cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Autophosphorylation of adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase from bovine brain.

A highly purified adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase from bovine brain has been found to catalyze its own phosphorylation. The incorporated phosphate was shown to be associated with the cyclic AMP-binding subunit (R-protein) of the protein kinase. The catalytic subunit exhibited no detectable incorporation of phosphate into itself, but was required for the phosphorylation of R-protein. The molecular weight of R-protein was determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to be about 48,000 in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Cyclic AMP strikingly inhibited the rate of autophosphorylation observed in the presence of ZnCl2, CaCl2, NiCl2, or FeCl2, but had no significant effect in the presence of MgCl2 or CoCl2. The concentration of cyclic AMP required to give half-maximal inhibition of phosphorylation was 3 × 10−7m in the presence of either CaCl2 or ZnCl2. Guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate was far less effective under the same experimental conditions than cyclic AMP. R-protein appears to be similar to a phosphoprotein recently discovered in synaptic membrane fractions from rat and bovine cerebral cortex.
A Vindication of Strong Aesthetic Supervenience

Abstract Disagreement persists concerning whether aesthetic properties supervene on non-aesthetic properties. This issue is complicated by the fact that the notion of an aesthetic property is itself contentious. In this paper, I begin by identifying three conditions that arguably characterize a large number of aesthetic properties. After defending aesthetic supervenience against a number of objections, I argue that a strong version of the supervenience thesis applies to those properties that satisfy my initial conditions.
Catheter ablation for hemodynamically unstable monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Ablation of Unstable Ventricular Tachycardia. Introduction: Hemodynamic collapse precludes extensive catheter mapping to identify focal target regions in many patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) associated with heart disease. This study tested the feasibility of catheter ablation of poorly tolerated VTs by targeting a region identified during sinus rhythm. Methods and Results: Ablation was attempted in five patients, ages 44 to 59 years, with left ventricular ejection fractions of 0.15 to 0.20 and poorly tolerated VT causing multiple implantable defibrillator therapies (6 to 30 episodes/month). VT was due to prior infarction in three patients and nonischemic cardiomyopathy in two. Target regions were sought that met the following criteria: (1) evidence of slow conduction from fractionated sinus rhythm electrograms and stimulus-QRS delays during pace mapping, and (2) evidence that the region contains the reentrant circuit exit from pace mapping. In 4 of 5 patients, a target region was identified and radiofrequency lesions applied. Ablation abolished all recurrences of VT in 3 of 4 patients during follow-up of 14 to 22 months. There were no complications. Conclusion: Ablation of poorly tolerated VT is feasible in some patients by mapping during sinus rhythm and performing ablation over a region of identifiable scar that contains abnormal conduction and a presumptive VT exit.
Indoor-biofilter growth and exposure to airborne chemicals drive similar changes in plant root bacterial communities.

ABSTRACT Due to the long durations spent inside by many humans, indoor air quality has become a growing concern. Biofiltration has emerged as a potential mechanism to clean indoor air of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are typically found at concentrations higher indoors than outdoors. Root-associated microbes are thought to drive the functioning of plant-based biofilters, or biowalls, converting VOCs into biomass, energy, and carbon dioxide, but little is known about the root microbial communities of such artificially grown plants, how or whether they differ from those of plants grown in soil, and whether any changes in composition are driven by VOCs. In this study, we investigated how bacterial communities on biofilter plant roots change over time and in response to VOC exposure. Through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we compared root bacterial communities from soil-grown plants with those from two biowalls, while also comparing communities from roots exposed to clean versus VOC-laden air in a laboratory biofiltration system. The results showed differences in bacterial communities between soil-grown and biowall-grown plants and between bacterial communities from plant roots exposed to clean air and those from VOC-exposed plant roots. Both biowall-grown and VOC-exposed roots harbored enriched levels of bacteria from the genus Hyphomicrobium. Given their known capacities to break down aromatic and halogenated compounds, we hypothesize that these bacteria are important VOC degraders. While different strains of Hyphomicrobium proliferated in the two studied biowalls and our lab experiment, strains were shared across plant species, suggesting that a wide range of ornamental houseplants harbor similar microbes of potential use in living biofilters.
A new deoxycytidine analog, 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxycytidine

Abstract 5-Hydroxy-2′-deoxycytidine was synthesized as a new compound. It inhibits growth of E. coli only after deamination to 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxyuridine. 5-Hydroxy-2′-deoxycytidine is a more effective inhibitor than 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxyuridine, presumably because maintenance of an inhibitory level of the latter occurs over a longer period of time than by administration as the deoxyuridine analog. In addition, 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxycytidine is transported into the cells without extracellular degradation, whereas deoxyuridine analogs may be subjected to degradation in the periplasmic space prior to their entry into cells. Tetrahydrouridine abolishes the inhibitory effect of 5-hydroxy-2′-deoxycytidine but does not inhibit the uptake of the analog. The new analog inhibits growth of HTC cells and 1788's lymphocytes at very high concentration levels.
Height, weight, and lines of arrested growth in young Guatemalan children.

A cross-sectional study of height, weight and skeletal maturity as judged from radiographs of hand and wrist, of 1,412 children under seven years of age (694 boys and 718 girls) living in rural Guatemala was performed. Height and weight were compared to standards prepared by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). Skeletal age was assessed by the Tanner-Whitehouse and the Greulich and Pyle methods. All x-rays were read by the senior author. The children surveyed were significantly shorter and lighter than well noruished Guatemalan children. Differences were evident by age six months and at a maximum by age five years. Both methods showed skeletal age to lag behind chronological age so that the Guatemalan rural children mature at slower rates than either the British children or the Ohio, U.S.A., children, from whom the two sets of standards were developed. Children of both sexes with radio-opaque transverse lines at the metaphysis showed a consistent tendency to be shorter than children without such lines. Boys but not girls showed similar trends for weight. In general, the data are consistent with the view that the physical development in boys is more severely retarded by an adverse environment than that of girls.
Bundle-Branch Block and the Monophasic Electrocardiogram

SummaryIn cats and dogs Viscum album produces a characteristic high take-off. If this is distinctly developed, one can no longer recognize a disturbance of intraventricular conduction (bundle-branch block) and stimulation of the accelerans does not alter the shape of the terminal deflection.
Conjugate natural convection in a planar thermosyphon with multiple inlets—I. Velocity and temperature fields

Abstract A numerical investigation of flow (Pr = 0.71) and temperature fields in a planar open loop thermosyphon is presented. The thermosyphon flow path is a modified ‘U’ shape with an upper and lower inlet in the right channel of the ‘U’. The flow was studied for different values of the governing parameters. These include the Rayleigh number (Ra), the lower inlet width and the wall thermal conductivity. Results indicate the temperature field is independent of the inlet configuration at large Ra. The flow field is highly dependent on the lower inlet as recirculation at the outlet increases with inlet restrictions and boundary layer development at the heated wall. The wall thermal conductivity has large effects due to conduction resistance of the conducting walls and reduced natural convection effects.
Prenatal care and birthweight production: evidence from South America

Research using US data has shown that increases in prenatal care have positive effects on birthweight and that the existence of unobserved health heterogeneity tends to reduce the measured effect of prenatal care. This study extends extant research to the South American countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia and Peru using data from the demographic and health surveys, finding a positive effect of increased prenatal care use on birthweight. Furthermore, the largest marginal effect of increased prenatal care use is found at low levels of usage. The results highlight both the usefulness of existing methodologies for estimating the effect of prenatal care on birthweight and the importance of extending these methodologies to data from countries other than the USA.
Fluorescent proteins for FRET microscopy: Monitoring protein interactions in living cells

The discovery and engineering of novel fluorescent proteins (FPs) from diverse organisms is yielding fluorophores with exceptional characteristics for live-cell imaging. In particular, the development of FPs for fluorescence (or Forster) resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy is providing important tools for monitoring dynamic protein interactions inside living cells. The increased interest in FRET microscopy has driven the development of many different methods to measure FRET. However, the interpretation of FRET measurements is complicated by several factors including the high fluorescence background, the potential for photoconversion artifacts and the relatively low dynamic range afforded by this technique. Here, we describe the advantages and disadvantages of four methods commonly used in FRET microscopy. We then discuss the selection of FPs for the different FRET methods, identifying the most useful FP candidates for FRET microscopy. The recent success in expanding the FP color palette offers the opportunity to explore new FRET pairs.
Motifs and cis-regulatory modules mediating the expression of genes co-expressed in presynaptic neurons

Background Hundreds of proteins modulate neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity during neuronal development and in response to synaptic activity. The expression of genes in the pre- and post-synaptic neurons is under stringent spatio-temporal control, but the mechanism underlying the neuronal expression of these genes remains largely unknown.
How indefinites choose their scope

The paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of scope posed by natural language indefinites that captures both the difference in scopal freedom between indefinites and bona fide quantifiers and the syntactic sensitivity that the scope of indefinites does nevertheless exhibit. Following the main insight of choice functional approaches, we connect the special scopal properties of indefinites to the fact that their semantics can be stated in terms of choosing a suitable witness. This is in contrast to bona fide quantifiers, the semantics of which crucially involves relations between sets of entities. We provide empirical arguments that this insight should not be captured by adding choice/Skolem functions to classical first-order logic, but in a semantics that follows Independence-Friendly Logic, in which scopal relations involving existentials are part of the recursive definition of truth and satisfaction. These scopal relations are resolved automatically as part of the interpretation of existentials. Additional support for this approach is provided by dependent indefinites, a cross-linguistically common class of special indefinites that can be straightforwardly analyzed in our semantic framework.
On the control of vibratory actuators

Recent technological developments have resulted in the commercial availability of electric motors which operate on principles which are entirely different from those which govern the operation of standard electrical machines. For a given maximum torque output these new actuators can be both smaller and less massive than the usual designs. However, because they generate their output in a two stage process involving the conversion of electrical energy into a high frequency elastic vibration as an intermediate step, the optimization of the performance and control of these motors requires the consideration of a number of new and interesting problems. The literature on the operation of these devices is sparse and largely informal. In particular, it does not seem to include a quantitative analysis which would allow one to explore their suitability for high performance closed loop applications. In this paper we use the Euler-Bernoulli beam model together with some ideas from system theory to derive the appropriate transfer functions for these systems. Actuators based on standing waves, suitable for generating translational motion, are considered in detail; the modifications required to treat the traveling wave/rotational motion case are briefly indicated.
Antigone's Transgression: Hegel and Bataille on the Divine and the Human

Cet article concerne le conflit entre le domaine du divin et celui de l'humain dans la lecture hegelienne de l'Antigone de Sophocle. Je soutiens que la lecture de l'Antigone par Hegel sous-estime la negativite du sacre et que, contrairement a ce que pense Hegel, l'action d'Antigone ne peut pas etre depassee (kann nicht auf-gehoben werden), parce que son telos n'est pas l'unite, mais plutot le retablissement de ce que Bataille appellerait la continuite, ou l'indifferencie. Le sens du recit de l'Antigone excede ainsi l'usage qu'en fait Hegel et s'accorde davantage avec la comprehension du sacre proposee par Bataille.
Total Inward Leakage Measurement of Particulates for N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators—A Comparison Study

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified particulate respirators need to be properly fit tested before use to ensure workers' respiratory protection. However, the effectiveness of American National Standards Institute-/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (ANSI-/OSHA)-accepted fit tests for particulate respirators in predicting actual workplace protection provided to workers is lacking. NIOSH addressed this issue by evaluating the fit of half-mask particulate filtering respirators as a component of a program designed to add total inward leakage (TIL) requirements for all respirators to Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations Part 84. Specifically, NIOSH undertook a validation study to evaluate the reproducibility of the TIL test procedure between two laboratories. A PortaCount® was used to measure the TIL of five N95 model filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) on test subjects in two different laboratories. Concurrently, filter efficiency for four of the five N95 FFR models was measured using laboratory aerosol as well as polydisperse NaCl aerosol employed for NIOSH particulate respirator certification. Results showed that two N95 models passed the TIL tests at a rate of ~80-85% and ~86-94% in the two laboratories, respectively. However, the TIL passing rate for the other three N95 models was 0-5.7% in both laboratories combined. Good agreement (≥83%) of the TIL data between the two laboratories was obtained. The three models that had relatively lower filter efficiency for laboratory aerosol as well as for NaCl aerosol showed relatively low TIL passing rates in both laboratories. Of the four models tested for penetration, one model with relatively higher efficiency showed a higher passing rate for TIL tests in both laboratories indicating that filter efficiency might influence TIL. Further studies are needed to better understand the implications of the data in the workplace.
Evaluation of accelerated deterioration in NAPTF flexible test pavements

Previous research studies have successfully demonstrated the use of artificial neural network (ANN) models for predicting critical structural responses and layer moduli of highway flexible pavements. The primary objective of this study was to develop an ANN-based approach for backcalculation of pavement moduli based on havy weight deflectometer (HWD) test data, especially in the analysis of airport flexible pavements subjected to new generation aircraft (NGA). Two medium-strength subgrade flexible test sections, at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF), were modeled using a finite element (FE) based pavement analysis program, which can consider the non-linear stress-dependent behavior of pavement geomaterials. A multi-layer, feed-forward network which uses an error-backpropagation algorithm was trained to approximate the HWD back-calculation function using the FE program generated synthetic database. At the NAPTF, test sections were subjected to Boeing 777 (B777) trafficking on one lane and Boeing 747 (B747) trafficking on the other lane using a test machine. To monitor the effect of traffic and climatic variations on pavement structural responses, HWD tests were conducted on the trafficked lanes and on the untrafficked centerline of test sections as trafficking progressed. The trained ANN models were successfully applied on the actual HWD test data acquired at the NAPTF to predict the asphalt concrete moduli and non-linear subgrade moduli of the medium-strength subgrade flexible test sections.
An Ecosystem Model for Exploring Lake Restoration Effects on Fish Communities and Fisheries in Florida

Developing quantitative ecosystem–scale expectations of habitat restoration projects and examining trade-offs associated with alternative approaches has been a challenge for restoration ecology. Many of the largest freshwater lake restoration projects have occurred in Florida to remediate degradation to vegetated littoral habitats resulting from stabilized water levels, but effects across lake foodwebs have not been assessed. We developed an ecosystem model using Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecospace for a generalized large, eutrophic Florida Lake to explore how simulated restoration activities could influence fish communities with emphasis on sport fish abundance. We modeled three habitat restoration scenarios: (1) “no control,” (2) a “10-year control” that restored littoral habitat every 10 years, and (3) a “combined control” scenario that restored littoral habitat every 10 years with maintenance controls between 10-year periods. Our “combined control” scenario provided the largest long-term habitat restoration benefits for sport fish abundance and the fisheries they support. In Ecospace, we simulated a littoral habitat restoration project that reduced lake-wide tussock coverage from 30 to 15%. Ecospace predicted positive benefits to sport fish and fisheries following the restoration simulation and highlighted the importance of habitat edge effects, spatial design of habitat restoration projects, and sampling designs for evaluating restoration projects.
Oral health status of the elderly, with dietary and nutritional considerations.

This paper is a preliminary report of a dental pilot study which was recently conducted with 104 elderly subjects, 77 of whom also participated in a nutrition status survey. The study was comprehensive, including measurements of oral health status, and medical data concerning nutrition status. Also included were questionnaires concerning diet and nutritional habits, and attitudes towards dental care. A literature review is also presented. Statistical analysis reveals correlations between certain food types, (liquid/solid fermentable, slowly dissolving fermentable), and root and coronal decay. The correlation with coronal decay is greater. Some of the data are still undergoing analysis. When all the data are analyzed and available, additional reports will be forthcoming and will describe any other correlations that are found between nutritional and oral health status. Certain new periodontal indices will also be described. The relationships between the oral health status and the nutritional needs of the elderly have not been adequately studied. It is expected that with a broader data base, these relationships will be better understood.
Kinetics and Mechanisms of Initial Electron-Transfer Reactions in Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides Reaction Centers

The reaction center (RC) of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides consists of three small polypeptides that hold a cluster of four molecules of bacteriochlorophyll-a (BChl), two molecules of bacteriopheophytin-a (BPh), one nonheme iron atom, and two molecules of ubiquinone [1, 2]. The RCs can be purified readily, and they recently have been crystallized [3], Although the crystal structure has not yet been solved, RCs from Rps. sphaeroides are functionally very similar to those from Rps. viridis whose structure has been solved to 3 A resolution [4]. In both species, two of the four BChls form a closely interacting pair (P) that undergoes oxidation to a radical cation (P+) when the RC is excited with light. The electron is transferred to a BPh, and from there to a quinone (Q) that is close to, but probably not bound to the Fe. (In Rps. vi ridis, Q is menaquinone instead of ubiquinone.) In Rps. sphaeroides RCs, the photochemical electron-transfer reaction from P to Q has a quantum yield of essentially 100% [5], The kinetics of electron-transfer from the intermediate BPh anion radical (BPh−) to Q have been measured under a variety of conditions, and are similar in the two species, in spite of the difference between the qui nones [6–10], It has been suggested that one of the two BChls that are not part of P mediates electron-transfer from the excited singlet state of P (P*) to the BPh [10–12]. However, the evidence for the formation of a P+ BChl− radical pair prior to the formation of P+ BPh− is inconclusive [13].
Performance by Pregnant Beef Cows Consuming Different Levels of Broiler Litter, Grain, and Roughag1,2

Brangus-sired beef cows (100; 511 ± 4.4 kg initial BW) were used to determine performance effects of different dietary levels of deep-stacked broiler litter, ground sorghum grain, and bermudagrass hay given in late gestation (63 d; 179 to 242 d of gestation). Treatments were hay consumed ad libitum (Control); 0.2% BW of sorghum grain, 0.1% BW of soybean meal (DM basis), and ad libitum consumption of hay (S); 0.2% BW of hay (DM basis) and ad libitum consumption of a 90% litter (harvested after two 6-wk broiler growing periods, 30% ash, 21% CP, and 49% NDF), 10% sorghum grain mixture (as fed basis; H); 0.2% BW of hay (DM basis) and ad libitum consumption of a 70% litter, 30% sorghum grain mixture (as fed basis; M-S); and 0.6% BW of hay (DM basis) and ad libitum consumption of an 87% litter, 13% sorghum grain mixture (as fed basis; M-B). Total DM intake was less (P 0.10) among treatments. In conclusion, with sources of broiler litter such as this one, very low dietary levels of other feedstuffs can negatively affect cow BW change in late gestation via limited feed intake, although effects may be compensated for thereafter with adequate forage availability and quality. A moderate level of roughage (e.g., 0.6% BW; DM basis) in litter-based diets can support performance comparable to that with a moderate cereal grain level.
Orthopedic Anterior Cruciate Ligament Evaluator (OR.A.C.L.E): A Preliminary Design

An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most prominent, and debilitating injuries currently to athletes. Physical therapist students need to be able to practice common physical examination techniques regularly and repeatedly in order to gain the skills necessary to accurately diagnose an ACL tear. A cost effective, adjustable knee apparatus that could mimic the behavior of both a healthy and an injured knee joint may mitigate this problem. We built an apparatus mimicking the geometry and function of a knee joint, including the effect of forces and stiffness proper of knee ligaments. SimWise 4D was used to dynamically simulate an anatomically approximated model of the knee joint during physical examination conditions. The numerical simulation tested the displacement between the femur and the tibia with and without an ACL ligament. The SimWise 4D simulation gave an increase in displacement of 1.58 mm or 30% after removing the ACL, which is comparable with known displacements in human test subjects. Finally, a design for a 3D rapid prototype is proposed and fabricated with fusion deposition modeling (FDM).Copyright © 2015 by ASME
$\mu $ RNG: A 300–950 mV, 323 Gbps/W All-Digital Full-Entropy True Random Number Generator in 14 nm FinFET CMOS

This paper describes $\mu $ RNG, an ultra-lightweight all-digital full-entropy true-random number generator (TRNG), fabricated in 14 nm high-k/metal-gate FinFET CMOS, targeted for on-die generation of cryptographic keys in energy-constrained IoT and wearable platforms. The $\mu $ RNG combines the entropy of multiple independent sources to generate an output bitstream that is indistinguishable from an ideal unbiased entropy source. Three independent self-calibrating all-digital entropy sources, coupled with XOR feedback shift-register based correlation suppressors and an in-line compact Barak–Impagliazzo–Wigderson (BIW) extractor enable ultra-low energy consumption of 3 pJ/full-entropy bit with a dense layout occupying 1008 $\mu \text{m}^{2}$ , while achieving: (i) 162.5 Mbps full-entropy throughput at 1.3 GHz operation, with total power consumption of 1.5 mW and leakage power component of 90 $\mu \text{W}$ , measured at 0.75 V, 25 °C, (ii) mutually uncorrelated raw bitstreams from the three entropy sources with phi-coefficient cross-correlation $\mathrm {H}_{\infty }> 0.99$ , (iv) hysteresis-free extracted output for lags 1–1000, with ACF ${\sim }0$ within 95% confidence bounds of a Gaussian distribution $(\mu =0,\sigma ^{2}=0.002)$ , (v) wide operating supply voltage range of 300–950 mV with throughput scaling to 225 Mbps at 950 mV and robust sub-threshold voltage performance of 400 Kbps, $4~\mu \text{W}$ , measured at 300 mV, 25 °C, (vi) peak energy-efficiency of 323 Gbps/W at near-threshold voltage of 400 mV, with full-entropy throughput of 8.6 Mbps, total power consumption of $27~\mu \text{W}$ , (vii) $6.5\times $ reduction in gate count and $5.4\times $ lower energy consumption compared to conventional AES-based entropy extractors.
"Commissioned by God": Mother Bickerdyke during the Civil War.

Mary Ann Bickerdyke, nurse, herbalist, and humanitarian, stood out as a singular figure during the American Civil War and afterward. She advocated nutrition and herbal medicines at a time when "heroic," if futile, treatments were often the rule. Her compassion toward ill soldiers was legendary and provided her with the nickname "Mother." Nevertheless, she did not hesitate to stand up to the bureaucratic and occasionally incompetent physician administrators who opposed her. Working in an arena typically off limits for women, she exceeded the bounds proscribed for her sex during the 19th century as a naturopathic physician, humanitarian, and social reformer.
Epigenetic Operators and the Evolution of Physically Embodied Robots

The genetic operators of recombination, mutation, and selection are commonly included in studies of evolution and evolvability, but they are not the only operators that can affect the genotype-to-phenotype (G→P) map and thus the outcomes of evolution. In this paper, we present experiments with an epigenetic operator (EO, for short), interactive wiring of a circuit, alongside common genetic operators, investigating both epigenetic and genetic operator effects on the evolution of both simulated and physically embodied Braitenberg-inspired robots. As a platform for our experiments, we built a system that encoded the genetics for the physical circuitry of the analog robots and made explicit rules for how that circuitry would be constructed; phenotypic expression consisted of the placement of wires to form the circuitry and thus govern robot behavior. We then varied the presence of gene interactions across populations of robots, studying how the EO — and its effects on G→P maps — affected the results of evolution over several generations. Additionally, a variant of these experiments was run in simulation to provide an independent test of the evolution impact of this EO. Our results demonstrate that robot populations with the EO had quantitatively different and potentially less adaptive evolution than populations without it. For example, selection increased the rate at which functional circuitry was lost in the population with the EO, compared to the population without it. In addition, in simulation EO populations were significantly less fit than populations without it. More generally, results such as these demonstrate the interaction of genetic and epigenetic operators during evolution, suggesting the broad importance of including EOs in investigations of evolvability. To our knowledge, our work represents the first physically embodied EO to be used in the evolution of physically embodied robots.
Influence of ground reaction force perturbations on anterior cruciate ligament loading during sidestep cutting

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk is likely increased under unexpected loading conditions. Such situations may arise from mid-air contact with another athlete, or misjudgments in landing height, stride length or surface compliance resulting in an unbalanced landing and unexpected changes in the ground reaction forces (GRFs). The purpose this study was to identify how GRF perturbations influence ACL loading during sidestep cutting. Muscle-actuated simulations of sidestep cutting were generated and analyzed for 20 subjects. Perturbations of 20, 40 and 60% of the nominal value were applied to the posterior, vertical, and medial GRF. Open-loop, forward dynamics simulations were run with no feedback or correction mechanism which allowed deviations from the experimentally measured kinematics as a result of the GRF perturbations. Posterior and vertical GRF perturbations significantly increased ACL loading, although the change was more pronounced with posterior perturbations. These changes were primarily due to the sagittal plane component of ACL loading regardless of perturbation direction. Peak ACL loading occurred almost immediately after initial ground contact, and was thus predicated on initial joint configuration. The results of this study give merit to including knee flexion angle at initial ground contact in the evolving neuromuscular training modalities aimed at preventing non-contact ACL injury.
Iris Segmentation: A New Strategy for Real Biometric Applications

Iris segmentation is driven by three different quality factors: accuracy, usability and speed. Unfortunately the deeply analysis of the literature shows that the greatest efforts of the researchers mainly focus on accuracy and speed. Proposed solutions, in fact, do not meet the usability requirement since they are based on specific optimizations related to the operating context and they impose binding conditions on the sensors to be used for the acquisition of periocular images. This paper tries to fill this gap by introducing an innovative iris segmentation technique that can be used in unconstrained environments, under non-ideal imaging conditions and, above all, that does not require any interaction for adaptation to different operating conditions. Experimental results, carried out on challenging databases, demonstrate that the high usability of the proposed solution does not penalize segmentation accuracy which, in some respects, outperforms that of the leading approaches in the literature.
Using DNA strand displacement to control interactions in DNA-grafted colloids

Grafting DNA oligonucleotides to colloidal particles leads to specific, reversible interactions between those particles. However, the interaction strength varies steeply and monotonically with temperature, hindering the use of DNA-mediated interactions in self-assembly. We show how the dependence on temperature can be modified in a controlled way by incorporating DNA strand-displacement reactions. The method allows us to make multicomponent systems that can self-assemble over a wide range of temperatures, invert the dependence on temperature to design colloidal systems that melt upon cooling, controllably transition between structures with different compositions, or design systems with multiple melting transitions. This wide range of behaviors can be realized simply by adding a small number of DNA strands to the solution, making the approach modular and straightforward to implement. We conclude with practical considerations for designing systems of DNA-mediated colloidal interactions.
Experimental characterization of the propagation of guided acoustic waves in pipe strings

This paper experimentally characterizes the propagation of guided acoustic waves in pipe strings. It verifies through experiments the dispersion phenomenon in cylindrical waveguides and shows how it matches the expected theoretical results that were previously derived in the literature and also experimentally confirms that pipe strings have certain passbands and stopbands that will allow signals with certain frequencies to propagate and will inhibit others. The theoretical dispersion relation was computed for frequencies between 0 and 5 kHz. Then, an experimental testbed was used to produce measured results which were found to agree nicely with the theoretical results.
Usefulness of Complement C1q to Predict 10-Year Mortality in Men With Diabetes Mellitus Referred for Coronary Angiography

The complement system consists of a family of proteins that play a critical role in the innate immune system. Complement activation has been implicated in many chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. However, a number of experimental studies have highlighted a beneficial role of component C1q in early atherosclerosis and in diabetes mellitus (DM). Despite these data, there have been no studies that have specifically examined the utility of plasma complement C1q as a clinical biomarker in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. In this study, baseline plasma complement C1q levels were measured in 159 men with DM who were referred for coronary angiography and who were followed up prospectively for the development of all-cause mortality for 10 years. After adjustment for baseline clinical, angiographic, and laboratory parameters, reduced plasma complement C1q levels were an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 10 years (hazard ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.52 to 0.84, p = 0.0006). In additional multivariate models that adjusted for a variety of biomarkers with established prognostic efficacy, complement C1q remained an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 10 years. In conclusion, reduced levels of complement C1q are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality at 10 years in patients with DM referred for coronary angiography. Furthermore, this association is independent of a variety of clinical, angiographic, laboratory variables, including biomarkers with established prognostic efficacy in the prediction of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.
1631d Quantifying complex tasks using the revised strain index

Modern occupational tasks are often complex – consisting of multiple, discrete sub-tasks, each with its own unique combination of force, duration of exertion, posture, and frequency. Quantifying the physical stress from these complex tasks using simple, ‘mono-task’ assessment tools, such as the 1995 Strain Index (SI), can be difficult and assumes a large degree of ergonomics and MSD knowledge and training. Compared to the 1995 SI, the Revised Strain Index (RSI) minimises complicated measurement decisions and improves upon the 1995 SI by: (1) using percent maximum voluntary contraction (or Borg CR-10 equivalent) for applied hand force, (2) using duration per exertion (in seconds) rather than duty cycle, and (3) distinguishing between flexed and extended wrist postures. Thus the stress from each effort of a task (i.e., each sub task) can be individually quantified by the RSI and compared to other efforts in a cycle, or alternative efforts in the case of task intervention. By incorporating frequency of exertions (i.e., efforts per minute) and duration of task (i.e., hours per day), the RSI summarises stress associated with a simple task in a manner similar to the 1995 SI. For complex tasks, the RSI incorporates the Composite Strain Index (COSI) algorithm which integrates individual sub-tasks into an aggregate COSI score. The algorithm rank-orders subtasks from most to least stressful, thus ensuring that total task-stress is not lower than that of the highest stress sub-task alone. Sub-tasks are then incrementally added to one another by integrating over the frequency of exertion multiplier to produce the final COSI score (with all exertions explicitly represented). This presentation describes the RSI and COSI algorithm. A brief complex task example compares the RSI to the 1995 SI and showcases the RSI’s much improved utility as a tool for the design and evaluation of complex tasks.
A predictive model for patients with median arcuate ligament syndrome.

Due to the rarity of median arcuate ligament (MAL) syndrome, patient selection for surgery remains difficult. This study provides a predictive model to optimize patient selection and predict outcomes following a MAL release. Prospective data from patients undergoing a MAL release included demographics, radiologic studies, and SF-36 questionnaires. Successful postoperative changes in SF-36 was defined as an improvement > 10% in the total SF-36 score. A logistic regression model was used to develop a clinically applicable table to predict surgical outcomes. Celiac artery (CA) blood flow velocities were compared pre- and postoperatively and Pearson correlations were examined between velocities and SF-36 score changes. 42 patients underwent a laparoscopic MAL release with a mean follow-up of 28.5 ± 18.8 months. Postoperatively, all eight SF-36 scales improved significantly. The logistic regression model for predicting surgical benefit was significant (p = 0.0244) with a strong association between predictors and outcome (R2 = 0.36). Age and baseline CA expiratory velocity were significant predictors of improvement and predicted clinical improvement. There were significant differences between pre- and postoperative CA velocities. Postoperatively, the bodily pain scale showed the most significant increase (64%, p < 0.0001). A table was developed using age and preoperative CA expiratory velocities to predict clinical outcomes. Laparoscopic MAL produces significant symptom improvement, particularly in bodily pain. This is one of the first studies that uses preoperative data to predict symptom improvement following a MAL release. Age and baseline CA expiratory velocity can be used to guide postoperative expectations in patients with MAL syndrome.
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis.

SUMMARY SCFE is one of the most potentially damaging conditions of the adolescent hip. The onset may be associated with minor trauma but is often insidious and may present as vague thigh or knee pain. The lateral radiograph is the most sensitive view for detection of a low-grade slip. The contralateral hip must be examined carefully as there may be bilateral disease with the pain and disability of the presenting side masking the symptoms of less involved hip. SCFE is occasionally associated with other metabolic and endocrinologic disease, and these should be screened for in the history and physical examination. Once a slip begins, the hip remains at jeopardy for acute progression until the physeal plate closes. We recommend immediate surgical stabilization and prefer a cannulated screw system. Proper technique is critical to safe and reliable surgery. The most common complications, AVN and chondrolysis, are often related to technical errors and should be minimized with attention to detail.
Perioperative Management of Dental Patients on Antiplatelet Medications

When dental patients on continuous antiplatelet medications present for dental surgery, a decision must be made to continue antiplatelet therapy with potential increased bleeding risks or to interrupt therapy with potential increased embolic risks. But dental surgery is unlike other types of surgery in that major vessels are unlikely to be encountered and most bleeding complications are easy to access without additional surgeries both perioperatively and postoperatively. Of more than 3522 dental patients undergoing more than 6265 dental surgical procedures without interrupting antiplatelet therapy reported in the medical and dental literature, no more than 86 patients (a 2.4% minor bleeding incidence) required additional local measures for hemostasis, and still only two patients (in separate reports) suffered bleeding complications requiring more than local measures for hemostasis, a remarkably low incidence of serious bleeding complications of 0.06%. A close look at these two cases, one over 30 years old and the other over 50 years old, shows that they do not support interrupting antiplatelet therapy for dental surgery. Of 702 patients undergoing at least 752 interruptions of antiplatelet therapy for dental procedures, there were at least 19 embolic complications (2.5% of cessations). These embolic complications included myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, coronary artery syndrome, and cerebrovascular strokes. Since the review of the literature of antiplatelet interruption for dental procedures includes some case reports and some studies that were not prospective, randomized, and controlled, it is virtually certain that the actual incidence of embolic complications with antiplatelet interruption for dental procedures is significantly lower than 2.5%, but there certainly is an increased embolic risk, regardless of the reason for the interruption. As a result, antiplatelet therapy should not be interrupted for dental surgery.
Abstract 3003: Loss of heterozygosity of essential genes represents a novel class of cancer vulnerabilities

Despite progress in precision cancer drug discovery, few highly selective therapies exist in the clinic, creating the need for additional therapeutic targets. We have shown that copy number alterations (CNAs) in essential genes represent novel non-driver gene vulnerabilities in cancer. Here we interrogate loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in essential genes as a novel class of candidate therapeutic targets. We hypothesized that monoallelic inactivation of the single allele retained in tumors can selectively kill cancer cells, while somatic cells, which retain both alleles, will tolerate allele-specific knockout. We identified a list of over 1000 common missense SNPs in at least 1500 essential genes that undergo LOH in cancer and performed proof-of-concept allele-specific gene inactivation in two essential genes (PRIM1 and EXOSC8) using CRISPR-Cas9. We assessed the fidelity of allele-specific gene disruption and its cellular effects on gene expression, cell growth, and cell death in LOH and non-LOH genetic contexts. We determined that allele-specific knockout of PRIM1 and EXOSC8 selectively targets cells harboring only the single targeted allele of that gene. In cells retaining only the sensitive allele, we observed decreased target gene expression and cell viability that did not occur in cells retaining the resistant allele. We conclude that allele-selective inactivation of essential genes in regions of LOH (such as PRIM1 and EXOSC8) represents a novel candidate therapeutic strategy in cancer. The corresponding class of novel non-driver cancer vulnerabilities may provide a rich source of targets for future precision therapeutic development using gene editing, RNAi, or small-molecule approaches. Citation Format: Caitlin A. Nichols, Brenton R. Paolella, William J. Gibson, Meredith S. Brown, Laura M. Urbanski, Jack A. Kosmicki, John P. Busanovich, Ashton C. Berger, Galen F. Gao, Andrew D. Cherniack, Rameen Beroukhim. Loss of heterozygosity of essential genes represents a novel class of cancer vulnerabilities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3003.
Topical, systemic and biologic therapies in hidradenitis suppurativa: pathogenic insights by examining therapeutic mechanisms:

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, manifesting in chronic, recurrent painful pustules, nodules, boils and purulent draining abscesses. Our current understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease is incomplete. This review aims to identify available treatment options in HS and discuss the pharmacological mechanisms through which such agents function. Identifying common pathways may inform our understanding of the pathogenesis of HS as well as identify future therapeutic targets. The pharmacological mechanisms implicated in topical therapies, antibiotic, hormonal, systemic immunomodulatory and biologic therapies for HS are discussed. Significant differences exist between agents and implicated pathways in therapy for mild and severe disease. This is an expression of the possible dichotomy in inflammatory pathways (and treatment responses) in HS. Studies involving monoclonal antibodies provide the greatest insight into what these specific mechanisms may be. Their variable levels of clinical efficacy compared with placebo bolsters the suggestion that differential inflammatory pathways may be involved in different presentations and severity of disease. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and other innate immune mechanisms are strongly represented in treatments which are effective in mild to moderate disease in the absence of scarring or draining fistulae, however complex feed-forward mechanisms in severe disease respond to interleukin (IL)-1 inhibition but are less likely to respond to innate immune inhibition (through NF-κB or TNF-α) alone. It is unclear whether IL-17 inhibition will parallel TNF-α or IL-1 inhibition in effect, however it is plausible that small molecule targets (Janus kinase1 and phosphodiesterase 4) may provide effective new strategies for treatment of HS.
Newtonian Action Advice: Integrating Human Verbal Instruction with Reinforcement Learning

A goal of Interactive Machine Learning is to enable people without specialized training to teach agents how to perform tasks. Many of the existing algorithms that learn from human instructions are evaluated using simulated feedback and focus on how quickly the agent learns. While this is valuable information, it ignores important aspects of the human-agent interaction such as frustration. To correct this, we propose a method for the design and verification of interactive algorithms that includes a human-subject study that measures the human's experience working with the agent. In this paper, we present Newtonian Action Advice, a method of incorporating human verbal action advice with Reinforcement Learning in a way that improves the human-agent interaction. In addition to simulations, we validated the Newtonian Action Advice algorithm by conducting a human-subject experiment. The results show that Newtonian Action Advice can perform better than Policy Shaping, a state-of-the-art IML algorithm, both in terms of RL metrics like cumulative reward and human factors metrics like frustration.