cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SMARTS: Reconstructing disease response networks from multiple individuals using time series gene expression data

Motivation: Current methods for reconstructing dynamic regulatory networks are focused on modeling a single response network using model organisms or cell lines. Unlike these models or cell lines, humans differ in their background expression profiles due to age, genetics and life factors. In addition, there are often differences in start and end times for time series human data and in the rate of progress based on the specific individual. Thus, new methods are required to integrate time series data from multiple individuals when modeling and constructing disease response networks. Results: We developed Scalable Models for the Analysis of Regulation from Time Series (SMARTS), a method integrating static and time series data from multiple individuals to reconstruct condition-specific response networks in an unsupervised way. Using probabilistic graphical models, SMARTS iterates between reconstructing different regulatory networks and assigning individuals to these networks, taking into account varying individual start times and response rates. These models can be used to group different sets of patients and to identify transcription factors that differentiate the observed responses between these groups. We applied SMARTS to analyze human response to influenza and mouse brain development. In both cases, it was able to greatly improve baseline groupings while identifying key relevant TFs that differ between the groups. Several of these groupings and TFs are known to regulate the relevant processes while others represent novel hypotheses regarding immune response and development. Availability and implementation: Software and Supplementary information are available at http://
Evaluation of the Beckman Coulter LX20 Clinical Chemistry Analyzer

Our goal was to consolidate different methodologies in the clinical chemistry laboratory and replace aging analyzers; therefore, we evaluated the newly available Beckman Coulter LX20 (Brea, CA). Results were obtained for linearity, within- and between-day precision, correlation, interference, and serum-vs-plasma studies. Satisfactory precision results were obtained, with most assays demonstrating within-day coefficients of variation less than 2% and between-day coefficients of variation less than 5%. The linearity for all assays was acceptable over the range tested. Correlation results were adequate. The major difference in serum-vs-plasma studies was potassium. The only significant interferences noted were that lipemia decreased uric acid and bilirubin results, while hemolysis increased potassium results. We conclude that the LX20 demonstrates good performance capabilities, making this instrument suitable for a medium- to high-volume laboratory.
Monitoring cardiac output and left atrial pressure by analysis of the right ventricular pressure waveform based on missing output identification

A proven implantable device is now available for long-term ambulatory monitoring of the right ventricular pressure (RVP) waveform of congestive heart failure patients. However, cardiac output (CO) and left atrial pressure (LAP) are far more useful for assessing cardiac function and managing volume status. We developed a new technique to monitor both CO and LAP by analysis of the RVP waveform based on missing output identification. We initially evaluated the technique against gold standard reference CO and LAP measurements from two dogs during common hemodynamic interventions. We report overall CO and LAP errors of 13.3% and 1.9 mmHg, respectively. With further successful testing, the technique may potentially be employed with an established implantable device for chronic monitoring of vital hemodynamic variables.
Sex Determination in the Androdioecious Plant Datisca glomerata and Its Dioecious Sister Species D. cannabina

Datisca glomerata is an androdioecious plant species containing male and hermaphroditic individuals. Molecular markers and crossing data suggest that, in both D. glomerata and its dioecious sister species D. cannabina, sex is determined by a single nuclear locus, at which maleness is dominant. Supporting this conclusion, an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is heterozygous in males and homozygous recessive in hermaphrodites in three populations of the androdioecious species. Additionally, hermaphrodite x male crosses produced 1:1 sex ratios, while hermaphrodite x hermaphrodite crosses produced almost entirely hermaphroditic offspring. No perfectly sex-linked marker was found in the dioecious species, but all markers associated with sex mapped to a single linkage group and were heterozygous in the male parent. There was no sex-ratio heterogeneity among crosses within D. cannabina collections, but males from one collection produced highly biased sex ratios (94% females), suggesting that there may be sex-linked meiotic drive or a cytoplasmic sex-ratio factor. Interspecific crosses produced only male and female offspring, but no hermaphrodites, suggesting that hermaphroditism is recessive to femaleness. This comparative approach suggests that the hermaphrodite form arose in a dioecious population from a recessive mutation that allowed females to produce pollen.
Treg depletion with denileukin difititox (DD) enhances lymphocytosis and eosinphilia in patients treated with high-dose IL-2 (HDIL-2) for metastatic renal cell cancer (MRCC)

14627 Background: CD4+CD25+ T cells (Treg) play a suppressive role in immune regulation. DD is an IL-2 receptor specific cytotoxin. We postulated depletion of Treg with DD may enhance immune effector cell populations during HDIL-2 tx, including eosinophilia which was reported to be involved in immune response to neoplasm (Mattes et al. J Exp Med 197: 387, 2003). Methods: Seven pts (5 male, median age 58 yrs) with MRCC were tx’d with HDIL-2 and DD in different schedules to determine safety and effect on immune response as manifested by changes in Treg, lymphocyte, and peak eosinophil counts. Pts were tx’d with IL-2 600,000 IU/kg Q8H on days (d) 1–5 and 15–19. Three (group A) and 2 (group B) pts were given 6 and 9 ug/kg daily on d 8–10 respectively, while 2 (group C) pts received 9 ug/kg of DD on d -4- -2. Four (group D) pts with metastatic melanoma who received HDIL-2 as above but without DD were included as controls. Flow cytometry was done on days -4, 1,8,10,15 for group C and on days 1, 8, 10, 15, 22 fo...
Histone H4 acetylation and the epigenetic reader Brd4 are critical regulators of pluripotency in embryonic stem cells

Pluripotent cells can be differentiated into many different cell types in vitro. Successful differentiation is guided in large part by epigenetic reprogramming and regulation of critical gene expression patterns. Recent genome-wide studies have identified the distribution of different histone-post-translational modifications (PTMs) in various conditions and during cellular differentiation. However, our understanding of the abundance of histone PTMs and their regulatory mechanisms still remain unknown. Here, we present a quantitative and comprehensive study of the abundance levels of histone PTMs during the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) using mass spectrometry (MS). We observed dynamic changes of histone PTMs including increased H3K9 methylation levels in agreement with previously reported results. More importantly, we found a global decrease of multiply acetylated histone H4 peptides. Brd4 targets acetylated H4 with a strong affinity to multiply modified H4 acetylation sites. We observed that the protein levels of Brd4 decreased upon differentiation together with global histone H4 acetylation. Inhibition of Brd4:histone H4 interaction by the BET domain inhibitor (+)-JQ1 in ESCs results in enhanced differentiation to the endodermal lineage, by disrupting the protein abundance dynamics. Genome-wide ChIP-seq mapping showed that Brd4 and H4 acetylation are co-occupied in the genome, upstream of core pluripotency genes such as Oct4 and Nanog in ESCs and lineage-specific genes in embryoid bodies (EBs). Together, our data demonstrate the fundamental role of Brd4 in monitoring cell differentiation through its interaction with acetylated histone marks and disruption of Brd4 may cause aberrant differentiation.
INHERITANCE OF THE CATNIP RESPONSE IN DOMESTIC CATS

A ESSENTIAL oil, nepetalactone. was isolated from the catnip plant (Nepeta cataria) by McElvain et al.-' 3i 4 and Meinwald. McElvain demonstrated with lions that the oil is the substance which is responsible for the attraction of cats to the plant and the only constituent capable of inducing a response. This familiar response has been broken down into four components, viz, 1) sniffing, 2) licking and chewing with head shaking, 3) chin and cheek rubbing and 4) head-over roll and body rubbing. None of these automatisms is unique to catnip, each of them apparently belonging normally to sexual or ingestive behavior. These components almost invariably appear in the above sequence. In fact, among 58 responding cats, all tested with dried leaves, only three individuals deviated from this sequence and omitted the licking and chewing with head shaking. These animals went immediately into the rolling phase, which seemed to be exceptionally violent. Component four may last from three to six minutes before all response is extinguished. Additional behavior patterns noted occasionally are claw sharpening and washing, both of which occur as displacement activities in the ethological sense in sexual behavior. Among responding animals the response may occasionally be inhibited for obscure reasons, necessitating repeated testing of non-responders before drawing conclusions. Also, the response is not manifested in kittens under six to eight weeks of age and may not develop fully until three months of age. In fact, catnip often produces a distinct avoidance response in young kittens which is gradually replaced by indifference in non-responders and by heightened curiosity in responders. Whether nursing is in any way connected with inhibiting the response has not yet been determined. In one case a sixto seven-week-old nursing kitten gave a total response, but this seems exceptional. A distressed or enranged animal may still respond, and neutering appears to have no effect on behavior towards catnip.
Selenium and Other Plasma Element Concentrations in Coronary Heart Disease

A prospective epidemiological study of 114 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and angioplasty for chest pain was undertaken to examine the relationship between six plasma metal concentrations and coronary heart disease (CHD). The plasma concentrations of selenium, magnesium, potassium, copper, zinc, and iron in patients with and without CHD were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry or by wet chemistry. The plasma element concentrations were then reviewed for any correlation with CHD. We observed a significant, inverse relationship between plasma selenium concentration and CHD. Although the mean plasma concentrations of potassium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc were lower in the patients with CHD, no significant correlation could be determined. If plasma selenium levels are monitored and dietary supplements to selenium-deficient patients are administered, the potential risk of CHD may be diminished.
Eradicating Student-Athlete Sexual Assault of Women: Section 1983 and Personal Liability Following Fitzgerald V. Barnstable

In Fitzgerald v. Barnstable, 129 S. Ct. 788 (2009), the Supreme Court held that a Title IX litigant is not precluded from concurrently asserting a § 1983 claim for violations of constitutional rights. First, the Article discusses the evolution of Supreme Court precedent that culminated in Fitzgerald. It then examines whether, in light of Fitzgerald, § 1983 individual-capacity actions premised on violations of equal protection and due process rights constitute viable external means of holding coaches and university administrators accountable for student-athlete sexual assault of women students. Acknowledging that a plaintiff's burden will be substantial, the Article concludes that the potential for personal liability is likely to provide a mechanism for holding university officials, particularly coaches, accountable for subordinating the personal integrity and safety of women to the interests of student athletes. As a predicate to its discussion of § 1983 individual-capacity based actions, the Article examines the emergence of standards for assessing Title IX liability that have expanded the circumstances under which victims of sexual harassment may prevail against institutions. The Article also explores the variables that influence university officials, particularly college coaches, to engage in behaviors that either enhance the risk that women students will be sexually assaulted by student athletes or treat woman who have been sexually harassed with deliberate indifference. Drawing from research that examines subcultures, including the athletic and police subcultures, the Article discusses the impact of subgroup characteristics on the decisions made by college coaches and administrators in relation to male student athletes and sexual assault. The Article recognizes the importance of external controls, such as civil litigation, in helping to stymie student-athlete violence against women. It proposes, however, that internal controls — cultural and organizational changes — must be implemented if efforts to curb student-athlete sexual assaults against women are to be effective. It offers recommendations that may encourage and enable college coaches and administrators to rethink the manner in which they respond to potential and actual sexual harassment of women students by male student athletes.
Emerging Medical Applications of Infrared Technologies

Throughout the 70’s and 80’s, biologists discovered infrared spectroscopy; meanwhile, many complex biomolecules have yielded their structural secrets to the inquisitive IR spectroscopist. In the 90’s, infrared spectroscopy is now being challenged by the medical community, particularly so since other spectroscopic techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy already are well entrenched in medical research and practice. The major endeavor for the biological infrared spectroscopists is now to apply the knowledge they have gained from studies on isolated biomolecules to the complex world of medicine. There is no doubt, however, that with increasing complexity of the molecular structures under investigation the role of infrared spectroscopy keeps changing, as different questions are being asked of this “new” and yet old spectroscopic technique.
A Study on Regulations of Qualified Structure of Minibus Sliding Door

The regulation of qualified structure of minibus sliding door is an important safety index for automobile manufacturers. The article analyzes and researches the plan of vehicle body structure for satisfying the regulations on minibus sliding door,have to be designed and verifies the feasibility of the plan.
Construction of Database for Chinese Rice Varieties and Their Genealogy

The database for Chinese rice varieties and their genealogy(http://www.ricedata.cn/variety/) is an important sub-platform of the Chinese National Rice Data Center(http://www.ricedata.cn/),which collects different kinds of Chinese rice varieties,including approved in provinces or by national committee,utilized in wider areas,introduced or local.Retrieval for rice variety and pedigree search were developed as two core components of the database.During the collection of the varieties and their pedigrees,a typical problem is that some names of varieties were confused or mistaken easily.
APPLICATION OF INTERIM ANALYSIS IN CLINICAL TRIALS WITH REPEATED MEAS UREMENTS

Objective:To introduce the application of group sequential type one e rror spending function method in repeated measurements data Methods:To determin e the interim boundaries by type one error spending function and draw conclusion s according to the relationship between the boundaries and standardized statisti cs Results:For the slope compare in repeated measurements,the t ime fraction i s used to calculate the type one error and boundaries,while the actual informati on is used to calculate the correlation of successive test statistics C onclus ion:For the slope compare in repeated measurements,standardized statisti cs has a distribution structure that is identical to that for the instantaneous response for which much theory has been developed and can be used in more complex clinic al trials with repeated measurements
Effects of storage and handling on vitamins in fresh lima beans

Fresh Lima beans were subjected to various combinations of handling factors, including storage time and temperature, air during storage, water during preparation, hulling, and preparation method, to determine their effects on ascorbic acid, thiamin, and carotene content. Freezing resulted in highly significant losses of ascorbic acid and thiamin. Longer storage time and higher storage temperature resulted in significant reduction in ascorbic acid. Bruising, such as that occurring when beans are mechanically hulled, caused significant losses of both carotene and ascorbic acid. Significant interactions indicated that subjecting beans to circulating air and to bruising increased degradation of ascorbic acid and carotene. Increasing storage temperature compounded the effects of air circulation and of storage time on ascorbic acid. For example, 24-hr. storage at 45 degrees F was as severe as 72 hr. at 37 degrees F. Highest overall content of ascorbic acid was attained with hand-hulled samples stored in still air before cooking. Lowest content of ascorbic acid occurred in bruised beans cooked in copper-fortified water.
Temperature Variability and the Northern Anasazi: Possible Implications for Regional Abandonment

ABSTRACTA temperature reconstruction based on tree-rings from the San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona is used to examine past temperature variability in relation to the thirteenth-century archaeological record in the northern Anas azi region. Three closely spaced cold periods that occurred in the 1200s can be tentatively linked to climatically effective explosive volcanism as recorded in the historical record and polar ice core record of eruptions. A particularly large volcanic event is recorded in ice core layers at both poles in 1259. The tumultuous nature of northern Anasazi society in the 1200s coincided with the reconstructed temperature decrease, suggesting that temperature variability merits additional consideration both in these circumstances and in the final abandonment of the region.
Cardiac Valve Replacement and Related Interventions

Owing to the serious consequences of untreated valvular heart disease, the lack of effective medical therapies, and the evolution of valve-related devices, cardiac valve replacement and repair procedures are now performed frequently. Patients with heart valve disease gain significant survival and quality-of-life improvements with valve replacement. This chapter summarizes the pathologic anatomy and clinicopathological considerations in valve replacement and repair surgery, encompassing pathology associated with a substitute valve as well as other pertinent cardiac and noncardiac pathology. It provides the reader with an up-to-date broad overview and approach to the analysis of different prosthetic valves that may be encountered as surgical pathology or autopsy specimens (and potentially in a research setting). Discussion of the following related areas provides additional context: (1) surgical considerations and outcomes, (2) description of valve replacement devices, (3) approach to evaluating postsurgical hearts and substitute valves as pathological specimens, and (4) ongoing research and development. Attention is also given to pathologic considerations related to minimally invasive, transcatheter implantation, and repair procedures on cardiac valves.
Sci-Fri PM: Radiation Therapy, Planning, Imaging, and Special Techniques - 01: On the use of proton radiography to reduce beam range uncertainties and improve patient positioning accuracy in proton therapy

To present two related developments of proton radiography (pRad) to minimize range uncertainty in proton therapy. The first combines a pRad with an X-ray CT to produce a patient-specific relative stopping power (RSP) map. The second aims to improve the pRad spatial resolution for accurate registration prior to the first. The enhanced-pRad can also be used in a novel proton-CT reconstruction algorithm. Monte Carlo pRad were computed from three phantoms; the Gammex, the Catphan and an anthropomorphic head. An optimized cubic-spline estimator derives the most likely path. The length crossed by the protons voxel-by-voxel was calculated by combining their estimated paths with the CT. The difference between the theoretical (length×RSP) and measured energy loss was minimized through a least squares optimization (LSO) algorithm yielding the RSP map. To increase pRad spatial resolution for registration with the CT, the phantom was discretized into voxels columns. The average column RSP was optimized to maximize the proton energy loss likelihood (MLE). Simulations showed precise RSP (<0.75%) for Gammex materials except low-density lung (<1.2%). For the head, accurate RSP were obtained (µ=−0.10%1.5σ=1.12%) and the range precision was improved (ΔR80 of −0.20±0.35%). Spatial resolution was increased in pRad (2.75 to 6.71 lp/cm) and pCT from MLE-enhanced pRad (2.83 to 5.86 lp/cm). The LSO decreases the range uncertainty (R80σ<1.0%) while the MLE-enhanced pRad spatial resolution (+244%) and is a great candidate for pCT reconstruction.
Nanostructured biomaterials for artificial tissues and organs

Abstract: This chapter discusses the rationale and the promise of nanotechnology to create the new generation of biomaterials for tissue engineering. It reviews the morphologies and functions of the nanostructures in natural tissues, introduces the methods to produce biomimetic nanostructured materials and demonstrates the improvement of tissue engineering by utilizing such nanostructured biomaterials.
Deconcentrating the poor via public housing policy: What really matters?

Abstract This paper explores the role of costs of moving in Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) households' residential location choices and performs a policy simulation predicting the impact of geographically targeted rental subsidies and housing search and counseling services on voucher holders' locational choices. We choose households that received housing vouchers from 2008 to 2010 in the twin cities of Champaign-Urbana in Illinois and track their residential locations using restricted-use administrative data. We adopt the Mixed Logit (ML) approach to model voucher holders' locational choices accounting for heterogeneous preferences over costs of moving factors and dwelling and neighborhood attributes. Our main findings show that the HCV households are responsive to costs of moving indicating that there is a strong disincentive for the moves. The ML model results reveal a high level of statistical significance of heterogeneity in preferences among the HCV households providing empirical evidence to support previous literature that recipients would face different levels of costs of moving based on their socio-economic characteristics. The estimates also suggest that geographically targeted rental subsidies exert a larger relocation effect, moving 22.87% of high-poverty residents into low- and mid-poverty neighborhoods, when they are combined with a local housing authority's housing search counseling and supportive services.
EBV-Negative Primary Pulmonary Lymphoma in a Patient with AIDS

Abstract Abstract 5203 AIDS-related primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) is defined as exclusive involvement of the lung by lymphoma with no evidence of extrapulmonary disease at the time of diagnosis and three months thereafter. It is an aggressive disease with a median survival time of four months. A 46 year old male patient with a seven year history of HIV/AIDS and CD4 count of 200/ul was hospitalized because of flank pain, hematuria and hemoptysis. Abdominal CT scan incidentally revealed multiple nodules in the lower lobes of both lungs. Serial chest CT scans demonstrated multiple nodular opacities in all lobes of the lungs that enlarged rapidly and coalesced together. Clinicians favored opportunistic infection due to rapid disease progression but included Wegener’s granulomatosis in the differential diagnosis because of hemoptysis. Open lung biopsy showed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), NOS, with an activated B cell phenotype (CD10−/BCL6−/MUM1+) and high proliferative index (Ki67 90%). CD79A expression confirmed B cell lineage. The diagnostic criteria for PPL were fulfilled because staging failed to detect extrapulmonary disease. Infarction due to the angiodestructive nature of the PPL and short doubling time accounted for hemoptysis and rapid disease progression, respectively. The patient died 45 days after admission because of shock, presumably due to superimposed infection. Unlike prior reports of AIDS-related PPL, our case was negative for CD19, CD20 and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Although PPL is a rare disease, it deserves consideration in the differential diagnosis of rapidly progressive lung nodules in AIDS patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of EBV-negative PPL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Predicting Task Intent From Surface Electromyography Using Layered Hidden Markov Models

Human-robot interaction faces the challenge of designing and modeling tightly coupled and effectively controlled human-machine systems. This letter describes a method to learn human operator's performance characteristics from surface electromyography measurements to predict their intentions during task operations. For the first time, a layered hidden Markov model (LHMM) is successfully used with physiological data from cocontracting arm muscles to achieve accurate intent prediction. Furthermore, optimal model parameters and high-performing feature sets are identified and prediction accuracy at various time horizons calculated. The LHMM outperformed various other classification methods, including naive Bayes and support vector machine, ultimately achieving 82% accuracy in predicting the next 50 ms window of intent and maintaining 60% accuracy even after one second. These results hold the promise of improving robots' internal model of their human partners, which could increase the safety and productivity of human-robot teams in the factories of the future.
Earliest Divergence of Stagodontid (Mammalia: Marsupialiformes) Feeding Strategies from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of North America

Two new unequivocal stagodontids, Fumodelphodon pulveris, gen. et. sp. nov., and Hoodootherium praeceps, gen. et. sp. nov., are described from the Turonian (~92 Ma) Smoky Hollow Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation, of southern Utah, USA. Mammals from this time period are poorly represented; the recovery of these two large stagodontids demonstrates the early emergence of faunal elements mostly associated with the later Cretaceous. These taxa represent the earliest stagodontids with crushing premolars (Fumodelphodon) and sectorial premolars (Hoodootherium), morphologically similar to the well-known stagodontids Didelphodon and Eodelphis, respectively. The similar morphologies suggest that these two new genera may be early members of later Cretaceous stagodontid clades, implying a ~ 7 Ma ghost lineage leading to Eodelphis and a ~ 15 Ma ghost lineage to Didelphodon. A reexamination of stagodontid characters suggests a basal placement of Pariadens within Stagodontidae, contrary to some recent studies. The discovery of two new stagodontids bearing lower molars morphologically similar to, but premolars distinct from, Eodelphis highlights the importance of the specialized premolar morphology for resolving the relationships between genera within Stagodontidae.
Liquid-like grain boundary complexion and sub-eutectic activated sintering in CuO-doped TiO2

Abstract The eutectic temperature and composition of the TiO2-CuO system were carefully measured to be 1010 ± 10 °C and 83CuO:17TiO2, respectively. Subsequently, a TiO2-CuO phase diagram was computed, representing a correction and major improvement from the phase diagram available in literature. Dilatometry measurements and isothermal sintering experiments unequivocally demonstrated the activated (enhanced) sintering of TiO2 with the addition of CuO, occurring at as low as >300 °C below the eutectic temperature. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) characterization of water-quenched specimens revealed the formation of nanometer-thick, liquid-like, intergranular films (IGFs), a type of grain boundary (GB) complexion (a.k.a. 2-D interfacial phase), concurrently with accelerated densification and well below the bulk eutectic temperature. Consequently, activated sintering is explained from the enhanced mass transport in this premelting-like complexion. An interfacial thermodynamic model was used to quantitatively explain and justify the stabilization of liquid-like IGFs below the eutectic temperature and the temperature-dependent IGF thicknesses measured by HRTEM. A GB λ diagram was computed, for the first time for a ceramic system, to represent the thermodynamic tendency for general GBs in CuO-doped TiO2 to disorder.
A Blessing or a Curse? The Impact of High Frequency Trading on Institutional Investors

The rapid growth of high frequency trading (HFT) has aroused considerable public attention and policy interests in its impact on institutional investors. Previous studies show that HFT decreases the average bid-ask spread. However, the major component of institutional trading costs is the price impact, as measured by the execution shortfall. Combining data on institutional trades and HFT trades, I find that HFT increases traditional institutional investors' trading costs. Specifically, one standard deviation increase in the intensity of HFT activities increases institutional execution shortfall costs by a third. I also perform various tests to rule out an alternative explanation that high frequency traders are attracted to stocks that have high trading costs. Further analysis suggests that HFT represents a short-lived and expensive source of liquidity provision when demand and supply among institutional investors are imbalanced, and that the impact on institutional trading costs is most pronounced when high frequency traders engage in directional strategies. Additionally, I find that institutional trading skills can alleviate the adverse impact of HFT.
Correlation of alumina flocculation with adsorbed polyacrylic acid conformation

Conformation of polyacrylic acid (PAA) adsorbed on alumina is studied here simultaneously with various flocculation properties of the same systems. Conformational characteristics of pyrene-labelled PAA is monitored using fluorescence spectroscopic technique. Among flocculation properties, the percent solid settled and the settling rate are measured by CAT scan. Our results show that polymer conformation is indeed a controlling factor of flocculation process even though the role of coiling is different from the traditional postulates. Under fixed pH conditions, the stretched polymer (which stands up at the solid/liquid interface) gives better flocculation than the coiled polymer (which sits at the interface). Under changing pH conditions, polymer adsorption in coiled form followed by partial transformation to stretched form results in the best flocculation performance. A two-stage flocculation mechanism is proposed to interpret our observation.
Does the Demographic Objection to Epistocracy Succeed

In most, if not all, forms of epistocracy, we can expect (at least in the near future) that the more advantaged demographic groups would have higher rates of representation than less advantaged groups. The Demographic Objection to Epistocracy holds that this means epistocracy is unjust. One version of the Demographic Objection holds that the unequal representation is inherently unfair. I show that this argument fails, as proceduralist concern for fairness does not get us to universal equal suffrage at all. A second version holds that by giving some kinds of people more power than others, epistocracy will tend to help the advantaged and harm the already disadvantaged. In contrast, I argue that certain forms of epistocracy escape this objection altogether. For the others, though, this version of the objection relies on questionable empirical assumptions. In the end, neither version of the Demographic Objection succeeds. The Demographic Objection to epistocracy is much weaker than it seems.
Perceptions and reactions to tornado warning polygons: Would a gradient polygon be useful?

Abstract To better understand people's interpretations of National Weather Service's tornado warning polygons, 145 participants were shown 22 hypothetical scenarios in one of four displays—deterministic polygon, deterministic polygon + radar image, gradient polygon, and gradient polygon + radar image. Participants judged each polygon's numerical strike probability (ps) and reported the likelihood of taking seven different response actions. The deterministic polygon display produced ps that were highest at the polygon's centroid and declined in all directions from there. The deterministic polygon + radar display, the gradient polygon display, and the gradient polygon + radar display produced ps that were high at the polygon's centroid and also at its edge nearest the tornadic storm cell. Overall, ps values were negatively related to resuming normal activities, but positively correlated with expectations of resuming normal activities, seeking information from social sources, seeking shelter, and evacuating by car. These results replicate the finding that participants make more appropriate ps judgments when polygons are presented in their natural context of radar images than when the polygons are presented in isolation and that gradient displays appear to provide no appreciable benefit. The fact that ps judgments had moderately positive correlations with both sheltering (a generally appropriate response) and evacuation (a generally inappropriate response) provides experimental confirmation that people threatened by actual tornadoes are conflicted about which protective action to take.
Antenatal Care Among Poor and Indigenous Women in Central America and Mexico: A Cross-Country Study of Access, Utilization, and Barriers

Antenatal care (ANC) is an important service for improving maternal, infant, and child health. Across Central America and Mexico, high national rates of antenatal care coverage mask significant disparities among subgroups, primarily among poorly educated, lower-income, and indigenous women. This chapter presents and discusses information from the largest cross-country study conducted among poor and indigenous communities in Mesoamerica. Within these communities, 95% of women receive ANC from a skilled provider in Nicaragua, 94% in El Salvador, 84% in Honduras, 78% in Panama, 75% in Chiapas, Mexico, and 31% in Guatemala. ANC should begin in the first trimester to detect and prevent complications; in Guatemala, 20% of poor pregnant women meet this guideline, as do as many as 77% in El Salvador. ANC should be ongoing throughout pregnancy, but only 18% of poor Guatemalan women receive the recommended four visits, compared to 81% in Nicaragua. Women’s education, ethnicity, poverty, and control over fertility are associated with receiving ANC services and will require systemic, intersectoral action to make progress. Health system changes are also needed, including training providers to be respectful of indigenous patients, including their culture and language, as well as overcoming geographic and financial barriers to care. Universal ANC is possible, but reinvigorated political and financial commitments are needed to ensure accessible, inclusionary, and culturally sensitive care for marginalized populations.
Nkrumah's Consciencism as Philosophical Text: Matter of Confusion

In this paper, “Nkrumah’s Consciencism as Philosophical Text: Matters of Confusion,” I am principally concerned with clarifying the philosophical character of the text, Consciencism. Such a clarification requires an explication that discloses its essential philosophical telos, the structure of the text, the audience addressed, the nature of discourse and the varied interpretation rendered. Such interpretations seek to give a determinate classification and hence provide meaning to the text within the spectrum of African philosophical thought and tradition. I attend to what I conceive as matters of confusion in such interpretations.
Neurosarcoidosis: Clinical Features, Pathophysiology, and Management

Abstract Sarcoidosis is an immune-mediated, multisystem, inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, which primarily affects pulmonary and lymphatic systems as well as skin. The pathologic hallmark of sarcoidosis is noncaseating epithelioid granulomas, which develop in the affected organs. Uncommonly, both central and peripheral nervous systems are affected by sarcoidosis, and patients with neurosarcoidosis present with a wide spectrum of neurologic manifestations due to the widespread nature of the underlying illness. While nervous system involvement in sarcoidosis is uncommon, in a certain number of patients, neurologic symptoms can be the initial and exclusive manifestation of sarcoidosis. Neurosarcoidosis is a great imitator of other pathologies and high clinical vigilance is required to diagnose it correctly. A discussion of the clinical features, underlying pathophysiology, and present management options for neurosarcoidosis is presented.
Pulmonary infection with Mycobacterium szulgai: A case report.

Mycobacterium szulgai is a non-tuberculous mycobacterium that is an uncommon cause of infection in humans. Risk factors for infection include immunosuppression and pre-existing lung pathology. Here...
Modulation of extrasynaptic GABA A alpha 5 receptors in the ventral hippocampus normalizes physiological and behavioral deficits in a circuit specific manner

Hippocampal hyperactivity is correlated with psychosis in schizophrenia patients and likely attributable to deficits in GABAergic signaling. Here we attempt to reverse this deficit by overexpression of the α5-GABAA receptor within the ventral hippocampus (vHipp). Indeed, this is sufficient to normalize vHipp activity and downstream alterations in dopamine neuron function in the MAM rodent model. This approach also attenuated behavioral deficits in cognitive flexibility. To understand the specific pathways that mediate these effects, we used chemogenetics to manipulate discrete projections from the vHipp to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) or prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We found that inhibition of the vHipp-NAc, but not the vHipp-mPFC pathway, normalized aberrant dopamine neuron activity. Conversely, inhibition of the vHipp-mPFC improved cognitive function. Taken together, these results demonstrate that restoring GABAergic signaling in the vHipp improves schizophrenia-like deficits and that distinct behavioral alterations are mediated by discrete projections from the vHipp to the NAc and mPFC.
Patient-Reported Use of the After Visit Summary in a Primary Care Internal Medicine Practice

Participants completed a cross-sectional survey about their use of the after visit summary (AVS) at a previous primary care visit. Of 355 participants, 294 (82.8%) recalled receiving it, 67.4% consulted it, 45.9% consulted it more than once, and 31.6% shared the AVS. In multivariable analysis, higher education and older age were associated with AVS consultation. Among the subset of 133 patients recalling personalized free-text instructions, 96% found them easy to understand and 94.4% found them useful. Our findings suggest that the AVS is a useful communication tool and improvement efforts should emphasize clarity for those most vulnerable to communication errors.
Reversal of anti-drug antibodies against tumor necrosis factor inhibitors with addition of immunomodulators: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The development of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) to tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) inhibitors is a significant result contributing to the loss of clinical response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess whether the addition of immunomodulators to TNF-α inhibitors lead to reversal of antibody formation in TNF-α inhibitor-treated IBD patients. We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases from inception through October 2018 in order to identify specific studies describing clinical response in IBD patients following the addition of immunomodulators (methotrexate or thiopurines) to TNF-α inhibitors. Clinical response was expressed as an improvement of symptoms, with a noted decrease or complete elimination of ADA against TNF-α inhibitors. The meta-analysis was performed using the DerSimonian and Laird random-effect model. Four studies were included in our final meta-analysis, which reported outcomes in 72 patients receiving TNF-α inhibitors. Forty-nine of the seventy-two (68%) patients received either methotrexate (19) or thiopurines (30). The average follow up period was 13.5 months. The overall pooled clinical response was 73.86% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 47.36–94.38, I2 = 60.77%). In our meta-analysis, addition of immunomodulators to TNF-α inhibitors was shown to restore the clinical response in 74% of the patients by either decreasing or completely eliminating anti-drug antibody levels. Further long-term multicenter studies are needed to validate these findings.
Analytical Solution For Minimum RMS Current and Reactive Power Modulation of A Soft Switched Dual Active Bridge Converter

Dual active bridge converter is very attractive for bidirectional power conversion for its simple control, easy to achieve soft switching and wide power flow and operating voltage range. Triple phase shift modulation is one of the most popular choice of modulation due as it widens the soft switching range over complete power flow range. However, being a three degree of freedom scheme, finding an optimum operating point based on the phase shift and conduction angles of the active bridge which minimizes the rms current and the losses due to reactive power flow is not easily obtained. In this paper, a harmonic model is discussed which allows analytical optimization when the phase shift is considered constant. Analytical expression for the optimum operating point is derived to achieve minimized rms current, circulating current and reactive power while maintaining soft switching conditions. Theoretical analysis has been verified by Matlab simulation and experimental result provided for a 100W dual active bridge converter.
A Simplified Investigation into Fatigue Viability of Additively Manufactured IN-718

Material characterization by way of fatigue testing is a common practice in materials research. This research is then applied to many different engineered devices, one of which includes the gas turbine engine. In the environment of a turbine engine the fatigue life plays a critical role in the design, operation, and maintenance of the engine. This study uses the fatigue life of two different metals (Titanium 6Al-4 V, Aluminum 6061-T6) with different cross-sectional measurements to assess the fatigue viability of another material (additively manufactured Inconel 718, or AM IN-718). The assessment of AM IN-718 fatigue life is done by normalizing all the fatigue data against respective ultimate tensile strength results obtained from monotonic tests. The data from two different gage section types for Titanium (Ti) 6Al-4 V and Aluminum (Al) 6061-T6 specimens show that the comparability of the normalized fatigue results fit within a 99% prediction interval. The viability assessment of IN-718 highlighted concerns in the material integrity, and this finding, guided by the normalized fatigue data of Ti 6Al-4 V and Al 6061-T6, led to the identification of flaws which were artifacts of poor AM process controls.
Comparative Study of Machine Learning Algorithms for SMS Spam Detection

The short message service (SMS) became popular after it was initially provided as a service in the second-generation (2G) terrestrial mobile network architecture (Global System for Mobile Communication – GSM). Its popularity has been exploited by some advertising companies and others to spread unwanted advertising, communicate advertising offers, and send unwanted material to the end users. These undesirable messages, known as spam, make it difficult for the users to receive the desirable messages and make them frustration and irritation. Consequently, there are measures that various experts have implemented in filtering out these spam messages and blocking them from reaching the end users. Most of the solutions have followed the success of email spam filtering and utilized machine learning techniques to filter spam messages. The popular machine learning techniques that have successfully been used include logistical regression, Naive Bayes algorithms, Support Vector Machine (SVM), and neural networks. The present study adopts these techniques in filtering spam messages and measures their accuracy to determine the most effective method of filtering spam messages. Based on the findings, the neural network performs best as the trained classifier model used to classify incoming messages as ham or spam.
Characterization of Kanthal APMT and T91 oxidation at beyond design-basis accident temperatures

Abstract Limited information is available on the oxidation mechanism of accident tolerant claddings (ATC) Kanthal APMT and T91 at the onset of beyond design-basis accident (BDBA) conditions. We characterized the surface of these ATC alloys after steam and air exposure at 1200 °C for 2 h, defining the oxidation mechanism. Thickness and composition were analyzed with microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and synchrotron diffraction. Our results demonstrate that APMT forms a compact and homogeneous α-Al2O3 layer when exposed to air or steam. T91 forms a heterogeneous porous layer, containing a mixture of Cr- and Fe-based oxides, whose composition changes with the exposure environment.
Impact of chronic kidney disease on in-hospital outcomes and readmission rate after edge-to-edge transcatheter mitral valve repair

Background Transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR) is a treatment option for patients with 3+ or greater mitral regurgitation who cannot undergo mitral valve surgery. Outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) are unclear. We sought to evaluate the TMVR in-hospital outcomes, readmission rates and its impact on kidney function. Methods Data from 2016 National Readmission Database was used to obtain all patients who underwent TMVR. Patients were classified by their CKD status: no CKD, CKD, or ESRD. The primary outcomes were: in-hospital mortality, 30- and 90-day readmission rate, and change in CKD status on readmission. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess in-hospital, readmission outcomes and kidney function stage. Results A total of 4,645 patients were assessed (mean age 78.5 ± 10.3 years). In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with CKD (4.0%, odds ratio [OR]:2.01 [95% CI, confidence interval: 1.27-3.18]) and ESRD (6.6%, OR: 6.38 [95% CI: 1.49-27.36]) compared with non-CKD (2.4%). 30-day readmission rate was higher in ESRD versus non-CKD patients (17.8% vs. 10.4%, OR: 2.24 [95% CI: 1.30-3.87]) as was 90-day readmission (41.2% vs. 21% OR: 2.51 [95% CI:1.70-3.72]). Kidney function improved in 25% of patients with CKD stage 3 and in 50% with CKD stage 4-5 at 30-and 90-day readmission. Incidence of AKI, major bleeding, and respiratory failure were higher in CKD group. Conclusions Patients with CKD and ESRD have worse outcomes and higher readmission rate after TMVR. In patients who were readmitted after TMVR, renal function improved in some patients, suggesting that TMVR could potentially improve CKD stage.