cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DENDRITE TIP RADII IN DIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFIED PB-8.4AT.%AU

Abstract The cell/dendrite tip radii in directionally solidified Pb-8.4at.%Au have been investigated as a function of the growth speed and thermal gradient in the liquid at the tip. Dendrite growth models are not able to predict quantitatively the tip radii and tip compositions separately because of the occurrence of thermosolutal convection during growth. However, the relationship between the destabilizing solutal gradient, the stabilizing thermal gradient and the capillarity at the tip assumed using the “marginal stability” criterion is supported by the experimental data.
Systems Analysis in Regional Blood Management

One of the main objectives of a Regional Blood Management System (RBMS) is the efficient management of the region’s blood resources. This, however, is a complex task. Blood is a perishable product, for which the standard results of inventory theory do not hold. Its demand and supply are uncertain. It must be distributed and inventoried under special medical considerations at hospitals whose annual transfusion volumes, medical practices, and distances from the supplying regional center vary widely. And, in addition to the above issues of analytical complexity, blood bank managers are faced with issues that are typical of a health care management problem: i) the performance of the system can be measured in terms of multiple criteria, some of which are conflicting, and, ii) quantitative measurement of the system’s performance can be very difficult, since the estimation of many of the costs involved (e.g., unavailability of blood) is very subjective.
Robust Region-Tracking for Multi-Agent Systems Using Sliding Mode Control

Control of autonomous agent swarms is studied for targeted flocking exercises. The desired decentralized control also requires robustness against modeling uncertainties and bounded unknown forces. In this analysis, we consider the task of robustly driving multiple agents to a moving ‘target region’, as repulsive interactions help spread out the agents. An unconventional form of sliding mode control is implemented to provide the robust attraction towards the region’s center. For robustness a ‘boundary layer’ is conceived, which corresponds to the desired target region. The attraction is intentionally softened inside this target region, allowing agents to create a final formation utilizing their repulsion forces. Examples are given for moving circular and elliptical regions which illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.© 2010 ASME
Nanograting structure promotes lamellipodia-based cell collective migration and wound healing

Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process of replacing missing or dead cell structures and tissue layers. The aim of this research is to discover biocompatible materials and drugs that can promote cell migration in the wound area and thus enhance desirable wound healing effects. In this paper, we report that PDMS nanogratings could accelerate the migration of epithelial cells along the grating axis, and the addition of Imatinib could further increase the epithelial cell wound healing speed to 1.6 times the speed of control cells. We also demonstrate that this migration is mediated by lamellipodia protrusion, and is Rac1-GTPase activity dependent. Lastly, we discuss the potential application and prospect of different nanostructured biomaterials for wound healing studies.
Analysis of Ice-to-Liquid Ratios during Freezing Rain and the Development of an Ice Accumulation Model

AbstractSubstantial freezing rain or drizzle occurs in about 24% of winter weather events in the continental United States. Proper preparation for these freezing rain events requires accurate forecasts of ice accumulation on various surfaces. The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) has become the primary surface weather observation system in the United States, and more than 650 ASOS sites have implemented an icing sensor as of March 2015. ASOS observations that included ice accumulation were examined from January 2013 through February 2015. The data chosen for this study consist of 60-min periods of continuous freezing rain with precipitation rates ≥ 0.5 mm h−1 (0.02 in. h−1) and greater than a trace of ice accumulation, yielding a dataset of 1255 h of observations. Ice:liquid ratios (ILRs) were calculated for each 60-min period and analyzed with 60-min mean values of temperature, wet-bulb temperature, wind speed, and precipitation rate. The median ILR for elevated horizontal (radial) ice accumulati...
Social media for the 99%? Rethinking social movements’ identity and strategy in the corporate web 2.0

In this article, I investigate the relationship between social movements and corporate social networking sites, by looking at content produced by Occupy Chicago on Twitter and Facebook during the protests of May 2012. Through an analysis of social media posts and activists’ documents, I identify the functions that these platforms perform for the movement. My findings show a very limited importance of content that expresses the identity of the movement, spreads alternative news, and criticizes mainstream media, while the preponderance of protest reporting suggests that activists use social networking sites mainly to communicate “what they do,” rather than “who they are.” I argue that the lack of identity-content is the result of the incompatibility between the decentralized political processes of Occupy and the individual-centric nature of social networking sites. I also suggest we need to rethink the relationship between social movements’ identities and media strategies in light of a changed media environ...
Hip fractures in the elderly. How to reduce morbidity and mortality.

PreviewElderly patients fear hip fractures because of the significant associated morbidity and mortality. While preventive measures may be instituted in early life, there are other ways to avoid fractures in older patients. Dr Epstein explores the impact of this injury on the elderly and suggests ways to avoid either the fracture itself or the complications that can follow.
Conversion of residues and by-products from the biodiesel industry into value-added products

Biodiesel, one of the most important sources of renewable energy, is produced in large quantities around the world; however, its production generates different kinds of residues and by-products which raise economic and environmental concerns. This review presents a compilation of the data on current state of transformation of residues and by-products of biodiesel industry into products that are suitable for bio-refining. The review has analyzed glycerol, biodiesel washing wastewaters, and solid residues. The technologies were described and the most significant experimental results and variables were summarized to allow researchers an easy access to this information.
Recent advances in the preclinical and clinical immunopharmacology of interleukin-2: emphasis on IL-2 as an immunorestorative agent.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a chemically defined lymphokine (LK) available as mixed human (LK) preparations, as partially purified lymphoblastoid IL-2, or as recombinant human IL-2. Each has different actions dependent on companion LKs showing synergistic interaction (e.g., IL-1 and gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN]). IL-2 acts to expand activated T cells; to activate natural killer (NK) cells, lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, and cytolytic T cells (CTL); to regulate T-cell ontogeny via actions on prothymocytes and immature T cells; and to induce gamma-IFN and activate tumoricidal macrophages. IL-2 acts via specific cell surface receptors on protein kinase C and cyclic GMP-related mechanisms. While stable, its in vivo half-life is short and its persistence is important for it to induce a response. Toxicities include an influenzia-like syndrome, anemia, eosinophilia, and fluid accumulation. In vivo actions include augmentation of cytotoxic responses at high doses, T-cell adjuvant actions, and T-cell restorative actions at midrange doses and at low doses with companion LKs. Antitumor responses in man and animals occur, but irregularly. They are maximized by the concomitant use of LAK cells, cytoreductive therapy, antisuppressor cell therapy, and regional or persistent administration. IL-2 offers hope for more effective therapy of cancer and a variety of immunodeficiency diseases involving IL-2 defects, including AIDS, viral infections, and autoimmune diseases.
Fundamental Limits to the Precision of Multicellular Sensing

Single cells can detect remarkably small chemical concentrations and concentration gradients. At the same time, cells have evolved diverse mechanisms of communicating. Here we address, with both theory and experiments, whether cell-cell communication improves concentration- and gradient-sensing precision. We develop a minimal model of collective sensing by cells that communicate via juxtacrine signaling, in which a small molecule is exchanged between neighboring cells. Our model makes several concrete predictions, which we validate with experiments on clusters of epithelial cells (‘organoids’) in the presence of shallow growth factor gradients. A central finding is that multicellular organoids can detect shallower gradients than single cells, but that communication noise ultimately limits the increase in sensory precision with organoid size. We then extend our theory to paracrine signaling, where cells communicate over longer distances via a messenger molecule that diffuses in the extracellular space. Surprisingly, we find that for sufficiently large cell populations, paracrine signaling allows more precise sensing of a uniform concentration than juxtacrine signaling.
On the Question of Exciton Localization in (Cd,Mn)Te by Alloy Disorder

Many of the recent studies of optical properties in the II-VI diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) have involved near bandgap electronic excitations such as free and impurity bound excitons. At the same time there is an expected contribution to band edge broadening from alloy potential fluctuations which are inherent to any mixed crystal due to compositional disorder on microscopic scale. In particular, it has been realized some time ago that excitons may localize in such random potential wells at low temperatures (1). Experimentally, there have been reports in several mixed crystals of evidence for such localization, obtained through analysis of photoluminescence spectra (2), including recent transient spectroscopy (3).
Abstract 4535: SUV420H1 enhances the phosphorylation and transcription of ERK1 in cancer cells

The oncogenic protein ERK1, a member of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade, is a signaling molecule involved in various types of human cancer. Functional regulation by phosphorylation of kinases in the ERK pathway has been extensively studied, however methylation of the ERK1 protein has not been reported to date. Over the past decade, a number of protein methyltransferases have been identified and reported to methylate histone proteins as well as non-histone substrates related to various molecular functions that have pivotal roles in tumorigenesis. To identify candidate enzymes that may methylate ERK1, we performed an in vitro methyltransferase assay using various recombinant methyltransferases and found that SUV420H1 methylates ERK1. Mass spectrometry analysis validated our findings and identified ERK1 to be tri-methylated by SUV420H1 at lysines 302 and 361. Given that some protein methylation is known to affect protein phosphorylation, we then investigated the biological importance of the individual K302 and K361 methylated lysine residues on the phosphorylation status of ERK1. Substitution of methylation sites (lysine to arginine) diminished phosphorylation levels of ERK1 (Thr202 and Tyr204), supporting that methylation of these respective residues enhances ERK1 phosphorylation levels. Concordantly, siRNA-mediated SUV420H1 knockdown reduced phosphorylated ERK1 protein levels as visualized on immunoblot, while it interestingly also suppressed ERK1 at the transcript level. SUV420H1 knockdown caused a significant growth-suppressive effect in two squamous cell carcinoma head and neck (SCCHN) cell lines, and flow cytometric cell-cycle analysis showed a significant reduction in the proportion of cells at the S phase, and an increase of those at the G0/G1. Our results indicate that overexpression of SUV420H1 may result in activation of the ERK signaling pathway through enhancement of ERK phosphorylation and transcription, thereby providing new insights in the regulation of the ERK cascade in human cancer. Citation Format: Theodore Vougiouklakis, Vassiliki Saloura, Yusuke Nakamura, Ryuji Hamamoto. SUV420H1 enhances the phosphorylation and transcription of ERK1 in cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 4535.
Thermal Effects on Separation of Flow

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights thermal effects on separation of flow. The heat transfer of separated flows at subsonic speeds is important for the design of heat-transfer equipment. But with increases of speed of airborne vehicles, the aerodynamic heating becomes very important in the estimation of spoiler effectiveness, hinge moment of flap-type controls when flow separation is present, and diffuser performance. The chapter also explores the position of compressible flow separation and heat transfer on separated flow at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. Because of flow separation, a hot spot exists in a particular region such as reattachment and the heat transfer of the separated flow attracts attention. Various analytical investigations of thermal effects on flow separation have been concerned mostly with laminar flow.
Leadership Research: Some Issues

(1991). Leadership Research: Some Issues. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 14, Communication Yearbook 14, pp. 535-546.
Customer Ratings as a Tool for the Information Asymmetry Reduction in the Hospitality Market

One of the important stages of the buying process is seeking the information which should be valid, reliable and consistent with the current demand. Nowadays, in the information society, the source of this information is no longer primarily a service provider (eg. the hotel), but other consumers who have benefited from these services.The aim of this study is to make a comparative analysis of the methods for generating customer ratings of the hotels in the available online resources (online travel agencies and hotel e-intermediaries, hotel search engines, providers of travel reviews and social media). As a research tool, a critical review of the literature is used and exploration of online resources has been made. The study clearly shows that the customer rating systems are highly heterogeneous. Both the number and type of evaluation criteria, rating scale and definitions of reviewers are the factors which have significantly differentiated the analyzed systems. However, this heterogeneity and many other disadvantages such as the subjectivism of advisers, significant discrepancies between reviews et al., do not undermine these systems’ usefulness in reducing information asymmetry in the hospitality market and in the decision-making process by the client.
Theoretical Studies of the Glycosidation of 2-O-Substituted 5-Fluorouracil: N-Regioselective Synthesis with the Phase-Transfer-Catalysis Method.

The observed N-regioselective glycosidation of 2-O-substituted 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) via the phase-transfer-catalysis (PTC) method was investigated computationally. The Gibbs free energy reaction barrier of the N-reaction between the 5-FU anion and 1-bromo-1-deoxy-2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-d-glucopyranose was computed at the MP2/6-311++G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31+G* level. The calculated transition states were, in general, quite “loose”, with the ambident reaction sites at the N3- or O4-positions on 5-FU located approximately 2.0 A from the anomeric carbon. With the SN2 mechanism, the formation of β-glycosides was explained by the characteristics of transition states, and the N-regioselectivity was explained by three considerations: (1) the conformations of initial complexes and the structural requirement of the reactions; (2) the formation of an ionic pair between nBu4N+ and 2-O-substituted 5-FU anions; and (3) the thermodynamic conversion of O-glycosides to N-glycosides. The reactions between the oxocarbenium io...
Does Motive Matter? The Effects of Authentic & Deceptive Impression Management

Impression management (IM) is a common occurrence within organizations. IM behaviors can be authentic or deceptive. Prior research has examined the difference between authentic and deceptive IM in ...
Five-Factor Personality Traits and RIASEC Interest Types: A Multivariate Meta-Analysis

Determining the relationships between five-factor model (FFM) personality dimensions and Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) types is important for c...
Differential epidural block. Does the choice of local anesthetic matter

Background and Objectives It is well established that spinal anesthesia results in a differential block to the sensations of pinprick and cold temperature discrimination. However, the existence of differential block during epidural anesthesia has not always been accepted. Recently, it has been shown that lumbar epidural anesthesia with chloroprocaine and lidocaine produces a differential block to pinprick and cold sensation. The purpose of this study was to determine if the choice of local anesthetic used for epidural anesthesia has any influence on the relative levels of anesthesia, analgesia, and cold sensation. Methods The authors studied nine healthy subjects; each was studied three times and received one of three local anesthetics (0.75% bupivacaine, 2% lidocaine, and 3% chloroprocaine) via an epidural catheter placed into the second or third lumbar epidural space. The authors tested the following modalities compared to an unblocked dermatome: anesthesia, loss of sensation to pinprick; analgesia, loss of an equally sharp sensation to pinprick; and cold sensation, loss of cold sensation to alcohol. Results Twenty minutes after injection of the local anesthetic, zones of differential sensory block existed for all three agents tested. Anesthesia and analgesia were the most caudad and cephalad, respectively, while loss-to-cold sensation was found to be between these two levels. There was no significant difference in the dermatomal level achieved among the three local anesthetics tested. Sensory testing data observed 10 minutes later showed that no significant change had occurred. Conclusions This study reaffirms the existence of differential sensory block during epidural anesthesia and establishes that the observed differential block appears to be independent of the local anesthetic used.
Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Asthma

Asthma treatment is currently undergoing transition as recognition of the important role of anti-inflammatory therapy continues. Asthma is now recognised as a chronic inflammatory process that can be modulated by anti-inflammatory agents. The effectiveness of systemic therapy with corticosteroids has been known for decades, and aerosolised forms of corticosteroids are playing an increasingly important role in treating and preventing asthma. The early introduction of inhaled corticosteroids, along with avoidance of causal factors, may prevent or reduce progression and chronicity of this disease.
Enzyme, Spurenelemente, Coenzyme

Eine betrachtliche Anzahl von Enzymen enthalt zusatzlich zum Protein noch bestimmte Stoffe, deren Menge manchmal weniger als 1%, bezogen auf das Gesamtgewicht des Enzyms, betragen kann. Trotz dieses geringen Gehaltes sind sie von uberragender Bedeutung fur die biologische Aktivitat des Enzyms. Knapp 30 solcher Verbindungen wurden inzwischen charakterisiert, die aus einfachen Metallatomen bis zu komplexen organischen Molekulen bestehen. Sie werden als prosthetische Gruppen oder Coenzyme bezeichnet. Bis auf wenige Ausnahmen sind die prosthetischen Gruppen nicht durch andere Coenzyme am gleichen Protein ersetzbar, d. h. der Proteinanteil eines Enzyms ist auf die Gegenwart eines bestimmten Coenzyms angewiesen, wenn eine optimale biologische Aktivitat erreicht werden soll. Im allgemeinen benotigen die Enzyme prosthetische Gruppen, die an oxydierenden bzw. reduzierenden Reaktionen beteiligt sind, wahrend die Enzyme, die hydrolytische Reaktionen katalysieren, in der Regel ohne Coenzyme auskommen.
Indoor and outdoor household dust contamination in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Despite some progress in reducing the average lead level in the USA, the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio, are still contaminated by heavy metals. High levels of heavy metals will have significant unequivocal ecological impacts and pose a potential health hazard. This study evaluates the level of heavy- metal contamination in household dust and examines its relationships with the external environment. Samples of outdoor and indoor dust were collected from middle-income residential homes in the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan District and the metal content was analysed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrophotometry. Results showed that the mean levels of lead in outdoor and indoor dusts are 650 μg g⊃-1 and 377 μg g⊃-1 and the copper levels are 253 μg g⊃-1 and 510 μg g⊃-1, respectively. The median levels are 156 μg g⊃-1 and 139 μg g⊃-1 for outdoor and indoor lead dusts and 35 μg g⊃-1 and 124 μg g⊃-1 for outdoor and indoor copper dusts. The degree of contamination may be ascribable to the age of the dwelling unit and the neighbourhood, the time when the unit was last painted, the presence of pets and the type of space heating. In addition, car exhausts seems to be a possible source of contamination.
Assisted reproductive technologies, sex selection, and the commodification of children.

The possibilities of pre-conception selection of gender and character traits of children pose many moral and ethical questions. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Structure and Function of Recombinant Human Transthyretin

In order to gain more insight into the metabolism, structure and function of transthyretin (TR) and its variants, recombinant human TR (r-TR) was synthesized rn vitro using a thermoinducible expression vector, pCZll. Normal TR cDNA was ligated into the Ndel-BamHI sites of pCZll and then transformed into E. coli JM103 cells. The r-TR showed the correct size (14kD) on PAGE and Western analysis and self associated into tetramers as seen by size exclusion chromatography. To determine proper function, iodothyronine equilibrium competitive binding assays were performed by incubating 125I-T4 with purified r-TR in the presence of increasing concentration of unlabeled iodothyronines. Affinity constants of r-TR for T4 were determined by the method of Scatchard. r-TR had the same affinity for T4 and other iodothyronine analogs (Ka=179± 16x10 Ml) as normal human TR purified from serum (Ka= 1.06±.36x10 M). Variants of TR were also studied. The rank Order of affinity of the TR variants for T was Thr >normal=Ala =Ile (heterozygous)>His-58=Tyr77 =Ser84 =Ile 1224(homozygous)=Met30 (heterozygous)>>Met 30(homozygous). These studies demonstrate that in vitro expression of human TR can provide large amounts of pure protein (normal and variant) for the study of structure/function relationships and amyloid forming capabilities.
Oral Language, Phonological Awareness, Word Reading, and Passage Reading Comprehension in Grade 2

This chapter describes a study that examined the cross-linguistic relationships among earlier oral language, phonological awareness, word reading and later passage reading comprehension. The participants were assessed with standardized and researcher-designed, parallel tasks in the two languages, including aspects of oral vocabulary knowledge, phonological awareness, word level reading tasks at the beginning of second grade; passage reading was measured at the end of second grade. The results revealed a distinct language-specific pattern of contribution from orally based competence to word and passage reading; concurrent cross-linguistic contribution from English phonological awareness to Chinese character and word reading was identified. The discussion highlights the importance of oral language experiences in biliteracy learning and suggests that biliteracy learning is dictated largely by the language-specific demands stemming from the properties of the language in which reading tasks are performed.
Thalamic Reticular Nucleus Parvalbumin Neurons Regulate Sleep Spindles and Electrophysiological Aspects of Schizophrenia in Mice.

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is implicated in schizophrenia pathology. However, it remains unclear whether alterations of TRN activity can account for abnormal electroencephalographic activity observed in patients, namely reduced spindles (10–15 Hz) during sleep and increased delta (0.5–4 Hz) and gamma-band activity (30–80 Hz) during wakefulness. Here, we utilized optogenetic and reverse-microdialysis approaches to modulate activity of the major subpopulation of TRN GABAergic neurons, which express the calcium-binding protein parvalbumin (PV), and are implicated in schizophrenia dysfunction. An automated algorithm with enhanced efficiency and reproducibility compared to manual detection was used for sleep spindle assessment. A novel, low power, waxing-and-waning optogenetic stimulation paradigm preferentially induced spindles that were indistinguishable from spontaneously occurring sleep spindles without altering the behavioral state, when compared to a single pulse laser stimulation used by us and others. Direct optogenetic inhibition of TRN-PV neurons was ineffective in blocking spindles but increased both wakefulness and cortical delta/gamma activity, as well as impaired the 40 Hz auditory steady-state response. For the first time we demonstrate that spindle density is markedly reduced by (i) optogenetic stimulation of a major GABA/PV inhibitory input to TRN arising from basal forebrain parvalbumin neurons (BF-PV) and; (ii) localized pharmacological inhibition of low-threshold calcium channels, implicated as a genetic risk factor for schizophrenia. Together with clinical findings, our results support impaired TRN-PV neuron activity as a potential cause of schizophrenia-linked abnormalities in cortical delta, gamma, and spindle activity. Modulation of the BF-PV input to TRN may improve these neural abnormalities.
Sound enhances wastewater degradation and improves anaerobic digester performance

Biogas production and wastewater quality from anaerobic digesters were studied to determine whether sound at sonic frequencies (< 20,000 Hz) could enhance their performance. In three trials with increasing waste loading rates, each of 100-day duration, the performance of control and sound-treated digesters was compared. Anaerobic digesters exposed to sound produced approximately 12% more biogas than did non-exposed digesters, and sound-treated digestate had significantly lower chemical oxygen demand. Sludge at the end of the 100-day digestion averaged 19% less carbon and 18% less nitrogen in sound-treated digesters as compared to sludge from untreated digesters. Although the mechanism(s) responsible for enhanced biogas production due to sound exposure are unknown, recordings of sound-treated digesters indicate that acoustically induced cavitation may play a role.
On a Theorem of Lov\'asz that $\hom(\cdot, H)$ Determines the Isomorphism Type of $H$.

Graph homomorphism has been an important research topic since its introduction [17]. Stated in the language of binary relational structures in that paper [17], Lovasz proved a fundamental theorem that, for a graph $H$ given by its $0$-$1$ valued adjacency matrix, the graph homomorphism function $G \mapsto \hom(G, H)$ determines the isomorphism type of $H$. In the past 50 years various extensions have been proved by many researchers [18, 12, 1, 23, 21]. These extend the basic $0$-$1$ case to admit vertex and edge weights; but these extensions all have some restrictions such as all vertex weights must be positive. In this paper we prove a general form of this theorem where H can have arbitrary vertex and edge weights. A noteworthy aspect is that we prove this by a surprisingly simple and unified argument. This bypasses various technical obstacles and unifies and extends all previous known versions of this theorem on graphs. The constructive proof of our theorem can be used to make various complexity dichotomy theorems for graph homomorphism effective in the following sense: it provides an algorithm that for any $H$ either outputs a P-time algorithm solving $\hom(\cdot, H)$ or a P-time reduction from a canonical #P-hard problem to $\hom(\cdot, H)$.
Association between facility volume and mortality of patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma.

BACKGROUND Prior studies in oncology have shown that a higher annual facility patient volume is associated with reduced mortality. Because classic Hodgkin lymphoma is uncommon but highly curable, this study used the National Cancer Database (2003-2014) to analyze whether such a relationship exists for this disease. METHODS The facilities were classified by quartiles, and random intercepts were used to account for clustering of patients within facilities. A Cox regression model was used to determine the volume-outcome relationship. RESULTS There were 47,633 patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma treated at 1310 facilities. The first quartile (Q1), which included 58.4% of the facilities, treated 3 or fewer patients per year, whereas the fourth quartile (Q4), which included 5.9% of the facilities, treated more than 9 patients per year. Compared with the patients treated at Q4 facilities, those treated at lower quartile facilities had a higher risk of death (hazard ratio for the third quartile [HR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.29; HR for the second quartile, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19-1.38; HR for Q1, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.2-1.39) after adjustments for all other factors (P < .0001). Compared with facilities treating 10 patients per year, facilities treating 40 patients per year had approximately 27% lower overall mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS Patients with classic Hodgkin lymphoma treated at high-volume centers had lower overall mortality than those treated at lower volume centers. Because this is a highly curable malignancy, such differences may suggest a benefit from referral to higher volume facilities or the emulation of their care models.
Roles of a Mast Cell-Specific Receptor MRGPRX2 in Host Defense and Inflammation.

Mast cells are multifunctional immune cells that are found most abundantly at host-environment interfaces, such as the skin, respiratory tract, and oral/gastrointestinal mucosa. Not surprisingly, m...
A Simulation Study for Transcranial Photobiomodulation Dosimetry Across Lifespan

We performed 3-D Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the light dosage of transcranial photobiomodulation (t-PBM) across lifespan. An overall decrease in energy deposition was found as a result of increasing thicknesses of the extra-cerebral tissues.
City-to-City and Temporal Assessment of Peer City Scooter Policy

This paper presents a micromobility scooter policy comparison between 10 mid-sized peer cities with respect to 12 policy dimensions. Because of the evolutionary nature of the policy, a temporal ana...
Particle air pollution and gestational diabetes mellitus in Houston, Texas.

Abstract Background There is mixed evidence implicating prenatal exposure to particulate matter Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of singleton live births in Harris County, Texas from 2008 to 2013. With data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), we spatially interpolated maternal exposures to total and speciated PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) over the 12-week preconception period and trimesters 1 and 2. We estimated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between pre-conception and pregnancy exposures to total and speciated PM2.5 and odds of GDM, adjusted for temperature and maternal covariates. We also evaluated confounding from NO2 and O3 exposures in multi-pollutant models. Results An interquartile range (IQR) increase in total PM2.5 exposure was associated with elevated odds for developing GDM over the preconception (adjusted OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.12), first trimester (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.17) and second trimester (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.17) periods. Effect estimates increased with adjustment for NO2 and O3. We observed modest increases in odds of GDM for IQR increases in first trimester ammonium ion PM2.5 (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.05) and sulfate PM2.5 (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.05) exposures, as well as preconception Cr PM2.5 exposures (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07). Conclusion Exposures to PM2.5, before and during pregnancy were associated with elevated odds of GDM. Mitigating air pollution exposures may reduce the risk of GDM and its long-term implications for maternal and child health.
Gender bias and the impact on managerial evaluation of insider security threats

Abstract With regard to computer abuse, the term "malicious insider" tends to be associated with male employees, likely because men commit more crimes relative to women. We draw on the chivalry hypothesis to inform our study and explore whether managers demonstrate gender bias in decision-making regarding insider threats posed by subordinate employees. We recruited managers as participants in our study and randomly assigned them to an "employee gender" condition, wherein half the participants read a scenario with a female offender and half the participants read a scenario with a male offender. The scenarios were identical with the exception of the gender pronouns, and participants were asked to evaluate the intent and harm posed by the employee. Our results suggest that managers’ perceptions of malicious intent are systematically different according to the gender of the subordinate employee; specifically, managers characterize security misbehavior by males as significantly more malicious relative to that by females. These findings suggest that gender biases play a role in how managers perceive employee security behavior. This study extends current research on the chivalry hypothesis by linking gendered criminal and computer stereotypes to bias in evaluating information systems security threats.
Blood transfusion rates in Baby NINJA (Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-Time Action)-a single-center experience.

Previous studies in non-critically ill hospitalized pediatric patients have shown that daily serum creatinine monitoring for the development of nephrotoxic medication–associated acute kidney injury decreases both the rate of high nephrotoxic medication exposure and associated acute kidney injury. Attempts to spread this successful screening program have been met with concerns that daily serum creatinine monitoring in critically ill neonates with high-risk nephrotoxic medication exposure would lead to iatrogenic anemia and an increase in blood transfusion requirements. We measured blood transfusion rates while implementing a system of daily serum creatinine monitoring in critically ill neonates at risk for high nephrotoxic medication–associated acute kidney injury. There was no correlation between blood transfusion rates and serum creatinine monitoring rates. We recommend that critically ill neonates identified as having high-risk nephrotoxic medication exposure undergo daily screening for the development of nephrotoxic medication–associated acute kidney injury.
Inference Performance Comparison of Convolutional Neural Networks on Edge Devices

With the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT), large amount of data are generated at edge devices with an unprecedented speed. In order to protect the privacy and security of big edge data, as well as reduce the communications cost, it is desirable to process the data locally at the edge devices. In this study, the inference performance of several popular pre-trained convolutional neural networks on three edge computing devices are evaluated. Specifically, MobileNetV1 & V2 and InceptionV3 models have been tested on NVIDIA Jetson TX2, Jetson Nano, and Google Edge TPU for image classification. Furthermore, various compression techniques including pruning, quantization, binarized neural network, and tensor decomposition are applied to reduce the model complexity. The results will provide a guidance for practitioners when deploying deep learning models on resource constrained edge devices for near real-time and on-site learning.
Transcatheter Edge to Edge Mitral Valve Repair

An increase in the aging population has lead to an increase in the burden of heart failure and the prevalence of mitral regurgitation (MR). Surgical intervention for primary MR remains the gold standard of care. Minimally invasive mitral valve therapies for both primary and secondary mitral regurgitation are likely to grow in high-risk patients. A heart team approach is a well-established concept in managing such patients. Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral repair using MitraClip (Abbott Structural Heart, Santa Clara, CA) is increasingly utilized in such patients [1].
Staphylococcal Gastroenteritis

The staphylococcal food-poisoning or food-intoxication syndrome was first studied in 1894 by J. Denys and later in 1914 by Barber, who produced in himself the signs and symptoms of the disease by consuming milk that had been contaminated with a culture of Staphylococcus aureus. The capacity of some strains of S. aureus to produce food poisoning was proved conclusively in 1930 by G. M. Dack et al. (31), who showed that the symptoms could be produced by feeding culture filtrates of S. aureus. While some authors refer to foodassociated illness of this type as food intoxication rather than food poisoning, the designation gastroenteritis obviates the need to indicate whether the illness is an intoxication or an infection.
Changes in tissue calcium content during gentamicin acute renal failure.

Aminoglycoside nephrotoxicity is the most important clinical cause of nephrotoxic acute renal failure. The mode of action whereby the aminoglycoside antibiotics kill bacteria and cause nephrotoxicity is probably quite similar. In both cases, drug binding to membrane structures results in death or injury to the cell. In the kidney, aminoglycosides have important effects on plasma, lysozomal, and mitochondrial membranes (1). Studies from this laboratory have investigated the gentamicin model of acute renal failure by evaluating indices of renal cellular integrity that depend in a major way on the integrity of the plasma membrane, i.e. renal cortex ionic composition and renal cortex Na-K ATPase activity (2,3). These studies demonstrated that renal injury was consistently accompanied by a gain in the tissue content of calcium and sodium. Studies in renal and non-renal tissue using ischemic and toxic injuries indicate that accumulation of calcium in the cytosol may play a central role in irreversible cell death (4).
The Association between Teen Parenthood and Marital Status among Women

2 Introduction 3 Methods 4 Data Analysis 6 Results 7 Discussion 8 References 10 Appendix I 13 Appendix II 14
Relationship Between Protein and Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis During Outgrowth of Spores of Bacillus cereus

The rate of protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis was examined during the outgrowth of spores of Bacillus cereus T in a chemically defined medium. RNA synthesis started 2.5 min after the initiation of germination, and protein synthesis after 4 min. Addition of a complete amino acid supplement and uracil supported high rates of RNA and protein synthesis throughout outgrowth. To determine the relationship between the rate of protein (k) and RNA synthesis, the kinetics of formation of various classes of RNA were followed during outgrowth. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) comprised a relatively constant fraction of the total RNA throughout outgrowth (71 to 78%). The classes of RNA synthesized during this period were determined by germinating spores in radioactive uracil and then at intervals following their stability to actinomycin D. Initially, labile RNA comprised the largest fraction of newly formed RNA (DeltaRNA), and this proportion decreased during outgrowth. The ratio of k/rRNA or k/Delta stable RNA varied considerably during outgrowth, whereas the ratio of k/labile RNA remained constant. The data suggest that the rate of protein synthesis is not rigidly coupled to either total or newly synthesized rRNA (ribosomes) during the early stages of outgrowth.
Electrochemical Reactions of Blood Coagulation Factors — Their Role in Thrombosis

Thrombosis is a reaction at a solid (blood vessel wall or prosthetic material)-electrolyte (blood) interface. It is initiated by a series of reactions of blood coagulation factors at this interface. Conducting materials, used for vascular and heart valve prostheses, which register potentials in blood more positive than +100 to +200 mv versus the normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) trigger this reaction. The same is true with positively charged insulator materials. These observations suggest an electrochemical mechanism for blood coagulation. Using electrochemical (electrocapillary, differential capacity, potentiodynamic and potentiostatic) ellipsometric, electron microscopic and hematological methods, the adsorption and charge transfer reactions, as well as where possible, their role in blood coagulation, were investigated at solid (mostly metal)-solution interfaces. These studies reveal that: (1) adsorption of amino-acids, peptides and proteins on metals is a potential dependent phenomenon; (2) blood coagulation factors (fibrinogen, prothrombin, thrombin, Factors V, VIII and IX) take part in electron transfer reactions; (3) fibrinogen is electropolymerised on electrodes maintained at anodic potentials; (4) fibrinogen clotting times are increased by its prior exposure to an electrode maintained at a potential of —800 mv; (5) electrochemical activation of prothrombin at positive potentials yields a product with thrombin activity; (6) heparin inhibits the adsorption of fibrinogen on freshly cleaved mica surfaces. These results are most valuable in the elucidation of the electrochemical mechanism of thrombosis. Several of the enzyme reactions in blood coagulation appear to occur by electrochemical pathways.
A Method of Consolidating and Combining EST and mRNA Alignments to a Genome to Enumerate Supported Splice Variants

Many researchers have focused their attention on alternative splice forms of genes as a means to explain the apparent complexity of human and other higher eukaryotic organisms. The exon-intron structure implied by aligning ESTs and mRNAs to genomic sequence provides a useful basis for comparing different splice forms. There are software tools that enumerate all possible exon-intron combinations implied by these alignments, but this approach has potential drawbacks including a combinatorial explosion in the number of splice forms and the generation of many unsupported splice forms. altMerge retains information about exon combinations present in the input alignments. It uses this information to combine compatible subsets of the alignments into a single representative form. Substructures of these representative forms are then exchanged to enumerate only those alternative splice forms that are consistent with the input alignments.
Sound produced by the rapidly inflating Santiaguito lava dome, Guatemala

[1] Vertical inflation of the Caliente lava dome at Santiaguito (Guatemala) occurs coincidentally with the onset of explosive eruptions and produces infrasound that is generally peaked between 0.5 and 2 Hz with amplitude of up to 5 Pa (at ∼1 km from vent). Inflation of up to ∼1 m progresses rapidly (within ∼2 s) and can encompass the entire surface of the ∼200-m-diameter dome. We use particle image velocimetry to quantify the time history of dome uplift and demonstrate that deflection of a volcano's solid surface can generate infrasound waves with amplitudes of a few Pa. The volumetric displacement history is used to model linear volumetric acoustic sources, both compact and of finite extent. Synthetic waveforms match recorded infrasound in terms of timing and frequency content. Amplitude fit is very good for a station located 3.3 km from the vent and less good for stations shielded by near vent topography.
Seismic Design Criteria for Hydroelectric Plant

On the basis of the latest study and research in the field of seismology and earthquake resistant design, new criteria are used to design and construct a safer power plant. Devil Canyon Power Plant is located in the immediate vicinity of two major faults in California, i.e., the San Andreas Fault and the Santa Ana Fault. Earthquake acceleration response spectrum curves are used to define more accurately loads exerted on the structure during a major earthquake. Also, special design considerations are enumerated.
PHOTOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF CLUMPY GALAXIES IN THE HUBBLE ULTRA DEEP FIELD

Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UDF) larger than 10 pixels (0.3 arcsec) have been classified according to morphology. There are 884 galaxies, including spirals, ellipticals, chains, clump-clusters, doubles, and tadpoles; 399 disk galaxies in the Tadpole field were also measured. Linear structures dominate at faint magnitudes. Distributions of axial ratios are compared to nearby samples. 30% of ellipticals are clumpy, and 10-30% of spirals are barred. Radial profiles and clump properties are measured for disk galaxies. Spiral and clump-cluster galaxies are dominated by giant clumps of 10 Mo. Galaxy redshifts, star formation histories, and masses are modeled for 10 clump clusters by comparing photometric colors and magnitudes with redshifted stellar population models.
Crystal structure of the catalytic domain of UCHL5, a proteasome-associated human deubiquitinating enzyme, reveals an unproductive form of the enzyme

Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L5 (UCHL5) is a proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzyme, which, along with RPN11 and USP14, is known to carry out deubiquitination on proteasome. As a member of the ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase (UCH) family, UCHL5 is unusual because, unlike UCHL1 and UCHL3, it can process polyubiquitin chain. However, it does so only when it is bound to the proteasome; in its free form, it is capable of releasing only relatively small leaving groups from the C-terminus of ubiquitin. Such a behavior might suggest at least two catalytically distinct forms of the enzyme, an apo form incapable of chain processing activity, and a proteasome-induced activated form capable of cleaving polyubiquitin chain. Through the crystal structure analysis of two truncated constructs representing the catalytic domain (UCH domain) of this enzyme, we were able to visualize a state of this enzyme that we interpret as its inactive form, because the catalytic cysteine appears to be in an unproductive orientation. While this work was in progress, the structure of a different construct representing the UCH domain was reported; however, in that work the structure reported was that of an inactive mutant [catalytic Cys to Ala; Nishio K et al. (2009) Biochem Biophys Res Commun 390, 855-860], which precluded the observation that we are reporting here. Additionally, our structures reveal conformationally dynamic parts of the enzyme that may play a role in the structural transition to the more active form.