cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simeprevir and sofosbuvir for treatment of hepatitis C infection

Purpose The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, costs, and place in therapy of simeprevir and sofosbuvir in the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are reviewed. Summary Sofosbuvir and simeprevir are classified as direct-acting agents because they target specific proteins essential to the replication of HCV. Phase III trials demonstrated that simeprevir in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin was superior to placebo combined with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin in achieving a sustained virological response in both treatment-naive patients and patients who relapsed after treatment with peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b and ribavirin. Q80K polymorphism substantially decreases the efficacy of simeprevir. Clinical trials revealed that sofosbuvir in combination with ribavirin was superior to peginterferon plus ribavirin against HCV genotype 2 infection and as effective as peginterferon plus ribavirin against HCV genotype 3 infection. These findings were significant because they demonstrated the effectiveness of an anti-HCV regimen that did not include peginterferon alfa. Sofosbuvir has much better adverse-effect and drug interaction profiles than previous hepatitis C antiviral agents. Both simeprevir and sofosbuvir are approved for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in combination with other antiviral medications. Simeprevir has been approved specifically for patients infected with HCV genotype 1 with compensated liver disease (including cirrhosis) in combination with peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b and ribavirin. Sofosbuvir has shown efficacy in HCV genotypes 1–4. Conclusion Simeprevir and sofasbuvir have advantages in response rates and convenient dosage forms and frequency compared with other HCV treatments; however, they are more expensive than previous HCV therapies.
Notes on the taxonomy of Potamonautes obesus (A Milne-Edwards, 1868) and Potamonautes calcaratus (Gordon, 1929) (Brachyura: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae) from eastern and southern Africa

The East African freshwater crab Potamonautes obesus (A Milne-Edwards, 1868) (family Potamonautidae) is redescribed from a large series of specimens from Tanzania and Somalia, and Potamon (Potamonautes) bottegoi de Man, 1898 is judged to be a junior objective synonym of P. obesus. The related taxon, Potamonautes calcaratus (Gordon, 1929) from Mozambique and South Africa, is recognised here as a valid species and is redescribed from type material. The distributions of P. obesus and P. calcaratus are described and discussed.
Robotics Technology in Mental Health Care

This chapter discusses the present and potential future use of robotics technology in mental healthcare practice. Robots have been used to help treat people with autism, dementia, and other cognitive impairments, have helped to provide companionship to people experiencing loneliness, and have been used to help improve how people with disabilities are treated by clinicians. Robotics technology has also been used in novel ways to diagnose and study schizophrenia in naturalistic interactive social settings. Despite these exciting technological advances, it is critical that robot designers and mental health professionals insist on rigorous randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) before deploying robots into mental healthcare practice. While it is unlikely most robots would cause direct harm to clients or practitioners, adopting this technology before the evidence base is developed runs the risk of displacing proven interventions with less effective or ineffective treatments.
Abstract 644: A novel Gemini vitamin D analogue represses the expression of a stem cell marker CD44 in breast cancer

Breast cancer stem cells are defined as cancer cells with self-renewal capacity. Cancer stem cells are resistant to current chemotherapy and radiation, making it difficult to investigate the mechanisms of resistance and the therapeutic targets of the tumor initiating cell population. Recently, CD44 has been recognized as a useful cell-surface marker for detecting breast cancer stem cells, and the CD44+/CD24- phenotype selects a population with stem cell properties similar to basal-like cancer cells. CD44 is a multi-functional transmembrane protein involved in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. The CD44 positive subpopulation of breast cancer cells are enriched in residual breast cancer cell populations after conventional therapies, suggesting that CD44 positive cells may be responsible for the recurrence of cancer and therefore it may be an important therapeutic target. We have previously shown that novel Gemini vitamin D analogs inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer epithelial cells and suppress tumorigenesis in different animal models of breast cancer. Since therapies targeting CD44 by vitamin D have not been investigated, we examined whether a novel Gemini vitamin D analog regulates CD44 expression in cultured human breast cancer cells or in mammary tumors. In basal-like MCF10DCIS.com human breast cancer cells, the Gemini vitamin D analog BXL0124 significantly inhibited the expression of CD44 protein and reduced the transcriptional activity of the CD44 promoter in vitro. To evaluate the inhibitory effects of Gemini vitamin D on CD44 expression in vivo, MCF10DCIS.com cells were xenografted into immunodeficient mice. When administered intraperitoneally (0.1 microgram/kg body weight) or orally (0.3 microgram/kg body weight) once a day for 6 weeks, Gemini vitamin D BXL0124 inhibited tumor growth and markedly decreased the expression of CD44 in the xenograft tumors. To determine whether the repression of CD44 is dependent on the vitamin D receptor (VDR), siRNA VDR was employed. The repression of CD44 expression by BXL0124 was significantly blocked by siRNA VDR in MCF10DCIS.com cells, indicating that the regulation of CD44 expression by BXL0124 is a VDR-dependent event. Taken together, the novel Gemini vitamin D analog inhibits CD44 expression in MCF10DCIS.com cells in vitro and in xenograft tumors, suggesting an inhibitory role of Gemini vitamin D analogs on cancer stem cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 644.
Luminescent metal complexes featuring photophysically innocent boron cluster ligands

We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of d8 metal complexes featuring robust and photophysically innocent strong-field chelating 1,1'-bis(o-carborane) (bc) ligand frameworks. A combination of UV-Vis spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray structural analysis, and DFT calculations of these species suggest that the dianionic bc ligand does not contribute to any visible metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions, yet it provides a strong ligand field in these complexes. Furthermore, a bc-based Pt(II) complex containing a 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine ligand (dtb-bpy) has been prepared and was found to display blue phosphorescent emission dominated by MLCT from the Pt(II) center to the dtb-bpy ligand. Importantly, the bulky three-dimensional nature of the bc ligand precludes intermolecular Pt(II)⋯Pt(II) interactions in the solid state where the resulting compounds retain their emission properties. This study opens a potentially new avenue for designing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials with tunable properties featuring photophysically innocent boron-rich cluster ligands.
Repeat Selective Embolization of Solitary Kidney with Renal Cell Carcinoma: Case Report

Massive bleeding in a patient with metastatic carcinoma of a solitary kidney may be controlled with transcatheter embolization. Selective occlusion may be done sparing renal parenchyma uninvolved by tumor and avoiding dialysis. We report a case of successful repeated selective embolizations with an excellent quality of life for 18 months.
Income Reliably Predicts Daily Sadness, but Not Happiness: A Replication and Extension of Kushlev, Dunn, and Lucas (2015)

Kushlev, Dunn, and Lucas (2015) found that income predicts less daily sadness—but not greater happiness—among Americans. The present study used longitudinal data from an approximately representative German sample to replicate and extend these findings. Our results largely replicated Kushlev et al.’s results: Income predicted less daily sadness (albeit with a smaller effect size) but was unrelated to happiness. Moreover, the association between income and sadness could not be explained by demographics, stress, or daily time use. Extending Kushlev et al.’s findings, new analyses indicated that only between-persons variance in income (but not within-persons variance) predicted daily sadness—perhaps because there was relatively little within-persons variance in income. Finally, income predicted less daily sadness and worry, but not less anger or frustration—potentially suggesting that income predicts less “internalizing” but not less “externalizing” negative emotions. Together, our study and Kushlev et al.’s ...
Socially Engaged Engineers’ Career Interests and Experiences: A Miner’s Canary

AbstractEngineers that are actively engaged with both the social and technical dimensions of engineering work—socially engaged engineers—offer diversity in skill sets, values, and characteristics to the engineering workforce. This diversity can help the engineering profession better address complex global challenges. Despite the value of socially engaged engineers, the field lacks understanding about the career interests and experiences of these engineers. This study investigates EWB-USA members as a case of socially engaged engineers to explore engineering students’ career interests and practicing engineers’ career intentions and experiences. Using mixed-methods and a lens of meaningful work, this study compares differences between EWB-USA members and nonmembers. Findings indicated two main trends among EWB-USA members: females’ disillusionment with community development engineering work and practitioners’ strategies to find more personally meaningful work. This paper discusses why and how these findings...
Poch@s Strike Back: Ozomatli Members Respond to Pop Culture Commentary

Chapter 6 is a pop culture artists-speak-back interview with two of the founding members of the hip-hop cumbia fusion group Ozomatli, Raul Pacheco and Ulisses Bella. This chapter includes questions that address rhetorical aspects of composing, working within hegemonic systems, and socially-conscious decision-making. The poch@ artists respond to and discuss expectations of audiences and labels, as well as their role as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. government.
An Item Veto for the President

In their efforts to reduce federal deficits, national political leaders sometimes have embraced bold constitutional and statutory “reform” measures. President Reagan, for example, has campaigned for a constitutional amendment to permit the President to veto subsections contained within appropriations bills. This article describes the history and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of this proposed item veto. By pointing out potentially undesirable consequences of the item veto, we note that unintended side-effects may weaken Congress and provide more power than an effective president needs, and more power than an imperial president should ever have. We conclude the item veto is overrated and its effects not well understood. It would not greatly reduce deficits and it would disrupt the existing system of checks and balances. More important, it is an example of escapism from the basic tasks of statecraft and political decisionmaking that should be center stage in the legislative and executive branches.
An efficient multipath channel model for UWB home networking

We extend our previous work, to investigate the time-domain transmitted field through a lossy dielectric slab, so that our time-domain UWB multipath propagation channel model can characterize the most important electromagnetic wave propagation mechanisms, such as reflection, diffraction, and transmission, in a home environment. In order to effectively determine the UWB transmitted field through the lossy material, a time-domain transmission coefficient is derived in a closed form. The analytical solution includes both perpendicular polarization and parallel polarization. Simulation results, which take into account all possible rays in a typical UWB home environment, are presented and some guidance for UWB home networking is presented.
Differential expression of appetite‐regulating genes in avian models of anorexia and obesity

Chickens from lines that have been selected for low (LWS) or high (HWS) juvenile body weight for more than 57 generations provide a unique model by which to research appetite regulation. The LWS display different severities of anorexia, whereas all HWS become obese. In the present study, we measured mRNA abundance of various factors in appetite-associated nuclei in the hypothalamus. The lateral hypothalamus (LHA), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), dorsomedial nucleus (DMN) and arcuate nucleus (ARC) were collected from 5 day-old chicks that were fasted for 180 minutes or provided with continuous access to food. Fasting increased neuropeptide Y receptor subtype 1 (NPYR1) mRNA in the LHA and c-Fos in the VMH, at the same time as decreasing c-Fos in the LHA, neuropeptide Y receptor subtype 5 and ghrelin in the PVN, and neuropeptide Y receptor subtype 2 in the ARC. Fasting increased melanocortin receptor subtype 3 (MC3R) expression in the DMN and NPY in the ARC of LWS but not HWS chicks. Expression of NPY was greater in LWS than HWS in the DMN. neuropeptide Y receptor subtype 5 mRNA was greater in LWS than HWS in the LHA, PVN and ARC. Expression of orexin was greater in LWS than HWS in the LHA. There was greater expression of NPYR1, melanocortin receptor subtype 4 and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript in HWS than LWS and mesotocin in LWS than HWS in the PVN. In the ARC, agouti-related peptide and MC3R were greater in LWS than HWS and, in the VMH, orexin receptor 2 and leptin receptor were greater in LWS than HWS. Greater mesotocin in the PVN, orexin in the LHA and ORXR2 in the VMH of LWS may contribute to their increased sympathetic tone and anorexic phenotype. The results of the present study also suggest that an increased hypothalamic anorexigenic tone in the LWS over-rides orexigenic factors such as NPY and AgRP that were more highly expressed in LWS than HWS in several nuclei.
ASTRAL-III: Increased Scalability and Impacts of Contracting Low Support Branches

Discordances between species trees and gene trees can complicate phylogenetics reconstruction. ASTRAL is a leading method for inferring species trees given gene trees while accounting for incomplete lineage sorting. It finds the tree that shares the maximum number of quartets with input trees, drawing bipartitions from a predefined set of bipartitions X. In this paper, we introduce ASTRAL-III, which substantially improves on ASTRAL-II in terms of running time by handling polytomies more efficiently, exploiting similarities between gene trees, and trimming unnecessary parts of the search space. The asymptotic running time in the presence of polytomies is reduced from \(O(n^3k|X|^{{1.726}})\) for n species and k genes to \(O(D|X|^{1.726})\) where \(D=O(nk)\) is the sum of degrees of all unique nodes in input trees. ASTRAL-III enables us to test whether contracting low support branches in gene trees improves the accuracy by reducing noise. In extensive simulations and on real data, we show that removing branches with very low support improves accuracy while overly aggressive filtering is harmful.
X-ray Scattering Measurements Demonstrating In-Plane Anisotropy in Kapton Polyimide Films

X-ray scattering measurements were made on Kapton®1 films with thicknesses of 8, 25 and 50µm. These measurements indicate that the atomic scale structure is basically the same for the three Kapton films. However, the measurements reveal in-plane anisotropy of polymer chain alignment with preferred orientation parallel to an optical extinction direction. Anisotropy of x-ray scattering and therefore of polymer chain alignment within the polyimide film plane is greatest for the thinnest film, 8µm, and least for the thickest film, 50µm. The degree of anisotropy in tensile strength shows a similar dependence on film thickness. These appear to be the first x-ray scattering measurements demonstrating in-plane anisotropy for Kapton films. Furthermore, our measurements agree with previous measurements which have shown these polymer chains align in-plane rather than out-of-plane.
Elective Abortion Techniques, Risks, and Complications

The advent of prenatal diagnosis of hereditary disorders has brought with it the utilization of pregnancy termination as the predominant preventive approach, since in almost all instances this is the only recourse. Indeed, in its early days, the acceptance of the abortion alternative was considered by many to be a prerequisite to prenatal diagnosis. This posture has been modified, but an explanation of the techniques and risks of elective abortion must be an important part of the counseling process. There are three major considerations in elective abortion for genetic disorders. First, the variety of techniques available must be evaluated with regard to their efficacy at the period of gestation under consideration. Second, the risks of these methods must be carefully assessed and presented to the patient. Third, but less important, the suitability of the aborted material for corroborative cytogenetic and biochemical study must be considered. This chapter will review each of the methods from these three perspectives, but will place particular emphasis on the method felt most appropriate for the majority of cases.
Review of Democracy in Motion: Evaluating the Practice and Impact of Deliberative Civic Engagement edited by Tina Nabatchi, John Gastil, G. Michael Weiksner, and Matt Leighninger (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012)

Review of Democracy in Motion: Evaluating the Practice and Impact of Deliberative Civic Engagement edited by Tina Nabatchi, John Gastil, G. Michael Weiksner, and Matt Leighninger (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).
Clinical Aspects of Cancer in the Elderly

Physicians are encountering increasing numbers of elderly cancer patients. Initial presentation and diagnosis may be complicated by changes of aging and co-morbid disease. There are differences in biology and behavior of cancer in the elderly including stage of presentaton, tumor type and aggressiveness. Patient management must include assessement of general functional and physiologic status and expected survival rates. Surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy can be utilized effectively, but individualization of treatment may be necessary. Psychosocial support and measures to maximize quality as well as quantity of life are important.
Valence Instabilities in Sm Compounds

SmS collapses to an intermediate valence state upon alloying with YS or SmAs in a manner somewhat similar to that of SmS under pressure. We shall first outline some of the conclusions reached concerning intermediate valence and the valence transition. Finally, we shall mention some local magnetic and electronic effects observed at small As concentrations in the SmS-SmAs system.
Poster: An Algorithm and Tool to Infer Practical Postconditions

Manually writing pre- and postconditions to document the behavior of a large library is a time-consuming task; what is needed is a way to automatically infer them. Conventional wisdom is that, if one has preconditions, then one can use the strongest postcondition predicate transformer (SP) to infer postconditions. However, we have performed a study using 2,300 methods in 7 popular Java libraries, and found that SP yields postconditions that are exponentially large, which makes them difficult to use, either by humans or by tools. We solve this problem using a novel algorithm and tool for inferring method postconditions, using the SP, and transmuting the inferred postconditions to make them more concise. We applied our technique to infer postconditions for over 2,300 methods in seven popular Java libraries. Our technique was able to infer specifications for 75.7% of these methods. Each of these inferred postconditions was verified using an Extended Static Checker. We also found that 84.6% of resulting specifications were less than 1/4 page (20 lines) in length. Our algorithm was able to reduce the length of SMT proofs needed for verifying implementations by 76.7% and reduced prover execution time by 26.7%.
Female Representation and Implicit Gender Bias at the 2017 American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons' Annual Scientific and Tripartite Meeting.

BACKGROUND:Women surgeons are underrepresented in academic surgery and may be subject to implicit gender bias. In colorectal surgery, women comprise 42% of new graduates, but only 19% of Diplomates in the United States.OBJECTIVE:We evaluated the representation of women at the 2017 American Society o
A Lack of Decline in Major Nontraumatic Amputations in Texas: Contemporary Trends, Risk Factor Associations, and Impact of Revascularization

OBJECTIVE Nontraumatic major lower extremity amputations (LEAs) have been reported to be declining nationally; however, trends in Texas have been less well described. We evaluated demographic and clinical risk factors and revascularization associations for LEAs by using inpatient hospital discharge data in Texas from 2005 to 2014. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Inpatient hospital discharge data were obtained from the Texas Center for Health Statistics. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate clinical, ethnic, and socioeconomic risk factors associated with LEA. The impact of revascularization (surgical and/or endovascular) on LEA was analyzed. RESULTS Between 2005 and 2014, of 19,939,716 admissions, 46,627 were for nontraumatic major LEAs. Over time, LEAs were constant, and revascularization rates during index admission declined. The majority of LEAs occurred in males and in individuals aged 60–79 years. Risk factors associated with LEA included diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, chronic kidney disease, and male sex ( P P P value P value P value CONCLUSIONS Amputation rates in Texas have remained constant, whereas revascularization rates are declining. A higher risk for LEA was seen in minorities, including Hispanic ethnicity, which is the fastest growing demographic in Texas. Revascularization and having insurance were associated with lower odds for amputation.
Our Lady of Everyday Life: La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Catholic Imagination of Mexican Women in America: María Del Socorro Castañeda-Liles. 2018. New York: Oxford University Press, 282 pp., ISBN 978-0-19-028040-6

Our Lady of Everyday Life is a beautifully constructed and captivating account of three generations of women of Mexican descent and their enduring devotions to la Virgen de Guadalupe. Maria Del Soc...
Profile of James Peebles, Michel Mayor, and Didier Queloz: 2019 Nobel Laureates in Physics.

Mankind has long been fascinated by the mysteries of our Universe: How old and how big is the Universe? How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving? What is the composition of the Universe and the nature of its dark matter and dark energy? What is our Earth’s place in the cosmos and are there other planets (and life) around other stars? ( Left ) Profs. James Peebles (Princeton University), ( Center ) Michel Mayor (University of Geneva), and ( Right ) Didier Queloz (University of Geneva and the University of Cambridge). Jessica Gow, Frank Perry, Isabel Infantes/AFP/Scanpix Sweden. The 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics honors three pioneering scientists for their fundamental contributions to these cosmic questions—Professors James Peebles of Princeton University, Michel Mayor of the University of Geneva, and Didier Queloz of the University of Geneva and the University of Cambridge—“for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos,” with one half to James Peebles “for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology,” and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz “for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.” James Peebles was born in Southern Manitoba, Canada, in 1935; he moved to Princeton University for graduate school in 1958 and remained in Princeton as the Albert Einstein Professor of Physics (now emeritus) for his entire career. He has long been considered one of the fathers of modern cosmology, the science of the origin and evolution of the Universe. As the Nobel committee states, “James Peebles took the cosmos, with its billions of galaxies and galaxy clusters. His theoretical framework, developed over two decades, is the foundation of our modern understanding of the Universe’s history, from the Big-Bang to the present day.” The spectacular advances in cosmology over the past half a century … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: neta{at}astro.princeton.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Alt-Burger: Transforming Populist Food Systems

This article argues that there exists a problematic nexus between the industrial livestock industry, US food system policies, and American propagandist literature. The essay’s specific aim is to transform carnivorous appetites by subverting the integrity of America’s national gastronomic emblem – the hamburger. The article examines how hamburgers are unsustainable food system commodities that exacerbate state-sanctioned climate change, analyzes the underpinnings of ecophobic beef literature—specifically the graphic narrative—that serves as state propaganda, and shows how American comics can alternately promote sustainability nexuses by creating awareness of how food systems impact climate change.
Biomechanics of Bone and Cartilage

The use of mechanical biology and biomechanical signal transduction is a novel approach to attenuate musculoskeletal degeneration, whereas the understanding of specific cellular responses is critical to delineate the underlying mechanism. Dynamic mechanical signals with optimized loading signals, i.e., intensity and frequency, have been shown to have the potential to regulate bone and cartilage adaptation. Mechanotransduction pathways are of great interests in elucidating how mechanical signals produce such observed effects, including reduced bone loss, increased bone formation, and osteogenic cell differentiation. The objective of this review is to develop a molecular understanding of the mechanotransduction processes in tissue regeneration, which may provide new insights into bone physiology. In this chapter, we discuss the potential for mechanical loading to induce dynamic bone fluid flow, i.e., generated by the intramedullary pressure (ImP) and strains in bone, regulation of bone adaptation, and optimization of stimulation parameters in the loading regimen. The potential for mechanical loading to regulate bone fluid flow and microcirculation is also discussed. Particular attention is allotted to the responses of mechanical loading, including potential cellular and molecular pathways, osteocytes associated with Wnt signaling, the elevation of marrow stem cells and suppression of adipose cells, as well as the roles of LRP5 and microRNA. Altogether, these discussed data highlight the complex yet highly coordinated process of mechanotransduction in bone tissue regeneration.
Baseline Renal Volumes in Children Born With Cloacal Anomalies

Abstract Objective To better understand why children born with cloacal anomalies are at a high risk of renal insufficiency, this study aims to determine baseline renal volume in children with cloacal anomalies compared to controls. We hypothesized children with cloacal anomalies would be born with less renal volume. Methods An IRB approved database of children with cloacal anomalies was reviewed. Controls were female patients with two-vessel umbilical cord or preauricular tags who underwent screening renal ultrasound. Children were included if they had a renal ultrasound in the first 3 months of life. Cloacal exstrophy, horseshoe and cross-fused ectopic kidneys were excluded. Total and individual kidney volumes were compared between the two groups. Results The study cohort consisted of 109 patients, 46 (42.2%) cloaca patients and 63 (57.8%) controls. In unadjusted analyses, average total renal volume for cloaca and control patients was 22.4 cm3 versus 25.5 cm3 respectively (p=0.1006), and there was no significant difference when adjusting for age (p=0.3915). The estimated difference in renal unit volume between cloaca patients without solitary kidneys and controls was -1.6 cm3 (95% C.I.: -3.6, 0.4; p=0.1201), and there was no significant difference when adjusting for age (p=0.4725). The age-adjusted difference in renal unit volume between cloaca patients with solitary kidney and controls was 1.8 cm3 (95% CI: -1.1, 4.8; p=0.2148). Conclusions Children with cloacal anomalies have similar baseline renal volumes as children without cloacal anomalies. Therefore, the increased risk of renal insufficiency in this patient population appears to be due to renal injury post-natally.
Attention Problems and Comorbid Symptoms following Child Sexual Abuse

Treatment utilization following child sexual abuse (CSA) is essential in combatting the various negative consequences of CSA. Youth may present to treatment for CSA with symptoms that cut across mu...
Nonnative English learners’ use and understanding of singular they

With universities and other academic institutions now creating policies regarding the use of pronouns and the rights of individuals to use the pronouns they prefer, use of the singular they pronoun...
Mitigating climate change: Decomposing the relative roles of energy conservation, technological change, and structural shift

Abstract We decompose the contribution of five drivers of energy use and CO 2 emissions reductions in achieving climate change goals over 2005–2100 for various climate policy scenarios. This study contributes to the decomposition literature in three ways. First, it disaggregates drivers of energy demand into technological progress and demand for energy services, represented in terms of useful energy, allowing us to estimate their contributions independently — an improvement over other economy-wide decomposition studies. Secondly, this approach reduces the ambiguity present in many previous measures of structural change. We delineate structural shifts into two separate measures: changes in fuel mix within a given resource or service pathway; and changes in mix among distinct energy resources or end-use services. Finally, this study applies decomposition methods to energy and emission trajectories from two mutually informing perspectives: (i) primary energy resources — crude oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, and renewables; and (ii) end-uses of energy services — residential and commercial buildings, industry, and transportation. Our results show that technological improvements and energy conservation are important in meeting climate goals in the first half of the coming century; and that nuclear and renewable energy and CCS technology are crucial in meeting more stringent goals in the second half of the century. We examine the relative roles of the drivers in reducing CO 2 emissions separately for developed and developing regions. Although the majority of energy and emission growth – and by extension the greatest opportunities for mitigation – will occur in developing countries, the decomposition shows that the relative roles of the five drivers are broadly consistent between these two regions.
A spatiotemporal dynamic distributed solution to the MEG inverse problem.

MEG/EEG are non-invasive imaging techniques that record brain activity with high temporal resolution. However, estimation of brain source currents from surface recordings requires solving an ill-conditioned inverse problem. Converging lines of evidence in neuroscience, from neuronal network models to resting-state imaging and neurophysiology, suggest that cortical activation is a distributed spatiotemporal dynamic process, supported by both local and long-distance neuroanatomic connections. Because spatiotemporal dynamics of this kind are central to brain physiology, inverse solutions could be improved by incorporating models of these dynamics. In this article, we present a model for cortical activity based on nearest-neighbor autoregression that incorporates local spatiotemporal interactions between distributed sources in a manner consistent with neurophysiology and neuroanatomy. We develop a dynamic Maximum a Posteriori Expectation-Maximization (dMAP-EM) source localization algorithm for estimation of cortical sources and model parameters based on the Kalman Filter, the Fixed Interval Smoother, and the EM algorithms. We apply the dMAP-EM algorithm to simulated experiments as well as to human experimental data. Furthermore, we derive expressions to relate our dynamic estimation formulas to those of standard static models, and show how dynamic methods optimally assimilate past and future data. Our results establish the feasibility of spatiotemporal dynamic estimation in large-scale distributed source spaces with several thousand source locations and hundreds of sensors, with resulting inverse solutions that provide substantial performance improvements over static methods.
Lessons from a local effort to screen for SARS-CoV-2.

It is breathtaking to consider how the response to pandemic viral pathogens has been transformed over the past century by greater knowledge of fundamental biology and technological innovations including PCR and next-generation sequencing. In striking contrast to the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the pathogen responsible for the 1918 influenza pandemic was not identified until years after the outbreak (1). The definitive text in 1927 described influenza as “an epidemiologic conception” likely caused by the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae (2). Six decades later, HIV-1 was discovered within a few years of the first report of AIDS, although it took another decade before HIV-1 RNA detection methods were sensitive enough to correlate viral load during clinical latency with rate of progression to AIDS (3). Four decades later, the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was publicly available on the internet within weeks of the unexplained outbreak of fatal pneumonia that is now known as COVID-19 (4⇓–6). This critical information enabled academic researchers, vaccine manufacturers, diagnostic laboratories, and some governments to spring into action. In the midst of COVID-19 lockdown, despite collapse of reagent supply chains, independent investigators around the world shared expertise and reagents in order to establish desperately needed local screening programs for SARS-CoV-2. A paper by Yang et al. in PNAS describes the analysis of viral load data from one local screening program (7), the results of which have important implications for efforts to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and for understanding the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. During the 2020 fall semester at the University of Colorado Boulder more than 72,500 saliva samples were tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA using RT-PCR (7). The rate of asymptomatic infection on campus could not be determined from these samples since symptomatic people were excluded from testing. Previous studies have … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: jeremy.luban{at}umassmed.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
A simple method to generate [18F]triflyl fluoride for 18F radiosynthesis

Abstract A simple, continuous-flow solid-phase radiosynthesis method has been developed for the generation of [18F]triflyl fluoride as a source of [18F]fluoride for the preparation of 18F labeled radiopharmaceuticals without the need for an azeotropic drying step. After [18F]fluoride was trapped and dried on an anion-exchange resin cartridge, gaseous [18F]triflyl fluoride was generated directly by eluting the cartridge with a solution of PhN(OTf)2, followed by isolation from the eluted reaction mixture via an empty cartridge and conversion to [18F]fluoride in a basic solution for radiofluorination. A peristaltic pump was used to maintain flow through the above stages, eventually providing reaction-ready [18F]fluoride in over 90% radiochemical yield in less than 10 min. Up to 0.057 µg non-radioactive fluoride was introduced from the reagents and components used during the above processes. Several radiolabeling reactions were carried out using the [18F]fluoride generated in this manner, affording the labeled products in good to high radiochemical yields. This method should have great potential for the safe and convenient preparation of 18F labeled radiopharmaceuticals.
Nudging primary care providers to expand the opioid use disorder workforce.

OBJECTIVE To examine the responsiveness of primary care providers to pro-social and financial incentives to participate in a learning collaborative for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). STUDY SETTING We conducted a statewide experiment in North Carolina from January 2019 to November 2019 to expand access to support for providers learning to treat opioid use disorder using different types of messaging and incentives. STUDY DESIGN We randomly assigned 15,835 primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) in North Carolina (NC) to receive one of four letters recruiting providers to participate in an online learning collaborative for providers learning to treat opioid use disorder. The four versions of the recruitment letters contained either pro-social messaging, mention of financial reimbursement for time spent in the learning collaborative, both, or neither. DATA COLLECTION We created a primary data source, tracking provider responses to the recruitment letters and emails. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We found a 47.5% greater (p < 0.05) response rate using pro-social recruitment messaging that provided a greater description of the local conditions in each provider's region compared to the control group; this effect increased with higher overdose opioid death rates. Mention of financial reimbursement only modestly increased provider response rates. Some heterogeneity was observed by provider type, with NPs having the largest response to pro-social messaging. CONCLUSIONS Prosocial nudges had strong effects on efforts to enhance the behavioral health workforce in NC through participation in an ECHO for medication-assisted treatment (MAT) learning collaborative. The prosocial approach can and should be employed by states and professional societies in their efforts to create training programs for medication for OUD (MOUD), in order to expand access to lifesaving treatments for opioid use disorder.
Profiling transport performance for big data transfer over dedicated channels

The transfer of big data is increasingly supported by dedicated channels in high-performance networks. Transport protocols play a critical role in maximizing the link utilization of such high-speed connections. We propose a Transport Profile Generator (TPG) to characterize and enhance the end-to-end throughput performance of transport protocols. TPG automates the tuning of various transport-related parameters including socket options and protocol-specific configurations, and supports multiple data streams and multiple NIC-to-NIC connections. To instantiate the design of TPG, we use UDT as an example in the implementation and conduct extensive experiments of big data transfer over high-speed network channels to illustrate how existing transport protocols benefit from TPG in optimizing their performance.
JPL BioSleeve for gesture-based control: Technology development and field trials

The JPL BioSleeve is a wearable gesture-based human interface for natural robot control. Activity of the user's hand and arm is monitored via surface electromyography sensors and an inertial measurement unit that are embedded in a forearm sleeve. Gesture recognition software then decodes the sensor signals, classifies gesture type, and maps the result to output commands to be sent to a robot. The BioSleeve interface can accurately and reliably decode as many as sixteen discrete hand and finger gestures and estimate the continuous orientation of the forearm. Here we report development of a new wireless BioSleeve prototype that enables portable field use. Gesture-based commands were developed to control a QinetiQ Dragon Runner tracked robot, including a 4 degree-of-freedom manipulator and a stereo camera pair. Gestures can be sent in several modes: for supervisory point-to-goal driving commands, virtual joystick for teleoperation of driving and manipulator, and pan-tilt of the camera. Hand gestures and arm positions are mapped to various commands recognized by the robot's onboard control software, and are meant to integrate with the robot's perception of its environment and its ability to complete tasks with various levels of autonomy. The portable BioSleeve interface was demonstrated through control of the Dragon Runner during participation in field trials at the 2014 Intuitive Robotic Operator Control Challenge. The successful completion of Challenge events demonstrated the versatility of the system to provide multiple commands in different modes of control to a robot operating under difficult real-world environmental conditions.
Detection of frequency-hopped waveforms embedded in interference waveforms

Military communication systems do not necessarily operate within FCC frequency bands. Hence, they may be subject to interference from other waveforms using the same frequency band. In this paper we first investigate a technique to estimate the spectrum of competing signals utilizing the same bandwidth as a desired frequency-hopped waveform. Next, we show that the desired frequency-hopped waveform can be recovered from the composite received signal by dividing the composite signal spectrum by an estimate of the interference spectrum. Since the interference estimate is imperfect, spectral division is significantly better than spectral subtraction of the interference spectrum from the composite spectrum for the detection of frequency-hopped waveforms
Reinforced Conductive Polyaniline-Paper Composites

A method for direct aniline interfacial polymerization on polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE)-reinforced paper substrate is introduced in this paper. Cellulose-based papers with and without reinforcement were considered. The polyaniline (PANI)-paper composites had surface resistivity lower than 100 Ω/sq after more than 3 polymerizations. Their mechanical strength and thermal stability were analyzed by tensile tests and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results revealed that there was strong interaction between NH groups in aniline monomers and OH groups in fibers, which did not disappear until after 3 polymerizations. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and field emission (FE) SEM images showed morphological differences between composites using reinforced and untreated base papers. Conductive composites made with PAE-reinforced base paper had both good thermal stability and good mechanical strength, with high conductivity and a smaller PANI amount.
Mobile robotics as the platform for undergraduate capstone electrical and computer engineering design projects

Research grade mobile robots are no longer restricted to robotics laboratories. Now that they are available and affordable through several vendors, they can be used for undergraduate capstone electrical and computer engineering design projects. Several important educational considerations have supported this decision, including: providing students with a platform for their projects that enables integrating both hardware and software development as well as dealing with real-time programming issues. We present our experience in using the AmigoBot from ActiveMedia for capstone senior design projects. Our work has focused on integrating a variety of sensors to the robot control architecture, most notably the integration of an IEEE 1394 Firewire - digital CCD camera. That in turn has enabled students to develop and test computer vision algorithms. Additional system capabilities included wireless communication of video streams captured by the digital camera. Integrating the ability to remotely control the AmigoBot can also enable using it for indoor surveillance applications.
Accurate simulation of phase noise in RF MEMS VCOs

A coupled circuit and device simulator is presented for the accurate simulation of phase noise in RF MEMS VCOs. The numerical solution of device level equations is used to accurately compute the capacitance of a MEMS capacitor. This coupled with a circuit simulator facilitates the simulation of circuits incorporating MEMS capacitors. In addition, the noise from the MEMS capacitor is combined with a nonlinear circuit-level noise analysis to determine the phase noise of the RF MEMS VCO. Simulations of an 800 MHz MEMS VCO implemented in a HP 0.8/spl mu/m CMOS technology show good agreement with experimentally observed behaviour.
Predicting Discharge Destination for Patients with Severe Motor Stroke: Important Functional Tasks

Many patients with severe stroke are capable of returning to the community after receiving rehabilitation services. The purpose of this study was to describe outcomes of patients with stroke in FIM-FRG STR1, a classification based on the Functional Independence Measure, and identify important functional tasks associated with discharge to home. FIM-FRG STR1 is one of nine subpopulations of stroke that have been identified based on motor/cognitive FIM subscale score and age. We reviewed the program evaluation data of 259 cases of stroke from 1993 to 1996. We performed a descriptive analysis of the data and a logistic regression analysis to determine which tasks measured by the FIM were associated with discharge destination, a key indicator of rehabilitation success. We found that three admission FIM variables (bladder management, toilet transfers, memory) and three discharge FIM variables (upper body dressing, bed/chair transfers, comprehension) were associated with discharge destination with up to 75% accuracy. The implications of these findings are discussed.
A novel type 3 secretion system effector, YspI of Yersinia enterocolitica, induces cell paralysis by reducing total focal adhesion kinase

Summary Some of the world's most important diseases are caused by bacterial pathogens that deliver toxic effector proteins directly into eukaryotic cells using type III secretion systems. The myriad of pathological outcomes caused by these pathogens is determined, in part, by the manipulation of host cell physiology due to the specific activities of individual effectors among the unique suite each pathogen employs. YspI was found to be an effector, delivered by Yersinia enterocolitica Biovar 1B, that inhibits host cell motility. The action of YspI comes about through its specific interaction with focal adhesion kinase, FAK, which is a fulcrum of focal adhesion complexes for controlling cellular motility. The interaction was defined by a specific domain of YspI that bound to the FAK kinase domain. Further examination revealed that YspI–FAK interaction leads to a reduction of FAK steady-state levels without altering its phosphorylation state. This collection of observations and results showed YspI displays unique functionality by targeting the key regulator of focal adhesion complexes to inhibit cellular movement.