cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Polymer and Ion Solvation on the Conformational Properties of Flexible Polyelectrolytes

The study of the coupling between the conformational properties of a polyelectrolyte chain and the distribution of counter-ions surrounding the chain is important in developing predictive theories for more complex polymer materials, such as polyelectrolyte gels. We investigated the influence of solvent affinity to counter-ions and the polyelectrolyte backbone on the conformational properties of highly charged flexible polymer chains using molecular dynamics simulations that include both ions and an explicit solvent. We find that the solvation of the polyelectrolyte backbone can be achieved by either increasing the solvent affinity for the polyelectrolyte segments or by increasing the solvent affinity for the counter-ions. However, these two mechanisms influence the conformational properties of the polyelectrolyte chain in rather different ways, suggesting the inadequacy of polyelectrolyte solution models that treat the solvent as a continuum medium.
Hypothesis: Cancer Is a Disease of Evolved Trade-Offs Between Neoplastic Virulence and Transmission

Virulence is defined as the ability of a pathogen to cause morbidity and/or mortality in infected hosts. The relationship between virulence and transmissibility is complex; natural selection may promote decreased virulence to enhance host mobility and increase the probability for transmission, or transmissibility may be enhanced by increased virulence, leading to higher pathogen load and, in some cases, superior evasion from host defenses. An evolutionary trade-off exists between the ability of pathogens to maintain opportunities for long-term transmission via suppressed virulence and increased short-term transmission via enhanced virulence. We propose an analogy between transmissibility and virulence in microbial pathogens and in cancer. Thus, in the latter case, the outcome of invasive growth and metastasis is analogous to transmissibility, and virulence is defined by high rates of proliferation, invasiveness and motility, potential for metastasis, and the extent to which the cancer contributes to patient morbidity and mortality. Horizontal and vertical transmission, associated with increased or decreased pathogen virulence respectively, can also be utilized to model the neoplastic process and factors that would increase or decrease tumor aggressiveness. Concepts of soft vs. hard selection and evolutionary game theory can optimize our understanding of carcinogenesis and therapeutic strategies. Therefore, the language of transmissibility, horizontal vs. vertical transmission, selection, and virulence can be used to inform approaches to inhibit tumorigenic progression, and, more generally, for cancer prevention and treatment.
Abstract 5852: FGF2 confers resistance to novel BET inhibitors in metastatic uveal melanoma

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular malignancy in adults and frequently metastasizes to the liver. Metastatic UM responds poorly to chemotherapy, immunotherapy and MAPK pathway inhibitors; hence, there is an urgent unmet need for new treatment strategies. UM has a low mutational burden and progression is associated with abberrant transcriptional programs. Inhibition of epigenetic modulators involved in transcriptional regulation such as the bromodomain and extraterminal domain (BET) proteins, may be feasible for the treatment of UM. Pre-clinically, JQ1, a first generation BET inhibitor, has been shown to suppress UM growth. Additionally, a multi-site clinical trial is ongoing testing a novel BET inhibitor, PLX51107 (Plexxikon Inc) in metastatic UM patients. Since growth factors in the tumor microenvironment potentially contribute to intrinsic resistance and poor responses to therapies, we determined effects of growth factors on the efficacy of BET inhibitors in metastatic UM cells. We show that FGF2 provides resistance of UM cells to the growth inhibitory effects of BET inhibitors, JQ1, PLX51107 and the third generation inhibitor, PLX72853. FGF2 rescued BET inhibitor-induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, which was associated with reversal of the decreased expression of cell cycle regulators (cyclin D1, phospho-RB) and increased expression of pro-apoptotic markers (cleaved PARP, Bim). Importantly, FGF receptor (FGFR) inhibitors reversed FGF2-induced BET inhibitor resistance. As UM predominantly metastasizes to the liver, we investigated FGF2 production by hepatic stellate cells. We show that hepatic stellate cells secrete FGF2 and stellate cell conditioned medium protects metastatic UM cells against the growth inhibitory effects of BET inhibitors. Interestingly, BET inhibitor treatment of UM cells elevated FGFR protein expression and this finding is also shown in UM cell xenograft tumors and in patient tumor samples following PLX51107 treatment. These results indicate that the FGF2/FGFR pathway is activated to promote resistance to BET inhibition via the secretion of FGF2 in the tumor stroma and adaptive upregulation of FGFR expression in UM. In conclusion, our studies suggest that co-targeting of FGFR signaling and BET proteins may be required to maximize the responses of metastatic UM to BET inhibitors. Citation Format: Vivian Chua, Timothy Purwin, Connie Liao, Andrew Aplin. FGF2 confers resistance to novel BET inhibitors in metastatic uveal melanoma [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 5852.
Auditor Litigation and the Penalties on U.S. Client Firms after the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act

This study examines the relation between auditor litigation and the market and legal penalties imposed on sued audit clients after the private securities litigation reform act (PSLRA). A sample of accounting-related lawsuits is used in the regressions of three-day cumulative abnormal returns, settlement amount, and probability of settlement on auditor litigation and other variables. The results indicate a negative relation between auditor litigation and the 3-day cumulative abnormal returns around the announcement of litigation against the client firm. Another result from the study is a positive relation between auditor litigation and the legal penalty on the client firm. Specifically, the results indicate higher likelihood of settlement and larger settlement sizes for securities lawsuits in which the auditor is also sued. Our study contributes to the debate on the merit of litigation against auditors after the PSLRA. The findings imply that lawsuits against auditors appear to be a signal of audit failure and higher financial reporting risk. As audit failures erode investor confidence in the capital markets, the present study provides valuable evidence on the market and legal system’s perception of the merit of auditor litigation. The findings should be of interest to regulators and market participants given the increase in securities lawsuits against audit firms and the substantial reputational consequences of such lawsuits on audit firms and client firms.
Chemical looping dry reforming of benzene as a gasification tar model compound with Ni- and Fe-based oxygen carriers in a fluidized bed reactor

Abstract Gasification tar during a fluidized bed operation impedes syngas utilization in downstream applications. Among tar constituents sampled during biomass gasification, benzene was the most abundant species. Thus, benzene was used as a model compound for chemical looping dry reforming (CLDR) over iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) metals impregnated on silicon carbide (SiC) in a lab-scale fluidized bed reactor to convert it into hydrogen and carbon monoxide (H2 and CO). A high benzene conversion rate (>90%) was observed at a higher experimental temperature (above 730 °C). Catalytic conversion of benzene using NiFe/SiC catalyst resulted in higher H2 production whereas higher levels of CO were produced with Fe/SiC catalyst at an elevated temperature. Control experiments using an empty bed and SiC bed showed the formation of both the biphenyls and excessive carbon deposits. Air oxidation was also performed for the regeneration of oxygen carrier during the chemical looping operation.
The Role of Text Messages in Patient-Physician Communication about the Influenza Vaccine.

Background Racial and ethnic minorities face disparities in receiving the influenza vaccination. A text message intervention could deliver personalized and timely messages to counsel patients on asking their physician for the vaccination. Aims We assessed whether patients would be receptive to influenza vaccination text messages. Methods Participants were recruited from a sample of low-income, racial and ethnic minority primary care patients. Participants completed a self-administered survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results There were 274 patients who participated and answered the questions of interest, of whom 70% were racial and ethnic minorities and 85% owned a cell phone. Thirty-six percent reported they had never received an influenza vaccination recommendation from their physician. However, 84% would be comfortable asking their physician for the influenza vaccination. Of cell phone-owning participants who would be comfortable asking their physician about the influenza vaccination, 80% would also be comfortable receiving a text message reminder. Conclusion Text messages may be an acceptable channel to prompt patients to discuss the annual influenza vaccination with their physicians. Text messaging is a feasible tool to engage patients in their health and improve annual influenza vaccination rates among low-income, racial and ethnic minority patients.
Formation of Microbubbles for Targeted Ultrasound Contrast Imaging: Practical Translation Considerations.

For preparation of ligand-decorated microbubbles for targeted ultrasound contrast imaging, it is important to maximize the amount of ligand associated with the bubble shell. We describe optimization of the use of a biocompatible cosurfactant in the microbubble formulation media to maximize the incorporation of targeting ligand–lipid conjugate into the microbubble shell, and thus reduce the fraction of ligand not associated with microbubbles, following amalgamation preparation. The influence of the concentration of a helper cosurfactant propylene glycol (PG) on the efficacy of microbubble preparation by amalgamation and on the degree of association of fluorescent PEG-lipid with the microbubble shell was tested. Three sets of targeted bubbles were then prepared: with VCAM-1-targeting peptide VHPKQHRGGSK(FITC)GC-PEG-DSPE, cyclic RGDfK-PEG-DSPE, selective for αVβ3, and control cRADfK-PEG-DSPE, without such affinity. Microbubbles were prepared by 45 s amalgamation, with DSPC and PEG stearate as the main compon...
Nanotherapeutic provides dose sparing and improved antimicrobial activity against Brucella melitensis infections.

New therapies are needed to treat chronic bacterial diseases and intracellular pathogens, in particular, are very difficult to manage. The use of nanotherapeutics represents an approach to exploit size and charge of biological membranes to overcome barriers for treatment of intracellular pathogens including Brucella melitensis. In this work, polyanhydride nanoparticles comprised of copolymers of sebacic acid, 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane, and 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane were synthesized to encapsulate antimicrobial compounds doxycycline and rifampicin. The nanoparticles demonstrated sustained release of rifampicin for a week with the antimicrobial activity peaking at 72 h and lasting up to a week. Treatment of B. melitensis infected macrophages with rifampicin-containing nanoparticles rapidly eliminated viable intracellular bacteria following 48 h of treatment and pretreatment with the nano-formulations prevented intracellular infection in contrast to soluble drug controls. Treatment of infected BALB/c mice with a nanoparticle cocktail containing doxycycline and rifampicin for five days decreased bacterial burden by three log10 in the liver. Extended release of antibiotics was demonstrated in vivo by treating B. melitensis infected mice with the standard therapy of daily 0.5 mg doxycycline dose or single 0.5 mg doxycycline-encapsulated nanoparticles delivered once a week. After 3 weeks, bacterial counts in spleen and liver were statistically equal between animals treated with the weekly nano-formulation and daily soluble drug, representing a seven-fold dose sparing. Altogether, these results demonstrated that the use of nanotherapeutics was successful at increasing antimicrobial efficacy and improving in vivo activity through a combination of intracellular delivery, dose sparing, and extended release in treating chronic bacterial infections. This platform technology can also provide benefits for drug delivery against other chronic intracellular bacterial pathogens, including Mycobacterium and Burkholderia species, including treatments against antibiotic-resistant infections.
Value and Barriers to Use of the SIMPL Tool for Resident Feedback.

Objective The System for Improving and Measuring Procedural Learning (SIMPL) is a smart-phone application used to provide residents with an evaluation of operative autonomy and feedback. This study investigated the perceived benefits and barriers to app use. Design A database of previously performed SIMPL evaluations was analyzed to identify high, low, and never users. Potential predisposing factors to use were explored. A survey investigating key areas of value and barriers to use for the SIMPL application was sent to resident and faculty users. Respondents were asked to self-identify how often they used the app. The perceived benefits and barriers were correlated with the level of usage. Qualitative analysis of free text responses was used to determine strategies to increase usage. Setting General surgery training programs who are members of the Procedural Learning and Safety Collaborative. Participants Surgical residents and faculty. Results At least 1 SIMPL evaluation was created for 411 residents and 524 faculty. Thirty percent of both faculty and residents were high-frequency users. Thirty percent of faculty were never users. One hundred eighty-eight residents and 207 faculty (response rate 46%) completed the survey. High-frequency resident users were more likely to perceive a benefit for both numerical evaluations (76% vs 30%) and dictated feedback (92% vs 30%). Faculty and residents commonly blamed each other for not creating and completing evaluations regularly (87% of residents, 81% of faculty). Suggested strategies to increase usage included reminders and integration with existing data systems. Contributions Frequent users perceive value from the application, particularly from dictated feedback and see a positive impact on feedback in their programs. Faculty engagement represents a major barrier to adoption. Mechanisms which automatically remind residents to initiate an evaluation will help improve utilization but programs must work to enhance faculty willingness to respond and dictate feedback.
Land Cover Classification at the Wildland Urban Interface using High-Resolution Satellite Imagery and Deep Learning

Land cover classification analysis from satellite imagery is important for monitoring change in ecosystems and urban growth over time. However, the land cover classifications that are widely available in the United States are generated at a low spatial and temporal resolution, so that the spatial distribution between vegetation and urban areas in the wildland urban interface is difficult to measure. High spatial and temporal resolution analysis is essential for understanding and managing changing environments in these regions. This paper describes an end to end satellite data ingestion and analysis pipeline using deep learning on high resolution satellite imagery for generating pixel-based land cover classification.
Fat Quantity and Quality, as Part of a Low-Fat, Vegan Diet, Are Associated with Changes in Body Composition, Insulin Resistance, and Insulin Secretion. A 16-Week Randomized Controlled Trial.

Macronutrient composition of the diet influences the development of obesity and insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the role of dietary fat quantity and fatty acid composition in body composition, insulin resistance, and insulin secretion. An open parallel randomized trial design was used. Overweight participants (n = 75) were randomized to follow a low-fat vegan (n = 38) or control diet (n = 37) for 16 weeks. Dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure body composition. Insulin resistance was assessed with the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-IR) index. Insulin secretion was assessed after stimulation with a liquid breakfast (Boost Plus, Nestle, Vevey, Switzerland). Self-reported 3-day diet records were used to assess dietary intake. A linear regression model was used to test the relationship between fat intake and body composition, insulin resistance, and insulin secretion. Changes in fat intake expressed as percent of total energy consumed correlated positively with changes in fat mass (r = 0.52; p < 0.001; and 0.347; p = 0.006, respectively), even after adjustment for changes in body-mass index (BMI) and energy intake (0.33; p = 0.01). Decreased intakes of C18:0 (r = 0.37, p = 0.004) and CLA-trans-10-cis12 (r = 0.40, p = 0.002), but increased intake of C18:2 (r = −0.40, p = 0.002) and C18:3 (p = −0.36, p = 0.006), were associated with a decrease in HOMA-IR, independent on changes in BMI and energy intake. The main fatty acids associated with changes in fasting insulin secretion were C12:0 (r = −0.31, p = 0.03), and TRANS 16:1 (r = −0.33, p = 0.02), both independent on changes in BMI and energy intake. Our findings demonstrate that, in the context of a low-fat vegan diet, decreased intake of saturated and trans fats and increased relative content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly linoleic and α-linolenic acids, are associated with decreased fat mass and insulin resistance, and enhanced insulin secretion.
Efficacy and Toxicity of Microneedle-Based Devices

There have been significant advancements in the field of transdermal drug delivery with the development of microneedles. Microneedles are capable of enhancing transdermal drug delivery by creating physical conduits in the stratum corneum of the epidermis. In this chapter, we discuss the various types of microneedles with a specific focus on out-of-plane microneedles and their modes of action. We further examine the safety and efficacy of microneedles along with their applications in the field of dermatology.
Arene―metal―carborane triple-Decker sandwiches. Designed synthesis of homo- and heterobimetallic complexes of cobalt, iron, ruthenium, and osmium

This paper describes the systematic preparation and characterization of new families of triple-decker sandwich complexes incorporating formal cyclo-Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 3}{sup 4{minus}} bridging ligands, including the first species of this class containing second- or third-row transition metals. Complexes of general formula (L)M(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 3})M{prime}(L) (M = Ru, Os; M{prime} = Co, Ru; L = cymene (p-isopropyltoluene), Cp, or C{sub 5}Me{sub 5}) were obtained in stepwise fashion via (1) synthesis of closo-(L)M(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 4}H{sub 4}) metallacarboranes, (2) decapitation (apex BH removal) of these complexes to give nido-(L)M(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 5}), (3) bridge deprotonation to form the corresponding mono- or dianion, and (4) reaction of the anion with an arene metal halide to generate the desired triple-decker compound. In addition, the cobalt-iron triple-decker CpCo(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 3})FeCp was prepared via treatment of ({eta}{sup 6}-C{sub 8}H{sub 10})Fe(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 4}){sup {minus}} with Na{sup +}Cp{sup {minus}} and CoCl{sub 2} followed by air oxidation. The reaction of (CO){sub 3}RuCl{sub 2} with (C{sub 5}me{sub 5})Co(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 3}){sup 2{minus}} gave the pseudo-triple-decker complex (C{sub 5}Me{sub 5})Co(Et{sub 2}C{sub 2}B{sub 3}H{sub 3})Ru(CO){sub 3}. The triple-deckers, especially those containing osmium, are susceptible to chlorination by RuCl{sub 3}, OsCl{sub 3}, or dichloromethane,more » forming exclusively the 4-chloro derivatives. All of the characterized triple-decker complexes are air-stable crystalline solids (except for the osmium-ruthenium species, which are air sensitive) and have been structurally characterized from their {sup 11}B and {sup 1}H NMR, infrared, visible-UV, and unit- and high-resolution mass spectra.« less
Effects of video psychoeducation on perceptions and knowledge about electroconvulsive therapy

This study examined the effects of video psychoeducation about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on perceptions and knowledge about ECT. A pre-post design was used with a national sample of 1,068 adults who screened positive for depression. Participants' perceptions and knowledge about ECT were assessed before and after watching a psychoeducational video about ECT. Participants showed significant increases in positive perceptions and accurate knowledge about ECT after watching the psychoeducational video. In the perception domain, the items "ECT can be lifesaving" and "fears that ECT can be painful" showed the largest positive increases. In the knowledge domain, items related to "ECT is one of the safest procedures performed" and "ECT can be given safely to older persons" showed the largest increases. Over 20% of participants changed their mind and reported they were willing to try ECT after watching the video. Together, these findings suggest video psychoeducation about ECT holds great potential to improve perceptions and knowledge about ECT, particularly as new technologies are developed to create, distribute, and host videos to reach large audiences.
Analyzing Variation Among IoT Botnets Using Medium Interaction Honeypots

Through analysis of sessions in which files were created and downloaded on three Cowrie SSH/Telnet honeypots, we find that IoT botnets are by far the most common source of malware on connected systems with weak credentials. We detail our honeypot configuration and describe a simple method for listing near-identical malicious login sessions using edit distance. A large number of IoT botnets attack our honeypots, but the malicious sessions which download botnet software to the honeypot are almost all nearly identical to one of two common attack patterns. It is apparent that the Mirai worm is still the dominant botnet software, but has been expanded and modified by other hackers. We also find that the same loader devices deploy several different botnet malware strains to the honeypot over the course of a 40 day period, suggesting multiple botnet deployments from the same source. We conclude that Mirai continues to be adapted but can be effectively tracked using medium interaction honeypots such as Cowrie.
Noninvasive vascular function tests for the future prediction of primary cardiovascular diseases.

Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) still remain the main causes of death and disability in the US and worldwide, and the prediction for their future incidence is not well established. The u...
Methanogens and Methanotrophs Show Nutrient-Dependent Community Assemblage Patterns Across Tropical Peatlands of the Pastaza-Marañón Basin, Peruvian Amazonia.

Tropical peatlands are globally important carbon reservoirs that play a crucial role in fluxes of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Amazon peatlands are expected to be large source of atmospheric methane (CH4) emissions, however little is understood about the rates of CH4 flux or the microorganisms that mediate it in these environments. Here we studied a mineral nutrient gradient across peatlands in the Pastaza-Maranon Basin, the largest tropical peatland in South America, to describe CH4 fluxes and environmental factors that regulate species assemblages of methanogenic and methanotrophic microorganisms. Peatlands were grouped as minerotrophic, mixed and ombrotrophic categories by their general water source leading to different mineral nutrient content (rich, mixed and poor) quantified by trace elements abundance. Microbial communities clustered dependent on nutrient content (ANOSIM p < 0.001). Higher CH4 flux was associated with minerotrophic communities compared to the other categories. The most dominant methanogens and methanotrophs were represented by Methanobacteriaceae, and Methylocystaceae, respectively. Weighted network analysis demonstrated tight clustering of most methanogen families with minerotrophic-associated microbial families. Populations of Methylocystaceae were present across all peatlands. Null model testing for species assemblage patterns and species rank distributions confirmed non-random aggregations of Methylococcacae methanotroph and methanogen families (p < 0.05). We conclude that in studied amazon peatlands increasing mineral nutrient content provides favorable habitats for Methanobacteriaceae, while Methylocystaceae populations seem to broadly distribute independent of nutrient content.
Deconstructing empathy: A qualitative examination of mentor perspective-taking and adaptability in youth mentoring relationships

Abstract Empathy has been identified as a central component of effective youth mentoring relationships yet little is known about what empathy within mentoring relationships looks like and the specific aspects of empathy that may be at work in this context. Longitudinal qualitative interview data with 50 mentor participants in a larger study of mentoring relationship development were used to examine mentors’ expressions of different dimensions of empathy within their narratives about the nature and quality of their mentoring relationships. Two main dimensions of empathy were identified: (a) perspective-taking, which was marked by mentors’ descriptions of their efforts to relate to the youth’s experiences and to understanding things from the youth’s point of view and (b) adaptability, which was conveyed through the mentors’ descriptions of their openness to the wants, needs, and experiences of the youth and to their flexibility in the relationship and responsiveness to the youth. Mentors who described being able to engage empathically with their mentees also conveyed greater satisfaction with the experience of mentoring.
Design and Characterization of a 10 × 10 Pixel Array THz Camera in 350 nm CMOS Technology

In this paper, a $10\times 10$ pixel array camera for room-temperature THz imaging application in 350 nm CMOS technology is presented. The camera consists of a $10\times 10$ focal-plane array (FPA) of THz detectors, on-chip column amplifiers, digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and on-chip memory for per-pixel calibration. High performance THz detectors are realized by integrating on-chip antennas and sub-threshold Si MOSFETs. The detectors are biased with a current source for increased responsivity and improved NEP. Our designed detector improves responsivity and NEP by a factor of 900 and 7, respectively, compared to conventional photo-voltaic (cold) FET-based detector in the same technology node and detection settings. Additionally, we proposed a successive-approximation (SA) calibration scheme to adjust the operating point of the pixels to maximize the THz response and improve uniformity, in the presence of pixel-to-pixel process variation. At 200 GHz illunimation frequency, the average responsivity and NEP of the 2D imager are measured as 16.4 kV/W and $216~\frac {nW}{\sqrt {Hz}}$ , respectively, with an image acquisition rate of 2 Hz. The responsivity and NEP of a representative pixel are extrapolated to 10 KHz (where 1/f noise has substantially decreased) for comparison with literature. The extrapolated values are 19 kV/W and $535~\frac {pW}{\sqrt {Hz}}$ , respectively. By placing the THz camera in an optical setup, we were able to acquire images of concealed metal objects in a cardboard box at 200 GHz illumination frequency.
Trends and seasonal variation of hospitalization and mortality of interstitial lung disease in the United States from 2006 to 2016

In the recent years, the overall trends in hospital admission and mortality of interstitial lung disease (ILD) are unknown. In addition, there was some evidence that interstitial lung disease death rate highest in the winter but this finding was only available in one study. This study will investigate the trend and seasonal variations in hospital admission and mortality rates of ILD from 2006 to 2016. From the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, we collected all cases with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 or ICD-10 codes of ILD excluding identifiable external causes (drug, organic or inorganic dusts) from 2006 to 2016. Hospitalization rates of each year were calculated based on U.S Census population data. Monthly hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates were analyzed by seasonal and trend decomposition. Subgroups of idiopathic interstitial fibrosis (IPF), acute respiratory failure (ARF), pneumonia were analyzed. From 2006 to 2016, all-cause hospital admission rate of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and IPF-only subgroup declined but their overall mortality remained unchanged (except IPF subgroup and acute respiratory failure subgroup). Acute respiratory failure related admission account for 23% of all causes and pneumonia 17.6%. Mortality of ILD in general and subgroup of ILD with ARF was highest in winter, up to 8.13% ± 0.60 and 26.3% ± 10.2% respectively. The seasonal variations of hospital admission and mortality of ILD in general was not changed when infectious pneumonia cases were ruled out. All cause admission rates were highest in months from January to April. Subgroup analysis also showed seasonal variations with highest hospitalization rates for all subgroups (IPF, ARF, pneumonia) in the months from December to April (winter to early Spring). From 2006 to 2016, admission rates of ILD of all causes and IPF subgroup declined but in-hospital mortality of ILD of all causes remained unchanged. Mortality of IPF subgroup and acute respiratory failure subgroup trended down. All-cause hospital admissions and mortality of ILD have a strong seasonal variation. Hospitalization rates for all subgroups (IPF, ARF, pneumonia) were highest in the months from December to April.
Post-Fordist cinema: Hollywood auteurs and the corporate counterculture: JEFF MENNE, 2019 New York, columbia university press pp. xiii + 261, illus., notes, index, $30.00 (paper)

In Post-Fordist Cinema: Hollywood Auteurs and the Corporate Counterculture, Jeff Menne compellingly illuminates parallels between management theory and the filmmaking practices that took hold in Ne...
Machine Vision Smart Parking Using Internet of Things (IoTs) In A Smart University

The concept of smart cities is becoming more widespread as the critical need for smart parking systems becomes evident in these cities. This paper suggests a method of smart parking in a heretofore relatively untouched area: midsize college campuses. With a high concentration of people and expansion with a relatively low increase in parking spots, parking problems are commonplace on college campuses. There is no designated terminology for universities utilizing smart systems, with suggestions ranging from “smart campuses” to “smart universities.” This paper discusses a proof of concept structure utilized by the researchers to implement a smart parking system in a midsize university parking lot. The system looks promising as evidenced by the results gathered using the proposed system. The results are discussed later in the paper and the implications for the smart parking system.
Capturing vote-seeking incentives and the cultivation of a personal and party vote

Abstract Electoral rules establish incentives that encourage candidates to strike a particular balance between cultivating their own personal reputations and cultivating shared party reputations. Higher levels of intraparty competition stress the need for an individual reputation and minimize the usefulness of a shared, party reputation. We develop a new indicator of intraparty competition that addresses shortcomings pointed out in previously used indicators. We also identify new, particularly intuitive indicators of ”personal” and ”party” vote seeking. Using within-system and across-system variation in parliamentary elections in Japan, we find that candidate manifestos contain more frequent uses of first-person pronouns and candidate names and fewer references to political parties when intraparty competition is stiffest.
Time-tagged ticker tapes for intracellular recordings

A core taken in a tree today can reveal climate events from centuries past. Here we adapt this idea to record histories of neural activation. We engineered slowly growing intracellular protein fibers which can incorporate diverse fluorescent marks during growth to store linear ticker tape-like histories. An embedded HaloTag reporter incorporated user-supplied HaloTag-ligand dyes, leading to colored stripes whose boundaries mapped fiber growth to wall-clock time. A co-expressed eGFP tag driven by the cFos immediate early gene promoter recorded the history of neural activity. High-resolution multispectral imaging on fixed samples read the cellular histories. We demonstrated recordings of cFos activation in ensembles of cultured neurons with a single-cell absolute accuracy of approximately 39 min over a 12-hour interval. Protein-based ticker tapes have the potential to achieve massively parallel single-cell recordings of multiple physiological modalities.
Nursery Environmental Controls

I was pleased to read Dr. Gezon9s last paragraph1 in "Should Nursery Environmental Control Measures Be Re-examined?" There, he points out the danger of generalizing about nursery techniques as applied under one set of circumstances. I am all for hexachlorophene. I am all for hand-washing, as I, too, believe that the hands of personnel and especially of physicians are the greatest single transfer mechanism in nursery pyodermia. However, there may be something much bigger. I am impressed-both as an erstwhile marine biologist and as a physician-with great naturally occurring ecologic swings of population densities involving whole groups of organisms.
Synergistic stimulation of neutrophils. Possible involvement of 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoate in superoxide release.

Neutrophils stimulated with optimal amounts of tumor-promoters that activate protein kinase C (e.g. mezerein, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate) are known to release large quantities of superoxide: approximately 40-50 nmol O2-/min/10(7) cells. Previous studies have shown that treatment of neutrophils with the calcium ionophore A23187, or with 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenonate (5-HETE), dramatically increased the ability of these cells to release O2- in response to suboptimal concentrations of the stimulants mentioned. In this manuscript, we provide data relevant to the basis of this augmentation of O2- release. The synergy with ionophore A23187 exhibited a partial requirement for extracellular Ca2+, whereas that with 5-HETE exhibited a near absolute requirement for that cation. Neutrophils stimulated with optimal amounts of tumor-promoters are known to exhibit a redistribution of protein kinase C activity from the soluble to a particulate fraction. A redistribution of kinase activity was not observed in cells stimulated synergistically. On the other hand, ionophore A23187 and 5-HETE increased the binding of a suboptimal amount of [3H] phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate to intact neutrophils by approximately 25 and 50%, respectively. Inhibitors of protein kinase C (i.e. sphingosine, 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine) substantially blocked O-2 release from neutrophils stimulated either synergistically or with optimal levels of tumor-promoters. These data suggest a role for 5-HETE in modulating O-2 release by neutrophils and are discussed in relation to models of the interactions of protein kinase C with membranes.
On-chip integration of thermoelectric energy harvesting in 3D ICs

We present a full system integration of a thermoelectric energy harvesting system as an on-chip component into a 3D IC. Our system incorporates a lithographically patterned bi-metallic thin-film thermocouple network with a switched capacitor power converter and a charge buffer capacitor to harvest thermal energy produced by temperature gradients in typical 3D IC structures. Through heat transfer and transistor-level circuit simulations we demonstrate the energy harvesting potential of our system to power a low energy circuit component. Our proposed thin film based harvester does not require package re-design, since it is integrated on-chip using low cost CMOS compatible material. We evaluated integration of our proposed system into a 3D stacking of processor cores and DRAM memory. Even when operating at a conservative thermal bound of 84°C sufficient energy is harvested to continuously sustain a low-power adder for 29,640 cycles of single bit additions or 463 cycles of 64-bit additions with 12usec charging delay. Effectively we can run the adder continuously with less than 0.80% delay between bursts of operations.
Exploring the domain of the cerebellar timing system

Abstract The ability of an animal to process temporal information has adaptive significance across different temporal ranges. The ability to encode and utilize temporal information allows an animal to predict and anticipate events. However, the time scales vary widely. The predictable event might be based on information that changes over relatively long periods such as a year or a day, or over periods comprising much shorter durations, events that change within a few minutes or milliseconds. Are there a single set of neural mechanisms that are essential for representing temporal information over these different scales? Despite the fact that numerous neural structures have been linked to successful performance on a variety of timing tasks, this question has received relatively little attention. In this chapter, we will focus on the role of the cerebellum in a variety of timing tasks. We will review the hypothesis that the cerebellum can be conceptualized as a relatively task-independent timing mechanism. An important feature of this hypothesis is that the range of the cerebellar timing system is assumed to be relatively restricted. Specifically, we assume that the cerebellum is capable of representing temporal information ranging from a few milliseconds to an upper bound of a few seconds. What remains unclear is whether the cerebellum is involved on tasks spanning longer durations. Cognitive processes such as attention and memory become clearly important here, and indeed, may dominate performance for longer intervals. The animal literature points to non-cerebellar structures as playing a critical role in these tasks and we will provide a brief review of this work. Finally, we will present the preliminary results from two experiments designed to directly test the hypothesis that the cerebellum's temporal capabilities are limited to relatively short durations.
On subsets of Fqn containing no k-term progressions

In this paper we prove that for any fixed integer k and any prime power q>=k, there exists a subset of F"q^2^k of size q^2^(^k^-^1^)+q^k^-^1-1 which contains no k points on a line, and hence no k-term arithmetic progressions. As a corollary we obtain an asymptotic lower bound as n->~ for r"k(F"q^n) when q>=k, which can be interpreted as the finite field analogue of Behrend's construction for longer progressions.
The Polarization of Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell Electrodes II . Characterization by AC Impedance and Response to Current Interruption

This paper reports on AC impedance and current interruption measurements which have been investigated as an in situ method for characterizing rate-limiting processes in molten carbonate fuel cell porous electrodes. Analysis of the data for the fuel cell anode indicates that the anode is always under strong mass-transfer control, in the temperature range of 600-700{degrees} C. Analysis of data for the cathode indicates that at 650{degrees} C the cathode is under mixed control. Charge-transfer control is approached at lower temperatures (600{degrees} C) and at high CO{sub 2} partial pressures. Control by mass transfer or slow homogeneous reactions (e.g., CO{sub 2} + O{sup =} {yields} CO{sub 3}{sup =}) in the cathode tends to become dominant at higher temperature (700{degrees} C). The kinetic (exchange) reaction orders of the cathode reaction are approximately 0.85 and {minus}0.45 for oxygen and carbon dioxide, respectively. The activation energy of oxygen reduction is approximately 230 kJ/g mol.
Does the addition of time-lapse morphokinetics in the selection of embryos for transfer improve pregnancy rates? A randomized controlled trial

Objective To determine if the addition of continuous morphokinetic data improves reproductive outcomes when all embryos are cultured in a closed system. Design Prospective, randomized, controlled study. Setting Single academic center. Patient(s) A total of 235 patients undergoing fresh autologous IVF cycles with at least four embryos, cultured in the Embryoscope: 116 patients randomized to conventional once-daily morphologic embryo screening (CS) and 119 to additional time-lapse kinetic monitoring (TLM) for selection. Intervention(s) TLM versus CS. Main Outcome Measure(s) Intrauterine clinical pregnancy (CPR) and implantation (IR) rates. Result(s) CPR and IR were similar overall (TLM vs. CS, respectively: CPR 68% vs. 63%; IR 51% vs. 45%) and with blastocyst transfers (CPR 74% vs. 67%; IR 56% vs. 51%). CPR with day 5 transfer was threefold higher than day 3 transfer, but group (TLM vs. CS) was not a significant predictor of clinical pregnancy or implantation. Significantly more multinucleation was detected when CS embryos were retrospectively reviewed with the use of TLM (7.0% vs. 35.3%), and multinucleation was independently associated with decreased rates of implantation. Time to the start of blastulation of Conclusion(s) The addition of time-lapse morphokinetic data did not significantly improve clinical reproductive outcomes in all patients and in those with blastocyst transfers. Absence of multinucleation, timing of blastulation, and morphokinetic score were found to be associated with blastocyst implantation rates. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT02081859.
Ex vivo human cornea rigidity after UVA/riboflavin induced cross-linking

Abstract Objective The purpose of the current study was to assess changes in human corneal rigidity after treatment with riboflavin and UVA using a new device, the Corneal Displacement Unit (CDU). Design Experimental study. The CDU was designed to quantitatively measure the effect of cross-linking (CXL) in complete human donor cornea buttons. This apparatus measures the tissue displacement associated to computer-controlled variations in pressure. Methods Baseline measurements with the CDU were taken from 10 de-epithelialized human corneas. They were exposed to 0.1% riboflavin drops every 2 min for 1 h with exposure to UVA light during the last 30 min after which CDU measurements were taken again. Results were analyzed using a non-parametric test. Significant tests were set at P ≤ .15 and non-significant correlation coefficients at rho ≤ .15 to reject abnormal measurements. For each of the 10 corneas, pachymetry values and 1988 CDU measurements were collected before and after treatment. Results Pressure measurements averaged across the corneas were similar before and after treatment ( P ≥ .99), and were highly correlated (Spearman rho = .88, P P Conclusions The present study demonstrated a significant increase in the mechanical rigidity of human corneas after CXL. The CDU was able to quantify the mechanical strength of whole corneal buttons ex vivo with minimal damage to the tissue.
Feature transformations and structure of attributes

Let V be a set real world entities, that admits a relational model. An attribute induces an equivalence relation on V and will be regarded as such. Let A* be the set of such equivalence relations and their refinements. Then the smallest sublattice L(A*) generated by A* in the parition lattice of V is called generalized relation lattice. The set of the granules in L(A*) whose cardinality is above certain threshhold is the set of all possible patterns derivable from the given attributes (features) of the given relation.
A transient accumulation of poly(A)-containing RNA in the tapetum of Hyoscyamus niger during microsporogenesis

Abstract The distribution of poly(A)-containing RNA in the tapetal cells of Hyoscyamus niger during microsporogenesis was followed by in situ hybridization with [ 3 H]poly(U) as a probe. Although no poly(A)-containing RNA accumulated in the premeiotic tapetum, [ 3 H]poly(U) binding sites were detected in the tapetum as meiosis was completed in the microsporocytes. Accumulation of poly(A)-containing RNA in the tapetal cells reached a peak before the first haploid mitosis in the pollen grains. With the onset of tapetal senescence at the late uninucleate stage of the pollen grain, [ 3 H]poly(U) binding sites gradually decreased and they completely disappeared in the tapetum at the binucleate pollen stage. The significance of the results is discussed, particularly with regard to the possible role of tapetum in the synthesis of informational macromolecules during microsporogenesis.
Applying behavioral concepts and principles to the treatment of cocaine dependence

Cocaine dependence continues to be a widespread and serious public health problem in the US. Unfortunately, no consensus exists about how to treat cocaine dependence. Various pharmacological and psychological therapies have been investigated with mixed results. In this report we review findings from several studies conducted to assess the efficacy of an outpatient behavioral treatment for cocaine dependence. The treatment is based on the concepts and principles of behavior analysis and behavioral pharmacology. Results obtained to date indicate the treatment is acceptable to patients, retains them in treatment, engenders clinically significant levels of cocaine abstinence and can be adapted to deal with other forms of substance abuse common in this population. Overall, we believe the treatment represents an important step towards the development of empirically based and effective treatments for cocaine dependence.