay between the conventions and the user interface, concluding with suggestions on how to design systems which support more coherent conversation.