cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Methane, Black Carbon, and Ethane Emissions from Natural Gas Flares in the Bakken Shale, North Dakota.

Incomplete combustion during flaring can lead to production of black carbon (BC) and loss of methane and other pollutants to the atmosphere, impacting climate and air quality. However, few studies have measured flare efficiency in a real-world setting. We use airborne data of plume samples from 37 unique flares in the Bakken region of North Dakota in May 2014 to calculate emission factors for BC, methane, ethane, and combustion efficiency for methane and ethane. We find no clear relationship between emission factors and aircraft-level wind speed or between methane and BC emission factors. Observed median combustion efficiencies for methane and ethane are close to expected values for typical flares according to the US EPA (98%). However, we find that the efficiency distribution is skewed, exhibiting log-normal behavior. This suggests incomplete combustion from flares contributes almost 1/5 of the total field emissions of methane and ethane measured in the Bakken shale, more than double the expected value i...
Three-dimensional inversion of magnetotelluric data in complex geological structures

Interpretation of magnetotelluric data over inhomogeneous geological structures is still a challenging problem in geophysical exploration. We have developed a new 3-D MT inversion method and a computer code based on full nonlinear conjugate gradient inversion and quasi-analytical approximation for forward modeling solution. Application of the QA approximation to forward modeling and Frechet derivative computations speeds up the calculation dramatically. However, in order to control the accuracy of the inversion, our method allows application of the rigorous forward modeling in the intermediate steps of the inversion procedure and for the final inverse model. The 3-D magnetotelluric inversion code QAINV3D based on QA approximation, has been tested on synthetic models and applied to the practical MT data collected in an area with complex geology. The inversion of 3-D MT data can be done within a few minutes on a PC to generate a 3-D image of subsurface formations on a large grid with tens of thousands of cells.
New Faces of HIV Infection: Age, Race, and Timing of Entry into HIV Care in the Southeastern United States:

Among younger men who have sex with men (MSM), the incidence of HIV is rising nationally. Of the 281 persons who entered into care at a large HIV clinic in the southeastern United States in 2010 to 2012, 78 (27.8%) were <25 years old at the time of diagnosis. Those in the younger group were more likely than those aged ≥25 to be black (59.0% versus 37.4%), MSM (78.2% versus 55.2%), and to have a longer median time from diagnosis to entry into care (71 versus 53 days; P < .05 each). In adjusted survival analysis, persons of black race were less likely to enter care after diagnosis than those of nonblack race (hazard ratio = 0.75, P = .02). Young MSM represent an important target population for prevention and HIV testing interventions, and there is a need to shorten the time from diagnosis to linkage to care, particularly in persons aged <25 and of black race.
Current Management of Nipple Discharge

Nipple discharge is a relatively common complaint, with the primary concern being an underlying breast carcinoma. The difficulty in managing nipple discharge is that the risk of carcinoma, despite being low, cannot be eliminated without surgical duct excision and histologic confirmation. In the following chapter, the evidence for the risks and benefits of the most common diagnostic tests within defined clinical circumstances is examined critically, and a structured, evidence-based algorithm is presented. Using such a systematic approach to nipple discharge allows the clinician to stratify patients with pathologic nipple discharge into low- and high-risk groups. Low-risk patients can be safely offered close clinical follow-up rather than subjecting all patients with pathologic discharge to operative intervention and additional expensive tests.
Loaded Questions: Internet Commenters' Opinions on Physician-Patient Firearm Safety Conversations.

Introduction: Medical and public health societies advocate that healthcare providers (HCPs) counsel at-risk patients to reduce firearm injury risk. Anonymous online media comments often contain extreme viewpoints and may therefore help in understanding challenges of firearm safety counseling. To help inform injury prevention efforts, we sought to examine commenters’ stated opinions regarding firearm safety counseling HCPs. Methods: Qualitative descriptive analysis of online comments posted following news items (in May-June, 2016) about a peer-reviewed publication addressing when and how HCPs should counsel patients regarding firearms. Results: Among 871 comments posted by 522 individuals, most (57%) were generally negative toward firearm discussions, 17% were positive, and 26% were neutral/unclear. Two major categories and multiple themes emerged. “Areas of Agreement” included that discussions may be valuable (1) when addressing risk of harm to self or others, (2) in pediatric injury prevention, and (3) as general safety education (without direct questioning), and that (4) HCPs lack gun safety and cultural knowledge. “Areas of Tension” included whether (1) firearms are a public health issue, (2) counseling is effective prevention practice, (3) suicide could/should be prevented, and (4) firearm safety counseling is within HCPs’ purview. Conclusions: Among this set of commenters, opinions were generally negative toward firearm safety conversations, but with some support in specific situations. Providing education, counseling, or materials without asking about firearm ownership was encouraged. Engaging firearm advocates when developing materials may enhance the acceptability of prevention activities.
Abstract 1361: Characterization of TpeL, a RAS specific clostridial toxin

Clostridium perfringes lethal toxin (TpeL) belongs to the family of large clostridial glycosylating cytotoxins. Clostridial toxins are glycosyltransferases that modify and deactivate small GTPases of the RHO and RAS subfamily. TpeL mono-glycosylates in the switch I domain (Thr35) of RAC and RAS small GTPases. Glycosylation of RAS at Thr35 prevents binding to the primary effector, RAF kinase and results in a blockade RAS signal transduction. RAS family proteins function as key regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and gene expression. Moreover, mutations in RAS proteins are highly prevalent in human cancers. Considering the specificity of TpeL for RAS, we decided to investigate the biochemical interaction between TpeL and RAS, and potentially develop tools to disrupt the RAS signaling pathway. In order to assess the effect of TpeL in vivo, we use RAS-dependent MEFs expressing different KRAS mutations and BRAF V600E. We expect that proliferation should be inhibited in MEF cells expressing RAS isoforms, but MEF cells expressing BRAF V600E should not be affected by any toxin. We found that TpeL treatment did not affect the viability of the BRAF V600E cells and only induced toxicity in RAS expressing cells. Consistent with this result, TpeL treatment inhibited MAPK signal transduction in the RAS expressing cells, but not in the BRAF V600E cells. Surprisingly, both cell viability as well as pERK levels remained unaffected in the KRAS Q61R MEF cells treated with TpeL, suggesting that KRAS Q61R is resistant to glycosylation. This may be due in part to the relatively slow intrinsic rate of GTP hydrolysis and very high levels of KRAS-GTP in KRAS Q61R cells. We also developed and adapted biochemical assays to study TpeL-KRAS interaction in vitro. Based on Alpha Assay and UDP Glow, TpeL activity does not appear to be nucleotide specific, in contrast to previously reported findings. We are currently testing if TpeL RAS glycosylation is competitive with or is inhibited by other molecules that bind to switch I, such as the RBD domain of RAF1 or GEF/GAP proteins. These data may indicate that the lack of activity in KRAS Q61R expressing MEF cells is due not to the high levels of RAS-GTP, but to the constitutive binding to effector molecules, which prevent TpeL from accessing KRAS. We also hope to identify the critical residues required for TpeL binding and catalysis. By elucidating the mechanism of substrate binding and substrate specificity we may gain insight into novel binding pockets that could be exploited therapeutically. Citation Format: Maria T. Abreu-Blanco. Characterization of TpeL, a RAS specific clostridial toxin [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1361. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1361
Purification of Fluorescent Labeled Cells from Dissociated Ciona Embryos

Genome-wide studies in Ciona often require highly purified cell populations. In this methods chapter, we introduce multi-channel combinatorial fluorescence activated cells sorting (FACS) and magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) as two sensitive and efficient tools for isolating lineage-specific cell populations from dissociated Ciona embryos and larvae. We present isolation of trunk ventral cell (TVC) progeny as the test case most commonly used in our laboratory. These approaches may also be applied to purify other cell populations with the proper combination of tissue-specific reporters.
Epistemic Injustice in Social Cognition

ABSTRACTSilencing is a practice that disrupts linguistic and communicative acts, but its relationship to knowledge and justice is not fully understood. Prior models of epistemic injustice tend to c...
Catalytic Carbon–Boron Bond Formation via Activation of Alkane C–H Bonds

Alkanes are extremely unreactive toward nucleophiles and electrophiles because they are composed of nonpolar, strong, saturated C–H and C–C bonds. Thus, although they are abundant natural resources, alkanes are notoriously underutilized in chemical synthesis, and the selective functionalization of alkane to produce useful organic products is a major challenge in organic chemistry. Among different C–H functionalization methods of alkanes, transition metal-catalyzed functionalization has the selectivity advantage (tertiary C–H < secondary C–H < primary C–H bonds) and can afford more desirable terminally functionalized alkanes. Direct functionalization of the C–H bonds of alkanes to C–B bonds is a particularly attractive method because the boron moiety of alkane can be converted to a variety of functional groups using the rich chemistry of organoboron compounds. This chapter describes the development of direct borylation of alkane C–H bonds catalyzed by transitional metal complexes since 1995. The scope of the reaction, mechanistic understanding via computational studies and kinetic experiments, and challenges for broader applications in practical organic synthesis are discussed.
The Recursive Solution of Schroedinger’s Equation

The recursion method [1] gives a convergent sequence of bounded approximants to the solution of Schroedinger’s equation and other linear, hermitian equations. This is the best alternative to an exact solution in closed form. The purpose of this paper is to describe the systems where such a method is necessary, review the method, and discuss some applications.
The effect of neutropenic diets on infection and mortality rates in cancer patients: An updated systematic review and meta- analysis.

e22087Background: Neutropenic diet (ND) has been prescribed to cancer patients with the assumption that it provides a theoretical benefit of decreasing infections during the neutropenic phase. We p...
A novel block cipher for enhancing data security in healthcare internet of things

The modern technologies and their contributions have made monitoring and communication possible from everything around us with each other with no or little human intervention. Experts named these connected devices as Internet of Things (IoT), or the Internet of Everything which is considered as the next industrial revolution. This open network posts quite good number of security challenges because of the nature of the IoT environment. Thus, this paper proposes a lightweight block cipher called, JAC_Jo, to enhance the security of data transmitted in the healthcare environment with reduced hardware footprints. The master key for data encryption is derived using soft set based key generation algorithm SoftKeyGen() and encrypts 32-bit data using 64 bit key. The proposed block cipher occupies 2109 GEs of area and requires 360.05mW power without compromising the security. The FPGA implementation of the proposed block cipher is presented and the performance of the block cipher is evaluated using Atmel STK-600 device with 128 kb app / boot memory. The security evolution is presented with respect to differential, linear, slide and algebraic attacks.
Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Qualitative and Quantitative Sequestration of Host Plant Carotenoids.

Carotenoids are fundamental precursors for hormones and antioxidants, and insects must acquire carotenoids from their diet. Previous research has shown that insects can selectively absorb dietary carotenoids, often modifying them qualitatively or quantitatively, and quantities may be proportional to those found in the diet. Trichoplusia ni Hubner is a generalist herbivore with host plants varying greatly in carotenoid profiles and concentrations. Larvae sequester carotenoids in their hemolymph, and carotenoid sequestration contributes to their cryptic green coloration. Our objectives were to compare the types of carotenoids found in T. ni and their host plants to determine whether qualitative changes occurred, and compare the amounts of sequestered carotenoids in T. ni reared upon different host plants to determine whether quantitative variation influences sequestration. To fulfill these objectives, larvae were fed romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. [Asterales: Asteraceae] var. longifolia) or kale (Brassica oleracea L. [Brassicales: Brassicaceae] var. sabellica) for a period of 5 d, and sequestered carotenoids from the entire insect were resolved with thin-layer chromatography and measured with spectrophotometer. All carotenoids resolved from plants were also resolved from larvae, and although the carotenoids of plants differed quantitatively, the sequestered carotenoids did not differ between host plants. Regardless of host plant species, T. ni sequestered carotenoids at concentrations up to 20 times higher than the concentrations found in the plants. Future research may be able to explicitly identify enzyme systems involved in the transport and modification of carotenoids in T. ni and other animals.
Atypical Vasa Previa in a Velamentous Cord Insertion Identified During Sonographic Examination

Vasa previa is a life-threatening complication of a velamentous cord insertion. Understanding variations of this condition is vital to ensuring optimal patient outcomes. The case presented is of a ...
Reliability of Repeated Measures of Nutrient Intake by Diet Records in Residents in the Western Region of Japan.

Objective: We aimed to assess the day-to-day variation in twelve one-day diet records over one year from 131 residents of urban and rural areas in the western region of Japan. Methods: Between 2014 and 2015, the participants provided repeated one-day diet records once a month. We estimated the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) for intakes for energy and 39 crude and energy-adjusted nutrients using linear mixed models. Results: Among the unadjusted nutrients, ICCs ranged from 0.05 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.03–0.09) for vitamin A retinol equivalent (RE) to 0.55 (95% CI = 0.48–0.62) for potassium. After energy adjustment, the ICCs were 0.02 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.03–0.09) for vitamin A (RE) and 0.52 (95 percent confidence interval = 0.45–0.59) for potassium. Intakes of energy-adjusted macronutrients tended to have moderate degrees of day-to-day coefficients of variation (CVw, range = 0.13–0.23, mean = 0.18), while the coefficients of variation for intakes of micronutrients varied dramatically (CVw, range = 0.17–2.59, mean = 0.54). Conclusion: There were large day-to-day variations in nutrient intake assessed by diet records among urban and rural residents in the western region of Japan. This study provided information on the reproducibility of crude and energy-adjusted nutrients that may be useful for other dietary studies in Japanese populations.
Feminist Advocacy, Family Law and Violence Against Women: International Perspectives

Around the world, the body of laws governing areas such as marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance are known as family law, also called personal status laws in some countries. Often relig...
Mobility Assistance for Vulnerable Road Users using Machine Learning

This paper presents the research for the development of a new assistance system to increase the independent mobility of vulnerable road users (VRUs). This assistance system helps the elderly mobile users in virtually screening of directions using GPS, tracking of sidewalks, identifying the traffic signals and other sign boards. MATLAB/Simulink serves as the main software used in developing this application. Images and other types of data are captured using sensors on Android devices. AlexNet is used to identify and classify different traffic warning signs in real-time. A detailed description of this method and the results are presented in this paper. Once the MATLAB-based program is developed, it can be converted into Java codes when needed. Using Android Studio, the code can be used in the application. VRUs with mobility impairments and vision deficiencies often find it difficult to use wheelchair on sidewalks. This paper also presents a sidewalk tracking system with a departure warning. In this research, Hough Transform is used to present the detection of sidewalk. This sidewalk tracking system can provide the user with essential information that can minimize the risk of an accident. Elaborated implementation of this system and results are presented in this paper. Rerouting the user when they approach the end of the sidewalk is left for future work. The application will further be developed to provide a voice navigation informing the departure warning, a traffic signal or a recognized sign board.
Confirmation and Identification of Biomarkers Implicating Environmental Triggers in the Pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes

Multiple environmental triggers have been proposed to explain the increased incidence of type 1 diabetes (T1D). These include viral infections, microbiome disturbances, metabolic disorders, and vitamin D deficiency. Here, we used ELISA to examine blood plasma from juvenile T1D subjects and age-matched controls for the abundance of several circulating factors relevant to these hypotheses. We screened plasma for sCD14, mannose binding lectin (MBL), lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), c-reactive protein (CRP), fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2), human growth hormone, leptin, total adiponectin, high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin, total IgG, total IgA, total IgM, endotoxin core antibodies (EndoCAbs), 25(OH) vitamin D, vitamin D binding protein, IL-7, IL-10, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-17A, IL-18, and IL-18BPa. Subjects also were tested for prevalence of antibodies targeting adenovirus, parainfluenza 1/2/3, Coxsackievirus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus viral capsid antigen (EBV VCA), herpes simplex virus 1, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Finally, all subjects were screened for presence and abundance of autoantibodies targeting islet cell cytoplasmic proteins (ICA), glutamate decarboxylase 2 (GAD65), zinc transporter 8 (ZNT8), insulinoma antigen 2 (IA-2), tissue transglutaminase, and thyroid peroxidase, while β cell function was gauged by measuring c-peptide levels. We observed few differences between control and T1D subjects. Of these, we found elevated sCD14, IL-18BPa, and FABP2, and reduced total IgM. Female T1D subjects were notably elevated in CRP levels compared to control, while males were similar. T1D subjects also had significantly lower prevalence of EBV VCA antibodies compared to control. Lastly, we observed that c-peptide levels were significantly correlated with leptin levels among controls, but this relationship was not significant among T1D subjects. Alternatively, adiponectin levels were significantly correlated with c-peptide levels among T1D subjects, while controls showed no relationship between these two factors. Among T1D subjects, the highest c-peptide levels were associated with the lowest adiponectin levels, an indication of insulin resistance. In total, from our examination we found limited data that strongly support any of the hypotheses investigated. Rather, we observed an indication of unexplained monocyte/macrophage activation in T1D subjects judging from elevated levels of sCD14 and IL-18BPa. These observations were partnered with unique associations between adipokines and c-peptide levels among T1D subjects.
Analysis of Electricity Production Networks Using Mathematical and Simulation Method in Photovoltaic Power Generations

Currently waste of energy is one of the most important issues, power plants are encountered all over the world. In this study, two mathematical programming models are presented to formulate solar power plants pertinent to the design of a lean manufacturing system. We propose an approach consisting of a combination of mathematical and economic models used for distribution systems of electricity transmission networks. Besides the system, diverse costs and the rate of energy waste during the transmission are considered as two criteria for the comparison. The main approach is to employ a simulation method for both models and draw a comparison between the results of simulation and optimization models run by Lingo software. Finally, analyzing the test results lead the system to a remarkable cost reduction of the country energy demand in the distribution system of electricity transmission networks.
Structural basis of antagonizing the vitamin K catalytic cycle for anticoagulation

Vitamin K antagonists are widely used anticoagulants that target vitamin K epoxide reductases (VKOR), a family of integral membrane enzymes. To elucidate their catalytic cycle and inhibitory mechanism, we report 11 x-ray crystal structures of human VKOR and pufferfish VKOR-like, with substrates and antagonists in different redox states. Substrates entering the active site in a partially oxidized state form cysteine adducts that induce an open-to-closed conformational change, triggering reduction. Binding and catalysis are facilitated by hydrogen-bonding interactions in a hydrophobic pocket. The antagonists bind specifically to the same hydrogen-bonding residues and induce a similar closed conformation. Thus, vitamin K antagonists act through mimicking the key interactions and conformational changes required for the VKOR catalytic cycle.
Hyperadditive games and applications to networks or matching problems

Abstract For the class of cooperative games with transferable utility, we introduce and study the notion of hyperadditivity, a new cohesiveness property weaker than convexity and stronger than superadditivity. It is first established that every hyperadditive game is balanced: we propose a formula allowing to compute some core allocations; and this leads to the definition of a single-valued solution that satisfies core selection for hyperadditive games. This new solution coincides with the Shapley value on the subclass of convex games. Furthermore, we prove that the bargaining set of a hyperadditive game is equal to its core. It is shown that many well-known economic applications satisfy hyperadditivity. Our work extends (and gives a unifying explanation for) various results found in the literature on network games, assignment games and convex games. In addition, some new results are derived for these respective families of games.
From under the elbow to pointing to the palm: Chinese metaphors for learning medicine by the book (fourth–fourteenth centuries)

This article focuses on transformations in the main metaphors in ancient to late medieval titles of Chinese medical books used to convey to potential readers their ‘learning-by-the-book’ contents. It finds that in contrast to the European preference for hand metaphors in the genre terms – enchiridions, manuals and handbooks – the Chinese medical archive preserves bodily metaphors within which the hand metaphor appears only rarely in the early medieval period and is then superseded by metaphors that rely on the fingers and palms more than the hands per se. This longue duree survey from roughly the fourth to the fourteenth centuries of the wide-ranging metaphors for ‘handy medical books’ places their historical emergence and transformation within the history of Chinese medical manuscripts and printed texts. Metaphors in medical titles conveyed to potential readers at the time significant textual innovations in how medical knowledge would be presented to them. For later historians, they provide evidence of profound changes in managing an increasingly complex and expanding archive of Chinese medical manuscripts and printed texts. Innovations in textual reorganization intended to facilitate ‘learning by the book’ were often creatively captured in an illuminating range of genre distinctions, descriptors and metaphors.
Profiling of atmospheric turbulence using time-lapse imagery of noncooperative targets from multiple cameras

A time-lapse imaging method for turbulence profiling using targets of opportunity is demonstrated. The approach uses differential tilt variances between target features sensed by two cameras. These measurements can help understand altitude dependence of turbulence.
Maternal prenatal cortisol programs the infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

One of the key proposed agents of fetal programming is exposure to maternal glucocorticoids. Experimental animal studies provide evidence that prenatal exposure to elevated maternal glucocorticoids has consequences for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in the offspring. There are very few direct tests of maternal glucocorticoids, such as cortisol, during human pregnancy and associations with infant cortisol reactivity. The current study examined the link between maternal prenatal cortisol trajectories and infant cortisol reactivity to the pain of inoculation in a sample of 152 mother-infant (47.4% girls) pairs. The results from the current study provide insight into fetal programming of the infant HPA axis, demonstrating that elevated prenatal maternal cortisol is associated with a larger infant cortisol response to challenge at both 6 and 12 months of age.
Surface acoustic waves increase magnetic domain wall velocity

Domain walls in magnetic thin films are being explored for memory applications and the speed at which they move has acquired increasing importance. Magnetic fields and currents have been shown to drive domain walls with speeds exceeding 500 m/s. We investigate another approach to increase domain wall velocities, using high frequency surface acoustic waves to create standing strain waves in a 3 micron wide strip of magnetic film with perpendicular anisotropy. Our measurements, at a resonant frequency of 248.8 MHz, indicate that domain wall velocities increase substantially, even at relatively low applied voltages. Our findings suggest that the strain wave derived effective magnetic field acts as an additional driver for domain wall motion.
Identification of a Proteomic Signature of Senescence in Primary Human Mammary Epithelial Cells

Senescence is a permanent cell cycle arrest that occurs in response to cellular stress. Because senescent cells promote age-related disease, there has been considerable interest in defining the proteomic alterations in senescent cells. Because senescence differs greatly depending on cell type and senescence inducer, continued progress in the characterization of senescent cells is needed. Here, we analyzed primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs), a model system for aging, using mass spectrometry-based proteomics. By integrating data from replicative senescence, immortalization by telomerase reactivation, and drug-induced senescence, we identified a robust proteomic signature of HMEC senescence consisting of 77 upregulated and 36 downregulated proteins. This approach identified known biomarkers, such as downregulation of the nuclear lamina protein lamin-B1 (LMNB1), and novel upregulated proteins including the β-galactoside-binding protein galectin-7 (LGALS7). Gene ontology enrichment analysis demonstrated that senescent HMECs upregulated lysosomal proteins and downregulated RNA metabolic processes. We additionally integrated our proteomic signature of senescence with transcriptomic data from senescent HMECs to demonstrate that our proteomic signature can discriminate proliferating and senescent HMECs even at the transcriptional level. Taken together, our results demonstrate the power of proteomics to identify cell type-specific signatures of senescence and advance the understanding of senescence in primary HMECs.
Sex differences in inflammatory markers in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection: Insights from the MGH COVID-19 patient registry.

BACKGROUND: Men are at higher risk for serious complications related to COVID-19 infection than women. More robust immune activation in women has been proposed to contribute to decreased disease severity, although systemic inflammation has been associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19 infection. Whether systemic inflammation contributes to sex differences in COVID-19 infection is not known. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined sex differences in inflammatory markers among 453 men (mean age 61) and 328 women (mean age 62) hospitalized with COVID-19 infection at the Massachusetts General Hospital from March 8 to April 27, 2020. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association of sex with initial and peak inflammatory markers. Exploratory analyses examined the association of sex and inflammatory markers with 28-day clinical outcomes using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Initial and peak CRP were higher in men compared with women after adjustment for baseline differences (initial CRP: s 0.29, SE 0.07, p = 0.0001; peak CRP: s 0.31, SE 0.07, p<0.0001) with similar findings for IL-6, PCT, and ferritin (p<0.05 for all). Men had greater than 1.5-greater odds of dying compared with women (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.04-2.80, p = 0.03). Sex modified the association of peak CRP with both death and ICU admission, with stronger associations observed in men compared with women (death: OR 9.19, 95% CI 4.29-19.7, p <0.0001 in men vs OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.52-5.18, p = 0.009 in women, Pinteraction = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: In a sample of 781 men and women hospitalized with COVID-19 infection, men exhibited more robust inflammatory activation as evidenced by higher initial and peak inflammatory markers, as well as worse clinical outcomes. Better understanding of sex differences in immune responses to COVID-19 infection may shed light on the pathophysiology of COVID-19 infection.
Contextual Complications in Analytical Modeling: When the Problem is Not the Problem

In this essay, I describe 10 critical complicating factors that directly affect the six basic modeling components of problem definition, assumptions, decision variables, objective functions, constr...
Lattice Congruences and Dilworth’s Decomposition of Relatively Complemented Lattices

At the focus of “The structure of relatively complemented lattices,” which is Dilworth [6], is the following theorem
Responses of Murine Tumors and Normal Tissues

The data presented in Chapters 2 and 3 amply demonstrate that mild heating can kill cells and also that such heating accentuates the cytotoxicity of many anticancer agents. But it is a long way from experimental results on cell systems to the clinical use of hyperthermia. The next step in the usual hierarchy of experimental escalation is a demonstration that heat, either by itself or in cooperation with the more classical modalities, has beneficial effects against transplanted tumors in murine systems. By beneficial effects I do not only mean that tumors can be caused to regress or to be sterilized, but that this can be done without causing excessive damage to appropriate critical normal tissue. In this chapter I am going to provide evidence that demonstrates conclusively that some murine tumors can be eradicated by time-temperature profiles that cause only minimal normal tissue damage. The finding is not universal: other murine tumors appear to be more heat resistant, and their sterilization by heat alone can only be accomplished at the cost of considerable and perhaps excessive local tissue damage. I will also present data on combined heat-X-ray and heat-drug treatments; some of the heat-resistant tumors can be controlled effectively by these.
Experienced Hedge Fund Activists

Using a sample of 269 activist events from 1994 to 2005, we show that targets of experienced hedge fund activists earn higher long-term stock returns than targets of less experienced activists or a matched target sample. Hedge fund expertise includes past industry experience in the hedge fund’s industry of specialization or prior portfolio management/ leadership experience at similar hedge funds. Experienced activists also boast better overall hedge fund performance. Investigating the sources of performance, we find that more experienced activists follow a well defined course of action by initially putting the target firm “on notice” that the hedge fund may become more aggressive. If target firm performance does not improve quickly, these activists typically turn hostile by initiating and often winning proxy fights, making proxy threats, forcing targets to sign standstill agreements, and/or agitating for and frequently getting the sale of the target firm. Importantly, ours is the first study to document large-scale evidence that hedge fund activism can lead to superior long-term target firm and hedge fund performance and to document the source of this outperformance. These results provide compelling evidence of skill among certain hedge fund managers – those with the experience and expertise to engage in activism.
Maternal Zinc Deprivation and Interleukin-1 Influence Metallothionein Gene Expression and Zinc Metabolism of Rats

The influence of maternal dietary zinc intake and recombinant human interleukin-1 alpha (rhIL-1 alpha) administration on metallothionein gene expression and the distribution of 65Zn were investigated. Pregnant rats were fed diets containing 1, 5, 30 or 180 mg Zn/kg diet in an equalized regime from d 13-20 of gestation. Metallothionein gene expression was examined by Northern blot and dot blot hybridization using combined 60-mer oligonucleotides specific for rat metallothionein-1 and -2 genes. Expression was progressively depressed in the fetal livers and livers and kidneys of dams fed diets marginal (5 mg/kg) and deficient (1 mg/kg) in zinc content. Administration of rhIL-1 alpha increased expression in maternal liver, placenta and in fetal liver of dams fed adequate or deficient diets. Kinetics of intravenously administered 65Zn showed that in response to rhIL-1 alpha, there was a higher uptake by the maternal liver and bone marrow with less 65Zn uptake by bone, intestine and plasma activity compared to controls. No change was observed in 65Zn taken up by the placenta or transferred to the fetus. Alteration of metallothionein gene expression could represent, in part, the mechanism whereby altered effects of zinc metabolism and function are mediated during fetal development.
Diagnostic Delay in a Case of HSV Encephalitis (P4.314)

OBJECTIVE: We present a case of atypical HSV encephalitis. BACKGROUND: HSV encephalitis is typically characterized by fevers, headaches, seizures, focal neurological deficits and impaired consciousness. Atypical form, resulting in a delay in the diagnosis, may be observed in immunocompromised patients. DESIGN/METHODS: Case Report: A 57 year old gentleman diagnosed with Precursor B Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia was admitted to the hospital for cycle 4 of Rituximab, methotrexate, cytarabine and intrathecal chemotherapy. Post chemotherapy, he developed fevers, acute renal failure and thrombocytopenia. Hemodialysis was initiated. 5 weeks later, he deteriorated (GCS 5 without focality) and required intubation. 8 weeks later, he developed focal myoclonic jerks. At 11 weeks, because of lack of clinical improvement, goals were changed to comfort measures. RESULTS: Flair, T2 and DWI MRI brain without gadolinium, at 5 and 6 weeks post chemotherapy, revealed multiple punctate foci of diffusion abnormality in both cerebral hemispheres suspicious for embolic infarcts. ADC was unremarkable. MRI at 8 weeks revealed worsening of previous findings with bilateral diffuse hyperintensities in hippocampi, insula, cingulate gyri and linear hyperintensities in superior and middle frontal gyri at high convexities. ADC remained unremarkable. EEG at 8 weeks revealed generalized spike/polyspike wave complexes time- locked with right hemibody jerks. CSF examination revealed 20 RBCs and 12 WBCs (lymphocytic predominance), glucose 56 mg/dl and elevated proteins 58 mg/dl. CSF PCR was positive for HSV-1. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis of HSV encephalitis with altered mental status, without focal deficits is confounding. At the onset of this condition, multiple small punctate hyperintensities on DWI, flair and T2 may be noted, raising a question of multiple strokes; thus delaying the diagnosis. Increased clinical suspicion for HSV encephalitis and a low threshold for performing lumbar-puncture should be maintained especially in immunocompromised patients. Disclosure: Dr. Modak has nothing to disclose. Dr. McMahon has nothing to disclose. Dr. Prasad has nothing to disclose.
Methods for Characterization of Receptors Based on Receptor-Mediated Responses in Tissue or Intact Cell Preparations

The previous chapter described the evolution of the receptor concept and the early appreciation for the complexity that can exist between receptor occupancy and the ultimate physiological response. The content of the present chapter (1) summarizes some of the methods used to characterize the specificity of the receptor which elicits an observed response, and (2) outlines methods for determining the affinity constants of agonist, partial agonist, and antagonist agents. It will become clear to the reader that these latter methods exploit early insights regarding efficacy and receptor reserve.
Effects of Remote Stimulation on the Mean Firing Rate of Cat Retinal Ganglion Cells

Visual stimulation outside the classical receptive field can have pronounced effects on cat retinal ganglion cells. We characterized the effects of such stimulation by varying the contrast, spatial frequency, temporal frequency, and spatial extent of remote drifting sinusoidal gratings. We found that the mean firing rate of some X-cells and most Y-cells increased to remote gratings of low spatial frequency and high temporal frequency and decreased to ones of high spatial frequency and low temporal frequency. At least 10–20% contrast was required to see either effect, which quickly saturated at higher contrasts. Both effects were substantial, raising or lowering the mean rate of some cells by over 40 impulses/sec. Classical receptive field mechanisms were not involved because the remote gratings caused little or no response modulation. We conclude that, in addition to a mean-increasing mechanism known from previous work, a mean-decreasing one operates in the cat retina. This mechanism prefers slower motion and resolves finer patterns than the mean-increasing one. We incorporate these findings into a model consisting of pools of small and large rectifying subunits of opposite polarity. Model estimates of subunit radius were primarily independent of eccentricity and averaged ∼0.15 and ∼0.60° for the mean-decreasing and mean-increasing mechanisms, respectively. This makes the subunits approximately the center size of central X- and Y-cells. Because smooth movements of the eyes, head, or body should engage these mechanisms under natural conditions, we propose that the mean rate changes that would ensue are functionally relevant to cat vision.
The Nanomaterial Data Curation Initiative: A collaborative approach to assessing, evaluating, and advancing the state of the field

The Nanomaterial Data Curation Initiative (NDCI), a project of the National Cancer Informatics Program Nanotechnology Working Group (NCIP NanoWG), explores the critical aspect of data curation within the development of informatics approaches to understanding nanomaterial behavior. Data repositories and tools for integrating and interrogating complex nanomaterial datasets are gaining widespread interest, with multiple projects now appearing in the US and the EU. Even in these early stages of development, a single common aspect shared across all nanoinformatics resources is that data must be curated into them. Through exploration of sub-topics related to all activities necessary to enable, execute, and improve the curation process, the NDCI will provide a substantive analysis of nanomaterial data curation itself, as well as a platform for multiple other important discussions to advance the field of nanoinformatics. This article outlines the NDCI project and lays the foundation for a series of papers on nanomaterial data curation. The NDCI purpose is to: 1) present and evaluate the current state of nanomaterial data curation across the field on multiple specific data curation topics, 2) propose ways to leverage and advance progress for both individual efforts and the nanomaterial data community as a whole, and 3) provide opportunities for similar publication series on the details of the interactive needs and workflows of data customers, data creators, and data analysts. Initial responses from stakeholder liaisons throughout the nanoinformatics community reveal a shared view that it will be critical to focus on integration of datasets with specific orientation toward the purposes for which the individual resources were created, as well as the purpose for integrating multiple resources. Early acknowledgement and undertaking of complex topics such as uncertainty, reproducibility, and interoperability is proposed as an important path to addressing key challenges within the nanomaterial community, such as reducing collateral negative impacts and decreasing the time from development to market for this new class of technologies.
Survival and toxicity following sequential multimodality treatment including whole abdominopelvic radiotherapy for patients with desmoplastic small round cell tumor.

Abstract Background and purpose Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare, aggressive malignancy. We report survival rates and toxicity associated with sequential multimodality treatment including whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy (WART). Material and methods Medical records of 32 patients with DSRCT treated at our institution were reviewed. Patients underwent chemotherapy, cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC), followed by WART with intensity-modulated radiation or volumetric-modulated arc therapy. Results Median overall survival (OS) was 60 months. After 18 months of follow-up, 20 patients (62.5%) had disease recurrence and median disease-free survival (DFS) was 10 months. Median time to extrahepatic abdominal failure was 19.4 months. Factors affecting time to local progression included liver metastases at diagnosis, and an interval of greater than 5.6 months between diagnosis and HIPEC or greater than 2.1 months between HIPEC and WART. None of these factors altered OS. Grade 3 or higher toxicities occurred in 84% of patients. Conclusions WART following chemotherapy, surgical cytoreduction and HIPEC is an aggressive treatment for DSRCT patients and can result in severe side effects. Our median OS of 5 years is favorable compared to prior studies, despite a median DFS of only 10 months, which may be due to improved salvage therapies.
Complications of the afferent antireflux valve mechanism in the Kock ileal reservoir

AbstractPurpose: Since 1982 the Kock ileal reservoir has been the primary form of urinary diversion in patients requiring lower urinary tract reconstruction at our institution. The intussuscepted afferent nipple valve of the Kock ileal reservoir is designed to prevent reflux and protect the upper urinary tract. Problems associated specifically with the afferent antireflux valve have been few. We defined and characterized all complications associated with the Kock pouch antireflux nipple valve.Materials and Methods: From November 1984 through July 1992, 802 patients underwent construction of a continent Kock ileal reservoir. All complications associated with the afferent antireflux valve in this group and their management were identified.Results: Overall, 79 of 802 patients (9.8 percent) had a total of 84 complications of the afferent antireflux valve (10.4 percent), including formation of stones on staples securing the afferent nipple valve in 42 cases (5.2 percent), stenosis of the afferent valve in 35 (...
Helical amphipathic moment: application to plasma lipoproteins

Abstract The association of apolipoproteins with surfaces occurs with the development of an α-helix in which polar and non-polar faces are formed. The helix locates at the lipid-water interface with the polar face directed toward the aqueous phase and the non-polar face penetrating into the lipid phase. The energetics of this arrangement have been quantified by vector addition of the free energies of transfer of amino acids from water to hydrocarbon to give a resultant helical amphipathic moment. It is shown that the mean residue helical amphipathic moments of the apolipoproteins are consistently higher than those of membrane spanning proteins.
Accounting for elastic energy storage in McKibben artificial muscle actuators

The McKibben artificial muscle is a pneumatic actuator whose properties include a very high force to weight ratio. This characteristic makes it very attractive for a wide range of applications such as mobile robots and prosthetic appliances for the disabled. In this paper, after reviewing previous attempts at modeling, we present a model that includes a non-linear, Mooney-Rivlin mathematical description of the actuators internal bladder. Experimental results show that the model provides significant improvement in the ability to predict output force as a function of input pressure and actuator length. However, a discrepancy between model and experiment, albeit smaller than previous models, still exists. A number of frictional factors may be responsible for this discrepancy, which we empirically model as a function of pressure. The end result is a model that incorporates properties of the actuator's exterior braid kinematics, interior bladder materials, and an empirical component describing lumped frictional effects that accurately predicts performance (r2<0.96) for actuators of three different sizes.
Mixed convection from a horizontal line source of heat

Utilisation de la methode des expansions asymptotiques couplees a l'analyse de l'ecoulement de convection mixte stationnaire a une grande distance a l'aval d'une source horizontale lineaire de chaleur de longueur infinie
Academics and entrepreneurs: Factors affecting the quality and utility of government-sponsored research

Evaluations of the factors contributing to the quality and utility of sponsored research have indicated that characteristics of the researchers and funding arrangements tend to explain differences among projects. This article examines the validity of assumptions about the effects of organizational environment, funding level, and project duration on the outcome of funded research. The results of this study suggest a need to reexamine ideas about the determinants of research quality and utility, and implications for managers of research studies are drawn from the findings.