cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a domesticated tree lineage {Spondias purpurea, Anacardiaceae) based on nuclear and chloroplast sequence data1

Abstract Domesticated tree species represent an economically and ecologically important group of taxa. Trees differ from other well-studied crop systems (rice, wheat, corn, sunflower) in several basic biological attributes, all of which influence the way in which genetic variation is structured in these organisms. The goals of this study were to delimit a lineage of a Mesoamerican domesticated tree, Spondias purpurea, and to investigate the relationship between this lineage and another sympatric congener (S. mombin) using nuclear and chloroplast sequence data. The fourth intron of Pepc was sequenced for sixty-eight Central American Spondias trees including twelve S. mombin accessions, 55 S. purpurea trees, and one S. radlkoferi individual. Data were analyzed using traditional phylogenetic techniques and using a network approach. Nuclear data were compared with previously published sequence data from the chloroplast spacer trnS-trnG, revealing that the Spondias purpurea lineage includes both cultivated and...
Assertiveness and Aggression in Marketplace Exchanges Testing Measure Equivalence

Assertive and aggressive behaviors may occur in marketplace exchanges, and measures of these behaviors have been developed in the United States. The appropriateness of these measures for use in other developed Western cultures was studied by examining functional/ conceptual and scalar equivalence of the measures in the Netherlands. An acceptable level of equivalence was found for the aggression construct and measure; however, some inequivalence for assertiveness was demonstrated. Assertive behaviors that involve seeking redress for marketplace problems were seen as more aggressive in the Netherlands than in the United States, and data suggested that assertive behaviors may be more location-specific in the Netherlands.
Kammerer's Alytes

AS I have been both misquoted and misrepresented by Prof. MacBride in a recent letter to NATURE (August 21, p. 264), I may be permitted to say a word in my own defence. My remarks on Kammerer's Alytes at the British Association were to the effect that the sections sent by Dr. Kammerer to America showed only asperities, not distinctive glands characteristic of the nuptial pads of other Salientia. The glands in his sections of the controls were the same size as those in his experimentals. Asperities may be formed on different parts of the body in one or both sexes of different species of frogs, and in some cases are apparently not correlated with a sex hormone. In the case of Kammerer's results, the question concerned the inheritance of spines, not of complete pads. Prof. MacBride seems to believe there has been some confusion in my mind on this subject.
SERENDIPITOUS DETECTION OF X-RAY EMISSION FROM THE HOT BORN-AGAIN CENTRAL STAR OF THE PLANETARY NEBULA K 1-16

We report the serendipitous detection of point-like X-ray emission from the hot, PG1159-type central star of the planetary nebula (CSPN) K 1-16 by the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-Ray Observatories. The CSPN lies superimposed on a galaxy cluster that includes an X-ray-bright quasar, but we have successfully isolated the CSPN X-ray emission from the strong diffuse background contributed by the quasar and intracluster gas. We have modeled the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray data, taking advantage of the contrasting detection efficiencies of the two observatories to better constrain the low-energy spectral response of Chandra's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer. We find that the CSPN X-ray spectrum is well characterized by the combination of a non-local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmosphere with T ~ 135 kK and a carbon-rich, optically thin thermal plasma with T X ~ 1 MK. These results for X-ray emission from the K 1-16 CSPN, combined with those obtained for other PG1159-type objects, lend support to the "born-again" scenario for Wolf-Rayet and PG1159 CSPNe, wherein a late helium shell flash dredges up carbon-rich intershell material and ejects this material into the circumstellar environment.
Effects on Student Writing of Teacher Training in the National Writing Project Model

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teacher training in the NWP model on student writing. The sample consisted of 383 students, in junior and senior high school at the time of t...
Adenovirus-mediated transfer of a modified human proinsulin gene reverses hyperglycemia in diabetic mice

The human proinsulin cDNA was introduced into a replication-defective adenovirus and was found to confer proinsulin expression to a hepatocyte (H4-II-E) cell line upon infection. A second virus was...
Steady-state diffusion of water through soft-contact-lens materials.

Abstract Water transport through soft contact lenses (SCL) is important for acceptable performance on the human eye. Chemical-potential gradient-driven diffusion rates of water through SCL materials are measured with an evaporation-cell technique. Water is evaporated from the bottom surface of a lens membrane by impinging air at controlled flow rate and humidity. The resulting weight loss of a water reservoir covering the top surface of the contact-lens material is recorded as a function of time. New results are reported for a conventional hydrogel material (SofLens™ One Day, hilafilcon A, water content at saturation w 10 = 70 weight %) and a silicone hydrogel material (PureVision™, balafilcon A, w 10 = 36 % ), with and without surface oxygen plasma treatment. Also, previously reported data for a conventional 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-SCL ( w 10 = 38 % ) hydrogel are reexamined and compared with those for SofLens™ One Day and PureVision™ hydrogels. Measured steady-state water fluxes are largest for SofLens™ One Day, followed by PureVision™ and HEMA. In some cases, the measured steady-state water fluxes increase with rising relative air humidity. This increase, due to an apparent mass-transfer resistance at the surface (trapping skinning), is associated with formation of a glassy skin at the air/membrane interface when the relative humidity is below 55–75%. Steady-state water fluxes are interpreted through an extended Maxwell–Stefan diffusion model for a mixture of species starkly different in size. Thermodynamic nonideality is considered through Flory–Rehner polymer-solution theory. Shrinking/swelling is self-consistently modeled by conservation of the total polymer mass. Fitted Maxwell–Stefan diffusivities increase significantly with water concentration in the contact lens.
A Mathematical Model of Tumor Oxygen and Glucose Mass Transport and Metabolism with Complex Reaction Kinetics

Abstract Kirkpatrick, J. P., Brizel, D. M. and Dewhirst, M. W. A Mathematical Model of Tumor Oxygen and Glucose Mass Transport and Metabolism with Complex Reaction Kinetics. Radiat. Res. 159, 336–344 (2003). Hypoxia imparts radioresistance to tumors, and various approaches have been developed to enhance oxygenation, thereby improving radiosensitivity. This study explores the influence of kinetic and physical factors on substrate metabolism in a tumor model, based on a Krogh cylinder. In tissue, aerobic metabolism is assumed to depend on glucose and oxygen, represented by the product of Michaelis-Menten expressions. For the base case, an inlet pO2 of 40 mmHg, a hypoxic limit of 5 mmHg, and a tissue/capillary radius ratio of 10 are used. For purely aerobic metabolism, a hypoxic fraction of 0.16 and volume-average pO2 of 8 mmHg are calculated. Reducing the maximum oxygen rate constant by 9%, decreasing the tissue cylinder radius by 5%, or increasing the capillary radius by 8% abolishes the hypoxic fraction. ...
Love and perception in Natalia Ginzburg’s È stato così:

This essay examines Natalia Ginzburg’s novella, E stato cosi, and the role that distorted perception plays in the demise of the protagonist’s marriage. The analysis of the narrative takes into consideration two of Ginzburg’s postwar essays, ‘Human Relationships’ and ‘The Little Virtues.’ Ginzburg’s works are contextualized within a broader conversation amongst existentialists (namely, Jean-Paul Sartre, Martin Buber, and Jose Ortega y Gasset) about interpersonal perception within romantic love. Indebted to scholars who have noted certain parallels between Ginzburg and Sartrian existentialism, this essay affirms and elaborates upon these similarities and then introduces Buber and Ortega y Gasset into the discussion. While Sartre offers an explanation as to why distorted perception occurs so often in amorous relationships, Buber and Ortega y Gasset offer alternate models in which lovers choose to alter their perception of the beloved. Reading E stato cosi in light of Buber and Ortega y Gasset allows the read...
Electronic structure of NaCo 2 O 4

First principles density functional calculations of the electronic and magnetic properties of the layered oxide ${\mathrm{NaCo}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ have been performed using the general potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The electronic transport properties are discussed in terms of the calculated paramagnetic band structure. It is found that the thermopower and specific heat data above 10 K are well accounted for with only moderate renormalization in spite of the fact that this is a strongly correlated system characterized by $W\ensuremath{\ll}U.$ Weak instabilities of itinerant magnetic character are found. The low temperature properties $(T$ below 10 K) are discussed in terms of these.
Stoichiometric control of lead chalcogenide nanocrystal solids to enhance their electronic and optoelectronic device performance.

We investigate the effects of stoichiometric imbalance on the electronic properties of lead chalcogenide nanocrystal films by introducing excess lead (Pb) or selenium (Se) through thermal evaporation. Hall-effect and capacitance–voltage measurements show that the carrier type, concentration, and Fermi level in nanocrystal solids may be precisely controlled through their stoichiometry. By manipulating only the stoichiometry of the nanocrystal solids, we engineer the characteristics of electronic and optoelectronic devices. Lead chalcogenide nanocrystal field-effect transistors (FETs) are fabricated at room temperature to form ambipolar, unipolar n-type, and unipolar p-type semiconducting channels as-prepared and with excess Pb and Se, respectively. Introducing excess Pb forms nanocrystal FETs with electron mobilities of 10 cm2/(V s), which is an order of magnitude higher than previously reported in lead chalcogenide nanocrystal devices. Adding excess Se to semiconductor nanocrystal solids in PbSe Schottky ...
Calibration of Fiber Bundles for Flow and Combustion Measurements

A calibration method for optical fiber bundle is presented under the context of flow and combustion measurements. Optical fiber bundles have the potential to become a powerful tool to facilitate flow and combustion measurements. This work therefore investigated the use of imaging fiber bundles to acquire images of a target object simultaneously from various views and locations, which were recorded on camera chip. Calibration of the acquired images was then demonstrated. These calibration results confirm the feasibility and accuracy of optical fiber bundles in acquiring multiple images simultaneous. Measurements in controlled flames show the potentials of optical fiber bundles to obtain kHz flow/combustion measurement, with sub-mm spatial resolution. Such capability is expected to significantly facilitate the multi-location flow/combustion at multiple locations and the three-dimension tomography measurements.
Design and Simulation Analysis of Feeding Body of Drilling Digs Machine

To the problem of polytropic drilling load of feeding body existed in the drilling digs machine,the design functional requirements and the design plan of feeding body of drilling are put forward.The finite element model of drilling machine is built by 3 D modeling software and finite element analysis software.In order to know if the dynamical behavior of drilling machine has met the requirements,modal analysis and static dynamics simulation are accomplished.The test,at last,results indicates that the drilling design conforms to technical targets in significant measure.
Epidemiological analysis of varicella in China and advance in immunity prevention for varicella vaccine

The incidence of varicella is higher than diseases targeted expanded programmer on immunization(EPI) vaccines,which was prevalent in kindergarten and school.Therefore,varicella has become one of severest public health problem in China.At present,the production of one dose domestic varicella attenuated live vaccine(VarV) for children had met requirement for EPI in China.However,the results of studies indicated that high coverage of two doses VarV could prevent varicella spread virtually and even reach to elimination.In this paper,we mainly reviewed the epidemiological situation in China and the progress of immunity prevention for VarV.
Impact of Telephone-Based Care Coordination on Use of Cessation Medications Posthospital Discharge: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction Smokers benefit from ongoing cessation support upon leaving the hospital and returning to their home environment. This study examined the impact of telephone-delivered care coordination on utilization of and adherence to cessation pharmacotherapy after hospital discharge. Methods Inpatient smokers (n = 606) were randomized to receive counseling with care coordination (CCC) or counseling alone (C) for smoking cessation. Both groups received written materials and telephone-based cessation counseling during hospitalization and postdischarge. CCC recipients received help in selecting, obtaining, and refilling affordable pharmacotherapy prescriptions during and after hospitalization. Study outcomes included self-reported utilization, duration of use, and type of medication during the 3 months postdischarge. Results Of the 487 (80%) of participants completing 3-month follow-up, 211 (43.3%) reported using cessation pharmacotherapy postdischarge; this did not differ by study arm (CCC: 44.7%, C: 42.0%, p = .55). Use of pharmacotherapy postdischarge was associated with smoking at least 20 cigarettes/day at baseline (odds ratio [OR]: 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-2.19) and receipt of pharmacotherapy during hospitalization (OR: 4.00; 95% CI: 2.39-6.89). Smokers with Medicaid (OR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.32-4.02) or other insurance (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.01-2.86) were more likely to use pharmacotherapy postdischarge than those with no health care coverage. Less than one in four (23.8% of CCC; 22.2% of C) continued pharmacotherapy beyond 4 weeks. Conclusions Supplemental care coordination did not improve use of postdischarge pharmacotherapy beyond that of inpatient treatment and behavioral counseling. Insurance coverage and use of medications during the hospitalization are associated with higher use of evidence-based treatment postdischarge. Implications Many hospitalized smokers do not receive the benefits of cessation pharmacotherapy postdischarge and telephone quitline programs often fail to help smokers procure pharmacotherapy. Thus, effective strategies are needed to improve utilization and adherence to evidence-based cessation therapies when smokers leave the hospital. We found that use of postdischarge pharmacotherapy was strongly associated with receipt of pharmacotherapy during the hospitalization and with the availability of insurance to cover the costs of treatment. Additional efforts to coordinate pharmacotherapy services did not improve either utilization or adherence to therapy.
Anesthesia for adrenal surgery.

SUMMARY The broad variety of lesions of the adrenal glands constitutes a surgical challenge to the urologist. Essential to successful surgery is an understanding of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and endocrinology associated with adrenal disorders. The individual vagaries of a given endocrinopathy may evoke special considerations relating to the surgical approach employed in a given patient. Several surgical approaches to the adrenal may be utilized: the flank approach, common to both renal and adrenal surgery, is relatively simple and familiar but affords limited access to the ipsilateral and contralateral adrenal; the thoracolumbar or transthoracic approach is most useful in extensive tumors and malignant entities involving the adrenal; the transabdominal approach offers advantages in pheochromocytoma, neuroblastoma, and exploration for ectopic adrenal tissue; and the posterior approach, either unilateral or bilateral, may be employed most commonly in dealing with the usual adrenal tumors encountered. Critical to successful adrenal surgery are appropriate endocrinologic management and the skillful application of advanced techniques of anesthesiology. Operative and postoperative complications of adrenal surgery are relatively few, can be anticipated and avoided in most instances, and are both recognizable and manageable by standard techniques when presenting in the postoperative interval. Applications of modern techniques of adrenal surgery will afford gratifying results in the care of patients with a variety of both functioning and nonfunctioning adrenal disorders.
Errors Related to Bar Code-Assisted Medication Administration

Bar code-assisted medication administration (BCMA) systems have generally been shown to improve medication administration accuracy and with the US Office of the National Coordinator (ONC’s) endorsement of the technology by including the use of automatic identification and capture technology (such as bar coding) as a requirement for Meaningful Use certification of the Electronic Health Record, the adoption of BCMA systems is skyrocketing; however, this chapter seeks to point out a few cases where the technology did not improve patient care. In fact, there are some scenarios when bar code technology has inadvertently led to medication errors. This chapter includes three cases describing scenarios where insufficient training and programmatic oversight, including pre- and post-implementation evaluation and support, led to less than optimal outcomes. Analysis and solutions including the importance of including human factors and usability principles in the software design are also discussed.
Evaluation of a Laughter-based Exercise Program on Health and Self-efficacy for Exercise

Background Despite health benefits of physical activity (PA) and risks of physical inactivity, many older adults do not accumulate sufficient levels of PA to achieve associated health benefits. Lack of PA enjoyment may be a barrier to PA participation. Combining simulated laughter and PA for strength, balance, and flexibility is a potential solution for helping older adults maintain independence in activities of daily living through enjoyable participation in PA. Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to assess whether combining simulated laughter exercises with a moderate-intensity strength, balance, and flexibility PA program (i.e., LaughActive) increases participation in PA, health, and self-efficacy for PA among older adults residing in 4 assisted living facilities (ALFs). Design and methods The 12-week wait list control pilot study used pre- and 6-week post-intervention comparisons within and between groups identified by paired sample t-test results among those who participated in twice-weekly LaughActive classes (n = 27). Results Significant improvements (p < .05-.10) were observed in mental health (SF-36v2), aerobic endurance (2-minute step test), and self-efficacy for exercise (OEE). Implications PA programs that elicit positive emotions through simulated laughter have the potential to improve health, physical performance, and self-efficacy for PA among older adults and may positively influence participant adherence.
The Ubiquitin System and the Heat Shock Response

A cell subjected to an increase in temperature as little as 10% above the physiologically normal range suffers damage that can permanently affect its growth and function. There are, however, a number of activities that protect the cell from a heat shock as well as other kinds of environmental stress. Research over the past 15 years has clearly established that one of these protective mechanisms is the induction of heat shock proteins. Chapters in this volume provide important clues as to how the synthesis of the major universal stress protein HSP70 is regulated and how it functions as a “ehaperone” to form complexes with proteins that misfold or unfold during stress and thus “rescue” these proteins from irreversible damage and degradation. Two recent reviews (Pelham 1989; Rothman 1989) elaborate further on functions of several proteins closely related in structure to the major heat shock proteins. But not all stress-damaged proteins can be rescued and it is now clear that stressed cells also activate several components of a proteolytic degradation system that normally functions to “turn over” cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins. This enzymatic pathway is found in all eukaryotic cells and employs the small polypeptide called ubiquitin to mark a protein for proteolysis. Many of the enzymes utilized in ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis have been isolated and examined in detail (Hershko 1988), and recent studies show that several of these are induced by heat shock and other stressors. In this chapter I review these developments and the relationship of the ubiquitin degradation system to the cell’s stress response program.
Recent advances in the surgical management of rhinosinusitis.

Rhinosinusitis affects a significant portion of the US population, and its management imposes a substantial burden on the healthcare system. The treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis includes initial medical management prior to consideration of surgical intervention. However, if surgery does become necessary, several factors must be considered in order to optimize outcomes. This review evaluates surgical patient selection, perioperative medical management, and the extent of operative intervention, with the goal of improving surgical results, decreasing the need for revision surgery, and enhancing the patient’s quality of life. Specific variations in patient genotypes and phenotypes will be further explored with regard to their implications on surgical outcomes. Additionally, the evidence behind pre- and post-operative antibiotic and steroid use will be evaluated. Finally, we will review evolving surgical tools and techniques that are currently being utilized for the treatment of specific subsets of rhinosinusitis.
Thalamic Atrophy as Primary Endpoint for Phase 2 Trials in MS: Sample Size Calculations (S45.001)

Objective: To investigate the clinical relevance of thalamic atrophy in MS and estimate sample sizes for phase 2 studies using thalamic volume as the primary endpoint. Background: We have described the rate of thalamic atrophy over 5 years in >500 subjects with relapsing-from-onset MS. The decline appeared linear throughout the disease duration. If clinically relevant, thalamic volume would be appealing as an MRI metric associated with neurodegeneration. Methods: 522 MS subjects [CIS(90);RR(394);SP(38)] were followed prospectively with annual 3T MRIs and clinical visits. 1mm3-resolution images were processed using an in-house pipeline incorporating FreeSurfer’s longitudinal stream (v5.3). Baseline normalized mean thalamic volume was correlated with clinical outcomes using Pearson’s correlation and multivariate linear regression modeling. Sample size calculations were performed for trials of varying durations, incorporating the estimated rate and variance of thalamic atrophy from linear mixed effects models. Type 1 and Type 2 error rates of 0.05 and 0.10 (90[percnt] power) were assumed. Results: Mean thalamic volume correlated significantly with all clinical outcomes: EDSS (ρ= -0.32, p<0.0001), MSFC (ρ= 0.34, p<0.0001), PASAT (ρ= 0.19, p<0.0001), 9-hole peg test (ρ= -0.36, p<0.0001), and timed 25-foot walk (ρ= -0.17, p=0.0001). Multivariate linear regression models supported these findings. Assuming MRIs every six months, detecting a 30[percnt] reduction in the rate of thalamic atrophy would require 25, 49, or 123 subjects per arm in a 24-month, 18-month, or 12-month study, respectively. Detecting a 40[percnt] reduction would require 34, 67, or 167 subjects per arm in a 24-month, 18-month, or 12-month study, respectively. Conclusions: Thalamic atrophy is clinically relevant and declines at a rate consistent with neurodegeneration. Sample size calculations are comparable, if not favorable, to those published using whole brain volume. Thalamic volume is an attractive MRI metric for Phase 2 trials aiming at neuroprotection. Disclosure: Dr. Azevedo has received personal compensation for serving on advisory boards for Genzyme and Biogen. Dr. Pelletier has received personal compensation for activities with CNS Imaging Consultant, LLC as a consultant.
Dental Pathology of the Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata), Groundhog (Marmota monax) and Alaska Marmot (Marmota broweri)

Museum specimens (maxillae and mandibles) of the three marmot species occurring in Alaska (Marmota caligata [n = 108 specimens], Marmota monax [n = 30] and Marmota broweri [n = 24]) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria. There were 71 specimens (43.8%) from female animals, 69 (42.6%) from male animals and 22 (13.6%) from animals of unknown sex. The ages of animals ranged from neonatal to adult, with 121 young adults (74.4%) and 41 adults (25.3%) included, and 168 excluded from study due to neonatal/juvenile age or incompleteness of specimens (missing part of the dentition). None of the teeth were missing, so 3,564 teeth were available for examination. All teeth were normal in morphology and none was affected by enamel hypoplasia. Two specimens displayed two supernumerary teeth each. One-third of specimens displayed attrition/abrasion and in 38.9% of these the change involved all premolar and molar teeth. The proportion of adult specimens affected by attrition/abrasion was three times as high as young adult specimens. Dental fractures were rare, noted in only two specimens, affecting 0.08% of teeth (n = 3). Periapical disease was also rare, with a striking lesion in one young adult female specimen. Some degree of periodontitis was seen in 26 specimens (16.1%), affecting 4.6% of premolar and molar teeth. The proportion of adults with periodontitis was over three times as high as that for young adults. Five specimens displayed mild malocclusion. Although the clinical significance of dental pathology in the marmot species of Alaska remains elusive, the occurrence and severity of some dental lesions may play an important role in their morbidity and mortality.
Crowdsourcing and Crowd Work

Crowdsourcing and human computation are useful in a number of real-world applications. Crowds generate large data sets useful for natural language processing and computer vision; they work together to formulate intelligent responses far beyond what we can automate; and they power intelligent interactive systems currently impossible with automated approaches alone. In this course, affendees will learn how to work with the crowd to enable research and practical applications. They will gain experience from the worker's perspective, receive an introduction to writing programs that work with existing sources of crowds, (e.g., Amazon Mechanical Turk), apply usability principles for designing crowd tasks that elicit high-quality responses, use statistical methods to improve the quality of the work received, build systems that interface with crowd labor in real time, and conduct experiments to improve understanding of the differences between different sources of crowd work. The course will provide hands-on activities on each of these topics, and provide pointers to material that can provide more in depth information.
Whole-exome sequencing and microRNA profiling reveal PI3K/AKT pathway’s involvement in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia

Clinical studies and genetic analyses have revealed that juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is caused by somatic and/or germline mutations of genes involved in the RAS/MAPK signalling pathway. Given the vastly different clinical prognosis among individual patients that have had this disease, mutations in genes of other pathways may be involved. In this study, we conducted whole-exome and cancer-panel sequencing analyses on a bone marrow sample from a 2-year old juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia patient. We also measured the microRNA profile of the same patient’s bone marrow sample and the results were compared with the normal mature monocytic cells from the pooled peripheral blood. We identified additional novel mutations in the PI3K/AKT pathway and verified with a cancer panel targeted sequencing. We have confirmed the previously tested PTPN11 gene mutation (exon 3 181G > T) in the same sample and identified new nonsynonymous mutations in NTRK1, HMGA2, MLH3, MYH9 and AKT1 genes. Many of the microRNAs found to be differentially expressed are known to act as oncogenic MicroRNAs (onco-MicroRNAs or oncomiRs), whose target genes are enriched in the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Our study suggests an alternative mechanism for JMML pathogenesis in addition to RAS/MAPK pathway. This discovery may provide new genetic markers for diagnosis and new therapeutic targets for JMML patients in the future.
Admission Systolic Blood Pressure Predicts the Number of Blood Pressure Medications at Discharge in Patients With Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND Control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) after primary intracerebral hemorrhage improves outcomes. Factors determining the number of blood pressure medications (BPM) required for goal SBP<160 mm Hg at discharge are unknown. We hypothesized that higher admission-SBPs require a greater number of BPM for goal discharge-SBP<160 mm Hg, and investigated factors influencing this goal. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of 288 patients who presented with primary intracerebral hemorrhage. Admission-SBP was obtained. Primary outcome was the number of BPM at discharge. Comparison was made between patients presenting with and without a history of hypertension, and patients discharged on <3 and ≥3 BPM. RESULTS Patients with hypertension history had a higher median admission-SBP compared with those without (180 vs. 157 mm Hg, P=0.0001). In total, 133 of 288 (46.2%) patients were discharged on <3 BPM; 155/288 (53.8%) were discharged on ≥3 BPM. Hypertension history (P<0.0001) and admission-SBP (P<0.0001) predicted the number of BPM at discharge. In patients without hypertension history, every 10 mm Hg increase in SBP resulted in an absolute increase of 0.5 BPM at discharge (P=0.0011), whereas in those with hypertension, the absolute increase was 1.3 BPM (P=0.0012). In comparison with patients discharged on <3 BPM, patients discharged on ≥3 BPM were more likely to have a higher median admission-SBP, be younger in age, belong to the African-American race, have a history of diabetes, have higher median admission-National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin Scale of 4 to 5 at discharge. CONCLUSIONS An understanding of the factors influencing BPM at discharge may help clinicians better optimize blood pressure control both before and after discharge.
Antibody Affinity Optimization Using Yeast Cell Surface Display

Many biosensors depend on molecular recognition reagents to achieve highly sensitive and specific detection levels of an analyte of interest. Although new and improved detection platforms continue to be developed, improvements in the affinity and specificity of the molecular recognition reagents often dictate the ultimate performance level and utility of the instrument. Accordingly, large effort is placed in discovering and characterizing the reagents to be used for a biosensor application. Antibodies, owing to their unparalleled ability to bind a diverse array of antigens with high affinity and specificity, have been widely used as molecular recognition reagents in the biosensor field. The recent advent of recombinant in vitro antibody display technologies, in general, and yeast surface display, in particular, allow specific traits of a given antibody to be discreetly augmented to enhance biosensor performance. Large variegated libraries derived from existing antibodies already employed in a particular biosensor can be created and screened for mutations that confer a desired improved phenotype leading to enhanced biosensor performance. This chapter will provide a protocol for the affinity maturation of a previously isolated monoclonal antibody, the most widely used application of in vitro directed evolution.
Convergence on reduced stress behavior in the Mexican blind cavefish

Abstract Responding appropriately to stress is essential for survival, yet in pathological states, these responses can develop into debilitating conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and generalized anxiety. While genetic models have provided insight into the neurochemical and neuroanatomical pathways that underlie stress, little is known about how evolutionary processes and naturally occurring variation contribute to the diverse responses to stressful stimuli observed in the animal kingdom. The Mexican cavefish is a powerful system to address how altered genetic and neuronal systems can give rise to altered behaviors. When introduced into a novel tank, surface fish and cavefish display a stereotypic stress response, characterized by reduced exploratory behavior and increased immobility, akin to "freezing". The stress response in cave and surface forms is reduced by pharmacological treatment with the anxiolytic drug, buspirone, fortifying the notion that behavior in the assay represents a conserved stress state. We find that cave populations display reduced behavioral measures of stress compared to surface conspecifics, including increased time in the top half of the tank and fewer periods of immobility. Further, reduced stress responses are observed in multiple independently derived cavefish populations, suggesting convergence on loss of behavioral stress responses in the novel tank assay. These findings provide evidence of a naturally occurring species with two drastically different forms in which a shift in predator-rich ecology to one with few predators corresponds to a reduction in stress behavior.
Mutating network models to generate network security test cases

Security testing is normally limited to the scanning of individual hosts with the goal of locating vulnerabilities that can be exploited to gain some improper level of access on the target network. Scanning is a successful approach for discovering security problems, but it suffers from two major problems, but it suffers form two major problems. First, it ignores security issues that can arise due to interactions of systems on a network. Second, it does not provide any concept of test coverage other than the obvious criteria of attempting all known exploitation techniques on every system on the network. In this paper, I present a new method for generating security test cases for a network. This method extends my previous work in model checking network security by defining mutant operators to apply to my previously defined network security model. The resulting mutant models are fed into a model checker to produce counterexamples. These counterexamples represent attack scenarios (test cases) that can be run against the network. I also define a new coverage criterion for network security that requires a much smaller set of exploits to be run against the network to verify the network's security.
The General Foundation of Smith’s System

The existence of the Theory of Moral Sentiments testifies that Adam Smith’s view included more than is contained in political economy alone. Although it might be extravagant to place Adam Smith in the rank of those philosophers who had a conception of the whole of being, it is entirely proper to say that his conclusions as to the character of human life do rest upon discernible first principles with which he had a conscious concern. True it is that he is best remembered for his propositions on economy and social organization; yet those propositions must remain as detached and unsupported dogmas unless they harmonize with some rational view of the principles of existence in general. It is in the Theory of Moral Sentiments that Adam Smith in part states and in part implies those first principles which, when they are regarded in their mutual relation, form the theoretical system upon which his advocacy of commercial society rests. Our present task is to try to understand that system for the sake of the social doctrine in which it culminates.
Stearic acid infused polyurethane shape memory foams

Abstract Shape memory polymer (SMP) foams were fabricated by immersing a polyurethane foam inside stearic acid-isopropyl alcohol solutions of varying concentration. Samples were programmed using a compression press or a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). It was determined that fixity increases with increasing wt% stearic acid, reaching 95% fixity with 29 wt% (1 vol%) stearic acid. Pre- and post-submersion volume measurements reveal that the foam volume increases after the solution treatment. Optical microscopy images illustrate that the stearic acid coats the foam struts, eventually filling the pores at higher stearic acid loading forming a percolating network whose strength increases with increasing stearic acid concentration. The ease of fabrication and the large volume compression that is fixed in the SMP foams is useful for space-filling applications stimulated by heating.
Few-Shot Human Motion Prediction via Meta-learning

Human motion prediction, forecasting human motion in a few milliseconds conditioning on a historical 3D skeleton sequence, is a long-standing problem in computer vision and robotic vision. Existing forecasting algorithms rely on extensive annotated motion capture data and are brittle to novel actions. This paper addresses the problem of few-shot human motion prediction, in the spirit of the recent progress on few-shot learning and meta-learning. More precisely, our approach is based on the insight that having a good generalization from few examples relies on both a generic initial model and an effective strategy for adapting this model to novel tasks. To accomplish this, we propose proactive and adaptive meta-learning (PAML) that introduces a novel combination of model-agnostic meta-learning and model regression networks and unifies them into an integrated, end-to-end framework. By doing so, our meta-learner produces a generic initial model through aggregating contextual information from a variety of prediction tasks, while effectively adapting this model for use as a task-specific one by leveraging learning-to-learn knowledge about how to transform few-shot model parameters to many-shot model parameters. The resulting PAML predictor model significantly improves the prediction performance on the heavily benchmarked H3.6M dataset in the small-sample size regime.
Phase Relation between Depolarization and Repolarization Alternans in ECG

T-Wave Alternans (TWA) in the electro cardiogram (ECG) has been widely investigated as a potential predictor of ventricular arrhythmia. However, large clinical trials show that TWA has a high negative predictive value (NPV) but poor positive predictive value (PPV). Therefore, there is need for exploration of approaches to improve PPV of TWA. More recent studies suggest that whether alternans is spatially concordant or discordant affects arrhythmic potential. Results of our previous animal and simulation studies show that the phase relation between depolarization and repolarization alternans has an effect on the transition of concordant to discordant alternans. Towards the eventual goal of developing indexes that complement TWA and improve prediction of arrhythmia, the objectives in this study were to verify the existence of R wave amplitude alternans (RWAA, a surrogate of depolarization alternans) and investigate the phase relationship between RWAA and TWA in clinical grade ECGs. Results show that RWAA does occur in ECGs and that the phase relationship between RWAA and TWA can be labile. These results support further investigation of the co-occurrence of these alternans for prediction of arrhythmic events.
Dynamic Temperature Analysis Under Variable Rate and Pressure Conditions for Transient and Boundary Dominated Flow

Current analytical approaches for temperature transient analysis heavily rely on the assumption of the constant rate production, which is often invalid for the extended period of oil production. This work addresses this issue by introducing novel analytical approaches to model the temperature signal under dynamic rate and pressure conditions. The introduced methods share underlying theories of superposition principle and production rate normalization from pressure transient analysis and include a newly derived analytical solution when these theories are not applicable. With adapting these methods, cases with complex production history are modeled using analog cases producing with a constant rate. The dynamic temperature analysis developed herein is validated using synthetic temperature data both graphically and by quantitative estimation of reservoir properties. The estimation outputs of these methods include permeability, drainage area, and damaged zone properties. Other features of existing temperature transient analysis, such as fluid property correction and monitoring well surveillance, are also extended to variable rate and pressure conditions in this paper. Two cases documented in the literature are addressed by dynamic temperature analysis for which decent reservoir characterization results are obtained. The dynamic temperature analysis proposed in this paper extends the scope of temperature transient analysis to complex production constraints and demonstrates convincing results for practical purposes.
A Compact 50-kW Traction Inverter Design Using Off-the-Shelf Components

The requirements on volumetric density of power electronic converters in electric vehicles are increasing, since more space is needed for electronic systems and passenger capacity. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set the 2020 target for vehicular power electronic systems as 13.4 kW/l. Achieving high power density using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts is challenging because these components have various form factors leading to unused spaces, as well as cooling and airflow issues. In this work, a high-power-density traction inverter, rated at 50-kW with the peak power at 74-kW, is designed and built using all COTS components. The system is tested under resistive-inductive loads and a dynamometer-based driving schedule. A power density of 13.64 kW/l was accomplished and possibilities for volume reduction to achieve 25 kW/l are evaluated revealing the challenges to achieve even higher power densities using COTS technologies.
Interactive IR User Study Design, Evaluation, and Reporting

Abstract Since user study design has been widely applied in search interactions and information retrieval (IR) systems evaluation studies, a deep reflection and meta-evaluation of interactive IR (I...
Adolescent Substance Abuse

Adolescent substance abuse is America's #1 public health problem as per the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. People are most likely to begin abusing drugs during adolescence, and the longer adolescents defer experimentation, the less likely they are to develop long-term drug abuse problems. The CRAFFT and DAST questionnaires are brief, reliable tools for adolescent substance abuse screening. Health care professionals can help continue low adolescent substance utilization rate by having open conversations with adolescents regarding all substances and medications, including illicit substances.
COVID-19: The Isolation That Has Brought Us Together.

In 2020, the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide forced hospitals across the country to start triaging the delivery of medical procedures in efforts to flatten the curve of COVID-19 case growth and its high mortality. By mid-March, a shelter-in-place order was deployed
Carbohydrate regulation of leaf development: Investigating the role of source strength, carbon partitioning and hexokinase signaling in regulating leaf senescence

For many plants, growth in elevated CO} leads to reduced rates of photosynthesis. To examine the role that leaf ontogeny plays in the acclimation response, we monitored photosynthesis and some related parameters at short intervals throughout the ontogenetic development of tobacco (Nicotiana tahacum L.) leaves under ambient (350 /iL L'') and high (950 )iL L'') CO, conditions. The pattern of photosynthetic rate over time was similar between the two treatments and consistent with the expected pattern for a typical dicot leaf. However, the photosynthesis pattern in high-C02-grown tobacco was shifted temporally to an earlier maximum and subsequent senescent decline. Ribulose-1,5bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity appeared to be the nuun factor regulating photosynthetic rates in both treatments. Therefore, we propose a new model for interpreting the acclimation response. Lowered photosynthetic rates observed during acclimation appear to be the result of a shift in the timing of the normal photosynthetic ' Department of Botany, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 " Interdepartmental Plant Physiology Major, Iowa State UniversiQr, Ames, Iowa 5(X)11
Abstract B58: Detection of ESR1 gene fusions in breast cancer cell-derived exosomal RNA

Background: Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is often intractable due to endocrine therapy resistance. Although ER basepair hotspot mutations have been well characterized in ~20-30% of endocrine-resistant disease, accumulating evidence from our group and others suggests that other genetic alterations such as ER fusions (e.g., ESR1-DAB2) could also play a role. As an important component of liquid biopsies, exosomes have recently gained much attention in the field of clinical oncology. It is well established that some species of RNA, typically microRNA and mRNA, are packaged into these small membrane-enclosed structures, which could potentially serve as a noninvasive biomarker to constantly and comprehensively monitor tumor progression and tumor cell evolution. We tested whether ESR1 fusions could be detected in exosomal RNA (exoRNA) produced by breast cancer cell lines. Methods: Multiple methods were used to characterize exosomes isolated from cell culture media: 1) Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) confirmed concentration and size of exosomes, 2) immunoblotting identified protein markers that are enriched or lacking in exosomes, 3) transmission electron microscopy validated the size and shape of exosomes. During exoRNA extraction, DNA contamination was removed by DNase treatment. Fusion-specific regions in exoRNA were amplified by standard PCR. Results: We used breast cancer cell lines stably infected with cDNA encoding ESR1 fusions ESR1-DAB2 and ESR1-SOX9. NTA shows that our isolated exosomes had a size ranging from 30-150 nm, with the peak at 80 nm. Immunoblotting showed TSG101 and CD81 as positive markers of our exosomes, while Grp94 was negative. By RT-PCR, we identified a fusion-specific region amplified for both ESR1-SOX9 and ESR1-LPP from exoRNA for the fusion cell lines. Conclusions: Collectively, these data indicate that multiple ESR1 fusions are detectable in breast cancer cell line-derived exoRNA. Citation Format: Tiantong Liu, Jagmohan Hooda, Nils Ludwig, Theresa Whiteside, Jennifer M. Atkinson, Steffi Oesterreich, Adrian Lee. Detection of ESR1 gene fusions in breast cancer cell-derived exosomal RNA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Liquid Biopsies; Jan 13-16, 2020; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(11_Suppl):Abstract nr B58.
Characters for projective modules in the BGG category O for the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra osp(3|4)

Abstract We determine the Verma multiplicities of standard filtrations of projective modules in integral atypical blocks in the BGG category O for the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebras osp ( 3 | 4 ) by way of translation functors. We then explicitly determine the composition factor multiplicities of Verma modules using BGG reciprocity.