cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leegin Creative Leather Products, Inc. v. PSKS, Inc.: The Strange Career of the Law of Resale Price Maintenance

The article tells the long, fascinating and sometimes hardly credible story of the law of resale price maintenance (RPM). The 1911 Dr. Miles decision, overruled by Leegin, was one of the oldest and most important in the history of antitrust in that it extended the coverage of the Sherman Act from competitor ("horizontal") to buyer-seller ("vertical") agreements, holding manufacturer-dealer RPM agreements illegal per se. Eight years later the Court in effect overruled Dr. Miles in the Colgate case (at the urging of defendant's counsel, former Justice Charles Evan Hughes, the author of Dr. Miles) by making a non-existent distinction between express and tacit agreements. It then effectively overruled Colgate in turn by ignoring the supposed distinction. In 1937 Congress negated Dr. Miles by authorizing the states to pass "fair trade" legislation permitting RPM, but in 1975 repealed the authorization, restoring Dr. Miles to full health. Two years later, Dr. Miles was again effectively overruled by the Court's adoption in the seminal Sylvania decision of the Chicago school of economics' skeptical view of antitrust and per se rules. It was further undermined, if possible, by the Court's revival of the Colgate doctrine and by making the necessary agreement hard to prove. The seemingly shocking Leegin decision, therefore, in fact merely made the overruling explicit. Justice Breyer, joined by Justices Stevens, Souter, and Ginsberg, vigorously dissented, apparently relying more on stare decisis than on the merits of Dr. Miles, a reliance much weakened by the Court's prior overruling of two cases on closely related issues. The paper also briefly discusses the very limited present day relevance and usefulness of the traditional per se/rule of reason distinction, and debunks the Court's conventional assertion that it adopts a per se rule only after long experience with the restraint. The history of the law of RPM illustrates, at its end and at its beginning that ideology can have more to do than economics or logic with the making of antitrust law, paralleling its role in constitutional law. Leegin also makes clear that the newly reconstituted Court remains committed to the Chicago school view of antitrust and has a flexible approach to stare decisis.
Density-functional theory molecular dynamics simulations of a-HfO2/Ge(100)(2 × 1) and a-ZrO2/Ge(100)(2 × 1) interface passivation

The structural properties of a-HfO2/Ge(2 × 1)-(001) and a-ZrO2/Ge(2 × 1)-(001) interfaces were investigated with and without a GeOx interface interlayer using density-functional theory (DFT) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Realistic a-HfO2 and a-ZrO2 samples were generated using a hybrid classical-DFT MD "melt-and-quench" approach and tested against experimental properties. The oxide/Ge stacks were annealed at 700 K, cooled to 0 K, and relaxed providing the system with enough freedom to form realistic interfaces. For each high-K/Ge stack type, two systems with single and double interfaces were investigated. All stacks were free of midgap states; however, stacks with a GeO(x) interlayer had band-edge states which decreased the band gaps by 0%-30%. These band-edge states were mainly produced by under-coordinated Ge atoms in GeO(x) layer or its vicinity due to deformation, intermixing, and bond-breaking. The DFT-MD simulations show that electronically passive interfaces can be formed either directly between high-K dielectrics and Ge or with a monolayer of GeO2 if the processing does not create or properly passivate under-coordinated Ge atoms and Ge's with significantly distorted bonding angles. Comparison to the charge states of the interfacial atoms from DFT to experimental x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results shows that while most studies of gate oxide on Ge(001) have a GeO(x) interfacial layer, it is possible to form an oxide/Ge interface without a GeO(x) interfacial layer. Comparison to experiments is consistent with the dangling bonds in the suboxide being responsible for midgap state formation.
Overcoming roundoff errors in the first-order amplitude for general state-to-state transitions in hydrogen by projectile impact

A computer program to calculate the amplitude for general state-to-state transitions in hydrogen from the analytical result has the potential for significant numerical round-off errors whenever the sum of the angular momenta of the two states is greater than four and the projectile’s impact parameter is less than the ratio of its energy to velocity. This arises from high-order cancellation of terms in the MacDonald functions in that analytical result, whose polynomial portions have been found to obey a new multiplication theorem. The cost for correcting this instability is the replacement of a finite series of MacDonald functions by an infinite series via the multiplication theorem for the full MacDonald function.
Comparison of Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy with Combustion and Chemical Methods for Soil Carbon Measurements in Agricultural Soils

ABSTRACTAs interest in soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics increases, so do needs for rapid, accurate, and inexpensive methods for quantifying SOC. Objectives were to i) evaluate near infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy potential to determine SOC and soil organic matter (SOM) in soils from across Tennessee, USA; and ii) evaluate potential upper limits of SOC from forest, pasture, no-tillage, and conventional tilled sites. Samples were analyzed via dry-combustion (SOC), Walkley–Black chemical SOM, and NIR. In addition, the sample particle size was classified to give five surface roughness levels to determine effects of particle size on NIR. Partial least squares regression was used to develop a model for predicting SOC as measured by NIR by comparing against SOM and SOC. Both NIR and SOM correlated well (R2 > 0.9) with SOC (combustion). NIR is therefore considered a sufficiently accurate method for quantifying SOC in soils of Tennessee, with pasture and forested systems having the greatest accumulations...
An improved crossover operator of genetic algorithm

In order to effectively overcome the disadvantages of traditional Genetic Algorithm which converge slowly and easily run into local extremism,an improved crossover operator of genetic algorithms was proposed.This operator used the autoadaptive crossover probability and entrusted individual having big irrelevance index with a big elected probability to carry on the crossing operation;The two generations competitive selective operator was designed to improve the traditional genetic algorithm based on roulette.In a simulative example of multi-peaks function,the proposed method can reduce useless crossover effectively and thus the convergence speed and the search capability are greatly improved when compared with the elitist reserved genetic algorithm that keeps best strategy.As a result,the average convergence generations and the probability of getting optimal result are superior to the elitist reserved genetic algorithm.
Surveying employment listings to inform curricula of environmental science degree programs

Environmental Science has emerged as a common bachelor’s of science (B.S.) degree at colleges and universities throughout the USA, with growing enrollment and more than 1100 degrees offered. Many B.S. degrees in Environmental Science emphasize broad, cross-disciplinary training, but may lack in discipline-specific skills that promote job placement. The objective of this study is to identify characteristics in the job market that will guide curricula decisions and improve career preparedness for Environmental Science students. A survey was conducted of entry level employment listings for students with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science. Listings were obtained from seven unique websites chosen to represent diversity in employer types and were evaluated to characterize job type, title, duties, and qualifications. The survey evaluated 124 job listings out of more than 1000 search returns identified from local, state, and federal governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. In 94 % of the jobs surveyed, one or more different degrees met the educational requirement, showing that environmental science students apply for the same positions as students from a number of other disciplines, including biology, environmental engineering, geology, agricultural sciences, and chemistry. This emphasizes a need for environmental science students to differentiate themselves from students with other science degrees with skills relevant to job duties. Jobs specific to environmental science were more common at state and local government levels than in the private sector or federal government. Technical job duties commonly included soil science, fisheries/wildlife management, research/lab work, and ecological research, all of which are commonly part of environmental science curriculum. Writing regulatory documents, project management, and leadership were identified as important job duties that could be emphasized in environmental science curriculum for better career preparation. More than half of the listings dealt directly with environmental permitting, compliance, or enforcement and emphasize technical writing of regulatory documents. Environmental site assessment was mentioned in many listings as both a duty and a qualification for the job. Supervisory and project management duties were part of almost half of the job listings. These results suggest areas where universities can develop environmental science curriculum to help students gain experience and improve job success.
Aiding Strangers: Generalized Trust and the Moral Basis of Public Support for Foreign Development Aid

Why do publics in donor countries support development foreign aid? Focusing on material factors, ideology, and identities, the literature has largely neglected the moral basis of foreign aid attitudes. I argue that generalized trust, defined as the belief in the integrity and trustworthiness of people, is a crucial component of the moral calculus of publics in donor countries. Using data from independently conducted surveys of global (World Values Survey) and American mass publics (Core Values Project Survey), I show that generalized trusters are more likely to aid the have-nots of the world than those who lack trust in people. This finding indicates that the bonds of trust expand the boundaries of global justice. By illuminating the role generalized trust plays in shaping donor public attitudes towards development foreign aid, this study helps improve the political economy, ideology, and identity models of aid, contributing to the literatures on foreign aid and foreign policy attitudes, and to theories of cosmopolitan global justice.
The effects of coronary revascularization on left ventricular function in ischemic heart disease

Although it is well established that coronary revascularization can reverse exercise-induced ischemic dysfunction, the effects on resting ventricular performance are controversial. From a group of 183 patients receiving surgical therapy for ischemic heart disease, 166 underwent bypass graft arteriography at an average of 7 to 14 days postoperatively. In 149 patients, satisfactory preoperative and postoperative biplane left ventriculograms were obtained. Regional wall motion was assessed by the 100 segment method of Sheehan and Dodge, and a perioperative change in shortening greater than 2 standard deviations of normal variability over 20 or more adjacent segments was considered significant Ninety-five patients had stable or progressive angina, 88 had medically refractory unstable angina, 155 were in New York Heart Association Class IV, and 37 had a preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 0.4. Myocardial integrity was preserved with crystalloid cardioplegia and topical hypothermia. Seven hundred ninety-eight bypass grafts were performed (522 vein grafts and 276 mammary artery grafts), and 13 patients had concomitant left ventricular aneurysmectomy. Hospital mortality was 2.2%. The overall early graft patency rate was 95.9% (93.7% for vein grafts and 100% for mammary arteries). Only one patient had a decrement in regional wall motion, and 51 (37 %) had significant postoperative improvement (27 in the unstable angina group and 24 in the stable angina group); in the patients with improved regional wall motion, ejection fraction increased by an average of 0.18 (p
The Total Synthesis of (−)-Tetrodotoxin: A Historical Account

Abstract Tetrodotoxin, the toxic venom component of the puffer fish or fugu , has been a formidable and fascinating challenge for synthetic chemists since the elucidation of its structure in 1964 by Robert Woodward. Its first synthesis, accomplished in racemic form by the Kishi group in 1972, stands as one of the greatest achievements in the field of total synthesis within that decade. Nevertheless, its intricate and difficult structure, loaded with quaternary carbon centers and base-labile functionalities, was finally conquered when its enantiomerically pure synthesis was accomplished separately by the Isobe and Du Bois groups in 2003. This chapter focuses on the key aspects of each synthetic route and the reasoning via retrosynthetic analyses for their applications to the construction of the tetrodotoxin scaffold.
Oximetry and capnography monitoring

Summary Perioperative morbidity and mortality are greatest in childhood. This has been attributed to a large extent to perioperative hypoxic events. The introduction of pulse oximetry and capnography into pediatric anesthetic practice has dramatically decreased the frequency of hypoxic events and airway mishaps. Indeed, these monitors have proved to be more sensitive at detecting adverse events than has our clinical acumen. Since oximetry and capnography have become minimum standards for anesthetic care, it is my belief that perioperative morbidity and mortality will decrease. The inclusion of these two monitors in pediatric care may be the most important contributions to monitoring since the precordial stethoscope.
History of Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS): A Tribute to the Founding Fathers (P05.259)

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the historical landmarks of EMG and NCS development by reviewing the major discoveries and publications of Bronk, Denny-Brown, Larrabee and Lambert. BACKGROUND: In 1771, Galvani Showed that electrical stimulation of muscular tissue produces contraction and force. This electrical response was not quantified until the development of improved recording equipment including the cathode ray oscilloscope by Gasser and Erlanger in 1922 and the amplifier and the oscillograph by Matthews in 1928. The first modern EMG machine was constructed by Jasper in 1942 at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. DESIGN/METHODS: Review of the original publications of Bronk, Denny-Brown, Larrabee, Lambert and their colleagues. RESULTS: In 1929, Adrian and Bronk devised a method to record a single motor unit action potential (MUAP) in human subjects by connecting concentric and bipolar needle electrodes to an amplifier and a loud speaker. In 1938, Denny-Brown and Pennybacker recorded and described fasciculations, or action potentials of single contracting or spontaneously firing motor units. They also separated fasciculations from the action potentials of single dennervated muscle fibers and thus described fibrillations. Toward the end of World War II, Larrabee, Hodes and German began measuring the combined potential of individual muscle fibers from the surface of the muscle after stimulating the supplying nerve percutaneously; later known as compound muscle action potential (CMAP). They also quantified the differences in CMAP waveforms when stimulating above and below the site of peripheral nerve injury in war victims. In 1957, Lambert and Eaton described the electrophysiologic features of a newly recognized disease they called the myasthenic syndrome sometimes associated with lung carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Bronk and Denny-Brown should be credited for characterizing the normal and abnormal MUAPs respectively. Larrabee and Hodes were the first to generate and record CMAP. Lambert and Eaton differentiated pre- from post-synaptic neuromuscular transmission disorders. Disclosure: Dr. Kazamel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Province has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alsharabati has nothing to disclose. Dr. Oh has nothing to disclose.
Convergence of Sex Differences and the Neuroimmune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The male bias in autism spectrum disorder incidence is among the most extreme of all neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the origins of the sex difference remain obscure. Developmentally, males are exposed to high levels of testosterone and its byproduct, estradiol. Together these steroids modify the course of brain development by altering neurogenesis, cell death, migration, differentiation, dendritic and axonal growth, synaptogenesis, and synaptic pruning, all of which can be deleteriously impacted during the course of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Elucidating the cellular mechanisms by which steroids modulate brain development provides valuable insights into how these processes may go awry. An emerging theme is the role of inflammatory signaling molecules and the innate immune system in directing brain masculinization, the evidence for which we review here. Evidence is also emerging that the neuroimmune system is overactivated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These combined observations lead us to propose that the natural process of brain masculinization puts males at risk by moving them closer to a vulnerability threshold that could more easily be breached by inflammation during critical periods of brain development. Two brain regions are highlighted: the preoptic area and the cerebellum. Both are developmentally regulated by the inflammatory prostaglandin E2, but in different ways. Microglia, innate immune cells of the brain, and astrocytes are also critical contributors to masculinization and illustrate the importance of nonneuronal cells to the health of the developing brain.
Single Network Adaptive Critics Networks - Development, Analysis, and Applications

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Approximate Dynamic Programing SNAC J-SNAC Finite-SNAC Conclusions References ]]>
Design of ADCs and DACs using 3-state quantum DOT gate FETs

This paper presents the circuit model of 3-state quantum dot gate FETs and design of three bit Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and Digital to Analog (DAC) converter based on that model.
Median Middle School: Striving to Rise Above Average

This case was developed for use with future school leaders in an educational setting. There are several topics of discussion that can be developed, including but not limited to policy implementation, the efficacy of professional learning communities, and improving student learning outcomes. The setting is a solidly performing middle school in the third year of implementing a new policy of common assessments through a professional learning committee model. Data are presented about the students, the district, and the teachers involved. Students must support the main player in the story: a new principal who is about to begin work with an established math department in the midst of collaborative crisis.
Anti-Apoptotic Bcl2 and Bcl-Xl Proteins Involved in Stroma-Induced Drug Tolerance to Hsp70 and Hsp90 Inhibitors in Leukemia and B-Cell Lymphoma

Abstract Abstract 4900 Background: Multiple studies have demonstrated that the bone marrow stromal microenvironment contributes to the survival of hematologic malignant cells, eventually leading to relapse. However, molecular mechanisms associated with this stromal niche remain unclear. The human bone marrow stromal cell lines, HS-5 and HS-27, provide physical contact with hematologic cells, while HS-5 cells secrete more growth factors and cytokines than HS-27 stromal cells. Our objective is to dissect the mechanisms underlying stromal-mediated drug tolerance in leukemia and lymphoma cells, which could potentially lead to novel therapies for various leukemia. Methods and Results: A panel of leukemia and B-cell lymphoma cell lines were used in this project, including Kasumi1 (AML: Acute Myeloid Leukemia) and OCILy1 (DLBCL: Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma) cells and their respective sub-lines resistant to heat shock protein-70 and −90 (HSP70/90) inhibitors. To determine the ability of stromal cell lines to confer tolerance to HSP-inhibitors, Kasumi1 and OCILy1 (sensitive and resistant) cells were cultured alone or in the presence of the HS-27 or HS-5 cells with HSP70 inhibitor or HSP90 inhibitor for 48h. The resulting cultures were then harvested and analyzed for apoptosis and by western blot. Both HS-5 and HS-27 stromal cells markedly protected OCILy1 and Kasumi1 cells from HSP70 inhibitor induced apoptosis. At a dose of 0.5 μM, % apoptotic cells were 74.0±1.6% for OCILy1 alone, 38.3±2.1% for OCILy1 with HS-5 and 42.2±1.8% for OCILY1 with HS-27. At a dose of 1 μM of HSP90 inhibitor, apoptosis rate are 61.9±1.5% for OCILy1 alone, 28.2±2.2% for OCILy1 with HS-5 and 36.4±1.9% for OCILy1 with HS-27. A similar HSP inhibitor induced apoptosis was also observed in Kasumi1 cells. In contrast, both Kasumi1 and OCILy1 HSP70/90 inhibitor resistant sub-lines in the presence or absence of the stromal cells did not respond to treatment with respective inhibitors. Further study reveals the stromal cells up-modulated the expression of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl2 and Bcl-xL in both Kasumi and OCILY1 cells. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the stromal niche is able to mediate tolerance to HSP70 and HSP90 inhibitors in Leukemia and B-cell lymphoma via up-regulation of antiapoptotic proteins such as Bcl2 and Bcl-xL. The Bcl2 protein is deregulated and plays a crucial role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with the t(14;18) translocation. Our finding elucidates one of the drug-specific mechanisms that suggest a promising combination therapy targeting both HSP70 and HSP90 to reduce antineoplastic resistance and relapse, and thereby improve survival for patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Pediatric Drug Formulations - Unintended Consequences of Legislation.

Recent legislation promotes the development of formulations for children of medications usually taken by adults. However, these new liquid dosage forms have sharply increased costs, as compared with the tablet forms sold for adults.
Feasibility Study: Subgoal Graphs on State Lattices.

Search using subgoal graphs is a recent preprocessing-based path-planning algorithm that can find shortest paths on 8-neighbor grids several orders of magnitude faster than A*, while requiring little preprocessing time and memory overhead. In this paper, we first generalize the ideas behind subgoal graphs to a framework that can be specialized to different types of environments (represented as weighted directed graphs) through the choice of a reachability relation. Intuitively, a reachability relation identifies pairs of vertices for which a shortest path can be found quickly. A subgoal graph can then be constructed as an overlay graph that is guaranteed to have edges only between vertices that satisfy the reachability relation, which allows one to find shortest paths on the original graph quickly. In the context of this general framework, subgoal graphs on grids use freespace-reachability (originally called h-reachability) as the reachability relation, which holds for pairs of vertices if and only if their distance on the grid with blocked cells is equal to their distance on the grid without blocked cells (freespace assumption). We apply this framework to state lattices by using variants of freespace-reachability as the reachability relation. We provide preliminary results on (x,y,theta)-state lattices, which shows that subgoal graphs can be used to speed up path planning on state lattices as well, although the speed-up is not as significant as it is on grids.
Upper Extremity Infections

Infections of the hand and upper extremity are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Because the hand is well vascularized, most infections in healthy patients can be treated successfully with antibiotics. Early recognition of patients who require surgical management for infections is imperative. Urgent, or emergent, treatment is indicated for immunocompromised patients, septic flexor tenosynovitis, and necrotizing fasciitis.
Bi-directional and shared epigenomic signatures following proton and 56 Fe irradiation

The brain's response to radiation exposure is an important concern for patients undergoing cancer therapy and astronauts on long missions in deep space. We assessed whether this response is specific and prolonged and is linked to epigenetic mechanisms. We focused on the response of the hippocampus at early (2-weeks) and late (20-week) time points following whole body proton irradiation. We examined two forms of DNA methylation, cytosine methylation (5mC) and hydroxymethylation (5hmC). Impairments in object recognition, spatial memory retention, and network stability following proton irradiation were observed at the two-week time point and correlated with altered gene expression and 5hmC profiles that mapped to specific gene ontology pathways. Significant overlap was observed between DNA methylation changes at the 2 and 20-week time points demonstrating specificity and retention of changes in response to radiation. Moreover, a novel class of DNA methylation change was observed following an environmental challenge (i.e. space irradiation), characterized by both increased and decreased 5hmC levels along the entire gene body. These changes were mapped to genes encoding neuronal functions including postsynaptic gene ontology categories. Thus, the brain's response to proton irradiation is both specific and prolonged and involves novel remodeling of non-random regions of the epigenome.
Seismic Response of a Yielding Structure Coupled with a Rocking Wall

AbstractThis paper investigates the inelastic response of a yielding single-degree-of-freedom oscillator coupled with a rocking wall. Configurations of both a stepping rocking wall and a pinned roc...
Crayfish can distinguish between natural and chemical stimuli as assessed by cardiac and locomotor reactions

In this study, cardiac and locomotor activities of signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus were investigated under exposure to a range of natural (i.e., odors of conspecific crayfish, predatory fish, food, and injured conspecific) and one chemical (i.e., disinfectant chloramine-T) stimuli. Crayfish locomotion was simultaneously initiated with an increase in heart rate only when affected by chloramine-T, while locomotor response was delayed in all cases (or was not manifested at all by some specimens) when disturbed by the natural stressors. The heart rate differences measured before and during the stimulation were arranged as follows: odor of conspecific crayfish (9.2 ± 7.1%) < predator (18.4 ± 13%) < food (33.5 ± 15.7%) < chloramine-T (41.1 ± 14.7%) < injured conspecific (51.8 ± 28.4%). Analysis of the peculiarities of crayfish heartbeat under exposure to the tested stimuli revealed complex cardiac responses as was previously observed by an electrocardiography approach, that is, a slowed heart rate followed by a delayed increase. Evaluation of the intrinsic parameters of crayfish bioindicators remains essential due to the possibility of detection of the substantial ethological responses even in motionless animals. The role and appropriateness of signal crayfish as a bioindicator of water quality is discussed; they seem to be an applicable species for this task due to their sufficient sensitivity and broad availability. In addition to providing a better understanding of stereotypic crayfish behaviors induced by common and chemical stressors, the results of this study may serve as reference data for the evaluation of crayfish suitability for water quality tests.
Christianity and Psychoanalysis, Part 1: Jesus as the Anti-Oedipus:

Basic connections between Freudian psychoanalytic theory and Christian theology are explored. The locus is on the Oedipus complex, the origin of neurosis in Freudian theory; it is argued that Oedip...
Patient Safety in the PICU

Preventable harm is an unfortunate reality of care in the PICU. While this harm may result from infections, medication errors, diagnostic error, procedure complications among other causes, valid and reliable metrics are largely unavailable. Based on safety science, the problem of to harm to patients is a system problem of hazards and risks and not one of errors. Improvement, in turn, depends on thoughtful design and redesign of systems of care delivery.
OXIDATIVE MYOCYTES OF HEART AND SKELETAL MUSCLE EXPRESS ABUNDANT SARCOMERIC MITOCHONDRIAL CREATINE KINASE

Sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase catalyzes the reversible transfer of a high energy phosphate between ATP and creatine. To study cellular distribution of the kinase, we performed immunocytochemical studies using a peptide antiserum specific for the kinase protein. Our results demonstrated that the sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase gene is abundantly expressed in heart and skeletal muscle, with no protein detected in other tissues examined, including brain, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, bladder, testis, stomach, intestine, and colon. RNA blot study showed that there is no detectable expression of the kinase mRNA in the thymus gland. In heart and skeletal muscle, the kinase protein is expressed in atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes and a subpopulation of skeletal myofibres. In skeletal muscle, fast myosin heavy chain co-localization studies demonstrated that the sarcomeric mitochondrial creatine kinase is highly expressed in type 1, slow-oxidative and type 2A, fast-oxidative-glycolytic myofibres. We conclude that the kinase gene is abundantly expressed in oxidative myocytes of heart and skeletal muscle and may contribute to oxidative capacity of these cells.
Identification of cell types in a mouse brain single-cell atlas using low sampling coverage.

High throughput methods for profiling the transcriptomes of single cells have recently emerged as transformative approaches for large-scale population surveys of cellular diversity in heterogeneous primary tissues. However, the efficient generation of such atlases will depend on sufficient sampling of diverse cell types while remaining cost-effective to enable a comprehensive examination of organs, developmental stages, and individuals. To examine the relationship between sampled cell numbers and transcriptional heterogeneity in the context of unbiased cell type classification, we explored the population structure of a publicly available 1.3 million cell dataset from E18.5 mouse brain and validated our findings in published data from adult mice. We propose a computational framework for inferring the saturation point of cluster discovery in a single-cell mRNA-seq experiment, centered around cluster preservation in downsampled datasets. In addition, we introduce a “complexity index,” which characterizes the heterogeneity of cells in a given dataset. Using Cajal-Retzius cells as an example of a limited complexity dataset, we explored whether the detected biological distinctions relate to technical clustering. Surprisingly, we found that clustering distinctions carrying biologically interpretable meaning are achieved with far fewer cells than the originally sampled, though technical saturation of rare populations such as Cajal-Retzius cells is not achieved. We additionally validated these findings with a recently published atlas of cell types across mouse organs and again find using subsampling that a much smaller number of cells recapitulates the cluster distinctions of the complete dataset. Together, these findings suggest that most of the biologically interpretable cell types from the 1.3 million cell database can be recapitulated by analyzing 50,000 randomly selected cells, indicating that instead of profiling few individuals at high “cellular coverage,” cell atlas studies may instead benefit from profiling more individuals, or many time points at lower cellular coverage and then further enriching for populations of interest. This strategy is ideal for scenarios where cost and time are limited, though extremely rare populations of interest (< 1%) may be identifiable only with much higher cell numbers.
Wide-area transepithelial sampling with computer-assisted 3-dimensional analysis (WATS) markedly improves detection of esophageal dysplasia and Barrett's esophagus: analysis from a prospective multicenter community-based study

The 4-quadrant forceps biopsy (FB) protocol for identifying Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal dysplasia (ED) suffers from poor sensitivity due to significant sampling error. We investigated the benefit of wide-area transepithelial sampling with 3-dimensional computer-assisted analysis (WATS) used adjunctively to the combination of random and targeted FB in the detection of ED, and as a secondary outcome, BE. In this multicenter prospective trial, community endoscopists at 21 sites utilized WATS as an adjunct to both targeted and random FB in patients undergoing BE screening and surveillance. Investigators alternated taking FB and WATS samples first. WATS specimens were analyzed at CDx Diagnostics (Suffern, NY) while FB samples were analyzed by each site's regular pathologists. Data were de-identified and then aggregated for analysis. Of 12,899 patients enrolled, FB identified 88 cases of ED, and WATS detected an additional 213 cases missed by FB. These 213 cases represented an absolute increase of 1.65%, raising the yield from 0.68% to 2.33%. Adding WATS to FB increased the overall detection of ED by 242% (95% CI: 191%-315%). Fewer than 61 patients needed to be tested with WATS to identify an additional case of ED. The combination of random and targeted FB identified 1,684 cases of BE, and WATS detected an additional 2,570 BE cases. The absolute incremental yield of adding WATS to FB is 19.9%, increasing the rate of detection from 13.1% to 33%. Adding WATS to FB increased the overall detection of BE by 153% (95% CI: 144-162%). The number needed to test with WATS in order to detect an additional case of BE was 5. Whether FB or WATS was done first did not impact the results. In this study, comprised of the largest series of patients evaluated with WATS, adjunctive use of the technique with targeted and random FB markedly improved the detection of both ED and BE. These results underscore the shortcomings of FB in detecting BE-associated neoplasia, which can potentially impact the management and clinical outcomes of these patients.
Arf GAPs as Regulators of the Actin Cytoskeleton—An Update

Arf GTPase-activating proteins (Arf GAPs) control the activity of ADP-ribosylation factors (Arfs) by inducing GTP hydrolysis and participate in a diverse array of cellular functions both through mechanisms that are dependent on and independent of their Arf GAP activity. A number of these functions hinge on the remodeling of actin filaments. Accordingly, some of the effects exerted by Arf GAPs involve proteins known to engage in regulation of the actin dynamics and architecture, such as Rho family proteins and nonmuscle myosin 2. Circular dorsal ruffles (CDRs), podosomes, invadopodia, lamellipodia, stress fibers and focal adhesions are among the actin-based structures regulated by Arf GAPs. Arf GAPs are thus important actors in broad functions like adhesion and motility, as well as the specialized functions of bone resorption, neurite outgrowth, and pathogen internalization by immune cells. Arf GAPs, with their multiple protein-protein interactions, membrane-binding domains and sites for post-translational modification, are good candidates for linking the changes in actin to the membrane. The findings discussed depict a family of proteins with a critical role in regulating actin dynamics to enable proper cell function.
Chapter 14 – Drosophila Epigenetics

Heritable and dynamic posttranslational modifications of histone proteins serve as the foundation for epigenetic mechanisms underlying gene transcriptional control in eukaryotes. Drosophila melanogaster has proven to be an invaluable model system for unraveling the fundamental role these marks play in various conserved biological processes. In this chapter we will discuss how studies utilizing Drosophila have provided important insights into the function of the generation and maintenance of specific epigenetic patterns in chromatin that govern processes unique to the fly, such as X-linked dosage compensation, and in processes conserved in humans, such as epigenetic mechanisms underlying gene control, position effect variegation, developmental programming, epigenetic inheritance, and neuronal plasticity guiding learning and memory. Finally, we will explore examples of how Drosophila represents a uniquely powerful tool for analyzing the detrimental consequences of aberrations in epigenetic patterns in neurological disorders and thus represent a valuable resource for the development of potential therapeutic interventions.
Cardiovascular Leaders Are Made, not Born.

This article continues my previous thread examining early career viewpoints and turns the discussion to leadership training in the academic and pharmaceutical industries. Specifically, I will examine the characteristics of good leadership and leadership training required to succeed as a cardiovascular researcher in today’s competitive workplace.
Patient engagement in first cycle comprehensive chemotherapy consultation pharmacist services and impact on patient activation.

BackgroundHealthcare systems and policy makers worldwide are demonstrating interest in shared decision making, which requires patient activation. Patient activation can be measured using a validate...
Is Amiodarone Truly a Risk Factor for Primary Graft Dysfunction in Heart Transplantation

Purpose Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after heart transplantation (HTx) is seen in approximately 10-30% of patients immediately post-transplant. The cause of PGD is not clear but may include recipient, donor and peri-operative factors. Most recently, the presence of amiodarone at time of HTx has been associated with development of PGD. The mechanisms of this association are not clear. We sought to confirm this observation in a large single-center study. Methods Between 2010 and 2015, we assessed 364 heart transplant patients. We divided this cohort into those that were on amiodarone at the time of HTx (n=73) and those who were not on amiodarone (n=291). PGD was defined per the ISHLT PGD Grading Scale (mild, moderate, and severe PGD). Patients on amiodarone were further subdivided into those with high-dose (>200 mg daily, n=34) vs low-dose therapy (≤200 mg daily, n=37). Finally, we assessed whether pre-transplant MCS placement in patients on amiodarone affected the development of PGD. Results Patients on amiodarone at the time of HTx did not appear to have increased risk of any grade of PGD vs those not on amiodarone. The dosage of amiodarone (low dose vs high dose) also was similar for patients between groups. MCS placement did not have a significant effect on outcome. (see Table) Conclusion Amiodarone use at the time of HTx (regardless of dose) does not appear to be a risk factor for the development of PGD. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
A Novel Approach for Bump-less Connection of Microgrids with the Grid

Rapidly declining prices of solar PV and storage technologies are leading to widespread deployment of distributed energy resources across the grid at an unprecedented and accelerating pace. Extreme weather events, the need for improved reliability, demand charge reduction, improved power quality, energy arbitrage, fuel diversity, greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, etc. has spurred and renewed interest in microgrids at the customer, community, and utility level. To achieve seamless/bump-less/transient-free transitions between the islanded and grid-connected modes of operation, most commercially available microgrids either operate in or switch into the isochronous control mode to synchronize generation resources and to maintain phase, frequency, and voltage prior to reconnecting the microgrid with the grid. This method of using a centralized microgrid controller and communicating with every DER fails when considering large geographically dispersed microgrids with numerous DERs such as utility-scale microgrids, community microgrids, etc., as centralized control and real-time communication become infeasible. This paper proposes a novel approach using an Island Interconnection Device (IID) for the bump-less connection of multiple islanded microgrids to form a networked microgrid, and reconnect with the grid in a truly decentralized fashion.
On Model Averaging Regression Coefficients

Abstract Model-averaged partial regression coefficients have been criticized for averaging over a set of models with coefficients that have different meanings from model to model. This criticism arises because statisticians since Fisher believe that the meaning of a coefficient in a regression model arises from probabilistic conditioning (P(Y|X)) and that coefficients are mere descriptors of conditional association (or “differences in conditional means”). Because this association parameter is conditional on a specific set of covariates, the parameter for a predictor varies from model to model. The coefficients in many applied regression models, however, takes their meaning from causal conditioning (P(Y|do(X))) and these coefficients estimate causal effect parameters (or simply, causal effects or Average Treatment Effects). Causal effect parameters are also differences in conditional expectations, but the event conditioned on is not the set of covariates in a regression model but a hypothetical intervention. Because an effect parameter for a predictor takes its meaning from causal and not probabilistic conditioning, it is the same from model to model, and an averaged coefficient has a straightforward interpretation as an estimate of a causal effect. But, because the effect parameter is the same from model to model, the estimates of the parameter will be biased in all but at most one model. By contrast, with probabilistic conditioning, the coefficients are consistent estimates of their parameter in every model. Confounding and omitted variable bias, which are central to explanatory modeling, are meaningless in regression modeling as mere description.
Clinical consequences of antiphospholipid antibodies: an historic cohort study.

Objective To determine the risk of antiphospholipid antibody-related disorders in women with elevated levels of these antibodies. Methods We used an historic cohort study design. Surveys of medical and obstetric histories for the interval from initial antibody testing to the time of patient interview were used to calculate age-adjusted rates for the development of medical disorders associated with antiphospholipid antibodies. The cohort included 130 women with lupus anticoagulant, medium to high levels of immunoglobulin G anticardiolipin antibodies, or both. Results The median interval of study was 3.2 years (range 0.7-9.5, mean 3.7). Sixty-three subjects (48%) developed at least one new disorder during the study interval. The age-adjusted rates (per 1000 patient-years; +/- standard error) for the development of the disorders studied were as follows: thrombosis (156.8 +/- 30.0), cerebrovascular accident (93.8 +/- 25.1), amaurosis fugax (57.1 +/- 23.2), transient ischemic attack (170.4 +/- 27.6), systemic lupus erythematosus (9.8 +/- 3.8), and autoimmune thrombocytopenia (56.0 +/- 22.2). Of the 34 thrombotic events that occurred during the study interval, eight were associated with pregnancy and eight occurred while the patients were taking anticoagulant medications. Conclusions Our subjects developed complications associated with antiphospholipid antibodies at a substantial rate, and almost half suffered at least one new event during the study interval. The high rate of thrombosis in individuals with antiphospholipid antibodies, especially associated with pregnancy, underscores the need to evaluate long-term anticoagulation in these patients.
Impact of failure to thrive on inpatient mortality and resource utilization in patients with head and neck cancer: A nationwide analysis.

e18531Background: Failure to thrive (FTT), encompassing malnutrition and cachexia, is a common comorbidity afflicting Head and Neck cancer (HNC), brought about either by progression of disease or c...
Initial 6-month quality review of a percutaneous endovascular arteriovenous fistula program.

Background:Percutaneous arteriovenous fistulas have recently proven successful alternatives to surgical arteriovenous fistulas with encouraging initial results. The Ellipsys Endovascular Arterioven...
Bit 2 RNG: Leveraging Bad-page Initialized Table with Bit-error Insertion for True Random Number Generation in Commodity Flash Memory

Nowadays NAND flash memory is the de-facto storage technology that is widely used from compact commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) embedded devices to large-scale cloud computing facilities. Motivated by the growing demand for mobile and Internet-of-Thing (IoT) applications, researchers have proposed many innovative ways to leverage the physical characteristics of memory devices for different security functionalities. However, many existing solutions lack thorough considerations of practical factors such as device aging, implementation cost, and runtime speed, preventing them from being directly adopted for real-world industrial applications. In this work, we present a novel true random number generation method called $Bit^{2}RNG$ that leverages the intrinsic system resources by combining the bad pages and bit errors in NAND flash as a random source. Our solution requires no hardware modifications to the memory chip, its communication interface, or the flash controller, and consumes no additional system memory space. To demonstrate the capability and benefit of the proposed $Bit^{2}RNG$ technology, we explore several lightweight IoT applications including cryptographic key generation, device identification, and data provenance. The experimental results indicate that $Bit^{2}RNG$ is a practical solution with better system performance trade-off compared with other state-of-the-art TRNG techniques.
Comparative Assessment of Physics-Based Computational Models on the NIST Benchmark Study of Molten Pool Dimensions and Microstructure for Selective Laser Melting of Inconel 625

This work presents a comparative assessment of different computation models with considering varying degrees of physics for the challenges within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Additive Manufacturing benchmark problem AMB2018-02. The melt pool geometry, cooling rates, and dendritic microstructure of the single laser scan tracks on bare Inconel 625 plates are predicted by three types of computational models, namely the high fidelity welding model, fluid model, and conduction model for two cases without and with the formation of keyholes. The molten pool geometry in terms of its depth, width, and length as well as the cooling rates at the surface is used for comparing simulated results of various approaches against the NIST experimental results from the two testbeds, which are referred to as the additive manufacturing metrology test bed and commercial build machine (CBM) cases. A comparison of the spatial distribution of cooling rates is also presented to illustrate the importance of using a high fidelity welding model. The thermal gradient and the growth rate of the solid-to-liquid interface are used to predict the primary dendrite arm spacing. It is identified that the high fidelity welding model played a pivotal role in achieving accurate predictions of the CBM cases. The CBM cases with a higher laser energy density resulted in keyhole formation, which led to a high aspect ratio of the molten pool shape. Neglecting the keyhole model leads to large under-predictions of the molten pool depth. Additionally, the correct primary dendrite arm spacing prediction of the CBM cases is only possible with the keyhole model.