cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
5-azacytidine(5- AC), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and valproic acid (VPA) in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML): Molecular and clinical implications

B48 Background: The combination of a hypomethylating agent with a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI) has synergistic activity. The combination of ATRA with either a hypomethylating agent or a HDACI restores ATRA sensitivity in resistant cells. The combination of VPA and ATRA has activity in patients with AML. Based on this, we developed a phase I/II study of the combination of 5-AC, VPA and ATRA for patients with AML.Methods: The dose of 5-AC was fixed: 75 mg/m 2 sq daily x 7. ATRA dose was: 45 mg/m 2 orally daily x 5 starting on day 3. Three dose levels of VPA were studied: 50, 62.5 and 75 mg/kg orally daily x 7. The phase I portion of the study followed a 3+3 design. Phase II was single arm with stopping rules. Patients with relapsed/refractory AML and patients older than 60 years with untreated disease and adequate renal, hepatic functions and performance status were eligible.Results: Thirty one patients were registered and 27 were evaluable. Median age was 60 years (5-78). Median number of prior therapies was 2 (0-5). Twenty three patients (85%) had abnormal cytogenetics. At a VPA dose of 50 mg/kg, 1 of 6 patients developed grade 3 non-hematological toxicity; at 62.5 mg/kg, 2 of 7, and at 75 mg/kg, 3 of 6. The dose limiting toxicity was neurotoxicity including confusion and somnolence. Six patient had a CR (ANC 10 9 /L, plat 100 x 10 9 /L, and a bone marrow with 5% or less blasts), 2 patients had a CRP (same criteria as of CR but without complete platelet recovery), and 1 a complete marrow response (marrow blasts
An investigation of plasma and salivary oxytocin responses in breast‐ and formula‐feeding mothers of infants

Oxytocin (OT) is a peptide increasingly studied in relation to human social interactions, affiliation, and clinical disorders. Studies are constrained by use of invasive blood draws and would benefit from a reliable salivary OT assay. Our goals were to examine feasibility of salivary OT measurement, compare salivary to plasma OT responses in 12 breast- and 8 formula-feeding mothers, and assess the degree of correlation between plasma and salivary OT. Using a commercial EIA kit, we measured OT in 5 saliva and 7 plasma samples in a protocol designed to elicit changes in OT (Rest, Infant Interaction, Stress, Feeding). Breast-feeders had higher OT levels than formula-feeders across all conditions in plasma (+36%) and saliva (+23%). OT levels and ranges were similar in saliva and plasma, with slightly greater variance in saliva. Concurrently sampled plasma and salivary OT were correlated at end of Baseline Rest (r=+.59, p=.022) and Post-Stress Recovery (r=+.59, p=.025). These data suggest that salivary OT assay is feasible, and will be of value where plasma samples are not possible. Validation with larger samples is needed.
Transition to post-operative epidural or patient-controlled intravenous analgesia following total intravenous anaesthesia with remifentanil and propofol for abdominal surgery

Remifentanil is an ultrashort acting mu opioid, well suited to total intravenous (i.v.) anaesthesia. Pain immediately following emergence from anaesthesia is a potential problem because of the rapid offset. This study investigated the transition from remifentanil/propofol total intravenous anaesthesia to post-operative analgesia with epidural or patient controlled analgesia morphine in 22 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. A remifentanil post-operative infusion initiated during emergence was titrated in the recovery room for 30 min, at which time 14% of patients had a pain score of 2 and 86% had pain scores of 0 or 1 (0=no pain; 1=mild pain; 2=moderate pain; 3=severe pain), at a mean infusion rate of 0.086 μg kg−1 min−1. A smooth transition was then made to either epidural analgesia or patient controlled analgesia with morphine; pain scores were not significantly changed during the transition. Nausea occurred in 16 of the 22 patients, but only following administration of morphine. Epidural analgesia produced significantly lower pain scores on the surgical ward compared with patient controlled analgesia.
Fault parameters and tsunami excitation of the May 13, 1993, Shumagin Islands earthquake

The Shumagin Islands earthquake of May 13, 1993, occurred in a previously identified seismic gap where a large subduction earthquake is expected. We analyzed long-period surface waves and P waves recorded on the IRIS stations to estimate the fault parameters. The Centroid Moment Tensor solution shows that the focal mechanism is a thrust type with the strike parallel to the Aleutian trench. The seismic moment is 2.0×1019 Nm and the corresponding moment magnitude is 6.8. The Moment Tensor Rate Function inversion from P waves also yields a similar focal mechanism and seismic moment. In addition, this computation provides estimates of 10 s for the duration of the source time function and 35 km for the best point source depth. These seismological analyses indicate that the fault mechanism of the 1993 earthquake was as expected, but that the magnitude was too small to fill the gap. This earthquake did not generate a tsunami large enough to be observed at the Sand Point, Alaska tide gauge or at an ocean bottom pressure gauge, at distances of 100 and 300 km, respectively. Numerical tsunami simulations result in amplitudes at both stations that are within the background noise level. Additional numerical experiments also suggest that the small tsunami amplitudes are due to the location of the source area in the shallow shelf region.
Cardiac energy considerations during intraaortic balloon pumping

Cardiac oxygen availability and oxygen consumption were used in a theoretical study as indexes of myocardial energy supply and utilization, respectively. A detailed computer simulation of the closed-loop canine cardiovascular system was utilized to study the dependence of these indexes on timing of the intraaortic balloon pump. Oxygen availability exhibited higher sensitivity to balloon timing than oxygen utilization. While maximum augmentation of oxygen availability was 58%, oxygen consumption could be reduced by only 13%. Animal experiments were initiated to validate the theoretical results. The results of both the animal experiments and the computer simulation suggested that neither balloon timing that maximizes oxygen availability nor timing that minimizes oxygen consumption correlates with timing that minimizes aortic end diastolic pressure. Thus, end diastolic pressure, presently used as a determinant of proper timing in patients undergoing cardiac assistance, was found to be a poor index of ventricular energy consumption. >
Adaptive continuous-time equalization and FDTS/DF sequence detection

An adaptive analog continuous-time forward equalizer and a Fixed Delay Tree Search with Decision Feedback (FDTS/DF) detector can be used to implement high speed low power sequence detection for a magnetic recording system. An analog continuous-time forward equalizer offers a low power, high speed solution to the equalization problem, although it cannot achieve the degree of pulse shape control provided by a long FIR filter. However, an FDTS/DF detector can be easily adapted to cope with the resulting imprecisely equalized pulses. Earlier work demonstrated the suitability of a Complex Graphic Equalizer (CGE) for the adaptive continuous time forward equalizer. System simulations indicated the viability of a CGE-FDTS/DF detector in a 2/3(1,7) coded channel. New results explore the performance of a CGE-FDTS/DF system for an 8/9(0,3) coded channel. Additionally, the feasibility of a CGE-EPR4 detection system is demonstrated.
Diminished Milk Synthesis in Upstream Stimulatory Factor 2 Null Mice Is Associated With Decreased Circulating Oxytocin and Decreased Mammary Gland Expression of Eukaryotic Initiation Factors 4E and 4G

Previous studies have suggested that upstream stimulatory factors (USFs) regulate genes involved with cell cycle progression. Because of the relationship of USFs to an important oncogene in breast cancer, c-myc, we chose to determine the importance of USF to normal mammary gland development in the mouse. Expression of USF in the mammary gland throughout development demonstrated only modest changes. Mutation of the Usf2 gene was associated with reduced fertility in females, but had no effect on prepartum mammary gland development. However, lactation performance in Usf2−/− females was only half of that observed in Usf2+/+ females, and both lactose and nitrogen were decreased in milk from Usf2−/− dams. This decrease was associated with diminished mammary tissue wet weight and luminal area by d 9 of lactation and with a decreased protein-DNA ratio. This decrease was associated with reduced abundance of the eukaryotic initiation factors eIF4E and eIF4G. Blood oxytocin concentrations on d 9 postpartum were also...
Preventing Weight Gain Among Coeds: The Need for Web-Based and Tailored Approaches:

College students experience numerous challenges as they assume novel responsibilities and choices associated with residing on campus. Although the transition away from home and parents is associated with weight gain, sedentary behavior, and less-nutritious diets, few obesity prevention studies have targeted college adults. Because of their familiarity with the Internet, college-age adults (18-24) may be more receptive to web-based interventions as compared to traditional approaches. Furthermore, personalized interventions are likely to be more effective than generalized health and diet information if they are tailored to a student’s level of interest to make lifestyle changes. Research is needed to explore the efficacy of applying digital technologies to tailored weight loss/weight gain prevention programs among our society’s youngest adults.
Robotic Coaching of Complex Physical Skills

The research area of using robots to coach complex physical skills is underserved. Whereas robots have been used extensively in the form of robotic orthoses to rehabilitate early trauma patients, there is more that can be done to develop robots that help children, the elderly and late-stage rehabilitation patients to excel at physical skills. In order to do this, we must develop robots that do not actuate on the students, but coach them through hands-off modalities such as verbal advice and demonstrations. This approach requires sophisticated perception, and modeling of the student's movement in order to deliver effective advice. Preliminary results suggest that these goals can be achieved with consumer-grade sensing hardware. We present planned future work towards achieving this vision.
How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry's grand challenge

The pharmaceutical industry is under growing pressure from a range of environmental issues, including major losses of revenue owing to patent expirations, increasingly cost-constrained healthcare systems and more demanding regulatory requirements. In our view, the key to tackling the challenges such issues pose to both the future viability of the pharmaceutical industry and advances in healthcare is to substantially increase the number and quality of innovative, cost-effective new medicines, without incurring unsustainable R&D costs. However, it is widely acknowledged that trends in industry R&D productivity have been moving in the opposite direction for a number of years. Here, we present a detailed analysis based on comprehensive, recent, industry-wide data to identify the relative contributions of each of the steps in the drug discovery and development process to overall R&D productivity. We then propose specific strategies that could have the most substantial impact in improving R&D productivity.
An architecture for compiling UDF-centric workflows

Data analytics has recently grown to include increasingly sophisticated techniques, such as machine learning and advanced statistics. Users frequently express these complex analytics tasks as workflows of user-defined functions (UDFs) that specify each algorithmic step. However, given typical hardware configurations and dataset sizes, the core challenge of complex analytics is no longer sheer data volume but rather the computation itself, and the next generation of analytics frameworks must focus on optimizing for this computation bottleneck. While query compilation has gained widespread popularity as a way to tackle the computation bottleneck for traditional SQL workloads, relatively little work addresses UDF-centric workflows in the domain of complex analytics.In this paper, we describe a novel architecture for automatically compiling workflows of UDFs. We also propose several optimizations that consider properties of the data, UDFs, and hardware together in order to generate different code on a case-by-case basis. To evaluate our approach, we implemented these techniques in Tupleware, a new high-performance distributed analytics system, and our benchmarks show performance improvements of up to three orders of magnitude compared to alternative systems.
Ball and needle bearing friction correlations under radial load conditions

Correlations concernant le frottement dans les roulements a billes et a aiguilles soumis a une charge radiale
Multifaceted origins of sex differences in the brain

Studies of sex differences in the brain range from reductionistic cell and molecular analyses in animal models to functional imaging in awake human subjects, with many other levels in between. Interpretations and conclusions about the importance of particular differences often vary with differing levels of analyses and can lead to discord and dissent. In the past two decades, the range of neurobiological, psychological and psychiatric endpoints found to differ between males and females has expanded beyond reproduction into every aspect of the healthy and diseased brain, and thereby demands our attention. A greater understanding of all aspects of neural functioning will only be achieved by incorporating sex as a biological variable. The goal of this review is to highlight the current state of the art of the discipline of sex differences research with an emphasis on the brain and to contextualize the articles appearing in the accompanying special issue.
Host-Related Alterations of Detoxification Enzymes in Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Host-dependent changes of four detoxification enzymes in Tetranychus urticae . Koch were investigated in mites adapted to 14 plant species in 10 families. Relative to a snapbean-adapted mite strain, differences for aldrin epoxidase ranged from 0.4- to 1.5-fold, trans -epoxide hydrolase 0.5- to 1.5-fold, cis -epoxide hydrolase 1- to 3.4-fold, and α-naphthyl acetate esterase 0.4- to 2.4-fold. These host-related differences are much less than reported in other arthropods such as the Noctuidae. Hence, this broadly polyphagous mite may rely only in part on metabolic detoxification to protect it from toxic phytochemicals. Prospects of sequestering plant allelochemicals as an alternative defensive strategy are discussed.
The superior mesenteric artery. The critical factor in the pouch pull-through procedure.

The critical factor in ileal pouch pull-through operations is the length of the superior mesenteric artery. The pouch must reach the dentate line and have adequate blood supply. A series of cadaver and morgue studies were performed to evaluate the two most popular pouches of the “J” and “S” configurations. The “S” pouch generally reaches 2 to 4 cm more caudad than the “J” pouch. If necessary, however, the “J” pouch can be lengthened 2 to 4 cm by cutting the branch vessel under tension to the pouch, sparing vessels to either side and the marginal arcade. The “S” pouch procedure always sacrifices the ileocecal artery, but the “J” pouch procedure does not necessarily do so. The greatest caudad reach is available when the ileum is cut flush with the cecum. To verify a rule of thumb for reaching the dentate line with the pouch, the length of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) origin to the inferior margin of the symphysis pubis and the SMA to dentate line were compared. If the tip of the pouch or conduit reached 6 cm below the symphysis pubis, all pouches reached the dentate line.
Egg Production Characteristics and Adrenal Function in White Leghorns Confined at Different Floor Space Levels

Abstract IMPROVED housing, equipment and disease control are making possible efficient management of more densely populated laying flocks. As a result, commercial poultrymen are turning to flock intensification as a means of achieving greater labor efficiency and reducing housing costs. Investigations dealing with the effect of space per bird on egg producing ability are numerous and often contradictory. Although Huttar et al. (1933) found egg production of White Leghorns not to be significantly reduced by decreased floor space, others have reported lower egg production in Barred Plymouth Rocks at less than 4.8 square feet per bird (Pearl and Surface, 1909), in White Leghorns at less than 4.0 square feet per bird (Anonymous, 1941) and in New Hampshire pullets at 2.76 square feet per bird (Hoffmann and Tomhave, 1945). Management and housing studies by Bressler and Walton (1957) have shown that large and concentrated populations of White Leghorns could produce efficiently if …
Racial-ethnic identity development in Hispanic young adolescent students : synthesis of literature.

3 Introduction 4-9 Definition of Racial-Ethnic Identity 9-14 Theories of Racial-Ethnic Identity Development 14-21 Major Factors That Impact REI Development among Young Adolescent Hispanic Students 22-27 Support for Racial-Ethnic Identity Development 27-31 Reflection and Implications 31-33 Future Research Questions 34-35 Conclusion 36 References 37-42
The Patient Care Connect Program: Transforming Health Care Through Lay Navigation

The Patient Care Connect Program (PCCP) is a lay patient navigation program, implemented by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Cancer Community Network. The PCCP’s goal is to provide better health and health care, as well as to lower overall expenditures. The program focuses on enhancing the health of patients, with emphasis on patient empowerment and promoting proactive participation in health care. Navigator training emphasizes palliative care principles and includes development of skills to facilitate advance care planning conversations. Lay navigators are integrated into the health care team, with the support of a nurse supervisor, physician medical director, and administrative champion. The intervention focuses on patients with high needs to reach those with the greatest potential for benefit from supportive services. Navigator activities are guided by frequent distress assessments, which help to identify patient concerns across multiple domains, triage patients to appropriate reso...
Rethinking the future

Technology foresight is an attempt by governments to identify fertile areas for wealth creation over the next 10 to 20 years. The UK launched such an exercise in 1993, the first phase of which was completed last April. The exercise brought together leaders from industry, academia and government in 15 key sectors to identify reasons why businesses would choose to locate high value-added activities in the UK rather than elsewhere.
Cell membrane water permeabilities and streaming currents in Ambystoma proximal tubule

An electrophysiological approach is used to analyze the possible routes of osmotically driven water flow across the isolated perfused Ambystoma proximal tubule. The minimum hydraulic conductivities (Lp) of the cell membranes were estimated from the initial rate of change of intracellular activities of Na+ and K+ in response to a step gradient of 50 or 100 mosmol/kg sucrose. The Lp of the apical membrane is 1.30 X 10(-4) cm.s-1.osM-1 referred to the luminal epithelial surface and 2.45 X 10(-6) cm.s-1.osM-1 when corrected for amplification of the brush border (n = 8). The Lp of the basolateral membrane is 1.42 X 10(-4) cm.s-1.osM-1 referred to the basement membrane surface and 6.39 X 10(-6) cm.s-1.osM-1 when corrected for the amplification of the basal and lateral membranes (n = 5). Transepithelial water flows were generated in either direction by a unilateral step increase of osmolality with 100 mosmol sucrose. Bath-to-lumen flow increased paracellular transepithelial resistance (R3) by 48%; lumen-to-bath flow decreased R3 by only 3%. A bilateral increase in the osmolality of both solutions by 50 mosM had no significant effect on R3. Streaming potentials were observed during trans-epithelial water flow induced by unilateral gradients of sucrose; their polarity, magnitude, site of generation, and insensitivity to change of paracellular resistance are all indicative of water flow through paracellular structures, especially the lateral intercellular spaces. Contrary to earlier suggestions (J. M. Diamond, J. Membr. Biol. 51: 195-216, 1979), these potentials are not primarily diffusion potentials across anion-selective tight junctions resulting from solute polarization in the unstirred layers. Instead, a true electrokinetic basis for these streaming potentials is indicated by their continued presence after deletion of all Cl-. Thus water moves through both cellular and paracellular pathways in this epithelium.
Effect of Hydrodynamic Dispersion in Denitrifying Wood-Chip Stormwater Biofilters

AbstractStormwater biofiltration systems can include a submerged layer containing a solid organic carbon substrate, such as wood chips, to promote biological denitrification. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of biofilter depth and dispersion on the performance of submerged wood-chip biofilters. Tracer and reactive column studies were performed on biofilters with varying depths (30, 45, and 60 cm), which were evaluated with stormwater at varying hydraulic retention times. The results from every tracer test (n=9) indicated that dispersion affected constituent transport. Shorter columns and/or higher hydraulic retention times resulted in dispersion dominated transport, which contributed to greater constituent bypass through the biofilters. Even though a wood-chip biofilter is considered a porous medium, dispersivity values in this layer were an order of magnitude larger than dispersivities of natural porous media (e.g., sand). These results provide evidence that less media volume is ...
The Management of Strictures of Membranous Urethra

AbstractWe present 40 cases of posterior urethral stricture resulting from pelvic fracture injury or prostatectomy. The strictures were managed according to various factors but most important were stricture length and the absence of pathological conditions in the anterior urethra. Post-traumatic obliterative strictures less than 2cm. long can be managed with excellent success via a 1-stage perineal bulboprostatic anastomotic repair. Combined abdominoperineal procedures are equally successful but are reserved for patients in whom the stricture is more than 2cm. long or who have an associated bladder neck pathological condition. When associated anterior urethral disease mitigates against mobilization and extension of the urethra to accomplish an anastomotic repair, the vascularized island flap or 2-stage scrotal inlay procedure appears to be the optimal choice. Of 3 failures with full thickness skin grafts 2 may have been owing to suboptimal graft beds in the scarred pelvic floor and perineum. Direct vision...
Effect of smile index and incisal edge position on perception of attractiveness in different age groups

Changes in occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) and age have been found to affect Smile Index (SI, width/height of smile). Limited information is available regarding the aesthetic effects of these changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the attractiveness of digitally manipulated smile images with differences in SI and incisal edge position (IEP) judged by respondents in different age groups. A total of 12 smile images were generated with varying SI (3·5, 5·3, 7·2, 9·0) and IEP (High, Medium, Low). Fifty respondents each in four age groups (15-24, 25-39, 40-54, 55+) evaluated the attractiveness of the 12 images using a 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS, 10 being most attractive). A repeated-measures three-factorial mixed model assessed differences. SI, IEP and age of respondents were found to significantly influence attractiveness score (P < 0·01 for all). With all age groups combined, SI = 7·2/IEP = Medium was most attractive (VAS = 7·22), followed by SI = 9·0/IEP = Medium, and SI = 5·3/IEP = Medium (VAS = 6·53 and 6·48, respectively). SI = 3·5/IEP = High and SI = 3·5/IEP = Low were least attractive (VAS = 1·99 and VAS = 2·58, respectively). Age group significantly influenced aesthetic perception, with younger respondents more critical in differences in SI and IEP. SI and IEP significantly influenced attractiveness of the smile in all respondent age groups. Low SI (i.e. 3·5) combined with high or low IEP was unattractive. Medium SI to high SI (i.e. 5·3-9·0) combined with medium IEP were considered attractive.
On the bike and in the cubicle: The role of passion and regulatory focus in cycling and work satisfaction

Abstract Objectives To examine the relationships between cycling passion and satisfaction with cycling and work. First we examine the how two types of passion for cycling (harmonious and obsessive) differentially affect cycling satisfaction. Second, we examine how a passion for cycling can have a spillover effect on work satisfaction. Third, we examine the mediating role of regulatory focus on the relationship between passion and satisfaction. Design Cross-sectional study of U.S. competitive cyclists using an online survey. Methods Self-reports of study variables were collected from 119 competitive cyclists, who were also employed in work roles beyond their cycling pursuits. Structural equation modeling techniques were used to examine the relationships between passion, regulatory focus, and satisfaction. Results Results from our sample indicate that while holding a harmonious passion for cycling positively relates to both cycling and work satisfaction, an obsessive passion results in diminished work satisfaction. Moreover, results from our mediation analysis indicate that regulatory focus partially mediates the relationships between harmonious passion and both cycling and work satisfaction. Conclusions These findings illustrate that not all forms of passion are beneficial to one's pursuits, demonstrate the potential spillover effect of pursuing one's passion for sport and its influence on work satisfaction, and suggest that regulatory focus helps explain the relationship between passion and satisfaction.
Laser-assisted atom probe tomography of Ti/TiN films deposited on Si.

Abstract Laser-assisted atom probe tomography (L-APT) was used to examine superconducting TiN/Ti/TiN trilayer films with nominal respective thicknesses of 5/5/5 (nm). Such materials are of interest for applications that require large arrays of microwave kinetic inductance detectors. The trilayers were deposited on Si substrates by reactive sputtering. Electron energy loss microscopy performed in a scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM/EELS) was used to corroborate the L-APT results and establish the overall thicknesses of the trilayers. Three separate batches were studied where the first (bottom) TiN layer was deposited at 500 °C (for all batches) and the subsequent TiN/Ti bilayer was deposited at ambient temperature, 250 °C, and 500 °C, respectively. L-APT rendered an approximately planar TiN/Si interface by making use of plausible mass-spectral assignments to N 3 1+ , SiN 1+ , and SiO 1+ . This was necessary since ambiguities associated with the likely simultaneous occurrence of Si 1+ and N 2 1+ prevented their use in rendering the TiN/Si interface upon reconstruction. The non-superconducting Ti 2 N phase was also revealed by L-APT. Neither L-APT nor STEM/EELS rendered sharp Ti/TiN interfaces and the contrast between these layers diminished with increased film deposition temperature. L-APT also revealed that hydrogen was present in varying degrees in all samples including control samples that were composed of single layers of Ti or TiN.
Prediabetes in Pediatric Recipients of Liver Transplant: Mechanism and Risk Factors

Objective To investigate the role of calcineurin inhibitor exposure and states of insulin resistance—obesity and adolescence—in prediabetes after pediatric liver transplant via oral glucose tolerance testing, which previously has not been done systematically in these at-risk youths. Study design This was a cross-sectional study of 81 pediatric recipients of liver transplant. Prediabetes was defined as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT; glucose ≥140 mg/dL at 2 hours) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG, ≥100 mg/dL). Corrected insulin response (CIR) was calculated as measure of insulin secretion, corrected for glucose (CIR 30 , CIR 60 , CIR 120 ). Results Subjects were aged 8.1-30.0 years and 1.1-24.7 years post-transplant; 44% had prediabetes—27% IGT, 14% IFG, and 3% both. IGT was characterized by insulin hyposecretion, with lower CIR 60 and CIR 120 in IGT than subjects with normal glucose tolerance. Subjects with tacrolimus trough >6 µg/mL at study visit had lower CIR 120 than those with trough ≤6 µg/mL and those off calcineurin-inhibitors. Mean of tacrolimus troughs preceding the study visit, years since transplant, and rejection episodes were not associated significantly with lower CIR. CIR suppression by tacrolimus was most pronounced >6 years from transplant. Overweight/obese subjects and adolescents who retained normal glucose tolerance had greater CIR than those who were IGT. Conclusion IGT after pediatric liver transplant is driven by inadequate insulin secretion. It is quite common but not detectable with fasting laboratory values—the screening recommended by current guidelines. Calcineurin inhibitors suppress insulin secretion in these patients in a dose-dependent manner. Given the recent focus on long-term outcomes and immunosuppression withdrawal in these children, longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate whether IGT is reversible with calcineurin inhibitor minimization.
Two-dimensional speckle tracking using parabolic polynomial expansion with Riesz transform

Ultrasound speckle tracking provides a robust motion estimation of fine tissue displacements along the beam direction. Extensions to 2-D have been proposed in recent years. Due to relatively coarse lateral sampling, several solutions relied on lateral interpolation in order to achieve subsample accuracy. We introduce a new multi-dimensional speckle tracking method (MDST) with subsample accuracy in all dimensions. The proposed algorithm is based on solving a least squares problem to estimate the coefficients of a second order polynomial expansion to fit the magnitude of the two dimensional complex normalized correlation of the generalized analytic signal in the vicinity of the true peak. The generalization method utilizes the Riesz transform which is the multidimensional Hilbert transform. The displacement is estimated from acquired successive radio-frequency data frames of the region of interest. Field II simulation of flow data in a channel with a bench mark known displacement is generated to validate the accuracy of the method. In addition, the new MDST method is applied to imaging data from a flow phantom (ATS Model 524) to estimate the flow motion and pulsating channel wall. Simulations and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Predicting Preterm Birth Is Not Elusive: Machine Learning Paves the Way to Individual Wellness

Preterm birth is a major public health problem with profound implications on society, there would be extreme value in being able to identify women at risk of preterm birth during the course of their pregnancy. Previous research has largely focused on individual risk factors correlated with preterm birth and less on combining these factors in a way to understand the complex etiologies of preterm birth. In this paper, we use the "Preterm Prediction Study," a clinical trial dataset collected by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) — Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network (MFMU). We summarize two years of efforts to collect, prepare and process this dataset with a special emphasis to solve a so far elusive problem of predicting preterm birth in nulliparous (first time) mothers. Our approach includes comparison of two approaches for deriving predictive models: an SVM approach with linear and non-linear kernels and logistic regression with different model selection procedures. We demonstrate significant improvement compared to past work on this dataset while stressing the challenges we faced in data preparation and analysis.
Selectively controlling plasmon-driven photochemical reactions

We studied selectively catalyzed plasmon driven photochemical reactions of paraaminothiophenol (PATP) as model molecule placed in cavity between gold film (AuF) and different ligands coated gold nanorods (AuNR) by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
Molecular Ultrasound Imaging of the Spinal Cord for the Detection of Acute Inflammation

Molecular ultrasound imaging provides the ability to detect physiologic processes non-invasively by targeting a wide variety of biological markers in vivo. The current study investigates the novel ...
Resistance: Active and Creative Political Protest Strategies:

Resistance to U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies on gender equality, health care, race relations, the environment, and immigration has been large, widespread, and persistent. Following President Trump’s election, millions of people across the United States protested, creatively using slogans, signs, costumes, chants, and songs. Others engaged in resistance with online videos, songs, memes, and hashtags. By employing the communicative informatics model, we examine the relationship between online communication and the creative and active audience involved in U.S. political resistance in 2017.
Profit Maximization for Bitcoin Pool Mining: A Prospect Theoretic Approach

It is predicted that cryptocurrencies will play an important role in the global economy. Therefore, it is prudent for us to understand the importance and monetary value of such cryptocurrencies, and strategize our investments accordingly. One of the ways to obtain cryptocurrency is via mining. As solo mining is not possible because of the computational requirements, pool mining has gained popularity. In this paper, we focus on Bitcoin and its pools. With more than 20 pools in the network of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, it becomes challenging for a new miner to decide the pool he must join such that the profit is maximized. We use prospect theory to predict the profit that a specific miner, given his hash rate power and electricity costs, is expected to make from each pool. A utility value is calculated for each pool based on its recent performance, hash rate power, total number of the pool members, reward distribution policy of the pool, electricity fee in the new miner's region, pool fee, and the current Bitcoin value. Then, based on these parameters during a certain time duration, the most profitable pool is found for that miner. We show how the utility values from a pool varies with electricity fee and dollar equivalent of a Bitcoin. To find the accuracy of our predictions, we mine Bitcoin by joining 5 different pools- AntPool, F2Pool, BTC.com, Slushl'ool, and BatPool. Using an Antminer 55 for each pool, we mine Bitcoin for 40 consecutive days. Results reveal that our prospect theoretic predictions are consistent with what we actually mine; however predictions using expected utility theory are not as close.
Association of Nodal Metastasis and Mortality With Vermilion vs Cutaneous Lip Location in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lip.

Importance Although the lip is considered a high-risk location in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), it has not been established whether this risk stems from vermilion or cutaneous locations or both. Objective To compare differences in risks of recurrence, metastasis, and death from cSCCs on the vermilion vs cutaneous lip. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study of 303 patients with 310 primary cSCCs of the lip (138 cutaneous, 172 vermilion) diagnosed between 2000 and 2015 at 2 academic tertiary care centers in Boston, Massachusetts. Main Outcomes and Measures Development of local recurrence, nodal metastasis, distant metastasis, disease-specific death, and all-cause death. Results Of the 303 study participants with 310 SCCs of the lip, 153 (50.5%) were men, and 150 (49.5%) were women; median age at diagnosis, 68 years (range, 27-93 years). Outcomes were as follows for vermilion vs cutaneous locations: local recurrence, 6.4% (11 of 172) vs 2.9% (4 of 138); nodal metastasis, 7.6% (13 of 172) vs 1.5% (2 of 138); distant metastasis, 0.6% (1 of 172) vs 0.7% (1 of 138); disease-specific death, 3.5% (6 of 172) vs 2.9% (4 of 138); and all-cause death, 26.7% (46 of 172) vs 29.0% (40 of 138). The difference was statistically significant for nodal metastasis (P = .01). In multivariable analysis, nodal metastasis was associated with vermilion lip location (subhazard ratio, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.1-23.8) and invasion beyond fat (fascia or beyond for vermilion lip) (subhazard ratio, 4.4; 95% CI, 1.3-14.9). Conclusions and Relevance The risk of nodal metastasis is 5-fold greater for cSCCs on the vermilion lip compared with those on the cutaneous lip. Squamous cell carcinomas of the cutaneous lip have a nodal metastasis risk similar to cSCCs in general (1.5%). Thus, vermilion involvement appears responsible for the increased risk associated with cSCC of lip. Vermilion involvement may merit radiologic nodal staging and inclusion in future tumor staging, since it was independently associated with higher-risk cSCC of the lip region.
The Microbiology of Aquatic Oil Spills

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the microbiology of aquatic oil spills. Immediately upon spilling, oil begins to undergo a series of physical and chemical changes. The processes causing these changes include spreading, emulsification, dissolution, evaporation, sedimentation, and adsorption. Collectively, the oil is weathered by these processes. The weathering of oil depends on the amount and type of oil spilled, and on environmental conditions. Petroleum hydrocarbons have only a very limited solubility in water. Therefore, most oil spillages initially form a surface slick. The surface slick can be moved by wind, wave, and current action. A surface oil slick immediately begins to spread, initially owing to gravitational forces, resulting in a thinner layer of oil covering a larger area. The viscosity of the spilled oil will, to some extent, influence the rate of spreading and, as viscosity is temperature dependent, water temperature will also influence the area covered by a surface slick. The chapter illustrates the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on microorganisms, microbial emulsification and degradation of petroleum, and the microorganisms and oil pollution abatement.
A Modification of a Method for the Detection of Outliers in Multivariate Samples

We modify a method for identifying outliers in multivariate samples proposed by Hadi. A simulation study shows that this modification controls the size of the test, leads to substantially improved power and is more effective in dealing with the masking and swamping problems
Fossil Brains and the Evolution of the Neocortex

The fossil record of neocortex is based on the impression of the rhinal fissure and the olfactory bulbs on the cranial cavity of fossil skulls. A cast molded by this cavity is called an “endo-cast,” and in fossil mammals it looks enough like a brain to be called a “fossil brain.” Neocortex is identified (and in a sense defined) as the forebrain region of the endocast that is dorsal to the rhinal fissure and posterior to the olfactory tubercle. Errors in identifying neocortex in fossil endocasts are likely to be about the same as in living brains when these superficial markings rather than histological evidence of lamination are the basis of the identification.
Decision Making: The Patient’s Perspective

Healthcare is moving towards a practice model involving patient participation for difficult decisions, such as whether or not to have surgery. For proper Shared Decision Making (SDM), the patients must be informed about their treatment options and the risks and benefits that go along with each so that they can apply their preferences in making the decision. SDM can be problematic in surgical clinics where time with patients is limited. Helping surgeons educate patients for SDM and incorporate the patient’s preferences into the choice is a major challenge that requires research and guidance for those who see older sicker patients.
Poster abstract: Routing meets caching in named data networks

In-network caching is a distinct feature of named data networking (NDN). The current NDN routing protocols, however, still focus on the traditional problem of forwarding content requests to content producers, without explicit support of in-network caching, which will limit NDN's potential and benefits to applications. In this poster, as part of a new routing protocol, we equip the forwarding plane with a path which significantly improves the probability of meeting the cached contents before reaching the producers.
Silicon-Chip-Based Brillouin Lasers and Soliton Microcombs using an Integrated Ultra-High-Q Silica Resonator

A monolithic ultra-high-Q silica resonator featuring an integrated silicon-nitride waveguide is described. The resonator can be configured for either high-coherence Brillouin laser action or stable microwave-rate mode locking over C-band at low pumping power.
Using Background-Oriented Schlieren to visualize convection in a propagating wildland fire

Heat and mass transfer are important processes associated with wildland fire. Both radiant and convective heat transfer are important processes with convection often being the dominant mechanism. Unlike radiation, there is no direct method of measuring convection. Since convective heat transfer is governed by the fluid flow, understanding the fluid flow provides good understanding on the convective heat transfer. In fluid mechanics, flow visualization is a common methodology used to understand flow characteristics. Schlieren imagery is a common flow visualization technique which captures changes in fluid density such as the ones occur around a fire. Background-Oriented Schlieren (BOS) is a flow visualization technique that uses a background image with various patterns to visualize the density gradient caused by density fluctuations in a fluid. We applied BOS to measure the flow associated with laboratory-scale line fires. The reproducible fires were spreading in pine needle fuel beds in a wind tunnel with and without imposed wind. This initial application of BOS in a fire environment successfully visualized the flow around the flame. The visualized flow underwent a secondary process to produce the velocity field of the flow. Results indicate that even in conditions where the fire is known to be dominated by radiation, wind carried the thermal plume ahead of the flame front and expanded the thermal plume. In contrast, in the no wind condition, the thermal plume remained vertical above the fire. Using the BOS imagery, a new model for estimation of convective heat transfer was introduced. In addition to estimation of the convective heat transfer ahead of the fire, this new model enables visualization of convective motion.
Influence of Polarization on Electron Localization in the Coated Tetramer Nanoclusters Used as Elements of Biorecognition Systems

A quasi-classical theoretical model is proposed for describing the localization dynamics of a common (tunneling) electron in the coated metal-organic nanocluster in an external low-frequency electric field, taking into account the electron-vibrational interaction and the polarization effects on its centers and on the ligand (organic) shell. The case of a square-planar tetramer nanocluster with the tunnel-connected centers is considered. This model allows a detailed study of the controlling role of the electric field, taking into account the contributions from the electron-vibrational interaction and from the polarization effects, in the realization of the various electron localization regimes, and reveals the ability of such a nanocluster to switch between them. This model is actual and suitable for the nanostructured composite systems of such kind, which are widely used as the basic elements in the bio-recognition systems.
The Impact of Urban Zen Integrative Therapy on Symptoms and Health-Related Quality of Life for Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) experience distressing symptoms that can undermine quality of life (QoL) and treatment adherence. Complementary health approaches are known to ...
Gallium Phosphide Solar Cell Structures with Improved Quantum Efficiencies

Gallium phosphide (GaP) solar cell structures with improved quantum efficiencies were realized using a modified liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique and diodes formed using semi-transparent Schottky contacts. The improvement is due to the addition of a small amount of aluminum to the gallium and phosphorus containing LPE melt. The Al reduces the background concentration of oxygen in the melt, which is known to produce deep trap states in GaP. Additionally, it was found that by depositing an aluminum (Al)-rich AlGaP layer on top of the active GaP and then selectively etching it away, the surface morphology of the active layer was significantly improved. Thus, the modified LPE technique eliminates the major problem of meniscus lines associated with the standard LPE method.
Chapter 13 – Possible Applications of Fullerene Nanomaterials in Water Treatment and Reuse

Publisher Summary This chapter details recent progress toward the development of the proposed applications. It examines the development of fullerene composite materials using CNTs to strengthen membranes and modify membrane surface chemistry. It explores the use of fullerene nanomaterials to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) as the basis for a range of new technologies including in situ generation of oxidants to destroy trace organic compounds, new strategies for disinfection, the inhibition of biofilm development, and reduced biofouling. The use of fullerenes in conjunction with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is considered as an advanced disinfection process (ADP) for viral inactivation. Fullerenes are a class of molecules composed entirely of carbon. The first of these molecules, Buckminsterfiillerene, was discovered in 1985 and contains 60 carbons in the form of a hollow spherical cagc consisting of 12 pentagonal and 20 hexagonal faces.