cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Point-of-Care Diagnostics and Other Clinical Measurements

BACKGROUND: One driving motivation in the development of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics is to conveniently and immediately provide information upon which healthcare decisions can be based, while the patient is on site. Ambient ionization mass spectrometry (MS) allows direct chemical analysis of unmodified and complex biological samples. This suite of ionization techniques was introduced a decade ago and now includes a number of techniques, all seeking to minimize or eliminate sample preparation. Such approaches provide new opportunities for POC diagnostics and rapid measurements of exogenous and endogenous molecules (e.g., drugs, proteins, hormones) in small volumes of biological samples, especially when coupled with miniature mass spectrometers. CONTENT: Ambient MS-based techniques are applied in diverse fields such as forensics, pharmaceutical development, reaction monitoring, and food analysis. Clinical applications of ambient MS are at an early stage but show promise for POC diagnostics. This review provides a brief overview of various ambient ionization techniques providing background, examples of applications, and the current state of translation to clinical practice. The primary focus is on paper spray (PS) ionization, which allows quantification of analytes in complex biofluids. Current developments in the miniaturization of mass spectrometers are discussed. SUMMARY: Ambient ionization MS is an emerging technology in analytical and clinical chemistry. With appropriate MS instrumentation and user-friendly interfaces for automated analysis, ambient ionization techniques can provide quantitative POC measurements. Most significantly, the implementation of PS could improve the quality and lower the cost of POC testing in a variety of clinical settings.
Examining Effects of Sulfur Poisoning on Ni/YSZ Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anodes Using Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Imaging Techniques

Fuel flexibility is widely considered one of the most significant advantages of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). However, the presence of small amounts of sulfur or other impurities in the gas stream can have a serious impact on cell performance [1–10]. Under certain conditions, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), even at the ppm level, can lead to the formation of bulk nickel-sulfides within the conventional Ni–yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni-YSZ) anode of SOFC’s [9]. Understanding the distribution of these sulfides is critical to describing their effects on the electrochemical activity of the cell.© 2013 ASME
End-Member Mixing Analysis (EMMA) Applied to Sediment Grain Size Distributions to Characterize Formational Processes of the Main Excavation Block, Unit 2, of the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter (35HA3855), Harney Basin, Eastern Oregon (USA)

End-member mixing analysis (EMMA) was conducted on the grain size distributions (GSD) of 13 sediment samples collected from the main excavation block, Unit 2, of the Rimrock Draw Rockshelter, a deeply stratified, multi-component Palaeoindian rockshelter in the Harney Basin of eastern Oregon, USA. EMMA confirmed the three stratigraphic units (SU) observed in the field and identified three sedimentary end-members (EM) that account for 95.52% of Unit 2 site formation. EM 1 comprises 70.72% of the total measured grain-size variation and represents fluvial deposition, correlating with the bottom stratigraphic unit, SU 3. EM 2 comprises an additional 17.74% of the total measured grain-size variation and represents fluvially reworked aeolian deposition, correlating with the upper stratigraphic unit, SU 1. EM 3 comprises the remaining 7.06% of the total measured grain-size variation and represents possibly a two-component aeolian deposition of suspension and short-term saltation, correlating with the middle unit, SU 2. The results presented demonstrate the ability of EMMA as a technique to (1) unbiasedly distinguish between the SUs identified in the field using only the measured grain size distributions, (2) provide genetically meaningful and quantitative grain-size end-members to identify multiple major depositional processes of site formation, and (3) provide a geologically meaningful interpretation of site formation that is capable of facilitating the formulation of more focused hypotheses regarding human and environment interactions at the site.
Analysis on Prevalence of Thyroid Nodule and the Relevant Factors Among the Railway Staff,Jinan Area

Objective To understand the prevalence of thyroid nodule among the railway staff,discuss the influencing factors of thyroid nodule in the studied population,so as to provide basis for railway department of health in working out health promotion measures. Methods During January-December,2012,with the Jinan railway staff as the study subject,the basic information was collected though questionnaire and the data of the physical examinations results were analyzed. Results The total number of the studied railway staff was 16 599,(the male number was 14 793 and the female number was 1 806).The total prevalence rate of thyroid nodule was 34.38%,The prevalence rate of female(41.25%)was obviously higher than the male's(33.54%)(P 0.01);Most of the thyroid nodules were bilateral nodules(77.92%)and multiple nodules(76.06%);The prevalence rate was higher with the age or BMI raised(P 0.01).The prevalence rate was different in different occupations,the logistics service and governors group wasobviously higher(43.05%)than other's(30.75%-35.64%)(P 0.01).Logistic regression analysis showed that sex,age,smoking,hypertension,and BMI were the risk factors,the train maintaining staff was easier to suffer from thyroid nodule than those along the railway. Conclusion The prevalence of thyroid nodule presents a high level among the railway staff,it can reduce the incidence of thyroid nodule to control BMI and blood pressure,quit smoking and alcohol,and other health measures.
Channel independent physical layer security

Security is one of the key requirements of wireless communication systems. By exploiting the broadcast nature of wireless medium, a malicious user might attempt to mislead the legitimate nodes, intercept the communication and overhear the private information. In order to combat against such malicious attacks, various encryption using security techniques have been proposed in the literature. Recently, physical layer (PHY) security has emerged as an additional countermeasure to the encryption based approaches and become very popular. Unlike cryptography, PHY security techniques target to protect the signal itself rather than encrypting the information bits. However, most of these techniques are designed based on specific channel conditions. Since channel has a random nature and cannot be controlled by users, such a design approach may remain unreliable for many practical scenarios where the desired channel state does not exist. Therefore, in this study, we highlight the importance of the channel independent PHY security techniques. In order to draft the ongoing efforts and provide the open issues in this direction, three different concepts are discussed along with the reviews of sample studies.
Strategic Treaty Management: Practice and Implications

While little recognized in international law scholarship, multilateral treaties in diverse fields have begun to apply strategic management techniques to make them more effective and responsive. This examination of those practices and their interplay with associated international organizations considers the application of strategic management across treaties' planning, financing, implementation, and evaluation activities. The study leads to a new appreciation of the intricacies of multilateral treaty activities and a better understanding of their operations within complex webs of networked international institutions. In considering different approaches to steering treaties through this dispersed global governance landscape, Thomas F. McInerney draws on current strategic management literature to explore the utility of nonlinear, emergent models of strategy and gain insights from strategy as practice research. While recognizing strategic management's potential value in facilitating more flexible applications of multilateral agreements, he also emphasizes the need to maintain their normativity as international legal obligations.
Abstract 4647: Bioactive tanshinones and tea polyphenols inhibit prostate cancer stem cells by targeting bmi1

Prostate cancer (CaP) is the most common invasive malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in U.S. men. Androgen-independent/hormone-refractory CaP remains the primary cause of CaP death. The search for effective therapeutic and preventive strategies, particularly the ways to intervene in the progression of androgen-independent tumors remains the top priority of CaP research. Prostate cancer stem cells (CSCs) are suggested to be responsible for initiation, progression, drug resistance, recurrence and metastasis of CaP. Strategies that target prostate CSCs may significantly prevent and/or delay cancer progression and metastasis. The objective of this study was to identify the potent natural bioactive compounds for targeting prostate CSCs. The sphere-forming efficiencies in LNCaP, DUCaP, PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines were 2.8%, 15.7%, 1%, and 5.6%, respectively. The expression of several CSC related biomarkers, such as c-met, c-kit, bmi1 and CD44 were increased, whereas the expression of androgen receptor was decreased in prostate spheres. Natural compounds, especially tanshinones (tanshinone I (T1), tanshinone IIA (T2A), cryptotanshinone) and tea compounds (epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and theaflavines), inhibited the sphere-forming efficiency of CaP cells with T1 and T2A the most potent. Furthermore, T1 and EGCG significantly downregulated Bmi1 gene expression and protein level. Since Bmi1 has been reported to be a crucial regulator of stem cell self-renewal and malignant transformation, we further studied the functional role of bmi1 in self-renewal of prostate CSCs. Silencing of bmi1 dramatically inhibited the growth and decreased the sphere-forming ability of CaP cells. Animal studies showed that T1 and EGCG inhibited the growth and metastasis of prostate tumors associated with downregulation of bmi1 expression. The results derived from our preliminary studies suggest that bmi1 may play an important role in self-renewal ability of prostate CSCs, and that some natural bioactive agents, such as T1 and EGCG, may inhibit self-renewal of prostate CSCs in part via downregulation of bmi1 gene expression and function. Supported in part by NCI/NIH R21 CA153355. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Jin-Rong Zhou, Yi Gong, Hamid Abdolmaleky. Bioactive tanshinones and tea polyphenols inhibit prostate cancer stem cells by targeting bmi1. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4647. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4647
The role of immunosuppression in squamous cell carcinomas arising in seborrheic keratosis

Background Seborrheic keratoses (SK) are common skin neoplasms considered to be benign. Reports of associated squamous cell carcinoma arising within seborrheic keratosis (SCC-SK) have been described. Objective To describe the histopathologic characteristics of SCC-SK and identify predisposing factors in formation of these rare lesions. Methods There were 162 cases of SCC-SK in a span of a decade (2003-2014). All of the histopathologic specimens and medical records were reviewed. Data from these patients were compared to a control group with seborrheic keratosis who were matched by age, sex, and location of lesion from the same time period (n = 162). Results SCC-SK has the classic histopathologic features of SK, such as hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, papillomatosis, and pseudohorn cysts. The areas of squamous cell carcinoma were characterized by areas of squamous dysplasia (100%), hypogranulosis (79.6%), squamous eddies (79.6%), solar elastosis (80.9%), and brown pigmentation (59.9%). Patients with a history of immunosuppression had an increased risk for developing SCC-SK (19% vs 3%; P P Limitations This was a single center, retrospective study. Conclusion SCC-SK occurs more often in elderly men with a history of immunosuppression associated with organ transplants.
Binding object features to locations: Does the “spatial congruency bias” update with object movement?

One of the fundamental challenges of visual cognition is how our visual systems combine information about an object's features with its spatial location. A recent phenomenon related to object-location binding, the "spatial congruency bias," revealed that two objects are more likely to be perceived as having the same identity or features if they appear in the same spatial location, versus if the second object appears in a different location. The spatial congruency bias suggests that irrelevant location information is automatically encoded with and bound to other object properties, biasing perceptual judgments. Here we further explored this new phenomenon and its role in object-location binding by asking what happens when an object moves to a new location: Is the spatial congruency bias sensitive to spatiotemporal contiguity cues, or does it remain linked to the original object location? Across four experiments, we found that the spatial congruency bias remained strongly linked to the original object location. However, under certain circumstances-for instance, when the first object paused and remained visible for a brief time after the movement-the congruency bias was found at both the original location and the updated location. These data suggest that the spatial congruency bias is based more on low-level visual information than on spatiotemporal contiguity cues, and reflects a type of object-location binding that is primarily tied to the original object location and that may only update to the object's new location if there is time for the features to be re-encoded and rebound following the movement.
A social ecology of civil conflict: Shifting allegiances in the conflict in Sierra Leone.

Abstract Drawing on data from a survey of 1043 ex-combatants who took part in the civil war in Sierra Leone (1991–2002) this paper explores the conditions that predict a key outcome in the conflict literature: defection, or side-switching between the various organizations at war. This paper advances arguments drawn from the organizational ecology school and works to extend key theories related to “Blau Space” to the study of civil war. Using a series of logistic regression procedures, this paper tests various competing hypotheses against key contributions of the organizational ecology school. Key findings of this work suggest support for major hypotheses in this literature as net of important theoretical conditions, defections are most likely when individuals are either demographically atypical of their organization (niche edge) or most susceptible to competition for their services by other groups (niche overlap).
Abstract 566: A pathway based drug selection for cancer precision medicine

Background and Purpose: Precision medicine tailors the right therapy to the right patient based on his/her tumor molecular profiles. In clinic and ongoing clinical trials, drug-targeted selection schemes depends more or less on drug targets’ mutations or expression status. However, there is a lack of systematic pathway based method to connect individual genomics information with properly drug target and treatment in precision medicine. The paper aims to integrate various knowledge-bases, including cancer drugs, drug-targets and gene-gene regulatory pathway, to construct a drug target and properly drug selection algorithm for individual patient in precision medicine. Materials and Methods: In the drug selection algorithm, drug targets and properly drugs recommendation are based on the patient specific molecular profile data, including copy number variation, mutation, and gene expression. Our target and drug selections are based on whether these drug targets act as hub genes that either regulate or control the signaling pathways for many other genes in the biological pathways. Only those patients whose molecular profiles do not show targets, the usual chemotherapy treatment will be recommended. This novel algorithm is applied to individual Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma (PAAD) for drug target and drug selection. All of patients’ genomic data obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The pathway information is from Pathway Commons and FDA approved cancer drugs and their targets is from DrugBank. The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) 46 pancreases cancer cell line are used to validate the algorithm result reliability. Results: Our algorithm identifies targets, such as ERBB2, CDK2, SRC, CDK9, SMAD2, CDK4, HDAC1, PPP1CA, AKR1B1, EGFR, IGF1R, AKT and MEK, for pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer patients. In which, they cover the clinic first line effective drug targets, such as Gemcitabine for the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway (AKT) and CDK4/6 inhibitor and Erlotinib for HER2 Kinase Family (ERBB2, EGFR) activation inhibitor. In addition, new inhibitors include Src inhibitors (dasatinib, saracatinib and bosutinib), TGF beta inhibitor for target SMAD2 (galunisertib) and IGF-1R/insulin receptor inhibitors (ceritinib, brigatinib) are recommended accordingly and validated in pancreatic cancer cells. Conclusion: This novel algorithm might act as a better source for off-label drug selection and further cell line validations may help in providing a better treatment strategy in precision medicine. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Varshini Vasudevaraja, Lijun Cheng, Sai Mounika Inavolu, Milan Radovich. A pathway based drug selection for cancer precision medicine [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 566. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-566
Pediatric gastric ganglioneuroma presenting as anemia

Abstract Primary gastric masses are rare in childhood, and a gastric ganglioneuroma has not been reported in the pediatric population. In this report, we describe a 12-year-old female who presented with iron deficiency anemia and melena. Endoscopy was performed to elucidate the source of her symptoms, and revealed a gastric mass with overlying ulceration. Following resection and pathologic examination, the mass was diagnosed as a solitary polypoid ganglioneuroma. A solitary polypoid ganglioneuroma is an uncommon, benign tumor of neural crest cell origin. They are most often asymptomatic and found incidentally, but can present with rectal bleeding, obstruction, pain, and changes in bowel function. Complete resection is the therapy of choice to prevent progression of symptoms or rare transformation into a malignant neuroblastic tumor, like neuroblastoma. As of the patient's last post-operative appointment, she was healthy with resolution of her anemia.
Lexical selection, cross-language interaction, and switch costs in habitually codeswitching bilinguals

Bilinguals dynamically activate lexical items in one or both languages depending on a number of factors. We explored the interaction effects of semantic constraints, language context, and L2-proficiency on cross-language interaction and switch costs in bilinguals who habitually codeswitch between Algerian Arabic (AA) and French. We recorded response times to French cognates and non-cognates embedded in auditory AA or French sentences. High proficiency bilinguals could restrict selection to the target language regardless of the language context. In lower proficiency bilinguals, however, selection was specific to the target language in non-switching contexts but was nonspecific in switching contexts where cross-language interaction yielded inhibitory and facilitatory cognate effects. Results of this study therefore suggest that lexical selection in codeswitching bilinguals is dynamic and is dependent on proficiency, semantic constraints and language context. This within-subject study using auditory stimuli contributes towards a more ecological methodology in investigating sentence processing in codeswitching bilinguals.
High sucrose diet promotes longevity in obese hypertensive SHROB rats

The SHROB rat is a model of metabolic syndrome showing severe obesity, hypertension and end stage renal disease. SHROB live a little more than half as long as their SHR siblings (Figure). Median li...
The disulfide structure of denatured epidermal growth factor: preparation of scrambled disulfide isomers.

The conformational stability of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the structure of denatured EGF were investigated using the technique of disulfide scrambling. Under denaturing conditions and in the presence of a thiol catalyst, the native EGF denatures by shuffling its three native disulfide bonds and converts to a mixture of scrambled isomers. Analysis by HPLC reveals that the denatured EGF is composed of about 10 fractions of scrambled isomers. The heterogeneity varies under different denaturing conditions, with the heat-denatured samples exhibiting the highest degree of heterogeneity. The disulfide structures of eight major scrambled isomers of EGF were determined. The most predominant isomer adopts the bead-form structure with disulfide bonds bridged by three pairs of neighboring cysteines: Cys6-Cys14, Cys20-Cys31, and Cys33-Cys42. The denaturation curve of EGF is determined by the relative yield of the scrambled and native species of EGF. EGF is a highly stable molecule and can be effectively denatured only by guanidine chloride at a concentration of greater than 4–5 M. At 8 M urea, less than 16% of the native EGF was denatured. The unusual conformational stability of EGF was compared with that of eight different disulfide proteins that were similarly characterized by the method of disulfide scrambling.
The Grading of Astrocytomas and Oligodendrogliomas

The grading of astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas persists as a controversial subject that is not likely to resolve spontaneously into a consensus on a single grading system, universally applied. Such an unanimity seems especially unlikely since many of the present histologic classifications work, that is, they assign patients to groups whose survival curves are better or worse than patients with lower or higher histologic grades, respectively. Nevertheless, some common, or at least widely used, system is desirable as is apparent in the standardizing attempts of the World Health Organization Blue Book in its original Zulch (1979), and soon- to-be-revised form.
Distributing drug samples in a free clinic: a personal or policy decision?

The winning entry of the 2006 John Conley Ethics Essay Contest explores the ethical dilemmas faced by physicians trying to meet the health care needs of uninsured patients with limited resources. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Targets and Shapes Tracking (Advanced Seminar)

The topics of tracking moving objects and moving shapes have been extensively researched in multiple communities – from Moving Objects Databases (MOD) and spatio-temporal data management, through image/video processing and traffic management, to environmental and ecology studies. This paper gives a summary of the topics discussed in the advanced seminar on tracking objects and shapes, as well as an overview of its proposed structure. After a brief introduction and motivation-survey of different research fields and societal applications, the first part of the seminar will give a historic survey of the fundamental techniques for tracking mobile objects. The second part will give an overview of the approaches popular in MOD and spatiotemporal data management communities (tracking and querying, streaming data, map-matching, etc.). The third part is the central one – discussing the issues and solutions in distributed tracking of moving objects and shapes: from topological predicates and trends detection, through tracking deformable shapes, to specifics of indoor tracking. The fourth major part is intended to be a "potpourri-style" review of different application contexts and the popular approaches for tracking individual objects and shapes – spanning from collective motion analysis in social networks and animal herds, through toxic elements, pollutants, and geoprocesses (landslides), to different approaches for visual analytics in this context. The main objective of this advanced seminar is to provide a cohesive overview of the different perspectives on motion tracking; the corresponding approaches for its effective management; and possibilities for other research directions
RFI and Remote Sensing of the Earth From Space

Passive microwave remote sensing of the Earth from space provides information essential for understanding the Earth’s environment and its evolution. Parameters such as soil moisture, sea surface te...
Consumptive and non-consumptive effects of predatory arthropods on billbug (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) pests in turfgrass

Abstract Generalist predators affect pest populations through direct consumption or by non-consumptive effects, whereby predators induce changes in prey behavior which represent a cost to prey. A diverse community of predatory arthropods has been described in turfgrass, contributing to the direct mortality of pests including black cutworm, fall armyworm, and Japanese beetle. Billbugs are a major pest of turfgrass in the Intermountain West, but the composition of the local predatory arthropod community and whether predators aid in billbug suppression through consumptive or non-consumptive effects is unknown. First, we catalogued the predatory arthropod community on Utah and Idaho golf courses using linear pitfall traps. Then, we assessed adult billbug consumption by resident predators in the field. Using a series of lab assays, we assessed the most abundant predators’ consumption of billbug life stages, including adults, sentinel waxworm larvae at varied soil depths, and eggs in turf stems. Finally, we assessed the non-consumptive effects of these abundant predators on adult billbug activity (mating, oviposition, thanatosis). We found that the predatory arthropod community consisted primarily of carabids (Pterostichus melanarius, Harpalus sp., Amara aenea, and Anisodactylus sp.) and spiders (lycosids), representing 60% and 28% of all predators, respectively. In the field and in lab assays, adult billbug mortality from predation was generally low at
Does Implementation of Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Protocols in Colorectal Surgery Improve Patient Outcomes

Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols are multimodal perioperative care pathways designed to accelerate recovery by minimizing the physiologic stress of a surgical procedure. Benefits of ERAS implementation in colorectal surgery include reduced length of stay and decreased complications without an increase in readmissions. Though there is evidence associating individual ERAS protocol elements (e.g., preoperative carbohydrate loading, judicious perioperative fluid administration, and early initiation of postoperative nutrition) with improved outcomes, ensuring high compliance with all elements of an ERAS protocol will maximize benefits to the patient. After ERAS implementation, data collection on protocol process measures can help providers target education and interventions to improve protocol compliance and patient outcomes.
The costs of diabetes treatment in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Introduction The rising burden of diabetes in low- and middle-income countries may cause financial strain on individuals and health systems. This paper presents a systematic review of direct medical costs for diabetes (types 1 and 2) in low- and middle-income countries. Methods Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, databases (PubMed, International Bibliography of Social Science, EconLit) were searched for publications reporting direct medical costs of type 1 and 2 diabetes. Data were extracted from all peer-reviewed papers meeting inclusion criteria, and were standardised into per-patient-visit, per-patient-year and/or per-complication-case costs (2016 US$). Results The search yielded 584 abstracts, and 52 publications were included in the analysis. Most articles were from Asia and Latin America, and most focused on type 2 diabetes. Per-visit outpatient costs ranged from under $5 to over $40 (median: $7); annual inpatient costs ranged from approximately $10 to over $1000 (median: $290); annual laboratory costs ranged from under $5 to over $100 (median: $25); and annual medication costs ranged from $15 to over $500 (median: $177), with particularly wide variation found for insulin. Care for complications was generally high-cost, but varied widely across countries and complication types. Conclusion This review identified substantial variation in diabetes treatment costs; some heterogeneity could be mitigated through improved methods for collecting, analysing and reporting data. Diabetes is a costly disease to manage in low- and middle-income countriesand should be a priority for the global health community seeking to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
Affective States of University Developmental Mathematics Students and their Impact on Self-Efficacy, Belonging, Career Identity, Success and Persistence

The identification of factors that impact student success in mathematics courses has been a focus of a great deal of research since the early 2000s. The role of classroom approaches, teacher beliefs, and underlying student backgrounds have been studied in different ways. As a part of this effort researchers have studied the degree to which personality factors and affect contribute to (or mitigate) a student’s level of effective engagement. In this work we present the results from the first semester of a two-year study of the role of anxiety, personality factors and self-efficacy in student success and career planning for a cohort of students entering a developmental mathematics course at the university level. We quantify the impact of anxiety on success and grade outcomes, as well as identify a personality factor interacting with success in a surprising way. We provide initial data regarding the students’ sense of belonging in STEM disciplines and their self-efficacy levels, and then analyse their career planning patterns.
A Simple Formula for π

(1997). A Simple Formula for π. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 104, No. 9, pp. 852-855.
Flexibility and Cost-Dependence in Quantized Control

Layered control architectures in biology and neuroscience can be used to mitigate speed-accuracy tradeoffs, with low-layer quantized controllers carrying out time-sensitive tasks at reduced precision. Here, we describe and optimize the worst-case approximation loss for a quantized controller: the maximum control and state costs paid in the quantized case that would not be paid in the full-precision case. We show that the optimal design of a quantizer depends on the dynamics and the state and control costs, leading notably to cases in which systematically biased estimates of state are optimal for control. We further show that high-layer input can direct a low-layer controller to flexibly execute quantized control across context-related cost functions, with component-level mechanisms that are plausibly implementable in biological settings.
Selected and Directed Mutants of T4 Phage Lysozyme

The lysozyme from bacteriophage T4 is being used as a model system to determine the factors that influence the folding and stability of proteins. The three-dimensional structure of the protein is known and lysozymes with modified properties arising from single amino acid substitutions have been obtained by classical selection techniques as well as by site-directed mutagenesis. By rationalizing the stabilities of the mutant proteins in terms of their observed three-dimensional structures we are attempting to quantitate the contributions that single amino acids make to protein stability. Our studies to date lead to the following conclusions. (1) Thermal stability is global. (2) Different types of interaction contribute to stability. (3) Changes in stability need not be associated with large structural changes. (4) An increase in the stability of an α-helix may enhance the stability of the protein as a whole. (5) Hydrogen bonds contribute to stability. (6) Protein structures can readily adjust to changes in amino acid sequence.
HPV infection concurrence in the cervix and oral mucosa of Tobagonian women

475 Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted virus attributed to more than 95% of cervical cancer and is associated with about 20% of head and neck tumors. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer are ranked 3rd among women in Trinidad and Tobago. Although the prevalence of cervical cancer in Tobago is currently unknown, a high mortality rate due to cervical cancer was determined by a Tobago Health Needs Assessment in 1997. In the context of a cervical cancer screening study, we determined the prevalence of cervical and oral HPV infection in 212 Tobagonian women (ages 17-65 years), and identified factors associated with concurrent infections at both mucosal sites. Subjects were recruited from July to September, 2005. Pap smears, interviewer-administered questionnaires, a cervical brushing, mouthwash gargle and a self-administered questionnaire on sexual practices were collected for all participants. DNA was tested for HPV by nested PGMY09/11 and GP5+/6+ PCR and positive samples were genotyped using a HPV linear array protocol and pyrosequencing. Cervical HPV was detected in 74/212 (35%) women, while 14/212 (6.6%) had oral HPV, of which 7/14 (50%) had concurrent infections in the oral mucosa and cervix. Among women with oral HPV, 3/14 (21%) carried high-risk HPV types, two had HPV16 (one co-infected with HPV66) and one with HPV31. Oral HPV infection was more likely to occur in women whose age at 1st coitus was >18 years (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 0.8-8.5 p=0.1) and in women with abnormal cervical cytology (OR = 8.7, 95% CI = 1.4-52.7 p 0.1). In this study population, the prevalence of HPV infection differs between the oral mucosa and cervix. Oral HPV infection is associated with abnormal cervical cytology, and a high proportion of women with oral HPV had concurrent infections. These findings suggest that the association between oral and cervical high-risk infection warrants further study, specifically the distribution of HPV types in the cervix and oral cavity over time.
Genetics of Human Thyroid Cancer Cell Lines-Response.

We read with interest the letter by Garcia and colleagues, as well as their recent publication assessing MET amplification in the anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC)-derived TTA-1 cell line ([1][1]). In their correspondence, the authors asked whether MET amplification was observed in TTA-1 cells in our
Multi-Dimensional Continuous Type Population Potential Games

We consider an extension of continuous population potential games where the population mass is represented by a distribution over a multi-dimensional continuous type space. Each dimension of the type space corresponds to a subset of strategies in the potential game. The difference between two elements in each population member's type vector encodes their relative preference for strategies in each subset. We define an extension of a Wardrop equilibrium for this type based model and show how to compute the equilibrium by means of optimizing a specific potential function.
Contemporary Sex-Based Outcomes after Orthotopic Heart Transplantation for Patients Bridged with Newer Generation Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Purpose Prior work has shown that female sex is associated with a significantly increased risk of death after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). The impact of sex on outcomes of OHT following bridging with newer generation durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) is less established. This study evaluated sex-based differences in OHT outcomes in recipients bridged with a HeartMate III (HM3) or HeartWare (HVAD) LVAD. Methods The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database was queried to study OHT recipients bridged with a newer generation (HM3 or HVAD) LVAD between 2010 and 2018. The primary outcome was mortality at 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes included rates of posttransplant complications. Propensity score matching was utilized to adjust for residual bias among male and female recipients. Cox multivariable analysis was employed to determine independent predictors of the primary outcomes of death at 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year following OHT. Results A total of 3,010 patients (76.7% male) bridged with newer generation LVADs underwent OHT. Male patients were significantly older (53.0 vs 49.7 years, p 0.05). Survival at 1 year after OHT was 94.6% in males and 96.9% in females for patients bridged with newer generation LVADs (p=0.45). Conclusion In our study of 3,010 OHT recipients, we found that matched females bridged with newer generation HVAD or HM3 LVADs have comparable post-transplant outcomes. Furthermore, survival at 1-year follow-up was not impacted by sex and instead was driven by well-established risk factors including increasing age, worse pre-operative renal function, and heart failure etiology. These data suggest considerable progress in mitigating sex differences in heart failure outcomes in the modern era.
Identification of a hyperactive pheromone analog in field tests of pheromone mimics for two click beetle species in the genus Cardiophorus (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

Females of two click beetle species, Cardiophorus tenebrosus and C. edwardsi (Coleoptera: Elateridae), produce methyl (3R,6E)-2,3-dihydrofarnesoate as their sex pheromone. We had serendipitously discovered that males of both species were also strongly attracted to (R)-fuscumol acetate ((E)-6,10-dimethylundeca-5,9-dien-2-yl acetate), a known longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) pheromone, due to its structural similarities to the click beetle pheromone. To further investigate the specificity of the responses of Cardiophorus males, additional analogs with different chain lengths and structural relationships compared to the natural pheromone were synthesized and tested. In field and electroantennogram bioassays, only fuscumol propionate ((E)-6,10-dimethylundeca-5,9-dien-2-yl propionate) elicited strong responses from Cardiophorus males, indicating that they were able to distinguish chain length and spatial relationships between the structural elements. In field trials, C. tenebrosus males were attracted equally to the analog and their natural pheromone, but the pheromone elicited stronger antennal responses from males. In contrast, traps baited with fuscumol propionate caught approximately 26 times as many C. edwardsi males compared to traps baited with the natural pheromone, although the analog elicited significantly smaller antennal responses from C. edwardsi males. Thus, in terms of behavioral responses, fuscumol propionate appears to be acting as a hyperactive pheromone mimic, a phenomenon which has rarely been observed in insect semiochemistry.
Who receives influenza vaccinations at the Pharmacy? An analysis of the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Abstract Introduction Vaccination helps to prevent influenza infection and reduce associated costs but the influenza vaccination rate in Texas for adults between the ages of 18 to 64 years old is the lowest in the US. Pharmacies and alternative locations have been shown to help increase vaccination rates but many adults still go unvaccinated. Objective This research aims to determine the factors associated with obtaining influenza vaccination at the pharmacy compared to non-pharmacy locations in Texas. Method This study used pooled Texas Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System datasets (2014 to 2018) for this assessment. The main outcome variable was categorized into pharmacy and non-pharmacy vaccination locations and analyzed using a logistic regression analysis. Further statistical analysis was done using a multinomial logistic regression after re-categorizing the outcome variable into pharmacy, doctor office, and other locations. Result Blacks were 63% (AOR 0.37, C.I. 0.26, 0.50) and Hispanics were 38% (AOR 0.62, C.I. 0.48, 0.80) less likely to receive influenza vaccinations at the pharmacy respectively when compared to Whites. Furthermore, those who did not live in a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) were 33% (AOR 0.67, C.I 0.53, 0.84) less likely to receive influenza vaccinations at the pharmacy compared to those who lived in an MSA. While there was no observed difference in the likelihood of receiving influenza vaccination, the unemployed population were 40% (AOR 1.40, C.I 1.15, 1.71) more likely to be vaccinated in the pharmacy compared to the employed population. Conclusion There is potential for increased utilization of pharmacies as a source of influenza vaccination in Texas. Racial differences exist both for receiving influenza vaccinations and being vaccinated in the pharmacy. Influenza vaccination advocacy and education efforts may be necessary to improve pharmacy-based vaccination in Texas, especially for minorities and rural-dwelling Texans.
Forest cover at landscape scales increases male and female gametic diversity of palm seedlings.

Genetic diversity shapes the evolutionary potential of plant populations. For outcrossing plants, genetic diversity is influenced by effective population size and by dispersal, first of paternal gametes through pollen, and then of paternal and maternal gametes through seeds. Forest loss often reduces genetic diversity, but the degree to which it differentially impacts the paternal and maternal contributions to genetic diversity and the spatial scale at which these impacts are most pronounced are poorly understood. To address these questions, we genotyped 504 seedlings of the animal-dispersed palm Oenocarpus bataua collected from 29 widely distributed sites across Ecuador and decomposed the contribution of paternal and maternal gametes to overall genetic diversity. The amount of forest cover at a landscape scale (>10 km radius) had an equally significant positive association with both male and female gametic diversity. In addition, there was a significant positive association between forest cover and effective population size. Stronger fine-scale spatial genetic structure for female versus male gametes was observed at sites with low forest cover, but this did not scale up to differences in male versus female gametic diversity. These findings show that reductions in forest cover at spatial scales much larger than those typically evaluated in ecological studies lead to significant, and equivalent, decreases of diversity in both male and female gametes, and that this association between landscape level forest loss and genetic diversity may be driven directly by reductions in effective population size of O. bataua, rather than by indirect disruptions to local dispersal processes.
Many nodal domains in random regular graphs

Let $G$ be a random $d$-regular graph. We prove that for every constant $\alpha > 0$, with high probability every eigenvector of the adjacency matrix of $G$ with eigenvalue less than $-2\sqrt{d-2}-\alpha$ has $\Omega(n/$polylog$(n))$ nodal domains.
Dynamics of Mitochondrial Redox and Energy Networks: Insights from an Experimental–Computational Synergy

Functionally, a cell comprises spatially distributed and compartmentalized subsystems, the dynamics of which occurs on several temporal scales. Interactivity in complex spatiotemporally organized cellular systems is fundamental to their counterintuitive behavior and one of the main reasons why their study needs mathematical modeling. But models alone are not enough; what we ultimately require is a combined experimental–theoretical approach in order to validate our models as rigorously as possible.
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere receiver/communication lock analysis: When bad space weather is good

[1] The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft (launched on 25 April 2007) is in low-Earth polar orbit. Some days after launch, AIM began to exhibit a problem in which it would not always achieve proper receiver uplink communications lock (termed “bitlock” throughout this paper). In this context, we examined solar conditions and geomagnetic activity to search for possible connections with periods of bitlock problems. We have found that higher solar wind speeds often lead to greater geomagnetic activity and this, in turn, seems to lead to improved AIM operations. Here we present analysis of AIM bitlock to show when relative improvements or diminutions in spacecraft operations have occurred. We conclude that the spacecraft bitlock problem is related, in part, to space environment conditions (along with a gradual secular trend toward lower performance). The best indicator of “good lock” state (of all we have evaluated) is associated with a shift from low (or quiet) geomagnetic and solar wind conditions toward more disturbed conditions.
Analysis of the Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin gene. Delineation of unique features and comparison to homologous toxins.

Abstract Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin has been implicated as a virulence factor in human infections. To initiate delineation of leukotoxin structure/function relationships, molecular cloning of the leukotoxin gene was carried out. When an A. actinomycetemcomitans genomic DNA library in lambda EMBL3 was screened using a 1.3-kilobase pair restriction fragment containing a portion of the leukotoxin gene, 13 positive recombinants were identified. One recombinant, designated lambda OP8, containing a 16-kilobase pair insert was selected for detailed study. Lysates from lambda OP8, but not control lysates, exhibited leukotoxic activity with target cell specificity identical to the native toxin. Western blots identified the recombinant-produced toxin as a 125-kDa protein doublet identical in mobility to the native toxin. Restriction enzyme and extensive DNA analyses demonstrated that the leukotoxin gene showed strong homology to two other toxins produced by Escherichia coli and Pasteurella haemolytica. As in the other two species, the A. actinomycetemcomitans toxin is contained in a cluster of four genes in which the A gene encodes the toxin and the products of the B, C, and D genes are involved in posttranslational modification of the toxin and its membrane insertion and secretion. The target cell specificity of the A. actinomycetemcomitans toxin differs from the other two toxins and is restricted to human and some non-human primate cells of the monomyelocytic lineage. The A. actinomycetemcomitans leukotoxin is not secreted but remains associated with the bacterial membrane, possibly through a hydrophobic domain at the carboxyl terminus which distinguishes it from the E. coli and P. haemolytica toxins.