cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacogenomics and Clinical R&D

Genetic variation in drug metabolism, disposition, and sensitivity may influence the risk for adverse drug reactions and poor responsiveness of patients. The study of the influence of genetic variations on drug response is the objective of pharmacogenomics (PG, also covering pharmacogenetics). The promise of PG (and other biomarker methodologies such as proteomics) lies in its potential to help identify, and respond to, sources of interindividual variability in drug response from both an efficacy and a safety perspective. This information will make it possible to develop drug therapies for particular groups of patients with the intent of maximizing effectiveness and minimizing risk. However, the field of PG is currently still at a relatively early stage in its life cycle and the promise has yet to be realized, albeit with some notable exceptions, in the field of oncology in particular. Despite major advances in basic biomedical research, including the study of gene structures and activities (genomics) and protein expression (proteomics), there has been a downward trend in the number of new drug and biologic marketing applications and approvals. This is in sharp contrast to the budget spend by the pharmaceutical industry for drug research and development, which has been steadily increasing over the last decade with current estimates as high as US$0.8–1.7 billion [1]. The emerging techniques of PG and proteomics show great potential for contributing biomarkers to target responders, monitoring clinical response and serving as determinants of drug effectiveness. However, much developmental work and standardization of the biologic, statistical and bioinformatics methods is required before these techniques can be routinely used and successfully applied. The 2nd Annual Conference on Pharmacogenomics and Clinical RD however, it should not be considered an exhaustive summary of each of the topics or the subsequent discussions.
An SSF scheme to achieve comparable global simulation accuracy in WDM systems

An analytical expression involving both system parameters and step size is proposed to represent the local simulation error for the split-step Fourier simulation. Based on this result, scaling rules are derived to obtain comparable global accuracy for different system parameters. This is significant in enhancing computational efficiency in optical fiber communication system design and optimization.
Thermal Shock Behavior of Open‐Cell Ceramic Foams

Specimens of heated, open-cell ceramics were thermally shocked by immersion in water or oil. It was found the strength retained after thermal shock underwent a gradual decrease with increasing quench temperature, indicative of a cumulative damage mechanism which manifests itself with increasing thermal stress. This damage could also be monitored using measurements of the elastic constants before and after quenching. The thermal shock resistance of the open-cell materials was found to be strongly dependent on cell size (increased with increasing cell size) and weakly dependent on density (increased with increasing density). Two possible sources of thermal stress were considered; one was associated with the temperature gradient across the microscopic struts and the other with the heating of the quenching medium as it infiltrates the cellular structure. Such heating was confirmed and it was concluded that this was the dominant source of thermal stress in this particular study, controlling the thermal stress in this particular study, controlling the thermal shock resistance of the open-cell ceramics.
Segmentation of Video Sequences using Spatial-temporal Conditional Random Fields

Segmentation of video sequences requires the segmentations of consecutive frames to be consistent with each other. We propose to use a three dimensional Conditional Random Fields (CRF) to address this problem. A triple of consecutive image frames are treated as a small 3D volume to be segmented. Our spatial-temporal CRF model combines both local discriminative features and the conditional homogeneity of labeling variables in both the spatial and the temporal domain. After training the model parameters with a small set of training data, the optimal labeling is obtained through a probabilistic inference by Sum-product loopy belief propagation. We achieve accurate segmentation results on the standard video sequences, which demonstrates the promising capability of the proposed approach.
Updatable Security Views

Security views are a flexible and effective mechanism for controlling access to confidential information. Rather than allowing untrusted users to access source data directly, they are instead provided with are restricted view, from which all confidential information has been removed. The program that generates the view effectively embodies a confidentiality policy for the underlying source data. However, this approach has a significant drawback: it prevents users from updating the data in the view.To address the "view update problem" in general, a number of bidirectional languages have been proposed. Programs in these languages---often called lenses---can be run in two directions: read from left to right, they map sources to views; from right to left,they map updated views back to updated sources. However, existing bidirectional languages do not deal adequately with security. In particular, they do not provide a way to ensure the integrity of source data as it is manipulated by untrusted users of the view.We propose a novel framework of secure lenses that addresses these shortcomings. We enrich the types of basic lenses with equivalence relations capturing notions of confidentiality and integrity, and formulate the essential security conditions as non-interference properties. We then instantiate this framework in the domain of string transformations, developing syntax for bidirectional string combinators with security-annotated regular expressions as their types.
Effect of endpoint conditions on position and velocity near impact in tennis.

Smoothing to obtain accurate position and velocity data near impacts in sport biomechanics studies is complicated by the accelerations of impact, endpoint effects and the smoothing technique used. Wrist goniometric data with two levels of random noise added were used to examine three endpoint modelling conditions for obtaining accurate position and velocity data at impact in the tennis forehand. The common approach of smoothing through impact created distortions of the position signal up to 100 ms before impact and resulted in consistent underestimations (-3.2%) of wrist angle and angular velocity (-67.9%) at impact. New linear and polynomial extrapolation conditions smoothed with all techniques provided lower root mean squared errors than the smoothing-through-impact condition, with discrete wrist positions at impact within 1.1% of the criterion data. Both the new linear and polynomial conditions can be used to make more accurate angular position and velocity estimates for tennis impacts, whereas the smo...
Distributed unique global ID assignment for sensor networks

A sensor network consists of a set of battery-powered nodes, which collaborate to perform sensing tasks in a given environment. It may contain one or more base stations to collect sensed data and possibly relay it to a central processing and storage system. These networks are characterized by scarcity of resources, in particular the available energy. We present a distributed algorithm to solve the unique ID assignment problem. The proposed solution starts by assigning long unique IDs and organizing nodes in a tree structure. This tree structure is used to compute the size of the network. Then, unique IDs are assigned using the minimum number of bytes. Globally unique IDs are useful in providing many network functions, e.g. configuration, monitoring of individual nodes, and various security mechanisms. Theoretical and simulation analysis of the proposed solution have been preformed. The results demonstrate that a high percentage of nodes (more than 99%) are assigned globally unique IDs at the termination of the algorithm when the algorithm parameters are set properly. Furthermore, the algorithm terminates in a relatively short time that scales well with the network size. For example, the algorithm terminates in about 5 minutes for a network of 1,000 nodes
Single and binary evolution of Population III stars and their supernova explosions

We present stellar evolution calculations for Population III stars for both single- and binary- star evolutions. Our models include 10- and 16.5-Msingle stars and a 10-Mmodel star that undergoes an episode of accretion resulting in a final mass of 16.1 M� . For comparison, we present the evolution of a solar heavy element abundance model. We use the structure from late-stage evolution models to calculate simulated supernova light curves. Light curve comparisons are made between accretion and non-accretion progenitor models, and models for single-star evolution of comparable masses. Where possible, we make comparisons to previous works. Similar investigations have been carried out, but primarily for solar or near-solar heavy metal abundance stars and not including both the evolution and the supernova explosions in one work.
On the application of multi-step integration methods to infinitesimal elastoplasticity

This article proposes an implicit algorithm for time integration of the differential/algebraic equations of small-deformation elastoplasticity in strain space. The algorithm employs a two-step backwards differentiation formula and a standard operator-split procedure. Second-order accuracy and non-linear stability are established under appropriate constitutive restrictions. The algorithm is implemented for the model of J2-plasticity and numerical simulations are conducted that illustrate its applicability and accuracy.
Functional differentiation of cholinergic and noradrenergic modulation in a biophysical model of olfactory bulb granule cells

Olfactory bulb granule cells are modulated by both acetylcholine (ACh) and norepinephrine (NE), but the effects of these neuromodulators have not been clearly distinguished. We used detailed biophysical simulations of granule cells, both alone and embedded in a microcircuit with mitral cells, to measure and distinguish the effects of ACh and NE on cellular and microcircuit function. Cholinergic and noradrenergic modulatory effects on granule cells were based on data obtained from slice experiments; specifically, ACh reduced the conductance densities of the potassium M current and the calcium-dependent potassium current, whereas NE nonmonotonically regulated the conductance density of an ohmic potassium current. We report that the effects of ACh and NE on granule cell physiology are distinct and functionally complementary to one another. ACh strongly regulates granule cell firing rates and afterpotentials, whereas NE bidirectionally regulates subthreshold membrane potentials. When combined, NE can regulate the ACh-induced expression of afterdepolarizing potentials and persistent firing. In a microcircuit simulation developed to investigate the effects of granule cell neuromodulation on mitral cell firing properties, ACh increased spike synchronization among mitral cells, whereas NE modulated the signal-to-noise ratio. Coapplication of ACh and NE both functionally improved the signal-to-noise ratio and enhanced spike synchronization among mitral cells. In summary, our computational results support distinct and complementary roles for ACh and NE in modulating olfactory bulb circuitry and suggest that NE may play a role in the regulation of cholinergic function.
Social support and adherence behavior among women with abnormal Pap smears.

Abstract Background. Studies of hypertension, diabetes, and diet have indicated a relationship between social support and adherence to treatment regimens. Estimates of nonadherence following abnormal Pap test results range as high as 40%. In this study, the relationship between social support and adherence behavior was examined in a population of low‐income, public‐health‐department patients with abnormal Pap smears. Methods. Medical record reviews ascertained adherence behavior and interviews determined receipt of social support for 498 women. Results. Related to adherence were: receipt of any social support; receipt of each of three types of support (informational, emotional, and tangible support); amount of support received; satisfaction with support; and source of support. Reported need for support was not related to adherence behavior. Receipt of social support was more strongly related to adherence when the woman's emotional response to the notification of the abnormal Pap smear was greater, and whe...
The Iran Arms Sale and the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980

The recent Iran arms deal has raised important questions about executive branch compliance with congressional requirements in the conduct of foreign policy. By some assessments, the Reagan administration may have failed to comply with at least four statutes: (a) the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980, which requires prior congressional notification of covert operations; (b) the Arms Export Control Act, which requires congressional notification on arms sales abroad; (c) the Export Administration Act of 1979, which restricts exports to terrorist-supporting nations; and (d) the 1982 Boland amendment, which prohibited the use of U.S. funds (until late 1986) "for the purpose of overthrowing" the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. Possible failure to comply with the Intelligence Oversight Act is particularly troubling. The statute is the principal
Revisiting Unequal Treatment: Disparities in Access to and Quality of Care for Arthritis

Over a decade ago, the Institute of Medicine published a report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare (Smedley, Stith, & Nelson, 2003). The landmark volume documented numerous disparities in access to and quality of care for racial and non-English speaking ethic groups in the United States. The report also emphasized the importance of considering access to health care as a multicomponent concept, describing factors that contribute to disparities, such as features of health care systems and settings, of patients, and of physicians and the clinical encounter. This chapter provides a brief overview of novel research on biases that may lead to health disparities. We highlight classic experimental work, and innovative methodological approaches in the field. We then use sociological concepts, including power, privilege and stigma, as analytic tools with which to understanding disparities. We assert that power, prestige, and stigma converge to create a thorny relationship between physicians and patients. Drawing from some of the levels of influence outlined in the IOM report, we discuss disparities in health care among people with arthritis with a particular focus on (1) patient factors, such as medical mistrust, health literacy, and adherence to medications; and (2) the clinical encounter, including research on physician biases related to medication and other treatments. We focus on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. These are common forms of arthritis for which a growing body of research exists on health disparities. The chapter concludes with research and policy recommendations.
The Influence of Retrieval Practice Versus Delayed Judgments of Learning on Memory Resolving a Memory-Metamemory Paradox

The positive effect of delayed retrieval practice on subsequent test performance is robust; by contrast, making delayed judgments of learning (JOLs) encourages covert retrieval but has a minor influence on final test performance. In three experiments, we experimentally established and explored this memory-metamemory paradox. After initial study of paired associates (e.g., husky - ram), participants either were explicitly tested (husky - ?) or made a JOL. In Experiment 1, we adopted the standard JOL method, using a short retention interval, whereas in Experiments 2 and 3, we used a common testing-effect method involving a longer retention interval. Delayed JOLs did not boost test performance, but explicit delayed tests boosted memory after a longer retention interval. As important, participants spent less time to make JOLs than to retrieve responses. These data indicate that differences in the dynamics of retrieval for practice tests versus delayed JOLs are responsible for the paradox.
Prognostic value of mitosis-specific antibodies and computer image analysis in calculating mitotic rate in melanoma.

e19003 Background: Mitotic rate (MR) is an important part of staging for thin melanomas (≤1 mm) but its value in thick melanomas (>1 mm) has not been determined. Additionally, accurate calculation ...
Statistical geometry analysis of proteins: implications for inverted structure prediction.

Abstract The topology of folded proteins from the representative dataset of well-defined three-dimensional protein structures is studied using a statistical geometry approach. Amino acid residues in protein chains are represented by C alpha atoms, thus reducing the protein three-dimensional structure to a set of points in three dimensional space. The Delaunay tessellation of a protein structure generates an aggregate of space-filling irregular tetrahedra, or Delaunay simplices. Each simplex objectively defines four nearest neighbor C alpha atoms, i.e. four nearest neighbor residues. The statistical analysis of residue composition of Delaunay simplices reveals nonrandom preferences for certain quadruplets of amino acids. These nonrandom preferences are used to develop a fitness function that evaluates sequence-structure compatibility. Using this fitness function, several tested native proteins score the highest among 100,000 random sequences with average protein amino acid composition. The statistical geometry approach, based solely on first principles, provides a unique means for protein structure analysis and has direct implications for inverted protein structure prediction.
Extreme Hypertriglyceridemia in an Infant with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and Hydroxycobalamin Deficiency.

Introduction. Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a severe hyperinflammatory condition characterized by fever, cytopenias, hepatosplenomegaly and hemophagocytosis. HLH may be primary or secondary to infection, autoimmune disease or malignancy. Hypertriglyceridemia is a common abnormality in HLH and one of the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria. Case Outline. We present an infant with severe hypotonia and hypoproteinemic edema who also had extreme hypertriglyceridemia (21 mmol/l) and was diagnosed with HLH based on six of eight HLH- 2004 criteria (fever, hepatosplenomegaly, bicytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia with hypofibrinogenemia, sIL-2R > 2400 IU/ml, hemophagocytosis). The presence of IgM antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus indicated a probable infectious trigger. The child was cured by the HLH-2004 protocol for secondary HLH (consisting of dexamethasone and cyclosporine). He was also found to have low serum hydroxycobalamin levels, promptly corrected upon hydroxycobalamin administration. Conclusion. The presented case history underlines the need to ascertain the presence or absence of each of the eight HLH-2004 criteria in any patient suspected to suffer from HLH.
Role for c-Abl and p73 in the radiation response of male germ cells.

p53 plays a central role in the induction of apoptosis of spermatogonia in response to ionizing radiation. In p53−/− testes, however, spermatogonial apoptosis still can be induced by ionizing radiation, so p53 independent apoptotic pathways must exist in spermatogonia. Here we show that the p53 homologues p63 and p73 are present in the testis and that p73, but not p63, is localized in the cytoplasm of spermatogonia. Unlike p53, neither p63 nor p73 protein levels were found to increase after a dose of 4 Gy of X-rays. Although p73 protein levels did not increase, its interaction with the non-receptor tyrosine kinase c-Abl and its phosphorylation on tyrosine residues did. c-Abl and p73 co-localize in the cytoplasm of spermatogonia and spermatocytes and in the residual bodies. Furthermore, c-Abl protein levels increase after irradiation. p63 was not found to co-localize or interact with c-Abl neither before nor after irradiation. In conclusion, in the testis ionizing radiation elevates cytoplasmic c-Abl that in turn interacts with p73. This may represent an additional, cytoplasmic, apoptotic pathway. Although less efficient than the p53 route, this pathway may cause spermatogonial apoptosis as observed in p53 deficient mice.
Light emission from electrodes under dielectrophoresis conditions

The use of fluorescence in microfluidic optical biodetection requires materials with low-background fluorescence to avoid influencing the desired optical signal with spurious light emission. For the same reason, spurious light emission from galvanoluminescence (GL) should be avoided when fluorescence is used in dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based biosensors. Use of non-noble metal electrodes such as indium tin oxide (ITO) in DEP devices is therefore a concern. We evaluate GL in the context of conditions typical of DEP devices. We experimentally show that use of ITO can result in GL. We also show that GL can be avoided, even with metals that demonstrate strong GL such as Al, by proper selection of operating frequency, which can be determined by measuring the impedance spectrum of the DEP device. In addition, we demonstrate that GL results in broadband emission for all of the salt solutions tested. Broadband emission implies that at least some of the light will pass through typical fluorescence filters if a device exhibits GL. We also show that Ni and Cr electrodes do not exhibit GL and may therefore be suitable as low-cost DEP electrodes.
Creating a high-performing clinical team.

This article advocates the development of a coordinated clinical team within a primary care practice. Research has shown that a clinical team achieves better outcomes with patient health than individual work alone. The article encourages practices to get buy-in from all team members and to set reasonable clinical goals.
UHV/CVD Growth Techniques

This chapter discusses the ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHV/CVD) is compared to other silicon and silicon–germanium epitaxial deposition methods with emphasis on the ultralow temperature regime below 700°C and on 200 to 300 mm substrate size. It explores the UHV low-temperature reaction-limited silane deposition characteristics. The adsorption coefficients of silane, disilane, and trisilane molecules under UHV conditions were found to be dissimilar but only weakly temperature-dependent. Contamination originating from the reactor’s inner periphery is minimized by evacuating the chamber to UHV pressures. Epitaxial UHV/CVD of silicon–germanium is typically achieved by adding diluted germane or digermane to the precursor gas flow. The use of low temperatures during growth, as enabled by UHV/CVD, is expected to result in better alloy metastability because relaxation exhibits stronger thermally activated behavior as compared to growth. The concept of nucleation delay was extended to UHV/CVD in order to further reduce deposition temperatures.
Home Education: Practices, Purposes, and Possibilities

Home education is a practice whose contours have expanded in recent years as alternative educational options have proliferated. Despite the term’s geographical implication, home education has seen physical boundaries become increasingly irrelevant for many participants. The distinctiveness of home education lies not in its location, but in its locus of oversight. Put another way, the “home” in home education refers more accurately to who is shaping the education, not where the education is happening.
Guide RNA engineering for versatile Cas9 functionality

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats system allows a single guide RNA (sgRNA) to direct a protein with combined helicase and nuclease activity to the DNA. Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9), a CRISPR-associated protein, has revolutionized our ability to probe and edit the human genome in vitro and in vivo Arguably, the true modularity of the Cas9 platform is conferred through the ease of sgRNA programmability as well as the degree of modifications the sgRNA can tolerate without compromising its association with SpCas9 and function. In this review, we focus on the properties and recent engineering advances of the sgRNA component in Cas9-mediated genome targeting.
Quantifying Early-Seral Forest Composition with Remote Sensing

Abstract Spatially explicit modeling of recovering forest structure within two years following wildfire disturbance has not been attempted, yet such knowledge is critical for determining successional pathways. We used remote sensing and field data, along with digital climate and terrain data, to model and map early-seral aspen structure and vegetation species richness following wildfire. Richness was the strongest model ( rmse = 2.47 species, Adj. R 2 = 0.60), followed by aspen stem diameter, basal area ( ba ), height, density, and percent cover (Adj. R 2 range = 0.22 to 0.53). Effects of pre-fire aspen ba and fire severity on post-fire aspen structure and richness were analyzed. Post-fire recovery attributes were not significantly related to fire severity, while all but percent cover and richness were sensitive to pre-fire aspen ba (Adj. R 2 range = 0.12 to 0.33, p
Antibiotic Prescription Fills for Acute Conjunctivitis among Enrollees in a Large United States Managed Care Network.

Purpose Antibiotics are seldom necessary to treat acute conjunctivitis. We assessed how frequently patients with newly diagnosed acute conjunctivitis fill prescriptions for topical antibiotics and factors associated with antibiotic prescription fills. Design Retrospective, observational cohort study. Participants A total of 340 372 enrollees in a large nationwide United States managed care network with newly diagnosed acute conjunctivitis, from 2001 through 2014. Methods We identified all enrollees newly diagnosed with acute conjunctivitis, calculating the proportion filling 1 or more topical antibiotic prescription within 14 days of initial diagnosis. Multivariate logistic regression assessed sociodemographic, medical, and other factors associated with antibiotic prescription fills for acute conjunctivitis. Geographic variation in prescription fills also was studied. Main Outcome Measures Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for filling an antibiotic prescription for acute conjunctivitis. Results Among 340 372 enrollees with acute conjunctivitis, 198 462 (58%) filled ≥1 topical antibiotic prescriptions; 38 774 filled prescriptions for antibiotic–corticosteroid combination products. Compared with whites, blacks (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.86–0.92) and Latinos (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.81–0.86) had lower odds of filling antibiotic prescriptions. More affluent and educated enrollees had higher odds of filling antibiotic prescriptions compared with those with lesser affluence and education ( P P = 0.21) or patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection or AIDS ( P = 0.60). Conclusions Nearly 60% of enrollees in this managed care network filled antibiotic prescriptions for acute conjunctivitis, and 1 of every 5 antibiotic users filled prescriptions for antibiotic–corticosteroids, which are contraindicated for acute conjunctivitis. These potentially harmful practices may prolong infection duration, may promote antibiotic resistance, and increase costs. Filling antibiotic prescriptions seems to be driven more by sociodemographic factors and type of provider diagnosing the enrollee than by medical indication.
The Electroencephalogram in Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE) occurs when a continuous epileptic seizure lasts for more than 30 min, or intermittent epileptic seizures recur without intervening recovery to baseline neurologic function (1). For practical clinical purposes, 10 min of continuous seizure activity is often used as a criterion for diagnosis of SE (2). While most cases of convulsive SE are easy to diagnose by clinical criteria alone, the electroencephalogram (EEG) is an essential tool for the diagnosis and classification of nonconvulsive SE (NCSE). EEG is also valuable in classifying SE and in monitoring the response to therapy. The clinical manifestations and treatment of SE are discussed thoroughly in other chapters; this chapter will focus on the electrographic patterns of SE and the utility of EEG for diagnosis, classification, and management of SE.
Efficient Adiabatic Spin-Dependent Kicks in an Atom Interferometer.

We present an atom interferometry technique in which the beam splitter is split into two separate operations. A microwave pulse first creates a spin-state superposition, before optical adiabatic passage spatially separates the arms of that superposition. Despite using a thermal atom sample in a small ($600\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$) interferometry beam, this procedure delivers an efficiency of 99% per $\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ of momentum separation. Utilizing this efficiency, we first demonstrate interferometry with up to $16\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ momentum splitting and free-fall limited interrogation times. We then realize a single-source gradiometer, in which two interferometers measuring a relative phase originate from the same atomic wave function. Finally, we demonstrate a resonant interferometer with over 100 adiabatic passages, and thus over $400\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ total momentum transferred.
Interactive Schema Integration with Sphinx

The Internet has instigated a critical need for automated tools that facilitate integrating countless databases. Since non-technical end users are often the ultimate repositories of the domain information required to distinguish differences in data types, we suppose an effective solution must integrate simple GUI based data browsing tools and automatic mapping methods that eliminate technical users from the solution. We develop a meta-model of data integration as the basis for absorbing feedback from an end-user. The schema integration algorithm draws examples from the data and learns integrating view definitions by asking a user simple yes or no questions. The meta-model enables a search mechanism that is guaranteed to converge to a correct integrating view definition without the user having to know a view definition language such as SQL or even having to inspect the final view definition. We show how data catalog statistics, normally used to optimize queries, can be exploited to parameterize the search heuristics and improve the convergence of the learning algorithm.
Central Pontine Myelinolysis: A Complication of Hyponatremia or of Therapeutic Intervention?

We report four cases of central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) that illustrate important features of the disorder. The condition is described mainly in the neurological literature and, to our knowledge, is not discussed in the forensic science journals. This disorder must be recognized and understood by the forensic science expert who addresses issues of liability. In cases of multiple motor deficits and death with a history of hyponatremia, CPM must be included in the differential diagnosis. Careful examination of the pons and adjoining structures must be performed. Myelin stains are advisable. The association of CPM with major illnesses, hyponatremia and the correction of hyponatremia by intravenous saline infusions is discussed.
The Value of Rescuing, Treating, and Releasing Live-Stranded Sea Otters

Since 1984, personnel within the Sea Otter Research and Conservation program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium have wrestled with the ethical and practical aspects of managing live-stranded sea otters. During that time, the practice of rescuing, treating, and releasing live-stranded sea otters has evolved into a sophisticated research and conservation endeavor. Unlike early efforts that sought to keep stranded sea otters alive and place them into permanent zoo or aquarium homes, recent trends have focused on conducting research with live-stranded otters, contributing to a broad range of sea otter conservation projects, and releasing healthy, capable sea otters into the wild population. New techniques for rearing live-stranded sea otter pups using non-releasable adult females as surrogate mothers have shown significant promise and have helped the program identify new ways to support sea otter conservation efforts. Operating a live-stranding program has allowed program personnel to continue advancing sea otter care and husbandry techniques. This chapter addresses the context for determining the value of rescuing, treating, and releasing sea otters, and offers guidance to other wildlife care and rehabilitation programs that aspire toward responsible, meaningful wildlife-care practices.
Where the Negroes Are Masters: An African Port in the Era of the Slave Trade. By Randy J. Sparks. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2014. Pp. 328. $29.95.)

Roughly 10 percent of enslaved Africans forced onboard transatlantic slave vessels departed from the Gold Coast, in what today would be Ghana. This stretch of the African littoral is well known in ...
Accelerating Iterative Hard Thresholding for Low-rank Matrix Completion via Adaptive Restart

This paper introduces the use of adaptive restart to accelerate iterative hard thresholding (IHT) for low-rank matrix completion. First, we analyze the local convergence of accelerated IHT in the non-convex setting of matrix completion problem (MCP). We prove the linear convergence rate of the accelerated algorithm inside the region near the solution. Our analysis poses a major challenge to parameter selection for accelerated IHT when no prior knowledge of the "local Hessian condition number" is given. To address this issue, we propose a simple adaptive restart algorithm for MCP to recover the optimal rate of convergence at the solution, as motivated in [1]. Our numerical result verifies the theoretical analysis as well as demonstrates the outstanding performance of the proposed algorithm.
Pyntheon: A Functional Analysis Framework for Protein Modifications and Mutations of 83 Model Organisms

Abstract Motivation Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) modulate proteins activity depending on the dynamics of cellular conditions, in the highly regulated processes that control the reversible nature of these modifications and a cellular state. Due to the unique importance of PTMs, a number of resources are available to analyze the protein modification data for different organisms. These databases are quite informative on a limited number of popular organisms, mostly human and yeast. However there has not been a single database to date that makes it possible to analyze the modified protein residue data for up to 83 model organisms. Moreover, there are limited resources that rely on both protein mutations and modifications in evaluating a phenotype. Results I am presenting a comprehensive python tool Pyntheon that enables users to analyze protein modifications and mutations data. This resource can be used in different ways to know: (i) if the proteins of interest have modifications and (ii) if the modified residues overlap with mutated sites. Additional functions include, analyzing if a PTM-site is present in a functional protein region, like domain and structural regions. In summary, Pyntheon makes it possible for a larger community of researchers to evaluate their curated proteomics data and interpret the impact of mutations on phenotypes. Conclusion Pyntheon has multifold functions that can help analyzing the protein mutations impact on the modified residues for a large number of popular model organisms. Code-Availability https://github.com/AhmedArslan/pyntheon Contact aarslan@stanford.edu
Endothelin 1 Is Associated with Heart Failure Hospitalization and Long-Term Mortality in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Pulmonary Hypertension.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is increasing. We aim to study the role of big endothelin 1 (Big ET1), endothelin 1 (ET1), and neprilysin (NE) in HFpEF with PH. METHOD This was a single center prospective cohort study including 90 HFpEF patients; 30 with no PH, 30 with postcapillary PH, and 30 with combined post- and precapillary PH. After enrollment, pulmonary venous and pulmonary arterial samples of Big ET1, ET1, and NE were collected during right heart catheterization. Subjects were then followed long term for adverse outcomes which included echocardiographic evidence of right ventricular dysfunction, heart failure hospitalization, and all-cause mortality. RESULTS Patients with HFpEF-PH were found to have increased ET1 in pulmonary veins (endothelin from the wedge; ET1W) compared to controls (2.3 ± 1.4 and 1.6 ± 0.9 pg/mL, respectively). ET1W levels were associated with both PH (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.5-4.7, p = 0.01) and pulmonary vascular resistance (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.04-2.3, p = 0.03). No evidence of right ventricular dysfunction was observed after 1 year of follow-up. ET1W (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.6, p = 0.01) and ET1 gradient (ET1G; OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.04-2, p = 0.03) were predictive of 1-year hospitalization. ET1G ≥0.2 pg/mL was associated with long-term mortality (log-rank 4.8, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION In HFpEF patients, ET1W and ET1G are predictive of 1-year heart failure hospitalization, while elevated ET1G levels were found to be associated with long-term mortality in HFpEF. This study highlights the role of ET1 in developing PH in HFpEF patients and also explores the potential of ET1 as a prognostic biomarker.
Metastatic appendiceal cancer treated with Yttrium 90 radioembolization and systemic chemotherapy: A case report

Metastatic appendiceal cancer treated with Yttrium 90 radioembolization and systemic chemotherapy: A case report
Association between dairy product intake and body composition among South Asian adults from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study.

South Asians, who are at a disproportionately greater risk of atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD), represent a rapidly growing population in the USA. The relationship between dairy products, a major component of South Asian diets, and body composition – an established risk factor for ASCVD, is unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine associations between dairy intake and multiple measures of body composition (BMI, waist and hip circumference, waist:hip ratio, abdominal lean mass, subcutaneous, visceral, and intermuscular fat areas) among South Asian adults in the USA. A baseline analysis was conducted using existing data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America cohort. In women, the highest (>1·9 servings/d) v. lowest ( 80 cm (95 % CI 0·25, 0·89, P for trend 3 servings of low-fat yogurt/week was associated with a 9·9 cm2 lower visceral fat area (95 % CI –19·07, –0·72, P<0·05) and 2·3 cm2 lower intermuscular fat area (95 % CI –3·76, –0·79, P<0·05) as compared with those with three servings/week. Milk and cheese were not associated with body composition measures. These analyses suggest that higher consumption of low-fat yogurt is associated with lower visceral and intermuscular fat in the whole sample, and women with higher dairy intake have lower waist circumference. Our study supports dietary incorporation of dairy products, and recognises the utility of multidimensional measures of central adiposity.
A Preliminary Study of the Correlates of Leisure Interests and Constraints Among Adults Residing in Public Housing

This preliminary study explored the correlates of leisure interests and constraints among 39 adult public housing residents from North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Most preferred activities included ...
Gut microbial diversity and digestive function of an omnivorous shark

The intestinal microbiome of vertebrates has been shown to play a crucial role in their digestive capabilities. This is particularly true for omnivores and herbivores that rely on enteric microbes to digest components of plant material that are indigestible by host-derived enzymes. While studies of microbe-host interactions are becoming more frequent in terrestrial systems, studies of this type are still limited in marine systems, particularly for higher trophic level organisms. Although sharks are largely carnivorous, the bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo) has been identified as an omnivore, given that it assimilates seagrass material in addition to proteinaceous prey items such as crustaceans. The mechanisms by which bonnetheads digest seagrass, including microbial digestion, are still unknown. We use digestive enzyme assays, histological imaging, measurements of microbial fermentation, and 16S rDNA sequencing to explore potential processes by which the bonnethead shark may digest and assimilate plant material. We found evidence of microbial fermentation (as evident by moderate short-chain-fatty-acid concentrations) as well as evidence of greater epithelial surface area in their spiral intestine compared to other gut regions. We identified specific orders of microbes that make up the majority of the bonnethead shark gut microbiome (Vibrionales, Clostridiales, Pseudomonadales, Mycoplasmatales, Rhizobiales, and others), some of which are known, in other organisms, to be involved in the production of enzymes responsible for the breakdown of chitin (found in crustacean shells) and components of cellulose (found in seagrass). Our results highlight that an organism from a stereotypical “carnivorous” group is capable of breaking down seagrass, including potential for some fiber degradation, as well as advances our knowledge of gut microbe community structure in sharks.
Spin Pumping of an Easy-Plane Antiferromagnet Enhanced by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction.

Recently, antiferromagnets have received revived interest due to their significant potential for developing next-generation ultrafast magnetic storage. Here, we report dc spin pumping by the acoustic resonant mode in a canted easy-plane antiferromagnet $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ enabled by the Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction. Systematic angle and frequency-dependent measurements demonstrate that the observed spin-pumping signals arise from resonance-induced spin injection and inverse spin Hall effect in $\ensuremath{\alpha}\text{\ensuremath{-}}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$---metal heterostructures, mimicking the behavior of spin pumping in conventional ferromagnet-nonmagnet systems. The pure spin current nature is further corroborated by reversal of the polarity of spin-pumping signals when the spin detector is switched from platinum to tungsten which has an opposite sign of the spin Hall angle. Our results reveal the intriguing physics underlying the low-frequency spin dynamics and transport in canted easy-plane antiferromagnet-based heterostructures.
Predictors of Successful Yttrium-90 Radioembolization Bridging or Downstaging in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose. This study aims to identify clinical and imaging prognosticators associated with the successful bridging or downstaging to liver transplantation (LT) in patients undergoing Yttrium-90 radioembolization (Y90-RE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods. Retrospectively, patients with Y90-RE naive HCC who were candidates or potential candidates for LT and underwent Y90-RE were included. Patients were then divided into favorable (maintained or achieved Milan criteria (MC) eligibility) or unfavorable (lost eligibility or unchanged MC ineligibility) cohorts based on changes to their MC eligibility after Y90-RE. Penalized logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the significant baseline prognosticators. Results. Between 2013 and 2018, 135 patients underwent Y90-RE treatment. Among the 59 (42%) patients within MC, LT eligibility was maintained in 49 (83%) and lost in 10 (17%) patients. Within the 76 (56%) patients outside MC, eligibility was achieved in 32 (42%) and unchanged in 44 (58%). Among the 81 (60%) patients with a favorable response, 16 (20%) went on to receive LT. Analysis of the baseline characteristics revealed that lower Albumin-Bilirubin score, lower Child–Pugh class, lower Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage, HCC diagnosis using dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging on CT or MRI, normal/higher albumin levels, decreased severity of tumor burden, left lobe HCC disease, and absence of HBV-associated cirrhosis, baseline abdominal pain, or fatigue were all associated with a higher likelihood of bridging or downstaging to LT eligibility ( ’s < 0.05). Conclusion. Certain baseline clinical and tumor characteristics are associated with the successful bridging or downstaging of potential LT candidates with HCC undergoing Y90-RE.
Salmonella Typhimurium DT104

In the past four years there has been an increase in the reported prevalence of salmonellosis in dairy cattle in the Pacific Northwest. We have established that Salmonella typhimurium DT104 is responsible for much of this increase. S. typhimurium DT104 is emerging as a pathogen in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere in the United States and has importance for animal and human health.
The effects of fetal thyroidectomy during the second trimester in the ovine fetus

Abstract Seven sheep fetuses surgically thyroidectomized (Tx) during the second trimester at 81 to 87 days' gestation were acutely studied near term. Compared to 10 age-matched, sham-operated controls (C), the body weight was significantly reduced in the Tx group (C, 4.45 ± 0.28 kg; Tx, 2.70 ± 0.17 kg; P 2 consumption was not significantly different in the two groups. By the methodology used, no morphologic or histologic differences were noted between the brains of Tx fetuses and those of the C group. Caudate nucleus dopamine levels were significantly lower in the Tx group (C, 29.46 ± 3.01 μg/gm tissue; Tx, 15.85 ± 0.52 μg/gm tissue; P
A Heuristic Approach for Converting HTML Documents to XML Documents

XML is rapidly emerging, and yet there still exist numerous HTML documents on the Web. In this paper, we present a heuristic approach for converting HTML documents to XML documents. During the conversion process, we eliminate all the HTML elements in an HTML document from the resulting XML document since these elements are designed for the display of data exclusively, but retain the character data of each element along with the implicit hierarchy among the data. The proposed conversion approach extracts the data hierarchy of HTML documents as closely as possible with no human intervention. The approach can be adopted to construct the data hierarchy of an HTML document and to collect data in HTML documents into an XML repository.