cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Palladium composite membranes by electroless plating technique: Relationships between plating kinetics, film microstructure and membrane performance

Thin supported palladium membranes were prepared using electroless plating technique. The intrinsic plating kinetics were determined for hydrazine-based palladium plating baths. Mathematical models were developed to predict film thickness and plating rate as a function of plating parameters (i.e., reactant concentrations, temperature and time). Analyses of film surface microstructure indicate that grain structure is dependent on both plating chemistry and plating rate. The evolution of film morphology during electroless plating was also investigated. Hydrogen permeation study demonstrated that film structure has a significant influence on the permeation performance of the palladium membrane.
Human consciousness is fundamental for perception and highest emotions

Have Morsella et al. examined the fundamentals of consciousness? An experiment by Bar et al. (2006) has demonstrated the fundamental aspects of conscious and unconscious mechanisms of perception. The mental representations are not crisp and conscious like the perceived objects are, but vague and unconscious. This experiment points to the fundamental function of the neural mechanisms of consciousness in perception. Consciousness is also fundamental for the highest emotions.
Platelet count and total and cause-specific mortality in the Women's Health Initiative.

Abstract Purpose We used data from the Women's Health Initiative to examine the association of platelet count with total mortality, coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cancer mortality, and non-CHD/noncancer mortality. Methods Platelet count was measured at baseline in 159,746 postmenopausal women and again in year 3 in 75,339 participants. Participants were followed for a median of 15.9 years. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the relative mortality hazards associated with deciles of baseline platelet count and of the mean of baseline + year 3 platelet count. Results Low and high deciles of both baseline and mean platelet count were positively associated with total mortality, CHD mortality, cancer mortality, and non-CHD/noncancer mortality. The association was robust and was not affected by adjustment for a number of potential confounding factors, exclusion of women with comorbidity, or allowance for reverse causality. Low- and high-platelet counts were associated with all four outcomes in never smokers, former smokers, and current smokers. Conclusions In this large study of postmenopausal women, both low- and high-platelet counts were associated with total and cause-specific mortality.
Keynote Address: Blueprint of the Breast and Colorectal Cancer Genomes

KN-01 It is widely accepted that human cancer is a genetic disease caused by accumulation of mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. These tumor-specific mutations provide clues to the cellular processes underlying tumorigenesis and have proven useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. To date, however, only a small fraction of the genes has been analyzed and the number and type of alterations responsible for the development of common tumor types are unknown. The determination of the human genome sequence coupled with improvements in sequencing and bioinformatic approaches have now made it possible, in principle, to examine the cancer cell genome in a comprehensive and unbiased manner. We have begun a systematic study of the cancer genome through examination of gene families involved in signal transduction. These efforts have identified frequent activating mutations in a number of different kinases and phosphatases not previously linked to human cancer. For example, we have found genetic alterations in the PIK3CA gene encoding the p110 alpha phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in ~30% of colon and breast cancers, providing a rational target for therapy in a large fraction of common malignancies. These studies have recently been extended to genome-wide analyses of the protein coding genes in breast and colorectal cancer. These data define the genetic landscape of two human cancer types, provide new targets for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention, and open fertile avenues for basic research in tumor biology.
Dermatopathologic emergencies part I

In dermatopathology, there are several conditions which must be addressed emergently. While some conditions necessitate emergent intervention because of the pathology of the cutaneous manifestations, others require recognition of the underlying serious systemic conditions represented by the cutaneous signs and symptoms. We describe the desquamating disorders (Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis, and edema-related desquamation), erythema multiforme, cutaneous aspergillosis, tinea/Candida overlying fractures, rickettsial infections, and eczema herpeticum as diseases which should be addressed immediately upon presentation because of the seriousness and rapidity of progression of their pathology. Moreover, porphyria cutanea tarda, Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, Muir-Torre syndrome, and acquired ochronosis may exemplify conditions where the cutaneous signs serve as warnings for severe systemic disease that may not be emergencies in isolation, but can indicate rapid occult development of destructive and sometimes deadly noncutaneous pathology. The literature review was conducted using searches in Pubmed and references to textbooks on the subjects.
Personality and Genetic Associations With Military Service

Existing literature connects military service to regional characteristics and family traditions, creating real distinctions between those who serve and those who do not. We engage this discussion by examining military service as a function of personality. In the second portion, we examine military service as predisposed by genetics. Our findings indicate there is a significant heritability component of serving in the military. We find a significant genetic correlation between personality traits associated with progressive political ambition and military service, suggesting that military service represents a different form of political participation to which individuals are genetically predisposed. We discuss the long-term implications of our findings for policy makers and recruiters.
An Analysis of Illicit Drug Use and Motor Vehicle Fatalities Using Contiguous State-Level Data

This paper analyzes the influence of illicit drug use on highway fatal outcomes by estimating regression models using data for the 48 contiguous U.S. states for the years 2009 and 2010. The models include a representative, but not exhaustive, collection of roadway fatality determinants. The impact of illicit drug usage on the motor vehicle death rate differs across age groups. There are statistically significant life-taking effects from marijuana use by the very youngest drivers. Comparable effects from the usage of cocaine and nonmedical pain relievers occur among older drivers. Negatively associated with the highway death rate and statistically significant are real per capita income and seat belt use. Statistically significant positive relationships with the rate are found for the ratio of rural to urban driving, temperature, speed limit, the percentage of older drivers, and cell phone usage. The paper provides information to policy makers at a time when state-level drug laws are changing rapidly. Evidence reported here on how drug use affects highway fatal outcomes is relevant to that discussion.
Iodine-123 Phenylpentadecanoic Acid: Detection of Acute Myocardial Infarction in Anesthetized Dogs

Long-chain fatty acids are the preferred substrate of cardiac muscle. Therefore, radiolabeled free fatty acids are a natural choice for the non- invasive evaluation of myocardial metabolism and extensive research has focused on the development of radiolabeled free fatty acids for myocardial imaging (1–5). Evans et al. in 1965 successfully radioiodinated (I–131) oleic acid across a double bond and produced crude images of the myocardium in dogs, thus demonstrating the potential of radiolabeled free fatty acids for external, noninvasive myocardial imaging (1). Subsequently, heptadecanoic acid and hexadecanoic acid have been studied extensively in experimental animals and have shown promise in preliminary clinical assessments (2–5). However, for myocardial imaging, the terminally iodinated straight-chain free-fatty acids have two major problems, including (a) they are metabolized rapidly by the myocardium and (b) significant blood pool radioactivity results from free iodide released along with beta oxidation of the fatty acid in the myocardium and liver.
Cortical Fabrics in Calcite and Aragonite Ooids

Calcareous ooids from modern and ancient marine and non-marine settings are highly variable owing to differences in initial cortical composition and fabric. Compositionally, modern ooids consist of low-magnesian calcite (0%–5% MgCO3), high-magnesian calcite (10%–18% MgCO3) and aragonite with more than one phase commonly occurring within an individual cortex (e.g, Land et al. 1979). The primary mineralogy of ancient (now low-magnesian calcite) cortices was also variable (e.g., Kettenbrink and Manger 1971), although the initial magnesium content of ancient calcite ooids is undocumented and the relative abundance of aragonite versus calcite phases has not been constant throughout Phanerozoic time (e.g., MacKenzie and Pigott 1981).
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes in human immunodeficiency virus infection: Responses to structural proteins

Following the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS; Barre-Sinoussi et al. 1983; Gallo et al. 1984), an intensive effort has been undertaken to characterize humoral and cellular immune responses to this retrovirus. Although the immunologic correlates of protective immunity are yet to be precisely identified, accumulating evidence suggests that cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) may play a central role in containing viral replication during the typically prolonged asymptomatic phase of this illness. The first reports of CTL specific for HIV appeared in 1987 (Plata et al. 1987; Walker et al. 1987) and documented a vigorous cellular immune response to this virus in the setting of an illness characterized by immunosuppression. Numerous studies since that time have provided detailed insight into the CTL response to HIV. Investigators have described CTL responses to multiple HIV proteins, identified over 40 specific epitopes, and begun to illustrate some of the functional roles of these cells.
Robben Island and Prisoner Resistance to Apartheid: Debates and Disagreements

It would have been unrealistic to put a number of people of any political organization together and expect those people never to quarrel. All resistance, whether it was directed at improving the food or reestablishing banned organizations, raised questions about the most effective means of opposition and its consequences. Perspectives on the most appropriate courses of action were influenced both by generational and organizational politics. Both factors shaped two debates: official classification of the prisoners on the one hand and inmate behavior toward warders on the other. More than shaping debates in prison, organizations wanted to shape external politics, including by recruiting fellow inmates to one's own movement. This competition introduced heightened levels of conflict into the Island community, which threatened community cohesion, and thus resistance itself. How Best to Resist? The tensions and conflicts on Robben Island in the 1960s and between 1977 and 1980 or 1981 had both similar and different causes in the two different time periods. In both cases, significant aspects of the tensions arose out of a struggle for ideological and organizational dominance. When prisoners were sent to Robben Island in the 1960s, the PAC's split from the ANC was still a recent event, and emotions and passions were often still raw. More importantly, however, prisoners needed to work out ways of living together. They also had to identify common ground in the strategies and tactics of challenging the authorities in prison.
Transport across the bacterial outer membrane

Diffusion of small molecules across the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria may occur through protein channels and through lipid bilayer domains. Among protein channels, many examples of trimeric porins, which produce water-filled diffusion channels, are known. Although the channels are nonspecific, the diffusion rates of solutes are often drastically affected by their gross physicochemical properties, such as size, charge, or lipophilicity, because the channel has a dimension not too different from that of the diffusing solutes. In the last few years, the structures of three such porins have been solved by X-ray crystallography. It is now known that a monomer unit traverses the membrane 16 times as β-strands, and one of the external loop folds back into the channel to produce a narrow constriction. Most of the static properties of the channel, such as the pore size and the position of the amino acids that produce the constriction, can now be explained by the three-dimensional structure. Controversy, however, still surrounds the issue of whether there are dynamic modulation of the channel properties in response to pH, ionic strength, or membrane potential, and of whether such responses are physiological. More recently, two examples of monomeric porins have been identified. These porins allow a very slow diffusion of solutes, but the reason for this low permeability is still unclear. Finally, channels with specific binding sites facilitate the diffusion of specific classes of nutrients, often those compounds that are too large to penetrate rapidly through the porin channels. Lipid bilayers in the outer membrane were shown to be perhaps 50- to 100-fold less permeable to uncharged, lipophilic molecules in comparison with the bilayers made of the usual glycerophospholipids. This is caused by the presence of a lipopolysaccharide leaflet in the bilayer, and more specifically, by the presence of a larger number of fatty acids in each lipid molecule, and by the absence of unsaturated fatty acids in the lipopolysaccharide structure.
Improved handles for a prehospital amputation saw.

(2001). I MPROVED H ANDLES FOR A P REHOSPITAL A MPUTATION S AW. Prehospital Emergency Care: Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 415-415.
T1 Mapping in Cardiomyopathy from Cancer Treatment

Cancer survivorship rates are increasing globally and survivors are now faced with an increased likelihood of comorbidities associated with advancing age and side effects from cancer treatment. Cardio-oncology is an emerging clinical discipline that explores the relationship between cardiovascular disease and cancer treatment. Mounting evidence acquired over the past 20 years highlight an increasing occurrence of cardiovascular events among cancer survivors that threatens to offset gains recognized in cancer treatment such that overall cancer survivorship is threatened. To understand the mechanisms by which cancer and its treatment promote cardiovascular dysfunction and cardiovascular events, recent research has focused on the use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) tissue characterization using T1 mapping. This technique can provide assessments of the left ventricular (LV) myocardium before, during, and after cancer treatment. This chapter reviews the results published to date using CMR T1 mapping in patients treated for cancer with the goal of gaining understanding of subclinical cardiovascular disease that impacts cancer survivors’ quality of life and survival.
Benefits and pitfalls in applying the experience of prepaid group practices to the U.S. physician supply.

ABSTRACT: The paper by Jonathan Weiner includes important improvements in the methodology used to compare the physician workforce in prepaid group practices (PGPs) with the U.S. physician workforce...
Pre-emptive nonselective perigraft aortic sac embolization with coils to prevent type II endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair.

Abstract Objective Pre-emptive selective embolization of inferior mesenteric artery (IMA), lumbar arteries (LAs), and perigraft sac for prevention of type II endoleak (T2EL) has not been widely adopted. We perform pre-emptive nonselective perigraft aortic sac embolization with coils (PNPASEC) in patients at high risk for development of T2EL (four or more patent LAs, patent IMA ≥3 mm, and ≥30-mm aortic flow lumen). The goal of this study was to see whether PNPASEC decreases T2ELs requiring reinterventions. Methods All 266 patients undergoing elective endovascular aneurysm repair between September 1, 2007, and October 31, 2015, were retrospectively evaluated from a prospectively maintained database. Patients (N = 212; 211 men) with preoperative and postoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans were included. Our PNPASEC technique involves leaving a wire in the sac after cannulation of the contralateral gate and inserting large (0.035-inch) coils into the sac after bifurcated graft deployment. T2EL and reintervention rates were compared between patients who underwent PNPASEC (group I) and those who met the criteria but did not have PNPASEC (group II) and those who did not meet the criteria (Group III). Results Forty-seven (22.2%) patients were PNPASEC candidates and 165 (77.8%) patients (group III) were not. Among PNPASEC candidates, 16 (7.5%) underwent PNPASEC (group I) and 31 (14.6%) did not (group II). There were no significant differences between groups in terms of comorbidities, aneurysm size, and anatomic and neck characteristics. Mean number of patent LAs was similar between group I (4.5 ± 0.8) and group II (4.5 ± 0.9), which was significantly greater than in group III (1.9 ± 1.3; P Conclusions Nonselective perigraft sac coil embolization in patients at high risk for T2EL (20% of patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair) is effective in preventing development of T2EL and is associated with decrease in sac size and reintervention rates.
Crisis Response in Latin America: Is the

This paper examines the countercyclical policy options available to Latin American countries in the face of the current global economic crisis, concluding that most of the major countries in the region appear to possess the fiscal space (as measured by credible fiscal sustainability and debt headroom) to run prudent countercyclical fiscal deficits. Those countries should undertake a constrained fiscal expansion focused on productive public spending and financed by “rainy day” funds—large stocks of foreign exchange reserves that they have accumulated during recent years—rather than by market borrowing. The recent surge in multilateral financial activity to alleviate market illiquidity, whether intended for reserve or budget support, strengthens the case for this policy prescription: with multilateral support, the appropriate policy response is more expansionary, and its financing is less reliant on market borrowing.
Diabetes detachment: How cultural, contextual, and personal barriers influence low-income young women with diabetes in Appalachia.

Abstract Aim This study explored the experiences of young low-income women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Appalachia, Tennessee. Background Diabetes care remains suboptimal across the United States particularly in underserved communities. Methods The study employed a descriptive qualitative case study collecting data using in-depth interview of a group of low-income women in their 20s with T2D. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results The findings identified three themes: “frustration and stigma lead to detachment care,” “frozen by fear and unable to overcome resource limitations” and “social support and an empowered perspective lead to a positive outlook.” Cultural barriers combined with contextual and personal barriers resulted in detachment from diabetes care among study participants. Conclusion Within Appalachia, leveraging the existing familism values along with culturally congruent education and support can help alleviating the burden of diabetes care.
Multimessenger Search for the Sources of Cosmic Rays using Cosmic Neutrinos

After updating the status of the measurements of the cosmic neutrino flux by the IceCube experiment, we summarize the evidence for the first identified source of cosmic rays and speculate on the connection between the two observations.
Analysis of regulatory and legal framework for regulation of the sphere of provision of medical services in Ukraine

The article analyzes the basic legal acts which regulate the sphere of medical services provision from the point of view of their relevance to the strategic principles of reforming the medical sector in Ukraine as a sphere of providing quality medical services. Attention is paid to the fact that they have a general discrepancy between the social significance of the healthcare industry, as well as the constitutional status of the right to health protection, and the unjustified low level of theoretical substantiation of the branch legal regime in the field of healthcare. The necessity of further substantiation of the independence of medical law, which should be formed in a separate branch, is emphasized. The perspective directions of conceptual modernization of the field of medical regulation in Ukraine in the part of strengthening its social orientation are determined. The emphasis is on the main directions of the reform in the sphere of provision of medical services in the framework of the Strategy of sustainable development ‘Ukraine – 2020, which should ensure its long term development on the basis of orientation to the quality of services, their economic feasibility and social orientation. The financial-economic component of the state management in the health care is singled out and its importance under the current conditions is emphasized. It was shown that it manifests itself not only in the financial provision of health care activities, its institutions, but also in the development and implementation of measures to control compliance with the rule of law by the subjects of the medical market. Insufficient financing of the industry coupled with instability and inadequacy of public administration and legal regulation of the system. These are the main causes of the problems in the development of the domestic health care system. The size of the guaranteed level of medical care to the population with avoiding the shadow payment of medical care also requires defining. Priority of the resolution of the primary tasks of the healthcare system puts the problem of developing recommendations on improving the organizational forms of industry management and the mechanism of legal provision of its progressive development to the problem of public administration, which is the article directed to.
An Engineered B. subtilis Inducible Promoter System with over 10 000-Fold Dynamic Range.

Bacillus subtilis is the leading model Gram-positive bacterium, and a widely used chassis for industrial protein production. However, B. subtilis research is limited by a lack of inducible promoter...
Short-range harmonic radar: chirp waveform, electronic targets

Radio-frequency (RF) electronic targets, such as man-portable electronics, cannot be detected by traditional linear radar because the radar cross section of those targets is much smaller than that of nearby clutter. One technology that is capable of separating RF electronic targets from naturally-occurring clutter is nonlinear radar. Presented in this paper is the evolution of nonlinear radar at the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and recent results of short-range over-the-air harmonic radar tests there. For the present implementation of ARL’s nonlinear radar, the transmit waveform is a chirp which sweeps one frequency at constant amplitude over an ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB). The receiver captures a single harmonic of this entire chirp. From the UWB received harmonic, a nonlinear frequency response of the radar environment is constructed. An inverse Fourier Transform of this nonlinear frequency response reveals the range to the nonlinear target within the environment. The chirped harmonic radar concept is validated experimentally using a wideband horn antenna and commercial off-the-shelf electronic targets.
Expanded Discrete and Continuous Bĕlehrádek/Ratkowski Models of Microbial Growth Rates Under Oscillating and Extreme Storage Temperatures

The Bĕlehradek/Ratkowski, also known as the square root model, was originally developed to describe and quantify the temperature dependence of organisms’ growth rate, in terms of a simple power-law expression that contains a threshold growth temperature. The model’s original version implied that the rate rises monotonically with temperature. Therefore it has been modified to account for peak growth at the organism’s optimal temperature, by adding a falling multiplying factor. The modified model has been extended to post-peak growth temperatures, and all the way to where growth turns into thermal inactivation. In principle, the model can also be extended to low temperatures where growth not only ceases, as the original model implies, but turns into mortality, albeit at a much slower pace. The performance of the original and extended model’s versions can be visualized with three freely downloadable interactive Wolfram Demonstrations available on the Internet. The three versions can be combined into a single temperature-dependence model that covers the entire temperature range from lethal cold to death by heat. This combined model can be incorporated into a general dynamic (non-isothermal) growth/mortality model, in the form of a differential rate equation, which can describe oscillations between growth, no growth, and mortality modes during a population’s thermal history. All the Bĕlehradek/Ratkowski model’s variants can be replaced by a single continuous algebraic expression that eliminates the need to have “If statements” in their equations. The continuous version too can be incorporated into a dynamic rate model to describe growth, no growth, and mortality, and transitions between them.
Stress-Induced Refractive Index Changes in Laser Fibers and Preforms

Refractive index profile of the core is a key design parameter in fiber lasers and amplifiers. During manufacturing, the initial information of the index profile is obtained from the preform, while ultimately the performance is defined by the index profile of the fiber. Depending on stresses and diffusion, the two profiles may be different. It is possible to predict more accurately the laser fiber refractive index when we apply a stress-induced index change model to the measured preform index profile data. The improved capability to predict the fiber index from preform increases the confidence in achieving the designed index profile in fiber, which enables faster process feedback and higher fiber yields.
Role of plasma properties in controlling crystallinity and phase in oxide films grown by plasma-enhanced atomic layer epitaxy

Plasma-enhanced atomic layer epitaxy (PEALE) is a cyclic atomic layer deposition process that incorporates plasma-generated species into one of the cycle substeps to achieve layer-by-layer crystalline growth. The addition of plasma generally provides unique gas phase chemistries and a substantially reduced growth temperature compared to thermal approaches. Indeed, when properly configured, PEALE systems can deliver high-quality crystalline films with structural characteristics that rival those grown by conventional thermal equilibrium growth processes such as molecular beam epitaxy or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. However, the inclusion of plasma also adds a complex array of reaction pathways that can be challenging to understand and control. This work focuses on the use of plasma diagnostics to inform the choice of process conditions for PEALE. Optical emission and vacuum ultraviolet emission spectroscopy, as well as spatially resolved Langmuir probe measurements, are employed to characterize an inductively coupled plasma source used for the growth of epitaxial TiO2 and Ga2O3 films on sapphire. Under plasma conditions with large concentrations of atomic oxygen and significant ion energy (30–50 eV), highly crystalline TiO2 and Ga2O3 films were grown, indicating that both reactive neutral chemistry and ion energy are important in these processes.Plasma-enhanced atomic layer epitaxy (PEALE) is a cyclic atomic layer deposition process that incorporates plasma-generated species into one of the cycle substeps to achieve layer-by-layer crystalline growth. The addition of plasma generally provides unique gas phase chemistries and a substantially reduced growth temperature compared to thermal approaches. Indeed, when properly configured, PEALE systems can deliver high-quality crystalline films with structural characteristics that rival those grown by conventional thermal equilibrium growth processes such as molecular beam epitaxy or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. However, the inclusion of plasma also adds a complex array of reaction pathways that can be challenging to understand and control. This work focuses on the use of plasma diagnostics to inform the choice of process conditions for PEALE. Optical emission and vacuum ultraviolet emission spectroscopy, as well as spatially resolved Langmuir probe measurements, are employed to characterize a...
Secreted frizzled-related protein 2, a novel mechanism to induce myocardial ischemic protection through angiogenesis

Our hypothesis is that Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 2 (sFPR2) is an important mechanism mediating ischemic cardioprotection, since it is the most upregulated gene in the third window of ischemic preconditioning. One week after permanent coronary artery occlusion (CAO), sFRP2 TG mice exhibited a 49% higher LV ejection fraction and a 36% reduction in infarct size, p < 0.05, and reduced fibrosis in both adjacent and remote zones, along with an increase in collagen type III and a decrease in the collagen type I/III ratio compared with WTL. The ischemic cardioprotection was associated with increased angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, reflected by increased capillary and arteriolar proliferation in the ischemic zone, thereby preserving blood flow after CAO. The angiogenesis and arteriogenesis were mediated by cross talk between myocytes and endothelial cells. The mechanism for cardioprotection and angiogenesis/arteriogenesis did not involve a traditional vascular growth hormone, e.g., VEGF or FGF, but rather cTGF, and ATF6 through the stress signaling pathway. The ATF6 inhibitor, AEBSF, blocked the upregulation of cTGF and both the angiogenesis and arteriogenesis, resulting in abolition of the reduced infarct size and protection of cardiac function in the sFRP2 TG mouse following permanent CAO. sFRP2 is a novel mechanism to induce angiogenesis/arteriogenesis, mediated through the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway, ATF6 and cTGF, which protects the heart from myocardial ischemia.
Silently Screaming in the Dark: Gender-Based Dynamics of Distress in Japanese Migrants

Prior literature has shown the female Japanese population experiences higher susceptibility to mental health disorders. The causal influences of help-seeking for distressed women were investigated ...
PRICING IN MASS TRANSPORTATION

The purpose of this paper is first, to review briefly the current pricing policy of urban transportation, and the privately operated bus transit company in the Milwaukee area is examined. The investigation finds that a lowered bus fare, together with improved service, will substantially increase transit patronage, which will in turn reduce the cost of operating bus transit as a consequence of the existence of the economy of scale. The paper examines the characteristics of mass transit users in this country and concludes that the majority of the transit riders are captive riders in the sense that they do not have any choice in their mode of transportation. This finding substantiates the hypothesis that mass transit fare should be significantly reduced, not just for attracting automobile users to transit and thus to limit congestion, but also for increased social welfare resulting in improved equity.
Deformable MR-CT image registration using an unsupervised synthesis and registration network for neuro-endoscopic surgery

Purpose: Deep-brain stimulation via neuro-endoscopic surgery is a challenging procedure that requires accurate targeting of deep-brain structures that can undergo deformations (up to 10 mm). Conventional deformable registration methods have the potential to resolve such geometric error between preoperative MR and intraoperative CT but at the expense of long computation time. New advances in deep learning methods offer benefits to inter-modality image registration accuracy and runtime using novel similarity metrics and network architectures. Method: An unsupervised deformable registration network is reported that first generates a synthetic CT from MR using CycleGAN and then registers the synthetic CT to the intraoperative CT using an inverse-consistent registration network. Diffeomorphism of the registration is maintained using deformation exponentiation “squaring and scaling” layers. The method was trained and tested on a dataset of CT and T1-weighted MR images with randomly simulated deformations that mimic deep-brain deformation during surgery. The method was compared to a baseline method using inter-modality deep learning registration, VoxelMorph. Results: The methods were tested on 10 pairs of CT/MR images from 5 subjects. The proposed method achieved a Dice score of 0.84±0.04 for the lateral ventricles, 0.72±0.09 for the 3rd ventricle, and 0.63±0.10 for the 4th ventricle, with target registration error (TRE) of 0.95±0.54 mm. The proposed method showed statistically significant improvement in both Dice score and TRE in comparison to inter-modality VoxelMorph, while maintaining a fast runtime of less than 3 seconds for a typical MR-CT pair of volume images. Conclusion: The proposed unsupervised image synthesis and registration network demonstrates the capability for accurate volumetric deformable MR-CT registration with near real-time performance. The method will be further developed for application in intraoperative CT (or cone-beam CT) guided neurosurgery.
Using Children’s Savings Accounts and Early Awards to Build College Savings among Welfare Recipients: The Case of Promise Scholars

Prior research indicates that welfare receipt negatively affects households’ planning and saving for offspring’s post-secondary education. Recently, a growing body of literature suggests that Child...
Prevalence of TP-53/Rb-1 Co-Mutation in Large Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma.

Introduction Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a rare and highly aggressive high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasm, which can arise from anywhere in the body. Due to its rarity there is a lacuna in our understanding of LCNEC's molecular biology. In 2016, Rekhtman and colleagues presented one of the largest molecular sequencing series of pulmonary LCNEC. They differentiated genomic profiles of LCNEC into two major subsets: small cell lung cancer (SCLC)-like, characterized by TP53 + RB1 co-mutation/loss, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)-like, characterized by the lack of co-altered TP53 + RB1. This finding is of significance because at present LCNEC patients are often treated like SCLC. However, the universal genomic SCLC biomarker of TP53 and RB1 co-mutation was only found in 40% of their cohort. Since then various other scientists have looked into molecular profiling of LCNEC with markedly discordant results. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of publicly available next generation sequencing (NGS) data to evaluate the prevalence of TP53 + RB1 co-mutation in LCNEC. Method We conducted a literature search using PubMed. Seven studies including 302 patients with pulmonary LCNEC and four studies including 20 patients with extra-pulmonary LCNEC underwent final analysis. Results The prevalence of TP53 + RB1 co-mutation was 36% (109/302) among pulmonary LCNEC patients and 35% (7/20) among the extra-thoracic LCNEC cohort. This finding is in stark contrast to >90% TP53 + RB1 co-mutation in SCLC. Conclusion It is now well established that LCNEC is molecularly distinct from SCLC. LCNEC seems to have two molecularly defined sub-cohort based on TP53 + RB1 co-mutation status. Future studies should look into prognostic and predictive implication of TP53 + RB1 co-mutation status in LCNEC. Prospective studies should be designed to characterize molecular subtypes and direct treatment accordingly. We are currently conducting a prospective pilot clinical trial wherein LCNEC patients are treated based on TP53 + RB1 co-mutation status. The study is currently enrolling. "Next Generation Sequencing-Based Stratification of Front Line Treatment of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (PRECISION-NEC). Systematic review ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04452292.
TGFβ2 regulates human trabecular meshwork cell contractility via ERK and ROCK pathways with distinct signaling crosstalk dependent on the culture substrate

Transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF{beta}2) is a major contributor to the pathologic changes occurring in human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells in primary open-angle glaucoma. Receptor binding of TGF{beta}2 activates non-canonical extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) signaling pathways, both broadly affecting HTM cell behavior. However, exactly how these signaling pathways converge to regulate pathologic HTM cell contractility associated with glaucomatous dysfunction is unclear. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying TGF{beta}2-induced pathologic HTM cell contractility, and the crosstalk between ERK and ROCK signaling pathways. We compared soft biomimetic hydrogels composed of collagen type I, elastin-like polypeptide, and hyaluronic acid with conventional stiff glass coverslips. Results show that HTM cell morphology and filamentous (F)-actin organization was affected by the underlying culture substrate: TGF{beta}2 increased HTM cell contractility via ERK and ROCK signaling pathways by differentially regulating F-actin, -smooth muscle actin, fibronectin, and phospho-myosin light chain in cells grown on hydrogels compared to glass. Importantly, we showed that ERK inhibition further increased TGF{beta}2-induced phospho-myosin light chain levels in HTM cells on hydrogels, but not on glass, which translated into hypercontractility of three-dimensional (3D) HTM cell-laden hydrogels. ROCK inhibition had precisely the opposite effects and potently relaxed the TGF{beta}2-induced hydrogels. This suggests that ERK signaling negatively regulates ROCK-mediated HTM cell contractility, and that impairment of this crosstalk balance contributes to the pathologic contraction associated with the glaucomatous stressor TGF{beta}2. These findings emphasize the critical importance of using 3D tissue-mimetic extracellular matrix substrates for investigating HTM cell physiology and glaucomatous pathophysiology in vitro.
Meta-Analysis: Pediatric Placebo Response in Depression Trials Does Not Replicate in Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Trials

Background: Placebo response has been identified as an important factor influencing the success of adult antidepressant trials, yet little research of placebo response has been conducted in pediatr...
Ethical dilemmas in the management of infants with necrotizing enterocolitis totalis.

Abstract Purpose Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) totalis is a devastating disease of the newborn intestine. A precise clinical definition of the extent of gastrointestinal involvement is lacking in the existing literature, and the clinical outcomes are typically viewed as grim. Methods Herein, we present a series of clinical case examples of patients with varying degrees of NEC totalis and other co-morbid conditions, with possible anticipated outcomes based on current data. Results We define the key ethical issues and provide a framework and discussion of the ethical issues involved in the care of patients with NEC totalis and recommendations of how to approach discussions with the family of these patients We discuss the ethical considerations for both the providers caring for these patients, and the patient's family members. Conclusion The management of patients with NEC totalis is complex and ethically challenging. Level of evidence V
Understanding the dispersion of Ag on high surface area TiO2 supports using XPS intensity ratios

Abstract Silver–titania (Ag/TiO2) adsorbents, in the range of 4 wt% Ag, display high selectivity toward sulfur heterocyclic compounds from complex fuel streams containing other aromatics. An experimental investigation of Ag on TiO2 has been undertaken to understand the state of dispersion and growth of Ag. XPS is one of the more promising characterization tools for the state of dispersion. Silver loading from 1 wt% to 20 wt% on 150 m2/g titania was investigated. Ag/Ti intensity ratios increased linearly with Ag content up to 4 wt% and increased less significantly thereafter from 8 wt% to 20 wt% indicating nucleation and growth of Ag crystallites. Inelastic mean free path (IMFP) calculations were used to estimate Ag crystallite size based on the attenuation of the Ag signal, realizing in this regime there is insufficient Ag to attenuate background titania. At 4, 8, 12, and 20 wt% the estimated average crystallite sizes were 0.35, 0.71, 0.84, and 1.11 nm respectively. Ag loadings up to 4 wt% were present in the form of Ag+1 adatoms presumably occupying TiO2 surface defects. Saturation of surface TiO2 defects is in good agreement with quantitative sulfur heterocycle adsorption.
Improving Self-Reported Measures of Delinquency

Few issues are as critical to the study of crime and delinquency as the question of the reliability, validity and precision of our measures of this phenomenon. For many delinquency researchers employing self-report, offender-based measures, it would appear that these issues have been satisfactorily resolved. It is quite common for delinquency researchers today to reference the classic work of Hindelang, Hirschi and Weis (1981), cite their conclusion that the reliability and validity of self-reported measures of delinquency compare favorably to other standard measures employed routinely by social scientists, and proceed to report their findings without reference to the reliability or validity of their particular measure as employed in a particular sample or population.
The transmembrane glycoprotein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 induces syncytium formation in the absence of the receptor binding glycoprotein.

Abstract To study the intracellular transport and biological properties of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmembrane glycoprotein (TM; gp41), we constructed a truncated envelope gene in which the majority of the coding sequences for the surface glycoprotein (SU; gp120) were deleted. Transient expression of this truncated env gene in primate cells resulted in the biosynthesis of two proteins with M(r)s of 52,000 and 41,000, respectively. Immunofluorescence studies with antibodies to the HIV-1 TM protein indicated that the intracellular and surface localization of these proteins were indistinguishable from those of the native HIV-1 gp120-gp41 complex. These results indicate that the oligosaccharide processing and cell surface transport of the HIV-1 TM protein were not dependent on the presence of the receptor binding subunit, gp120. Syncytium formation was readily detected upon expression of the deleted HIV-1 env gene into COS and CD4+ HeLa cell lines, suggesting that in the absence of gp120, the TM protein retained biological activity. This observation was confirmed by infection of primate and mouse cell lines with a recombinant vaccinia virus (vvgp41) expressing the truncated HIV-1 env gene. These results strongly suggest that (i) the two biological activities of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein can occur independently and (ii) the association of the two glycoprotein subunits may restrict the fusion activity of the transmembrane component to CD4+ cells.
Identification of the Major Penicillin-Binding Proteins of Escherichia coli as d-Alanine Carboxypeptidase IA

Penicillin-binding proteins 5 and 6 of Escherichia coli have been identified as d-alanine carboxypeptidase IA.
An automatic unsupervised querying algorithm for efficient information extraction in biomedical domain

In the domain of bioinformatics, extracting a relation such as protein-protein interations from a large database of text documents is a challenging task. One major issue with biomedical information extraction is how to efficiently digest the sheer size of unstructured biomedical data corpus. Often, among these huge biomedical data, only a small fraction of the documents contain information that is relevant to the extraction task. We propose a novel query expansion algorithm to automatically discover the characteristics of documents that are useful for extraction of a target relation. Our technique introduces a hybrid query re-weighting algorithm combining the modified Robertson Sparck-Jones query ranking algorithm with a keyphrase extraction algorithm. Our technique also adopts a novel query translation technique that incorporates POS categories to query translation. We conduct a series of experiments and report the experimental results. The results show that our technique is able to retrieve more documents that contain protein-protein pairs from MEDLINE as iteration increases. Our technique is also compared with SLIPPER, a supervised rule-based query expansion technique. The results show that our technique outperforms SLIPPER from 17.90% to 29.98 better in four iterations.
State Estimation and Tracking Control of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

In this paper state estimation and feedback tracking control methods for nonlinear systems are presented. The methods, which are based on the “state-dependent Riccati equation”, allow the construction of nonlinear estimators and nonlinear feedback tracking controls for a wide class of systems. Our emphasis will be on development of computational methods that are easily implementable as well as efficient. Simulation results of the performance of the nonlinear estimator and tracking control are included. In addition, comparisons with the linear estimator and linear tracking control found through the linearized system are also made.
Phencyclidine-Related Deaths in Los Angeles County, 1976

The current widespread use of the illicit drug phencyclidine (PCP), more commonly known as “angel dust” by the “street people,” elicits not only a health hazard but also criminality through violence and public disturbance. Files of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Crime Laboratory show that 25.3% of the 17 000 drug possession cases in 1976 involved PCP. Since the drug can be readily prepared clandestinely, it has been substituted for tetrahydrocannabinol and mescaline for illicit distribution. Jain et al [1] reported that in the analysis of urine specimens from probationers in Los Angeles County there was an increase in the PCP-positive samples from 36 to 145 for the months of January and February from 1975 to 1976. In 1977, there were 435 positives in these two months. The consequence of this street activity was that approximately 50 PCP cases per month were admitted on an emergency basis to the Los Angeles County General Hospital in 1976.
On Holonomy and Homogeneous Spaces

In general a homogeneous space admits many invariant affine connections. Among these are certain connections which appear in many ways to be more natural than the others. We refer to the connections which K. Nomizu in [4] calls canonical affine connections of the first kind. When G is a compact connected Lie group and K a closed subgroup we called an invariant Riemannian metric on G/K, natural (in [2]) when it induced such a connection.