cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
VIP-Receptor Antagonist Enhanced Antileukemic Activity In Mice

Background and Objective We have previously published that antagonizing vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors dramatically decreases PD-1 expression on activated CD8+ T-cells and increases antiviral immunity (Blood 2013, 121:2347-51; PLoS One 2013, 8: e63381). Herein we tested whether short-term pharmacological antagonism of VIP signaling could induce anti-tumor immune responses in mice. Methods B6 mice were inoculated with 0.5 - 2 x 106 luciferase+ murine acute myeloid leukemia cells (Luc+ C1498) and B10BR mice were injected with 3 x 106 luciferase+ murine acute T-cell lymphoma cells (Luc+ LBRM) through tail vein. Mice were treated with one or more daily s.c. injections of 10 μg VIPhyb. Survival of groups that received 1, 3 or 7 doses of VIPhyb were compared with PBS treated controls. Tumor growth was monitored weekly by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Cytokine expression and expression of immune markers PD-1, PD-1H (VISTA), and PD-L1 on blood and spleen leukocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results Long-term survival (day 80) of tumor-bearing B6 and B10BR mice that received a single-dose of VIPhyb one day before tumor inoculation was 80% for both mouse strains harboring both leukemia cells (p Conclusion Treatment with a small molecule antagonist of VIP-receptor, VIPhyb, dramatically increased immune/T-cell specific anti-leukemic activity. The mechanism by which administration of a VIP receptor antagonist enhanced anti-tumor immunity includes increasing productions of IFN-γ, and expression of FAS-L and granzyme B in and decreasing expression of PD-1 in activated CD8+ T-cells, leading to enhance anti-tumor cytotoxicity. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Effects of Trace Elements on Immunoregulation

In the past several decades there has been an increased awareness of the effects of “heavy” metals that act as pollutants of our environment. As greater technological advances in chemical detection and analysis of trace elements have been made, the more widespread has become the concern over exposure to these apparently ubiquitous metals (Chisolm, 1980). Since all elements are potentially toxic according to dose, almost all physiological systems are affected by pharmacological doses of trace elements, including the reticuloendothelial system.
Decompositions of λKv

In a series of 2 papers, Kang, Du and Tian solved the existence problem for G-decomposition of λKn when G is any simple graph with 6 vertices and 7 edges, except when G is the graph T=K4∪K2. Notice that a T-decomposition can be considered to be a Pairwise Balanced Design in which each block of size 4 has been matched to a block of size 2. In this paper we remove this exception for all λ≥2. The case when λ=1 is also addressed.
T4-coliphage infection of Escherichia coli with defective cell envelopes.

Abstract The development of T4 phage induced resistance to lysis from without and of lysis inhibition is prevented when Escherichia coli AS19 is the host. This bacterial host is also unusually sensitive to lysis from without by low numbers of phage during primary infection. Uninfected AS19 was found to be more sensitive than the wild type to detergents, lysozyme, EDTA, and osmotic shock. The increased sensitivity to these agents is suggestive of a defective non-specific permeability barrier, presumably the outer cell envelope. Since the biochemical basis of lysis inhibition or resistance to lysis from without has not been established it is of interest that AS19, apparently possessing a defective envelope, cannot demonstrate these functions when infected with phage.
Deuterium-Based Plasmas as a Source for Helium-3

The maximum fraction of /sup 3/He recoverable from deuterium-based plasmas (to fuel D-/sup 3/He fusion reactors) is investigated, and optimal plasma conditions are identified. The upper bound to the fraction of /sup 3/He recoverable from ignited plasmas is ca.80%, corresponding to one /sup 3/He atom per 50 MeV of fusion energy, but recovery efficiency is very sensitive to the plasma energy balance. Effects of enhanced radiation losses, tritium assistance, ion/electron temperature split, plasma temperature and density profiles, and external plasma heating are examined. It appears possible to recover ca. 70% of the /sup 3/He produced in realistic driven semi-catalyzed deuterium (SCD) plasmas, at 70 MeV per atom. This suggests interesting possibilities for the symbiosis of SCD synfuel factories with satellite D-/sup 3/He reactors for the generation of electricity.
Noninvasive detection of microaneurysms in diabetic retinopathy by swept-source optical coherence tomography.

Background and objectives A method of identifying retinal vascular microaneurysms (MAs) in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Patients and methods SS-OCT images were acquired in 17 eyes with NPDR using prototype SS-OCT device and fluorescein angiography (FA) images were obtained simultaneously. MAs identified on SS-OCT slabs were correlated to MAs identified on FA. Results MAs were identified in SS-OCT slabs in 15/17 eyes, resulting in NPDR diagnosis rate of 88%. Mean number of MAs identified on FA was 11.7±11.9 (total 199) and was 8.1±9.3 (total 137) on SS-OCT. Wilcoxon rank sum test showed no significant difference in MAs detected on SS-OCT and FA (P=0.2995) across eyes. Wilcoxon rank sum test showed SS-OCT detected slightly fewer MAs than FA per eye (3.65 less, P=0.0009). Conclusion SS-OCT visualization of MAs could serve as a tool for diagnosing NPDR, and possibly applied as an imaging biomarker for population-based diabetic retinopathy screening.
Magnesium Augments Platelet Activation and Coagulation in Citrated Blood Product

Abstract Abstract 3438 Massive transfusion is defined as infusion of 10 units of red blood cells in 24 hours during treatment of uncontrolled bleeding. Mortality rates are 28.3% higher for patients that undergo massive transfusion. Administered blood products are collected from donors using citrate inhibition for anti-coagulation. Citrate chelates calcium, thus preventing its interactions with clotting enzymes and eliminating coagulation activity. Severe trauma patients suffer compromised liver function slowing citrate clearance and further reducing calcium availability. Under this scenario, calcium is empirically replaced due to concerns regarding hemostasis, however magnesium, which is also chelated by citrate, is not empirically replaced. Our goal was to describe both platelet aggregation and coagulation under conditions of increasing magnesium concentration following citrate chelation to ascertain the true spectrum of magnesium influence upon hemostasis. To analyze platelet activation/aggregation, de-identified whole blood (WB) was anti-coagulated with citrate (10.9mM) and corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI) (0.1mg/mL), or citrate and 50μL pPACK (final). Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was prepared through centrifugation at 200g for 10 minutes. Subsequent spin at 2000g for 10 minutes yielded platelet-poor plasma (PPP). Remaining packed red blood cells were combined with PRP (platelets calcein-tagged to 10μM final) to simulate 40% hematocrit. Shear rate of 920/sec was induced for arterial flow conditions for 10 minutes at 37°C through a microchannel (350μm W × 70μm H × 5000μm L) pre-coated with a solution of 100μg/mL type-I collagen blocked with 0.5% BSA/1X PBS. Fluorescent signal intensity of calcein-tagged platelets was quantified through sequential image capture every 30 seconds using Fluxion BioFlux 1000. For coagulation analyses, citrate/CTI inhibited WB, PRP, and PPP was analyzed via thromboelastograph (TEG) following large volume pre-mixing with tissue factor (1:5000). TEG cups were preloaded with varying concentrations of calcium chloride (0M, 5.5mM, 10.9mM, 15mM), or calcium chloride (15mM) with magnesium sulfate (0M, 3mM, 3.5mM, 4.5mM) before blood or component addition. TEG data were collected for 90 minutes. Statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism 5 software. Comparisons were drawn using linear analysis and area under the curve. Data indicate that re-attainment of physiological magnesium concentration in citrated blood: (1) facilitates platelet activation/aggregation, and (2) augments coagulation parameters through accelerated clot time and increased clot strength. Rate of platelet aggregation was significantly increased at final magnesium concentrations of 1.5mM (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
PARP inhibitor and platinum agent in triple negative breast cancer: utilizing innovative trial design to bring together something "new" and something "old".

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) which is defined by the lack of expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR), and absence of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) over expression and/or gene amplification accounts for approximately 15–20% of all breast cancers.
Femtosecond x-ray spectroscopy of an electrocyclic ring-opening reaction

The ultrafast light-activated electrocyclic ring-opening reaction of 1,3-cyclohexadiene is a fundamental prototype of photochemical pericyclic reactions. Generally, these reactions are thought to proceed through an intermediate excited-state minimum (the so-called pericyclic minimum), which leads to isomerization via nonadiabatic relaxation to the ground state of the photoproduct. Here, we used femtosecond (fs) soft x-ray spectroscopy near the carbon K-edge (~284 electron volts) on a tabletop apparatus to directly reveal the valence electronic structure of this transient intermediate state. The core-to-valence spectroscopic signature of the pericyclic minimum observed in the experiment was characterized, in combination with time-dependent density functional theory calculations, to reveal overlap and mixing of the frontier valence orbital energy levels. We show that this transient valence electronic structure arises within 60 ± 20 fs after ultraviolet photoexcitation and decays with a time constant of 110 ± 60 fs.
Modular and spatially explicit: A novel approach to system dynamics

The Open Modeling Environment (OME) is an open-source System Dynamics (SD) simulation engine which has been created as a joint project between Oregon State University and the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is designed around a modular implementation, and provides a standardized interface for interacting with spatially explicit data while still supporting the standard SD model components. OME can be run as a standalone simulation or as a plugin to a larger simulation framework, and is capable of importing Models from several SD model formats, including Simile model files, Vensim model files, and the XMILE interchange format. While it has been released, OME is still under development, and a number of potential future improvements are discussed. To help illustrate the utility of OME, an example model design process is provided as an Appendix.
Technology Independent Power Analysis and Modeling

This chapter presents a study on the relation between the power consumption of a Boolean network before and after technology mapping, under a zero delay model. Using a new signal tracing technique, it is shown that the structure of a network before mapping directly impacts the power consumption of the mapped network. This analysis will demonstrate that the contribution of each node in the unmapped network to the load and switching activity of the mapped network can accurately be estimated. Having provided a technique that provides an accurate power estimate on a node by node basis, a strong case is made for technology independent power optimization. Two load models for nodes in the technology independent network are also presented. These models will be used to minimize power consumption during technology independent power optimization procedures presented in the following chapters.
Groups-Keeping Solution Path Algorithm for Sparse Regression with Automatic Feature Grouping

Feature selection is one of the most important data mining research topics with many applications. In practical problems, features often have group structure to effect the outcomes. Thus, it is crucial to automatically identify homogenous groups of features for high-dimensional data analysis. Octagonal shrinkage and clustering algorithm for regression (OSCAR) is an important sparse regression approach with automatic feature grouping and selection by l1 norm and pairwise l∞ norm. However, due to over-complex representation of the penalty (especially the pairwise l∞ norm), so far OSCAR has no solution path algorithm which is mostly useful for tuning the model. To address this challenge, in this paper, we propose a groups-keeping solution path algorithm to solve the OSCAR model (OscarGKPath). Given a set of homogenous groups of features and an accuracy bound e, OscarGKPath can fit the solutions in an interval of regularization parameters while keeping the feature groups. The entire solution path can be obtained by combining multiple such intervals. We prove that all solutions in the solution path produced by OscarGKPath can strictly satisfy the given accuracy bound e. The experimental results on benchmark datasets not only confirm the effectiveness of our OscarGKPath algorithm, but also show the superiority of our OscarGKPath in cross validation compared with the existing batch algorithm.
Current applications and future perspectives of robotics in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery

Advances in robotic medicine have been adopted by various surgical subspecialties as the benefits of this technology become more readily apparent: precision in narrow operative windows, tremor controlled movements, and modestly improved outcomes, among others. Vascular neurosurgery, in particular, remains open to newer and more cutting edge treatment options for complex pathologies, and robotics may be on the horizon for such advances. We seek to provide a broad overview of these innovations in vascular neurosurgery for both practitioners well acquainted with robotics and those seeking to become more familiar. Technologies under development for cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery include robot assisted angiography, guided operative microscopes, coil insertion systems, and endoscopic clipping devices. Additionally, robotic systems in the fields of interventional cardiology and radiology have potential applications to endovascular neurosurgery but require proper modifications to navigate complex intracerebral vasculature. Robotic technology is not without drawbacks, as broad implementation may lead to increased cost, training time, and potential delays in emergency situations. Further cultivation of current multidisciplinary technologies and investment into newer systems is necessary before robotics can make a sizable impact in clinical practice.
Effector CD4+CD25- T cells from Stearoyl CoA Desaturase deficient mice drive chronic colitis in RAG-1KO mice (MUC5P.761)

Fatty acids in lipid bilayer substantially influence membrane fluidity and thus dictate cellular functions. Stearoyl CoA Desaturase (SCD-1) is a lipogenic enzyme that assists in the de novo biosynthesis of oleate (C18:1, n9 ), a major fatty acid in the phospholipids of lipid bilayer. Accordingly SCD-1KO mice display substantially reduced oleate in cell membranes. We investigated the colitogenic capacity of effector T-cells from SCD-1KO mice and their WT littermates in adoptive T-cell transfer colitis model. Splenic effector T-cells (CD4 + CD25 - ) from age and gender matched WT and SCD-1KO mice were isolated by cell sorting using magnetic beads and flow cytometry. RAG-1KO (n=5) were administered 5.0x10 5 CD4 + CD25 - cells/mouse intraperitoneally and monitored for body weights and colitis development. RAG-1KO mice which received CD4 + CD25 - cells from SCD-1KO mice displayed colomegaly, splenomegaly, elevated colonic, systemic lipocalin-2, a general inflammatory marker and hallmarks of colitis at histologic level. Interestingly, colonic TNFα and IL-10 gene transcripts were significantly reduced in SCD-1KO CD4 + CD25 - recipients whereas the opposite is true for iNOS and lipocalin-2. Further, systemic sIL-1Ra was significantly reduced in SCD-1KO CD4 + CD25 - recipients when compared to WT T cell recipients. Our results demonstrate that effector T-cells from oleate poor environment attain colitogenic properties and may be associated with increased immunoreactivity to gut microbiotal antigens.
Elementary School-age Children's Attitudes Toward Children in Same-Sex Parent Families

As numbers of families with same-sex parents increase in the United States, children are more likely to encounter diverse family structures. Given that young children can demonstrate in-group bias,...
Discriminative Clustering with Cardinality Constraints

Clustering is widely used for exploratory data analysis in a variety of applications. Traditionally clustering is studied as an unsupervised task where no human inputs are provided. A recent trend in clustering is to leverage user provided side information to better infer the clustering structure in data. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic graphical model that allows user to provide as input the desired cluster sizes, namely the cardinality constraints. Our model also incorporates a flexible mechanism to inject control of the crispness of the clusters. Experiments on synthetic and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in learning with cardinality constraints in comparison with the current state-of-the-art.
Recent Considerations in the Classification and Pathogenesis of Fungal Rhinosinusitis

Fungal organism involvement of the sinonasal tract can result in significant pathology, most of which is inflammatory in nature. Fungal rhinosinusitis is classified as noninvasive or invasive based on whether the fungal organisms have invaded into the sinonasal mucosa. While the classification of sinonasal fungal disease has greatly improved, controversy surrounding the classification and the role of fungi in inflammatory sinonasal disease continues.
DYNAMICAL METEOROLOGY | Coriolis Force

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 1, pp 570–574, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd.
THE IMPACT OF SEWERS ON THE NUTRIENT BUDGET OF LAKE GEORGE, N.Y.

ABSTRACT In order to control eutrophication of lakes the sources and amounts of the principal nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, must be determined. Over the past ten years the Rensselaer Fresh Water Institute has been measuring the various sources of nutrients to Lake George. The more populated South Basin of Lake George is the more impacted portion and may already be in the mesotrophic range. Additional development is limited by the present sewer system. In order to reduce suspected nutrient inputs from septic tanks and allow additional development, a proposal has been submitted to expand the sewer system and provide treatment and disposal out of the basin. Estimates were made of the reduction in nutrient inputs of South Lake George from the elimination of septic tanks by the proposed sewer system and the increase due to increased development and subsequent urban runoff. The results indicated that nitrogen inputs to South Lake George would be decreased by about 10%, but phosphorus would be increased by 8% which
An Analysis of Special Education Practitioner Journals: A Focus on Behavior

Practitioner journals are one means of translating research to practice. This study explored the extent behavioral interventions for students with mild disabilities are disseminated through special...
Managing Pulmonary Toxicities Associated with Immunotherapy: A Case Discussion.

Immunotherapy has changed the field of oncology around the world with the approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors for a number of tumor types over the last 5 years. However, immune-mediated adverse events can be challenging and difficult to treat, with one of the most dire consequences being immune-mediated pneumonitis. KEY POINTS: Rapid intervention and aggressive management for grade 3 or greater pneumonitisSlow taper of steroids and also recommend pneumocystis carinii pneumonia prophylaxisMonitor carefully for a pneumonitis flare with steroid taper, which can occur in the absence of resuming anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) [1], and do not resume anti-PD-1 therapy until completely off steroids and no clinical or radiologic evidence of recurrenceConsider observation without anti-PD-1 resumption-in this case, durable response was maintained even without resuming anti-PD-1 therapy.
The Emergence of the $\Delta U=0$ Rule in Charm Physics

We discuss the implications of the recent discovery of CP violation in two-body SCS $D$ decays by LHCb. We show that the result can be explained within the SM without the need for any large $SU(3)$ breaking effects. It further enables the determination of the imaginary part of the ratio of the $\Delta U=0$ over $\Delta U=1$ matrix elements in charm decays, which we find to be $(0.65\pm 0.12)$. Within the standard model, the result proves the non-perturbative nature of the penguin contraction of tree operators in charm decays, similar to the known non-perturbative enhancement of $\Delta I=1/2$ over $\Delta I=3/2$ matrix elements in kaon decays, that is, the $\Delta I=1/2$ rule. As a guideline for future measurements, we show how to completely solve the most general parametrization of the $D \to P^+P^-$ system.
Finding the Way Home

When I travel, whether to old or new locales, I like to go on “explores.” When I travel to a new place, whether it is urban or natural, one of the first activities that I enjoy doing is taking off just to explore my new surroundings. One problem with my explorations, at least in the urban environment, is that I have a great difficultly remembering street names. Having lived in the same small town for over 20 years, one would expect that I know the names of roads around my house. Sadly, I don’t. So, for giving driving directions in my home town or returning to my lodging in a new location, I use a series of landmarks to guide both my outward- and homeward-bound paths. Although there are no street names in natural settings, I use the same landmark navigation in the wilderness while adding in the location and direction of the sun to help me return home.
PRICE: Detection of Performance Regression Introducing Code Changes Using Static and Dynamic Metrics

Performance regression testing is highly expensive as it delays system development when optimally conducted after each code change. Therefore, it is important to prioritize the schedule of performance tests by executing them when a newly committed change is most likely to introduce performance regression. This paper introduces a novel formulation of the detection of performance regression introducing code changes as an optimization problem. Static and dynamic metrics are combined to generate a detection rule, which is being optimized in terms of its ability to flag problematic code changes, and avoid false positives. We evaluated our approach using performance issues, extracted from the Git project. Results show the effectiveness of our approach in accurately detecting performance regression introducing code changes compared with state-of-the-art techniques. Moreover, our suggested detection rules were found to be robust to the software changes over time, which reduces the overhead of updating them frequently.
Liquid Metal Broadband Monopole for Stretchable Electronics

This paper presents a broadband monopole antenna made out of smart materials for stretchable electronics. The antenna consists of a liquid conductor and a thermoplastic - Galinstan (gallium indium and tin) for the radiating element and SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) for the antenna substrate. The antenna is simulated with a full-wave solver and is compared to measurement. The simulated result is in a good agreement with the measured. The reflection coefficients show broadband characteristics from 1.4 GHz to 6 GHz.
Ingenious ants reinvent the wheel

![Graphic][1] Ants face a choice when danger confronts them: do they stay put and take up the fight or flee for safety? Some have been particularly ingenious and developed various specialized avoidance strategies: certain species snap their jaws on a hard surface to catapult themselves to
Best practices for precipitation sample storage for offline studies of ice nucleation in marine and coastal environments

Abstract. Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) are efficiently removed from clouds through precipitation, a convenience of nature for the study of these very rare particles that influence multiple climate-relevant cloud properties including ice crystal concentrations, size distributions and phase-partitioning processes. INPs suspended in precipitation can be used to estimate in-cloud INP concentrations and to infer their original composition. Offline droplet assays are commonly used to measure INP concentrations in precipitation samples. Heat and filtration treatments are also used to probe INP composition and size ranges. Many previous studies report storing samples prior to INP analyses, but little is known about the effects of storage on INP concentration or their sensitivity to treatments. Here, through a study of 15 precipitation samples collected at a coastal location in La Jolla, CA, USA, we found INP concentration changes up to > 1 order of magnitude caused by storage to concentrations of INPs with warm to moderate freezing temperatures ( − 7 to − 19 ∘ C). We compared four conditions: (1) storage at room temperature ( + 21–23 ∘ C), (2) storage at + 4 ∘ C, (3) storage at − 20 ∘ C and (4) flash-freezing samples with liquid nitrogen prior to storage at − 20 ∘ C. Results demonstrate that storage can lead to both enhancements and losses of greater than 1 order of magnitude, with non-heat-labile INPs being generally less sensitive to storage regime, but significant losses of INPs smaller than 0.45 µ m in all tested storage protocols. Correlations between total storage time (1–166 d) and changes in INP concentrations were weak across sampling protocols, with the exception of INPs with freezing temperatures ≥ − 9 ∘ C in samples stored at room temperature. We provide the following recommendations for preservation of precipitation samples from coastal or marine environments intended for INP analysis: that samples be stored at − 20 ∘ C to minimize storage artifacts, that changes due to storage are likely an additional uncertainty in INP concentrations, and that filtration treatments be applied only to fresh samples. At the freezing temperature − 11 ∘ C, average INP concentration losses of 51 %, 74 %, 16 % and 41 % were observed for untreated samples stored using the room temperature, + 4, − 20 ∘ C, and flash-frozen protocols, respectively. Finally, the estimated uncertainties associated with the four storage protocols are provided for untreated, heat-treated and filtered samples for INPs between − 9 and − 17 ∘ C.
Derivation and validation of risk groups in patients with osteosarcoma utilizing regression tree analysis.

Background For patients with osteosarcoma, apart from stage and primary site, we lack reliable prognostic factors for risk stratification at diagnosis. There is a need for further defined, discrete prognostic groups using presenting clinical features. Methods We analyzed a cohort of 3069 patients less than 50 years of age, diagnosed with primary osteosarcoma of the bone between 1986 and 2013 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients were randomly split into test and validation cohorts. Optimal cut points for age, tumor size, and grade were identified using classification and regression tree analysis. Manual recursive partitioning was used to identify discrete prognostic groups within the test cohort. These groups were applied to the validation cohort, and overall survival was analyzed using Cox models, Kaplan Meier methods, and log-rank tests. Results After applying recursive partitioning to the test cohort, our initial model included six groups. Application of these groups to the validation cohort resulted in four final groups. Key risk factors included presence of metastases, tumor site, tumor grade, age, and tumor size. Patients with localized axial tumors were identified as having similar outcomes to patients with metastases. Age and tumor size were only prognostically important in patients with extremity tumors when assessed in the validation cohort. Conclusions This analysis supports prior reports that patients with axial tumors are a high-risk group, and demonstrates the importance of age and tumor size in patients with appendicular tumors. Biologic and genetic markers are needed to further define subgroups in osteosarcoma.
Punishing the Wrongdoers: The Effects of Religiosity on Punitive Attitudes toward Adults and Juveniles

This study examines the relationship between religion and attitudes toward punishment. Numerous studies show that these factors are related, but the relationship is complex. Using data from a 2009 ...
Abstract WP265: Individual and System Contributions to Race and Sex Disparities in Thrombolysis Use for Stroke Patients

Background: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) is the cornerstone of acute stroke therapy; however, is underutilized in minorities and women. In order to disentangle individual and system-based factors...
Control of COVID-19 transmission on an urban university campus during a second wave of the pandemic

Abstract Importance The COVID-19 pandemic had a wide-ranging impact on educational institutions across the United States. Given potential financial challenges and adverse psychosocial effects of campus closure, as done in the spring of 2020 in response to the first wave, many institutions of higher education developed strategies to allow campuses to reopen and operate in the fall despite the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Many however opted to have limited campus re-opening in order to minimize potential risk of spread of SARS-CoV-2. Objective To analyze how Boston University (BU) fully reopened its campus in the fall of 2020 and controlled COVID-19 transmission despite worsening transmission in the city of Boston. Design Multi-faceted intervention case study. Setting Large urban university campus. Interventions The BU response included a high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing facility with capacity to delivery results in less than 24 hours; routine asymptomatic screening for COVID-19; daily health attestations; compliance monitoring and feedback; robust contact tracing, quarantine and isolation in on campus facilities; face mask use; enhanced hand hygiene; social distancing recommendations; de-densification of classrooms and public places; and enhancement of all building air systems. Main Outcomes and Measures Between August and December 2020, BU conducted >500,000 COVID-19 tests and identified 719 individuals with COVID-19: 627 (87.2%) students, 11 (1.5%) faculty, and 212 (25.5%) staff. Overall, about 1.8% of the BU community tested positive. Infections among faculty and staff were mostly acquired off campus, while undergraduate infections were more likely acquired in non-classroom campus settings. Of 837 close contacts traced, 86 (10.3%) tested positive for COVID-19. BU contact tracers identified a source of transmission for 51.5% of cases with 55.7% identifying a source outside of BU. Among infected faculty and staff with a known source of infection, the majority reported a transmission source outside of BU (100% for faculty and 79.8% for staff). Conclusions and Relevance BU was successful in containing COVID-19 transmission on campus while minimizing off campus acquisition of COVID-19 from the greater Boston area. A coordinated strategy of testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, with robust management and oversight, can control COVID-19 transmission, even in an urban university setting.
Distributed probability of infection risk of airborne respiratory diseases

Infection risk is commonly used to predict potential health impacts of airborne respiratory diseases such as ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)' and associated environmen...
Children with segmental neurofibromatosis type 1 are at increased risk for academic and cognitive difficulties.

Segmental neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) describes patients with manifestations of NF1 that are restricted to one region of the body; little has been documented in the way of significant medical or developmental problems in patients with segmental NF1 that are frequently noted in generalized NF1. We performed a retrospective review of patients with segmental NF1 to determine the prevalence of academic and cognitive difficulties in children with segmental NF1 compared to children with generalized NF1. A total of 62 patients were identified with segmental NF1. Almost all patients had pigmentary changes with cafeau lait macules and skin-fold freckling that were limited to one region of the body. Nearly half of children with segmental NF1 had individualized educational plans and received supportive academic services (47%, which was close to the frequency of 57% in generalized NF1). This study provides preliminary evidence that children with segmental NF1 may be at increased risk for academic and cognitive difficulties. We recommend close follow-up and developmental screening of all children with segmental NF1, as is done for children with generalized NF1.
Taurine and Isethionate in Squid Nerve

The concentration of isethionate (2-hydroxyethanesulfonate) in the squid giant axon is about 150 mM1–3; taurine (2-aminoethanesul-fonate) has been reported as about 75 mM, and according to our own measurements may be higher. Thus this single giant cell is 0.2 to 0.3 molar in these two seemingly closely related organosulfur compounds. While taurine is widely distributed, isethionate appears to be limited to cephalopod nerve. Other organs of cephalopods, and organs of other animals, including even the giant axon of the annelid Myxicola contain little or no isethionate3–5. Although we had reported a few micromoles isethionate per gram fresh tissue in other organs and species, that was near the limit of our method of analysis3; the GLC assay since developed and applied to this question seems to confirm the sharp limitation to cephalopod nerve6.
Roman fleets in the Black Sea : mysteries of the classis Pontica

The paper sketches what is known of the classis Pontica from its establishment in 64 with the annexation of Pontus until its disappearance in the 3rd century, when a Roman naval presence in the eastern Euxine vanishes. Trajan probably transferred the fleet's base from Trapezus to Sinope in conjunction with preparations for his Parthian war (114-17). The classis Pontica became the only praetorian fleet stationed in the Euxine. Its title Severiana may reflect distinguished service against Pescennius Niger in 193-194. As Josephus (BJ 2.366-67) erroneously transferred Euxine piracy of the Augustan era into a late Neronian context, changes in the defensive arrangements for eastern Anatolia, not piracy, motivated the fleet's creation. Josephus' 3000 hoplites pacifying the Euxine are a misinterpretation of a legionary vexillation that suppressed Anicetus' revolt in 69.
Mitochondrial "structural protein." A reassessment.

Abstract Two previously described preparations of bovine heart mitochondrial "structural protein" have been studied. Evidence is presented showing that both preparations are heterogeneous and contain two major components, one of which is derived from mitochondrial ATPase. New methods are described for preparing each major component in highly purified form soluble in dilute aqueous buffers. Binding of phospholipids and other mitochondrial proteins, properties evinced by insoluble structural protein preparations, can also be shown with the purified major components, but this binding appears to be of no physiological importance. It is concluded that at least one major component of the previously described structural protein preparations is actually an inactivated enzyme, and that there is no justification for stating that the preparations fulfill a structural role within mitochondria. Some previously undocumented chemical features of the mitochondrial ATPase are described.
IPS FORUM CONTRIBUTION (ISSUE 3, VOL. 4): Old Mistakes: Bourdieu, Derrida, and the “Force of Law”

In proposing this symposium, Oliver Kessler asked why international law, so long out of fashion in the field of International Relations (IR), has recently attracted interest among post-positivist scholars (as seen in the pages of this journal), and whether this renewed interest might contribute to a renaissance in theory and foster interdisciplinary dialogue.12 Or, in returning to international law, will “we simply reproduce old mistakes”? My response to the first question needs no elaboration: liberal re-enchantment with international law and pervasive rights talk set an agenda for scholars who are post-positivist but not quite post-liberal. Prospects for theory and dialogue, I suspect, depend on how one answers Kessler's last question. I believe we will indeed reproduce old mistakes if we rely on leading post-positivist figures as if they were the last word on what law is, and I believe there is a strong tendency to do just this—for convenience and in deference to their stature and authority. To make my point, I examine two texts, one by Pierre Bourdieu (1987) and one by Jacques Derrida (2002a), both employing the phrase “force of law” in their titles. While neither was a legal scholar, they wrote about law with sophistication and assurance. Bourdieu's command of legal theory is obvious to anyone reading “The Force of Law,” and Derrida wrote his “Force of Law” for members of the Critical Legal Studies movement. Even if some post-positivists may have immunized themselves to the authority of science, appeals to truth and common sense assertions about reality, they are all the more susceptible to appeals to authority for legitimacy and the quest for status by association with famous figures. For Bourdieu and Derrida, authority and force may indeed be synonyms. Both essays have quite a bit to say about the “chain of legitimation” (Bourdieu's …
Photoconductive response of a single Au nanorod coupled to LaAlO3/SrTiO3 nanowires

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy is an important tool that provides resonant access to free carrier motion, molecular rotation, lattice vibrations, excitonic, spin, and other degrees of freedom. Current methods using THz radiation suffer from limits due to diffraction or low-sensitivity, preventing application at the scale of single nanoscale objects. Here, we present coupling between plasmonic degrees of freedom in a single gold nanorod and broadband THz emission generated from a proximal LaAlO3/SrTiO3 nanostructure. A strong enhancement of THz emission is measured for incident radiation that is linearly polarized along the long axis of the nanorod. This demonstration paves the way for the investigation of near-field plasmonic coupling in a variety of molecular-scale systems.
Standing Bottles, Washing Deals, and Drinking "For the Soul" in a Siberian City

The practice of setting bottles down in front of people either to gain access to goods or services or to ride up on those bottles into some desired position is a well-known feature of Soviet and post-Soviet culture, but treatment of this issue as an economic exchange-related one's tears it from its wider context, a wider sense of exchange and a wider sense of value. A bottle presented is not only an economically meaningful gesture but is supremely meaningful in other ways. The calculated bribery of bottles "stood" others often results in hours of drinking together and a shifty transformation of exchange into an intimacy felt to be central to the depth of Russianness. Even when a bottle is not emptied together, what is given may index and invoke a ritual that first and foremost claims to deny the ontological ascendancy of calculated exchange. This paper explores the upward direction of bottles, ways in which it can also be bottles all the way down, and ways in which this sort of slide, which is, I argue, tremendously revealing about Russian culture, occurs. Rituals including alcohol have economic, sociocultural, philosophical and psychological relations to a master trope in Russian culture, dusha, soul, and recent history has brought many of these aspects to the surface.
What Does It Mean to Transform Education

What if educational transformation were called for? What is meant by transformation? Will any of the array of images evoked by this word suffice as a way of conceptualizing educational change? In worrying with the word “transformation,” I want to move beyond its ordinary dictionary meaning — to change the “shape or form” of something, its “character, condition, function, nature” — and think of transformation in the hard or technical sense. This necessitates probing what cannot fully count as transformation before I am in a position to suggest what it might be and how it might work in educational practice. In the confines of this essay, I can neither defend the assumption that deep educational change is justified nor provide a satisfactory exposition of how education might be transformed. I simply hope that one might find the notion of educational transformation sufficiently problematical, interesting, or tantalizing to follow me further.
Collaboration in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Collaborative empiricism, which involves a systemic process of therapist and patient working together to establish common goals in treatment, has been found to be one of the primary change agents in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This article focuses on the development of a therapeutic relationship and implementation of collaborative empiricism along with the elements that lead to success in treatment. This method is used to uncover patients' automatic thoughts and underlying beliefs in treating an array of emotional and behavioral disorders. The role of the therapist is discussed in developing, promoting, and maintaining therapeutic collaboration and what is constituted by the empirical process. A case study illustrates the use of collaborative empiricism with a patient suffering from panic disorder. The article concludes with a series of clinical practices that will enhance collaborative empiricism and collaboration in CBT, and thereby treatment outcomes.
Subscription subsumption evaluation for content-based publish/subscribe systems

In this paper we address the problem of subsumption checking for subscriptions in pub/sub systems. We develop a novel approach based on negative space representation for subsumption checking and provide efficient algorithms for subscription forwarding in a dynamic pub/sub environment. We then provide heuristics for approximate subsumption checking that greatly enhance the performance without compromising the correct execution of the system and only adding incremental cost in terms of extra computation in brokers. We illustrate the advantages of this novel approach by carrying out extensive experimentation.
Cross-borehole fracture mapping using electromagnetic geotomography

This paper describes the evaluation of a new geophysical technique used to map fractures between boreholes: electromagnetic geotomography used in conjunction with salt water tracers. An experiment was performed in a granitic rock mass. Geotomographic images were generated and compared with borehole geophysical data: neutron logs, acoustic velocity logs, caliper logs and acoustic televiewer records. Comparisons between the images and the geophysical logs indicate that clusters of fractures were detected but single fractures were not. For the covering abstract of the symposium see TRIS 452576. (Author/TRRL)
An Efficient threshold Public Key Cryptosystem Secure Against Adaptive Chosen Ciphertext Attack (Extended Abstract)

This paper proposes a simple threshold Public-Key Cryptosystem (PKC) which is secure against adaptive chosen ciphertext attack, under the Decisional Diffie-Hellman (DDH) intractability assumption.
Cervicectomy following supravaginal hysterectomy.

Abstract 1. 1. A total of 35 patients with previous supravaginal hysterectomy subjected to cervicectomy during the 10 year period, 1948–1957, were reviewed. 2. 2. In 23 (66 per cent) patients, the supravaginal hysterectomy was performedaas a routine procedure. Leiomyoma uteri was the most common indication for hysterectomy. The responsibility of the gynecologist in following up the patients with retained uterine cervices and the importance of performing total hysterectomy are stressed. 3. 3. The time interval between the supravaginal hysterectomy and the discovery of malignancy of the cervical stump varied from 6 months to 20 years, averaging 8 years. Hence, there is no “age limit” with regard to cervicectomy. Patients with cervical stumps may necessitate cervicectomy at any age. 4. 4. Vaginal spotting and cervical prolapse were the two most common symptoms and convinced both the patient and the gynecologist that cervicectomy was indicated. 5. 5. Chronic cervicitis was the most frequent pathological finding. There were 13 such cases. Malignancy was suspected in 7 cases, and among these one proved to be an adenocarcinoma, Grade III. Four patients with biopsies positive for malignancy were subjected to cervicectomy. 6. 6. Vaginal cervicectomy was done in 23 (65 per cent) cases; the abdominal route was employed in 12 cases. 7. 7. There was no satisfactory correlation between the Papanicolaou smears and cervical biopsies. This study shows that in the presence of signs or symptoms pertaining to the retained cervix, a cervical biopsy is imperative to establish the diagnosis. 8. 8. Chronic cervicitis with or without prolapse of the stump was found in 63 per cent of patients. There were 5 cases of cervical malignancy. Two patients had epidermoid carcinoma in situ; one patient had epidermoid carcinoma, Stage I. A fourth patient had an adenocarcinoma, Grade III. The fifth patient had a leiomyosarcoma of the cervix, but it was not a recurrence. The pathological diagnosis after hysterectomy was leiomyoma uteri. 9. 9. The most common postcervicectomy complications were those of the urinary bladder. 10. 10. The incidence of cervical malignancy in this series of 35 women with retained uterine cervices was 14.3 per cent. In this series, the incidence of carcinoma of the cervical stump was 11.4 per cent. Among the 322 patients treated for cervical carcinoma during the 10 year period, 1948–1957, there were 4 cases which developed in cervical stumps. This gives an incidence of 1.2 per cent for cervical stump carcinoma in this series.
Molecular characterization of the secondary constriction region (qh) of human chromosome 9 with pericentric inversion.

Pericentric inversion of the secondary constriction region (qh) of human chromosome 9 is a frequent occurrence. This structural alteration is regarded as a normal familial variant, termed heteromorphism, and is inherited in a Mendelian fashion without any apparent phenotypic consequences. We characterized the qh region of chromosome 9 from five individuals using a series of molecular cytogenetic techniques. Four out of the five individuals have an additional area composed of alphoid DNA sequences on the inverted chromosome 9 while one case was found to have an apparently intact alphoid DNA sequence. Although the direct function(s) of alphoid DNA sequences remain unclear, the centromeric breakage involving these sequences in inverted chromosome 9 raises a series of questions pertaining to the monocentric, dicentric and pseudodicentric nature of pericentric inversions. Nevertheless, these findings have prompted us to suggest that the structural organization of alphoid DNA sequences of the centromeric region of chromosome 9 are apparently “breakage prone” and may be associated with a higher incidence of pericentric inversions. Furthermore, the hierarchical organization of various satellite DNA families (alpha-satellite, beta-satellite and satellite III) within the primary and secondary constriction regions of chromosomes 9 are elucidated here.