cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Phantom Study and a Retrospective Clinical Analysis to Investigate the Impact of a New Image Processing Technology on Radiation Dose and Image Quality during Hepatic Embolization

Abstract Purpose To investigate changes in radiation dose and image quality using phantoms and hepatic embolization procedures performed with a new image processing technology (ClarityIQ) for a single-plane flat-detector–based interventional fluoroscopy system. Materials and Methods Phantom study was performed using acrylic sheets simulating different patient sizes. Air kerma rates (AKRs) were compared for different fluoroscopy modes and magnification modes without and with ClarityIQ. Repeat hepatic embolization procedures performed on the same lobe of the liver in the same patient by the same interventional radiologist between January 2013 and July 2014 without and with ClarityIQ were evaluated retrospectively. This included treatment of 33 hepatic lobes in 26 patients. Cumulative air kerma (CAK), kerma–area product (KAP), and factors affecting radiation dose were extracted from study metadata and compared. Blinded randomized image quality review was performed on arteriograms using a five-point scale. Results The phantom study revealed a significantly lower AKR ( P P ≤ .001) on CAK and KAP, with reductions ranging between 9% and 85% (median, 67%) and between 5% and 89% (median, 75%), respectively, on a case-by-case basis. Mean reductions in CAK and KAP were 279 mGy and 134,030 mGy·cm 2 , respectively. Image quality review scores were significantly lower ( P ≤ .001) with ClarityIQ, effecting visualization of tumor vasculature and appearance of noise texture. Conclusions ClarityIQ resulted in radiation dose reduction in the phantom study and in the hepatic embolization procedures, but with a decrease in subjective perceptions of image quality.
The Unsymmetrical Vertical Parabola

An unsymmetrical vertical curve is occasionally required in the geometric design of highways, particularly at interchanges. The usual procedure in such cases makes use of two parabolas with vertical axes and a common tangent. This results in an abrupt change in curvature, and acceleration, at this point of compound curvature. A method is suggested using one parabola with its axis inclined. The elevations as a function of stationing are computed in non dimensional form in terms of three parameters: the two grades and the ratio between the horizontal projections of the tangent lengths.
Ion Channeling Study of Epitaxial Growth of α-Fe on H-Terminated Si (111) Surfaces

Epitaxial α-Fe films deposited on H-terminated Si(111) surfaces by electron beam evaporation in ultra high vacuum were studied using ion channeling/Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry (RBS). A 700 A thick Fe film deposited on a Si(111) substrate at room temperature has a surface minimum yield, χmin, of 22% at 2 MeV energy of 4He+ ions along Si . A rapidly increasing yield in the aligned spectrum with the depdi of the film shows the presence of defects throughout the film. The sharp lower energy edge of the Fe signal indicates the absence of an amorphous region or a suicide layer at the interface. This establishes epitaxial growth of iron film on Si(111), a result supported by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. A 700 A thick iron film deposited at 300 °C shows a surface minimum yield of 12%. Ion channeling/ backscattering spectra of 1400 A and 3000 A thick Fe films deposited at 300 °C on Si(111) substrates show a χmin of about 3% for both films, indicating a substantial reduction in the defect density in the thicker Fe films. Etching of Si(111) substrates in either a 10% HF solution or a NH4F solution does not change the crystalline quality of the iron films significantly.
Synthesis and Characterization of Structured Metal/Silica Clusters

The synthesis of two component clusters of Au/SiO2, Ag/SiO2 and Cu2O/SiO2 is described. These heteronuclear clusters are synthesized as metal/silicon clusters of controlled composition and controlled size using a novel gas aggregation source and by means of gas phase annealing are transformed into ‘structured’ particles. The final metal/oxide and oxide/oxide clusters are formed by air exposure. The structure of these nanostructured particles is determined by electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The clusters exhibit two distinct structural forms: (1) clusters consisting of a metal rich core surrounded by a silicon rich skin and (2) clusters having a metal rich domain and a silicon rich domain separated by a sharp interface.
Improving physical performance tests: time to include a psychologist.

Hegedus and Cook recently highlighted the lack of evidence supporting physical performance tests (PPTs) in sports medicine1 and asked whether these tests would ever be validated like ‘their self-report cousins’ and ‘predict a complex and multidimensional concept such as injury’. We believe that psychometrics–as used for clinical assessment in psychology and education–may also have a role in sports medicine. The science of psychometrics is well laid-out, encompassing a framework for clinical assessment.2–4 Developing tests requires subject-matter experts, thought, and creativity to: (1) clearly define a construct based on theory; (2) explore and catalogue how the construct is manifest; (3) develop potential items; and (4) pilot-test items and iteratively refine item-selection (figure 1). Figure 1 A framework for clinical assessment. If physical performance tests were developed using psychometric principles, it would amplify their reliability and their ability to predict outcomes (eg, rehabilitation success, injury risk). Most physical performance tests were created to identify one physical task correlating with some criterion (eg, biomechanics, pathology). For example, in the Landing Error …
Psoriatic Acro-Osteolysis without Arthritis

A case study is presentd in which long-standing psoriasis was associated with acro-osteolysis, but without clinical or rentgenographic indication of articualr involvement.
Reduced Na-K-Cl cotransport in vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats

We have previously demonstrated the presence of a prominent, cyclic nucleotide-sensitive Na-K-Cl cotransport in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Others have observed that Na-K-Cl cotransport levels are reduced in erythrocytes of patients with essential hypertension and have proposed that a defect in this Na transport system may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. However, such a defect has not been demonstrated in the putative target tissue for essential hypertension, i.e., the VSMC. In the present study, we compared Na-K-Cl cotransport of VSMC from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with Na-K-Cl cotransport of VSMC from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). We found that Na-K-Cl cotransport of SHR VSMC is significantly reduced relative to that of WKY VSMC (3.09 vs. 4.39 mumol K.g protein-1.min-1). The apparent ion affinities for Na-K-Cl cotransport of SHR VSMC did not differ from those determined for WKY VSMC. Furthermore, cyclic nucleotide regulation of cotransport also appeared to be the same for the two types of VSMC. In contrast, maximal saturable binding of [3H]bumetanide observed in SHR VSMC was markedly reduced compared with that of WKY VSMC, but the Kd values were similar. Our data suggest that the reduction in cotransport observed in SHR VSMC is the result of a decrease in the number of available cotransport sites.
Lessing and Opera: A Re-Evaluation

(1969). Lessing and Opera: A Re-Evaluation. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 95-109.
Predicting School Leadership Interests in Parents of English Learners: An Exploratory Study

This study contributes to the literature on parent involvement by examining predictors of educational leadership interests of parents of English learners (ELs). Using a sample of 129 parents of ELs who represented diverse ethnic backgrounds, the researchers examined parent leadership interests with survey research. Parent leadership interests were significantly predicted by expectations for children's educational success, encouragement from teachers, and parents’ own level of education. Specifically, parents with lower educational expectations for their children, who were encouraged to be involved by their children's teachers, and with higher levels of formal education were more likely to express leadership interests. These data have implications for how schools could extend outreach efforts to encourage participation of parents who may see themselves as less effective leaders.
Angiotensinogen import in isolated proximal tubules: evidence for mitochondrial trafficking and uptake.

The renal proximal tubules are a key functional component of the kidney and express the angiotensin precursor angiotensinogen; however, it is unclear the extent that tubular angiotensinogen reflect...
Impacts of a Knowledge Sharing Climate and Interdisciplinary Knowledge Integration on Innovation

Interdisciplinary teams are often employed with the expectation of sparking innovation in their diverse range of knowledge. Empirical studies on functional diversity, however, have shown inconclusive results. The literature also illustrates that the secret, competitive, and multi-disciplinary atmosphere makes individuals reluctant to share their knowledge. To fill these research gaps, this study is to explore how innovation can be more effectively facilitated despite different mental models of interdisciplinary team members. By drawing upon social capital theory, this study presents a knowledge sharing climate (i.e. trusting relationships, openness, and learning orientations) and how the three dimensions differently influence innovation. This study also shows how interdisciplinary knowledge integration mediates between functional diversity and innovation to reconcile the mixed signal of the literature. Data were collected from 202 individual team members, and structure equation modelling was employed to test the research model. Empirical results indicate that innovation is significantly affected by interdisciplinary knowledge integration and openness. Functional diversity and trusting relationships do not have direct impacts on innovation, but they are mediated by interdisciplinary knowledge integration. The findings of this study have theoretical and practical implications which are discussed in the paper.
How Fragile Are Clinical Trial Outcomes That Support the CHEST Clinical Practice Guidelines for VTE

Background VTE remains a health concern for global populations. Clinical practice guidelines are necessary to guide physicians in the prophylaxis and treatment of VTE. Methods Our investigation assessed the robustness of the underlying evidence in 21 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) used to support treatment recommendations in the 2016 update of the CHEST Guideline and Expert Panel Report on Antithrombotic Therapy for VTE Disease. We calculated the fragility index and fragility quotient for qualifying outcomes within RCTs. Results The median fragility index for all studies was 5 (interquartile range, 1-9), with a median fragility quotient of 0.012 (interquartile range, 0.002-0.032). Conclusions Our conclusions parallel those of previous investigations of the fragility of RCT outcomes; we found that some outcomes used to support recommendations in AT10 are fragile. We recommend that the fragility index and fragility quotient be adopted as measures of robustness of clinical trial outcomes.
Student perception of helpfulness of facilitation strategies that enhance instructor presence, connectedness, engagement and learning in online courses

Abstract Instructors use various strategies to facilitate learning and actively engage students in online courses. In this study, we examine student perception on the helpfulness of the twelve different facilitation strategies used by instructors on establishing instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning. One hundred and eighty eight graduate students taking online courses in Fall 2016 semester in US higher education institutions responded to the survey. Among the 12 facilitation strategies, instructors' timely response to questions and instructors' timely feedback on assignments/projects were rated the highest in all four constructs (instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning). Interactive visual syllabi of the course was rated the lowest, and video based introduction and instructors' use of synchronous sessions to interact were rated lowest among two of the four constructs. Descriptive statistics for each of the construct (instructor presence, instructor connection, engagement and learning) by gender, status, and major of study are presented. Confirmative factor analysis of the data provided aspects of construct validity of the survey. Analysis of variance failed to detect differences between gender and discipline (education major versus non-education major) on all four constructs measured. However, undergraduate students rated significantly lower on engagement and learning in comparison to post-doctoral and other post graduate students.
Group antenatal care models in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic evidence synthesis

In high-income countries, group antenatal care (ANC) offers an alternative to individual care and is associated with improved attendance, client satisfaction, and health outcomes for pregnant women and newborns. In low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings, this model could be adapted to address low antenatal care uptake and improve quality. However, evidence on key attributes of a group care model for low-resource settings remains scant. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature on models of group antenatal care in LMICs to identify attributes that may increase the relevance, acceptability and effectiveness of group ANC in such settings. We systematically searched five databases and conducted hand and reference searches. We also conducted key informant interviews with researchers and program implementers who have introduced group antenatal care models in LMICs. Using a pre-defined evidence summary template, we extracted evidence on key attributes—like session content and frequency, and group composition and organization—of group care models introduced across LMIC settings. Our systematic literature review identified nine unique descriptions of group antenatal care models. We supplemented this information with evidence from 10 key informant interviews. We synthesized evidence from these 19 data sources to identify attributes of group care models for pregnant women that appeared consistently across all of them. We considered these components that are fundamental to the delivery of group antenatal care. We also identified attributes that need to be tailored to the context in which they are implemented to meet local standards for comprehensive ANC, for example, the number of sessions and the session content. We compiled these attributes to codify a composite “generic” model of group antenatal care for adaptation and implementation in LMIC settings. With this combination of standard and flexible components, group antenatal care, a service delivery alternative that has been successfully introduced and implemented in high-income country settings, can be adapted for improving provision and experiences of care for pregnant women in LMIC. Any conclusions about the benefits of this model for women, babies, and health systems in LMICs, however, must be based on robust evaluations of group antenatal care programs in those settings.
The distribution and speciation of mercury in the California current: Implications for mercury transport via fog to land

Abstract Unfiltered seawater samples from vertical profiles collected at 60 stations within the California Current during four summer cruises spanning a two-year period from 2014 to 2015, were analyzed for elemental mercury (Hg°), monomethyl mercury (MMHg), dimethyl mercury (DMHg) and total mercury (THg). Fog water samples, taken at sea and throughout a network of land based stations were also analyzed for MMHg and THg. Vertical profiles indicate that midwater regions around 300 m are associated with concentration maxima in methylated species. Cyclonic mesoscale eddies were shown to be strong sources of the gaseous mercury species to the lower atmosphere and a likely source of these species to fog. Calculated evasive flux of Hg0 and DMHg were greatest in these regions (34 and 11 pmol m−2 d−1, respectively), whereas anticyclonic eddies support little or no sea-air evasion. Incubation experiments showed that DMHg is stable over short time scales at natural seawater pH (7.8–8.2) but degrades rapidly to MMHg at low pH. Demethylation of only a small percent of the evading DMHg, on acidic marine aerosols associated with fog condensation nuclei, can account for over 100% of the MMHg observed in fog. The surface microlayer, enriched in MMHg (by 30 ×), may also contribute to sea-air flux through aerosol production. Neither shelf sediments nor oxygen minimum zones appear to be a major source of methylated mercury in the California Current.
Modified calibration technique of a five-hole probe for high flow angles

A new method is described for calibrating a five-hole probe for extending the useful measurement range up to flow angularities of 85°. The calibration method involves adjustment of the calibration coefficients to allow valid calibration at larger flow angles. The extended range calibration curves for flow angularity, total and static pressures are presented. The present range is valid in pitch only when the yaw ports are nulled.
Chemical feedbacks weaken the wintertime response of particulate sulfate and nitrate to emissions reductions over the eastern United States

Sulfate ( S O 4 2 - ) and nitrate ( N O 3 - ) account for half of the fine particulate matter mass over the eastern United States. Their wintertime concentrations have changed little in the past decade despite considerable precursor emissions reductions. The reasons for this have remained unclear because detailed observations to constrain the wintertime gas–particle chemical system have been lacking. We use extensive airborne observations over the eastern United States from the 2015 Wintertime Investigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) campaign; ground-based observations; and the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model to determine the controls on winter S O 4 2 - and N O 3 - . GEOS-Chem reproduces observed S O 4 2 - – N O 3 - – N H 4 + particulate concentrations (2.45 μg s m - 3 ) and composition ( S O 4 2 - : 47%; N O 3 - : 32%; N H 4 + : 21%) during WINTER. Only 18% of S O 2 emissions were regionally oxidized to S O 4 2 - during WINTER, limited by low [H2O2] and [OH]. Relatively acidic fine particulates (pH∼1.3) allow 45% of nitrate to partition to the particle phase. Using GEOS-Chem, we examine the impact of the 58% decrease in winter S O 2 emissions from 2007 to 2015 and find that the H2O2 limitation on S O 2 oxidation weakened, which increased the fraction of S O 2 emissions oxidizing to S O 4 2 - . Simultaneously, NOx emissions decreased by 35%, but the modeled N O 3 - particle fraction increased as fine particle acidity decreased. These feedbacks resulted in a 40% decrease of modeled [ S O 4 2 - ] and no change in [ N O 3 - ], as observed. Wintertime [ S O 4 2 - ] and [ N O 3 - ] are expected to change slowly between 2015 and 2023, unless S O 2 and NOx emissions decrease faster in the future than in the recent past.
Reconceptualizing What and How Women Negotiate for Career Advancement

We propose a conceptual framework for expanding the scope of future research on the role of gender in career negotiations. Extant research on gender in career negotiations emphasizes women’s disadv...
Hepatocellular carcinoma: killing one bird with two stones.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a very aggressive disease and represents the most frequent form of liver cancer. Although treatment of HCC has greatly improved over the last decade, most patients with HCC diagnosed at advanced stages are ineligible for curative ablative therapies such as liver resection or liver transplantation.1 Several multikinase inhibitors, including sorafenib, regorafenib, lenvatinib and cabozantinib, are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC, providing limited survival benefits.1 In the last 2 years, the programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) nivolumab and pembrolizumab have also been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced HCC. While immunotherapies have aroused tremendous enthusiasm among clinicians and scientists,2 only a small percentage of patients respond with clinical benefit. One strategy to improve clinical outcomes would be to select those patients who are most likely to respond to ICIs by defining accurate and validated biomarkers of response. A second approach, which is somehow bolder, is to combine two drugs that synergise at killing the tumour cells. In fact, combination immunotherapies have proven effective in melanoma,3 where the first immunotherapy sensitises the tumour cells to the second one. Activation …
Microscopy Reveals: Impact of Lithium Salts on Elementary Steps Predicts Organozinc Reagent Synthesis and Structure.

Lithium chloride is known to promote the direct insertion of metallic zinc powder into organohalides in the practical synthesis of organozinc reagents, but the reason for its special ability is poorly understood. Pioneering a combined approach of single-metal-particle fluorescence microscopy with 1H NMR spectroscopy, we herein show that the effectiveness of different lithium salts toward solubilizing intermediates on the surface of zinc metal establishes a previously unknown reactivity correlation that predicts the propensity of that salt to promote macroscale reagent synthesis and also predicts the solution structure of the ultimate organozinc reagent. A salt-free pathway is also identified. These observations of an organometallic surface intermediate, its elementary-step reactivity, and the impact of various synthetic conditions (salt, salt-free, temperature, stirring, and time) on its persistence, are uniquely available from the sensitivity and spatial localization ability of the microscopy technique. ...
Abstract 4673: DCLK1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma via atypical β-catenin-regulated signaling and immune suppression

Introduction: Genetic lineage tracing in mouse model has revealed that mature hepatocytes are the cell of origin of injury-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Hepatocyte plasticity, defined as the ability to change cellular identity, plays a critical role in the repair process following liver injury. Inflammatory liver diseases often lead to cirrhosis and HCC. The molecular mechanisms that regulate the decision between hepatocyte injury repair and neoplastic initiation are unclear. Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1), a microtubule-associated kinase, is expressed during liver injury, cirrhosis, and HCC, but not in normal liver. Here, we demonstrate a novel mechanism by which DCLK1 regulates injury-associated hepatocyte plasticity and immunosuppression in HCC. Methods: Cell culture, DEN/CCl4-induced injury in mouse livers, and humanized mouse model were used for analyzing hepatocyte plasticity and DCLK1+ cells-induced changes in hepatic cells and macrophages. Results: DCLK1-overexpressing primary human hepatocytes formed spheroids in 3D culture. DCLK1-overexpressing hepatoma cells exhibited a 48-kDa active β-catenin with preserved hypophosphorylated N-terminus, which interacted with TCF-4, resulting in enhanced luciferase reporter activity and cyclin D1 expression. Downregulation of DCLK1 using siRNAs inhibited expression of this β-catenin fragment. DCLK1 overexpression increased phosphorylation of GSK-3β at Ser9, thus preventing its complete proteasomal degradation. Liver tissues from patients with cirrhosis and HCC expressed the 48-kDa active β-catenin, DCLK1, cyclin D1, and 80-kDa E-cadherin ectodomain, suggesting a change in epithelial polarity. DCLK1-overexpressing primary human hepatocytes transplanted into FRG mice demonstrated β-catenin activation in the transplanted hepatocytes. Injury-induced DCLK1+ epithelial cells in mouse livers expressed PD-L1. DCLK1+ human hepatoma cells induced CD206 in macrophages in a dual co-culture assay. Conclusions: DCLK1 enhances hepatocyte plasticity, clonogenicity, and tumorigenic signaling via atypical β-catenin-dependent mechanism. DCLK1+ cells show ability to suppress the host anti-tumor immunity by expressing PD-L1 and inducing macrophage polarization. Citation Format: Naushad Ali, Parthasarathy Chandrakesan, Michael S. Bronze, Courtney W. Houchen. DCLK1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma via atypical β-catenin-regulated signaling and immune suppression [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4673.
Clinical trials for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma: the current state of affairs

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a lethal high-grade pediatric brainstem tumor without a cure. Despite numerous clinical trials over the last decades, the prognosis has remained poor. The aim of this update was to report on the status and outcomes of all clinical trials for DIPG performed to better understand the landscape of research efforts for this diagnosis to date. The ClinicalTrials.gov database was reviewed in May 2019 for all possible interventional clinical trials that included DIPG as a diagnosis of primary investigation. These were then screened against selection criteria to identify pertinent clinical trials. Ninety-five clinical trials satisfied all inclusion criteria, with 55 (58%) trials specific to the DIPG diagnosis only. In terms of the most prevalent design features, 42 (44%) were phase I trials, with median expected start and completion years in 2011 (range, 1994–2020) and 2018 (range, 2005–2047), respectively. Median target number of patients to enroll was 38 (range, 1–1500), and the most common primary outcome was safety and toxicity (56%). There were 69 (73%) trials originating from the USA, with 49 (52%) of them being single institutional. Only 10 (11%) trials have reported results to date. To date, 95 clinical trials investigating DIPG with specific emphasis have been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. There were only a small number of trials that had study results available, and they uniformly reported non-significant improvement to prognosis. Given the rarity and lethality of DIPG, which limits the accumulation of large cohorts, our results mandate the need for more robust, systematic clinical trial design to minimize redundancies and maximize yield in the future.
A Low-Power Sensitive Integrated Sensor System for Thermal Flow Monitoring

Thermal-based flow monitoring has found widespread applications due to its noncontact measurement, high sensitivity, low flow resistance, miniaturization, ease of integration, and low-power consumption. In this work, a low-cost and affordable inkjet-printed graphene-based thermal sensor is integrated with a low-power CMOS circuit for flow rate monitoring. The custom inkjet-printed sensor consists of a silver nanoparticle interdigitated pattern with a coating of graphene, all printed on a glossy photo-paper substrate. The sensor read-out circuit is an energy-efficient current-starved ring oscillator. The sensor current controls the bias current of a current-starved ring oscillator and modulates the output frequency. A driver circuit then transforms the output to a square wave pulse signal. The scheme is designed and fabricated using the 0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ standard CMOS process and occupies an area of 1.5 mm $\times1.7$ mm. Test results indicate that the prototype ring oscillator circuit consumes 19– $90~\mu \text{W}$ for an oscillation frequency variation of 517 kHz–6.45 MHz. The output frequency variation with sensor current shows linear performance with ${R}^{2} = 0.9966$ .
NOTCH1 Activation Depletes the Pool of Side Population Stem Cells in ATL.

Background HTLV-I infection is associated with the development of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL), a malignancy characterized by a high rate of disease relapse and poor survival. Previous studies reported the existence of side population (SP) cells in HTLV-I Tax transgenic mouse models. These studies showed that these ATL-like derived SP cells have both self-renewal and leukemia renewal capacity and represent Cancer Stem Cells (CSC)/Leukemia-Initiating Cells (LIC). Since CSC/LIC are resistant to conventional therapies, a better characterization is needed. Methods We isolated, sorted and characterized SP cells from uncultured PBMCs from ATL patients and from ATL patient-derived cell lines. We then identified several specific signaling pathways activated or suppressed in these cells. Expression of viral gene HBZ and Tax transcriptional activity was also investigated. Using gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI, Calbiochem) and stably transduced ATL cell lines expressing TET-inducible NOTCH 1 intracellular domain (NICD), we characterized the role of activated NOTCH 1 in the maintenance of the SP cells in ATL. Results Our studies confirm the existence of SP cells in ATL samples. These cells demonstrate lower activation of NOTCH1 and Tax, and reduced expression of STAT3, β-catenin/Wnt3 and viral HBZ. We further show that PI3K and the NOTCH1 signaling pathway have opposite functions, and constitutive activation of NOTCH1 signaling depletes the pool of SP cells in ATL-derived cell lines. Conclusions Our results suggest that in ATL, a balance between activation of the NOTCH1 and PI3K signaling pathway is the key in the control of SP cells maintenance and may offer therapeutic opportunities.
Fostering cultural competence awareness and dispositions to reach thirdness or decentering by engaging in intercultural dialogue

The goals of this research were twofold. First, to measure changes in cultural awareness levels between two groups of students in their third semester of a Spanish class. The trained group formed by university students from the USA collaborated with another group of university students from Colombia using Skype. The second aim was to identify attitudes of decentering or thirdness in the trained group. This group met seven times during a 13-week semester to discuss a variety of cultural topics such as college life and daily routines. The control group addressed the same issues by examining them among members of the same class and answered a pre-and post-self-awareness questionnaire. Mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed a significant increase in interculturality scores in the trained group. Furthermore, the qualitative analysis of the video recordings, essays, and video chats from the trained group showed dispositions to decentering ( thirdness ) or to engage in an understanding process of the other (Kramsch, 1993). This group exhibited attitudes of curiosity and openness during the Skype sessions. Their essays were elaborate; the topics were varied, indicating the experience of productive social interactions. This group also avoided the use of essentialist or static cultural representations of the other in their narratives.
Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty in Hispanic/Latino Patients: An Updated Nationwide Analysis of Length of Stay, 30-Day Outcomes, and Risk Factors.

Abstract Background This study explored recent time trends in length of stay (LOS), 30-day outcomes, and risk factors for adverse events (AEs) pertaining to total hip arthroplasty in the Hispanic and Latino population. Methods A total of 4107 Hispanic and Latino patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty between 2011 and 2017 were identified using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Annual trends in LOS and 30-day outcomes (readmission, reoperation, complications, and mortality) were calculated using univariate mixed-effect regression analyses. Risk factors for AEs were determined using multivariate analyses. Results Between 2011 and 2017, there was a significant reduction in LOS >2 midnights (67.6% to 29.5%, P .05). Chronic kidney disease, the American Society of Anesthesiologists score >2, and chronic steroid use were the strongest independent predictors for AEs. Conclusions In the context of historically lower arthroplasty outcomes among the Hispanic and Latino population, current evidence suggests a receding tide, with annual trends showing significantly shorter LOS and comparable overall 30-day outcomes with whites. Patients with chronic kidney disease, the American Society of Anesthesiologists score >2, and chronic steroid use are at the highest risk for developing 30-day AEs.
Investigating Combinatorial Provers’ Reasoning about Multiplication

Combinatorial proof is an important topic both for combinatorics education and proof education researchers, but relatively little has been studied about the teaching and learning of combinatorial proof. In this paper, we focus on one specific phenomenon that emerged during interviews with mathematicians and students who were experienced provers as they discussed and engaged in combinatorial proof. In particular, participants used a wide variety of cognitive models to interpret multiplication by a constant when reasoning about binomial identities, some of which seemed to be more (or less) effective in helping produce a combinatorial proof. We present these cognitive models and describe episodes that illustrate implications of these cognitive models for our participants’ work on proving binomial identities. Our findings both inform research on combinatorial proof and highlight the importance of understanding subtleties of the familiar operation of multiplication.
The moderating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between corporate sustainability performance and corporate financial performance

Corporate governance plays an important role in monitoring and counseling management’s decision making including strategic sustainability investing. Understanding the role of corporate governance may help top management of corporations allocate their limited resource in their strategic planning and decision making. This study examines the relationship between corporate governance and corporate sustainability performance (CSP) and whether corporate governance moderates the relationship between corporate sustainability performance and corporate financial performance (CSP–CFP). The study analyzes a sample of 456 top largest U.S. public companies to examine corporate sustainability performance and corporate governance jointly, particularly the moderating effect of corporate governance on CSP–CFP relationship. Lagged variables were used to address the endogeneity issue. Multiple regression methods were used. The results show that firms with stronger corporate governance are more likely to have higher CSP and that corporate governance contributes additional value to firm value. The impact of CSP on CFP is higher for firms with stronger corporate governance (moderating effect). Results are robust after using different regression methods and additional tests.
Long-term stability of neuronal ensembles in mouse visual cortex

Coactive neuronal ensembles are found in spontaneous and evoked cortical activity and are thought to participate in the internal representation of memories, perceptions, and mental states. In mouse visual cortex, ensembles can be optogenetically imprinted and are causally related to visual percepts, but it is still unknown how stable they are over time. Using two-photon volumetric microscopy, we performed calcium imaging over several weeks of the same neuronal populations in layer 2/3 of visual cortex of awake mice, tracking over time the activity of the same neurons in response to visual stimuli and under spontaneous activity. Only a small number of neurons remained active across days. Analyzing them, we found both stable ensembles, lasting up to 46 days, and transient ones, observed during only one imaging session. The majority of ensembles in visually-evoked activity were stable, whereas in spontaneous activity similar numbers of stable and transient ensembles were found. Among stable ensembles, more than 60 % of neurons still belonged to the same ensemble even after several weeks. These core ensemble cells had stronger functional connectivity than neurons that stopped belonging to the ensemble. Our results demonstrate that spontaneous and evoked neuronal ensembles can last weeks, providing a neuronal mechanism for the long-lasting representation of perceptual states or memories.
Affine Connections and Geodesics

In a general Riemann space the concepts of straight lines and parallel vectors must be generalized from those familiar in Euclidian geometry. The fundamental objects needed for the generalization are affine connections. With affine connections we are naturally led to a deeper view of spacetime and the behavior of objects in it.
813 Patient and Provider Experiences with CBT-I Administered In-Person or via Telemedicine

Introduction: CBT-I is the gold standard treatment for insomnia, but access to in-person care is limited, which has worsened due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. While providers across spheres of care have rapidly pivoted to telehealth there have been few systematic comparisons of in-person treatments to telemedicine approaches. The current study, launched pre-COVID, aimed to examine the perspectives of patients who were randomly assigned to receive CBT-I in-person or via telemedicine. Additionally, provider reflections were collected. Methods: Individuals with DSM5 Insomnia Disorder (n=60) were randomized to in-person CBT-I, telemedicine CBT-I or a wait-list control group. CBT-I was delivered over 6-8 weekly sessions by video telemedicine or in-person. This nested qualitative study addressed patient and provider perspectives on treatment approaches. A sample of participants from each group (n=36) were interviewed 3 months post-treatment. Phone interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Results were organized into thematic categories including 1) participant experience with CBT-I, 2) access issues and 3) accountability issues related to delivery approach. Additionally, participating providers (n=7) were interviewed and shared their reflections on delivering CBT-I in-person vs. telemedicine. Results: Patients reflected positively on CBT-I, and this did not vary across treatment groups. Patients and providers noted telemedicine benefits related to access that included, but were not limited to, reducing transportation barriers to treatment and improved continuity of care (e.g. not having to cancel an appointment if a patient was traveling). Patients and providers shared concerns they had anticipated pre-treatment about possible telemedicine related technological hurdles and barriers to establishing meaningful rapport on-line. However, they reported that these concerns did not prove to be barriers to effective telemedicine visits. Conclusion: This qualitative study allowed patients and their providers to reflect on their experience delivering in-person vs telemedicine CBT-I. CBT-I was accepted well regardless of delivery approach. Telemedicine is currently being deployed widely and this study provides a systematic comparison between approaches.
Biomechanics of Ligaments

Ligaments are soft tissue structures that govern the stability of joints throughout the body, such as the shoulder, hip, or knee. Understanding the histology, joint kinematics, and biomechanical properties of ligaments helps physicians to precisely approach injuries and formulate an appropriate treatment plan for their patients. It is imperative to understand the complex nature of ligaments in response to various external loading conditions, as well as to truly understand their form and function in order to ultimately develop the most appropriate and individualized treatment for patients.
Real-time data assimilation for large-scale systems: The spectral Kalman filter

Abstract The Kalman Filter (KF) is a data assimilation method that has been widely used for estimating spatially varying unknown states evolving in time. Recently, KF methods have shown potential for tracking CO2 plumes injected in deep geologic formations. Such real-time estimation would serve as an early warning system for leakage incidents. However, for the large number of unknowns of such large systems, KF methods are impractical, because updating the huge state covariance matrix is computationally expensive. Low rank approximation methods have been devised to overcome this problem; these methods assume a low rank of the covariance matrix, which they approximate by smaller matrices. The approximation error is small for smooth functions, but may be larger for more complex physical problems, potentially leading to filter divergence and inaccurate state estimates. We present the Spectral Kalman Filter (SpecKF), a new algorithm that utilizes the exact covariance matrix. Thus it avoids the approximation error and does so in a computationally efficient way, which is specially important for systems with large numbers of unknowns. The computational speed-up of the SpecKF is achieved by updating cross-covariance matrices instead of the larger covariance matrices. The benefit can be considerable, especially in large systems, because the computational complexity of the SpecKF scales with the number of measurements, as opposed to the effective rank of the covariance matrix in low-rank KFs or the number of ensemble members in ensemble methods. We investigate the accuracy and performance of the SpecKF for a diffusion problem with random perturbations, and for a more complex case of CO2 injection in a homogeneous two-dimensional domain. Our results show that the SpecKF reduces greatly the computational cost compared to the original KF algorithm, and that it can provide higher accuracy than the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) with the same or even smaller computational cost. Finally, we discuss some approaches that can be used with the SpecKF for approximating the uncertainty of the final state estimates.
Phytochemical Screening of Calotropis procera Flower Extracts and Their Bio-Control Potential on Culex sp. Mosquito Larvae and Pupae

ABSTRACT Mosquito larvicidal efficacy and phytochemical screening of aqueous and ethanol extracts of the flowers of Calotropis procera, a common weed plant were evaluated in the present study, Phytochemical screening of the flower extracts of C.procera indicated the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, phenols, tannins, terpenoids and flavanoids which are known to possess medicinal and pesticidal properties. Larvicidal effects of the flower extracts of C.procera on the fouth instar larvae and pupae of Culex sp., which transmits filariasis to humans was investigated. Results revealed a dose and time dependant effect of the extracts on mosquito larvae with 5% extract concentration causing 100% mortality within 3days exposure. Culex sp. pupae were more resistant to the flower extract compared to the fourth instar larvae indicating differential susceptibility of mosquito life stages. The potential use of C.procera extract as an effective eco-friendly, bio-control agent against mosquito larvae is discussed
Conjugated linoleic acid may decrease arterial calcification via induction of heat shock proteins (1158.7)

Vascular calcification (VC) is a significant contributor to cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease and chronic inflammatory conditions. Despite this, there are currently no ideal therapies directed at the prevention or treatment of VC in clinical practice. We recently reported that heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) could be induced in human arteries and prevent human aortic smooth muscle cell (HA-SMC) calcification. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a group of positional and geometric isomers of octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid) with a conjugated double bond system, and cis9, trans11-CLA form has been shown to have HSP72 inductive properties. In this study, we postulate that CLA may exert vasculo-protective effects through induction of HSP72. Our results show that inducible HSP72 is significantly expressed following CLA treatment in HA-SMCs, in vitro as well as in aorta from mice treated with CLA, in vivo. We next showed that JC-1 complex, an indicator of mitochondrial membrane po...
Postreceptoral contribution to macular dysfunction in retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose To understand the sites of macular dysfunction in retinitis pigmentosa by evaluating focal electroretinogram (FERG) fundamental and second harmonic components, which are dominated by the activity of the outer and inner retina, respectively. Methods FERGs were recorded in response to a uniform field (9 degrees x 9 degrees) flickered sinusoidally at either 8 Hz or 32 Hz. The fundamental components of the responses to both the 8-Hz and 32-Hz stimuli and the second harmonic of the response to the 8-Hz stimulus were measured in their amplitudes and phases. Normal subjects (n = 17), as well as patients with typical retinitis pigmentosa (n = 22), cone dystrophy (CD, n = 7) and X-linked congenital retinoschisis (XLR, n = 5) served as subjects. The fundamental (32-Hz)-second harmonic (8 Hz) amplitude ratio was taken as an index of the relative function of outer-inner layers of the macula. Results Compared to controls, patients with retinitis pigmentosa showed losses of both FERG fundamental and second harmonic and an increase of the fundamental-second harmonic ratio. Patients with CD also showed losses of both fundamental and second harmonic, but the fundamental-second harmonic ratio was normal. Patients with XLR had a selective loss of the second harmonic, resulting in an increased fundamental-second harmonic ratio. On average, the fundamental-second harmonic ratio of patients with retinitis pigmentosa tended to increase with age. Conclusions The results suggest that in retinitis pigmentosa, both receptoral and postreceptoral sites contribute to macular dysfunction. This differs from CD and XLR, where losses appear more selective for the outer and the inner retina. Postreceptoral losses in retinitis pigmentosa may become larger with increasing age.
Sensory Integration, Neural Basis of

Multisensory integration is the ability of the brain to combine information from different sense receptors to enhance the organism's perception of its environment. Keywords: vision; audition; somatosensation; cross-modal; superior colliculus; integration
A Web Resource for the Study of Alkali Feldspars and Perthitic Textures Using Light Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy

A Web site for laboratory activities focused on alkali feldspars and the development of perthitic textures is available at http://www.geosci.ipfw.edu/sem/semedx .html. Backscatter and secondary ele...
Electromagnetic compatibility levels in power plants and substations

The most important factor for reliable supply of electricity is the provision of electromagnetic compatibility in power plants and substations. The paper presents the lack of standardized test procedures or detailed guidelines for in-situ electromagnetic compatibility testing for determining the electromagnetic compatibility levels and for evaluating the measured values in power plants and substations due to interferences generated during the switching operations of circuit breakers and disconnectors in normal operation with actual interference sources. The need for in-situ electromagnetic compatibility testing and evaluation of the results is demonstrated with the measurements results in substations in order to provide for electromagnetic compatibility in power plants and substations. The paper presents the procedure of testing for electromagnetic compatibility provision in power plants and substations.